Twilight Sparkle is an expert in unicorn magic, but earth pony magic remains a mystery to her. She's determined to uncover the earth tribe's secrets. What she learns will change her life . . . And it just might change Applejack's life as well.
Twilight Sparkle is an expert in unicorn magic, but earth pony magic remains a mystery to her. The books in her library have very little information about the earth tribe's abilities, other than their famous strength. Twilight is determined to uncover their secrets.
What she learns will change her life.
And it just might change Applejack's life as well.
The nice thing about living in a big castle is that you can hide in a corner of your library and it will take a while for anypony – or dragon – to find you.
Not that I want to be a recluse all the time. I mean, I am the Princess of Friendship. It's just that I had a big research project that I'd been putting off for too long.
I'm already an expert in unicorn magic – not to brag, but I've given guest lectures at Celestia's School of Magic. And I think I have a decent grasp of pegasus magic at this point. I can fly at least as well as Fluttershy, and a few days ago Rainbow Dash helped me to form a nice cumulonimbus.
But earth pony magic remains a mystery to me.
Oh, I've noticed how much easier it feels to carry stacks of books on my back now that I'm technically one-third earth pony. And there are times when I forget my new strength and accidentally break something such as a door. But I know there's more to being an earth pony than physical strength.
When it comes to botanurgy, lithurgy, geomancy, and any other “magical connection to the earth,” I've gleaned very little knowledge. The books I saved from Golden Oak Library have only ancillary information and references to older books that have proven to be a challenge to find. Or they mention terms like “capillurgy,” like the reader is supposed to already understand it, and then move on to a different topic.
Although the dean of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns changed the name to Celestia's School of Magic in an effort to make it sound more inclusive, it still just teaches about unicorn spell-casting. There are appalling gaps in my education. This shouldn't happen. I'm Princess Celestia's student! Why didn't she make sure I knew this, especially if she thought I might become her successor?
I did write to her about it, but she just rhetorically asked if I didn't know any earth ponies I could ask.
Of course I do, it's just . . . I don't know why, but for some reason feel like I should research on my own as much as possible before I go to them about it. I don't want them to think I'm ignorant. Ugh. Maybe Applejack and Rainbow aren't the only ponies who have issues with pride.
“Um, Twilight? Are you okay?” Spike stood in the doorway, his slit pupils wider than usual.
I shook my head to clear it. “Was I thinking out loud again?”
“A little. I'm sure your brain was going a lot faster than your mouth.” He stepped all the way into the study. “You know, if you're worried about something, you should just tell me or one of the girls. None of us will think any less of you.”
A smile tugged at the corner of my lips. “I know Spike. I'll tell you as soon as my mind stops racing.” It was then that I noticed the envelope in his hand. “Is that mail for me?”
He nodded and held it up. “It's from the Manehattan College of Earth Studies.”
My eyes lit up as I snatched the letter with my aura. “I hope it's good news. It looks shorter than I expected.” I tore it open and read the note. As I read, my hopes sank into the pit of my stomach. “What? I don't believe this. They won't even let me set hoof in their library unless I pass an entrance exam. And their exam is a demonstration of magic, like the School for Gifted—Magic!” I corrected myself. “I don't know how to use earth magic besides strength. And their library has the only copies of some ancient earth tribe texts!” With a groan, I walked over to my desk just so I could bang my head against it. “Why are you guarding your secrets, earth ponies? What are you trying to hide?”
“You know, you could just ask some of the earth ponies in Ponyville to help you.” I could almost hear Spike's eyes rolling without even glancing at him.
Raising my head, I took a deep breath. “I will,” I said. “If I have to.”
“Why do you say if you have to?” Spike tapped his claws together. “I know if I was friends with a dragon who wasn't a jerk, I'd ask them everything about dragon magic.”
“Aw Spike. I know. Dragons will be the next subject I research, I promise.” I felt like I hadn't been giving him the attention he deserved. It seemed like all I ever focused on was pony magic or the Elements of Harmony, but I'd spent very little time studying dragons.
My number one assistant and foster brother scratched the back of his head. “I wasn't trying to ask you for that, but . . .” He smiled. “Yeah, I'd like that.”
Wrapping my foreleg around his shoulders, I said, “I will go and talk to my friends, as soon as I calm down a bit more.”
Spike leaned into the half-hug before withdrawing and staring up at me. “Do you want me to make you some chamomile tea before I leave? That usually calms you down.”
“Actually, I'd like to try that red rooibos tea Zecora gave us.” I blinked and frowned. “Wait, you're leaving?”
“Yeah, I'm helping Rarity get some costume supplies. And by costume supplies I mean gems. I told you yesterday.”
“You did?” I winced. “Sorry, I must've been focused on reading at the time. Do you think you and Rarity will be okay on your own?”
As he shuffled toward the door, he waved his hand. “Don't worry, I doubt the diamond dogs will bother Rarity again. I'll be back with the tea.”
After Spike left, I held my foreleg to my chest, filled my lungs to capacity, and let the air back out, sweeping my leg away from my body. And then I thought of something besides tea that would improve my mood. I would start a list of everything I already knew about earth pony abilities. I've always found it comforting to organize my thoughts, and even my life, on paper. Plus, as a bonus, when I was ready to go to Applejack for insight, I could show her at what level I needed to begin my lessons. Or I could go to Pinkie Pie . . . Oh who was I kidding, I'd probably ask Maud to educate me about earth thaumaturgy before I asked Pinkie. I mean, I love her – she's the Element of Laughter, how can you not love her? It's just that any lesson she would teach me was bound to be most confusing. And Pinkie never understood my need to understand everything. So she would be my last last resort.
Taking a quill with my magic, I flipped one of my notepads to a clean sheet and began writing.
Features of earth pony magic
1. Enhanced physical strength and durability 2. Botanurgy (accelerated plant growth) 3. Lithurgy (not sure if this means growing crystals or smashing rocks or both) 4. Capillurgy (literally “working with hair,” grasping with tail and mane)
My quill hovered above the paper as I paused. I didn't see how I would ever need to grab things with my tail when I could simply use my telekinesis. On the other hoof, I had witnessed Pinkie perform amazing feats using capillurgy, which would have been challenging to accomplish with a unicorn's telekinesis. For example, she carried items concealed in her mane on a regular basis, and once I observed her using her tail as a drill to tunnel through the ground. The second ability was likely something that only Pinkie could accomplish, though. I can't imagine how she made her hair hard enough to drill through solid earth. Perhaps not even any of us alicorns could achieve that goal. In fact, when had I ever seen an alicorn making use of any form of capillurgy?
I stared down at my smooth tail for a moment as my mind made a connection. Princess Celestia and Luna didn't use their tails and manes to manipulate things, but they were in constant motion. I'd always assumed that they were being blown by an ethereal wind beyond mortal comprehension. But what if the perpetual motion was caused by an abundance of earth pony magic? It was a partial explanation, but it didn't account for the translucence and luminescence. I added another parenthetical comment to my list.
(The Royal Sisters' manes and tails might be extreme examples of this)
“Here you go, Twilight.” Spike interrupted my notes. Tearing my gaze away from my list, I glimpsed the steaming cup of red tea resting on the desk.
“Thanks, Spike.” When I peered up at him, he was already departing. “Have fun with Rarity. And be careful.”
“I will,” he called over his shoulder with a little wave.
Trusting Spike to make whatever preparations he required, I lifted the cup in my glowing aura and took a small sip. The rooibos tea was unlike anything I'd ever tasted, and very pleasant. As I swallowed, the hot liquid soothed my throat. After allowing myself another sip, I refocused on my list.
5. Extra-sensory perception a.k.a. Geomancy (sensing things not visible such as nutrients and weak spots in minerals, etc.)
I was treading dangerous ground here. My last attempt at trying to understand an earth pony's “ESP” had not gone well at all. Granted, that had been my own fault for not applying the scientific method, but the whole experience soured me on delving into that topic any further. Some of the library books about magic mentioned that many, but not all, earth ponies have ESP, sometimes called geomancy because it often relates to an aspect of the earth. But as usual, there weren't many details about any strengths, limitations, advantages and disadvantages to this ability. I was certain that I had never felt any unusual premonitions, but perhaps it took a while to develop, like a unicorn foal learning telekinesis. Cadance had told me that after she ascended, it took her two years to master unicorn magic. Yet she never mentioned how long it took to master earth magic.
Moving on to the next item on the list, I wrote:
6. Rituals (effecting change by making things “just so”)
The only ponies I knew of who practiced magic rituals were the Apples and most likely the Pies, although my visit with Pinkie's family had been too brief to have any meaningful conversation with them. Just based on what my two earth pony friends had told me, the Pies thought that it was important to do things a certain way even when it didn't make sense to outsiders, such as hiding and finding their Hearthswarming presents, or letting the mysterious “Choosing Stone” select their spouses. On a side note, I'm curious about this Choosing Stone, but I'm almost afraid to ask about it. In any case, maybe these rituals are most suitable for farming on the frontier. It's possible that the wild, natural forces were tamed by being forced into a routine. However, I knew I should be cautious about basing assumptions about the entire earth tribe on two of my best friends' families.
Unfortunately, I couldn't think of any more types of thaumaturgy to add to the list. After drinking my tea to the dregs, I took the cup and notepad in my telekinesis. I'd studied as much as I was able on my own. The only way to progress any further was to speak with an actual earth pony. I had to gain at least enough knowledge to impress the professors at the College of Earth Studies. As I descended the stairs to the kitchen, I began to feel optimistic. Really, I'd been acting silly earlier. Most of the time I would jump at the chance to learn a new type of magic, and here I felt even more reluctant about using it than I had about using my wings. I smiled and shook my head at my apprehension.
Looking down at my hooves, I said aloud, “Okay hooves, are you ready to work some magic?”
I trotted out the front doors, squinting as the brilliant sun struck my face. Soon my eyes adjusted, though, and I began to enjoy the beautiful weather that Rainbow and her team brought. Fluffy cumulus clouds floated in the air, scheduled to be converted to cumulonimbus clouds in a few days. A light breeze ruffled my hair and feathers, as well as the pages of my notepad. Birds sang, butterflies flew, lilies were blooming, and the grass was soft and springy, courtesy of the earth ponies. The sun felt comfortable and warm, its light bringing out the brightest colors contrasting with deep shadows.
In short, I couldn't have asked for a better day to explore the earth ponies' special connection to nature.
I could have flown to Sweet Apple Acres, but my unicorn and earth pony sides preferred to slow down a bit and relish the scenic route on this glorious day. I traveled through the town at a canter most of the way, stopping a few times to exchange pleasantries with the ponies on the street.
“Hi, Twilight!”
It was the one voice I had hoped to avoid hearing that day. Pinkie Pie bounded up behind me, her cotton candy curls bouncing. I froze and hunched my shoulders. Then I straightened and attempted a welcoming smile. I've always been terrible at hiding my emotions, but fortunately for me, Pinkie is just as terrible at picking up on social cues.
“Hi, Pinkie!” I replied with as much fake cheer as I could muster. “How are you?”
She stopped next to me, shaking with barely contained energy. “I'm bright-eyed and bushy-tailed as my Nana Pinkie used to say! Gummy and I are headed down to Froggy Bottom Bog.” Her forelock moved like a snake and lifted the baby alligator out from her voluminous mane, in what would have been a textbook example of capillurgy, if any textbooks on capillurgy were written. “He likes to pretend to be a floating log and contemplate the meaning of life,” she continued. “And don't worry, my Pinkie Sense told me that the hydra won't bother us today! So if you wanna go to the bog, now's your chance.”
I suppressed a shudder at her mention of Pinkie Sense. At least she already had plans, so she wouldn't want to start teaching me right this second. “Actually I need to talk to Applejack about something. But thanks for the heads up.”
“No problem.” She lowered Gummy back into her mane so that he was hidden from view. Her blue eyes strayed to my hovering notepad. “You know, you could probably learn capillurgy now that you're an alicorn. That way you could carry things in your mane and tail and no one would ever know. It's much easier to be sneaky and surprise ponies that way.”
My jaw dropped. Say what you will about Pinkie. Call her random all you want. But sometimes her intuition and perception are nothing short of magical.
“I will definitely consider that.”
Pinkie nodded. “Well, I'd better take Gummy to the bog now so we can get back in time for the afternoon rush at Sugar Cube Corner. Have fun at Applejack's!” She spronged away, disappearing around a curve in the road.
I slowly shook my head. It was looking more like I would be forced to take a lesson in earth magic from Pinkie Pie. But not today. With renewed purpose, I cantered down the street.
