//------------------------------// // Learning from an expert // Story: Blooming Days // by Hoofprintz //------------------------------// Arriving fifteen minutes early was my m.o. for any type of meeting or get together I was expected to take part in. Punctuality was a very important aspect of creating a good rapport with others, particularly in a burgeoning relationship, or so I'd been lead to believe by one of the numerous books I'd read on the subject. As such, I had every intention of being extremely early for the first training session the three of us had scheduled. I'd already eaten a proper breakfast, a nice little plate prepared by chef Cacy herself. That mare worked round the clock, mostly preparing the princesses dishes, but also setting time aside for me and Sunset if we ever requested something. It had been a perfect meal, one that put me in a good state of mind for the long day ahead. It was always a little taxing when I trotted into the laboratory that Princess Celestia and my mistress had allowed Sunset and I to use. We'd been provided all the items we could ever need to perform any experiments we could possibly imagine. Typically, when I was in this place though, I made sure to test my... less destructive spells. Those were reserved for the forest. I wasn't about to put myself in a situation where I had to explain to Her Highness that I'd accidently blown up an expensive this or ruined a precious that. With that in mind, along with the fact that Sunset frequently occupied it as well, I tended to avoid our lab for the most part. I'd only decided to try and help Sunset yesterday because she'd pretty much asked me to. That turned out well. Very well It was getting louder. I couldn't let the fear get to me or it would drive me crawling back to my room... back to total isolation. I ignored it, instead pulling Wuthering Heights out of my saddlebags and taking a seat at one of the many large tables that peppered the room. Knowing Sunset, she'd get to the lab around an hour or so late, especially since we'd agreed to meet at such an early time in the day. She wasn't exactly a morning pony, so I had no idea why the golden mare had agreed to such an ungodly hour... well, ungodly for her, at least. Whatever the case, it mattered little. Even if we had decided to meet at a time later on in the day, I was certain she'd still find a way to be late. That was her typical m.o. I still wasn't certain if she did it on purpose or by some cruel twist of fate her life was just that hectic. Starlight Glimmer, on the other hoof, was a complete mystery. I had no idea when she'd decide to show up, but I'd definitely take into account what time she did. It was because of her that we were getting together today, after all. With the way she had run her town, she was probably a stickler for precision. That was the type of mentality I could get behind... as long as she didn't try to enslave any creatures. Glancing up at the clock hanging on the wall let me know I was half an hour early, not a bad arrival time. I could probably finish my book before the others got here, if I focused and didn't let my mind wander. Twiiiily... Twiiiily... A few minutes into reading and I was already interrupted by the hissing of the demon. I expected it would be more bold when I was alone, so it's presence didn't catch me off guard. Still, I refused to reply to it's beckoning. Soooo aloooone. Soooo foooolish. It felt as if the room had grown darker, the windows letting in Princess Celestia's sunlight now seemingly covered by a veil. The air had become freezing cold as well, my own breath visible to the naked eye. The dark was an ally, not an enemy, but this all consuming atmosphere... this darkness... was evil. All you can do is fling senseless taunts and petty insults, monster. Do your worst. I tried to remain calm even though I could already feel my heart beginning to hammer in my chest. Despite my escalating pulse, I had to be strong. I couldn't give it the sick satisfaction it sought. Doing so would only strengthen it and make things a whole lot worse for me. Is that what you think, Twiiiily? I could feel it's acrid breath on the back of my neck. It was warm in comparison to the environment and made my skin crawl. "I can't wait until I make you mine." It"s husky voice wasn't just within my head anymore. It whispered directly into my ear. It was in the lab with me... I was standing in an instant, the chair I was just sitting on tossed to the floor as my horn burned with magenta light. I whirled around to confront the demon only to come face to face with a panicked lilac mare. "S-SORRY! Sorry! It was a joke. Just a joke, I swear!" Starlight had her hooves held in front of herself as she backed away, bracing for an imminent attack. Her horn wasn't even powered as she looked at me with genuine fear in her eyes. The sudden cacophonous laughter of the demon nearly split my head in two. "Starlight!?" I gaped at the unicorn, a wince coming to my face. The lighting in the room had returned to normal along with the temperature heating back up to a comfy level. Once I realized I wasn't in danger anymore, I let out the terrified breath I was holding in. "Thank goodness," I whispered to myself. The lilac mare walked toward me cautiously, a look of concern or maybe confusion on her face. "Are you... okay, Twilight?" She drew nearer to me, but not so close that she could be touched. "What's going on?" How could I even answer that question? 