Widget smiled at the two science ponies and nodded in a friendly manner to both them and to Spike. "See you folks later then," he said brightly, and followed Twilight out of the library and to Rarity's boutique.

>>> TO: The Carousel Boutique

"Fare thee well, Spike, Ava, Atom~" The Princess tailed Twilight to the door, though she paused to wave a hoof back to the room with a smile. She followed the others out briskly, after that, her horn flaring to life again to deflect the rain as they walked.

Exit to Carousel Boutique
This message was last edited by the player at 16:35, Tue 14 Aug 2012.

--> From: Ponyville Business District - Widget Whatsis' Wondrous Works -->

At first, Quill's umbrella seemed to work pretty well. Unfortunately, the longer she was underway the more the cardboard and paper were starting to get soggy. After managing to slow the rain to the occasional drip, within a few minutes it was literally falling apart as the rain beat on it. The cardboard remained relatively dry for the sheer fact that most of the tape seemed to be concentrated around that point, but by the time she arrived at the Library it had ceased being anything resembling an umbrella.

Still, it had managed to get her to her destination while remaining relatively dry -- though that could be blamed on the trip not being very far -- and she knocked on the door waiting for Twilight to open up. Or Widget. Or whoever else she shared her house with.

The one thing Starcrasher likely didn't expect to open the door was an owl.  But sure enough the Library door swung open thanks to the flapping of a sizable tawny avian gripping the handle in its claws.  Once the door was ajar enough for Starcrasher to come inside, the owl fluttered back over to its perch and fixed her with its wide, unblinking eyes.

"Who." Owlowiscious hooted softly.  The library seemed pretty much empty otherwise except for a small purple Dragon curled up atop a thick ledger book atop a nearby desk.  Starcrasher's initial thought on the library proved wrong -- it was a proper gathering of knowledge that looked more like someone had moved in rather than a home re-purposed as an archive.  Not to mention it had obviously been heavily expanded upon with lots of extra shelves placed wherever there was space, separate rooms filled with more tomes and scrolls, and even a basement packed with curious research equipment that she could spot from the top of the staircase.

- "Ah thanks, have you--"

Starcrasher blinked as she noticed that the one opening the door was not a pony or a dragon like Quill, but an owl. Then again, this was relatively mild on the weirdness scale compared to what she had been through that day. Owl assistant? Why not?

A quick check around the room told her that there was indeed a sleeping dragon in the middle of the room -- a common thing in Ponyville, it seemed -- but what really managed to catch her attention were the books. There were quite a few of them, at that. Figuring that since she had no idea where Twilight was, the best thing she could do was wait for her to get home so she could ask her where Widget was. It wasn't as if she would have nothing to read in the meantime.

Though she couldn't see much in the dark, she didn't want to wake the dragon, so she squinted her eyes to make out the book titles and, when she found one about magic, took it out before heading downstairs with it to the research laboratory. Not that she wanted to be touching anything she shouldn't, of course, but there she could turn on the lights without waking up the dragon sleeping on the ledger on the other floor.

The owl followed Starcrasher through the library -- it was accustomed to having random visitors and kept an eye on things whenever Spike wasn't available.  One could wonder what good an owl could do if there was any issue to arise, but that was a question for another time.  Downstairs, Starcrasher could flick on the lights safely.  It revealed quite a surprising sight though; a vast array of machines, pieces of dissected magi-tech, tall chalk boards full of complex equations both mathematical and magical, heaps of scrolls filled with personal notes... a veritable plethora of research and knowledge.  Unlike the rest of the library, this all seemed to be new and was no doubt Twilight's own work.  Naturally the machines would be powered by magical batteries, so it was a good idea that Starcrasher not try and flex her own abilities while down there as there was no telling what she might accidentally break.

Owlowiscious landed lightly atop one of the study boards and continued to watch in silence, merely observing the young Unicorn to make sure she didn't get into any trouble.

Upon turning on the lights, Starcrasher almost dropped the book she had been holding at the sight of the various equipment, along with notes which she at first glance only actually understood a tenth of. And then, she found herself chuckling.

- "Oh, i think i understand why Widget's dating her now..."

She shook her head, wondering vaguely about what kind of topics the two of them would be discussing when they were going out together, but soon enough she had her attention on the book she had picked to read, knowing better than to try her magic in a room filled with magically powered objects. She had made that mistake before. Several times.

Starcrasher kept reading the book, yawning as the writer was droning on and on about a specific subject. It read like a thesis on the merits of using magic to control the weather instead of having pegasi do it, and an evaluation of the efficiency of magic in farming compared to the ways Earth ponies did it. The book concluded with a statement that all types of ponies should be encouraged to learn magic to 'broaden their horizons' and become able to manage their tasks more efficiently. There was some mention of how exactly Earth ponies and pegasi would fit into this all magic society, but that was swept under the rug by using the existence of alicorns to prove that all ponies shared a common ancestor, and the pegasi and Earth ponies had simply lost their way over the course of several generations. Taking a deep breath, she put it aside to look at the next book.

