Chapter 7: On the Other Foot

"Every pony has strengths and weaknesses, and the wise leader should be able to identify them, not only in their followers, but also in themselves."

-The Princess, Nicola Machiavilić

Wistfully, Claire watched the clouds lazily drift by as she stood high atop the tower of Aquos' magical school. It was now her turn up here in the mountains, to learn the intricacies of her intellect and unlock her inner magic. The prospect was tempting, especially now in light of everything she had learned from Altas. She now felt the unlocked potential of her Pegasus heritage running through her veins like a potent elixir, in tune with the world. In time, she hoped to add the knowledge of the unicorns to that mix, achieving the ultimate power of which the old Masters spoke.

But up here, Claire found it difficult to concentrate. From the lofty perch, Equestria spread out to the south, a patchwork of untamed wildness. Altas had shown her some of the settlements ponies had carved out of the land over time, ramshackle buildings clinging to the soil against the onslaught of the unpredictable weather and daylight. Her heart went out to all the ponies striving to wring existence from these wretched circumstances. It had suddenly driven home to her how real this problem was, even beyond everything she had witnessed as a filly. Suddenly, the training which had seemed so fun up in the clouds had become very serious business.

Aquos was a teacher that accepted no argument, and Claire was able to get on with her well enough, although lately some of the tasks she had been assigned seemed to creep into unknowable territory. Today, she was up on the tower with only a small brush and a bucket of icy water from the stream. Aquos' only directions had been to clean off the area. It had seemed like a ludicrous waste of time, but Claire was not one to question instructions.

As she worked, Claire tried to imagine where her sister was right now. The two Masters had somehow endeavoured to have them change stations without running into each other, so it had now been more than eight months since the two siblings had last been together. It was by far the longest time that they had ever been separated. Celeste had been only twelve years old when the two of them had been orphaned, so she had been forced to care for her younger sister as well as she could, whilst coming to terms with an unfriendly world. It was no wonder that Celeste's soul had been hardened; that she now looked out at society with a cynical and distrustful eye.

But Claire knew her elder sister better than most, and she could still see the bright light of wonder that Celeste fought to conceal. Her sister had never really had the chance to enjoy a proper foal-hood, but they had shared their private moments whenever possible. Only rarely though, as life out on the streets of Eridian did not come easily, not even for two talented alicorns such as themselves.

Due to her maturity, Celeste had always been the leader. She had made the plans, and Claire had followed them. The two were each only one half of a pair, and Claire knew that she felt exposed without her sister's support. It had been easier to ignore this feeling up in the sky, as her and Altas were like brother and sister anyway, but now that she had returned to Earth, every day was a reminder that she was alone now, and independent, at least for the next little while.

Several minutes later, Aquos appeared on the roof of the tower with a flash. The Master of Water was dressed in a dark cloak, hiding most of her body, but open at the neck to keep her head free. Characteristically, she did not appear to be amused. Without a word, she concentrated for a moment, her horn glowing brightly as she worked her magic. As she finished, a torrent of water rained down from above, apparently having been magically transported from the stream. Claire was thoroughly drenched by the unexpected downpour.

Reaching up to pull her sodden mane from her eyes, she noticed that Aquos had somehow contrived to remain dry throughout the ordeal. It also became obvious to her immediately that the roof of the tower was now spotless. In less than a second, the Master had accomplished more than her student had after the better part of an hour. As if Discord himself was laughing at her ineptitude, it began to rain shortly afterwards.

Claire tried to salvage some decorum, standing as respectfully as she could in the Master's presence. Aquos strode forward until she stood right in front of her student, and then asked a simple question, "Claire, why did I do that?"

It was a difficult question, and not one for which Claire had an immediate answer. It seemed that Aquos loved asking why, as though she knew it was the one question that always made her student nervous. Claire just naturally assumed that her teacher had her reasons. As a child, she had never really tried to figure out the world around her; that had always been Celeste's specialty.

