//------------------------------//
// Chapter 8: Sowing Seeds of Power 
// Story: Equestria's Martial Warrior 
// by Charson 
//------------------------------//

...

Leo had been walking outside on the edge of town for quite a while, staying out of the vision of everybody he's seen, as he doesn't want to be found. After leaving the library, his mind was able to calm down and clear up for the most part. He had been looking down at his feet in deep thought while walking around, contemplating everything he had recently pieced together. No matter which way he mused about everything he learned just now, he couldn't wrap his head around it.

But how could something just poof 'here's magic!' It had to have come from somewhere to follow the law of conservation of energy!

...And why would I see a glimpse of whatever put it here?

It's like all the information is just out of reach!

There's something I'm missing... But what?!

Frustration filled Leo's heart. He was like a donkey with a carrot being dangled in front of his face, being led along indirectly. His blood began to boil at the thought of being played a fool. 

"FUCK!" He yelled out, as he punched out his right fist with all of the indignance he could muster. The magic blob in his body traveled up from his abdomen to his fist, filling his punch with a force of destruction.

-BANG

Leo's face immediately winced from the pain in his hand. Just from that one instance, his hand was scraped, bleeding a somewhat scant amount. Somehow that was it, as there were no internal injuries like bruising. He cradled his right hand in his left, giving it an apologetic look. Looking up back to where he punched, his breath stopped.

Holy shit!

Although it was very slight, a dent was etched into the tree from the impact. The bark had splintered off about a square inch in the area in the middle of the impact site, leaving the tan interior to bathe in the light of day.

Leo's jaw dropped from the sight. He was speechless. He stared at his open hand for a whole minute before clenching it into a fist with a newfound determination. A fire of passion burst within his eyes as a grin sneaked itself upon his lips.

I know exactly what I'm gonna do before I leave this place...

I'M GONNA TRAIN!!!

Maybe, once I'm back on Earth next week, I'll be the strongest person there! I can even milk it for money once I'm back home hehe.

Wearing a mischievous smile, Leo decided to find a nice open place to work out. His get-rich-quick plan was set in motion. When he was walking around the edge of town earlier, he had seen an open field, which he thought was perfect for the occasion.

After walking about 5 minutes, he came across a tree facing an open field which was ideal, as he would get shade, a good view, and it was fairly open with no obstruction. The field was filled with ankle-high yellowish-green grass, with mountains miles off, setting the background. Of course, opposite the direction of the field was the town. Stretching his back, legs, and shoulders with various techniques, he planned his next course of action.

So, the book said in order to integrate the magic with my body, I need to put my body under stress. Does that include working out?.. I'll start off with just basic push-ups and see where that gets me.

After stretching to become more limber, he got into a plank position and started his push-ups. Whenever he did any sort of workout, Leo always made sure to use good form. He understood that working out with bad form both didn't do a good job of working out the targeted muscle groups, but it could also easily lead to injury, especially whenever doing weight training. Following this paradigm, Leo made sure his elbows were not flared out and perpendicular to his sides. Instead, he kept them very close to his sides, almost parallel. This made sure the exercise focused on his chest, triceps, and shoulders as it should.

Ready, he focused on his breathing and started rep-ping out the compound exercise. Magic flowed through his body, like lungs breathing in and out air, but instead it was his whole body as the medium. Flowing to the outer reaches of his body before ebbing back, similar to a tide. It did that over and over, slowly integrating itself in his muscles and tendons, primarily the ones he was using. The magic never flowed out of his body either, unlike how it did with his punches. Instead, it contained itself within his body and was being consumed by his muscles and tendons, tempering themselves and becoming stronger.

I feel like I could go on for ages!

Whenever working out, instead of the magic exerting itself as it did with his punches many times, instead, it just kept flowing throughout his body. Not only was it forging his body anew, but it was also invigorating him with vast amounts of energy. Before on Earth, he could only do about 50 push-ups before tiring out, but now, he could do about 100 before his body quaked from the exertion.

Once he reached this point, he collapsed on the ground, sprawled on his belly. In contrast to his body screaming in agony, on his face was a goofy grin.

I can't believe I've made so much progress just from punching and running from that manticore...

"Haaaa... Haaaa.." His breaths were extremely labored, with sweat starting to form on his brow. His chest, arms, and front shoulders were hot from the blood pumping within. He felt amazing.

