[Golden Oak Library, Morning]
Son Goku was in meditating in front of the library in a lotus position while in midair. He was waiting for Twilight and Spike to be ready to start their training, so he decided to resume his one in the meantime. As Master Roshi said, his goal was to free himself from the chains of his own body and focus on to be something more than just a fighter. Translated: to stop being the slave of his Saiyan blood and spend more time doing things that had nothing to do with fighting, just like dictated by the Turtle School's teachings.
Meditation helped him to improve self-control, but it was just the beginning, so it was still difficult to not look for a fight or go training somewhere else, in order to try to reach Lord Beerus' might. However, he was using this training to improve his control over his divine powers too. He was sure that his divine form would come in handy in the future, especially if he could enhance its regenerative properties. He wouldn't need Senzu Beans anymore.
A few minutes later, Goten, the lavender princess, and her assistant went out of the library and stopped right in front of him. The black-maned Alicorn opened his eyes, revealing the Super Saiyan God's scarlet irises. That surprised them, considering he was still in his normal state. "So, are you ready?" asked Goku with his trademark smile.
"Yes," answered Twilight, who was carrying a saddlebag with all the necessary items to take notes, "I don’t think I forgot anything, so we’re good to go."
"Where are you going, dad?" asked Goten in confusion.
"Earth," he answered, much to his son's surprise, "This is my first time as a master, so I want to start where I started. Oh, and don't worry: we'll come back for lunch."
"Aw, I want to train too," he replied in a sad tone.
Goku rubbed his son's head and said, "You're quite ahead compared to them, Goten. Besides, today is a school day, isn't it?"
"Yeah," he said in defeat.
"But we can spend the weekend training if you want to," suggested the scarlet-eyed Alicorn, something that made Goten smile broadly.
Goten hugged his dad and said, "Thank you, dad!" After the hug, he quickly left to go to school, "See ya later!"
In response, Goku waived his right foreleg to say goodbye. Once the youngest of the Son Family was out of sight, he looked at his new students, "Well, you already know what to do." Twilight and Spike approached and touched the floating Alicorn, who proceeded with teleporting them all to what he considered to be his home planet.
[Earth, the Lookout, Above the Southern Continent]
Dende was watching over the planet as usual while Mr. Popo was cleaning up the temple. But suddenly, he heard a weird yet familiar noise, so he turned to confirm his suspicions. It was Goku, and he wasn't alone. By their Ki signatures, he recognized them as Princess Twilight Sparkle and her little friend, Spike. “But why are they here?” he wondered in his mind.
The trio appeared fifty meters away from Dende, almost in the middle of the floating temple. The first thing they did was to see themselves. Goku was wearing his usual orange gi, but it had some differences: instead of King Kai's symbol, it had Twilight's Cutie Mark on the back, and his own Cutie Mark was drawn on both his wristbands and on the left side of the chest.
Twilight was a beautiful young woman, about 1.65 meters tall, with purple eyes, long dark-sapphire blue hair with moderate purple and brilliant raspberry streaks, straight bangs across the forehead trimmed just above the eyes, and one hair strand hanging down each shoulder. She was wearing a gi similar to that of Chi-Chi during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, but it was lavender, and its belt was white instead of red. It had Goku's Cutie Mark on the back, and her own Cutie Mark was drawn on the lower part of her gi as well as on both her wristbands. Not to mention that she still had her wings.
Spike was a boy about the size and age of Goten, with emerald eyes, sharp teeth, a dragon tail, and spiky green hair. He was wearing a gi similar to that of Goku when he met Bulma, but with the difference that it had the Saiyan's Cutie Mark on the back and the symbol of a dragon on the left side of the chest.
"Woohoo!" exclaimed Spike in joy, "I'm not a dog this time!"
"And I'm different compared to how I looked back in Canterlot High," commented the princess as she was checking her body, "I even have my wings!"
After getting over her amazement, a question popped up in her mind, “Though, I wonder why whenever I appear in another world or dimension, clothing just manifests on its own?" She wondered, “Then again, I rather emerge with clothes on than be completely naked,” she ended her cycle of thoughts with a blush, thankful that the latter wasn’t the case at all.
Goku was looking at both his friends with a smile, but then he noticed Twilight and Spike's gi's and couldn't help but think about his childhood and his fight against Chi-Chi during the only tournament he ever won. Also, he thought that Twilight was cute in that gi. However, his thoughts were interrupted by Dende, "Goku-san!"
The Saiyan turned his head and saw his friend approaching them, "Hey there, Dende," he greeted.
"Hello everyone," he greeted back with a smile once arrived.
"Hi," Twilight and Spike greeted in unison.
"So, what brings you guys to the Lookout?"
"Hehe, Twilight and Spike want to learn how to use their Ki," began to explain Goku, "And since this is my first time teaching someone Martial Arts from the very beginning, I wanted to retrace my steps and start their training here, on Earth."
"Oh, I see," replied the Guardian of Earth with a smile, but then he noticed something weird, "Uh, Goku-san, why are your eyes red?"
"Yeah, I was wondering the same thing," supported Twilight.
