Cor woke with the sunrise. Gazing out the window, he watched the colors of the world return to full vibrancy as the shadows retreated deeper into the farthest corners of the land. The smells of earth and farm and orchard mixed pungently and Cor breathed them in contentedly. As he came fully awake, he listened to the gentle creak of the house and the whisper of the wind past the open window. It was a truly magnificent morning.
Rolling out of bed, Cor forgot that he was still a pony. The resulting thud sounded as if it would wake the whole country in the stillness. Groaning at his lack of finesse, he made his way downstairs. He heard movement in the kitchen as he reached the ground floor. It registered somewhere in the back of his mind that his normal combat instinct would have switched his stance to stealth or defense. This did not happen and he only found a deeper sense of peace because of it. He found his fellow early-riser was Applejack, busy fixing a morning meal.
“Ya’ll are up early,” she greeted. “I expected you to stay in for some extra shuteye after the work ya’ll did yesterday.”
“I just wanted to get a start on the day sooner than later.” Cor shrugged indifferently. “I plan on sampling the local scenery. Do you have any suggestions?”
“I rather like the trails of White Tail Wood,” she said as she leveled a tray of food onto her back. “It’s the prettiest sight you ever did see in the fall, but it’s mighty nice this time of year too. It’s just west of here.”
She set the tray on the dining table and gestured Cor to join her. Nodding his thanks, Cor sat and they both nibbled at the jam on bread slices and apple crisps. Bird song flitted in the window, announcing the rest of the world joining them in celebrating the splendor of the new day.
“What about the woods to the south-east? I saw them from a hill in the orchards. They looked different somehow.”
Applejack swallowed and responded slowly. “Them trees sure are different. That’s the Everfree Forest. I don’t think you’d want to go for a stroll in there.”
“Why?” Cor asked.
“It’s just, in that forest, things don’t work the way they do in the rest of Equestria. It just ain’t natural.”
She stopped talking as if she didn’t like to dwell on the subject. Cor pondered his choices. He’d planned on taking a relaxing walk and enjoying this wondrous morning but the mystery of the Everfree Forest was pulling at him. Glancing outside, he came to the conclusion that such a perfect morning couldn’t be wasted on the fanciful exploration of some unnatural forest. He’d get to that later. He just had to spend time in some honest, pure woodland.
After finishing his meal, he took care of his plate and made his way toward White Tail Wood. The walk there was pleasant enough by itself as he passed through the gentle hills. He didn’t bring anything with him so travel was unhindered and his step was light. As he crossed the boundary into the Wood, he noticed a distinct elevation in the amount of wildlife.
More birds and squirrels scurried and flew in the branches. Rabbits and mice danced through the underbrush. As Cor went, their number increased and they began to draw close to him curiously. They bounded along beside him and winged through the air overhead. Their chittering and chirping was a music of its own. Bright eyes followed his every movement, and when he smiled, he could swear they smiled back.
The canopy thickened as he continued on. The morning light filtered through in bright, shifting beams. The leaves murmuring and the swaying branches brought the trees to life. Cor stopped at one tree and placed a hoof against the bark. Druids had the ability to commune with nature at the deepest levels. He didn’t have extensive training, but being a Ranger, he was still able to connect to forest life at a basic level.
The tree he touched was so peaceful that it almost seemed asleep. As far as he could tell, nothing had ever caused it distress. Its connection to the surrounding trees was profound and he felt along the pathways to many of its neighbors. Breathing with them as one, Cor closed his eyes. What he would do to spend even just a week here…
The wind shifted slightly and a different music reached him over the forest sounds.
“La ah ah. La ah ah ah.”
The birds around Cor answered with a similar melody. The voice sounded again and this time, Cor could tell where it came from. He wound his way through the trees, following the singing. He came at last upon a second group of animals gathered around a Pegasus. Her mane was long and pink, and her coat was pale yellow. Her voice was soft and gentle, but clear as a bell as it carried among the trees. She floated above the ground and over the heads of her companions, singing out and listening to their answer. He watched from the cover of the tree trunks, taking in the song.