As I approached the rolling hills of the farm, I realized that it would be more practical to take to the air. Applejack and her family were no doubt working outside, and it might have taken all morning and into the afternoon for me to search such a vast area on hoof. I flapped my wings and flew over the orchard, and after a minute or two I saw an orange figure. I glided down and landed about forty feet away from her, so that I could observe her work without interrupting her. We were in a part of the farm that I had visited just a few times before. This was where the saplings were planted. The spindly, top-heavy trees were supported by twine stretched across wooden poles sticking up out of the ground. Applejack walked along the row, humming a simple tune. The saplings in front of her were as tall as her belly, but as soon as she started walking past them, they grew up to her neck. Tender green branches shot up and pale leaves opened, ready to turn sunlight and air into sugar.
It was fascinating. Some ponies might have overlooked it just because there were no sparks or flashes, but Applejack was controlling life. Her maturing of these young trees was almost like an age spell, and age spells were impossible without the aid of a highly enchanted item. Granted, plants are simpler lifeforms than ponies, but the magic still impressed me.
I'd been standing there studying Applejack long enough that I started to feel uncomfortable about walking up and interrupting her botanurgical process. Being an introvert, I considered leaving and coming back some other time. Then it occurred to me that I had nothing going for me back at the castle except for my pored-over books, red herbal tea, and an extremely unhelpful letter.
Taking a deep breath, I stepped toward the row of saplings. “Hey Applejack!”
She turned her head calmly. Applejack isn't jumpy like some other ponies I know. I believe the sole pony who could really startle her is Pinkie Pie.
“Howdy, Twilight.” Her mouth curved up in a smile. As she stopped walking, the sapling nearest to her kept growing past her neck and up to her ears. She stretched up and rested her front hoof on the leafy crown, visibly stopping its growth. Her grin widened as she patted the tree like she would her dog.
Then her green eyes focused on a spot next to my head. “Whatcha got there?”
Glancing to the side, I noticed my notepad floating next to me. I'd forgotten I was carrying it. “Oh this? It's a list I made of earth pony abilities. I'd like to find out more details about each one.”
“Uh-huh. And I reckon ya want me to read it?”
“Yes please.” I levitated the notepad toward her outstretched hoof.
After a several seconds of moving her eyes back and forth, she said, “All right, you got the first one down pretty good. Like when you carried all us gals on yer back at the Castle o' the Royal Sisters.” Her eyes twinkled as she peeked up from the list.
I beamed, feeling pleased with myself. I hadn't been certain if anypony noticed or remembered that feat of strength.
“So you wanna learn the rest o' this stuff?” she asked.
“Well, sure, I was hoping you could at least teach me botanurgy. You could start by showing me how to accelerate plant growth.” I pointed at the tallest tree in the line.
Turning her gaze down at the grass, AJ tugged on the brim of her hat. “You make farmin' sound so fancy, Twi.”
I waved my foreleg. “'Farming' makes it sound more simple than it is.”
“I'm a simple pony, sugar cube.”
“Applejack, there's nothing simple about what you do,” I persisted. “Knocking all the apples out of the trees to make them perfectly land in buckets, growing the trees, making sure all the blossoms are pollinated, maintaining the irrigation for when the weather ponies schedule dry spells, keeping animals from eating your crops, infusing the soil with your magic to give the seeds a jump start in spring . . .” I scowled. “I wish I'd known about that for my first Winter Wrap-Up.”
“Sorry 'bout that, Twi,” she said with a wince. “I had no call to lash out at you the way I did. I should've explained that us earth ponies had to plow the ground to put our power into it. I just assumed you would know.”
I sighed. “I didn't know. Canterlot doesn't have any farmland, and besides, I never learned anything about earth pony magic at the School for Gifted Unicorns.”
“I s'pose you wouldn't. And fair's fair, I didn't even think I was usin' magic when I was growin' up. I just thought of it as usin' my strength, same as pullin' a cart.” She shrugged. “It was just somethin' you did.”
Tilting my head, I asked, “So you thought that botanurgy was just a form of earth pony strength?”
“I didn't know the technical word for it, but I reckon so. But it ain't just in yer muscles. It's like–” she placed her foreleg over her chest. “–deeper. I can't rightly describe it.”
“Thauma,” I replied. “That's what you're using.”
“Thauma.” Applejack tried out the word before shaking her head. “I'll just call it strength.” She held the notebook out to me, and I took it back in my magic. “So why did you come to talk to me 'bout all this, Twi? Of course I'd love to help you learn more 'bout earth pony strength, but I ain't the best at explainin' things. I don't even got a proper study method. I might not be much use at helpin' ya learn anythin' more complicated than a friendship lesson.”
“Don't sell yourself short, AJ. I'm sure you taught Apple Bloom a lot about cultivating apple trees. And didn't you say you picked up on things by doing them? Who knows, maybe that's the best way to learn earth pony magic.” And besides, Applejack had to be a better teacher than Pinkie Pie with her incomprehensible rap songs. But I kept that thought to myself.
“You may have a point there.” Then her eyes lit up as she raised her head. “That gives me an idea. Have you tried germinatin' a seed yet?”
“Not without a magic potion. I wanted to read up on it first, but I couldn't find any instructions.” I ducked my head.
“Well, when I went to Camp Friendship when I was a filly, they started us on bean sprouts. C'mon, I'll show you. This is gonna be fun!”
After giving the tallest sapling one last pat, she pivoted and set off at a trot toward the barn, sending grasshoppers leaping to get out of her path. As always, the big red building smelled like hay, dirt, and fresh-cut pine. I followed her to the open doorway and peered inside as she found a paper seed packet, picked it up in her mouth with care, and carried it outdoors. Digging at the ground near the barn, she broke up the hard-packed soil with her hoof. Then she shook a red bean out of the packet and covered it with a thin, loose layer of earth.
“All right, now you gotta watch and feel what I'm doin' here. Put yer hoof next to mine.”
She rested her hoof a few inches away from the legume. On the other side, I set down my hoof.
“Ya feel that?” she asked.
I nodded. It was similar to sensing thaumic surges with my horn, only this was through my hoof. It was an intangible push that the tiny plant couldn't help but react to. The white root emerged and wove into the dirt. A split second later, the stem sprang forth, and the first pair of leaves unfolded. The seedling stretched up to my fetlock and higher as buds and nodules appeared and unfurled, lengthening and dividing. And then it gradually slowed, but it was still visible, weeks of growth condensed into half a minute. The top of the plant reached halfway up Applejack's leg, which was as tall as it could grow before it needed to be staked.
The hard part about all of this was that I couldn't observe exactly what Applejack was doing, other than the impalpable output. She was standing still. When I started watching her face, I realized that she was smiling with a gleam in her eyes.
“You're just like Rarity working on a dress,” I said.
She burst out laughing, her eyes crinkling as she glanced up at me. “I'm like Rarity?”
“Sure, you have the same look she gets when she's sewing.”
“I s'pose I can see that,” she replied, still grinning wide. “I look at a seed and see the potential in it and bring it out, just like Rarity does with her materials. I let it know how to be the plant it was meant to be.” Holding the packet toward me, she asked, “Ready to try?”
Reasoning that it would be better not to use my unicorn magic, I took the seed packet with my hoof. I pressed the front of my fore-hoof into the dirt and wiggled it around, breaking up the granules. After shaking one of the beans onto the softened soil, I took a deep breath and shoved thauma out of my right fore-hoof. It felt somewhat similar to lighting up my horn, yet I couldn't direct the magic with any precision. Most unicorn magic is based on mathematics, which is why it has a reputation of being academic. Even telekinesis is best when visualized on a three-dimensional grid, at least in my opinion. But earth magic is more closely related to that of pegasi in that it is based on emotions and instinct. I had to feel my connection to the bean, the same way I sensed a link to the water when I helped make a rain cloud.
The bean quivered as the tip of its root broke through. A smile spread across my face.
“I'm doing it!” It was a premature celebration, but I couldn't help feeling proud.
“Okay, keep it up,” she encouraged.
I zeroed in on the sprout. All right bean sprout, I want you to look like your sibling here.
As I kept driving earth pony strength toward the seed, the stem appeared as a loop before springing up, its pair of leaves forming a 'V'. And even though I couldn't see it, somehow I could just tell that the roots were filling out spreading through the soil.
And then . . .
I didn't know how it happened, but the thaumic flow twisted. Six new leaves emerged, but they turned brown almost as fast as they grew, and shriveled to pathetic husks. Then, to my dismay, Applejack's beanstalk started to droop as well.
“No, no, no . . .” I muttered, even as I felt magic enter my left fore-hoof. It soaked up the ambient thauma like a sponge. Gasping, I lifted my hoof, and the rate of input lessened a little, but the leaves continued to wilt.
“What am I doing? I'm ruining them! I'm a plant killer!” My ears lay flat against my skull.
“Easy, sugar cube.” Applejack reached out and placed her hoof on my whither. “You look more worried than Fluttershy at the vet's office.”
Raising my ears a bit, I asked, “You're not upset?”
“Nope. Shoot, I shoulda warned ya this might happen,” she said with a soft sigh.
“What? Tell me what happened.”
Applejack touched a dry leaf, causing it to break and fall to the ground. “It's called life drain. When you push out with yer strength and you ain't used to it, you draw it back into yerself even if ya don't intend to. And sometimes you take more than you gave out in the first place.”
“Oh.” I blinked. “So I drained the life out of the plants like a – like a vampire fruit bat?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Vampire fruit bats suck out the juice and tree sap. We suck out the life force. Like the first time I tried to grow an apple seed.” She took off her hat and held it to her chest. “A whole acre o' trees looked like they went through a year-long drought after I was finished with 'em. Some of 'em never recovered. Granny Smith said it wasn't my fault, it was just an accident. But I felt just awful 'bout hurtin' the orchard. So Granny taught me a trick to do whenever I started losin' control. She . . .” Applejack paused. “You know what, we oughtta go talk to her. Maybe the two of us'll be able to explain it better together than I could on my lonesome.”
I smiled. “Good idea. Granny Smith has been an earth pony longer than anyone I know. I'm sure she has a lot of experience to share.” Glancing around, I found my notepad where I'd left it in the grass. “By the way, do you have a quill I could borrow? I forgot mine and I have a feeling I'll want to take a lot of notes.”
Granny Smith was sitting in a lawn chair shaded by a tree. A basket provided green yarn for her to knit a blanket that grew almost as fast as the family's orchard.
“Howdy Twilight,” she greeted me. “Can I get ya some lemonade or sweet tea?
“No thank you, Granny Smith. But I do need to borrow a quill.”
She squinted at my notepad before setting aside her knitting and rising to all fours with audible creaks and pops.
“We use ballpoint pens here, honey,” she said with a wink. “I'm sure we can rustle one up for ya.”
“Thanks,” I replied as we walked toward the farmhouse.
“Granny, Twilight's been usin' her earth pony strength more, and she accidentally used life drain,” explained Applejack, bobbing her head toward me.
“Ohhh.” Her grandmother gave a slow nod. “I reckon the damage ain't too bad, else y'all woulda led with that.”
“Oh, no, it was only two bean sprouts,” I said quickly. “Applejack said they were good for practice.”
“Eyup, that's on account of she didn't wanna put the trees in harm's way. And what with you bein' an alicorn, it's a wonder ya didn't drain half the orchard, like Pinkie Pie when she worked her magic.” Granny Smith approached the house door and pushed it open.
I stopped in my tracks, trying to make sense of what I'd just heard. “Are you talking about the time Pinkie had Applejack's cutie mark?”
AJ raised her foreleg in a half shrug. “Sure, what'd ya think?”
“I didn't know what to think at the time. My best guess was that it was part of Star Swirl the Bearded's spell, like the altered memories, and then I became an alicorn and that distracted me from everything else.” I shuffled my hooves and shifted my wings. “So, Pinkie drained the life out of all those trees?”
“Sure as sugar.” The matriarch gazed over her shoulder at me. “Poor filly got caught in sort of a supernatural cycle. The harder she pushed, the more force she drew back into herself.” She stepped into the kitchen, which smelled of apples and wood smoke, and Applejack and I followed. “Took days to get the farm back to a hundred percent. On the bright side, Pinkie Pie will probably live forever.”
I froze again, watching her open a drawer and withdraw a pen. “What do you mean?”
Holding the pen toward me, she asked, “Didn't Applejack tell ya?”
Her granddaughter shook her head. “I hadn't gotten to that part yet.” She pivoted to face me. “See, when ya drain life force and hold it inside ya, it slows down yer aging, or even stops it if ya drain enough.”
My jaw dropped. “Age magic? For ponies?”
“I s'pose it is, in a way.” Applejack bobbed her head.
“But I thought only the most advanced mages could use age magic for ponies, at least without the aid of an enchanted charm like the Alicorn Amulet or the Creator's Tome.”
Granny Smith brought her front hoof to her chin. “Well now, I don't know much about advanced mages or Creator's Tomes, but I do know that not every earth pony can use life drain. It's mostly farmers that eke out a livin' by tendin' the land every day and managin' energy and resources.”