Now THIS is what I needed.

Taking a minute to catch his breath, he focused on trying to gather magic through his breathing as before. From that set and the punch, although it wasn't all used up, most of the magic blob within his abdomen was gone.

While building up his magic, Leo planned out the rest of his day.

Alright, so... I think I'll do a full-body workout, maxing out three sets per exercise before going to the next exercise.

After, Rainbow will probably want to hang out, so I'll do that here later. She'll probably show me some of her tricks or something

Leo shrugged to himself.

After, I'll go back to Fluttershy's place... Hopefully, she'll understand why I did what I did without me having to say why I freaked.

Leo scratched the back of his head sheepishly thinking back to him walking out of the library without explanation. Shrugging it off, he continues his internal monologue.

Ehh, it's whatever, what's done is done. What I need to do now is do all I can before I get back home. Speaking of, I'm finally ready for my next set.

With his newfound determination, Leo continues to do his planned full-body workout. First, he finished the last two sets of push-ups, doing 105 and 98 respectively. Throughout both sets, Leo's veins were bulging, doing their utmost to pump as much blood as they could. He especially tried to push his limits, as he was afraid he might not get an opportunity like this ever again. His chest and triceps felt as though it was on fire as though he would burst at the seams, veins worming their way up to the surface of his skin.

After push-ups, he decided to find a tree branch to hold on to and do pull-ups. Once he found a nice, straight branch, he hooked his hands over it and began, focusing most on form as before. He even made sure to go slow as to not use his body weight for his momentum as well as straightening his arms out at the bottom of each rep. After 30 repetitions, He could barely hold the bar any longer, but he gritted his teeth and continued. His upper back and forearms slowly reached their limit, with the rep count amounting to a little over 40. Shaking, he collapsed on the ground, heaving in and out.

Holy shit, I always had a strong back, but I never thought I'd reach THESE numbers AHAHA!

With a joyful yet cunning smile covering his face, Leo exclaimed, "I'M GONNA BE RICH HAHAHA!" As he lied there motionlessly, he laughed maniacally to himself.

After a few minutes, he was both finally calmed down and recharged for another set. Continuing the same way, he achieved rep numbers up to 43 and then 37. By this time, Leo was exhausted, but he continued.

Next was his legs, which he opted to just do simple squats. He made sure to follow that saying 'ass to the grass,' going as far as he physically could down before coming back up. His quads ached and his butt clenched every time he came back up, proving the workout was doing the job. They burned with the vigor of life, filling to the brim with blood. Once at the point of failure and quaking, Leo finished the set. He did this three more times. His mind constantly told him to give up, that he couldn't do it, and that he should just live in comfort. However, he pushed onward. Eventually, after finishing his three sets, his rep counts reached peak human standards of up to about 220 each.

Seems running from that manticore really pushed my legs. I guess there was at least something good that came from it...

Smiling bitterly, Leo shook his head and gets ready to wrap it up by finally tackling his abs, his mind landing on the classic sit-ups as the workout. On the ground and in position with bent knees, he starts, slowly moving his head up and towards his knees. Slowly, one by one, Leo eventually reached the end of his set, reaching about 180 repetitions before losing count. It didn't make much a difference, as he collapsed shortly after. Leo, once again, continued until he did three sets in total, all landing on about 190 to 200 sit-ups.

Sprawled on the ground from exhaustion, Leo was flabbergasted by the results. He reached heights he never thought he could reach anytime soon. It was truly breathtaking the amount of results he's able to achieve from the short time of exposure to magic.

Maybe I CAN become the strongest human on Earth at this rate!

The problem is, how can I train the rest of my body, like my skin and bones?..

Leo sat thinking about this question for a few minutes, but he kept drawing blanks. Shaking his head at the unsatisfactory results, he puts off the thought for now, as he was quite tired.

I guess I could go ahead and take a nap while I wait for the time to pass until Rainbow is off work. But how the hell will I find her?

I guess I'll worry about it later.

Taking a liking to the shade under the tree he did pull-ups on, Leo takes a casual cross-legged sitting posture against the trunk of the tree with his hands locking fingers together behind his head. Closing his eyes, he slowly drifts off into a much-needed nap.


/// Later That Afternoon///


Leo heard a distant voice, calling out to him. It sounded muffled like it couldn't quite reach his ears.