When she did not answer, Aquos turned around and walked away a little distance. In a patient voice, she sent another query toward her student. "Okay, then try this one: why did I send you up here in the first place?"

This was a question for which Claire had the answer. "You wanted the tower cleaned, of course."

"Indeed? Are you sure of that? Because you did just see that I am capable of cleaning it myself with minimal effort, not to mention that the rain is doing it for me as I speak. So why would I get you to scrub at a floor when you are supposed to be here learning magic?" She looked in Claire's direction rather pointedly, her light blue eyes questioning, probing for the correct response.

Phrased that way, Claire realized that the premise was rather ridiculous. "Umm, good exercise?" she proffered.

The expression that flashed across Aquos' features in that instant was about equal parts frustration, rage, and amusement. In a flash, both of them were teleported away. Claire next found herself standing in the Master's austere office, now dripping water on the polished hardwood floor. Somehow, despite the rain, the white unicorn was still dry and prim.

Seated at an expansive rosewood desk, Aquos donned a set of copper-rimmed reading glasses to examine the stacks of parchments in front of her. Claire remained standing, feeling small in the room, which had a very high vaulted ceiling, and a single peaked window to her left, which now displayed the persistent rain as it fell upon the school grounds. Behind the Master's desk, a large picture had been hung, depicting three younger ponies. Claire immediately recognized Altas and Aquos, but the third party was unfamiliar to her. His striking red and orange mane certainly stood out though.

Without looking up from the paperwork, Aquos addressed her in a sterile voice. "Claire Albright. Two weeks ago I tasked you with cataloguing every rock in our stream larger than twenty centimetres in diameter. You gave me this report," she said as she tossed the nondescript paper down in front of her student. Claire remembered that assignment; the labour had been menial and horridly boring.

Aquos continued, "Last week I told you to document the stages of development of every plant in our orchard." Here she indicated a stack of pages more than ten centimetres thick. "And finally, just yesterday, I had you go out into the mountains in search of a rare Equestrian ice poppy, of which there are very few in this region. You actually found one, which I'll admit is a credit to your perseverance, but that was NOT the point of the exercise."

Bringing both hooves down onto her desk, Aquos fixed her student with a very cold gaze, seeming to penetrate Claire's skin and stare into the depths of her thoughts. "Tell me now, Claire, what possible reason," she asked very slowly, "could there be for me to ask you to do these things?"

Her brow still dripping, Claire felt the once-expansive room growing smaller around her. She summoned all her intellect, but could not possibly fathom an overriding objective to such disparate tasks. "I… I guess I never thought about that, Master," she replied weakly.

With obvious exasperation, Aquos clapped herself on the forehead. "Of course you didn't think about it! That was the point, Claire! That for once you would THINK about something before running off and doing as you're told!" She got up from her seat and began to pace the room, tossing remarks over her shoulder every now and then.

"There was no point in it, and I was hoping that YOU would figure it out eventually! It was all just busy-work, pointless tasks that served NO purpose besides proving to me that YOU, Claire Albright; YOU are a follower. Any pony with an analytical fibre would have at least been suspicious of my intentions, but you were off dutifully fulfilling your meaningless objectives day in and day out!"

Claire stood taking the criticism stoically, whilst trying to sort out the repercussions of Aquos' meaning. She had never considered her willingness to obey instructions a flaw; in fact it was precisely that one of her qualities that had always made her and Celeste such a great team. For all her life, she had never really needed to think analytically or reason about motives and intentions, and she wasn't particularly good at that sort of game anyway. Still, Aquos wasn't done berating her yet.

Coming out in front of her desk, Aquos put a contemplative hoof up to her chin. "Now I think I realize why you and your sister are so close," she mused. "Do you realize that she views you as nothing more than a tool to achieve her own objectives? To her, you are just a pawn on the chessboard of life, something to be manipulated into the proper place when the time is right. But we are not looking for pawns here, Claire. The resistance needs leaders, strong ponies capable of thinking on their feet, and doing more than just following orders." She removed her reading glasses, fixing Claire with a long stare, before picking up a file from behind her again.