I held up the pen and notepad and scribbled a note. This wasn't one of the thought-out notes with my own theories and questions that I wrote while reading my books. It was a hasty summary of what the Apples had told me that day. I'd review and organize my notes after I got back to the castle.
Life drain – drawing life force through hooves from plants
“Did ya take notes when Rainbow taught ya pegasus stuff?” AJ cocked her head.
I sighed through my nose. “Whenever I tried, she took my notepad and threw it as far as she could.”
Snorting, Applejack covered her mouth with her foreleg. “Sorry, I shouldn't laugh.”
“That's okay. I wrote down everything I could remember as soon as I got home.”
“Well, take all the notes ya need if'n it'll help ya learn, Twilight,” said Granny Smith with a gentle smile.
I glanced at the paper. “So, does life drain only work on plants? Is it just a type of botanurgy?” It worried me to think of ponies draining life force from each other.
“Eyup, plants and minerals and, well, sort of the earth itself. That goes back to the trick I told ya 'bout earlier. Whenever you start to use life drain, you gotta push through the plant down deep into the earth.” Applejack stared at her grandmother for confirmation.
“That's right. The earth itself has life, a bottomless well of energy that circles round.” Granny Smith sat down and closed her eyes. “You can draw from that well for thousands o' years and it'll never run dry. That's how Princess Celestia and Luna have lived as long as they have, and don't look a day over thirty.”
A nagging thought worked its way to the forefront of my mind. About a year ago, Apple Bloom told me that her grandmother was one of Ponyville's founders. But I knew for a fact that this town was over two centuries old. Since the average lifespan was approximately ninety, or so I thought, I could never reconcile Apple Bloom's statement with what I knew to be true. Granted, Star Swirl the Bearded had lived to be 250, but he was a special case. So I had dismissed it as a filly's fanciful imagination. Now, though . . .
“Granny Smith, if you don't mind me asking, how old are you?”
“Well now, let's see, my bicentennial birthday was when this filly was about a year old.” She opened her eyes and pointed at her granddaughter. “So that makes me two hundred and nineteen.”
“Two hundred nineteen!” I exclaimed. “That's amazing! I would've guessed you were about eighty. Why don't ponies talk about this? The only pony who ever mentioned this to me was Apple Bloom, and I assumed she was exaggerating.”
“We talk about it sometimes with other earth ponies.” Applejack frowned in thought. “I can't speak for all earth ponies, but I know I wouldn't like it if a unicorn went on about how she can levitate more weight than I can lift with my hooves and my back. So I figured the other tribes wouldn't wanna hear 'bout how I'm liable to outlive 'em.”
“Oh.” Blinking, I stared out the window. “I guess I can understand that.” Her answer didn't completely satisfy me, however. It did make sense that I wouldn't have heard about life drain while growing up in Canterlot. The population of Canterlot is about seventy percent unicorn, and I had attended an all-unicorn school. The closest individuals to earth ponies that I spent quality time with were Princess Celestia and Cadance, and neither of them ever mentioned that their longevity was due to their earth thaumaturgy. Still, it seemed weird that I'd only heard vague references to earth pony “durability” until recently, even after relocating to Ponyville.
Out loud, I said, “It still seems like you and Pinkie should have mentioned it around me, as much time as we've spent together.” As soon as I thought of Pinkie, something clicked in my mind.
I slapped my hoof to my forehead. “She was serious!”
“What exactly are ya talkin' about, Twi?” asked AJ.
“When we discovered Pinkie's party lair,” I clarified, glancing up at her, “you found her plans for her parents' fiftieth anniversary, and their hundredth, and their five hundredth! I thought it was just Pinkie being Pinkie!”
“Oh, right, I knew she was serious as a parasprite infestation. I was just surprised she planned that far ahead. She always seemed a touch more spontaneous.”
On my notepad, I wrote:
Most common in earth pony farmers. When draining life, ponies can hold it in their bodies to slow or stop aging.
I lifted my head to gaze at Granny Smith. “Are you only Applejack's grandmother?” I asked. “Shouldn't you be her great-great-great–”
Grinning, she held up her hoof. “Beg pardon, lemme stop ya there. I'm her great grandma, no more, no less. When ya know yer gonna live a long time, ya wait a long time to start a family, ya see.”
It was obvious that no one had told that to my sister-in-law. I kept that thought private, though. Cadance had been a pegasus before she ascended, after all. I reasoned that earth ponies had to be as conscientious with breeding as they were with land management, otherwise they would make up the vast majority of the population and deplete our resources.
“I stayed in my prime till I's eighty, then suddenly one plantin' season I push myself too hard and don't hold onto enough life force, and 'fore I know it I's old. I been old most o' my life, did you know that? But sometimes I can still get that spark back.”
She sat up her haunches and brought her front hooves up to her face.
“What are you – gah!” I shied away as Granny Smith stretched and smooshed her face like putty. A pulse of thauma came from her hooves as she rearranged her flesh. When she lowered her hooves, she appeared to be my age, with large citrine eyes, perky ears, and supple skin beneath a soft green coat. All of this happened in a mere two seconds. Her features stayed in place for a moment before gravity reclaimed the loose sags and folds. I was sure to see that sequence of images in my nightmares.
A grin split her wizened face. “Didn't expect that, did ya?”
Gaping, I shook my head. Applejack gave my shoulder a sympathetic pat.
After collecting my thoughts, I said, “This life drain has so much potential.” I turned to address Applejack. “I'm sure that if we work together, we can figure out how to modify it and improve its efficiency. Then maybe I won't have to watch you and the other girls grow old while I stay young forever!”
AJ's mouth fell open. “Aw sugar cube, I didn't know you were worried about that!”
“I only talked about it with Spike and the princesses. I even considered getting you and the girls to turn into alicorns.”
“What.” Applejack's tone was deadpan, her pupils shrunken.
Granny Smith whipped out a hearing trumpet from . . . her tail, I guess. “My hearin' ain't what it used to be. Did you say alicorns?”
“Yes, I did. It might sound implausible, but it's not impossible. You see, after the coronation, Princess Celestia explained to me that in order to ascend, a pony must first understand true friendship, and then she must be the first to perform a new type of magic with the help of at least one friend. Based on these criteria, I believe any one of you girls could achieve alicornhood. I think you may have been very close when we unlocked the Rainbow Power. It seems like we should have met the qualifications Celestia identified, and our hair waved like hers, and even those of you without wings levitated over long distances!” My mouth curved downward as I thought. “But the conditions must not have been quite right somehow. I've given it a lot of thought, and my best guess is that only one pony at a time can ascend. Like Star Swirl's spell said, 'From one to another, another to one. A mark of one's destiny singled out alone, fulfilled.' None of us were singled out in any way, so the thauma must have gone into the castle instead of one particular pony.”
Applejack blinked a few times and worked her jaw before she spoke. “Why, those are interestin' ideas and all, but I like bein' an earth pony, and I wouldn't wanna change that for nothin'. 'Sides, if I was to uh, ascend, ponies would expect me to be a princess. I ain't exactly princess material.”
“You'd still be an earth pony, just with more power.”
“And a few extra body parts,” she muttered.
“Besides, I didn't think I was princess material either,” I said with a shrug.
“Maybe not at the time, but it makes sense when ya look back, right? You were hoof-picked by Princess Celestia, and yer Element was a crown.” She pointed at her own hat, perhaps without thinking about it.
“Well your family owns a lot of land that the princess gave you, and you have a throne in a castle,” I said with a sly grin. I had prepared arguments in my head for the eventuality of sharing these hypotheses with my friends – particularly AJ, knowing how stubborn she can be.
“She's got a point there, Applejack,” commented her great grandmother.
Applejack's eyebrows leveled; I could tell she was putting up a wall. “Look, I already done tried livin' among high society when I was a filly. It wasn't for me. And there's no point in talkin' about it anymore 'cause it ain't gonna happen.”
It was clear that I needed to try a different tactic. “If it never happens-”
“It won't.”
“Then I'd like to find another way to keep you and the girls healthy for as long as possible. And this life drain is a perfect way to start. Do you think you could help me tap into that life force deep in the earth?”
Applejack's expression softened. “Sure thing Twi. I don't know 'bout anypony else, but Equestria can't get rid o' me that easy.”
Applejack led me to a clearing to show me how to drain life from the earth itself. Granny Smith took up her knitting and observed us from several yards away.
“We probably don't have to worry 'bout hurtin' any trees in this spot,” said Applejack. “I'm gonna do it first so you can watch and feel how it's done.” As she planted her hoof in the grass, she narrowed her eyes in concentration. She gave the strongest burst of thauma I'd felt that day. It delved deep into the soil, fading from my sense the farther down it went. I wondered if I was feeling the most basic earth ESP, this awareness of earth magic. I'd never experienced it until Applejack told me I could, and now the more I tried to perceive it, the easier it became.
The thaumic flow suddenly reversed direction, increasing in power as it returned to Applejack. With a ripple, the grass around her turned a deeper shade of green.
Her great grandmother nodded in approval, her needles still moving. “That oughtta add about a year to yer life if ya hold onto it.”
After the power faded, I asked, “Do you have to reach into the earth in order to pull the magic out?”
“That's a good way o' puttin' it, yeah.” She beamed.
Drawing in a lungful of air, I said, “Okay, I'll try not to murder any of your trees.”
AJ waved her hoof in a gesture that said not to sweat it.
Through my hoof, I channeled thauma into the ground, and the grass grew bit taller around it. I pushed out as much as I could, but my magic didn't go that deep before it rotated and went up into my other hoof.
With a sigh, I said, “How do I delve into the depths of the earth?”
“It's somethin' ya gotta keep workin' at. Like a muscle, the more you use it, the stronger it gets. It might take a while to build it up, just like I expect it took some time to build yer flight muscles and muscle memory for yer wings. I'm sure with enough practice you'll become a pro.”
Training in any type of thaumaturgy can be challenging at first, especially when it comes to the magic of the pegasus and earth tribes. You have to feel your way through it and learn through trial and error. Even though I had a coach, I would have to figure out a way that worked for me. I kept trying to drain the life force from the earth itself, and each time my power pressed a little bit deeper, but not enough to sense any significant life-extending effects. After I'd been practicing for an hour and Celestia lifted the sun near its zenith, Granny Smith invited me to stay for lunch. I decided that some home grown nourishment could only improve my progress, so I accepted.
While I ate my hay and tomato sandwich and one of last season's honeycrisp apples, I scrawled as many notes I could between Apple Bloom's questions.
Life drain can add years, decades, or even centuries to a pony's life, but if they push ou
“Whatcha writin', Twilight?”
Fixing my eyes on the page, I answered, “I'm writing notes about life drain.”
t too much thauma at once, it could negate the life force they took in.
“Wow, already? I can't even do that yet. Pinkie Pie makes it look so easy,” said Apple Bloom, brushing crumbs off her face.
“Pinkie Pie needs to learn some control,” said Granny Smith. “You start drainin' life like that, we're sendin' ya away to live with yer cousins.” Then, to show that she was only kidding, she winked.
“I'm going to practice a bit more today, and I'd really like to start experimenting with it soon.” I took a bite of apple, making it small because I was sure that more questions would come, and I didn't want to talk with my mouth full or make Apple Bloom wait while I chewed.
It was Applejack who asked the next question, though. “What sorta experiments are ya thinkin' about?”
I swallowed my bite of apple, which was still sweet and juicy despite being several months old. “Well, first of all, I was wondering if it's possible for an earth pony to push life force into another pony.”
“I don't think so.” Granny Smith shook her head. “When my pa was about a hundred and fifty, he couldn't use life drain as well as he used to. So I tried usin' life pulse directly on him, but it didn't work. Just went into the ground instead.”
Just to be sure, I asked, “Life pulse is what you call the opposite of life drain?”
The matriarch nodded.
“Hm.” I tapped my chin. “I wonder why you can't use it on other ponies?”
“I don't know if I understand it exactly, but I always thought of it as other pony's magic putting up a resistance, even if they don't mean to. Most plants and critters don't have magic, so we can give and take as much as we like,” explained Applejack. She picked up the pitcher of lemonade and topped off my glass.
“Thanks.” I took a sip and wrote another note.
Life pulse = pushing life force into other living things.
“What if you tried using life pulse on a pony in a controlled environment where there were no other natural materials?” I asked.
“If the life force didn't have anywhere else to go, that could work if ya pushed hard enough,” said Applejack, before biting into her sandwich.
“Great!” I grinned. “Then we should build an enclosure out of artificial materials like glass and refined metal. You couldn't push life force into that, could you?”
Big Mac stopped wolfing down his meal long enough to utter, “Nnnope.”
Granny Smith glanced at him before adding, “I don't think so either.”