"Leo," it said again, trying its best to get his attention. However, all they got out of Leo was a slight groan.

Huh? mmm, five more minutes...

"Leo, wake up," this time, the voice yelled out, catching his scattered attention.

"Aughhh, what?" Leo asked, roused from his sleep without consent. His eyes shot open, with his vision being blinded by the sun that was still showering the sky with its light. Using his arm to cover the burning light, his vision slowly cleared up, revealing a rainbow-maned mare. Rainbow Dash looked down at him with a somewhat unsatisfied expression.

"Are you alright?" Rainbow asks concerningly, her eyebrows furrowed a bit.

"Alright? What'dya mean?" Leo raised his eyebrow with half-lidded eyes, still very groggy.

"You know exactly what!" She exclaimed, letting her irritation show. She calmed herself down, as now wasn't the time to get mad. She continued, "Your freaked out! Are you alright? Fluttershy has been looking for you for a while. She couldn't find you so she turned to me for help."

...Damn, I shoulda known.

Leo pinched the bridge of his nose with his thumb and index finger, regretting his earlier hasty actions. "Ahh, that, ummm, sorry. Where's she at right now?" Leo went ahead and stood up impatiently, although somewhat shakily due to his worn-out muscles. He started to walk towards the town.

"Hold on, I want an explanation," she cut him off, causing him to pause. "What happened? And what could possibly scare something as big as you like that? I know books arent that scary."

It's good to see she's still in the mood to make jokes. Should I tell her about the fox?..

She might freak like I did or think I'm crazy though.

Coming up with a flimsy excuse in his head, Leo tried to postpone the explanation. "Maybe some other time, I really don't want to get into it right now," Leo stated ambiguously, averting his eyes.

There was a long pause before Rainbow responded, "okay, but 'Pinkie Promise' me that you'll tell me later."

"Alright sure," there was another long pause before Leo closed his eyes and pinched his nose again, letting a sigh escape his lips. He continued, "you don't have any pinkies."

"What? No silly, it's a promise you can't break. If you do, Pinkie Pie will hunt you down and... let's just say you don't want that. Here, just follow my lead," Rainbow moved her right hoof to her chest, "cross my heart." She drew a slash over her chest. Leo shrugs and watched Rainbow start off her 'Pinkie Promise.'

Ehh, whatever.

Leo followed what she did, mirroring her actions and words, "cross my heart." He drew a slash over his heart with his right finger.

Rainbow nods and continues the ritual, "hope to fly." She then moved her hoof away from her chest, leaving it hovering beside her.

"Hope to fly," Leo said lazily.

This is stupid...

"Stick a cupcake in my eye," she moved her hoof to cover her now closed eye.

How the hell is she keeping a straight face? This is so silly, she has to be messing with me.

"Stick a cupcake in my eye~," Leo mockingly mirrored her, halfheartedly putting his hand up to his eye with a wry smile. This, in turn, made her somewhat mad and irritated.

"This is serious!!!" She chastised him before shaking her head. "Whatever, now that you've 'Pinkie Promised,' don't break it or you'll regret it! Trust me."

Whatever, it's not like I'll be here long...

"Yeah!" A distant voice resounded, resembling Pinkie's voice. This sent a slight shiver down Leo's back, but he shook it off as nothing.

Yea yea, I need to go find Fluttershy now that Rainbow isn't on edge anymore.

"So where's Fluttershy, I have more important things to do than play around with you right now," Leo flatly responded, looking off in the distance towards the town.

"Hmph, I wasn't messing with you," She defended, puffing her cheeks up slightly and pinning her ears back slightly. "Fluttershy should be at her house. I told her I'd find you and tell you to go meet her there."

"Okay," Leo paused before finishing, scratching the back of his neck. "You still wanna hang out like we had planned?"

"Yea," she answered, grinning before yelling out, "now go!" She shooed him off towards the direction of Fluttershy's house.

Wasting no time, Leo began to jog towards Fluttershy's house, though making a mental note of some places through the town. They even had a blacksmith, which Leo found off, as weapons didn't seem necessary. He also saw some restaurants, but they didn't seem too appetizing, as they served dishes catering to ponies like flowers and hay. It made Leo gag just thinking about eating said foods.

I'll have to find where I can get some meat, I'm starving.