The song came to a high note as they all sang together and slowly faded off, coming to an end. The Pegasus landed and spoke to the animals around her.
“That was really good everyone. We’ve definitely improved on our timing since last time. I just noticed that the finch section was a tiny bit fast in the bridge. We’ll have to remember to work on that next week. See you all then.”
She waved as a good portion of the birds took to the air. Most of the rabbits and squirrels left as well since the performance that had drawn them all together was over.
“Huh,” Cor said to himself. “A woodland choir practice. Who’d have guessed?”
He stepped out of his concealment and approached.
“Hi. I heard your singing and…”
The Pegasus let out a yelp and sprang into the trees. Peering through the leaves Cor could see her hanging from a branch. Her legs were wrapped tightly around the limb and she was watching him with a look of panic.
“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you.” He took a step back. “It’s just that I heard you and the animals. I wanted to say that it was a lovely performance.”
She hesitated for a moment before disentangling herself for the branch and settling gently back to the ground. She refused to make eye contact. Instead, she watched a point just to Cor’s right. In a voice so soft that Cor could barely hear her, she said, “You really think so?”
“Well yeah.” Cor said. “It was as if the normal sounds of the forest had been tuned to perfect harmony.”
“Thanks,” she said, blushing.
“So do you put on these concerts often?”
“No. Actually, we don’t perform very often but we practice regularly. I just don’t like to be in the spotlight. That was why I chose this as our place to practice. Nopony comes out here.” She shuffled a hoof and glanced at Cor for a brief second. “Almost nopony.”
“I swear I didn’t mean to intrude. It was such a perfect morning that I decided to take a walk. I’ve always loved the woods and I haven’t had a chance to take my time in one for a long time.”
She looked at him now. Then she looked at the animals that had followed him there. She seemed to relax a bit. “I’ve always loved the forest too, especially the animals. From the first moment I saw them, I’ve been friends with all the creatures of the woods.”
“If you don’t have any plans,” Cor said, “sharing such a wonderful morning with a friend is better than just enjoying it by yourself. Would you care to join me?”
“Oh, um, I…well, okay.”
They started off together. For a time neither said anything. The path wound through the trees and rolled with the gentle hills. A small contingent of animals padded alongside them. The sun’s rays cast beams of green-tinted light across the path. The slightly damp smell of the early morning was fading under the fragrance of flowers that grew along the trail.
As the sounds of the forest came alive with the morning’s full awakening, Cor broke the silence between them as well.
“My name is Cor,” he said, glancing over.
She looked at him and swiftly locked her eyes on her hooves.
“I-I’m Fluttershy.” She let out a breath as if she had just passed a difficult task and was glad to see it behind her.
Cor chuckled to himself. Shy. It was in her name.
A pair of birds landed in front of them and chirped urgently to Fluttershy.
“Oh my,” she gasped. “You poor things. Of course I’ll help.”
“Allow me,” Cor said, stepping off the path toward the fallen nest the birds had indicated. His telekinesis picked up the bundle of twigs and settled it back in the branches.
Fluttershy looked at him curiously. “Can you understand them?”
“Mostly. I don’t understand everything but it’s enough to get the general idea.”
With a flash of green energy from his horn, Cor took a wider stance and concentrated on the branches around the nest. The bark rippled slightly as the wood beneath moved and changed. In a creeping motion, the branches extended and twisted themselves into a form that prevented the nest from falling again. Fluttershy just gaped at him.
“Oh, and I can use my magic to manipulate nature.”
“Now I see why your Cutie Mark is a leaf.” She pointed a hoof at his flank.
Cor hadn’t even thought about that mark since Zacon had noticed it the first day, though he recalled Apple Bloom making a big deal about them. Did it have some significance he was unaware of? He made a mental note to ask Jason about it.
“So,” she continued. “Where did you learn how to do that?”
Cor shifted uncomfortably. “Well, I was trained by my mentors in that kind of magic along with a bunch of other things. I was trained in general forest lore and, because I had some talent with magic, I was taught this as well. Where I come from, we all have strong roots in nature.”