“Then that will be ideal for this experiment. But before we start, I'd like to talk with Pinkie Pie about her experience with life drain and life pulse. She may have insight that the rest of us don't have.” I set my apple core on my plate.
“Oh, I'm sure she'll surprise you,” said AJ, smiling.
“She surprised us when she drained the life outta all those trees.” Apple Bloom pointed out the kitchen window for emphasis.
“Eyup,” agreed Big Mac as he put together another sandwich.
“Applejack, would you like to come with me to meet Pinkie Pie after she gets off work?” I asked. “Actually, I'd appreciate it if you would. The three of us may come up with better ideas together than just two of us. Besides, you probably have a better idea than I do of what's typical for an earth pony.”
“Like I need an excuse to go to Sugar Cube Corner,” she said with a chuckle. “I'll be there with bells on.”
After I finished my lunch, I left Sweet Apple Acres. I wanted to spend some time organizing my notes and preparing questions for Pinkie Pie. When I arrived home, I sat down at my desk and filled most of the hundred pages of my notepad, which sounds like a lot, but keep in mind that I used just one side of each page. I was down to the last few sheets when Spike strolled through the door, lugging a sack that was larger than himself.
“Hey, Twilight!” He paused, and I heard gemstones clinking together as he settled the bag onto the floor. “Don't tell me you haven't left your desk the entire time I was gone.”
I lowered my quill. “Don't worry, Spike. I went to Applejack's and learned more about earth pony magic in a few hours than I have in my entire life!”
“That's great!” Spike opened his sack and took out a diamond the size of his hand, giving it a speculative stare.
“I take it your day went well?” I asked.
“You bet it did! Rarity and I ran into a pack of diamond dogs almost right out of the gate, but she was prepared for that. She offered to give them half of all the gems we found if they just left us alone and let us work. And they agreed! And she found a mother lode of these diamonds.” He held up the glittering stone. “The diamond dogs were so excited that they said they were going to tell their alpha male and female about it.”
I grinned. “Rarity has a generous heart and the mind of a diplomat. I'm glad she worked out a compromise that made everyone happy.”
“Yeah, she's amazing.” He gazed in the distance before shaking his head. “So, what exactly did you do with Applejack?”
I stood and stretched, which took a bit longer than it used to, thanks to the extra limbs. “Well, the most important thing I learned was something called life drain. Only some earth ponies have this ability, but it allows them to live decades or even centuries beyond their natural lifespans.”
Spike took a moment to process this information. “So Applejack and Pinkie Pie and their families will be around a lot longer than we thought?”
“Yes, isn't it wonderful?” I clapped my front hooves together.
“It is, but . . .” He clutched his diamond in both hands. “Rarity, Rainbow and Fluttershy . . . They're going to live for less than a hundred years, and we'll still be alive a thousand years after they're gone.”
I planted all of my hooves on the floor and smiled. “Not necessarily. There may be a way for earth ponies to give their life force to other ponies. It doesn't seem to come naturally to them if they are out in nature. Granny Smith said she tried to push life force into her father, but it went into the ground instead. But if we could get an earth pony away from the ground, with another pony, the life force would have nowhere else to go except the other pony,” I explained.
Spike frowned in thought. “So, earth ponies have this amazing power, but none of them ever thought to use it away from the ground?” he asked skeptically.
“Well, I don't know.” I shifted my wings. “Maybe somepony has done it before, but the Apples don't know about it. After all, neither of us even heard of life drain before today. Earth ponies don't seem too eager to talk about it with the other tribes.” I brightened, my ears perking up. “But I hope to change that, starting today.” Glancing at the clock on the wall, I added, “Oh, it's almost seven o'clock. I have to meet Applejack and Pinkie Pie at Sugar Cube Corner soon. Do you want to come too?”
“I'd like to, but I kinda filled up on diamonds on the way home, so I wouldn't be able to enjoy the free after-hours pastries.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Wow, you must have really stuffed yourself if you're turning down Sugar Cube Corner treats.”
“Yeah, uh, I think I'm going to go lie down, to tell you the truth.” Spike rubbed his belly. “But you can tell me everything you guys talked about when you get back.”
The “Sorry, we're closed” sign hung in the front window of Sugar Cube Corner. Pinkie Pie wiped the counter in the dimmed light. She peeked up at me and waved before zipping up to the door and unlocking it.
“Hi, Twilight! Come on in. You came at just the right time. We counted the drawer, but we haven't thrown out our food for the day. And you know what that means,” she said, indicating display case still half-full of baked goods. “Free food!”
I stepped inside, relishing the scents of vanilla and cinnamon. “Thank you, Pinkie, but that's not why I'm here.”
“Well, take some honey buns anyway, or they'll just go to waste. Not even I can eat them all.”
Behind me, the door opened. “Howdy, y'all.” Applejack poked her head inside. “Did I miss anythin'?”
“No, you're just in time.” I held out my notepad. “I was just about to tell Pinkie about my ideas.”
“Wait!” yelled Pinkie, turning her head as Mr. Cake walked out of the back room. “We don't have much time before Mr. Cake throws out the honey buns!”
Mr. Cake gave us an easygoing smile. “Pinkie, you know your friends can always help themselves to whatever we have left after closing. Especially the princess and one of our best suppliers.”
“Thank you kindly, Mr. Cake.” AJ tipped her hat.
“So, Twilight, what was it you wanted to tell me?” asked Pinkie.
I lifted a bun with my telekinesis. “Well, I've been researching earth thaumaturgy for the last couple of days . . .” I began.
“Oh, are you ready to learn capillurgy?” Pinkie's tail twitched with excitement. “Lesson one: think of your hair as an extension of your body.” Her mane and tail flowed outward, as if suspended in liquid.
“Um.” I blinked. “Your hair is an extension of your body.”
“Now you're getting it!” she said with a broad grin.
Applejack moved closer to Pinkie. “Actually, I started teachin' her life drain today, and she wants to know more about it.”
Pinkie's mane and tail appeared to deflate like balloons until they were halfway between their usual volume and totally flat. “Oh.” She glanced around as if making sure Mr. Cake had returned to the kitchen – which he had. “Life drain? Are you sure you two are ready for that?”
“What's the matter, sugar cube?” asked Applejack. “You look as nervous as a hummingbird in a blizzard.”
Pinkie forced a laugh. “I'm not nervous, I just don't think you realize what you're getting into.”
“Aw, it's okay Pinkie.” Applejack offered an encouraging smile. “I'm touched that yer concerned about Sweet Apple Acres, but I been keepin' a close eye on Twi and she ain't done any harm yet. And I do have a heap of experience usin' life drain, so I reckon we got everythin' under control.”
“Oh, I don't doubt your experience with ecoturgy, but you have no idea what earth magic can do in the hooves of an alicorn.”
I set aside my notepad and quill and put my hoof on her shoulder. “Pinkie, did something happen?”
She sighed and gazed at her hooves. “I didn't want to tell anypony, but I guess you should probably know. When we were in the Crystal Empire for your niece's crystaling . . .” She gulped. “She used life drain on me.”
I gasped. “She really drained the life force out of you?”
Her lips pulled back in a grimace. “Through my eyeballs.”
“What?” Applejack's mouth fell open. “I never heard of a newborn foal usin' life drain, 'specially on another pony!”
“No newborn foal in Equestria was ever an alicorn,” said Pinkie. “We knew she could do things that newborn unicorns and pegasus ponies can't do.”
I stared into her blue eyes. “Are you okay?” Physically she seemed fine, but I was more concerned about her emotional and mental state.
She drew a shaky breath. “I–I'll get there. I'd rather she drained life from me than somepony like Fluttershy or Shining Armor. I wanted to keep her away from everypony else. I can take the hit and use life drain to recover. That's the real reason I went to the bog today – so I could drain life from plants that nopony cares about. I just used Gummy as an excuse. He understands, and he really does love spending time there.”
I was silent for a moment, taking time to process what Pinkie said.
“Why didn't ya tell anypony?” asked AJ, her eyebrows tilted up with concern.
“I figured there was no point in worrying everypony, since they couldn't control Flurry Heart, and you can't punish a baby that young. And now Cadence and Shining Armor won't have to worry about her using life drain for a few years. Sunburst said the crystaling should curb her magic, and he seemed like he knew what he was talking about.”
“I see yer point, but I hate that ya had to deal with that by yerself. I coulda helped ya keep the foal away from the unicorns and pegasus ponies. I shoulda realized somethin' was wrong. I thought I sensed the lil' alicorn usin' life drain, but I figured that it couldn't be right 'cause she was too young. I shoulda known better than to doubt my earth sense. I'm sorry, Pinkie.” She took off her hat and held it in her hoof.
Pinkie's eyes widened. “You mean you have Apple Sense? It really does run in the family!”
“Well now, I can't sense things 'fore they happen. I can just sense when other ponies are usin' earth magic,” said Applejack, putting her hat back on her head.
“Oh, I see. That's pretty sweet too. And you should never doubt your special sense!” added Pinkie, lowering her eyebrows and giving her a serious look, which was all the more intense because it contrasted with her typical smile and twinkling eyes.
“I'll keep that in mind.”
“Pinkie, Applejack was right about one thing: you really should have told somepony sooner,” I said, ruffling my feathers. “Even if you didn't think anypony could help, it doesn't hurt to ask.”
Pinkie sighed. “I guess you're right. It's just that my parents taught me not to talk about life drain, especially in, well, mixed company. But that should probably be more of a guideline than an unbreakable rule.”
“I wish ponies would talk about it more. I still don't quite understand the desire to downplay the earth ponies' powers. And it's not just you two, or even the other earth ponies. The other tribes don't seem all that curious about earth thaumaturgy. They just assume you're strong and grow food and that's it,” I said.
“Maybe they don't bother to ask about it 'cause they can't do most of it anyhow, so they just don't care.” Applejack shrugged.
“I don't mind that. I don't have anything to prove. Besides, it's easier for me to catch others off guard if they underestimate me,” said Pinkie. “We Pies are masters of the subtle mysteries of geomancy.” She waved her hooves in front of her face.
“Right. If anypony's subtle, it's you,” AJ said dryly.
“Trust me, you have no idea!”
I couldn't tell whether or not Pinkie had picked up on Applejack's sarcasm. “Well, I think we should share our earth magic in as many ways as possible.” I flipped through my notes until I came to the page where I'd written my experiment concepts. “Now that I know it's possible to drain life from a pony, I have hope that there's a way to use life pulse on a pony too. Applejack and I were talking earlier and we thought that if we built a structure out of pony-made materials and put an earth pony inside with another pony, the life force would go into that pony.”
“Interesting.” Pinkie brought her hoof to her chin. “It's like my party cannon. If you put a spark to gun powder, it'll explode all over the place. But put it in a metal tube and it'll only go where you aim it!”
“You're not too far off, but it's not an exact comparison. It would be more like if the explosion somehow went around ponies, since magic seems to act as a barrier to earth magic.” I glanced at Applejack, who nodded.
“That's about right,” said AJ. “Earth ponies can't use magic on other ponies, not directly anyhow.”
“So, if we make a barrier out of glass and steel, the thauma won't be able to go through that.” I indicated my rough diagram with my quill. “The only place it can go is into a pony.”
“Or into the glass,” said Pinkie. “That would be exciting.” Her mane fluffed up to its full volume. “We could bring objects to life, just like Discord!”
“Ya know, you may be onto somethin'. I don't know if we could make a gravy boat hop around like a rabbit, but we might manage to make a glass tree, or even a gold tree!” Applejack beamed, as if she were imagining all the new cultivars she could create.
“Gold doesn't grow on trees, silly. It grows underground like mushrooms.”
Applejack lifted her hoof. “Good point.”
“I never even thought of that,” I said, raising my eyebrows.
“Aw, thanks. It's a big compliment when somepony so smart tells you that you thought of something she didn't,” said Pinkie with a sincere smile.
“You're laying on the compliments pretty thick yourself,” I said, returning her grin. “But seriously, I could use the input of another earth pony when I conduct my life pulse experiment. Do you want to help us build the enclosure tomorrow? I'd like to finish it as quickly as possible.”
“I'd be happy to help with construction, but I don't know how much help I'll be after that.” She rubbed her foreleg and studied one of the tables. “I never could use life pulse. Everything I try to give out just snaps back to me like a rubber band. You saw what I did to Sweet Apple Acres.”
“Yes, I did see that. Did Applejack ever show you how to drain life from the earth itself?” I asked.
“No.” She still wouldn't meet my gaze. “But when I was still living with my parents, Granny Pie tried to teach me how to do that. It didn't go the way it was supposed to.” Her voice was almost as quiet as Fluttershy's. “My magic went down deep into the earth, and then it kept going as far as it would go. It went to this . . . this place where there was so much explosive power that I couldn't handle it. I . . . Ever since then I've been able to do things nopony else can do, or even explain. Sometimes even I don't know what I'm gonna do next.”