After jogging for about five minutes and distracting himself with the various tourist attractions, Leo arrived at Fluttershy's. The pit in his stomach began to churn with anxiety, but he knew better than to be worried.

It'll be fine Leo. Just put on a good act.

Smiling bitterly, he opens the front door. Fluttershy was in the middle of the room, pacing back and forth. Her eyes tear themselves away from the floor, darting towards Leo, where they then lock on. She starts to tear up. Running up to Leo, she wrapped her hooves around him. "Are you okay?!"

Isn't she being a little dramatic?... Shut up, Leo.

Fuck, I'm such an asshole... Where do I even begin?

"Uhh, hey," Leo sheepishly started, averting his eyes. "S-sorry for running off without explanation, there's a lot on my mind that I'd rather not share at the moment." Leo looked up towards her, locking eyes before continuing, "I freaked and wanted to be alone and set my thoughts straight. Again, I'm sorry. And thank you for being worried for me, it means a lot." Silence filled the room.

Will she accept the apology? I don't know anything else I can say really...

After a full minute of calming herself down, Fluttershy responds, "it's okay, really, but why'd you have to run off like that. We were only trying to help out." She said with a glum look on her face.  "Hopefully, you won't be in a situation like that again, but could you 'Pinkie Promise' to tell me why you got so scared?" She wore a motherly look on her face.  "And I'm sorry for prying, but I want to be able to help and maybe help prevent it from happening."

Pinkie Promise again? Are you kidding me?

"Alright," Leo half-sighed out, shrugged and started the ritual, moving his hand to his chest, "cross my heart." He crosses his chest with his finger, "hope to fly." Leo moved his hand next to his head, "stick a cupcake in my eye," finishing it off by covering his right eye.

"I'm surprised you know that, did you have those on Earth? But that wouldn't make sense," she trailed off to herself.

"No, I made one with Rainbow before I came here. I thought she was messing with me but since you wanted to do it as well, I don't know what to think anymore," Leo chuckled slightly, lightening up the mood. "We did have pinky promises on Earth but they were different," Leo wiggled his pinky. "This is a pinky finger, which you wrap around the other person's pinky, making a pinky promise."

That's a lot of pinkies hehe.

"Hmm," she hummed, losing herself in thought. This caused Leo's thoughts to drift to what he was thinking about before. Food.

Ahh, I'm sooo hungry mannn.

"Fluttershy," Leo began, causing her to jolt up in attention. "Please tell me you have some meat. I'm craving it so bad." At the mere thought of food, Leo's stomach made its presence clear to the room, singing a sorrowful tune of emptiness. The only thing that's filled it since he's been here is fish, terrible hospital food meant for horses, and an unhealthy amount of cupcakes. Leo internally crosses his fingers for good luck.

"Actually, I think I do. After all, I take care of all types of animals here. Hmm, would fish be fine? Although I have some red meat, they're mostly scraps since I only have snakes, ferrets, and raccoons." Fluttershy responded a little downtrodden she couldn't get Leo anything more substantial.

Damn, that'll have to do for now I suppose. Beggars can't be choosers after all.

Leo smiles towards the yellow pegasus, "fish is fine. Is there anything I can do to help out?" Although Leo knew it was from her goodwill to help and feed him, he didn't like being taken care of without returning the favor.

"Sure! How do you want your fish?" Fluttershy asks, oblivious to Leo's intentions.

That's not what I meant...

"Uhh, cooked?" Leo shrugged, "I meant like, is there anything I can do to help out in general, like preparing, or just anything really."

"Just go sit down for now," Fluttershy beams towards him, making Leo sigh. With a look of contempt, he makes his way to the living room and plops on the couch, letting out yet another dramatic sigh.

So what now?

I guess now is the perfect time to plan out training the rest of my body and integrating magic into it. I have basic exercises for the muscles and tendons. What I'm missing is something to force magic to temper the rest of my body like my ligaments and joints and bones since I can't really work out bones. At least not in a traditional way The book said something about putting stress on the body... Maybe I should use that as my thought process.

Leo slowly drifts away from reality into his thoughts, forming a blank look on his face. His vision was unfocused as he listened and influenced his inner dialogue. If anyone saw him, they would most likely think he found the floor quite interesting.

Stress would include really any time of outside influence. For example, carrying a heavy weight, some type of physical harm, heat... heat?

