//------------------------------// // Chapter 5: A Glimmering Steed // Story: Starlight Glimmer's First Student: A "Human"?! // by Clockwork2003 //------------------------------// A unicorn…I am actually riding on a unicorn! I mean, I did it already when I got to Equestria, but I wasn’t really paying attention to my surroundings. Now…not only am I riding on a unicorn, but I am getting the impression that she likes being ridden! I don’t think it’s that weird. I know people who have seen or done much weirder things. Besides, I’ve always wanted a horse; but a talking unicorn wasn’t initially in the cards. We’re riding at a moderate clip, going through this forest at a speed that I wouldn’t be able to reach if I was on my own.  I feel the thumping of my teachers' hooves against the trodden ground. She's galloping at a steady clip, and I feel her heartbeat underneath my seat. Maybe it’s the magic that she infused into my body, but I swear that I can sort of hear my teacher’s thoughts. She’s thinking a lot about…cuddling? Eh, I am not a cuddle person, but I am in the mood to crash the party in Ponyville! Imagine the look on everypony’s muzzles when I show up, riding one of their neighbors?! I mean, it’s not like I wanted to or anything, but Starlight literally cast a spell gluing me to her body after she saved me! “Yeah, of course, I did. I don’t want my student getting hurt!” Starlight interrupts my train of thought. I guess this mind-reading thing is reciprocal? I’ve seen worse! “Speaking of getting hurt, I get the impression my faithful student is enjoying the ride almost as much as his teacher is enjoying carrying him. Am I right?” She asks, rhetorically. “Well…I didn’t ask to ride on you, you just saved me and turned this into something else, but yeah. This is nice!” I reply, as Starlight comes to a steady halt, taking a moment to catch her breath. I feel her muscles relaxing, and I take a minute to look around at my surroundings. I don’t see the manticore that was chasing us just a few minutes ago, and we’re still neck deep in forest! “Hey, Noah, do you want water? If you open my saddlebag, which is next to your left leg, there’s a water bottle in there! We can share! I don’t think ponies can transfer germs to humans. We’re very hygienic!” As long as I get to drink from the bottle first. Besides, I’m parched! Letting go of the bridle, I carefully reach over to my left side and open the faux-leather saddlebag. Starlight uses magic to aid in my search, by making sure I don’t fall off her body! After a few minutes of wanton rummaging, I finally found a canteen of water! Carefully scooping it up with my hands, I sit up properly. Opening the canteen, it makes a pop sound when the seal is broken. Making sure to be hygienic, I don’t put my lips on the canteen and I let the water flow freely from the canteen into my mouth. It’s ice-cold and refreshing! “Alright. Do you want the canteen now?” I ask Starlight, who replies by enveloping the medium-sized canteen with her magical grasp and levitating it towards her. She drinks a fair amount of water, and then seals the canteen and replaces it in her saddlebag. “Do you mind closing the bag before we continue?” Starlight asks me. I don’t even need to reply since I am already bending over closing the bag. I don’t want anything to fall out while we’re on our way home! “So…remind me how to get started again?” Starlight asks me rhetorically. She knows what I have to do, but she’s relishing the moment of spending time with me. Being extremely careful not to hurt her, I firmly squeeze my legs into her sides and flick the bridle. Starlight must learn quickly because she’s off! Rather quickly at that! “Any idea how fast we’re going, Starlight?” I ask her, as her horn lights up, showing a rather crude speedometer. It reads 30 mph (or 48,28 kilometers per hour). I remember watching the Kentucky Derby back home, and this is a rather average pace for a thoroughbred horse. And if Starlight’s telling the truth that she’s not that active, imagine how much faster she could run! It’s like all of these ponies are super-equines! “Thirty miles an hour, I’d posit. Not bad for a 19-year-old mare, huh?” She giggles at the thought, enjoying making her student’s travels a bit easier. “Not bad at all!” I say, patting Starlight’s neck with tender affection.  “You know…We’re both doing things that we’d never thought of doing before, Noah. I am…well…allowing a creature to use me for transport, and you…we’ll, you're riding a talking unicorn! I’d wager that plenty of humans would want to do that at least once in their life! Besides, if these were different circumstances, my leftist urges would tell me that this is pony exploitation! You said that “horses” do this on your planet, right?” Starlight asks me as we continue galloping through the Everfree. I can almost see Ponyville through the treeline, so I guess we’re getting closer. “Yeah, actually. Horses have been domesticated for some…six thousand years, Starlight. It’s crazy if you think about it!” I reply, to which Starlight shudders. “But these horses can’t talk! They can’t consent to be used like that. At least when we’re doing it…I say it’s okay and you’re not hurting me. Heck…you're actually comfortable! I might actually write in my final report that all ponies who participate in the Human Friendship Exchange Program allow humans to mount them! You…you relax my nerves. I mean, wearing a saddlebag does that too, to some extent, but…my muscles are tense all the time!” Starlight says, just as she comes to a rather abrupt stop, raising her front hooves in the air to try and make sure I don’t fall off. Now, what is in front of us that could possibly be obstructing our path forward? It was a tree. I think it’s a sycamore tree, but whatever kind of tree it is, it’s fallen over, and it’s blocking our path. “Starlight, I have a question. Can you jump?” I ask my lilac mount, who nods that she can. Backing up, she looks at me and smiles. “Hold onto that bridle, Noah. We’re going airborne!” She giggles, beginning to speed up again, trying to gain momentum to jump over the tree trunk like a horse in the Olympics! She contracts her hind legs and springs skyward, only to be just out of reach! To prevent herself from crashing into the tree trunk, she uses a spell to teleport the two of us back on solid ground. Cross that she couldn’t breach the tree trunk, she stomps her hoof in frustration. “We were so close, Noah! I thought having a…”rider”...would make it easier. I could usually make a jump like this!” Starlight says, pouting. I embrace Starlight’s neck, trying to reassure her that everything will be okay. “Hey…I have an idea. Can you try deactivating that glue spell so I can stretch my legs for a bit? I am a head shorter than you, so maybe I can see if I can manually move the tree trunk?” I ask Starlight, who sighs and lights up her horn. My legs leave go from her barrel, and I try moving a foot out of one of Starlight’s stirrups. “You can climb down now, Noah, although I don’t know why you’d want to!” She chortles, as I slowly and carefully move my left leg over Starlight’s back and carefully dismount from her right side. Getting off of Starlight, I’d guess she’s six feet at the withers, so a bit more than six feet! Since I am 5’9, my range of view is smaller, but I can crouch down! Slowly walking towards the tree trunk, I look around to see if there is anywhere that hands (or hooves) could be placed to leverage the trunk out of the way. And then it hit me: I know magic now! And Starlight knows magic, too! What if we used our abilities to move the tree trunk out of harm’s way, and then continue making our way back home? “A brilliant idea, Noah!” Starlight says, obviously peeking into my mind’s eye. She ignites her horn, and the tree trunk becomes enveloped in lilac magic. I see my new friend/steed struggling to move the trunk with her magic, and she even begins to perspire! Letting go of the weak part of the trunk, I return to Starlight and try to determine what our next course of action should be. “So, what do you think we should do, Starlight? Do I hop on and we find another way out?” I ask my friend with trepidation, who shrugs her front hooves. “I am not sure, Noah. I think this is the only pathway out from where we are. If I were you, I’d try helping me with levitating the tree trunk! If you were able to lift the book, then maybe if we work together, we can lift the trunk!” Starlight says, using magic to begin her second attempt at lifting the tree trunk. Standing next to my friend, I take a deep breath and look at the forest that surrounds me. Moving my toes up and down, I make an attempt to gauge the magic that surrounds me. Lifting my hands, I focus all of my mental energy on lifting the darn tree trunk! Progress since last time! My hands already lit up, cyan blue