'Well, you see, Starlight, there's this ancient demonic being that's trying to possess me. Sorry, you walked in on it making a move, but everything is fine now.' Ugh, that doesn't sound crazy at all. "It's nothing," I tried my hardest to smile, but the look she gave me assured she wasn't buying it at all. "I'm fine, Starlight," I looked up at the clock. She was right on time, not a second late. She continued to stare at me, her eyes flicking this way and that along my body. It was a little embarrassing and made me want to cover myself up with a blanket. "Twilight..." she finally spoke, her eyes still locked on mine. "I'm not going to force you to tell me anything, but..." she got closer. "Any creature with half a brain can see something is bothering you." "I..." my head fell. Was it that obvious? I must've looked frightful. Friends confided in one another, didn't they? Was Starlight a friend? Could it have happened so fast? With a mare so... horrible? How could I possibly be sure? Trust was a part of friendship too. Could I trust her? "Starlight, I-" She lifted a hoof to stop me. "Look, I can tell by your reaction whatever's going on is serious, and I'm not exactly a pillar of virtue for you to look to for answers, so..." she lifted my head with a hoof. "I'll help you the only way I know how," she smiled sympathetically. "Starlight..." I closed my eyes, nuzzling gently into her hoof. I don't know why I'd done something like that. Maybe it was because she was the only one around and I was still so scared. Maybe it was because she was being kind to me and she didn't have to be. Maybe I'd finally lost my mind and I just didn't care anymore. "Thank you," I whispered. "Hey, what are friends for?" she didn't pull away or poke fun at my suddenly vulnerable state. I looked up at her, her hoof still cupping my cheek. Staring into her kind eyes made my heart race for a very different reason than a few minutes ago. Twilight... what are you doing? "S-sorry!" With glowing maroon cheeks, I pulled away from her touch. The amused grin that came to her lips wasn't one of condescension or ridicule, but more genuine pleasure. "Don't worry about it," she turned to face the door. "We just gotta wait for Sunny to get here an-" "Sunset probably won't be joining us for awhile," I drew her attention. "She tends to get places very-" "Late?" she asked. "Yeah," I cocked my head to the side. "How'd you know?" "Intuition?" she shrugged. "She just strikes me as a very... carefree pony, y'know?" "That's Sunset to a T," I nodded reluctantly. "She'll more than likely be here in about an hour." "Perfect!" Starlight looked conniving all of a sudden, as if she'd planned for this exact scenario. Her sudden change in demeanor sent a chill down my spine. "I know exactly what we can do until she arrives..." ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Whaaaat's going on?" Sunset trotted into the lab more than an hour late. At least, it felt like it had been more than an hour, though I couldn't be certain. All of my concentration was on my task so I hadn't really kept proper track of time. Starlight is torturing me, PLEASE HELP! I had already crossed the threshold of exhaustion right into near death, the lilac mare's strange training method something I'd never attempted before. I tended to blow things up, I didn't do stuff like this. I had to keep my focus on the bowl in my telekinesis field or it would immediately fall to pieces. "You okay, Twilight?" Sunset asked. "I'm just peachy, Sunset," I growled through clenched teeth. "You're still hunching over!" Starlight grunted as she shoved her hoof into my lower back, drawing a gasp and an irritated glare from me. That's right, I'd forgotten. Starlight was behind me, helping me with my posture as I stood on shaking hind legs. She was directly behind me. Way too close behind me. So close, I was slightly... I was very distracted by her touch. She smelled, ironically enough, like the sweetest lilacs. She was making my task much harder than it should've been, but I couldn't complain. It was too... Intoxicating. "I'm TRYING!" I snapped at the unicorn as I poured a whole lot more mana into my horn. If I hadn't done so, my sudden lapse in concentration would've caused me to mess up. I had to be as angry as possible right now or risk giving off the air of giddiness I was experiencing from Starlight's proximity. "Do you know how hard it is to keep the stupid tea, away from the stupid napkin, while standing like a stupid idiot? WE'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR OVER AN HOUR!" I turned back to the object, sweat pouring down my face from more than just the physical effort it was taking to hold my spell together. "And you're making fantastic progress, Sparkles," she said soothingly as she wrapped her forelegs around my waist. It was either her sudden use of a nickname or the embrace, but keeping my composure became impossible. "H-how am I supposed to c-concentrate when you're hanging all o-over me, Starlight?" I felt like I was about to have a heart attack any moment. "What's wrong, Sparkles?" she was smiling, I could tell. If this was all just another game I was gonna strangle her. "Can't handle a beautiful mare giving you her attention?" Concentrate, Twilight! Just... concentrate! "I didn't even know you swung that way," she whispered into my ear, driving me crazy in more ways than one as her hot breath tickled me. "I- wh- I nev-" I could no longer think straight. Concerntrate! Concintrake... Cunci- "What's that?" Starlight was suddenly off me, pulled away by Sunset. Oh thank the Sisters! Without Starlight's... attention, holding the spell together was a whole lot easier. Not easy, by any means, but easier. Thank you, Sunset. "So this," Starlight took the bowl into her telekinesis. "Is a little something I whipped up to help out our dear Twilight." My front hooves fell forward onto the ground, my natural stance so much more comfortable than what Starlight had been making me do. "What does it do?" Sunset asked as I was finally allowed to catch my breath. "It's not what it does, it's what you have to do with it." Starlight said cryptically as she showed the golden mare the bowl and it's contents more closely. "Get it?" "I think so. Is that tea?" Sunset asked. "Yes," Starlight smiled that all too devious smile again. "So, what you're supposed to do is keep the tea away