Chapter 3: Journey’s Beginning
~~~Somewhere in the wilds of Equestria, Mid Morning~~~
Twilight glanced down at the scroll she’d pulled out from under her wing, it’d been sent to her the night before…though how she’d found it had been a bit strange…even for her. “What could it mean?” she muttered toying with the roll of parchment as she sat on a cloud just big enough for her alone the group having settled down for lunch, Applejack and Pinkie were down below working on their meal.
Glancing up and around a bit to ensure nopony else was around she let her horn glow faintly starting to unravel the scroll as a small silvery gold ring dropped out as she frowned catching it with her magic absently before it fell through the cloud “Huh…whats this thing?” she muttered examining it, the ring was a swirl of gold and silver all through the material it was about two inches in diameter and as she looked over it engraved on the inside she saw a minute sun, a crescent moon, and a small heart as she blinked. “Now I’m really curious”
Looking at the scroll she glanced over the unfamiliar writing;
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
I’m sorry this took so long, I had to track this little ring down and ensure its enchantments hadn’t weakened since Cadence had used it.
Simply put it’s a focus ring for your magic, it won’t limit your power but it will make it easier for you to focus it in stressful situations, for example when you’re angry or upset. Its not perfect but till you gain some experience of your own it’s the next best thing.
I speak from personal experience as this ring saved me many a trouble with my magic before my exile, especially when Tia and I would argue and one of us left upset. Cadence had less need of it till she met you’re brother, then she needed it in order to reign her magic in from how happy she was.
I hope it serves you well Twilight, do not fear breaking it, its I daresay more immortal than even Discord is.
You’re Friend,
Princess Luna
She blinked and looked over the letter again smiling slightly “well…this will come in handy…hopefully I can use it to keep from blowing anymore ceilings up” she muttered lowering her head as she started to slide the ring over her horn as she shivered as it slipped into place. Sending a strange tingle down her spine, a simultaneous rush of heat and coolness as she shivered wings fluffing out slightly before they calmed down.
“that…was strange” she muttered rolling the letter up and slipping it away again.
“What was strange?” a voice asked from behind the violet mare making Twilight jump about ten feet straight up in a second wings flapping.
“WAAAAUUUGGH!!!” she yelped glancing down eyes narrowing “Rainbow! What the hay were you doing? Trying to scare a couple centuries off me? Cause I think you managed.”
The Pegasus in question grinned lounging on the cloud “Hahahaha I couldn’t help it Twilight sorry…but….”
“But what?” Twilight asked slowly fluttering lower.
“But…what was so interesting?” Rainbow Dash shot back hooves behind her head.
Twilight frowned slightly “nothing, just a note from my parents, wishing us luck and all” she replied simply “Is that all?”
“Huh? Oh why I came up here, lunch is ready lets go before Pinkie and Spike eat it all.” She replied hopping up and diving towards the camp below.
Twilight blinked “HEY! Wait for me!” she called diving down after her rainbow maned friend as she landed in a slight skid kicking up a small cloud of dust “I swear one of these days I’m going to get the hang of landing without sliding five feet.” She muttered folding her wings to her sides as she trotted over to a seat by the small fire.
“Hello darling.” Rarity greeted glancing at Twilight a moment before double taking “Twilight, dear?”
“yeah Rarity?” she asked looking up from the plate she’d just taken glancing at the Unicorn curiously.
“Where did the ring come from?” she asked glancing at the silvery-gold ring intently.
Glancing up she blinked and sighed slightly “Oh yeah…that.” Twilight muttered slightly.
“Twi?” Applejack asked tilting her head slightly.
Taking a deep breath Twilight debated with herself a moment about whether to be honest or not, she glanced around and frowned unsure how they’d react if they knew just how bad her control could be… “It’s a good luck charm that’s been passed along from each of the princesses, and it was lost not long after Cadence took possession of it, they finally tracked it down and sent it along to me.” She replied simply.
Rarity frowned slightly as she nodded without saying anything “Huh, well alright sugarcube, sounds interesting.” Applejack replied “hope that thing works.”
“You and me both AJ” Twilight mumbled under her breath as she started eating.
“So what was with the scream when you went to get the Princess Dashie?” Spitfire asked glancing up from her food.
“Oh Twi was reading a letter from her folks and I managed to get the drop on her.” She chuckled “the look on her face was priceless!”
“Wait, you got the drop on a princess? Dang how’d you pull that off?”
“Oh its easy if you know her, just get her reading something and you can blow something up ten feet from her and she won’t notice” she explained “I know…I’ve done that before”
Spitfire chuckled “Might have to remember that in case something happens” she commented quietly.
