...tick

[multaekappae]

 Agent Noise frowned, trying her best to straighten out the mangled feather before giving up and putting it with the other two. "I... I'm sorry, this is the most basic unicorn exercise I know of. If you can't feel the flow of magic then nothing I can tell you will be of any–"

The kelpie, who had been laying her head against a comfortable table looked up. "Flow? You never said anything about currents."

The white pony stopped in mid step. "Ah– I didn't?" She glanced into blank space, running the conversations of the last ten minutes through her head. "No... how in Equestria..." the unicorn shook her head. "Yes, flow, currents of magic, are fundamental to unicorn magic and to the spells of ponykind in general."

Riptide frowned but decided to let the oversight slide. "As frustrating as this has been... can we try it one more time, and this time don't skip on anything even remotely related to water, ok?"

White Noise noded once, sharply. She turned to glance at the pegasi... only to notice that the lighter gray pony seemed to be missing. Shrugging she turned to the remaining, darker stallion. "Um, Inspector?"

Sharp Wit turned a baleful look upon the torchwhoof agent, already aware what was coming. "Yes?"

"We, well that is I... uhhh..." Agent Noise winced, "we need another of your feathers, please, sir, if you would?" she spat the request out.

"C'mon Sharpie, take one for the team, right?" Riptide grinned, getting far more enjoyment out of the predicament than was strictly polite.

The Inspector sighed and used his teeth to pluck another small feather from his eiderdown, which he hoped he could do without.