“I never knew that,” said AJ. “With all the amazin' things you can do, it's a wonder you ain't an alicorn by now.”
I gave Applejack a sideways glance. I hadn't told her not to tell anypony that I'd thought about how our friends could ascend, but I also wasn't sure if the others were ready to hear it.
Pinkie's reaction was not what I expected. Her pupils shrank and her muzzle scrunched. Then she giggled lightly, rolling her eyes and waving her hoof.
“You're so silly, AJ. Like I could ever become an alicorn. I'm not a magical genius like Twilight.” She reached into her mane and withdrew a cupcake that somehow had pristine icing. “Cupcake?” she offered.
I frowned. She seemed too quick to dismiss the idea.
“Actually, it's possible for somepony to become an alicorn if she understands true friendship and performs a feat of magic that has never been done before, with the help of at least one friend . . .” I thought out loud as I began to pace. “Would your grandmother count as your friend?”
“Everypony is my friend, except for Svengallop,” answered Pinkie. “Anyway, let's go back to talking about that glass and metal thingy. I think Window-rama is having a forty-percent-off sale. They might even rig up the whole thing for us.” She gave me a desperate grin.
My mind reeled. “That sounds great, but I was just thinking . . .”
“We'll probably need the biggest windows they have, nothing too fancy. Do the princesses give you an experiment budget or do your parents still send you money every month?” rambled Pinkie.
I stared. Pinkie Pie wondering where my money came from was about as strange as Applejack keeping files on every individual in Ponyville – which she doesn't, as far as I know.
“Pinkie Pie,” Applejack said seriously, taking a step toward her. “It's plain that you don't wanna talk about maybe becomin' an alicorn. I'm sorta sorry I brought it up. I was mostly jokin', but Twilight seems to have her heart set on it.”
Pinkie gulped and looked at me. “Is that what you want? You want us to become alicorn princesses too?”
I thought for a second. “I did want it before I found out about life drain. And I guess part of me can't let go of it yet. It's lonely at the top, you know?”
“You'll always have us,” said Applejack, placing her hoof on my shoulder, “but you never wanted to be treated any different, did ya?”
“No, all I ever wanted was to be a student of magic. And a librarian,” I added. “I guess I can still be both of those things, but I don't like when ponies treat me differently, or think I'm better than them, like I'm not approachable. It . . . It makes me think of the worst part of school,” I said, realizing something about myself. “Some of the other foals used to think I was a snob because I kept to myself. I overheard them calling me Celestia's pet and saying that I must think I was too good for them. But I didn't think that at all. I was just socially awkward. But now it's harder than ever for ponies to see me as friendly and, well, just one of them.”
Pinkie's eyes wavered. “Oh, Twilight, I didn't- I mean, I don't . . . I don't know what to say. I've said too much already! And I can't lie in front of Applejack.”
“Lie 'bout what?” asked AJ.
“I . . . I . . .” She put both her front hooves on Applejack's withers. “I promise I'll tell you about it someday, but I don't think I'm ready yet. I . . . I'm sorry, but I have some stuff I need to do tonight, and I'm sure you and Twilight are really busy too. I'll see you tomorrow, and then . . . and then maybe I'll be ready to talk about it.”
Applejack furrowed her eyebrows. “Well, all right. But if it's somethin' we can help with, you outta tell us, ya hear?”
Pinkie took a deep breath. “I don't know if you can help, besides giving moral support. I think it's something I need to figure out myself. But on the other hoof, maybe you deserve to know.”
“Know what?” I asked.
Pinkie glanced back and forth between me and Applejack. “I'll tell you tomorrow. I can't Pinkie promise, but I'll try to tell you then.”
We said an awkward goodbye soon afterward, Pinkie making certain that we were loaded with honey buns and cupcakes to take home to our families.
“So,” said AJ, when it was just the two of us, “she put off telling me the truth till tomorrow. Sorta ironic, isn't it?”
It took me a second to realize what she was referring to. “Oh, well, at least she had the forethought not to make a Pinkie promise.”
“Yup, I learned that the hard way.” She paused to raise her foreleg. “Never make a Pinkie promise ya can't wiggle out of.”
I smiled a bit. “Still, she gave us some hints.” My smile faded as I considered what Pinkie had said, and what she had omitted. “I think she might have come close to ascending, maybe when she tried to drain life from the earth and tapped into that explosive power. And she knows that she came close.”
“That would explain a lot. And if it's true, then she must be even less enthused about becomin' an alicorn princess than I am,” said Applejack in almost a resigned tone.
“I guess so. I didn't do a very good job selling it to her, did I?” I turned to look at my friend. “Wait, you're admitting that you could ascend.”
She sighed. “Shucks, Granny Smith kept bringin' it up after you left. I didn't want it to be true, but the truth don't change just 'cause ya don't like it. I have to consider that if I help ya with this experiment, I could meet those requirements that you talked about and become an alicorn.”
I blinked. The thought had crossed my mind that the experiment could nudge Applejack toward ascension, but that wasn't my main goal. I truly did want to see if life pulse could be redirected into another pony. Ascension would be icing on the cake. Now, though, I understood that Applejack saw it as a risk.
“Hey, maybe somepony has already done this before and we don't know about it. So you might not meet the qualifications after all.”
“I hope yer right. I just wish there was a way to know for sure. And if we did know that somepony did this before, there'd be no point experimentin'.” She turned her head, and the setting sun cast stark shadows on her face.
“AJ, there's no pressure,” I assured her. “You don't have to help if you don't want to. I could ask, um, your brother, or . . .” I thought for a moment and drew a blank. It wouldn't feel right to ask anypony else. I wondered if I should feel bad about that or not.
“Well now, before ya go askin' him, I'll sleep on it. I know how important all this is to you.” She gazed into my eyes before her mouth quirked up. “'Sides, you'd have to use a lot more windows to make a structure big enough for Big Mac to fit inside.”
After Applejack and I parted ways, I was left with nothing but my own thoughts. What I'd learned that day had given me hope, but also new worries.
When came home, I found Spike in his room, reading a comic book.
“Hi, Spike. Are you feeling up to taking a note?” I asked.
He peeked over the top of his comic, lifting his eyebrows. “It's been a long time since you asked me to write out a note to Princess Celestia. But since you asked nicely . . .”
“Oh, it's not for Princess Celestia.” I trotted into his room with a grin. “It's for Cadance.”
Shrugging, Spike flipped over his book and set it down on its open pages to mark his place. Then he walked over to his desk, grabbing a scroll and a quill.
I cleared my throat.
“Dear Cadance,
“I talked with Pinkie Pie today, and she told me that when we were in the Crystal Empire, Flurry Heart used life drain on her. I've only begun learning about this power, and I've been told that it's not supposed to be possible to drain the life out of another pony. Regardless, I trust Pinkie Pie, and we both saw Flurry's precocious use of other types of magic, so it makes sense that her earth thauma would be at least as advanced. I think it would be best to keep an eye on Flurry and look for a crystal pony tutor when she is ready. That is assuming crystal ponies have the same abilities as other earth ponies.
“Your loving sister-in-law, Twilight.”
Spike had stopped writing after my first sentence. His pupils had shrunk to narrow slits.
“Could you run that by me again?”
I managed to catch a few hours of sleep after conversing with Spike late into the night. When morning dragged me awake, I prepared tea and breakfast – in that order – and wrote out my to-do list for the day. Spike strolled into the kitchen around eight o'clock, which was earlier than usual.
“Good morning, Twilight. Can you tell me Pinkie's secret now?”
I resisted the urge to roll my eyes, instead taking a sip of my Griffish breakfast tea. “Spike, I told you I don't know.”
“But you said you had a guess based on what she told you,” said Spike, climbing onto a step stool and grabbing a plate out of the cabinet.
“Yes, but it's just a guess. I could be wrong. Besides, Pinkie Pie didn't want to tell me, so I should respect her privacy,” I said, manipulating my fork with my aura to cut a bite-sized chunk of pancake.
“Aw, come on, can't you just tell me your guess and I'll promise not to tell anypony?”
“No. She'll tell us when she's ready.” I shoveled the bite in my mouth, savoring the sweet maple flavor.
“Do you think she's a secret draconequus?”
I almost choked on my bite of pancake.
“Whoa, are you okay?”
After coughing up the pancake, I swallowed and took a sip of tea, which was not the best liquid for attempting to prevent aspiration.
I drew a raspy breath. “Just swallowed wrong.”
Spike waddled over to me and patted my back. “Sorry, but would it be that shocking if Pinkie was a draconequus? It would explain her strange, random powers.”
“I suppose it would, but there's only one draconequus that we know of.” I shook my head. “Besides, how could a creature so chaotic bear one of the Elements of Harmony?”
Spike peered at me with half-lidded eyes. “You do realize you could say the same thing about plain old earth pony Pinkie Pie, right?”
“Huh. I see your point.” Still, Pinkie's story of using her thauma to tap into the earth's possible core indicated that she was, at least at one point in her life, fully an earth pony, albeit a powerful one. “I'm still not sure if you're right, though. Anyway, you can help yourself to some pancakes.” I glanced down where I had written, Talk to RD, FS and Rare. “I don't know if Applejack has made up her mind about the experiment yet, but before I talk to her, I figured I should go see the other girls and explain what I'm planning. After all, we'll need to decide who is going to be the first volunteer for the life infusion. Do you want to come, too?”
“Sure, I want to help with this experiment any way I can. I also want to see their faces when you tell them about it.” He rubbed his hands together.
“Okay, but don't mention Pinkie's secret.”
“Why not?” he asked. “You told me.”
“Yes, and I'm starting to regret it.” I took a final drink of tea, noticing the specks of leaves at the bottom.
Holding up his hands as if surrendering, Spike said, “Okay, okay, I won't say anything about it.”
With Spike on my back, I soared toward Carousel Boutique. Out of my friends' homes, it was the closest to the Friendship Castle, and Spike was eager to latch onto this excuse to visit his crush.
When I'd flown halfway to my destination, I heard Rainbow Dash calling.
“Hey, Twilight! Hey, Spike!”
I turned my head to the left and spotted Rainbow zipping toward us. She sidled up to me and slowed to match my pace.
“Hey, Rainbow. Nice work on the weather these last couple of days.”
“Oh, thanks, but I can't take all the credit. Thunderlane and Cloudchaser have taken over a lot of the weather control while I've been training for the Wonderbolts.”
I blinked. “That's very modest of you.”
She rolled her eyes. “You don't have to sound so surprised.” Then she shook her head. “But that's not what I wanted to talk about. Have you seen AJ lately?”
“Not since last night. Why do you ask?”
“She came to talk to me while I was doing my warm-ups this morning, and she was acting weird,” she answered.
Spike and I shared a meaningful gaze. “In what way?” I asked her.
“She asked me if I wanted to live as long as you,” she answered, rubbing the back of her neck. “I guess she thinks you're going to live as long as Princess Celestia or something. I don't know, I never really thought about it until now. I told her that it would be awesome as long I could still take care myself and Tank and everything. I mean, I wouldn't want to leave anypony hanging. And then she said . . .” Dash flipped her head, and suddenly her forelock was identical to Applejack's in shape, capturing its slight wave and unruly nature. “‘Shee-yucks, that helps a whole heap.’”
Spike laughed. “That's a great impression of Applejack!”
I was staring at her mane, however. “You can do capillurgy?”
“Do what now?”
“Your mane.” I pointed.
“You mean the sticky hair? Pfft, it's just a stupid pony trick,” she said, waving her foreleg.
“No, it really isn't. I thought only earth ponies could do it.”
“Really?” She wrinkled her forehead. “Who told you that?”
“Every book I've read that mentions capillurgy.” I gazed upward. “Which is only about four books, but still . . .”
“About four books. Like you don't remember the exact number, Twilight,” teased Spike.
“Okay, fine, it was exactly four books,” I said.
“Well then the books must be wrong,” said Dash, folding her forelegs.
“Maybe the books are partly true.” Spike held up his hand. “Maybe anypony can do this cappa-thingy, but it's easier for earth ponies because they don't have any wings or horns to distract them.”
“That's a strange way of putting it,” I said, tapping my chin. “But you may be onto something.”
“It's not that hard to figure out.” Rainbow shrugged. “Everypony can stick stuff to their hooves. Just do the same thing with your hair. I like to make it stick to itself.” She tossed her head, and her forelock was even and smooth like mine.
“So, did Applejack say anything else?” asked Spike.
“That's the weirdest part,” answered Dash. “She galloped off without another word. Do you have any idea what that was about?”
I put my hoof on her shoulder, my flight wobbling a bit. “As it so happens, I do. You will be a perfect volunteer for our experiment.”