"I'm trying to master and to perfect the powers of the Super Saiyan God," he answered, much to everyone's surprise, "It may not seem this way, but I'm training mentally right now." Then, he laid his gaze upon the princess and asked, "Before we go, I have to ask you something: do you still remember how to use your body as a human? I know Spike will be alright because he's already a bipedal dragon, but I'm not sure about you."
"Well, more or less," answered Twilight, "I still know how to walk on two legs, but that's where my knowledge about human anatomy ends." Then she added as she showed him her fingers, "I'm still not quite sure what these are for."
"Hehe, well, it seems like I'll have to teach you more on knowing how to use your human body properly first," he concluded with a smile, then he said, "Alright everyone, let's go."
“Right then, see you around Dende,” said Spike while waving back, as he, Twilight and Goku proceeded to walk away to the edge of the flying temple.
“Make sure not to create too much damage!” Dende said
“We promise!” Goku said as the trio reached the end of the flying temple. Twilight was caught off guard by the fact that they were somewhere in the skies while Spike was terrified.
The dragon boy asked in fear, "W-where in Equestria are we, Goku?"
"This is the Lookout," answered the Saiyan, "Here is where Dende looks after the people of Earth."
"And how are we supposed to leave this place?" asked Spike as he calmed down a bit, "I mean, I can't fly, and Twilight doesn't know how to use her body as a human."
"You're right, Spike," agreed Son Goku as he was trying to come up with something. He could use Instant Transmission again, but they would have still needed to move fast if they wanted to reach the places where their training would have started. Suddenly, the solution crossed his mind like a lightning bolt. A big grin appeared on his face as he said, much for his friends' confusion, "That's right!"
"Huh?" wondered the dragon boy and the princess in unison.
"NIMBUS!" summoned Goku. This action confused, even more, the duo, who wondered who he was calling upon. The answer to their question came pretty fast: a yellow cloud appeared on the horizon and quickly reached their position.
“Of course! The magical cloud that moved at the speed of sound, which was used by Goku when he was a foal!” Twilight realized.
"So, that's the Flying Nimbus you told us about in your story," commented Twilight as she was looking at the magical object with interest.
"Exactly," he answered, "It will help us with our little problem." The cloud allowed others to ride it only if there was no malice in their hearts, but Goku was sure they were as pure as him. "But, let's hurry, it can't stay here for long."
The princess boarded the yellow cloud with no problem at all, meaning she was pure-hearted. Of course, she occupied most of the space due to the size of the Nimbus, but Spike could get on it by sitting on Twilight's legs. The scarlet-eyed Saiyan levitated and went in front of the cloud and said, "Nimbus, I want you to follow me. Oh, and be sure to keep them safe."
"Wait, this cloud is self-aware?" asked Twilight in awe.
"Sort of," answered the Saiyan, "But let's talk about it later. Come on, Flying Nimbus, let's go!"
Right after that, Goku began to fly downwards as the yellow cloud followed him. The Nimbus was flying pretty fast, and it almost seemed that Twilight and Spike were about to fall from it, but said the object had a magical ability that prevented that from happening. That was how the Saiyan could ride it when it was flying vertically. They reached Master Korin's tower in the blink of an eye, and then they directed toward the horizon at subsonic speed.
[Southern Continent, near Yajirobe's Prairie]
As they were speeding through the skies, Spike, and especially Twilight, were marveling at the gorgeous landscapes below. Goku noticed this and began to descend to make them better appreciate the panorama. Once reaching the right altitude, the Equestrian duo could see a bit of what the emerald forest below concealed. Frogs, Butterflies, Giant Fishes, Birds, and even Kangaroos could be seen living in peace and harmony.
The princess even spotted a tiny winged human, but what she didn’t know was the creature she saw was a Fairy, and those mythical creatures didn't exist in Equestria. “Fluttershy would have loved this place, that’s for sure,” she thought as she can just imagine the joy and excitement on her face when seeing these new creatures. Meanwhile, Goku remembered the location they were in: he fell into this forest after being defeated by Tambourine, and it was somewhere near it he met Yajirobe for the first time.
Throughout the flight, Twilight just realized something important. She looked at Goku flying ahead, “I can’t believe I forgot about it, this is Goku’s true and original form. He looks Human though, but he clearly isn’t. Dende back there had those antennas on his forehead and had big, pointy ears, perhaps Piccolo looks similar to him.” She began to wonder how Goku’s old friends and family would look in their original form but realized that they may have some pictures brought along with them, so it wasn’t that hard to come by. Her train of thought steadily decreased as she was mesmerizing the landscape beneath.
Their journey led them to the northern part of the continent, flying near the ancient volcano in which Goku and Chi-Chi found the near-extinct Fire-Eater. The landscape featured a small island connected to the mainland by a thin path made of grass and surrounded by crystalline water. It was Twilight and Spike's first time near the sea, or above it in this case, and they were excited about it.
[The Pacific Ocean, Somewhere]
While crossing the Earth's Largest Sea, Twilight and Spike beheld its beauty. They never saw this much water in their whole life. The princess knew that the ocean was immense, but it was one thing to read about it in a book, and another to see it with her own eyes. Even the smell of it was different from that of Ponyville's lake. Her only regret was not sharing the moment with the rest of her friends, but maybe she could ask Goku to invite them here sometime. Well, at least Spike was with her.
