When she asked to become a regular speaker, the university had offered to pay her. They offerred official rewards and recognition. They even offered her a tenure, with no experience! But Twilight declined all of them. She just wanted to share the joy of knowledge with young foals, to see their faces screw up in concentration while they thought everything out, then smile so wide when they realized how simple it was.
She had been like that once, too. A young foal, not a care in the world. She even had friends back then, but as time went on, she became far too engrossed in her studies. But now, as the Princess if Friendship and renowned scholar, she could lead these foals the right way.
And so Twilight stood on the stage yet another time. The topic today? Earth Pony and Pegasus magic. It seemed a good idea, in light of the fact that the university was considering allowing non-unicorn students to attend. This would provide common ground for that transition.
Twilight took a deep breath when the announcer called her out, and put on a big smile as she trotted onstage. She set up her display stand, and began her speech.
"Hello everypony! Almost like I live here by now, right? It's always nice to see y'all and talk to y'all!" Twilight blushed slightly. AJ's accent was rubbing off on her. "Today we're going to talk about Earth Pony and Pegasus magic!"
"Wait, they have magic too?" said a colt in the front row.
"But they don't have horns!" shouted a filly further back.
"It's true, it's true," Twilight smiled at them, "They do have magic. Let's start with Earth ponies," she said, revealing the first image on her display stand.
"This picture shows their most important ability: agriculture. Earth ponies have a unique talent to grow crops far better and faster than any other species. In one study, crops grown by an Earth Pony were 50% more nutritious than those grown by pegasi, and the crop yield was twice as much!"
"Now, that's not the only thing. Earth ponies are also incredibly strong and endurable. My friend Applejack literally kicks apples off of trees. And in Appaloosa, Earth ponies pull the train when the magic steam engine breaks down. Imagine that, pulling a train, like an actual train, from Apaloosa to Las Pegasus. ," Twilight smiled, "Crazy, right? I know for sure I could never do that. So what makes this possible? Anypony?"
Instantly hooves shot up. A little pink filly shouted, when Twilight called on her, "It's magic, isn't it!!"
"Exactly right, magic! So, those little creatures right? Magicus animal? The ones that live with Earth ponies are adapted to help plants grow, and to augment the power of their muscles. These creatures borrow energy from ponies right? So since Earth ponies have better crops, they have more energy and so does the creature. Everypony wins! It's that simple, really. That's not the only thing this magic can do, however. It can also manifest in stranger ways. Since these are the same creatures as in unicorn magic, both pegasi and Earth ponies are just one step away from being able to use that magic. My friend Pinkie Pie is an interesting case study on this phenomenon, where non-unicorn ponies have small amounts of unicorn magic. It took me the longest time to figure out, but yeah, my Earth Pony friend is part unicorn. She can tell the future." Twilight giggled, "I am serious, though. Pinkie Pie has a small amount of precognition and I think she can teleport. Or run really fast. I haven't figured it out yet.
Setting that aside for another speech, let's talk about pegasi magic." she said, uncovering the next picture.
"Now with pegasi, the creatures just sort of lift them up (like unicorn levitation), and fly them wherever the pegasi wishes. It's a much more subconscious magic than Earth Pony's or unicorn's. It also allows them to stand on clouds with the exact same spell unicorns use to stand on clouds! This was an early evolutionary adaptation to sleep far away from predators."
"Flying itself was an adaptation as well. If you think of these creatures as having a symbiotic relationship with us, then they have a threeway relationship with plants and Earth ponies (helping each grow), while they give us unicorns magic, and pegasi flight. They do so to ensure ours, and thus their own, survival. At least, that's as far as we can tell. Like I've said, these creatures are really small. It's hard to see their behavior."
"Wait!" shouted a filly in the front row, "Why do pegasi need wings if they're just levitating!? You said the creatures carry them around!"
Twilight smiled, "Glad you noticed that. You see, the only other creatures that fly are all bird-like or insect-like, with the exception of dragons. Pegasi, back in prehistory, needed a way to blend in so they wouldn't be so easily spotted by aerial predators (like dragons), so they evolved to look more like birds. Also, it's a huge misconception among pegasi that training your wings makes you fly better. They train wings for....other purposes. Anyway, learning to fly for pegasi is like learning magic for unicorns. It takes determination and skill, not just raw athleticism. Not that sports don't take skill, of course."
"I have another question," said a brown colt, "How come sometimes pegasi wings get as all hard and stiff?"
"Thats uh, well that's" Twilight stammered at this unexpected question. Wingboners? Twilight was really hoping they wouldn't ask about that, "The-the wings are also for de-decoration. Kinda. The........hardness....it makes them more noticeable," Twilight was blushing super hard now, "You'll learn about it when your older."