She raised her eyebrow. “Experiment? Um, don't I have to volunteer to be a volunteer?”
I chuckled. “I think you'll want to volunteer after I explain what we're trying to do.”
“So explain already.”
“I will, but I want you to come with me to Carousel Boutique. That way I'll have to explain it one less time. This is already starting to get repetitive for me,” I said.
“Me too.” Spike nodded.
Rainbow released an impatient sigh. “Fine, but this had better not end with one of us turning into a vampire bat-pony.”
The bell tingled as I entered Rarity's shop along with Spike and Rainbow. Displayed front and center were a new line of clothes accented with tiny diamonds.
At that moment, Rarity was adjusting an unusual wide-brimmed hat on Fluttershy's head.
I grinned. “Hi, Rarity, Fluttershy! Just the ponies I wanted to see.”
“Hello, Twilight!” Rarity practically sang. “Oh, and you've brought Rainbow Dash and Spiky-Wiky!”
“Rares, I told you, you don't have to call me by my full name all the time. Just Dash or Dashie is fine.”
“Oh, um, of course. If you insist, Dashie.” She shuffled her hooves as if the mere utterance of a nickname caused her discomfort.
Rainbow flew over to Fluttershy. “Why does your hat have a hole in the front?”
I focused on the hat. It had a high, rounded crown with a small cut-out circle. A tiny brown bird with a pale throat and eye stripe stuck out its head.
“It's to keep these baby wrens safe with me until they're ready to strike out on their own. They're cavity nesters,” explained Fluttershy. “Rarity's helping me figure out where to put the container for the worms.”
Meanwhile, Opalescence stared up at the bird with enormous eyes, sitting still except for her lashing tail.
“Applejack said she liked it,” added Fluttershy.
“Yes, and frankly that makes me reconsider how stylish this chapeau actually is,” said Rarity. “I just don't know if I can integrate live animals into a pleasing design.” Using her telekinesis, she set two cups onto Fluttershy's hat. “Perhaps you should keep them in panniers. You can do a lot more with them without making them look completely ridiculous.”
Spike slid off my back and ambled toward them. “Applejack was here?”
Fluttershy and Rarity nodded, Fluttershy holding her hat steady with her hoof.
“I'm guessing she didn't just stop by to talk about Fluttershy's hat,” I said.
“Yes, actually, it was very odd. She asked us if we would like to live as long as you, Twilight,” answered Rarity.
Dash touched down next to Rarity. “She asked me the same thing.”
“What did you say, Rarity?” asked Spike, leaning forward eagerly.
“I said that it would be wonderful to spend so many centuries with Twilight, and you too, Spike.” She favored him with a smile. “Think of all the adventures we could have together! And I'd love to influence the fashion industry as long as possible, and do what I can to make the world a more beautiful place. On the other hoof, I couldn't bear to outlive Sweetie Belle. But then Applejack asked how I would feel if Sweetie Belle could live just as long. Well, of course that would change everything. It would be nice if we could both live even as old as Granny Smith. But that isn't very likely, is it? My magical talents lie in finding the beauty in things, not adding years to my life. Besides, my father always says that it's not the number of years you have, but what you do with them that matters.”
While Rarity was speaking, I was struck by an uncomfortable realization. I hadn't even thought about using life pulse on our families. Of course, the living embodiment of Generosity would be the one to bring it to my attention. And it had taken the bearer of Honesty to get to the heart of the matter. But once we opened it up to immediate family, extended family and friends would wish for near-immortality, too. And who could blame them? But where would it stop? Should it stop? This could be the key to true equality between all ponies of every tribe – and not only ponies, but every sapient being. But what would be the consequences of doubling, tripling, or quadrupling everyone's lifespan? Could the earth ponies grow enough food to support the population explosion?
Granted, this was all assuming the experiment would even work the way I intended.
“But if you have a long life and you do a lot with it, isn't that even better?” Spike asked Rarity.
“Yes, well,” said Rarity, turning her gaze toward one of her dress forms, “I suppose it's just something we mortal ponies say to comfort each other.”
“Oh.” Spike tapped his claws together. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way. Actually, there's something important that we need to tell you.”
“Not yet, Spike! I want to hear Fluttershy's answer first.” I met her eyes in expectation.
“Um, I sort of want to hear what Spike has to say,” replied Fluttershy. Her baby birds peeped as if in agreement.
“Yeah, come on, Spike. What the hay is going on?” Rainbow fluffed up her wings.
“Twilight had this idea that Applejack can use life pulse on the three of you to make you live longer!” announced Spike.
The girls stared at him. Fluttershy's eyes were wide, and Rarity brought her hoof to her mouth.
Dash tilted her head. “Life pulse? What's that?”
Lowering her hoof, Rarity replied, “It's what an earth pony does to grow plants and live longer.”
“I knew they can grow plants really fast, but this is the first I've heard about them living longer.” Rainbow scratched her head. “Are we talkin' a few years, or . . .”
“Do you know how old Granny Smith is?” I asked.
Shrugging her wings, she said, “I don't know, in her eighties?”
“Two hundred nineteen.”
“What?” Her mouth fell open. “Is that even possible? Is she like a tortoise?”
“Earth ponies can slow their aging by draining energy from plants.” Fluttershy lowered her head. “At least, that's what I heard.”
“That's partly true,” I confirmed. “They can also draw life force from the earth itself.”
“Did everypony know about this except me?” Rainbow waved her foreleg in frustration.
“I'm in the same boat.” Spike shrugged one shoulder. “I only found out about this power last night.”
“And I first learned about it yesterday,” I said. “Why didn't either of you tell us?” I asked Rarity and Fluttershy.
Rarity arched her eyebrows. “I assumed you already knew, Twilight. You know so much about magic already.”
“Unfortunately, my education only covered unicorn thaumaturgy. That's why I'm researching this now,” I said, trying not to sound as disgruntled as I felt.
“Yeah, can you tell us more about this experiment?” asked Dash, flicking her tail. “What exactly do we have to do?”
“My hypothesis is that an artificial barrier will concentrate earth magic so it can be infused into another pony, thus giving that pony the same life-extending benefits. All you have to do is stand inside that barrier with AJ. I'd do it myself, but I've only begun training in earth thaumaturgy, and I'm impatient. I want to start this right away.” I shifted my wings.
“Um, why can't it wait?” asked Fluttershy, twitching her ears.
“Well, I've known for a while that alicorns don't grow old. And I . . . I've had a lot of anxiety about watching all of you die.”
Spike gasped quietly.
I sucked in a deep breath. “There, I said it. That's why this experiment is so important to me. And that's why Applejack asked you that question. Maybe you won't live a thousand years, but you might live to be five hundred. I just have to do what I can to try to make it happen.”
Fluttershy brushed her mane away from her face and gave me a knowing gaze. “You sound like Discord. You see, I already sort of talked about this with him. He hates death because it's so final, and there are no more surprises after that. But even his magic has limits. He told me that he thinks he could grant immortality if he really tried, but he'd have to give up some of his chaos powers. And he doesn't think he would be able to get them back. But, well, I don't want to brag, but I am technically Discord's oldest friend. If he lost me, he doesn't know what he'd do.” Her cheeks turned pink. “At least, that's what he told me.”
“That settles it, then,” said Rarity. “Fluttershy, you must be the first to volunteer for this life pulse experiment. I shudder to think what would happen if Discord ever went mad with grief.” A tremor passed through her entire body.
“On the other hoof, I wouldn't mind too much if he lost at least some of his chaotic powers,” said Rainbow.
“But Discord would mind,” said Fluttershy, idly dragging her hoof over the floor. “If I could live a lot longer without him having to give up some of his powers, that would be best for both of us.”
I beamed. “I'm so happy to hear you say that, Fluttershy. I'll go start the preparations.”
“Do you need any help?” she asked.
“No, thanks. I think Spike and I can take care of the next step. I'll let you know as soon as we're ready for you.”
Windorama did excellent business in Ponyville. Since the town was struck with all manner of accidents of both natural and magical origin, there was always somepony in need of a new window. The company had expanded into doors and aluminum siding, although the latter hadn't yet caught on in Ponyville, where wood and stucco were preferred.
Stepping through the front entrance, Spike and I gazed at the glass panes, metal shutters, and various other building materials. I started to estimate how many windows it would take to build an enclosure large enough for two ponies. Metal would be ideal for the floor, since hooves would probably crack the glass. It was fortunate that the store had an entire row of metal doors that appeared big enough to form the base.
The unicorn clerk inside was already assisting another customer – none other than Applejack.
“Wow, she's always a step ahead of us this morning,” said Spike, scratching the side of his head. “Are you sure she didn't want to do this last night?”
Applejack turned at the sound of his voice. “Howdy, y'all. Surprised to see me here?”
“A little. You were reluctant to help with the, um, project last night.” I glanced at the clerk, who furrowed his brow. “But then we talked with Rainbow, Rarity, and Fluttershy this morning.”
“Oh.” She frowned in contemplation. “Well, I reckoned if I could help 'em live longer, then it wouldn't be right for me not to try just 'cause I was afraid o' change. But I had to make sure that it was somethin' they really wanted. Not everypony wants to live forever, or even a few hundred years.”
The stallion cleared his throat. “Excuse me, I couldn't help overhearing.”
“That's because we were talking right in front of you,” Spike pointed out.
“Right. Applejack here told me that she needs an airtight glass house. Is this for the project you're working on together?” he asked.
And so AJ, Spike, and I gave him as much information as he required to assemble the structure. Although the unicorn didn't fully comprehend what we were planning, he went along with the policy that the customer is always right. He advised us that the order would be delivered to the castle the following day. Applejack said that this would work out for the best since she needed to be rested in order send out a strong life pulse. She planned on spending the next morning absorbing a few years' worth of life force from the earth.
“Could you give me a more specific number?” I asked. “It'll be helpful to know exactly what you're doing and how much magic you're using.”
“Maybe eight to ten?” She adjusted her hat. “I can probably give you a closer figure tomorrow, but I don't know how to measure it.”
“Then maybe I should add measuring earth thauma to my list of experiments.”
The next morning, my friends gathered inside the Friendship Castle throne room. Spike offered Rarity a bag of popcorn, which she accepted with a gracious smile. He asked me if I wanted a bag, too, but I had my quill and paper ready to record observations, and I didn't want to be distracted by something as messy and crunchy as popcorn, especially the way Spike makes it. He always coats it with cheese-flavored powder that sticks to everything, and sometimes a stray gem finds its way into the mix.
Meanwhile, Applejack stood motionless with a distant gaze, as if she were either trying to talk herself into the experiment again, or running through a mental checklist of what she needed to do – or possibly both.
As for Fluttershy, the birds in her hat had her undivided attention. “Oh, Caroline, why do you keep begging for food and then closing your beak when I hold it in front of you? It's getting . . .” She gritted her teeth. “. . . Frustrating!”
One of the wrens – Caroline, I suppose – hopped out of the crown of her hat and landed on the brim, letting out a defiant peep.
“Well, that's too bad, because mealworms are all I have. If you want moths, go find someone else to feed you.”
Applejack snapped out of her reverie and stared at her. “Why, our little Fluttershy's all grown up!”
The baby bird threw herself at Rainbow Dash, crashed into her, and fluttered to the ground.
Dash let out a noise that was halfway between a groan and a sigh. “Do I look like I have moths on me?”
Tilting her head, Caroline gave her a raspy peep.
“Caroline! Where did you hear that word?” scolded Fluttershy. She paused, listening to the bird's answer. “Oh. I'll have to have a talk with Angel Bunny about age-appropriate language.”
“Hellooooo, everypony! And dragon!” sang Pinkie Pie. She bounded into the throne room. “I know you were all waiting for me to get here before you got started! And I guess you need the window thingy, too. Don't worry, it's in the entrance hall.”
“Great! Let's go see,” I said to the others.
To Spike's credit, he didn't say a word to Pinkie as we trekked down the stairs into the front hall.
Rarity sidled up to me and whispered, “You are going to let me pay for part of this, aren't you, darling?”
“We'll talk about it later,” I murmured.
She frowned and opened her mouth.
“And no, I'm not just saying that and hoping you'll forget later,” I said, anticipating her concern. “Bits later, experiment now!” I picked up my pace to a canter as I reached the bottom of the stairs. In the middle of the hall sat the glass enclosure. I circled it; then flew over it to view it from all angles. It was a rectangular prism twice as long as it was tall, and wide enough for a mare to turn around inside. The windows were joined with pale metal framework. One end had a thicker frame with outward facing hinges and a clasp on the inside.
“Well, it looks functional,” Rarity said tactfully.
“You were expectin' stained glass?” AJ asked with a raised eyebrow.
“No, but perhaps some beveling or etching would have been a nice touch,” she answered, narrowing her eyes.
