11-27-2016, 03:11 AM
Celestia hadn't spent that much time speaking with the locals before Veritas came to find her again. He didn't say it directly, but Celestia could read between the lines: he hadn't found what he needed. Instead, he found a pair for books. One detailed a set of ruins that he was interested in exploring, the other was another book written in ancient Equestrian. Celestia had to wonder how he kept finding them. But that issue was beside the point.
Celestia flipped through the second book when it was presented to her. “Curious,” she said after a moment, “It appears to be a book on a portal in Equestria, which connected it to another plane. Apparently that plane is full of creatures much like yourself.” She hoofed the book back to Veritas. “Hold onto it for now, it may come in use later. Stable portals can be tricky things to achieve, and it could be a valuable asset should one of us ever need to create one.”
“I have some good news: I have some discoveries of my own! Beings who arrived through the Nexus, such as you or I, can get a great deal of things in exchange for favours. Which is a good thing, since I believe we will need a boat to get to those ruins you mentioned.” She pointed to the book Veritas was holding on that very subject, and sure enough the image was of a set of worn down buildings, situated on a island. “We may as well take a look. It would be nice to do something physical while I get my thoughts sorted out.” She was wondering where to go from here, in a broad sense, and that was something she hadn't had to do in...actually, she couldn't even remember the last time she'd felt so lost. Or had so much time on her hooves.
Veritas also asked about alicorn magic. Celestia started to walk, in what she hoped was the direction of the harbour, as she replied. “How alicorns approach magic? Hmm...I don't know if there's really a specific answer, as there were never that many of us to begin with. It is fundamentally similar to unicorn magic however, which is much more common. In simple terms, spellcasting requires two components: harnessing of the energy one needs, and visualizing what one wants to accomplish. My method...I suppose when I would learn a new spell I like to begin small. I find a quiet space, and practice grappling the magic, and practice shaping it in its simplest form that I can manage. Separately, if I can manage. Then I increase in scope as I gain familiarity.” She laughed softly. “I'm afraid that may not be very helpful. With enough time, even complex tasks can become habit, and I must confess it has been some time which I needed to learn an entirely new form of magic.”
Celestia flipped through the second book when it was presented to her. “Curious,” she said after a moment, “It appears to be a book on a portal in Equestria, which connected it to another plane. Apparently that plane is full of creatures much like yourself.” She hoofed the book back to Veritas. “Hold onto it for now, it may come in use later. Stable portals can be tricky things to achieve, and it could be a valuable asset should one of us ever need to create one.”
“I have some good news: I have some discoveries of my own! Beings who arrived through the Nexus, such as you or I, can get a great deal of things in exchange for favours. Which is a good thing, since I believe we will need a boat to get to those ruins you mentioned.” She pointed to the book Veritas was holding on that very subject, and sure enough the image was of a set of worn down buildings, situated on a island. “We may as well take a look. It would be nice to do something physical while I get my thoughts sorted out.” She was wondering where to go from here, in a broad sense, and that was something she hadn't had to do in...actually, she couldn't even remember the last time she'd felt so lost. Or had so much time on her hooves.
Veritas also asked about alicorn magic. Celestia started to walk, in what she hoped was the direction of the harbour, as she replied. “How alicorns approach magic? Hmm...I don't know if there's really a specific answer, as there were never that many of us to begin with. It is fundamentally similar to unicorn magic however, which is much more common. In simple terms, spellcasting requires two components: harnessing of the energy one needs, and visualizing what one wants to accomplish. My method...I suppose when I would learn a new spell I like to begin small. I find a quiet space, and practice grappling the magic, and practice shaping it in its simplest form that I can manage. Separately, if I can manage. Then I increase in scope as I gain familiarity.” She laughed softly. “I'm afraid that may not be very helpful. With enough time, even complex tasks can become habit, and I must confess it has been some time which I needed to learn an entirely new form of magic.”