Leo's eyes light up with an idea.

Maybe I can use extreme temperatures for the rest of my body. It's perfect too since it'll do everything, from my bones and organs to my skin!

But where would I find something as extreme as what I want? Lava and fire are unrealistic as it'll probably kill me... What about freezing weather?

...no, I realistically can't travel far enough for that... What else is cold?

Leo sat there for a few minutes in near-dead silence, staring a hole through the floor. He would make a hum here and there but that was it. His thoughts bounced back and forth with little to no conclusion. Frustration slowly boiled its way up into Leo's mind, his patience wearing thin.

"Fuck, what else is cold?!" He slammed his fist against the bookshelf next to him, causing a book to fall. As it was falling, Leo's eyes followed it all the way down to the floor, capturing every moment.

-Thud

Leo goes back into a stupor with a sudden moment of inspiration. His eyes darted around as if looking for a particular thought hiding within the floor. Suddenly, it hit him.

Fall. Cold falling. What's cold? Water. WAIT! Aren't waterfalls used as a form of training back home?! It serves all purposes too. It can serve as resistance training, it puts stress on the skin, and the feeling of coldness seeps into all cracks of the body, leaving no part of the body behind.

A fire ignited itself within Leo's heart. He clenched his fist within the empty air as if trying to capture this momentary determination and solidify it into existence. Leo's mood reached an all-time high. Things were finally going his way!

I will become the strongest human on Earth! Maybe I can finally fix the relationship with my family and take care of them. I can do this!

-Clop

-Clop

Fluttershy appeared within the doorway to the living room from the kitchen. "What was that bang? Are you alright?" Her eyebrows were creased, capturing the worry within her heart.

Fluttershy, don't change.

Wearing a warm smile on his face, Leo couldn't hide his extreme joy. "Yeah, everything's great! Sorry for the noise. How's the fish going?"

"It's almost finished, but I wanted to make sure everything was fine. I'll call you into the kitchen in a few minutes," she comforted Leo before darting back into the kitchen to finish up the fish.

So now that I know I want a waterfall, it's just a matter of where.

Looking around, Leo's eyes finally landed on a folded-up piece of paper on the bookshelf. It was the map of Equestria. Opening it up revealed the marvelous world of ponies to Leo, listing off various cities and towns, though he couldn't read them. That wasn't what he was worried about right now though. Instead, he was scanning the landscape depicted on the map for his desired landmark. A waterfall. After a few moments, he found exactly what he was looking for. Not too far north from Ponyville was a waterfall, depicted to be under the mountain of Equestria's capital, Canterlot.

That's PERFECT!! I can even get a good run in on my way there since it's a good distance away. Guess that settles the plans for tomorrow!

Folding the map back up, Leo leaned over the couch to put it back on the bookshelf. With everything settled, Leo began to daydream of what the future might hold for him back home once he goes back with superhuman strength. Getting rich, taking care of all his needs and problems, taking care of his family, and of course, lastly, finding love. All of these dreams 
and aspirations felt just in reach with this new opportunity given to the young man. He was excited about the future.

"Leo~, the fish is ready," Fluttershy sang from the kitchen, clearly in a good mood now as well. Shaking his head from his stupor, Leo walked into the kitchen with a toothy grin. The smell of the cooked fish slithered its way into his nose, causing his eyes to flutter and his mouth let out a sigh of satisfaction. He could already taste it.

"Wow. Fluttershy, you really outdid yourself. Who knew you could cook so good!" Leo was ecstatic, the fish looked amazing. He couldn't tell what type of fish it was but it was quite a sizable portion. It was put on a white porcelain plate with a yellow-ish sauce creating a bed for the fish to sleep in, seeping its way into the meat. The meat itself was cooked to juicy perfection, taking on an opaque white color with a beautiful caramelization overtaking the surface of the once smooth fillet in the form of a flaky brown crust. On the surface of the fish was all sorts of seasoning, ranging from salt, pepper, and garlic powder which were essential for bringing out the flavor of the fish to a whole new level. Completing the look was vibrant green parsley garnishing the fish, serving as the 'cherry on top.'

"Y-yeah. I made sure to make it extra special, since I know things have been rough for you," she consoled Leo, her eyes slowly trailing from Leo's eyes to the floor.