Suddenly, she and Spike heard the noise of something plunging into the water. They turned their heads and saw a group of sea creatures jumping in it. Goku noticed it and smiled: he understood it was the first time they ever saw dolphins. However, this was just a taste of the thousands of surprises Earth was concealing, and he couldn't wait to show them all to both of them.
They kept on flying toward the horizon as the rising sun officially marked the start of the day. They crossed several islands during their flight, and the Equestrian duo could both appreciate their natural environment and the small towns present on them. Twilight noticed the differences between an Equestrian house and an Earthling one. Of course, she thought that rounded buildings were weird to see and her assistant had a similar opinion.
Meanwhile, the Saiyan was thinking about the last time he traveled like this. The Dancing in the Skies Art, or Flight Technique, made the Flying Nimbus pointless, and the Instant Transmission Technique made that art redundant as a mean of travel. However, since none of his friends except Chi-Chi, Dende, Oolong, Launch, Yajirobe, Master Korin, Tien, and Chiaotzu were present on the planet, the teleportation technique was strictly limited to some places. But he smiled at this: it was like the good old days when he, Bulma, Oolong, Puar, and Yamcha were looking for the Dragon Balls. The difference was that he didn't possess his Power Pole anymore and he was now the one leading the way.
Finally, Son Goku saw the location he was looking for: Kame House. It was a pink, wooden house with an old design on the smallest island on the planet. Twilight and Spike noticed it and couldn't help but wonder why there was a house in the middle of the ocean and who could live in it alone.
They reached the island and landed on it, much for Twilight and Spike's confusion. "Hey, Goku," said Twilight, "What's this place?"
"And why are we here?" continued Spike.
Goku turned to see them with his trademark smile and answered, "This is Master Roshi's home. He asked me to bring it to him."
"What?!" they exclaimed in unison.
"How can you move a house from one place to another?!" asked Spike, "I mean I know you're strong, but..."
The Saiyan smiled and answered, "You'll see." Then he said, "But first..."
He entered the house and, as expected, saw Turtle: Master Roshi's friend and long-time companion. "Oh, Hi Goku," he greeted.
"Hi, Turtle. How are you?" asked Goku with a smile.
"I'm worried," replied the reptile in a sad tone, "Master Roshi is missing for more than a week."
"Hehe, don't worry: he's alright," said the Saiyan, much for the sea turtle's relief.
"So, where is he?"
"Well, it will be easier if I bring you there," he answered, "He'll tell you the details."
The Turtle nodded in response, and they both went out of the house. Twilight and Spike noticed the amphibious reptile and remembered that Goku told them about a talking Turtle in his story.
“Oh, hi there. You must be Turtle, right?” Spike asked him.
“Yep, that’s me alright. Say, who are you? Never seen you before,” Turtle asked.
“I’m Spike, and this is Twilight,” he said pointing at her, while she waved at him, “We’re some new friends of Goku.”
“Huh, that’s good to know,” he said, then realizing Spike’s tail, “Hey, I see you have a tail. Reminds me of Goku when he was a kid back in the day.”
“Well, it does stick out in a way,” he said while looking back at his tail and wiggling it, “And also reminds me of who I really am,” he said with a smile.
“Oh, I take it that you’re not actually human, right?”
“Yep, you got that correct,” Twilight intervened, “I don’t think the average human has wings like these,” she said while moving her wings around, displaying their full motion.
“Interesting,” he said while rubbing his chin with his right flipper, “If you don’t mind me asking, what brings you to these parts of the world.”
“Well, Spike and I are actually going to train under Goku to harness our Ki energy and learn about it.”
“And I’m so excited!” said Spike in jubilance, “I can’t wait to learn how to fly without wings and shoot Ki blasts at whatever bad guys try to mess with me and my friends!” he said while doing a heroic pose.
Turtle couldn’t help but chuckle, “Well, it sure does something. Master Roshi used to teach Krillin and Goku to harness their Ki too. Looks like the student has become the master now,” he said with a smile.
“Speaking of master, where is he?” Twilight asked in confusion, trying to find where Goku went. The princess then noticed that the Saiyan was looking for something behind the house and wondered what it could be.
Her questions increased in number after witnessing the entire building vanish in pink smoke. Spike noticed that too and wondered what was happening. "Uh, Goku? What happened?" asked Twilight in confusion, "Where's the house? Did you cast a spell or something?" She wasn't even sure if Magic worked on Earth. The experience in Canterlot High proved that she couldn't use her Alicorn Magic as a human.
Goku looked at her with his usual joyful smile and said as he grabbed a capsule from the grass, "Hehe, nope. No magic involved here."
"What happened then?" asked the Dragon boy.
Goku approached them and showed them the capsule, "The house is in here."
"What?!" they both exclaimed.
“How could an entire building fit in there?!” Spike internally said.
"This is a Capsule," began to explain the Saiyan, "I'm not an expert on the topic, so I can't tell you how it works, but it's an invention made by Dr. Brief, Bulma’s father. Its sole purpose is to store things. It doesn't matter how big or small they are."