Cor blinked a few times. “Pardon the pun.”
Fluttershy smiled slightly. “I wish I’d been taught like that. Most of what I know I figured out on my own. I used to live in Cloudsdale. The first time I came down to the ground, I just fell in love with the animals. I couldn’t leave. You don’t think you could teach me something do you?”
Cor looked around briefly at the plants and animals. After assuring himself he actually knew them all, he nodded. “I’d be happy to teach you what I can.”
They went on again. Cor would point out a particular plant from time to time and explain the uses it had. He would give a few details about it and answer any questions Fluttershy had. She didn’t ask many but almost every one of them involved proper cultivation and care. Fluttershy also demonstrated her abundant knowledge of the forest and its characteristics. Cor listened and made observations of his own.
Their chatting gradually turned from facts and teaching, to simply enjoying their surroundings. A few other animals greeted them and went on their way. They talked sparingly, choosing to listen and look instead. When they did talk, it was to point out some aspect of the woods around them that one of them felt was particularly interesting.
By noon, they had walked all the way to the forest’s edge. They were left on a tall but gentle rise a few miles from town. They stopped to look down on it and watched the distant movements among the buildings: Ponies going about their day. None of the sounds traveled up to them. There was only the creaking of the branches above and the rustle of the grasses all around.
A sharp gust of wind whipped Cor’s mane. He looked to the sky and found a dark bank of clouds building right over the town. He caught sight of the sun just as it disappeared behind the gathering front.
“That came out of nowhere,” he observed with a frown.
“Oh, my goodness, I forgot all about the rainstorm today! I need to get ready.” Fluttershy jumped up and started flying east. She turned in the air.
“Bye, Cor. It was nice to meet you.” She waved a hoof and spun back to her original course.
Cor raised a hoof in parting and left it there until she was out of sight. He heaved a sigh and started toward town. He should meet with Jason at the library. He’d hate to miss the moment they actually found something new.
~*~*~
The pitter-patter of rain on the windows was starting to get heavier when the door opened and Cor stepped inside, dripping and windblown. Jason glanced up from the notes he was looking over. Cor shrugged off the majority of the water and walked around to the table in the center of the room.
He examined the various implements and materials scattered across its surface. Stands held a collection of gemstones and crystals, some of which were scorched or shattered. A set of mounted magnifying glasses were positioned over the one that looked to be most recent. Notes and open books lay over the entire collection. The sound of hooves running to and fro on the floor above could be heard.
Cor couldn’t make heads or tails of any of it so he sat down and turned to Jason.
“Can you explain any of this?”
Jason looked at the table and then at him. When he opened his mouth, Cor added, “So that it makes sense to me?”
Jason closed his mouth again and went back to his notes. Cor glanced around. Zacon wasn’t there. He was slightly concerned about that. He was about to ask Jason where he was when hoof steps announced Twilight on the stairs. The Unicorn catapulted herself into the room and hip-checked Cor out of the way. She rifled through several of the pages and threw a book aside.
When she turned to speak with Jason, she saw Cor and looked at him as if just noticing he was there.
“I’m sorry. I was just in such a rush to check this…” She smiled in apology.
“That’s fine,” Cor said, picking himself out of the stack of books he’d fallen into. “Do you have any answers here?”
“Well, if you count knowing some of the crystals that won’t work, then yes.” She looked down on the table’s scattered contents ruefully. “We’re trying to find ones that have the same refractive index and lattice structure as the ones you say were in the cave you came from. Jason was describing the angles that the magic bolts were bouncing around at to the best of his memory and then we…”
She stopped talking when she noticed Cor’s face. He was just staring at her blankly and had obviously been lost somewhere along the line.
“What is it?” she asked with some annoyance.
“I might have gotten half of that. What did you say about an index?”
“Their refractive index?” She tilted her head to one side incredulously.
“Yeah, um, that. What is that?”
“Argh,” she growled, losing what little patience she’d had. “It’s how much a wave of light or energy changes direction when it passes from one medium into another.”
“Oh, right,” Cor said sheepishly.
