//------------------------------//
// The First Session 
// Story: The Lunar Apprentice 
// by NightmareDash 
//------------------------------//

The first thing Rainbow Dash noticed was the fire. It was a tall bonfire, burning a bright orange under the night sky. Unlike the one from before, she could feel the heat coming off this one; it was defintely real. Luna had made her way to the fireside, and was beckoning Dash to follow. She was sprawled on the grass casually, as serene as the world around her. 

"Find a comfortable position, Rainbow Dash. We will begin with some meditation before each session."

Dash wiggled into a relaxed pose, but was still unsure of the idea.

"Umm, Luna, how will meditation help me learn to use my magical speed-demon powers?"

"Simple. To gain access to and control of your inner magic, you must learn focus. Great concentration is required, which you do not yet possess, but in time will become natural to you. Trust me."

She reluctantly accepted the slowdown in pace. Not exactly the most enjoyable process after a class on explosives, but Luna was the expert here.

"Good. The first thing you must do is forget: forget your friends, forget Ponyville, forget Equestria. Forget anything that would otherwise occupy your mind, and think of nothing but yourself. There is nothing that matters but you."

"Alright, nothing but me. Nothing. Only me. I think I'm there."

Dash was calming down. Luna sounded like she knew what she was talking about, which was reassuring.

"Now, look not with your eyes, but with your mind's eye. Look at yourself when you fly. Imagine the sensation of speed. Imagine the sights, sounds, feelings, every aspect. Feel your speed."

"I'm feeling it. It's just like a race, I'm going faster than ever. So fast..."

"Good. Doesn't it feel like magic? Can't you feel the magic in your speed?"

"Yeah, it does feel magical. Maybe you were right about that whole thing."

"Now remember that feeling. Concentrate on it, and know it. Do you have it?"

"Yeah..."

"Perfect. Now open your eyes. Come back to the real world with me. Feel for that magic inside yourself. Search for the sensation."

"I kinda feel it, somewhere around my gut. It's not as strong as before, but I can feel it there."

"Good. As we work, you will feel it more and more. Soon, you will be able to summon it and control it. But don't try to think through it. You can only feel it."

It felt as though Dash had just been on some kind of mental trip, and was coming down from the ecstasy of the journey. Yesterday she would've called herself crazy, but now she felt a real power inside her. It made her feel strong, and she wanted more.

"What do we do now?"

"Let's start simple. In the past, you've only been able to pull off a Sonic Rainboom with advanced preparation, or in the direst of needs. The Sonic Rainboom is the easiest and most direct way to channel your magic, so the easier it is for you to do that, the stronger connection you will have with that magic. Get airborne, go to the end of the field, then give me a Sonic Rainboom."

Rainbow Dash followed instructions, to the point where she was quickly accelerating and forming the mach cone. She was eager to impress her mentor, and desperately wanted for the rainbow to spark. But her will was not enough, the spark never occurred, and she was forced to pull up at the other end of the field. 

"Aaargh, I couldn't get it!"

"It is alright, Rainbow. You should not expect immediate success. You were very close, but you lacked the ultimate desire necessary to complete the process. The first time you performed a Sonic Rainboom, you were motivated by the will to win. Since then, you have used both a desire to save your friends and a desire to impress and please to achieve the feat. That is the kind of determination you must acquire, and this is where our meditation comes in. You must once again forget all that is around you, and focus only on yourself and the Rainboom. You must not ask why you wish to do so, only that you do wish to, and that is the only impulse that matters."

Inspired by the eloquent pep-talk, Dash launched into the sky once more, ready to try again. She began picking up speed, and the mach cone once again formed.

"Remember, there is nothing but you and the Rainboom up there. And you want that. More than anything else in Equestria, you want to Rainboom. Nothing else."

Rainbow Dash focused her thoughts, picturing all three of her previous Sonic Rainbooms. She wanted to do it again, to prove to Luna that she had chosen the right apprentice. That was all that mattered to her. Just to prove herself. Her vision began to cloud, but she could see the haze before her become quickly polychromatic, and her speed broke any kind of limit it had had before. She knew she was doing a Sonic Rainboom.

Luna watched the burst of color before her, knowing the success her student had achieved. A jet of rainbow raced clean over the treeline, out into the forest. 