"An invention?" asked Twilight with stars in her eyes as she was looking at the item, "You mean, it's possible for science to do something like this?" She thought it was a revolutionary method of storing and transporting things. Instead of an entire team of ponies, all you needed was this tiny object to move an entire building. "My mind is officially blown!"
"Well, you can discuss it with Bulma when you have the chance, but I have to deliver this Capsule. Oh, and Turtle," said Goku, "I'll bring you to Master Roshi in no time." He proceeded to touch the shell of the sea reptile and put two fingers on his forehead. They then vanished, with the sound of the Instant Transmission resonating the now barren island.
[Mount Aris, Equus]
Son Goku and Turtle appeared 1.5 kilometers away from the mountain that once hosted the Kingdom of the Hippogriffs. They were on a ring-shaped island, enclosing a relatively shallow lagoon with a flat sandy bottom. The location was isolated, and the environment was tropical, just like Roshi's previous home, making the black-maned Alicorn realize why his master chose this place.
They were in front of an improvised-looking hut, from which the Turtle Hermit came out. "Oh, Goku, finally! What took you so long?"
"Hehe, well," began to explain Goku with a nervous smile, "I thought I would have started Twilight's training earlier, but some things happened and so..."
While those two were speaking, the Turtle was stunned and confused: Goku just turned into a Pony, and his old friend was a Pony too. “What in the world was going on?!” he thought.
Fortunately, Master Roshi noticed Turtle’s expression and said, "Don't worry, my friend, I'll explain to you what happened later."
"So, Master Roshi, what is this place?" Goku inquired.
"According to the Map that Princess Celestia kindly gave to us, this place is known as Mount Aris," answered the Hermit, "Yamcha brought me here after leaving Canterlot."
"But I thought you liked to live alone? I see a town up there on that mountain," commented Goku after noticing the buildings on the mount.
"That's a ghost town, Goku," replied the God of Martial Arts, "There's no one living there."
"Ghost town? I wonder what happened."
"I was there yesterday," he said, "The town is nothing but rubble. It looked like a fierce battle unfolded there many years ago."
"Well, it doesn't matter right now," said Goku with a smile as he gave him the Capsule, "Here."
"Oh, thanks," he said. Then, he activated the Capsule, and cast it toward the hut, making Kame House appear in pink smoke.
"Hehe, now I have to go, Twilight and Spike are waiting for me."
"Go and teach them the style of the Turtle School."
Goku nodded in response with a smile, then he closed his eyes to track Twilight's Ki, and teleported away.
"Hmm," wondered the hermit, "I forgot to ask him why his eyes are red."
“Uh, Master Roshi?” Turtle asked.
“Hm? Oh yes, I remember. Let’s see, where do I begin…”
[The Pacific Ocean, Earth]
Goku appeared right in front of Twilight and Spike, who were observing the clouds. "I'm back."
The princess looked at him with a smile and asked, "So, where are we going now?"
"Training Island," answered the Saiyan with a grin, "That's where Master Roshi trained me, and now, it will be the place where your training begins."
"Cool!" exclaimed Spike, "I can't wait to impress Rarity - Uh, I mean, I can't wait to learn the art of Ki, hehe."
Twilight rolled her eyes with a smile and boarded the Flying Nimbus, followed by her assistant. The Saiyan took off and flew toward Training Island, followed by his new students. They traveled for 30 minutes before arriving at their destination, and now, they were flying above a big luxuriant island with a small town in it. Goku spotted the place where he and Krillin trained under the guidance of the God of Martial Arts and landed there, followed by the yellow cloud.
Twilight and Spike got off the Flying Nimbus, which took off and disappeared in the skies right after. "Here we are," said Goku, "Welcome to Training Island, the place where we're gonna train for the next month."
"For the next month?" asked Twilight in confusion, "I thought the training would have lasted longer. Or at least that's what my books say about martial arts."
"Well, the main reason is that you're stronger than me when I started my training," explained Goku, "And Spike just wants to fly or shoot Ki blasts." Though, he realized something: her Ki was divine. It meant he was about to train a Goddess. Quite the student for his first time as a Martial Arts' Master. But he put those thoughts aside and said, "Besides, I chose Earth just to make you’re used to standing on two legs, so it will be easier to train you in Equestria."
"Oh, that makes sense," agreed Twilight, but then she realized what he asked, "Wait, you said I'm stronger than you when you started your training, right?"
"Yeah," confirmed the scarlet-eyed Saiyan, "Let's say that you would have been a fearsome opponent if you attended both the 21st and the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament with your current power. I mean, you're tenfold stronger than me back then."
"Oh, and how strong am I?" asked Spike with a curious tone.
"You're stronger than an ordinary human, Spike," answered Goku, "But if I were to compare you to me when I started my training, you have half of my power."
"Well, considering you battled an entire army alone, to have half of your strength is cool to me," stated Spike with a happy smile.
"Hehe," giggled Goku at that, then he said, "Before starting, I want to check something."