I don't deserve this. She's just so nice!!!

Leo scratched his temple with his finger, "Thanks, Fluttershy. For everything, really." Leo paused, unable to tear his eyes away from the fish, "now, if you don't mind me, I have a date with this fish. Can't keep a lady waiting, ya know?"

Fluttershy looked at him quizzically before nodding. Without further ado, Leo took a seat and grabbed the silverware laying off to the side of the plate. He gave it an odd look, as it was exactly like a fork back home.

Why do these ponies have things that are from Earth, I just don't get it...

He shook his head, brushing aside the thought, as he had more important matters to attend to on his plate.

The fish was extremely tender to the point where all he needed was a fork to cut the flesh. As soon as the fork broke the flaky surface, juice oozed out in all directions. Wanting to try it without the sauce first, Leo immediately put a piece into his mouth. The savoriness was on a whole other level. The flavor of the fish felt like it exploded into his mouth, with a hint of lemon from the sauce he couldn't manage to get off. He was speechless with how good it was.

Next was to try the fish with the sauce, at least intentionally. Breaking off another piece with his fork, Leo dips it within the liquid gold, trying to scoop as much sauce as he can onto the soon-to-be mouthful. As soon as it touches his tongue, he's blown away. Explosions of savoriness, sourness, sweetness and salty richness cascaded onto his tongue, bathing it in sensations of bliss and excitement. "mmmm," Leo let out a hum of satisfaction as he savored the dish in his mouth.

There was also something else as well. Magic. A slight manifestation of magic lurked within the food, slowly moving from Leo's stomach to his abdomen to join with the blob that was floating within him. It was only slight, but now that Leo was much more familiar with the sensation, it was much more noticeable. Slowly as he was eating, the magic blob began to build up to a size that would've been impossible before. It was twice the size as before!

Seems I still know a thing or two about working out HAHA!! It seems working out and training really is the best method to integrate magic into the body...

Also, this begs the question. Do predators have more magic? Maybe if I eat them, I'll get more magic...

While finishing up the fish, Leo decided to tell Fluttershy his plans for tomorrow to keep her in the loop but opted not to tell her it was for training. He knew it would lead to a bunch of questions he didn't feel like answering. "Hey, tomorrow I'm gonna go north to explore and I'll probably be gone all day."

"Mmm," she paused in thought, raising her hoof to her chin. "Why not take Rainbow Dash with you? She doesn't work tomorrow and you need somepony to be with you. After all, who knows what could happen..."

Damn, she's right!

-Tsk

Leo clicked his tongue before responding with his mouth full. "A'righ', bu'," Leo swallowed his food down. "I doubt anything bad could happen here in magic fairyland of ponies, but I digress. You're probably right. I'll be going tomorrow, and I'll grab Rainbow since you said." He gave Fluttershy a thumbs up.

"O-okay, just being careful is all," She stuttered as she saw Leo shoving the whole plate down his throat, the plate almost completely overhead. His table manners were lacking at that moment, to say the least. Not to mention the fact that although she was desensitized, she still cringed a little at anything eating meat.

Satisfied, Leo patted his belly, "okay! Fluttershy, thanks for the food. It was some of the best I've had." Fluttershy blushed at the compliment. He continued, "I'm gonna go ahead and go hang out with Rainbow. I'll be back here later tonight." He started making his way out of the kitchen towards the front door.

"Have fun and be safe," she said with a shade of concern in her voice. Leo couldn't blame her since he's had multiple breakdowns ever since he's been here. He waved at her with his back turned towards her as he walked out.

As he makes his way outside, Leo gets lost in his thoughts.

Hopefully I won't have to train in front of Rainbow...or, maybe she'll want to join me? There's no telling with that girl.

Suddenly his face flushed as a stray thought hit him. His clothes would get wet while he was under the waterfall.

I'M NOT TRAINING AT THE WATERFALL WITH HER!!! She'll see me naked!

...

I'll have to shake her off somehow tomorrow.

Solidifying his plans for tomorrow, Leo made his way to where he was before when Rainbow had woke him up, as he had nowhere else to look for her.

After walking for about five minutes, Leo reached the tree he was sleeping under. Looking up, he found the candy-colored mare napping in one of the branches of the tree. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he yelled out, "HEY! WAKE UP!"