Twilight turned to Jason, who made sure he looked like he knew what he was doing.
“What we’d do then is focus a beam of light through it to simulate the magic and find the maximum energy it can take before fracturing. If it can’t take as much as the magic that the cave’s crystals did, we know that it can’t be used to send you back.” She hung her head slightly as she continued. “What we haven’t even started on is finding out if the crystals have the right magical properties to make the teleportation effect happen. And we can’t start on that until we have a starting point to experiment on. We haven’t found one that has the capabilities we’re looking for.”
“We get to the part where the light is angled correctly,” Jason added. “But when we try to focus larger amounts of energy through them, they crack, over-heat, or explode.”
“The good news is,” Twilight went on. “We can refract the beams at the right angle through a good deal of samples. Odds are that one of them will be what we’re looking for. We just have to stay at it until we find it.”
“Wait.” Jason interrupted her before she could start in on another of the books she had brought with her. “What was that thing you were checking when you came down here?”
“What? Oh, yes!” She flipped to another page in the book. “This might turn out to be more good news. I was comparing the scorch marks on these samples here to the recorded reactions in other experiments. I think we might be able to prevent the damage and increase the tolerance of the crystals to channeling energy. That would mean that some of the ones we thought were no good could turn out to be what we need.”
Jason levitated a box full of shards from across the room. He peered inside as he spoke. “That means we’ll need to retest these samples. I’ll sort out the ones that can be reused and get replacements for the ones that can’t while you set up for the next tests.”
He sat down off to one side and started picking out crystals and putting them in piles based on their condition. Twilight cleared the table and began setting up an apparatus that looked like it held the crystals in place. Once it was ready, she positioned the first crystal between the lenses. After triple checking the alignment, Twilight’s horn glowed softly and the apparatus hummed with energy.
Cor came closer to get a better look and noticed that the temperature dropped significantly. Twilight placed her horn between a pair of cushioned stands that held her aim steady as she pointed at the first lens and projected a thin beam of purple light into it. The lens focused the light into the crystal which redirected its path slightly. Twilight turned a knob with her hoof and the arm holding the crystal rotated in response.
The redirected beam moved closer to the center of the second lens and from there was projected onto a target at the edge of the table. Twilight continued to adjust the knob until the beam was exactly in the center of the target. The light from her horn faded and she stepped back for a moment before beginning the next step. Jason put his task aside and came over to observe.
“As I thought,” Twilight began. “The reduction of the temperature impacted the amount the beam was refracted. It is just enough that we may find some different matches this time around, but overall, I think it will make very little impact on the results.”
“Will cooling them be enough to allow them to handle the kind of power we need?” Jason asked.
“Only one way to find out,” she said, stepping up to the table again.
Taking aim again, she projected the beam through the crystal once more. This time, the beam gradually gained strength. As it did, the crystal began to glow from the energy it held. As Twilight fed more and more magic through it, it shone with a brilliant light. Cor was forced to shield his eyes as it lit up the entire interior of the tree house.
A high-pitched hum became audible after a moment. It built in proportion to the energy it channeled. Just as the pitch of the humming peaked, a burst of light enveloped everything and faded away. In its place was a crystal pulsing with an inner purple light and emitting a low throbbing sound. Twilight’s horn continued to glow with residual magic for a few seconds after she backed away from the table.
“It seems to be stable,” she said, sounding exhausted. She sat down to catch her breath. “It looks like it worked.”
Cor approached the table curiously. “So we found what we needed on the first try?”
“Not quite,” Twilight responded, getting up. “This is a possible candidate that we can test. We’ll want to find more first. Then, one of them is bound to work.”
“I wonder if anyone noticed anything,” Jason said, peering out the window. A flash of lightning lit the sky and a boom of thunder shook the glass. “Or maybe, we couldn’t have timed it better?”
“I wouldn’t worry about it too much,” Twilight said, walking around the table looking at the crystal from all angles. “The whole town knows that I’m a bit of an experimenter.”
