Chapter 28
I sit down to dine with Jasmine and Mary at the table. We are in that lovely café part of the castle. It is very nice in here, but I question it's 'gourmet'. The staff here is trained, I am sure, but when I asked for gourmet salad, and I expected a neat, stylized meal to appear, what I got was messy and seemed to be thrown together. Maybe that is the style these days? I was hesitant to eat it, but it tastes fine, delicious even, despite its apparent messy appearance.
We eat now in silence, each of us enjoying our own meal. Jasmine is eating a similar salad, and Mary is eating a sandwich of some sort. I am unfamiliar with it, but I am sure it is a nice dish. Silence leaves the mind open, and I find myself wondering if our conversation should have made our relationship awkward, but at the moment, all seems fine. It could be that later, when Knights returns, that it will be awkward. I cannot tell at the moment, seeing as Knights is not here.
I sigh. Knights will be in training for at least the next six nights… what will we do without him? And if I am attacked? I know Celestia has guards nearby me at all times, even though I cannot see them. But I feel much less secure without Knights. I try to relax, because I need to believe I am safe. Still, the fact that my trusted friend is not here is unnerving to say the least. I will try to distract myself.
"What have you done while I was asleep?" I ask my companions, saying the first thing that comes to mind.
"We went to visit Jasmine's uncle about her dress, and he and Mary came up with a design. Jasmine's uncle, Marzipan, and I had a lot of fun comparing ideas. He sketched out an idea, and we built off of it. I left him with the original, but I made a copy. Unfortunately, we didn't have any color pencils, so it's in black-and-white." Mary pulls out a sketch while she speaks. The design seems simple, but I know that much can be done with fabric choice alone so I should not to underestimate it. "The colors are a charcoal black and a similar red. We figured it would contrast with her coat and mane nicely. What do you think?" I look at the design again, and imagine it on Jasmine.
"It looks like it would suit her very well, and I think the coloring would catch any eye. What about her mane, how will it be addressed?"
"We haven't thought of that yet." Jasmine seems sad.
"Let me make a suggestion: a crown of sorts. Do you have more paper and a…a pencil, you said?" I think that is what the new writing utensils are called..
"Oh, yes. Here." Mary retrieves paper from a bag I had not noticed she was carrying. When she puts that down on the table, she reaches down and searches for a pencil… I think. After some rummaging she pulls something out of her bag and hands it to me. The device is ingenious, wood encasing a lead center, which can be sharpened to make a point when the tip is dulled. And I believe it is held in the same way a pen is. I take it in my hoof, and draw first Jasmine's face, then the crown that would hold back her mane, with some decorations, mostly indented marks in a swirl pattern that matches the curves in the dress. When I am done I push it in front of Jasmine and Mary, who sit opposite me.
"Luna, this is beautiful!" Jasmine's eyes light up.
"I hope it would match your dress to your liking. I think it would be best if it was brass, or some other bright metal."
"No, not just the design, I meant the picture itself! You captured my face…perfectly. I'd think I was looking in a mirror…."
"Is not drawing a basic skill acquired by all ponies at a young age?" I am confused. Anypony should be able to draw what they see, and Jasmine is right here.
"Well, sure. Every foal learns to draw, but not in such detail; it takes a lot of talent to be able to draw this realistically. And so quick!"
"I did not know… When we ascended the throne, and began setting the laws back in order, schools thought that drawing ought to be part of the required courses. And as rulers, my sister and I had to be fluent in all areas in learning…. I just did a quick sketch…" I feel embarrassed. They are mooning, so to speak, over my drawing, not paying any attention to the idea I was trying to capture. "What do you think of the idea? The crown?"
"Oh, I think it's great! It's very beautiful!" Jasmine squeaks.
"What do you think about it in relation to the dress?" I ask, almost angrily.
"I think… it'll work great! It looks like it would match well." Jasmine says, abruptly. I think she is still focusing on the drawing, and not on the reality.
"Well, just keep it and make sure you like the idea. You would not want to show up with something that looks ridiculous." I look away from, afraid I might get too angry and that she will notice. "Let's move on. Do we have any ideas for magic training?"
"Oh, well, how about we see what you know first, and then we can compare it with what we know, and have ideas about." Mary says, pulling out a note book.