His sentence confused both Equestrians, but the answer to their questions came rather quickly: Goku pointed his hand toward a boulder and levitated it using his Magic. Twilight was caught off guard by this: she thought that pony magic didn't work outside Equestria. Then again, she didn't try to use her hands when in Canterlot High. She quickly pointed her hand toward a nearby stone as she tried to use her magical powers. How wonderful was it for her to see she could levitate it.
"Good," he said as he let the boulder fall. Now, after finding out that Twilight could use her Alicorn Magic, it would have been easier for her to write. Yes, to write. She wanted to write everything he would have said about Ki, but considering she could barely control her human body, he would have been forced to teach her how to write using her hands before starting the actual lessons. And that would have led to many complications because of his handwriting and the fact he could write in Japanese characters only. "Now, I'm gonna start explaining to you the basics of Ki, so you'll comprehend better every step of the training."
Twilight and Spike sat down as the former used her Magic to take a scroll and a quill from her backpack. They were ready to learn about that mysterious energy, so Goku proceeded with the explanation. The princess wrote every single piece of information the Saiyan told them about the Life Force, commonly known as Ki. Analyzing her text, she noticed some things and said, "So, Ki is all about Vigor, Spirit, and Mind: that means Ki is our essence. Does it mean that the stronger you are, the more you'll live?"
That was a pretty good question, but unfortunately, he didn't know the answer, "Uh, that's something I should ask Master Roshi."
"Well," continued Twilight, "I figured out why Ki and Magic are so similar."
"Really?"
The princess nodded and said, "Magic comes from Mana, which is composed of Vigor, Heart, and Mind. The heart is all about emotions and feelings, and it defines if your magic is dark or good. Also, it is its source, so everyone has Magic within, but only a few creatures can use it at will. Well, in Equestria at least."
"I see," commented the Saiyan, then he said with a smile, "It means that this training will help you to increase your magical powers as well."
"I guess."
"Well, now that the basics are out of the way, we can start the actual training," stated Goku, "Follow me."
Twilight and her assistant followed their Master until they reached a cliff that overlooked a tropical forest. The scarlet-eyed Saiyan grabbed a stone and asked the princess for a marker. She was confused, but she gave it to him anyway. Good thing she was always prepared for that kind of situation: no one knew if something would be needed, especially if she was going to take notes about what she was learning.
Goku was drawing his Cutie Mark on the stone he grabbed, much for his students' confusion. The princess noticed that the so-called fingers and claws were similar in usage, considering how the Saiyan was holding the marker. A few seconds later, Goku finished drawing the Yin Yang symbol and showed it to his disciples. "Here, look at it and memorize it."
Twilight and Spike obeyed but were still confused, so the princess asked, "Uh, why do we need to memorize this stone?"
"For this," answered Goku, right before throwing the said item toward the forest below. "I want you both to retrieve that stone."
Twilight and Spike's eyes wide opened at his statement and said, "WHAT?!"
"That's impossible!" exclaimed the humanized baby dragon.
"You can't be serious about this," commented Twilight.
"It's not impossible," started to explain Gine's youngest son, "Master Roshi wanted me and Krilin to retrieve a stone within 30 minutes, and I found it before the time ran out."
"What?!" asked Spike in astonishment.
"So, you want us to find that stone in 30 minutes or less?" asked the Princess, still not sure if that was even possible.
"No," answered Goku, much to their relief, "I found it thanks to my highly developed sense of smell: I just tracked down his one and found it rather quickly. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to find within that short amount of time."
"So, you're giving us more time?" inferred Twilight.
"Exactly. I want you both to team up and try to find that stone before noon."
"So..." said the princess as she looked at the sun to know what time it was, "We've got 3 hours, that's enough time, I think."
"This quest will help you to get used to your bodies and will put through the test both your willpower and physical abilities," explained the Saiyan, "Also, it will help me know both your strengths and weaknesses."
"Wait, did you say it will put through the test our physical abilities?" asked Spike in a slightly worried tone, "Does it mean that forest is dangerous?"
Goku took a quick look at the forest below and answered, "It's not more dangerous than the Everfree Forest." This statement scared Spike because he was about to go into a forest as dangerous as the Everfree Forest. His Master noticed it and said, "That's why I want both of you to team up: you'll help each other if needed. Besides, the strongest being down there is no match for Twilight. No need to worry."
Spike chilled out after his explanation. He wouldn't be alone, and Twilight seemed to be stronger than anything in that forest. Not to mention that Goku would probably help if things went out of control. "Okay, I'm in."
"Oh, another thing," said Goku to Twilight, "You should leave your backpack here."
"Oh, right," she said before giving it to the Saiyan. Right after that, the Equestrian duo ran away, looking for the path that led to that jungle. Goku looked at them with a smile before sitting in a lotus position and closing his eyes. He restarted his meditation while still tracking down Twilight and Spike's Ki signature to assess their skills and in case they were in danger: they were under his responsibility after all.
[Dinosaur Jungle, Somewhere]
Twilight and her assistant reached the forest rather quickly and proceeded with the finding of the marked stone. The first thing they noticed was that this place was way thicker than the Everfree Forest: giant leaves and tall grass characterized the area. Finally, they found a pathway and walked on it as they were checking every spot, hoping to find that item. Little did they know, however, that a Saber-toothed Tiger noticed them and was following them, waiting for the right moment to attack.