Levitating the crystal out of its mounting, she set it gently in a small box. The box was otherwise empty so Cor assumed it was for the matches they had found thus far.
“What do we do about the energy it's holding?” he asked.
“It’ll just fade away with nothing keeping it there. It isn’t enchanted to store the energy after all.”
Of the next few tests, only one had aligned properly. Unfortunately, it crumbled into a fine powder after only a slight amount of energy was channeled through it. Twilight was beginning to tire out from her constant exertion and called it a day. Glancing out the window, she noticed the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds again. Twilight told them she’d collect and prepare the rest of the tests for tomorrow and see them again then.
Jason left Cor at the door, hurrying off to find a bite to eat before it was too late for lunch. Cor was more interested in the weather. He noticed that it was in the process of being cleared. He spotted a team of Pegasi and ran to catch up. As he was pulling up under them, one accidently kicked a cloud at the wrong angle and a short burst of rain fell. Cor tried to stop but the mud beneath his hooves carried him directly under it.
The Pegasus swooped down and stammered an apology.
Cor just grinned and shook it off. “Don’t worry about it. I was trying to get your attention anyway.”
Another Pegasus descended to hover beside the first. Her mane was a rainbow in the most literal sense possible. The brilliant bands of color hung about her in a disheveled tangle as if permanently ruffled by high winds. Her cyan coat blended with the sky behind her. Pink eyes held a mischievous glint. Cor noticed her Mark was a cloud with a rainbow lightning bolt.
“What’s going on here?” she asked.
“I wanted to see how the weather was controlled. I guess I got as firsthand of a demonstration as I could have asked for.”
“No kidding,” the Pegasus said, looking at Cor’s dripping coat. “So you want to know how it’s done, huh?”
“Yes. I suppose it would take a lot of training to direct the weather. Where is that taught?”
“Training? As if! There’s nothing to it. Anypony with wings could do it if they tried.”
The Pegasus did a loop and landed in front of Cor dramatically.
“Take me for example.” She indicated herself with a hoof and threw her head back proudly. “My name’s Rainbow Dash by the way. I’m the captain of the weather team in Ponyville and I was hardly taught anything about it. It just comes naturally.”
Cor gave her an unconvinced look. “You mean you aren’t given any instruction on the workings of the weather or the techniques used to control it?”
“Well, we grow up hearing all about it,” she admitted. Then added quickly “Pegasi do, I mean. And I guess there are academies and camps where they teach some of that stuff. But I never needed them and most ponies just go there to say they did, not because they need to.”
“So,” Cor said slowly. “You Pegasi just wing it?” He blinked once. “Dang it! That’s the second time today!”
Rainbow sniggered at the bad pun as she responded. “We know that not every pony can be as awesome as I am. Everypony just has to do their best. That’s about it. We’ve got some pretty amazing fliers and we’ve got some that are not quite so amazing. They’re all valuable parts of the team. Besides, when has anypony learned how to control something like weather better in a classroom than they would by being out here with their hooves in it?”
Cor thought about it for a moment. “I have to admit, that’s a sound argument,” he nodded concurringly. “Now, what I really want to know is how you do the actual manipulation. Like, can any…um…pony…just kick a cloud around if they get up next to it?”
“No, I think it’s just us Pegasi that can do that.” She scratched her chin thoughtfully. “Maybe Unicorns have a spell for it but I wouldn’t know.”
“What about the weather itself? You and your team put it together but how do you decide what to make?”
“We coordinate with Cloudsdale’s weather factory to make sure we get the right amount of rain and sun so that everything stays healthy and growing. After that, we make things as pleasant as we please. There’s really nothing to it.”
“So you don’t have any bad storms?”
“Not unless something goes wrong at the factory or if the weather teams mess up real bad. Most times it’s just like this.” She spread her hooves to indicate the whole sky.
Cor looked up and realized the storm clouds were nowhere to be seen. The only clouds he could find were a pair of white wisps high above. A pair of Pegasi winged their way over the rooftops and the ponies of the town were venturing forth from their dwellings once more. The sun was shining down on them all with soft warmth. The colors of the flowers and grasses, so dull in the downpour, now stood out in sharp contrast.