Soarin’ frowned “Actually…I have a question…Why is it…none of you seem to show Princess Twilight any respect?”
Pinkie Pie giggled “Silly, that’s cause Twilight’s our friend before she’s a Princess!” she declared simply
“Exactly, also all the bowing and the overly respectful treatment….makes me uncomfortable.” Twilight added quietly as she finshed her food.
“You always were humble, even when you did something truly impressive, like when you stopped that Ursa Minor the first time Trixie visited” Rainbow commented with a slight chuckle.
“This is all well and good and all, but shouldn’t we get goin?” Applejack commented getting up.
Rarity nodded “I agree, the sooner we can get moving the sooner we can stop those atrocious insects once and for all.”
Twilight nodded as she cleaned up standing up and spreading her wings slightly horn glowing a bit as she snuffed out the fire with a small wave of sand.
Soon enough the food and dishes were packed up again and the group headed off once more. They traveled in relative silence, at least for Twilight as she flew a bit higher than the others her eyes closed a bit. I felt bad lying to them…but I don’t want them to know just how bad my magic has been…the spells I’m most used to I can pull off a good part of the time…but even then I sometimes overcharge them…like yesterday with the pillows I’m just glad I didn’t set anything on fire…or blow it up…god I still feel weird in the throne room…considering the first time I tried to teleport after my change I BLEW up half of it…I couldn’t look at Princ-that is…Celestia for a week. After singing off half her mane…though I was practically bald so it could have been worse.
Even as she spaced out Soarin’ frowned as he flew noticing a dark blob growing slowly on the horizon “Hey Dashie, Spitfire” he called “Is that what I think it is?” he commented pointing with a hoof
Both mares squinted and nodded “It’s a storm…a big one, and if I remember correctly there’s no city or village nearby.” Rainbow Dash replied “Which means this is natural…great…”
“Which means it’ll be MUCH harder to reign in, but if its as bad as it looks we’ve gotta break it up or else us and the rest of the group will get thrown around like a buncha foals on a trampoline”
Soarin nodded “Dashie go get Twilight, she might not have much training but even she can punch holes in the storm and that’ll help we gotta move. Grab Fluttershy too if you think she can help.”
Rainbow Dash nodded “I’m on it” She turned and shot off at high speed in a flash of rainbow colored light rushing up to find Twilight still spaced out in thought “YO Twilight” she yelled flicking her violet furred friend on the nose.
“GAH! What the buck is with you scaring me today Dashie?” she snapped pausing in mid air “I was thinking about someth-“
“You’re always thinking about something important, we need your help, Shy’s too if I can convince her, head up to Soarin and Spitfire…”
Twilight blinked “Why?” she asked apprehensively
“You’re about to get your first hoof experience with stormbustin’.” Dash replied
Twilight’s eyes widened in fear “Oh no, nonononononono! I’m nowhere near ready to help with a storm! I can barely FLY!”
Rainbow sighed and without further ado hauled off and smacked Twilight on the cheek with one hoof “Listen Twilight, you can punch through the clouds to help break them up Soarin, Spitfire, Shy and me can drag em away, just go up and down and dive through them that’s how you’ll help. Just relax and Trust your wings. They’ll carry you through” she assured her nervous friend.
Twilight swallowed “a-alright.” She mumbled “If you’re sure I can do it…”
“You’ll do just fine” Rainbow assured her “Now get going I’ve gotta talk to Shy.” She replied flying off as Twilight flew up towards the two wonderbolts gasping at the sight of the storm on the horizon able to see the lighting crackling around it already.
Fluttershy squeaked and jumped a bit as Rainbow tapped her on the shoulder “EEK! Oh…Rainbow Dash…what do you need?”
“Sorry to bug you Fluttershy but we need your help there’s a big storm up ahead and its gonna take all five of us to break it up safely. So I want you and Twi to work together to break the clouds up so the rest of us can break it up, at least enough to make it less of an impact on us if it hits.”
Fluttershy flushed hiding her head under her mane a bit before nodding shyly “O-o-okay…i-if you think I can help…I’ll try my best.”
Shooting her a reassuring smile Dashie nodded “You’ll do fine, you’re a great help Shy” she grinned and patted her on the shoulder a moment “Now come on lets get moving this storm won’t bust itself ya know.” With that she turned and shot off in a blur of rainbow colored light.
Fluttershy took off after her a bit slower as soon the five fliers went to work on the dark clouds Twilight and Fluttershy both splitting up to start diving up and down through the clouds punching holes inbetween them darting between the gusts of wind and rain, poor Twilight getting struck by the latter more than she’d like making her shiver. But she was doing it, as easily as Rainbow had assured her she’d be able to, it took no effort on her part beyond climbing and dipping through the misty black mass.
