Guardian Angel
Chapter 3: Getting Down to Business
Rainbow quickly flew into her home, foregoing the front door for a conveniently open window. She made her way through the living room into the hallway. Sparing a quick glance at her bedroom, she opened the door across from her with a hoof.
Nudging it fully open, she stepped into her “studio”. Thick absorbent cloud walls were the main feature of the room. After all Rainbow didn't want to disperse her house from one of her jam sessions. Several posters dotted the walls, AM/DM, Maretallica and few other pony rock groups. Rainbows musical interests accompanied a lot of different genres, though with a preference for guitar play that energized her. Occasionally she enjoyed a slower song or two.
Setting the amp down, she slid the guitar case off her back. Giving her wings a flutter to straighten out any feathers that the strap may have ruffled she turned to her task.
Her hoofs knocking the latches open she pulled out the guitar. Some ponies wondered how she played with her hooves. The secret was magic. Every pony had some form of magic within.
Unicorns had the easiest time as they could focus and channel magic with their horns.
Earth ponies had a sensitive connection with the earth and nature, though Fluttershy seemed to have some of this ability as well.
Pegasus magic was focused through the hooves and wings, it's what allowed them to fly, manipulate the clouds and create weather phenomenons, such as storms.
Lifting the guitar Rainbow took a good look at the strings, her sharp flier’s eyes scanning for imperfections on the strings. The smallest leak could break the enchantments on the strings.
The strings were magically bonded with cloud particles. Through a complex enchantment process, traces of clouds were magically fused with the strings. Since the strings were partially made of clouds now, a pegasus could move and apply pressure to the strings. The string material provided the vibrations, and the cloud matter allowed more precision to be applied. The hoof still needed to be in the general area, as proximity, along with focus was needed.
It took Rainbow a long time to learn how to focus on such a small amount of cloud matter. Hours were spent in lessons, her mother was the one who taught Rainbow to play. In the end it was worth it. Not many pegasi could do this, the focus required was usually too much for the average pegasus, it was a good thing Rainbow was anything but average.
Pleased that the strings were in good condition, Rainbow placed the guitar onto it's stand. Next to it stood another guitar, this one an acoustic version. It was a gift from her mother, and one of the most important objects in Rainbow Dash's life. With a smile she turned away and placed the case near the wall. Walking briskly she pulled a small thunderhead from a cabinet and hooked the amp into it.
The amp was another magical phenomenon, it was powered by magical energy. Using a complex converter it changed raw electrical energy from the lightning in the cloud to magical energy which was stored in a cell in the amp.
Of course Rainbow only knew the basics of the enchantments on the two devices. She left the technical stuff to eggheads like Twilight and surprisingly, Lyra.
Lyra was the pony to go to for musical needs in Ponyville. She ran a small shop, offering some basic instruments and parts. Her specialty though was enchanted strings, being friends with some Unicorns that worked in the enchanting industry, she often could get specialty strings brought in. They were expensive, but totally worth it.
Leaving the room, Rainbow walked into the kitchen and made herself a daisy sandwich. She had not eaten yet, Twilight's troubles and her own thoughts keeping her distracted. She had left mid-morning and now she was starving.
Wolfing down her meal, she placed the dish in the sink, amongst others. She wasn't the most organized or neat mare. There was always time to do it later.
She put out some food for Tank, and placed his bowl near his mat. He was a quirky Tortoise, he reminded Rainbow of herself, or at least when she was sleeping.
Satisfied that he'd find his breakfast, Rainbow Dash took off through a window and made her way to Ponyville.
Twilight wandered through the Ponyville market, looking for a particular store. Spotting it she made her way inside.
A bell rung as the door nudged it, catching the shopkeeper's attention. A cheerful hello rung out from a back room. Out stepped a beige earth pony. His mane an inky blue, he was Feather Quill, the local sales-pony for writing implements.
Twilight gave a polite nod and made her way over to the ink pots. She had needed a new one, as her current ones were nearing empty. Grabbing one she made her way over to the pony.
“Is that all miss Twilight?” He asked with a simple smile. Twilight was one of his best customers, buying writing supplies almost weekly. She was also very good for some friendly chatter on the arcane arts.
A short clipped “Yes.” was all Twilight could currently muster. Her thoughts were elsewhere, though she kept enough focus to not run into anything or anypony.
“That will be 3 bits.”
Fishing out the required amount with her magic she deposited the bits on the counter. Feather slid the bits into a small pouch on his apron, and passed the bottle over to Twilight.
Uttering a genuine thank you, Twilight placed the bottle into her saddlebag with her magic. She waved and said goodbye before moving back outside.
Twilight visited a few more stores and stalls, merely browsing the various wares on display.
The sun was now past it's highest point, the afternoon had comfortably settled in. Saying hello to a few ponies along the way she made her way towards Ponyville's western border, towards Horseshoe Valley.
It was a peculiar rock formation, named for it's distinct shape being that of a horseshoe. The center was a clearing, a few trees growing in a rather clear grassy knoll. Rainbow Dash had shown it to her during the first few months in Ponyville, after the Nightmare Moon incident. It was a tranquil place, a small stream cut through the center, further going through the town itself.
Arriving at her destination a few minutes later, she opened her saddlebags and pulled out a blanket. Setting it down she pulled the rest of her writing supplies and papers. Twilight was still Twilight so everything was neatly organized and set out. Levitating a small rock over, she placed it down on the papers to prevent them from being blown away.
Satisfied the breeze wouldn't scatter her papers, Twilight leaned back and relaxed. A small oak tree gave her some much needed shade. Eyes fluttered closed and Twilight cleared her mind. She took a few deep breaths and released them.
The change of scenery was nice, it helped Twilight think. Picking up the quill Twilight levitated a paper over and began to write.
Dear Princess Celestia...