They kept on walking until they reached a clearing, they were about to enter it, but the princess saw something, and quickly grabbed Spike, and hid in a nearby bush. "Why did you do that?" complained Spike as she was looking at his adopted sister.
"Shush!" exclaimed Twilight as she pointed something 35 meters in front of them. The humanized dragon turned his head to see several gigantic creatures, resting on the grassy field, in front of them. "I thought those were extinct," commented Twilight in a low tone.
"What do you mean? What are those things?" asked her assistant in the same tone.
"Those are Dinosaurs, Spike," answered the princess, "More specifically, they are Triceratops."
"But aren’t they supposed to be extinct, like you said?"
"Yeah, but it seems like they're still alive here on Earth."
"Are they dangerous?" asked Spike in a worried tone.
"Well, Triceratopses aren't carnivores, but they still can smash us into jelly if they want to."
"But Goku said you're stronger than anything around here."
"Yeah, I know, but I still rather avoid dealing with an entire group of six-tonne prehistoric animals."
While they were speaking, the Saber-toothed Tiger was preparing to attack. They were still and seemed to not notice his presence: it was the right moment to take them by surprise. He was slowly approaching them, trying to be as stealthy as possible. However, the prehistoric tiger stepped on a sprig, alerting the Equestrians, who turned to see what generated that sound.
Noticing that he alerted his prey, the Saber-toothed Tiger immediately attacked them, trying not to let them escape. However, Twilight was fast enough to grab Spike and perform a backward jump, avoiding the tiger's first assault; this meant she, and her assistant, could be seen by the group of Triceratopses, but they didn't seem to consider the two as threats.
The Saber-toothed Tiger came out of the bush and began to walk around Twilight, meaning he was preparing to engage again. Spike was hiding behind Twilight as the princess was trying not to show her back to the predator in front of her. She was a bit afraid, but this wasn't something she couldn't handle by herself: she tamed an Ursa Minor, charged at a Hydra, fought against the Changeling Army, defied Nightmare Moon, dealt with a God of Chaos, and was ready to fight against a group of teenage dragons. An overgrown cat wasn't even something new, considering she and her friends faced a Manticore long ago.
The predator tried to attack, but Twilight created a lavender magic shield around her and Spike, making the prehistoric animal slam into it. As a result, the creature was stunned for a few seconds, enough time for Twilight to make her force field disappear and cast an attack spell. The magic beam sent the Saber-toothed Tiger to the group of Triceratopses, who thought that the feline was attacking them. There was no need to tell that the predator had to run for his life if he didn't want to be smashed by the charge of about 20 six-tonne dinosaurs.
The princess sighed in relief, knowing the danger was gone for now. But they still needed to find that stone, so they resumed their quest. They were walking carefully: the last thing Twilight wanted was to be taken by surprise by another predator. Dinosaurs were still a thing on this world, so she was praying Faust not to be found by a group of Velociraptors or worst, a Tyrannosaurus, especially for Spike's sake.
They looked for the stone for one hour, but they still didn't find it. "Ugh," groaned Twilight, "How are we supposed to find a tiny object like a stone in this jungle?!"
"Come on, Twilight," tried to cheer up her assistant, "Goku said that looking for that stone would have put through the test our willpower, so this is just one of the difficulties we have to overcome if we want to succeed."
Twilight sighed and replied, "I know, Spike. And now I see why he wanted us to do this: if we give up in looking for a mere stone, we'll give up if the actual training is too hard."
"Well, let's show him we don't give up that easily," said Spike with determination, "We've dealt with several villains and creatures in Equestria: looking for a stone, and a bit of exercise won't scare us, won't it?"
The princess smiled at this and agreed, "You're right."
"So, where do you think that stone fell? I mean, it should be somewhere around here."
"I don't know, but we can't keep on going in blind as we did so far," she said as she tried to come up with something. She needed a spell if she wanted to find the marked item, and this was the right time to put into practice those enchantments written in all of the books she usually read. Finally, she remembered a spell meant to track down lost objects and tried to cast it. She wasn't sure if it would have worked, considering she was using hands instead of her usual horn: she was afraid that the execution of the enchantment was different using human extremities.
However, she didn't want to give up and proceeded with the casting of the spell anyway. Her hands were engulfed in the aura of her magic as a tennis ball-sized lavender sphere started forming right in front of them. She was thinking about the stone that Goku threw into the jungle as she was creating the orb.
Finally, she completed the magic sphere, which began to track down the stone. "Let's follow it, Spike," said Twilight before doing so. They followed the mystical orb to a small-sized lake fed by a little waterfall located half a mile away from their previous position. The sphere flew above the said lake and stopped right in the middle, meaning that the item they were looking for was on the lakebed.
"Oh, good thing you cast that spell, or else we would have never found that stone," commented Spike, "Now, the problem is taking it."
"Not really: this lake doesn't seem to be deep," observed Twilight, "Also, the water is crystal clear; It shouldn't be too hard."
"So... let's swim?"
"I was thinking of something else," replied Twilight as she flapped her wings once.
