Huge Electromagnetic Dancing Balls
“You ponies, you’re so lucky with all your magic.“
“I wish we had magic.“
“Oh yeah, the human world doesn’t have magic.“
Bull[omitted]!
Bull! [omitted]!
1) lol wut?
2) Barriers work by diffusing a force, magic or otherwise, over a solid surface other than the self. They don’t nullify magic. As such levitation can grab and lift the barrier, contents and all. That’s why barriers are usually big and partially submerged to anchor them down.
I wouldn’t be able to unfasten the claws, but I could still grab, drag, lift, and push them around. Which would making hitting me very hard.
3) This is probably the most likely of the three. And that’s very sad.
1) Historically? Hair. Easy to replace, abundant, and cost efficient! Mine are metal, though. Not too expensive and very durable, but Luna help you if it breaks and flings the wrong way. Cut my foreleg once. No scar or anything, but a lot of blood and it hurt like crazy! Whole thing scared the crap out of me!
Megaman Legends is my favorite series. I loved it. Loved it. I gave up on there ever being a sequel, though.
I didn’t care for Battle Network, but I don’t know anything about Star Force. I played Network Transmission. It wasn’t bad; it was just… More like okay in spite of it’s mechanics instead of because of them.
2) The gang lifestyle arose from the emergence of a now extinguished drug trade. Upper class has always existed in Canterlot, as far as I know. In fact, some families were ruined from the break-ins.
But there’s an upper Canterlot and a lower Canterlot. Lower Canterlot isn’t visible from the skyline. That’s where ponies with less bits lived and that’s where gangs festered until the source was tracked and eliminated.
3) I don’t mean for a public library. I mean colleges! Scholars! Historians! Why are you being so difficult about this?
4) Hello! Fantastically well I am; certainly not fine by far, but you could say I’m close to spectacular.
You seem to have caught Fluttershy since last we spoke. Is it contagious?
5) You gotta remember that unicorn magic beyond the basics is, for the most part, pretty rare anyway. Most of what I know came as secondary education.
Amplification won’t make any noticeable changes to a body’s natural healing process. At least, nothing that’s yet been accomplished has. It’s just not focused enough. There are healing magics, though.
1) Lyra: That’s fantastic! I’ve always been interested in floorplans and layouts but I’m not very good at designing them.
Bon-Bon: I think he was talking to me.
2) Too many to count. Some I knew; some I didn’t.
The assailants were thugs, criminals. Insensitive and hateful. Not incapable of being civilized, but they found instant gratification and had no desire to change. As the gang tides rose and fell many would wind up died at the hooves of one another.
Not a very bright point in Canterlot’s history, but it’s changed since then.
3) Strawberry, if you copied all the [omitted] books for yourself, then why can’t you just copy all the copies?
4) I do not. Pianos are large, heavy, and expensive.
5) Both. Manipulation subtly alters string density and amplification shifts the sound traveling in the air before it reaches your ear (or a recording device). What you don’t want to do is rapidly shift the lyre’s pitch by it’s tuning pin or by applying improper pressure. That’s damaging to the strings.
1) Bon-Bon: Infamous? Like… bad? I don’t think so.
2) Afraid? Afraid?! I ain’t scared for [omitted]! But I’ve seen it happening and I-…
I don’t… I don’t know…
3) Ah yes; self-defense applications. Amplification to boost muscle mass and manipulation to shield your body from the adverse effects.
There is a certain level of control required, but you’d start to feel pain if you pushed yourself beyond what you’re capable of. If that’s not a good incentive to stop, it’s hard to maintain a spell when your concentration is compromised.
As for casting it on somepony else, yes it’s possible. And I imagine the results could be fairly gruesome. But amplification spells become weaker the further away they’re projected. Substantially weaker. You’d pretty much have to be touching the subject for about a full second for it to even start taking effect. For that matter, amplification spells would be considered a lot more expensive than most other options. It’s just not terribly efficient.
I’ll get to the lyre part later.
4) Bon-Bon: I’ve seen that one too! I like what he does! Just the act of going around and fixing fraudulent or inept work is fantastic!
Bon-Bon: Hey! Have you heard about this new show that’s starting soon? It’s called Renovation Raiders. They do huge renovations, like the ones that take a few days or more, but they do it in only a few hours while the homeowner is out. I can’t wait!
5) Unless you plan to give copies of those books away, that doesn’t amount to anything. Knowledge you possess doesn’t help anypony else.
And while I’m sure you were only joking, a spell like that would require knowledge of the subject’s presence. B is effectively invisible to scrying, even to seers. You’ve never even met.
B: Well… He’s never been aware of it.
Well, I’ve mentioned them on more than a few occasions. Might have even explained it. But if I did, I never tagged the posts.