"Magic is a part of a pony's soul that they have access to, and can use to shape the world around them. Any pony could in theory use this part of their soul, unless they have nothing with which to channel said part. This is why it is said only unicorns or alicorns have magic, because they have a horn with which to channel their magic. However, an earth pony, or a pegasus, can learn to channel their hidden magic with a stone of power, though both the ponies wanting to learn this and the stones themselves are rare. Even if these ponies learned to access their magic, it would be significantly harder for them, considering they were not born with the equipment to deal with the stresses of using magic, and that their channel device is outside their body. However, for those already able to use magic, it is common to try to gain more.
To gain more magic, one must push the boundaries of access. When foals are learning to control their magic, they have very little access, but by practicing repetitively, and often, they usually not only gain expertise in using it, but they gain more they can use or control. Similarly, an adult may use this technique to gain more magic they have access to, but because they already probably use their magic on a daily basis they have to use it more often or in larger doses. This will eventually prove difficult, because once a pony becomes adept in magic, they are more efficient and therefore use less magic, unintentionally. One could waste their magic, perform arbitrary spells or even send vast amounts of magic into unoccupied spaces just to be rid of it, to stretch their boundaries. Similarly, a pony with large amounts of magic can store vast amounts of magic in stones of power, almost limitlessly. Later the pony can reabsorb their stored magic and it will increase the amount that the pony has access to or can use.
However, theories of Starswirl the Bearded state that the reabsorbed magic will actually linger outside the pony's actual use range, and will 'wait' there until there is a space it can occupy within the range of use or until the range grows to encompass it. There is much debate on whether this actual or merely an educated guess, but either way it leaves the pony with significantly more magic it can use, either after using some or able to use all at once. Yet another way of gaining magic was discovered shortly after our ascension, the sharing of magic. If a pony of great power decides to give a lesser pony his or her magic, it will be absorbed into the pony. It has often been noted that the pony given the magic will notice a difference between magicks, a differentiation between the 'color' of the magicks. Eventually they will become one, and the pony will have access to an enlarged range of access.
One would think that the effect of Starswirl the Bearded's theories would show in this experiment, but it has been proven that giving large amounts of magic to another pony will increase that pony's range to the exact amount given to it, if it allows the magic to assimilate. It has been shown that if a pony uses the magic before it completely assimilates the magic range will shrink back to nearly the original range of the pony. Therefore if one is sharing magic-"
"ENOUGH!" Jasmine and Mary yell in unison.
"Was I incorrect?" Did I say something now proven wrong?
"No, no, Miss Luna! I'm sure it was all correct, but you were going too fast. It seems like you know more than what I thought there was to even know."
"I was only starting to speak about the properties of magic. Is that where you want me to leave off?"
"If you know any more about magic, don't tell me. Let's just come up with some courses. You said to gain magic, you have to stretch the boundaries of access?" Mary says with a slight look of confusion.
"Yes, it is essential."
"How do you do that if magic is in your soul? Wouldn't you kill yourself?" Jasmine asks.
"Yes, and no. There are two boundaries. The boundary of access, and the boundary of limitation. The limitation is a boundary that is very hard to cross. It separates the magic part of your soul and the rest. The magic of the soul is nearly infinite, if one stretches it properly. The soul, the rest of you, that is, is not so. One cannot pass the boundary of limitation, and if they did it would have to be for a very good reason, because if one were to pass that boundary, they would most likely die. When you tap into that part of yourself, it is your heart, your emotions, your personality even, that you are basically burning for fuel. Even if one did not use all of this part of them, they would be changed forever, depending upon what they sacrificed. They could be forever sorrowful, having burned their joy. They could be full of hate, having burned their love. They could be a lifeless shell, having burned their personality. Unlike the magic, the soul does not grow back, and has a permanent limit. It is a painful thing to do, and it would most likely be better for you to die if you did that, because of the pain you will forever be scarred with." I finish, and look up at my companions. They seem speechless. "What is it?"
"You know more than anyone about this, Luna. I think that much is obvious. Other than that, that speech there was absolutely emotional. Did that ever happen to anypony you knew?"
"It was an accident, but yes. Foals do not usually have such control of their magic so as to go beyond the boundary of limitation…" I look sadly down. It was a long time ago, and I do not want to recall the memory. "Let us move on. This is not a subject we should spend much time on. What 'courses' have you devised?"
"Well, figuring that to gain more magic you have to 'stretch' its limits, we can draw a plan, where it tests your concentration as well as control. We bought wood dolls for us to paint, but I figure they'll serve our purpose here instead." Jasmine burrows in Mary's bag and pulls five wooden ponies, each about the size of my hoof-print. They are simple, wooden statues. They have not been given any individual features, and I can see many possibilities for designs.