at that, but still, the tree trunk won’t budge! “Noah…This is a perfect chance to fulfill Friendship Lesson #2. You have to trust yourself, too! It’s not just trusting me with carrying you and being your friend; it’s not me trusting you for being a good “rider” and roommate. We also have to trust ourselves to break our own limitations!” Starlight exclaims with determination! Trust in ourselves! Easier said than done. I have a lot of trust issues, and most of them are with my own insecurities, rather than with my relationships with others. I can trust myself. Who am I to not trust myself if a lilac unicorn who literally wants me to ride on her back tells me that I can do it. Just count to three! One… Two… Three! My magic finally connects with Starlight’s, and the tree trunk slowly moves upward. My body is being physically strained to its absolute limits, but working with my friend, we’re able to keep the tree trunk aloft! “N…Noah! Try moving…the tree trunk…over to your left!” Starlight grunts out, slowly moving the tree trunk to a barren patch of forest that is to our left. I try and visualize the tree trunk being in that spot, and with enough time, our combined magical abilities move the tree trunk directly above the empty space. “On…the count of three…deactivate your magic, and let the tree trunk…fall to the ground!” Starlight says, clearly beginning to buckle under the weight of the trunk. Weird…it must be over Starlight’s 400kg limit! “One… Two… Three!” We both deactivate our telekinesis at the exact same time, and the tree trunk makes a rather loud thud in the Everfree Forest. The impact’s noise scared off many birds which were perched amongst the trees. Starlight starts to laugh, and I begin to laugh in turn! “You’re some mage, Noah! I have to say I am rather impressed!” Starlight compliments with glee. “Now…somepony, er, someone has a very important mare to sit on, and the duty to guide her home!” Starlight says, clearing her throat. Yeah yeah, I can take a hint. Starlight turns around so I have space to climb aboard, and with more ease this time than the other two, I make my way astride the unicorn mare, comfortably sitting atop her. “I have a silly question for you, Noah. Am I comfy? I don’t think I’ve ever wanted to know that about myself, but since you will be traveling atop me from now on for your own good, I need to know if I am adequate for your comfort and wellbeing!” Starlight says, using her magic to place the reins of the bridle in my hands. “Yeah…like a pillow, actually. Ready to make our way home?” I ask Starlight before we continue. She made an excellent point about consent! If I am to ride a unicorn, I must ask her permission first! “Sure…my knight in a waffle shirt and sweatpants!” Starlight playfully replies. With much eager enthusiasm, Starlight uses her magic to force my legs to stimulate her sides, immediately triggering her body to enter a brisk gallop! “You…are…going…to…ride…me…every…single…day!” Starlight must really be enjoying the company! I just hope that this doesn’t interfere too much with our Friendship lessons! After another ten minutes of easy riding, we finally arrived at the frontier of Ponyville! “I am going to do something silly. If I were you I’d do that thing that made me jump earlier!” Starlight says, turning her head over to me with a stupid grin. “And what would that be?” I ask, curious about my friend’s trickster thought process. “We’re jumping over the fountain. Some ponies do that to show their agility. And, well, I feel more agile than ever!” Starlight says, making a run for the fountain at the center of town. If she’s going to make a run for it, I better listen to my friend. I pull the reins on the bridle upwards, gently guiding Starlight to jump. With clockwork precision, at the corner of the fountain, she leaps over it, as a few ponies take a peek at the bizarre sight in front of them. Starlight Glimmer, a mare who was Twilight Sparkle’s personal student, jumps over the fountain, with a human on her back! She lands with a firm thud on all four hooves, and slows down, panting with a smile. “I knew I could jump over the fountain. Rainbow Dash owes me fifty bits!” She says, using her magic to gently lift me off her, placing me on the floor. Well…Not only do I have a friend, who I think has a crush on me, but I have a free ride in Equestria; and one who enjoys spending time with me. Next stop: Trixie’s magic show!