Even as the two broke the clouds up the storm continued to rage it was massive, the biggest storm any of them had seen in their lives and the five still worked, Rainbow Dash, Soarin’, and Spitfire worked to drag the clouds away and dismiss them. “This is nuts! How strong is this storm” Dash complained as she smacked another cloud into nothingness with her hooves.
“It doesn’t matter we can’t stop Dashie.” Spitfire grunted managing to nail two at the same time by smacking them into each other.
“I know I know its just, this is tiring work” she muttered as slowly they worked through the mass the storm shrinking in area. Suddenly a thick bolt of lightning shot down from one of the clouds Soarin’ was dragging off just missing him.
The bolt shot right for Twilight “LOOK OUT TWI!” Rainbow called attempting to smack another cloud into the path of the lightning to deflect it.
The violet alicorn spun and reacted horn glowing as the ring glowed with a soft silver light as a glowing violet shield sprang up around Twilight as the lightning struck it deflecting off to the side far more sharply than she’d intended as it struck one of the clouds by where Fluttershy had just dived out of the bolt practically exploding in her face as the pink maned Pegasus was shocked and thrown back towards the ground at high speed.
Rainbow and Soarin’s eyes widened as they both dove after her at top speed wings folded back as the air bent around them slowly but surely, finally with a final spurt of speed Soarin inched ahead of Dashie managing to swoop down and grab Fluttershy feet off the ground the two twisting as he fought to stop their decent only to oof as a red blur slammed into both of them sending the trio tumbling into a bush with a crash.
“Ugh..who?” Soarin muttered sitting up slowly blinking as Big McIntosh held a hoof out to help him up “Thanks” he muttered quietly glancing down to check on fluttershy who layed there whimpering slightly her right wing bent at an odd angle twitching occasionally making her whimper more. “This isn’t good” he muttered bending down to examine the wing closely “She partly dislocated her wing joint…its not too serious but she has to stay on the ground for a few days…preferably relaxing and laying down.”
“But we don’t have a few days fer her to rest” Applejack commented quietly galloping up and coming to a stop near the group “But…its not good for her to push it right?”
“if she does she could injure it more, possibly permanently.” Soarin replied
“I’ll carry her” Mac commented quietly.
The other two looked at the elder apple farmer “You sure Big McIntosh?” Soarin asked.
“Eyup.”
“Alright…Applejack gimme a hoof here would ya?” Soarin grunted as the two slowly slid the still shivering Pegasus onto Big mac’s back as she fluttered her eyes open slowly letting out a small squeak at where she was.
“O-oh my” she mumbled shyly “A-a-are you s-s-sure its okay for me to be up here?” she asked softly
“Eyup”
“O-okay” she mumbled softly wincing as her wing twinged again as Rarity trotted up horn glowing as she gently drew out a few bandages and the like as she started to splint up Flutter’s injured wing pinning it to her side.
“there we go hun all better” The unicorn smiled softly as Fluttershy blushed gently nodding
“Thank you Rarity…” she mumbled softly
Far above the group Spitfire glanced around as the last few clouds drifted off slowly the storm’s energy having been destroyed by the close range burst of that lightning bolt “That was close” she muttered turning to look at Twilight starting to speak “Nice work out there pri-“ she paused and frowned “You alright?” she asked.
The mare hung there eyes wide in shock as she stared down at where her friends gathered caring for Fluttershy even Rainbow Dash landed to talk to her. “I…I almost…I could have hurt her…badly…maybe even…” she shook slightly her horn glowing faintly. “I…I-I can’t…”
Spitfire slowly flew over closer to the distraught Alicorn “Come on Twilight, it was an accident…no harms been done and Fluttershy’ll be just fine in a couple days…”
“I-I nearly killed her…I almost killed Shiny yesterday…I…I’m nothing but danger…my magic my flying…I-I’m….” her horn sparked brighter as the glow grew stronger “I’m no Princess….” She muttered quietly voice cracking before with a powerful burst of violet light she vanished from sight teleporting.
Rainbow flew up moments later “Heya Spitfire we’re all ready to go…Hey where’d Twi go?” she asked glancing around for the last member of their group.
“s-she…she vanished.” The flame colored Pegasus muttered shaking her head “She started freaking out…talking about how she almost killed Fluttershy and Shining Armor…then she…poofed”
Rainbow’s eyes widened as she glanced around hoping this was just some sick prank seeing no sign of her friend as her ears drooped. “Oh buck it…” she muttered.