“We want to see what's going on inside, Rarity,” Spike pointed out.
Pinkie opened the glass door. “You should name it.”
I hovered in place and stared at her.
“Yeah, we can't keep calling it the little glass house,” agreed Spike, licking powdered cheese off his fingers.
“I never called it that, but I see your point.” I landed on the floor in front of it and rubbed my chin. “How about the Thauma Containment Device?”
Spike stuck out his thumb and turned it downward.
“Ooooo, that's dragon for 'no good,'” translated Pinkie.
I couldn't resist the impulse to roll my eyes. “I've picked up on that, thanks.”
“I wanna call it the Greenhouse,” said Applejack, pushing up her hat, “but that'd be a mite confusin'.”
“How about you combine the two names and call it the Thauma House?” Pinkie grinned.
“I guess that's the least bad name so far. Let's keep working on it.” I stuck my head in the house to inspect it. The seams where glass met metal had a transparent sealant over them.
“Rainbow, could I borrow one of the clouds? I want to put it in here to see if it's airtight.”
Dash shrugged. “I don't own the clouds, except for the ones that make my house. Knock yourself out.”
“Okay. I'll be right back.” I flapped out of the castle and spotted a cumulus that appeared to be an appropriate size. Using my hooves and wing power, I pushed the cloud down through the front doorway. I could have used telekinesis, but I wanted to practice my pegasus skills. As I flew back inside, I saw Rarity lifting Fluttershy's hat in her blue aura. Two baby birds peeked out of the hole in the crown.
“I'll just hold this for you while you take part in the experiment, Fluttershy. I'm sure your birds will be fine without you for a few minutes.” Her mouth curved down in thought. “It shouldn't take longer than that, should it? I don't think there's enough air in the Thauma House for two ponies to last very long.”
“Should take less than a minute, if it's gonna happen at all,” said Applejack.
“That's good, because I wouldn't want to have to worry about supplying you and Fluttershy with more oxygen.” I eased the cloud into the Thauma House and shut the door. I observed that the cloud was a little smaller than the house, so I shifted the enclosure with my telekinesis to touch all of it to the cloud.
“Nothing's getting through that,” commented Rainbow.
Rarity held up a curry comb and mane and tail brush in her magic and ran some quick passes over Fluttershy. Out of her silky mane came a squirmy mealworm. I was a bit surprised Rarity didn't find anything more unsanitary than that.
“You know what? You can keep the brush,” said Rarity, who I imagine did a deep cleaning of her shop after Fluttershy left the day before.
“Um, thanks.” Fluttershy shifted her weight.
“Now, Applejack–”
“I showered this mornin'.” AJ lowered her eyebrows.
“I wasn't implying that you didn't, darling. But you didn't see that this got stuck to your tail on the way here.” Rarity plucked a cottonwood seed out of Applejack's tail and lifted in her aura.
“No, I didn't. Thanks, sugar cube. Wouldn't want to accidentally sprout the seed and ruin the experiment.” She let out a soft chuckle.
“Okay, everything is finally ready.” I opened the glass door and tugged out the cumulus. The glass was left fogged. I sighed.
“Almost ready.” I teleported to the kitchen, too impatient to spend any more time doing things the pegasus and earth pony way, and teleported back with a cloth. In a few seconds, I wiped off the condensation.
“Now everything is ready,” I said, willing it to be so.
Rarity tilted her head. “There are streaks from this angle.” Her blue aura enveloped the cloth. “Perhaps I could help clean it.”
“Rarity, I sympathize with your perfectionism, but it can wait. As long as we can see inside, that's good enough for me.”
“Twi's right,” said Applejack. “No sense draggin' this out any longer.” She entered the Thauma House and turned around to face the door. “C'mon, Fluttershy.”
Fluttershy walked inside and pulled the door shut behind her, closing the latch. Glimpsing the clock on the wall, I jotted down a note.
9:35 am – Life infusion experiment begins with AJ and FS
Applejack placed her front hoof on her friend's barrel. She glanced out at us for a moment before closing her eyes, perhaps so she could concentrate with greater ease. Nothing seemed to happen for about twenty seconds. Then Fluttershy's jaw dropped, and her eyes grew enormous. Her mane and tail waved as if in a gentle breeze, and her colors became brighter and more saturated.
AJ was straining, though. Stray hairs came loose from her mane and tail, and bags formed under her eyes. Her legs began trembling. I'd never seen her like that, even when she overworked herself during that first apple bucking season after I moved to Ponyville – or even after Tirek had stolen her thauma.
Rainbow Dash flew up to the glass house. “Stop!” She tapped on the window. Flinching, Fluttershy gazed up at her, as if she didn't expect her to be there. Applejack's eyes creaked open, peering at Rainbow. Then she pulled her hoof away from Fluttershy.
Suddenly there was a blinding flash, and Fluttershy was alone in the Thauma House. All that was left of Applejack was a scorch mark in the shape of three apples. Fluttershy let loose a muffled scream and fumbled for the clasp. After a few seconds, she undid the latch and shoved open the door.
“Oh, Dashie, Twilight, everypony, I'm so sorry!” She jumped out of the house. “I should have stopped her when she started wearing herself out. I should have just opened the door. It was right there! But it happened so fast, I didn't think of it in time!” She sounded louder and more frantic than I'd ever heard her.
I drew a shaky breath, still frightened by what could have gone wrong, but comforted by the knowledge that Applejack was most likely all right. “It's okay, Fluttershy. I think I know what happened to her.”
“Those scorch marks,” said Rarity, walking up to us, “look awfully familiar. Twilight, when you became an alicorn, you left behind marks shaped like your stars. Do you suppose it's possible . . .”
Fluttershy and Rainbow gaped at the sooty apples. “What, are you saying AJ got zapped to wherever Twilight went? And she's gonna come back an alicorn?” asked Dash with a furrowed brow.
“I don't know, but the signs do fit,” answered Rarity.
“Yeah, Twilight and I kinda figured this would happen.” Spike shoved a piece of popcorn into his mouth, unfazed by the whole ordeal.
Rarity, Fluttershy, and Dash stared at him.
“You did? Since when?” Rainbow flew toward Spike and brought her muzzle up to his face, causing my assistant/brother to lean away from her.
Before he could respond, Pinkie spoke up, breaking the silence she'd kept for the duration of the experiment. “You should go to her, Twilight. She's alone and she might be scared and confused.” Her face broke into a manic grin as her eyes darted around. “Not that I would know!”
Silence reigned as everyone scrutinized her.
“Pinkie Pie, is there something you'd like to tell us?” prompted Spike.
Her mouth twitched. “I sort of don't want to but I feel like I have to now. But I want to wait until all my friends are here, first.”
I nodded to her. “I'll look forward to it, Pinkie. Spike, please send a letter to Princess Celestia explaining what happened. I'm going to go to the Thaumic Plane.” I had traveled there once before, although I was not conscious of how I had accomplished it at the time, and I had the Elements of Harmony to give me a boost. But if Applejack could transport herself there without the Elements, so could I.
Picking up my quill in my aura, I scribbled: 9:37 – AJ disappeared. Attempting to search for her on Thaumic Plane
I resolved to record more details as soon as I had time. Then I closed my eyes, remembering how I had felt on that fateful day, how the power had coursed through me – too much power for any single pony in Equestria. I did a mental calculation of the amount of thauma per gram I would need to force my mass out of this world and into the Thaumic Plane, and figured that I could channel just enough.
My horn flashed, and I found myself in the starry, milky expanse. The strength and scope was overwhelming – infinite, without end. And there was Applejack, her orange and gold colors standing out in the cool, ethereal plane like a buoy in an ocean. The lines were gone from her face, but her hair was still messier than normal, and her legs quivered like they were standing in ice water.
I walked toward her, the thauma forming glowing motes to support my hooves even though there was nothing physical holding me up, or even any gravity as we know it on Equestria.
“You gave us a scare, AJ.” I offered a reassuring smile.
She glanced down, swallowed hard, and tilted her head up. “Sorry I scared ya.”
To steady her, I put my hoof on her shoulder. “What happened, exactly?”
“Well, I tried to use life pulse on her, but her magic was pushin' back, so then I gave it my all and it was like a dam burst. The life force poured outta me so fast, and the only way to stop it was to pull my hoof offa her. Then I ended up here.”
“If you hadn't stopped, you might have ended up like Granny Smith. If I had known that was a risk, I never would have asked you to do it.” I shook my head.
“Don't be too hard on yerself. I knew there were risks, and I was willin' to take 'em to help Fluttershy and the other gals. I . . .” She blinked a few times. “They made me realize I don't wanna live without 'em any longer than I have to.”
“But I could have found another way,” I countered. “I could have waited until I learned how to use life pulse and tried it myself. But I was too impatient to think it through.”
“Maybe. But the same thing might've happened to you no matter how much you prepared.” Then she swiveled her head. “So, what do we do now, Twi? I don't like this place. It's nothin' but sky! Ain't even no proper clouds. And there's too much power and it's not doin' nothin' except makin' these little lights.” She glanced down again, her pupils shrinking.
“AJ, look at me.” I put my hoof on her chin and gently lifted it. She met my gaze and seemed to calm, her trembling hardly noticeable except for a twitch here and there. “On our first adventure together, just one day after we met, you didn't hesitate to go with me into the Everfree Forest to protect me from danger. You saw me hanging from the cliff and slid down to catch me, and then you told me to let go of your hooves and asked me to trust you that I would be safe. I heard your voice and looked you in the eye and I knew that I could trust you, even though I didn't understand why. And you've proven time and time again that my trust was well placed. So now I'm asking you to trust me the way I trust you.”
Her green eyes softened. “'Course I trust you, Twi. I don't think I would be here if I didn't.” She waved her foreleg at the starscape.
I grinned. “You're one of the few ponies to come here, you know. Princess Celestia named it the Thaumic Plane. Not much is known about it, but my hypothesis is that none of this is real in a material sense. The magic responds to our minds and bodies to create physical sensations. You teleported here on reflex because it's the ideal environment for magical transformations.”
“I did?” Her eyebrows knitted together. “Earth ponies can't teleport. Does this mean it's too late to stop this whole transformation?”
I frowned. “I think Pinkie Pie can answer that question better than I can. But let me ask you this: could you go back and act like nothing happened?”
Her ears twitched. “No, I couldn't.”
No sooner had these words left her lips than an undulating green light emerged from her chest. It was fascinating, seeing the earth pony's aura for the first time. It turned out to match her eyes.
“Whoa, Nelly!” She raised her foreleg as if trying to pull her thauma back into her chest.
“It's all right. Your magic knows what to do. You just have to let it do its work.”
Her ears flattened against her head as her aura spread out and swirled around her, whipping her hair and lifting her above the path of lights.
“I'll meet you back at the castle!” I called, before she vanished in a blaze of light.
Rearing back on my hind legs in excitement, I teleported back to Equestria.
In a flash and a tingle of thauma, I was back inside the castle lobby.
“Twilight!” exclaimed Dash, zipping over to me. “Spike caught us up to speed on the alicorn thing. Did you find AJ?”
I glanced around, seeing only four ponies and a dragon. “She's not here yet? What is she doing?”
“Well it is only her second time teleporting,” said Pinkie with a shrug.
Spike gave her an expectant look. “Pinkie . . .”
“Nopers! Not telling yet!”
As she spoke, the lighting changed, warming like a hearth. I glanced around for the source until Rarity tapped my shoulder and pointed toward the ceiling. Above our heads floated a pony-sized apple.
“That's the second biggest apple I've ever seen,” commented Spike.
Pinkie brought her hoof to her lips. “Sshhh, you're ruining the moment.”
“Sorry.”
The apple descended to the floor, where it materialized into Applejack . . . plus a few extra body parts. She stood there blinking, hesitantly stretching her wings. She brushed her hoof over one of them, and then she reached up and felt her horn. And there were more changes besides those. Each hair on her head was tucked neatly into her hair ties. And perhaps the most remarkable transformation of all was her cutie mark. The three identical apples had morphed into one large apple with five tiny apples gathered around it. I almost said something, but I decided to wait and see how long it took everypony else to notice.
My own mark had a more subtle modification after I ascended – in fact, it was Spike who pointed it out to me two days after I'd cast Starswirl's spell. A sixth white star had been added, showing a more complete fulfillment of my destiny. At least, that's how I interpreted it.
“Awesome!” Rainbow hovered over Applejack and lifted one of her orange wings with her hoof. “Now I can put you to work on the weather team.”
A smile warmed Applejack's face. “You offerin' me a job? I can only work part time. I already got a full time job.”
Dash waved her foreleg. “No problem. We have flexible hours.”
“All right, when do I start?” AJ held her front hoof out to her, which Rainbow bumped with her own hoof.
