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You promise Novelty that nothing she says will leave the room. Then, you ask her about her discovery concerning the Mists.
 
Novelty: “I’m getting to that. But first…”
 
Novelty takes a few steps away from the door. Behind her, the air begins to warp around a broad figure, and gaseous colours fill in the shapes. Soon, you recognize Eleven, though a much larger version of himself.
 
Eleven: “Emoc evah ew.”
 
Novelty: “Everyone, this is Subject Eleven.”
 
Moonflower: “Oooh! He’s a big boy now!”
 
Rocket Rush: “That’s your equinculus? Did you make him into a hunk of a stallion on purpose?”
 
Novelty: “No. Equinculi are typically smaller by nature. Mine grew this size as a byproduct of a select trait he was biologically designed to inherit. That is, the giants’ ability to absorb magic. Which brings me to my discovery.
 
Yesterday, Eleven and I were out doing some field research to study this aforementioned ability. At first, we tested it on thin air. Not much happened, presumably due to the ambient concentration of magic being too low.
 
Next, we experimented on plants; Eleven tried capturing magic from grasses, flowers and trees, and then releasing it. This time, he succeeded, and the magic was abundant enough to be visible to the naked eye, so I was able to observe it being transferred from and back to each plant.
 
For the first time since I started this project, I finally had concrete results, so I wasn’t going to stop there. We moved on to the coast, and repeated this process on something less static, like small fish.
 
Interestingly, I found that whenever the magic was released, it didn’t return to where the fish used to be, but rather followed them to where they had moved. After multiple attempts, it became clear that magic always returns to the source it was taken from, no matter where it is.
 
Despite my vigilance, I became so engrossed in studying this new theory that I completely lost track of time. Before I knew it, it was nightfall, and we were still far out in the wilderness.
 
That’s when we encountered a monster. Black as pitch, red glowing eyes, and most importantly, coming right for us. But before it could attack, Eleven stepped in, and absorbed it right then and there. I found no physical remains, meaning it must have been composed purely of magic.
 
Needless to say, I grew curious as to what would happen if such a beast’s essence were to be released. And as expected, it behaved the same as any other magic, and returned to its source. What I didn’t expect was for it to fly off straight in the direction of Elysia.”
 
A heavy silence hangs in their air at the implication. A few seconds pass, then Justice speaks up.
 
Justice: “Hmm. This is a disturbing revelation, to say the least. If I didn’t know any better, I’d be inclined to think that these monsters were manifestations of the Philosopher’s Stone. But knowing that they’ve plagued the island for so long without it, that only raises more questions.
 
Back to the subject at hoof. How does any of this relate to the Mists?”
 
Novelty: “Well, if anything, that incident taught me that magic doesn’t have to be taken from its source, yet it still returns to it. And with that newfound knowledge, I decided to conduct one last experiment this morning.
 
Eleven and I stood as close to the Mists as we could get, and he attempted to absorb magic from the air once again. As I suspected, he was able to gather a small quantity this time, meaning that it was more concentrated in that area.
 
Then, when he released it, the magic flew back toward the Mists. But instead of going straight in, it circled around it. If my hypothesis is correct, following this flux can lead us to some sort of entrance. But to test it, I’ll need a watercraft.”
 
Justice: “And so you came to us. Yet, you know all too well that we don’t have the means to build a new craft without the Order getting in our way.”
 
Novelty: “We don’t. But they do.”
 
The unicorns’ attention turns to your party.
 
Justice: “Hmm. I hadn’t considered that. How did you ponies travel here in the first place?”
 
Apple Basket: “Uh, some harpies were kind enough to give us a ride on their airship, but we sailed the rest o’ the way by boat.”
 
Rocket Rush: “So a sailboat? Like in the old tales? That’s not gonna cut it. Although, I think I still have a magnetohydrodynamic propulsor lying around somewhere. (If we could just integrate it to the rudder, and…)”
 
While Rocket Rush begins to mentally devise an imaginary vessel, Justice takes a moment to think the situation over.
 
Justice: “You know what, Novelty? I think you’re onto something. What do you say, outlanders? If you’ll lend us your sailboat, we might just be able to get it — and you — into the Mists after all.”
 
Rocket Rush: “Yeah! You’d have to give me the rest of the day to get it up to snuff, though. Think you can keep yourselves busy until tomorrow?”
 
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