Perfect, Luna thought. She is ruled by passion, unlike Twilight Sparkle's analytical mind. That gives her strength, and she is just now realizing it. If I can win her over to my cause, she will be a force unlike any my sister has ever faced.

Dash was returning now, intensely excited at her own achievement.

"Didja see that, Luna? I did it! Nothing to win, nopony to save, no advanced preparation, and I really pulled off a Sonic Rainboom! I never thought I could!"

"Congratulations are indeed in order. You have passed the first hurdle of your training, But I still have much to teach you, starting with this: do not doubt yourself. As I have said before, you have more raw ability than anypony I have seen in my very long life. If you do as I instruct, there is nothing outside your grasp, and if you understand that, you are that much closer to realizing it."

"I can do anything, I can do anything. I like that mentality, Luna. Makes me feel stronger."

"It makes you stronger, Rainbow Dash. But listen to this; whenever you wish to perform a Sonic Rainboom, or use any kind of speed magic, you must picture your cause. Why do you want to do what you are doing? You will hopefully learn to use the will to execute, or just wishing to do so, to perform speed magic in a pinch. But for normal usage or powerful techniques, you must decide on your cause, and focus on it as a single-minded desire. That is your one and only goal. With such focused determination, you will be able to perform without fail."

"Alright, Luna, I've got it. That's what I was doing up there; I focused on my desire to prove myself to you."

"You need never prove yourself to me. But all the same, this should prove that the concept works. As you begin to use your training in the field, you will find more, should I say, invigorating causes to motivate you. The stronger the cause motivates you, the easier it will be to focus your power and execute the technique. And that leads us into our next lesson: visualization."

"Visualization? I remember that from a book Spitfire wrote. She said that if you picture yourself winning, it's easier to actually win."

"Exactly. And visualization is what will keep every use of speed magic you attempt from ending in a Sonic Rainboom. More simply put, it's how you determine which technique to use, then mentally apply your speed magic to achieve that technique."

"I think I see what you're saying."

"I will teach you a substantial number of abilities, and you must visualize something different to perform each one. But even if you simply wish to perform a Sonic Rainboom, it will make focusing your power a significant degree easier. I suspect you've already been doing it. But attempt it now, and consciously visualize your objective: the Sonic Rainboom. You will find it easier than ever. As for your cause, I would suggest the desire to become stronger and improve. Just remember that practice makes perfect."

"Visualize the Rainboom, and my cause is getting better. Alright, I'm ready to go at it again!"

Dash immediately did as instructed, coasting to the end of the field to prepare for another attempt. She raced away from her starting line, immediately reaching mach speeds. She watched her own Rainboom in her mind, picturing it as it must have been before, in the empty expanse of night air. She also remembered that doing this would bring her closer to the power of her speed, just as Luna had promised. These two thoughts blocked out all else in her mind, becoming all-consuming desires. The cone formed once more, and in less than three seconds, the color was there. She could instantly feel the pulse of energy course through her. The loss of vitality that usually accompanied it was gone, and Dash could hardly notice that she had exerted any effort. Far below, Luna watched on, once again impressed by her student's quick progress. Rainbow Dash had decelerated, and was returning to her.

"Excellent work, Rainbow Dash. You take to my training faster than I could've expected. Tell me, do you feel at all weary?"

"No, I feel just fine. It's wierd, like I didn't even do the Rainboom. Every one I've tried before has left me exhausted at the end, but not this time."

"That is because you are visualizing and are motivated. Between those two, you can focus a wellspring of power within you into a directed force. Thus, those are the cornerstones of everything I shall teach you, and we will practice and improve them every evening. But now it is time for some practice of another kind. Follow me into the sky, and mirror every move I make. I wish to see what level you are at in terms of acrobatics, so I know where I should begin from."

"Okay! That's my kind of training!"

Luna slowly leapt skyward, gracefully gliding across the treeline. Dash was following behind her, patient but by no means graceful. That was no concern of Luna's, though. If she found a need for it, she could easily teach it the next day. But grace would not be necessary for the plans she had for her apprentice.

She is progressing as I had hoped. Soon, she will be a refined weapon. When that is complete, she will be next to unstoppable. And with such power under my command, Celestia will never stand a chance.

Executing a few loops and dives, she turned back to see Rainbow Dash pulling off each move flawlessly.

And when I put her with her team... well, the results will speak for themselves.