"To Fly? But do you know how to do it as a human?"
"Well, Goku said this quest would have tested our physical skills too," answered the princess as she was trying to take off, "Besides, we may need to fly to leave this jungle." Twilight took off, but she was flying as bad as before the Summer Sun Celebration. However, she quickly understood the issue: a human's center of gravity wasn't in the same place as the pony's one. She immediately adjusted her flying position, stabilizing her flight. However, she still needed to move forward, so she couldn't pat herself on the back just yet.
She flew toward the magical sphere as she was trying her hardest to keep her flight stabilized. Once there, she spotted the stone they were looking for as the purple orb vanished, and began to use her levitation spell to retrieve it. Meanwhile, Spike was seeing his adopted big sister taking the item, but for some reason, he felt observed. And he wasn't wrong at all: a group of Velociraptors was hiding in the bushes 20 meters away from the small lake. These smart predators just wanted to drink after a failed raid, but it seemed like they had another chance to eat today.
Their plan was simple: to attack Spike from three different directions, blocking every escape way and push him toward the lake where he would have been too slow to do anything. So three Velociraptors began the assault attacking from the left side while three other Velociraptors did the same from the right side and the last three predators attacked head-on.
Spike turned his head to the left to see three strange creatures charging at him, something that scared him a lot. He tried to escape, but as soon as he turned his head to the opposite side, he saw three other creatures running toward him.
Spike began to retreat to the pond as he noticed three more creatures approaching him from the bushes. The odd creatures blocked every escape way as they slowed down and started menacingly walking toward their prey. These dinosaurs weren't big at all, but they outnumbered him, making an effective defense difficult. Or at least that was what he thought. However, he remembered that Goku, his new Martial Arts Master, defeated an entire army by himself when he was his age. If he had half of the power that defeated an army, these weirdos shouldn't be a problem. Plus, how he was supposed to save Rarity from harm if he couldn't even defeat flightless, ugly birds? Besides, Twilight wasn't too far: if he couldn't handle these dinosaurs, he could scream her name for help.
He sharpened his gaze as he began to inhale air: Spike was ready to use his fire breath against them. Twilight could use her Magic, so he could use his flames. Or at least that was what he thought. Spike quickly cast his fire toward his aggressors like a living flamethrower. He drew a semi-circular perimeter with his orange flames, creating a wall of fire that forced the dinosaurs to retreat.
The predators didn't want to surrender, but their instincts sensed oncoming danger. That sensation was confirmed by slight trembles that became stronger as the seconds ticked. Spike felt the ground shaking, and Twilight noticed the lake's calm waters waving, something that drew her attention to her assistant. She saw a small wall of fire around him and some small dinosaurs fleeing, meaning that Spike was able to defend himself. However, it didn't explain why the ground was shaking. The answer, however, came with the roar of an oncoming dinosaur and judging by how loud it was, the creature was big, very big.
She quickly teleported next to Spike and was about to grab him, and leave the place. However, the beast reached the area before the princess could do anything else. It was a Tyrannosaurus Rex, the fearsome king of the dinosaurs. "T-Twilight, let's r-run?" asked the humanized dragon as he was trembling in fear.
"N-no, we cannot outrun a Tyrannosaurus," answered Twilight with a scared tone, "A-at least not with these bodies."
The giant predator attacked the Equestrians, but Twilight created a magic shield around both her and Spike, nullifying the creature's charge. However, the prehistoric animal didn't want to surrender, so he was trying to break the shield with his teeth or by using his head. "We are safe for now," sighed Spike in relief, "But we can't stay here forever. Any ideas?"
"Goku is too far away from me to use my Teleportation Spell," explained Twilight, "So, we can't escape. I'm afraid we'll have to fight if we want to leave this jungle."
"What?! You really think we can beat that thing?" asked her assistant as he was pointing the beast, who was still trying to destroy the shield.
"I just need something powerful enough to knock him out or at least stun him long enough to allow us to escape."
"Do you know a spell for this kind of situation?"
"Not exactly," she answered, "I'm not even sure if it will work, but I think I can give it a shot."
Spike was confused at first, but then he saw his adopted sister getting in a weird stance as she was drawing her cupped hands to her side. He immediately remembered that stance, but he was even more confused: Goku never taught her that move, so how could she use it?
"KA-ME," she began to chant as a light blue orb surprisingly appeared between her hands, "HA-ME," she kept chanting as the lavender magic aura engulfing her hands mixed with the light blue orb, making it light purple, "HAAA!!" she shouted as she thrust forward her hands, shooting a streaming, medium-sized, light purple wave of energy. The magic shield vanished as the energy beam hit the giant predator, propelling him deep into the forest. An explosion could be heard in the distance as the attack faded away.
"B-but how did you do that?" asked Spike in awe as he was still looking at the path of downed trees created by the princess' attack.
"I just mimicked Goku, I guess?" answered Twilight, still not believing that it worked. She mimicked Celestia's dark spell, yes, but she didn't think her ability would have worked with Ki-based techniques as well. However, she put those thoughts aside and said, "Let's hurry before another dinosaur sees us as appetizers." Spike nodded in response as Twilight took off to see where was the cliff from which they started the quest. Once the princess saw where it was, the duo ran to that direction.