Going by the introduction, the next book on the small pile was another one about magic. This one warned against a waning of magical prowess amongst ponies by bringing forward the ponies of legend, and comparing Starswirl the Bearded and Clover the Clever to the strongest of unicorns in the past couple of generations. Though she was halfway in, the book so far blamed complacency and the relative luxury of modern times for a lessened need to use magic, and suggested a more spartan approach to the Magical Academy, where students would be 'encouraged' (though it sounded more like the author had meant 'forced') to do practically everything with magic.

<-- Twilight enters from Widget's Workshop

Despite the sharp snap of displaced air and brief flash of light that heralded Twilight's arrival into the Library via teleportation, Spike didn't rouse at all.  The Unicorn trotted across the floor and shook her head at the endearing sight of her assistant all curled up atop a book, openly defying her previous remark about Dragons being picky on where they slept.  Ah well... Spike never really was a normal Dragon.  Thankfully.  She gently picked him up in a glow of magic and floated him upstairs to his own bed, taking the time to tuck him in for the night while he snoozed on unaware.

Once that was done, Twilight took a moment to peer around the quiet Library.  Everypony who'd been about the place had long since gone home for the evening and it was a bit of a mess again.  While there was no immediate sign of Starcrasher, Twilight perked at the glow of light from downstairs and the door to the basement standing open.  With a curious cant of her head she headed down below amid the roots of her tree home, traveling along the long steps deep into the earth where her private lab rested.  From the mid point in the stairs she caught sight of the young filly sitting absorbed in a book and the sight of it made Twilight pause with an idle smile on her face.

"Now there's a familiar sight." she said aloud, announcing her presence to Starcrasher.  Twilight continued along down the stairs with an easy pace and gentle expression, making sure she didn't spook the girl or make her feel that she'd been caught trespassing.  "You wouldn't happen to be Starcrasher?"

- "In conclusion, it would be beneficial for unicorns in training to practice mahaHAah!"

Starcrasher looked up, now wide awake where she had been close to dozing off over the book, and taking a couple of involuntary steps back. Her horn sparked a little before she could stop herself from accidentally casting in surprise and the lights around where she was standing started to dim for a moment before returning to their full power. Whew, that was in the nick of time.

- "Isweariwasn'tasleepi... Oh, wait. You're Twilight, right? Widget's girlfriend? Do you know where he is, Quill was getting a little worried."

Since she'd already been told of Starcrasher's unique side-effects with magic, Twilight took the brief drop in power around her lab in stride.  It was actually useful -- it gave her a chance to see a subtle form of the event in action and make some first appraisals of the situation.

"That's right; I'm Twilight Sparkle." she introduced herself properly as she hit the bottom of the stairs and ambled over to Starcrasher herself.  "Widget is already home -- we went back to his place for dinner and Quill explained what had happened.  So I came to find you myself and escort you back."

Despite that very clear course of events to follow, Twilight didn't immediately snap to it.  Her horn glowed as she magically picked up some of the books Starcrasher had been reading, turning them about to view the covers and leafing through them with an almost nostalgic look on her face.  "I see you went straight for the controversial writers.  They're a lot more exciting to read, aren't they?  I can't say I much agree with their viewpoints though... This one; 'A Truly Magical Equestria'?  Its writer was heavily influenced by 'The Unicorn Unification' thesis; written by an earlier and far more xenophobic essayist who advocated Unicorn supremacy." she mused thoughtfully before looking back to the filly.  "Did you do a lot of such reading back at Canterlot?  I know the Libraries and Archives there put my little place to shame..."

Starcrasher laughed a little sheepishly when Twilight brought up the books she had been reading.

- "Actually, i picked them at random... There was enough light for me to make out where the magic section was, but it was hard to make out the titles and i didn't want to wake your assistant so i kept the lights off. Speaking of, does everyone have dragon assistants here?"

She didn't really know about Spike, but considering two out of three ponies she'd visited in their homes had a baby dragon assisting them -- the third being Merriweather -- she had the impression that such a thing was common around Ponyville. Odd that there were virtually none in Canterlot, though with the capitol being a mountain city it of course lacked the option to just set them loose in the forest close to a dragon roost when they got too big to handle. Yeah, that would probably be it.

Twilight giggled softly at that and shook her head.  "Not at all.  It used to just be Spike for the longest time, but then Quill arrived from Canterlot just yesterday.  He used to work at the Archives.  They're the only Dragons in town." she explained.  "Out of curiosity though -- what sort of topics do you like to read about?  Widget mentioned that you were interested in magical studies, and that you're a student from Canterlot?"

Starcrasher quickly nodded.

- "Mhm! I study magic at the Canterlot Academy, though for some reason everything i try ends up destabilizing stronger magic and outright nullifying weaker ones like magical batteries."

At realizing that Widget had been talking about her, she let out a nervous sounding chuckle, looking at a nondescript point on the ground to avoid looking at Twilight.

- "He, uh... Told you about what happened to the Workshop, hasn't he?"