"Gah!" She cried out as she rolls off the branch. She didn't quite stick the landing, unfortunately.

THUD

Leo pursed his lips a little regretfully, "a-are you okay?" Worry filled his heart, as he knew for a fact she would seek vengeance.

"Yeah," she said groggily. "No thanks to you!" Rainbow exclaimed, flying towards him with eyes filled with rage. Her hoof landed right on the top of his head.

THONK

Leo grabbed his head with his hands, falling into a fetal position, "AHH!!!," He looked over to Rainbow, squinting his eyes menacingly, "youuuu."

Oh, it's on now!

He twisted around, putting Rainbow into a headlock with his left arm. Balling up his right fist, he went in for the kill. A noogie! Her once messy hair became even worse, tangling up in some spots. Leo was truly merciless.

"AHHHH, STOOOP! UNCLE! UNCLE!" Rainbow screeched out, her voice cracking multiple times. "PLEEAAASSSE!!"

"Well, since you asked nicely," Leo lifted his fist from her scalp but didn't release her from his headlock. He knew if he did, Rainbow would do something she would regret and the cycle would continue. "So, what are we doing today?"

"Hmmm, wanna see some of my tricks?" She asked expectantly, her eyes looking up and meeting Leo's. She was grinning ear to ear, her eyes glowing with elation.

She's like a puppy... If someone said no, they're definitely heartless.

Tearing his eyes from her puppy gaze, Leo scratched the back of his neck. "Sure, but should we go somewhere else?"

Rainbow responded immediately, "No, just sit back and enjoy the show!" As soon as she finishes speaking, she took off into the air, becoming a bright cyan speck in the sky. Behind her was a rainbow trail, making it easier to follow her as her coat matched the color of the sky. Already, she was doing loop de loops and corkscrews. 

Well, someone's sure excited.

Leo took a seat at the tree he did earlier today, crossing his arms and legs as he watched Rainbow's escapade. Watching Rainbow reminded him of home. More particularly, the air shows that were held occasionally in his area. Although he had only been to one show as a kid, it still made him reminisce on a certain sentimental moment.

He had been to the air show with his father when he was about seven, back in simpler times. His parents were divorced, so it was just him and his father living together, though he would visit his mother occasionally. He always cherished these moments together with his father alone, as Leo didn't have many memories of them alone. After all, over the years they slowly drifted apart.

His father slowly began to drown himself in his work, perhaps to escape from the reality of his past and regrets. Maybe it had something to do with his mother, or maybe even Leo himself. He had no way of knowing at the moment.

Leo loathed himself for not doing anything about the relationship when he was younger too, as all it needed was the conscious choice and minimal effort to mend. Instead, Leo drowned himself in consuming media to escape the reality of his life, caving in from the expectations of himself and others. And with his life, he drifted along and went with the flow of others' whims, seldom taking anything in his own hands. This had led to Leo's isolated lifestyle. Thankfully, Leo had overcome most of his self-loathing, although it sometimes manifested itself whenever people gave him attention when he needed to be alone, gazes especially. 

With regret written all over his darkened expression, Leo vowed to change things for the better. After all, now, everything was like a blank canvas, ready for an artist to create the most beautiful piece of work imaginable. Living in the present rather than the past is the only way to move forward to the future!

When I'm back home, I'll make things right. I swear it!

Snapping back to reality, Rainbow was still doing tricks in the sky. Leo's favorite part was the rainbow trail she left. He had no grand thoughts about it, but rather, thought it just pleasing on the eyes. The rainbow trail formed all sorts of lines in the sky, taking the form of everything from circles to spirals, to random angles and shapes. She was going extremely fast while making super tight turns and twists, surprising Leo a bit.

Doesn't that put so much force on the body? Is she okay?

Squinting, Leo tried to catch a glimpse of Rainbow's face, but she was going so fast and was far away so it was very difficult to make out. But just barely, Leo could make out a huge grin covering her face from ear to ear.

... I hope her dreams come true as well. Maybe she'll even be the best, what was it, 'Wanderbolt?' 'Wonderbolt?' mmm, Probably that one.

After about fifteen more minutes of Leo watching and listening to his internal monologue, Rainbow slowed down and then started heading back down to Leo.

"So, what'd you think?" She spoke confidently on the surface, but underneath was a shade of uncertainty carrying in her voice. Leo caught wind of it, but shook it off and paid no mind to it.

