//------------------------------// // Where could the magic be? // Story: Xiaomane Showdown // by DreamWings //------------------------------// Chapter 5- Where could the magic be? "So this is where you used to live?" Raimundo looked around the colourful paradise in awe. Ponies ran here and there, foals bustled into the schoolyard chattering non-stop, and colts and mares cantered around market stalls and shops, looking for the items on their lists. It was unlike anything the young monks had ever seen. They had only just gotten used to the fact that Twilight was a pony, but knowing that there was a whole land of these little horses was just un-real. Omi looked really excited compared to the rest. He was so thrilled at the thought of these magical creatures that were so bright and colourful, and fun, fun, fun. He would ride this one...no that one...no maybe that one...by the end of his tirade it seemed that everypony in Ponyville was going to be ridden by the young dragon. Twilight was just as excited as Omi but for completely different reasons. She was happy that she had come back to the home that she loved the most; now she could see her pony friends again. It had been so strange living with the simians, and now she could spend some time with the equinous mammals she had grown to care for. She could see AppleJack, and Rarity, and Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. She couldn't forget Pinkie Pie, she had missed her hyper antics and constant breakage of the law of physics; it had been quite dull without them. Every one of her friends had been so special to her and it had only been when she had left them had she truly realised how great they were. They had always strived to make her smile and make her see the sense of being kind and accepting other ponies for what they were and not just as a distraction to her all important work. She had been working so hard with her recent studies she had struggled with the relazation part of her life she knew that she needed. Maybe there was a chance that whilst she was here she could take a well deserved break, though she was not sure any of her team mates would agree that was neccessary. It hadn't seemed to take long for all four humans to get over their first shock and carried on in the search for the new Shen Gong Wu. They had to be somewhere around here, Dojo had landed here specifically because it made him sneeze non-stop (a usual sign for the magical items they seeked). Twilight was sorry that Spike had to miss this, she knew he cared for their home just as much as she did, in fact maybe even more so. Spike had quickly accepted his role in Ponyville and had happily made friends with everypony in the small town, whilst she had been more hesitant and quick to judge. As she looked around at all of the ponies she knew so well her heart began to swell up into a balloon. She loved it so much. She never wanted to leave again, even though she knew she would have to. She trotted forwards, taking in all of her surroundings as the red jacket she wore swayed by her sides. Ponies stared up at her with beaming smiles on their faces. Was that? It couldn't be? "Twilight?" Bon-Bon stepped forward, her voice different from the voices she had used before. Twilight turned and walked over to her. Oh, how happy she was to see the striped mane of the local candy store owner, and here the changes in her voice that happened almost every day. It seemed Bon-Bon had chosen her 'Opera' voice for this surprising encounter (one of her favourite voices to use when she was shocked in any way). It was then that Twilight did something she never thought she would do in her life. She reached out her hooves wide, dragged Bon-Bon forward and smothered her in a large, caring hug. The cream-coloured mare gasped in surprise. She had never seen the studious unicorn so happy before. "Erm...Twilight?" she uttered, not able to move out of the violet mare's grasp. The other ponies watched in confusion, wondering what was to happen next. Was Bon-Bon to get a kiss on her cheeks? Twilight blushed, realising what she had done, and pulled herself away from her friend. She had never felt so embarrassed. Her cheeks blazed red as she looked around at all of the ponies she had known before. Her pride plummeted to the earth. "So Twi.." A voice chucked behind her. "Is this a friend of yours?" Bursts of laughter shot out from behind her and she turned angrily towards the other young warriors. How could they find this so amusing? It wasn't even that funny. It took all of her effort not to use her magic to knock something down onto them. Kimiko saw the annoyed expression on the face of the other 'sort-of' girl in their group. She knew how it felt to be laughed at by all three boys, it had happened many times in their training and even in their battles. She felt sorry for the blushing pony. "Come on guys," she said, grabbing Omi and Raimundo's ears with her sharp fingers "We still need to find the Shen Gong Wu." Raimundo and Omi squealed as Kimiko dragged them down the street, not relneting her grip and their lobes. It was extremely painful for the teary-eyed boys. Clay followed, bemused, glad that the young girl only had two hands and could not have grabbed him in the same manner as well. Twilight watched them go with a sigh of relief. She would have to make that up to Kimiko in some way; she had saved her from some major embarrassment then. The crowd hadn't stopped looking at her just yet and Twilight found herself shuddering under their blank stare. She tugged on the collar of her shirt. "Well, I'd better be going." Bon-Bon watched as the unicorn ran down the street and around the corner. What had all that been about? It had certainly felt peculiar to have hugged a pony like her. Hooves shot around her stomach, and a head laid on her back. Bon-Bon lifted an eyebrow. "Lyra, get off me please." Lyra pulled her hooves away in silence. She never got to give anypony a hug.