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about.  Lots of Unicorns have trouble controlling their magic while they're still learning.  I used to experience power surges where my magic would go out of control, which was pretty dangerous... but I had a great teacher to help me get a hold of myself." Twilight assured the filly with a well-meaning smile.  She couldn't help but look fondly back on those years of learning under Princess Celestia and feel nostalgic.  "It's nothing that can't be overcome with time and practice.  You're not the first Unicorn to have such an ability either."

- "Oh, it's not exactly a surge, more like the opposite."

It was then that what Twilight had said sank in, and she blinked in confusion before looking at the purple unicorn with interest.

- "Wait... I'm not?"

"Well, what I mean is that the sort of thing you're experiencing happens to a lot of Unicorns still getting a handle on your magic.  It's something that can be overcome with time, effort, and study." Twilight explained.  While she had been in her own magical training under Celestia, she'd needed a lot of reassuring about such things herself.  It was always good to know she wasn't alone in such things, after all.

When Starcrasher piqued at the second remark, Twilight smiled faintly and nodded.  Still... was she the only one around that actually paid attention to history?  Okay... well, maybe the detailed blood lines and familial off-shoots of a particular historical figure was a bit of a niche topic, but still!  "No, you aren't.  Mind you, it's an exceptionally rare trait, but it has happened before.  A descendant of Star Swirl the Bearded -- Twist Horn -- had the same magical ability as I presume you do.  Widget mentioned you're a distant relative, so who knows; Twist Horn may be your ancestor."

"Who." Owlowiscious chimed in.

"Ah... right, it is late, isn't it?" Twilight commented, apparently able to understand the hoot somehow.  Or at least she acted like she did.  "Starcrasher -- how about we go back to the workshop?  Widget is waiting for us, and we can talk more about this there."

- "Yeah, i knew that Twist Horn was in the family tree, i just didn't know what her ability was. Bad role model i guess."

As Twilight brought up the time, Starcrasher looked outside and nodded. She had to agree it was getting pretty late, and if they were going to walk back, Quill's invention looked unfit for a second trip through the rain. Well, she knew the way now, so if she ran she wouldn't get as wet.

- "Well, let's get back then. I'll help you put back those books i was reading first though."

After the books would be back where they belonged (with or without her help) she would start heading to the door, unaware of Twilight's teleportation ability but silently hoping she had a similar force field spell as Merriweather possessed.

Twilight appreciated the assistance, though it was quite unnecessary since she knew Owlowiscious would tidy up in their wake.  Still, it was considerate of Starcrasher to offer and soon things were back in their proper places.  When the filly headed for the front door Twilight raised a hoof.

"Just a second.  We don't have to leave through there."  she said with a wry smile.  "I've got a much faster and dryer way of traveling.  Wanna try?"

- "Sure, already had my fair share of rain back in the forest."

She walked over to where Twilight was standing, expecting her to conjure up one of those force field domes she remembered from earlier.

- "Mrs. Merriweather also had some spell that shielded us from the rain, don't know what you meant with 'faster' though."

Twilight made no comment aside from giving an impish giggle as she lit her horn brightly.  The air around the two Unicorns crackled with magical energy and glowed briefly before the two of them would simply pop out of existence, whisked away from the Library.

--> Twilight teleports herself and Starcrasher to Widget's Workshop

Starcrasher noticed Twilight's horn start to glow, and noticed the crackling of air beginning around them. She seemed to be putting more power into this than Merriweather did, that much was certain. Odd though, that she didn't head outside first.

- "Oh, i thought you were going to--"

--> To: Ponyville Business District -Widget Whatsits' Wondrous Works -->

--> From: Ponyville Business District -Widget Whatsits' Wondrous Works -->

Starcrasher knocked on the door to see if Twilight was home, or at least not too submerged in research to notice that there would be someone at the door. Then again, she did have two assistants, so it should be possible to at least gain access to the library and wait until she was either ready or back, depending on which scenario it would be.

Day 8, Start!

As it turned out, Twilight was home.  Normally she was in the habit of sleeping in and that morning was no different.  While she'd been quite happy to help Widget and Starcrasher with the filly's study, she'd also been helping Xing Ming in the evenings as well.  With a filly both at night and in the morning, it left Twilight a little pressed for sleep and she tended to snooze later on past the same 'wake up time' everypony else stuck to around town.

When Starcrasher knocked, the door was soon opened up by the diminutive Dragon of the house.  Spike smiled and stepped aside to let her on inside.  "Oh, hey Star.  C'mon in.  Twilight's still conked out upstairs."

Starcrasher smiled at Spike as he opened the door for her. The little dragon was a lot like Quill in many respects, and not just his appearance. Well... maybe Quill napped more, but with Twilight as the taskmaster she doubted the fellow unicorn would have allowed that to settle in as a habit.

- "Oh, hey Spike. Need a hand while i'm here?"

She put the saddlebags with her homework assignments on the table, and looked around the library. It looked a lot more organized than the workshop, that much was certain, though between the two ponies' extremely different styles her definition of 'organized' had started to blur quite a bit.