"Altas praised your spirit, and I must say I agree with him on those terms, but you have a lot of improvement left if you wish to unlock your true potential. You must become independent, or else I'm afraid you will be of no use to us."

Claire examined the floor. Certainly she had never thought of her relationship with her sister in that sort of master-and-servant mentality. They were partners, each keeping their own strengths, and covering for each other's weaknesses. They split everything equally, and there was no denying the true love in their relationship. Claire would surely have sacrificed everything to grant her sister happiness, and she was sure that Celeste would do the same. It seemed though, that if she wanted to succeed here, she had a little growing up to do.

After Aquos had dismissed her, Claire exited the tower into what was now a crystal-clear evening. Her teacher's words echoed through her mind. Whereas before she had looked at life and seen her destiny as standing forever by her sister's side, now it seemed that in order to save Equestria, she would have to forge her own path. Whatever it took she would do it, because her country deserved it, but that didn't mean she couldn't be afraid of the necessary actions to get there.

---

That night, high up above Equestria, Celeste Albright was thinking similar thoughts, though she was having difficulty staying coherent as she completed the last of dozens of laps she had flown around Altas' corner of the sky. Belying his scholarly appearance, the yellow Pegasus had turned out to be a stern taskmaster, and every night Celeste flopped into bed exhausted at the end of the day. She failed to see how any of this was going to help develop her magic. Meanwhile, Altas hovered above, moving clouds around in his simulated abacus.

The Master spoke of "calming the mind" and "finding synergy with the world around oneself", but it all just sounded like a gigantic load of hooey to Celeste. She had just finished six months spent studying (and mastering) the art of magic, which she could use to do anything she pleased, and all in a timely and predictable manner. This whole business of "thinking with one's heart" just felt like something a pony that didn't get magic would say to try to reassure themselves that they were special somehow. What point was there in finding harmony between mind and spirit when her mind could already move mountains on its own?

Drained and panting, Celeste finally finished and dragged herself up to a cloud just beneath where Altas was working. While she got her breath back, Celeste took a chance to examine the proof that the Pegasus was trying to solve. While Altas hadn't actually taught her any of his work, she had often watched while she was bored with her practicing and routines, which was most of the time. This proof, she could see, was patently obvious. All Altas had to do was multiply by the complex conjugate on both sides and the result would fall out like a finely crafted piece of furniture. Sometimes Celeste wished that he would stop with these other "lessons" and allow her to try her hoof at his life's passion instead. Surely she could do a better job at it than he was right now.

After a few more minutes of labouring over his clouds, Altas turned around and saw her relaxing on her perch. Coming down to meet with her, he again wore his trademark jovial grin. Celeste considered it a familial expression for what was supposed to be serious work. "Admiring my work, are you?" he asked cheerfully.

Celeste decided to ask him a penetrating question, just to see how the unflappable Master would react. "I simply find it interesting: you're a mathematician, a servant of logic and reason. Yet in our lessons all you go on about is belief, and faith in nature to work with ourselves. How on Earth do you rectify these interests of yours?"

Celeste felt that is a very well-phrased argument, but her teacher simply laughed. "Now you sound exactly like Aquos, my dear! But the unicorns never were much for this kind of thinking. Through magic, unicorns make the universe work for them. With his spirit, a Pegasus can make the universe work with himself."

With a hoof outstretched, Altas indicated the canvas of his work, clouds arranged in neat little rows to count off numbers. "You see math as just a tool, Celeste; a way to control the universe and understand it. But you miss the greater truth: it is a language of the universe, a way to converse with creation and share with it. If you give yourself up to it, great power it will grant in return." As he finished speaking, Celeste felt a stiff breeze ruffle her mane. Just like before, Altas was demonstrating his control of the wind. But what proof was that? Celeste could control the air too.