Amplification is a collection of spells loosely grouped around the notion of taking something in it’s current state, and boosting it to a greater degree without sacrificing it’s form. I got into amplification when studying music; same reason why most non-combatants would. In particular a lyre, which has very few strings, can have it’s frequency amplified or reduced using magic to gain access to a wider range of available notes. However, for a unicorn of my limited magical ability, it’s a very difficult process to do rapid-fire beyond just shifting octaves.
Manipulation is more of a catchall than a legitimate pool of magic. Pretty much anything that doesn’t fit anywhere else winds up being classified as some form of manipulation. I mean, technically all magic is manipulation so it’s really a misnomer, but eh. I began studying a little bit of manipulation in order to learn how to change the sounds notes make. Unlike amplification, which maneuvers best off of set intervals (like a 4C to a 5C), manipulation works best by traveling to adjacent notes (4C, 4C♯ 4D, and so forth). The closer the desired note is to the source, the better.
I play by weaving the two concepts together; using whichever method more easily reaches the note I need.
1) The grass will always be greener. It gets to me sometimes, sure, but I try to let it go. It’s not healthy and it doesn’t change anything.
2) The schools of magic aren’t divided by color in this world. For that matter learning more complex magic, especially things not related to your cutie mark, isn’t really common and not something most are taught in school. Most of the magic I learned was taught outside of an academic setting.
I like support. That’s usually what I go for in a game. But in reality most of my magic, if applied toward self-defensive purposes, would be best utilized in self-modification/damage dealing applications.
3) I didn’t! That’s fantastic! But are you sure? I see he worked in a lot of Armored Core games, but I can’t find a connection between him and Seamar- men.
4) I beg your pardon?
5) Would you believe I’ve been asked before (#8)?
6) Yeah. You humans really need to get on top of controlling the weather. That’d be a huge step toward a more harmonious world. A weathermare is somepony who controls the weather, not makes vague, often inaccurate predictions.
If you’d told me two years ago that Twilight Sparkle was going to become an alicorn, and somehow convinced me you were telling the truth, I’d have been irate. The notion that somepony born into a well-off family, with all the opportunity in the world and little hardship, would be rewarded with such a prestigious gift would have left me frothing at the mouth like a rabid animal.
I’ve watched Twilight for quite some time, wishing I had her life. That I could have been born with such potential. That surely I wouldn’t squander it with pointless study in mundane arts like turning an apple into an orange or growing facial hair.
But after all that I’ve witnessed, I’ve begun to understand that I’m not meant to hold such power. For all the magic at her disposal, Twilight has a level of restraint that can only be matched by an alicorn. Were it me, I would have used it to right every wrong I’d ever witnessed. And I don’t think that would have ended too well.
Information on alicorns are a secret even I’ve never had access to. Maybe nothing’s really changed. Maybe Twilight always had the characteristics of an alicorn, just not the appearance. Maybe the spell she completed was the very spell that transformed her, and required a very specific series of circumstances and relationships. Maybe this isn’t the first time it’s happened, just the first time it’s happened this way.
I’ve digressed a bit, but what I’m trying to get to is that I’m happy for her. I still wish it were me; that I could have been given such a reward for the ordeals I overcame. I can’t help that. But she lived the majority of her life in near isolation and learned more about the magic of friendship in a very brief period of time, than anypony else has in their entire life. And that’s a trial I wouldn’t want to undertake.
So here’s to you, Princess Twilight! You deserve everything you’ve achieved and I can only look forward to what you’ll accomplish next!
Just don’t expect me to call you Princess very often.
Well, there’s a long answer and a short answer. The short answer is because, that’s what Griffons called us. As for the long answer, well…
Worlds with multiple sentient species don’t just become intellectually advanced all at once. I don’t know that your world keeps track of this sort of thing, because you’re the only ones, but the process in our world is called ascension. It’s not the most popular subject among ponykind because we weren’t the first to ascend. We weren’t even the second.
To be considered an ascended species requires several things. You have to be capable of organized thought exchange, both verbally and in writing, amongst yourselves and other ascended species. You have to be capable of sustaining yourself in an isolated environment indefinitely (a nomadic lifestyle must be a choice, not a requirement). You have to be capable of creating shelter from raw materials and defend yourself from harsh environmental conditions. And I’m sure I’m missing some, but the most difficult is that you must be able to prove that you, or a community of your peers, can protect themselves against a staged attack by a malicious entity.
It’s debated pretty fiercely between dragons and griffons which ascended first, but we definitely came after both. There will always be those that argue, but there’s pretty definitive evidence. As we were hunted by them, griffons also studied us. When pegasus and unicorns first appeared, they observed pegasus manipulating rainfall to yield more substantial wild growth, and reported mild, though varied magical ability in us long before our recorded history began.
Griffons named us unicorns, which in their language at the time (they’ve gone through a few) meant one-horned, and pegasus were called pterippus- which I’m fortunate enough to be able to manually type out, because I can’t even pronounce that. After our ascension began we kept our name, but the pegasus didn’t.