"It was amazing! I could tell you worked really hard! I can't even imagine how hard some of those stunts are to pull off." Leo grins, giving Rainbow a thumbs-up.

Yeah! uh," she pauses, averting her eyes and blushing from embarrassment, "Thanks. I am pretty awesome!" She was beaming from the compliment.

Yeah! I'm sure you'll be able to become a 'Wonderbolt' in no time. You might even become the best!" Leo looked away to look at the sky where Rainbow was flying.

Must be nice to fly...

Rainbow squealed, "Really!?" She shakes her head, snapping out of her slight derailment, "what was your favorite trick?!"

Leo put his hand up to his chin, "if I had to say, I didn't really have a favorite trick. My favorite part was the rainbow trail you left while flying."

Rainbow averts her eyes again, "thanks." She looks back to Leo, "I'm gonna go ahead and call it in for today. Work wore me out today." She begins to hover towards the sky, slowly moving away from Leo.

"Alright," Leo responded but realized he forgot something, "Hey!" He called out to which Rainbow perked up in attention. "I'm gonna go up north to explore a bit tomorrow. Fluttershy thought I should bring you along tomorrow since you're free. Wanna come?"

"Sure!" She yelled out from a distance.

"Alright, meet me at Rarity's boutique tomorrow morning. I'm gonna grab some clothes and then we can head straight out of Ponyville." Leo laid out all of his plans to Rainbow.

"Okay, I'll see you then!" She exclaimed before flying up into the ever-expansive sky, leaving behind the rainbow trail. Before Leo knew it, Rainbow was just a speck in the sky.

Why the hurry?

Shrugging it off, Leo decided to call in the long day, heading back to Fluttershy's cottage without delay. His thoughts were relatively empty, only really thinking about the airshow he got from Rainbow. He liked it, but couldn't help but question some things.

How much g-force is her body experiencing when she flies that fast? How does she even keep her eyes open?

Before he knew it, Leo was right in front of Fluttershy's cottage. The sky above was painted a bright and surreal orange, with the sun barely peeking over the horizon. Crickets and cicadas buzzed throughout the trees as the birds were nowhere in sight. A light breeze brushed through the trees, creating a blanket of white noise with the leaves. The more Leo saw of this world, the more he liked it. It was very dream-like like everything was perfect. At least from the surface of the world that he had seen.

Leo walked up to the door and knocked, waiting for a certain butter-colored pegasus to answer. Leo tapped his foot to the ground and hummed a tune in boredom.

With a creak, the door revealed the meek mare, hiding behind her mane. As soon as she saw it was Leo though, her expression brightened immensely with her shyness melting off completely. 

"Welcome back," she greeted Leo with a small smile. She stepped aside and held her hoof up towards the inside, gesturing for him to come in.

Waving, Leo walked in, "I'm gonna turn in for the night." He started making his way towards the couch. "Tomorrow I'm gonna go to Rarity's and then after I'll go north with Rainbow. I'm not sure when I'll be back, but I just wanted to let you know."

"Okay, thanks for letting me know," She paused in the thought of what to say. "I think I'll go to sleep for today as well. Goodnight."

"Goodnight," Leo responded, making his way to the cozy couch. Meanwhile, Fluttershy went up the staircase on the left side of the room, leading up to her bedroom.

On the couch were the same blankets Leo used last night, remaining untouched in the same position as he had left them this morning. He stands directly in front of the couch before completely flopping face-first into it. After a moment, he rolled over and got into a comfortable position, and began to drift off into his thoughts.

So much has happened today...

I saw Fluttershy's bird choir, I got clothes to be made for me. I learned a lot about magic, and a little about the fox, even though I had a panic attack. After that, I worked out and then hung out with Rainbow. Hopefully, things will calm down soon. If not, I'll just have to wait to get back home to truly relax I guess.

I'll just have to worry about everything as they come. Although it's stressful, it definitely keeps everything interesting. I would've never imagined I'd be put into an unknown world full of magic and talking creatures. Maybe I could write a book about it when I'm home.

Different ideas of what he could do with this opportunity of being brought to Equis played through his head. Becoming the strongest man, writing a book, making music about Equis. The possibilities were endless. However, Leo's energy wasn't, as he quickly began to drift off before going into a deep slumber.

-Snore