With a dip of the head and a shot of magic, she created a howling gale to oppose his little breeze, and the startled Pegasus was bowled over by the tumult, eventually ending up face-first against one of the clouds in his simulated abacus. Celeste attempted to stifle a chuckle as he pried himself loose. When he flew up to where she stood again, Altas for once did not appear to be amused.

"Yes, very funny, Celeste," he commented in a dry voice. "Magic gives all the power, right? But you don't see that you are missing the important elements of the equation. You don't have to fight nature or subjugate it, and the sooner you learn that, the easier your life will be. Up here, the world is peaceful, but soon enough you might have to face down a raging storm, or command daylight itself. Against the full fury of nature's power, you may find it difficult to emerge victorious."

"Perhaps," Celeste conceded, "but with practice magic can overcome even such obstacles as those. Besides, I thought the ancient Pegasi were supposed to able to completely control weather patterns, not just the wind. Why have you not demonstrated any of that?"

Finally, Celeste sensed that she had cracked the Master's calm and carefree façade. His face suddenly drawn and sorrowful, he looked away. "I haven't because I can't," he admitted in a quiet voice. All around the two of them, the wind died away, to be replaced by an uneasy stillness. "The legends you speak of are true, Celeste," Altas continued. "Once, the Pegasi of old held complete oneness with the world, and they manipulated it into the shapes they chose."

"But what happened then?" Celeste pressed, sensing that she was on the verge of some important information.

"What happened?" Altas repeated. "Discord happened. Our abilities were no match for his domination of nature. Slowly, we dropped out of practice. Eventually, the art became truly lost. To be perfectly honest, I had hoped that either you or your sister might rediscover it for us in due time." The Pegasus remained silent for some moments more, and then all of a sudden he was all smiles again. "But that's all in the past, my student. Perhaps we should get back to work?"

Celeste followed him back to her training areas, but in her mind she was reviewing the details of the conversation, trying to build a more complete picture of this gentle-colt. She had sensed a very deep feeling of loss from him in that moment of his introspection. Indeed, Altas had given up very much to find himself at this present point in his life, more so than she had originally believed. Celeste found herself thinking back to their discussion by the stream back in the mountains. Altas had given up his dearest friend, and his tribe had lost its greatest asset to Discord's tyranny. And this Pegasus hid it all beneath his friendly face and warm smile. What else could he be hiding?

That night, after Altas had already retired, Celeste approached his clouds. Apprising herself of the situation one last time, she solved his proof for him, and then continued on the line of reasoning to an additional theorem. She still wasn't sure about what he had been saying earlier. Growing up in Eridian had taught her that trust was perhaps the most valuable commodity she had, and giving it out freely to other ponies was a great risk. She had found it far safer to manipulate others, rather than hoping that they would stick to their ends of agreed bargains. Why not do the same thing with this universe, especially since magic was such a convenient way to do it? Rather than trusting that the world would find her an acceptable vessel for its power, she could create her own power, and make the world do her bidding. In the end, it would accomplish the same objectives.

She could tell that Altas was frustrated with her stubbornness. In turn, she didn't particularly agree with his head-in-the-clouds approach to life. Such wilful and blind idealism had never helped any pony. A functioning economy, a proper government, security from threats; these were the things that Equestria needed, and "harmony" was not the sort of thing that was going to create them. For not the first time, she wished she was back down in the mountains with Aquos, learning and increasing her power for the final test.

Celeste found herself wondering about that "final test" all of a sudden, which both of the Masters had mentioned. Presumably it would be something comprehensive, requiring both of the skill sets that she was supposed to be mastering. As Altas had told her before, the end of this journey was to be christened the third Triumvir of the new government of Equestria. Now, if she was to fill that role, Celeste knew that she would need the power to control the world around her.

As she finally found her way back to her own sleeping arrangements, the numbers of Altas' work still ran through her mind. But rather than letting them fall of their own accord as was his penchant, the white alicorn was shuffling them deliberately, attempting to force the truth out. In her mind, this was just the natural way to do it.