The story goes that a “hero” by the name of Pegasus united or conquered, depending on interpretation, every major pterippus community and changed the entire species’ name to his own. He did some other stuff but I’m not all that into specifics. To that end, pegasus were the first pony species considered to be ascended, though at that time the term had yet to be defined.
Our hornless, terrestrial cousins have an interesting story. Pony roughly means small horse. Earth ponies were so named once unicorns and pegasus started appearing, as a way of further defining them, because we’re all ponies. But when our ascension began, one group of grounded ponies relied on hard work and close ties to the earth. They became what we recognize today as earth ponies.
Meanwhile the other group, fascinated with magic and the desire to harness it, called themselves crystal ponies. They somehow found that crystals were easier to store magic in and harness magic out of than anything else in the world. They even somehow used magic infused into crystals to create the artifact known as the Crystal Heart. When earth, unicorn, and pegasus ponies had to unite in order to survive, timelines show that crystal ponies had no need for outside help. Though the other three had lost contact with them, crystal ponies were already decades ahead of their time through magically-aided technological advancement. At least, so the story goes.
While on the subject, the last species to be considered ascended were cattle. Both goats and sheep are in the process of ascension.
1) Sorry, can’t fake enthusiasm. When you’ve hung around CUE as long as I have- it takes more than a few short-duration age spells to catch my attention.
As for the fate of Ponyville, I don’t think so. I’m sure Twilight’s reputation would have taken a hit if she couldn’t solve things before Princess Celestia showed up, but that’s about all that was ever at stake.
2) What you’re probably referring to is their face and size, I’d assume. And those differences are because, like zebras, they aren’t ponies. They’re still equines, but Arabians are horses. You’ll also note they have no cutie mark.
3) Eh… Don’t think my “stats” would translate very well into the Fallout universe. Probably safe to assume I’d just suck.
4) Sure was. Mostly it was nice to have a break from mining stone for Trixie’s stupid statues.
5) Thanks! I do my best between salon trips!
6) A powerful mage in her own right, but she lacks a solid foundation. She knows some more advanced spells that you wouldn’t expect, but she’s never gonna get much better without going back and focusing on the basics.
7) No. We manage her diet to avoid that.
8) Mang, dat’s racist.
Might be interesting for historical aspects, but I’m not really a history mare.
I’d like to read some about magic from their age. I’ve heard they had access to magics that fell out of favor centuries ago, or were outlawed for one reason or another.
See, earth ponies historically shunned magic. Crystal ponies didn’t. They found ways to access it through enchantments and magically-infused objects, of their own design, without unicorn aid. Largely antiquated compared to what unicorns can do today, but incredible for it’s time.
With the crystal ponies return and modern day practices, it’s possible we may see a resurgence and expansion of those ancient techniques. Depending on how integration and regulation pans out, we may be on the cusp of the next magical age.
I’m still here, too! Honest. Little less obsessive compulsive, though.
1) Just making sure. Not even addressing this anymore.
2) You know, if they hadn’t aired that commercial three times in a row I don’t think anypony would have cared. I mean, it had been airing for months.
3) Dark magic? Never heard it called that before.
5) … Wat.
6) That’s for him to answer, not me.
7) I was a little curious about that, but you get used to the whole slithering-on-your-tail-thing surprisingly quick!
8)
1) You’re insensitive to others. That doesn’t make you evil; it makes you a prick.
2) Why should I have to do anything? In fact, if I went out of my way to trust you, it’s a lot easier to not trust you.
3) You are mistaken.
4) I never asked to be sent more messages than I can answer in a day without spamming my follower’s dashboards. But for the sake of argument, am I sure about what?
5) No, he isn’t. Because it’s not another dimension. It’s not an alternate reality. It’s not anything. Just some human drawing pictures.
6) Where else would he carry it?
7) You can either pop a Mana Pot, down an Ether, or hit a few blues.
If we’re being serious, in dire need a unicorn can drain a magically-infused object to rapidly recuperate. It’s slightly dangerous, but no more so than most things.
1) There will always be ponies that think a certain way, but I don’t know of any organization formed for that.
2) Ha ha! That would certainly be interesting!
…
Luna above, I think you might be right… Now I can’t stop hearing his voice in my head!
3) No. A pre-birth foal has no conscious understanding of reality. If you have no understanding of the world in which you exist, you can’t cast.
The only danger would be if the unborn unicorn’s horn broke within the womb, and an injury severe enough for that to take place would likely result in a stillborn. Either way, the horn would sooner puncture through the mother than break off.
4) I’d not worry about it. In the grandest scheme of things, it doesn’t really matter. If you find somepony you like and they like you back, give it a shot. If not, they can still be your friend.
I understand it’s not quite that easy for human society, but it should operate on the same principles I would think.
5) I know, it makes sense in theory! And yet here I am giving a condescending reply. World’s funny like that.
Edit: That’s all the questions I have. If I haven’t answered one that you sent, I didn’t get it. I know a lot of questions haven’t been getting through to me lately. Feel free to try again!
