//------------------------------//
//      Lesson 2; relax, focus and breath 
// Story: Sunny Knight: a Pony's Tale 
// by TheothersideofSunny968 
//------------------------------//






"Ok, now relax, focus, but relax" Twilight instructed, bracing for the worst to happen, ready to throw up a protective shield or even catch the spell in her own magical aura, if need be. "And don't forget to breath."

The sweat was trickling heavily down the sides of Sunny's muzzle as he tried to focus on the task at hand. "How can somepony 'focus' and 'relax' at the same time?!" He took a deep breath and held it as he tried harder to focus.

The task was relatively simple. Twilight had placed a small plastic ball about two feet from Sunny and had told him all he had to do was simply lift the ball as high into the air as he possibly could. A simple levitation spell. Even most foals could do it. And one would think after Sunny blasted Queen Chrysalis into next week, that this task would be a piece of cake. But it was proving to be more taxing on the young stallion then Twilight had originally thought.

"Breath!" Twilight shouted accidentally when she realized Sunny was holding his breath and the yellow stallion had began to turn blue.

Sunny let out the held breath and fell to the floor, taking in heavy breaths of air. "How.... How does .... Anypony.... Anypony do.... This... Ugh...."

"I'm sorry, Sunny" Twilight said, taking a step towards him, patting him on the back. "I know you're tryin really hard, but you don't need to try 'so' hard. It's not like lifting heavy baskets of apples around. You just need to-"

"Visualize, focus, relax, and breath..." Twilight said along side Sunny, who repeated the words Twilight said to him so many times in the past hour or so. 

"I know, I know" Sunny commented, feeling very frustrated. "Ugh! Why it this hard?! When I shot off Chrysalis, it seemed so easy!"

Twilight thought for a moment as she hit her hoof against her chin, remembering what happened at that moment. "Hey Sunny, do you remember what you were thinking and feeling when that happened?"

Sunny took another deep breath and stood up. "Yeah. I .... Well..." His cheeks began to turn red. He guessed be could trust Twilight with his little secret promise. " I....remembered a vow I made to protect the farm and the Apple family... I said I wasn't going to let anypony or anything harm them."

The gears in the purple alicorn's head began to turn. "Interesting... Maybe we should try a different approach..." She then walked over and cast her own magical aura around the ball, and after levitating it in the air, threw it without much warning at the yellow unicorn. "Think fast!"

But rather then try and stop the ball with magic, Sunny just simply dodged without thinking. The ball rolled down the hallway, disappearing from sight. Sunny turned back to face Twilight, kind of confused. "Was.... Was I supposed to catch that using magic?"

"Yeah... Or deflect it, or shoot at it..." Twilight answered then half laughed. "Why don't we take a break, have some lunch, and relax. Maybe we need to try another approach."

The two ponies made their way out of the library and into the kitchen. Twilight offered to cook something for bother of them, but Sunny insisted on helping. "I've been cooking as long as I've been bucking apple trees." He told the alicorn princess with a smile. "And I'm not about to have a friend cook alone. Besides, it's more fun to cook together."

As they worked, Twilight couldn't help but strike up a conversation. "That reminds me, have you had any break throughs? You know, memories come back to you?"

Sunny just shook his head and continued working. "I know you said that me forgetting everything about my past life might have been from past trauma and not magic, but wouldn't that just mean I shouldn't remember it. I mean, if it was 'that' bad?"

"I can understand how you feel that way, but wouldn't you-" Twilight began to say, but her little purple dragon assistant rushed into the kitchen, a scroll in his claws.

"Twilight! I got a message for you from the Crystal Empire!" Spike said as he handed it to Twilight, who just wrapped it in her magical aura and opened it.

After reading it for a few moments, the princess of magic let out a squee of happiness. "Cadence and Shinning Armor are going to be coming to Ponyville for a week next month! This will be so much fun! Oh! We can stay up late at night talking telling scary stories! Have pillow fights! Play games! Drink hot chocolate!"

Sunny chuckled lightly at Twilights excitement, never seeing her, or any pony for that matter, like this before. It was kind of up lifting. "so a week long sleep over?"

Spike just rolled his eyes. "Great. I'll stalk up on comic books and gems."

"Oh come on Spike! You're invited too!" Twilight tried to coax her assistant. "Shinning Armor will be there."

Before Spike could give a second thought, Applejack and Pinkie Pie rushed into the kitchen, saddle bags on their backs.

"Hey ya'll" Applejack said as she and Pinkie began packing some food super fast.

"Hey Applejack, Pinkie, what's the rush?" Twilight asked as she finished preparing her salad.

"The map's called AJ and I to Apaloosa! Oh! I wonder if it's trouble with the buffalos again! This time I have a song that will just knock them dead!" Pinkie Pie looked as though she was about to break into a song when Applejack put her hoof to Pinkie's mouth.

"Let's just stick ta findin' out what the 'friendship problem' is, ok sugar cube?" Applejack looked slightly worried, remembering what happened in the past when Pinkie sang in Appaloosa.

To which, Pinkie just nodded. As Applejack removed her hoof from the pink pony's mouth, she began to speak again. "But we're just going to make us some snacks to take with us on the train!"

"Hope ya don't mind, Twilight" Applejack adjusted her hat. "Ah'd just sooner go home and not raid yer kitchen, but we' we're in th' area, and-"

"Don't worry about it Applejack" Twilight  smiled and waved a hoof. "The kitchens always full for anypony who wants something to eat."

Both of the earth pony mares made themselves a couple of sandwiches  and stuffed a few bottles of sparkling cider into their respective saddle bags. As they said their farewells Applejack told Sunny that she might be staying the night in Appaloosa and to let Granny and the rest of the family know that.

"Not to worry, Applejack" Sunny told the orange farm pony. "We'll hold down the fort." Sunny then playfully saluted her.

"Ya better" she joked with him. "Take care of them while we're gone!" 

As Applejack opened the door leading to the main hallway, two owls flew into the kitchen, carrying with them a strong enough gust to blow Applejack's hat right off her head. One owl, the one being chased, was Owlowisious, Twilight's pet. But the other was a larger, older, and obviously meaner, owl. For some odd reason, unknown to every pony and even Owluwishus, the elderly bird was furious with the younger one and found it appropriate to go after him.

As the two spun around the room, the gale they created tore Applejack's hat from her head, sending it flying around and around in the air. After a moment, the kitchen window flew open and the deranged, elderly
Owl few out it, forgetting what he was originally doing. But as he did, the wind began to pull Apllejack's hat along with it! 

Without hesitating, Sunny dove for the hat, but came up short! Thinking only to save Applejack's Stetson hat, he focused and thought about just grabbing it. And like that, a magical green magical aura, like the one he used before on the changeling Queen, carefully wrapped itself around the hat, held it in place for a moment, then began to levitate it back into the kitchen and safely back on top of its owner's head.

Applejack smiles and adjusted it back into place. She then turned to Sunny and shot her a grateful smile. "Thank ya' fer the save there, partner. Yer gettin' pretty good with usin magic." She then turned to Twilight as she and Pinkie began to leave the room and shouted back "keep up the ' good work ya two!"

As the doors closed, Sunny turned to Twilight who was once again thinking. But this time as the gears began to turn in the alicorn princess's head, it made Sunny slightly nervous. "I think I see what 'triggers' your magic now. Come one! We have a lot of work to do!"

As she trotted happily out of the kitchen, recharged by the recent breakthrough, Sunny sighed as he could only imagine the trials that await him with what Twilight wanted to do next....