"What kind of tests do you have in mind?"
"Well, seeing as you're having trouble with levitation, I think we should start there. The object of this would be to levitate all or as many as you can, of these dolls. And you're going to levitate them through some hoops or around the room or something. Make them move and stuff. We could set up a course of some sort, like…" Jasmine says, looking embarrassed for not fully knowing what to do.
"That seems good. Let us do that." I levitate the dolls from Jasmine's hooves to the table. This act leaves me tired, but it feels easier than levitating the blankets last night. I grab the three, now empty, plates, and set them in a row, with only enough room to move the dolls between them. Jasmine and Mary seem to understand, and grab various items and set them up along the café's table. It is a hodgepodge of kitchen items, but it is suitable for our needs.
"I will have them hop on the plates, weave in and out of the cups, and jump over the other items. Or I will try to make them do so." I laugh a little. If I mess this up, it will make quite a mess. I grab only two of the dolls with my magic, and begin the course. I try to control their movements, but extended spells are usually the hardest to control, levitation no exception. They clumsily jump from one plate, to the next, landing with audible thuds, making me thank Celestia these plates are not fine porcelain, but painted metal. As they both reach the third and final plate, I nearly drop them with exhaustion. I already feel terribly tired, but I force them to hop off the plate, and begin shuffling through the small cups, arranged down the line.
About a third of the way through all of them, my magic fails and the dolls refuse to move. I drop the spell, because it is futile to try to continue. I am nearly sweating from the exertion. I look at Jasmine and Mary.
"I am afraid that this is the best I can do at the moment." I say in disappointment.
"No, you did great! You pushed the boundary, right; you used up all you had access to, right?" Mary asks excitedly.
"Yes, but it wasn't very much. I probably couldn't have made it all the way across the room with them."
"But when you're magic recovers it should be greater, right? How long will it take your magic to come back?" She encourages me.
"Several minutes, perhaps a half hour. I do not know."
"Well, let's paint the dolls we aren't using until you feel that you're ready to continue." Mary smiles eagerly.
"Where will we get the p-" I silence my question when I see her reach for her bag. "How much is in that bag, exactly?"
"I don't rightly know. It can hold more than most ponies would think, I know that." Mary gives me a clueless look, then pulls out the paint.
"Right. May I have blue and white please?" I decide to just go along with her idea. It has been a long time since I have painted, I believe since before my 1000 year hiatus. I take up the brush Mary offers, and the blue and white paints. I decide on the lightest colored wood doll, and take her with my hoof.
I begin by painting her whole body with blue, white fading into the blue at her nose, ear-tips, hooves, and tail. Then I take a fully white brush and pain her eyes full white, and start a swirl pattern down her back. It begins as a white band that starts on her head and goes down her spine, and swirls out from there. I give her white bands on her legs, similar to braces, but for decorative purposes. When that has dried, I take up the blue again, and put swirl patterns on her white bands. I also decide to put a thin blue line down her whitened spine. I decide to use the green for her eyes, but it isn't the right green, so I mix a little blue and a little white with a dab of the green, so as not to spoil the color for the other two working on their dolls, and decide that this color is approximate to what I wanted. When the green has dried, I take a black and lace the tips of her white hooves with a line of black on the very bottom. I make it fade into the white, which fades into the blue. I like the effect it has. I decide to do this on her tail as well, but not her ears or nose. I finish it all with a large black pupil on each green orb. This has taken about ten minutes.
I look up at the others' ponies. Jasmine is painting hers a green and cream brown coloring, a very earthy combination. It has a deep green tail with white highlights, and she makes up for its lack of mane with a flat version painted on its head and neck. It is the same color as the tail, but with lighter green highlights. The body is the brown color, a light tan fused with cream or perhaps gray. It reminds me of the lightest color brown mouse, their soft fur so light I once thought it was almost that of snow. The eyes are large and blue, and as of yet have no pupils. It does not seem to be wearing anything either, but it is pretty nonetheless.
After watching Jasmine paint for a while, I look over at Mary's. Hers is far brighter colored, reds and blues being the primary colors. It is a little messy, but I think I can see what she was working towards. It looks like a sports pony, I think. It appears to be wearing a costume, one that bears many colorful labels and names. It is flashy, and not very attractive, but I think it is a subconscious longing for the past, where Mary was well known and famous.
I smile. This is a good moment, painting wooden dolls in a café. I think…I think this is a memory I will treasure for a long time. Yes. Definitely, I will remember this moment forever.