from the napkin, right?" "That's correct! Do ya wanna try?" Starlight looked like she was about to have way more fun than should be legal. "Sure." To her credit, Sunset was never one to back down from a challenge, no matter how difficult. "Okay. To start, I'll hold the bowl, you just keep the tea on the perimeter," Starlight held the bowl in her spell. "Okay!" Sunset completed the first, and easiest step, with no issues. "Starlight, this is really-" "Easy, I know. So now it's gonna get a little bit harder," Starlight's smile widened. "Now, hold the bowl as well." "Right!" As soon as Sunset had full control of the bowl it promptly fell apart. "It's harder than before, huh?" I remarked, trying my hardest not to sound snarky. It had been hard for me on my first attempt too. Starlight reconstructed the bowl and filled it with another napkin and more tea. "So you have to hold the bowl together too..." Sunset was already analyzing her failure and trying to figure out a way to circumvent her folly. "Wanna try again?" Starlight was indeed enjoying this way too much. Sunset nodded, her determination not faltering at all. As she took the bowl back it was easy to see the strain on her, but she persisted, holding it all together. It was impressive... for a slacker. "You're doing great, Sunset!" I cheered her on. Starlight quickly pulled the bowl away with her spell, obviously wanting to move to the final part of the test. "That was good, Sunny, but now you have to try the real deal." Starlight flicked her hoof at Sunset. "Uhm, what?" The golden mare was thoroughly confused by the poorly explained instructions. "Hind legs only," Starlight clarified. "Oh! Right." Sunset stood up onto her back legs, immediately looking like she was going to stumble and collapse. "It's a lot harder than it looks," I didn't want to discourage her, but at this rate she was going to hurt herself. It really was difficult to do everything Starlight was asking simultaneously. Sunset grabbed a table to steady herself and was able to stand under her own power for a second before... "Okay I'm-" she fell forward onto her forehooves. "Ready," The look of disappointment that crossed her features stirred an unknown feeling inside of me. "I... can't do it." "It's really hard, Sunset," I offered her a hoof of sympathy and a smile. "Being able to admit what you can and can't do is admirable." She was stunned by my gesture, but still managed to give me a weak smile. "Besides, It'll just take you some practice, yeah?" "Thanks, Twilight," she wiped a tear from her eye. It felt nice to cheer her up, if even just a little. Maybe there really was something to this friendship stuff. "This was specially catered to push Twilight anyway," Starlight placed the items back on the table. "I'll cook something up for you too, Sunny. Don't worry about it." "Thanks, Starlight." It was easy to see Sunset was still bothered by her lack of ability, but there wasn't much more we could do for her, other than to try and motivate her. Whatever the case, it's not like Starlight's specialized training had done much for me either. "Lot of good it did me," I shrugged. So now I could hold together some random objects with my telekinesis, big whoop. "Im not even sure I managed to accomplish anything," I said under my breath. It really had felt like I'd just wasted my time. The explosion of laughter that came from Starlight made me jump before I exchanged a look of confusion with Sunset. "What's so funny?" Sunset asked what we were both thinking. Starlight simply filled a cup with water and brought it over to us. "I'm surprised you didn't put two and two together, Sparkles," She held the cup in front of me. "Go ahead, Twilight." Sunset was still just as confused as I was. "Go ahead and what?" I asked. I was forced to push the cup away as Starlight began to poke me in the face with it. "WOULD YOU QUIT IT!?" I could not believe how good she was at grating on my nerves. "Don't you remember what you were doing yesterday?" Starlight's smug smile was growing larger. "Try doing it now." I looked at Sunset to get her thoughts. "Why not? It couldn't hurt," she shrugged. "Fine." I drew a minimal amount of water from the cup and coated my body with it, making sure it's density was potent enough to protect me from most threatening spells. NO FLIPPING WAY!? It was completely different now. There was absolutely no strain on my mana whatsoever. It almost felt like I wasn't casting a spell at all. I could move! If I really tried I could probably cast a different spell while maintaining the barrier I was currently utilizing. "Easier, huh?" Starlight chuckled. "I can..." I trotted around the room, the movement so simple I almost started prancing in delight. "Starlight... I can move!" I giggled like a little school filly. "It'll get even easier as you practice more diff-" I couldn't help it. I jumped on the lilac mare, wrapping my forelegs around her neck, laughing all the while. "Thank you, Starlight! I can't believe it!" I closed my eyes as I nuzzled deeper into her. "It was so much harder yesterday!" "Sure thing, Sparkles. It's-" she gave me a gentle hug back. A simple embrace couldn't express all of the gratitude I had for the mare. She'd helped me improve so quickly, a feat I could not even hope to attain just one day prior now comfortably in my grasp. She's so strong... The wonderful scent of lilac filled my nostrils, as if I was standing in a field of flowers. Why was this so... comfortable? Why did I feel so... safe? I couldn't answer these questions, but I knew one thing for sure. It felt good. "S-Sunset?" Starlight's voice broke me out of my euphoric moment. Was something wrong? I looked at the golden mare to find a truly devastated looking pony. What happened? Had I missed something? Fool... "Sun-" I tried to call out to her, but she wasn't having it. "I gotta use the restroom. I'll be right-" she blurted out as she ran from the lab.