[Cliff, near the Dinosaur Jungle, 1 hour later]
Son Goku was meditating as he was still tracking his students, who were approaching fast. It meant they found the stone and successfully passed his test, proving they had enough willpower to start the actual training. Now, it was his turn to put his will through the test, the will to resist his desires. The goal was to fight and become stronger because he wanted to, not because his body forced him to do so.
However, his thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of the Equestrian duo. The Saiyan opened his scarlet eyes and turned to see his friends standing behind him with a tired expression; Well, Spike was out of breath while Twilight seemed fine. "Here," said the princess as she showed Goku the stone with his Cutie Mark, "We found it, but I needed to use a spell otherwise we wouldn't, considering it fell into a pond."
"Good job, guys," congratulated Goku with his usual smile, "You passed the test, meaning we can proceed with the actual training." His statement made them happy. Twilight was always proud to pass a test, especially if it meant learning something new, and Spike was joyful because he was a step closer to fulfill his dream. "But I felt your energy skyrocketing earlier, Twilight," he then commented, "What happened?"
"Well," began to explain Twilight, "We had to deal with a Tyrannosaurus and..."
"And she used your Kamehameha to blow him away," finished Spike with an enthusiastic tone.
His statement surprised the Saiyan beyond belief, "Wait, what?! Did you really perform the Kamehameha?!" Twilight was sheepishly smiling as she nodded in response. "But how? I thought you couldn't use Ki."
"I just mimicked you," she answered, "I copied a spell just by seeing Princess Celestia perform it once, so I thought I could do the same with your technique."
This revelation answered all of Goku's questions and cleared his doubts. His friend could copy others' techniques or spells just by seeing them as well, meaning he wasn't the only one with that kind of ability. This fact made him smile because it showed that Twilight had great potential, but he wanted to see it with his own eyes. "Can you do it again?" he asked with a smile.
"I think," she answered a bit insecure about it.
"Come on, I want to see it: unleash your Kamehameha against me."
"Okay," she answered, still not sure about it, but she knew that she wouldn't hurt him considering he was pummeled into mountains and was just fine. She got into the right stance to perform the Turtle School's signature move as she began to chant its name. When a blue orb appeared between her hands, Goku's eyes wide opened: she was about to fire the Ki wave, and her execution was far better than his one he used that technique for the first time. In his case, the energy manifested once he thrust his hands forward, but Twilight could unleash the energy from the beginning.
His thoughts were interrupted by his friend, who fired a small-sized blue wave of energy at him. The Saiyan blocked the oncoming attack with his right hand with no effort, but he was still impressed. "Hehe, you're amazing, Twilight! Your Kamehameha is even better than mine the first time I used it."
She slightly blushed and answered, "Thanks."
"Hey," intervened Spike, "It was a bit different from earlier."
"Huh? What do you mean?" asked Goku in confusion.
"The Kamehameha she used to knock out that monster was bigger and was purple."
"I'm still not sure why, so don't ask," commented the Princess.
"We'll figure it out later," replied the Saiyan, "Now, let's go home: Goten is going to return from school soon, and I'm hungry." After those words were spoken, Twilight and Spike's bellies growled, meaning they were hungry as well. "And I'm not the only one I see," he commented with his trademark smile. The duo giggled in response, then Twilight grabbed her backpack, and proceeded with putting a hand on one of Goku's shoulders, followed by Spike who was touching his left leg. Then, the Saiyan put two fingers on his forehead and used the Instant Transmission technique to teleport back to Ponyville.
[Ponyville, near the Golden Oak Library]
The trio appeared about 20 meters away from Ponyville's library, still wearing the upper part of their gis. Goku noticed that Twilight's power was ten times higher as a pony than as a human. He was surprised at first, but then he remembered that Ginyu had the same problem: while in a different body, he could use just part of its power because he didn't know how to control it at its best. Twilight was still a beginner as a human, so it made sense.
“Oh sweet, we still have our Gis from Earth!” Spike said happily, looking at his new piece of clothing.
“Wonder how Rarity would feel if she sees us in these,” Twilight said, as she giggled at the thought. “And unlike before, we get to keep our new clothing,” she added.
However, before they could say anything more, Goten landed right in front of them, much to the surprise of some, and said, "Dad, Ms. Sparkle, Spike! You're back!"
"We just came back from our little trial on Earth," answered the princess with a smile, "How is your second day in school?"
"It's fine," he answered with a smile, then he said in excitement, "But I want to know what kind of training you did on Earth."
"Nothing special," said Goku, "But if you want to know, I don’t mind telling you." The black-maned colt nodded in response and followed the trio to the Golden Oak Library as his father began to tell him what happened on Earth.
[Badlands, Somewhere]
Standing still on a rocky pillar, as the elements were punishing his body, a Pegasus Pony wearing his trademark Saiyan armor was looking at the horizon, as if he didn't care about the heat of a summer day or anything else that the uncontrolled nature of that place could throw at him. His mind was focused on a single goal, "You won't stay on the top for long, Kakarot."