“Tomorrow morning at eight. Oh, and newbies have to get coffee for everypony else.”
“Um, Applejack?” Fluttershy stepped forward, ducking her head. “I'm glad you're safe. It looked like you were hurting, and I'm sorry if it's because of anything I did.”
“It wasn't yer fault, sugar cube. Don't you worry 'bout it,” said AJ. “Now, how do ya feel?” she added with a curious expression.
“I feel – I feel rejuvenated! Like I could migrate to the Mysterious South without getting tired.” She raised her wings.
“You could revolutionize the spa industry, Applejack,” said Rarity, putting her foreleg over Applejack's withers. “Just think of all the ponies who would want to receive this treatment and add years to their lives. You could change society as we know it!”
“Yeah! Just think of all the birthday parties we'll have!” Pinkie bounced up and spun her mane like a propeller, defying gravity for several long seconds. “What?” She dropped to the floor, her hooves echoing through the hallway. “Why are you all staring at me like that?”
Applejack lowered her eyelids. “Pinkie Pie, are you gonna tell us the truth now?”
Pinkie opened her mouth.
Then the doorbell rang.
“Saved by the bell. I mean, I'll get it!” Pinkie dashed toward the double doors.
Spike slapped his forehead.
“I agree, Spike,” I told him.
Pinkie opened the front doors and stepped back, bowing. There stood Princess Celestia with Luna at her side. The rest of my friends lowered their heads toward the royal sisters, but I merely nodded in greeting. The princesses had told me enough times not to bow to them that I had finally become used treating them as I would my bosses instead of the Supreme Diarchy of Equestria.
Princess Celestia had her typical serene smile as she strolled inside, and Princess Luna seemed ecstatic, trotting ahead of her sister.
“Rise, fair ponies!” Luna grinned from ear to ear. “Long have I desired to witness another alicorn's ascension.” Her smile faltered a bit. “I appear to have just missed the actual transformation, but I hope that I am the first to congratulate you, fair Applejack. I regret not being there to guide you through your metamorphosis, but it seems that you were in capable hooves.” She turned her beaming face toward me.
“I don't know if I coulda got through it without Twilight,” said AJ. “Probably woulda gotten stuck up there for who knows how long. I don't even think I coulda teleported there in the first place without her. It was her idea.” She glanced at me before studying the floor.
“Twilight Sparkle may have accelerated the process, but she did not make you thus. You chose to use life infusion on your friend Fluttershy, did you not?”
Applejack nodded.
“Using magic to help your friend is what unlocked your full potential. And this was the culmination of a series of positive choices you have made. Indeed, I would not be free of my own darkness if not for your help. You have proven yourself to be ready to serve as a princess of Equestria,” said Princess Luna.
Blushing, Applejack tugged off her hat and held it in front of her. “With all due respect, Princess Luna, I ain't ready to be a princess. I don't know if I'll ever be ready, to be honest. Ever since I got my cutie mark, I knew I was meant to work at Sweet Apple Acres, to provide for my family and Ponyville. I don't think that should change. When I tried to live a different life, I was as miserable as a yak in Ponyville. And I felt even worse when I was forced to try a different career. So, I'm sorry if I'm breakin' a rule or tradition, but I ain't gonna be a princess.”
Rarity held her hoof over her mouth, her eyes wide. Pinkie rubbed her foreleg and stared at the polished floor. The rest of my friends leaned forward, anxious to hear Luna's response.
“I don't think that anypony is ever fully prepared to become a national leader. There is no other life experience that can compare. Yet I think that you are more ready than I was when I became a princess. You are a mare of integrity who has taught other ponies to be true to themselves. And you have helped save Equestria several times over, when my sister and I failed. However, I will defer to my sister on this matter.” Princess Luna gazed over her shoulder at Celestia. “What say you, sister? Would you have Applejack crowned a princess?”
Princess Celestia stepped toward the two of them. “I concur with my sister's assessment of you, Applejack. But I would not force you to take on a leadership role if you truly believe that you are not ready. There is no rule that all alicorns must be royalty, but most ponies expect it because that is all they have ever known. I propose a compromise. Applejack, you will spend a year learning how to be a princess with Twilight, and learning meteorolurgy with Rainbow Dash, I would imagine,” she added, glancing at Dash. “In the mean time, you would help Twilight learn life drain and life pulse. This would be very helpful to all of Equestria. And with all ponies and other species living much longer, we will need to figure out a way to accommodate the growing population. They may choose to slow their birthrate, but if not . . .” Pausing, she spread her majestic wings, gazing upward. “There are other worlds that we can explore, to see if we can move there. Our society will have need of other princesses. And I believe it is only a matter of time before each of you achieves ascension.” She smiled, her gaze sweeping over each one of us.
Fluttershy let out a squeak, while Rarity grinned wide. Pinkie Pie seemed to be doing her best to act nonchalant, which for some reason involved putting on a pair of sunglasses and a fedora.
“Wait, hold the mail. You think we're all gonna become alicorns?” asked Rainbow.
“Is it that surprising?” Celestia folded her wings. “You bear the Elements of Harmony, something only alicorns have done before. Each of you understands true friendship and has special magical skills. If anything, it's a little surprising you aren't already alicorns.”
“But what does it mean for us as ponies?” Pinkie spoke up, sliding off her sunglasses. “They tell you your whole life that your cutie mark shows what you're meant to do for as long as you live, and if you don't live up to it then you're a loser.” Her hair lost some of its volume as she removed her fedora and set it aside. “If I can't be silly and make ponies laugh and feel good about themselves, then – then who am I?”
“I know how ya feel, Pinkie,” said AJ. “If I become a princess, whether it's today or a year from now, would I still be a farmer? And would that mean that when I came back home from Manehattan and got my mark, none o' that mattered?”
Luna gave her a gentle smile. “Sometimes I wonder if we put too much emphasis on cutie marks, or at least the wrong kind of emphasis. Applejack, have you looked at your mark since you transformed?”
Applejack furrowed her brow. “No.” She peeked over her shoulder and lifted her wing to get a better view of her flank. “What in tarnation?” She was so surprised that she dropped her hat. “What's it mean?”
“Your cutie mark does not control your destiny.” Princess Luna rested her hoof on Applejack's shoulder. “It is merely an outward expression of your talents and magic. It does not define you. You define it.”
“You said it, sister,” said Princess Celestia. “Twilight, you expressed similar concerns when I made you a princess. You worried about not being my student any longer.”
I flicked my ears. “Yes, I had no idea what I would do if I wasn't your student. I earned my mark by getting into the School of, uh, Magic. So, for a long time, I assumed I'd be a career student.”
“And what have you learned since then?”
“Well, my mark changed, too.” I peered over my shoulder at my magenta and white stars. “It was more than it used to be. And I realized that I was still a scholar, but more than that. My passion is education: teaching and studying all kinds of subjects, not just unicorn magic. And being a princess hasn't hindered that in any way. If anything, it's helped.”
Celestia nodded. “Well done, my faithful student.”
My cheeks burned at the nostalgic praise.
“You see, your cutie marks have broader and deeper meanings than you ever realized. You are the same ponies you were as fillies, but you are capable of so much more. So, Applejack, you still haven't told me whether you accept my compromise. What do you think?”
AJ took a deep breath. “I reckon this trainin' is worth a try, as long as I still got time to take care o' my orchard. But what if I decide I'm still not ready when the year is up?”
“Take all the time you need. Time is one thing we all have plenty of, now.”
“Thanks, Princess.” Applejack smiled and shifted her wings. “When you put it that way, I'm willin' to give it a try.”
“But won't other ponies still treat us differently? I mean, treat Applejack differently?” Pinkie sat back and rubbed her front hooves together. “I want to mingle with everypony. I don't want anypony bowing to me. I'm not better than anypony else just because . . .”
“Because what?” I prompted.
She inhaled deeply. “I guess there's no reason not to tell you the whole story, now.” Gazing around at the other ponies (and dragon) in the room, she continued, “I already told Twilight and AJ part of this, but when I was still living on the rock farm, my granny tried to teach me to use life drain on the earth. My magic went deep underground until it reached a place with more explosive force than I'd ever felt before. The force zapped into me and it was too much for one pony, so I tried to jump away from it, and I ended up in that place with the magic lights, the place you called the Thaumic Plane, Twilight. I didn't understand what was happening. I couldn't feel anything except the lights. I thought maybe I was in Elysium, but that didn't seem right because there were no other ponies there. And then my magic went out of me – I could see it coming out of my chest. That really scared me, and I don't scare easily unless I want to. So I grabbed my magic in my hooves and popped it back in.”
Princess Luna's mouth fell open. “I did not think that was possible.”
Pinkie shrugged. “Story of my life.”
“I wanted to do the same thing, Pinkie,” said Applejack. “But Twilight said that the magic knew what to do, so I let it.” She touched the base of her horn.
“What happened next?” Dash asked Pinkie.
“Well, I didn't want to stick around where my magic could escape, so I teleported back home. Granny Pie said I disappeared. Nopony could explain what happened, but I wasn't hurt, so we didn't worry about it. But ever since then my powers were stronger and harder to control. I didn't have any idea what happened until Twilight became an alicorn.”
Princess Celestia regarded at her with sympathy. Then she walked over and put her wing over Pinkie. “You poor little pony. Do you understand now what happened? You have had the magic of the three founding tribes within you, and could only express it with earth magic. It's no wonder it was so difficult to control. I'm sorry that you had to go through that with no support. But we are here for you now. Whenever you are ready, I would imagine that you could teleport to the Thaumic Plane again.”
Pinkie smiled, seeming more like her old self. “Oh, you don't have to feel sorry for me, Princess. I love finding different ways to use earth magic, especially if it makes other ponies laugh! But now that my friends know what really happened, I feel like I spoiled the joke.” Her mouth curved down again, but she looked thoughtful instead of sad. “And thanks for offering to go back to the Thaumic Plane, but I'm not ready for that yet. I only just worked up the courage to tell you guys the truth – I don't know if I want the whole world to know yet. I still don't want ponies to be too intimidated to ask me to plan their showers and wedding receptions.”
“If any princess can become approachable to the little ponies, I am certain it is you,” said Luna, taking a step toward Pinkie. “You can show them that you are the same as you have always been, no matter how you look on the outside.”
“I guess.” Pinkie sounded unconvinced. “But it's fun being a souped-up earth pony. The only thing ascending would do for me is make it easier to fly.”
“Easier?” Princess Celestia arched her eyebrows.
“Yeah, she can hover with her mane,” said Rainbow. “Show her, Pinks.”
Pinkie folded her forelegs. “Well now you're putting me on the spot. My powers work best when others aren't expecting it.”
“Is that why you kept all this a secret for so long?” asked Applejack.
“That's part of the reason,” said Pinkie, dropping back down on all fours. “It also wouldn't have meant anything to anypony before Twilight turned into an alicorn, and afterward, I didn't want anypony to know. But I am glad I finally told somepony besides my granny and mom and dad.”
“Pinkie Pie,” said Princess Luna, “when you are ready to ascend, I would ask a favor of you. Would you please tell me first? I am tired of always being the last to know such important developments.” She lowered her head and turned up her eyes, looking almost pouty.
“Aw, don't worry, Princess Luna.” Pinkie's cheeks rounded as she beamed. “I don't know when it would happen, but I wouldn't leave you out of the loop.”
AJ put her hat back on at last and moved closer to me. “So, looks like we got a lotta work to do, changin' the population of Equestria and all.”
I put my forelegs over her withers. “Yes, and I can't wait to get started. We have so much to teach each other.” My eyes widened as I remembered something. “Oh good night, I still have to finish my notes! I have so much to write down.” I reached out with my thauma, lifting my notepad and quill.
Then there was the sound of tiny wing beats as a rebellious baby wren flew into Princess Celestia's tail. Celestia peeked over her shoulder and lifted her tail.
“Is this one of your birds, Fluttershy?” she asked.
“Yes, and she hasn't eaten in thirty minutes. She's probably desperate enough to eat mealworms by now.” Fluttershy beckoned the wren with her foreleg. “Come on, Caroline.”
Caroline launched herself toward Fluttershy, landing on her muzzle with a peep.
Dear Shining,
I have big news! You and Cadance are invited to an alicorn party in Ponyville next Friday! You see, Flurry Heart is no longer the newest alicorn. Yesterday, Applejack used an enhanced form of earth thaumaturgy and achieved alicornhood. She already has a list of ponies wanting to receive her life infusion. If you don't know what that is, ask Cadance. The work I am doing with Applejack could quadruple the lifespans of all sapient races. I want you especially to come for a demonstration, but of course I would love to spend more time with Cadance and little Flurry Heart. Is Flurry's magic suppressed everywhere she goes, or only in proximity to the Crystal Heart? It is imperative for public safety that her powers be kept under control.