“This is truly a beautiful place,” Cor said to himself softly.
“Hmm, I guess so.”
Cor had momentarily forgotten his companion and swung back around to regain a grip of the conversation.
“I’m sorry. You don’t mind me asking all these questions do you? I’m not keeping you from something important am I?”
“You kidding?” she laughed. “There isn’t much I’d rather be doing than talking to somepony who can appreciate all the work we do to keep everything running smoothly. It’s great to know somepony realizes how important our job is. The other ponies just look up at the sky and see the weather as it is. They never really think about how much work our teams put into making it.”
“I understand. It is always easier to see the system and accept it than it is to get to know how it really works. You’ve done a magnificent job and I hope you know the respect I hold for you and your team.”
“Well, um, thanks. But even as seriously as I take this, this is only a day job type of thing. What I really want to do is join the Wonderbolts!”
Despite her obvious excitement, Cor didn’t have a clue what she was talking about and it showed on his face.
“You can’t be serious. You don’t know who they are?” She was looking at him as if he had declared that up was down. “They’re only the greatest fliers in all of Equestria since ever!”
She pointed at a wall that held a poster that Cor hadn’t noticed before. It depicted stylized pony figures set against a bright background with “Wonderbolts” stretched across the bottom.
“They perform at the most important celebrations and hold the best air shows in the whole country. They only accept the most skilled Pegasi, but that’s why I’m sure to get in.”
“You’re that good?” Cor replied.
“You better believe it! I’m one of the fastest fliers in Equestria. I even won the Best Young Fliers competition.”
“Did I hear someone say ‘fast’?” Jason’s voice sounded from behind them. He trotted across the street to them, Applejack at his side. “I’ve been known to run a good race.”
“Is that a challenge?” the Rainbow asked curiously.
Cor and Applejack spoke at the same time.
“Ya’ll don’t want to try it, sugar cube,” she directed at Jason.
“You might not want to tempt him,” Cor smiled up at the Pegasus.
They looked at each other and balked.
“You really think he can compare to her?” Applejack said doubtfully. “Take the word of a pony who’s run a lap with her; she makes you look like you're haulin’ a full cart of apples on the track.”
“You don’t understand what Jason can do.” Cor countered. “He might as well be the definition of speed.”
“You might think that until you see Rainbow Dash here in action. She can…”
A cough interrupted her. Jason was smiling with amusement and Rainbow Dash was hovering a few feet off the ground with her hooves crossed in front of her.
“I can brag for myself thanks,” she said. She turned to Jason who resumed a serious expression. “So you think you’re good enough to race me? You know I have wings right?”
“I’m sure I could handle it. I have a few tricks of my own.”
She raised an eyebrow at his horn. “You don’t mean your magic do you? Because that’d be cheating.”
Applejack made a huffing sound.
“I know how we can make it fair,” Jason began.
“I’m not tying my wings up.”
Jason took a second to process that comment before continuing.
“No, I meant holding two separate races. In one, we would both run on the ground, no wings or magic; nothing except leg work. In the other, we can both use whatever we want. If you can do it, it’s fair game. What do you think?”
“I think you’re just going to teleport.”
“I will not,” Jason said indignantly. “That’s not racing. I assure you I will cover every step of the way with my own t…er, four hooves.”
“I suppose that’s fair enough. You’ve got yourself a race. Now, where should it be?” She looked around thoughtfully while gaining altitude. “How about from here to Sweet Apple Acres?” She pointed down the road at the apple trees just in view.
“Naw, that’s not far enough.” Everyone jumped as Pinkie Pie poked her head between Cor and Applejack. “They’re going to be going the goingest you’ve ever seen! They need more space to go in.”
Applejack, having recovered from Pinkie’s sudden appearance more quickly than Cor had, said, “The trails of White Tail Wood are perfect for a race. Aren’t they Rainbow?”
“Yeah,” the Pegasus laughed reflectively.
Jason leaned over to Cor and whispered, “Do you know anything about those trails?”
“Actually, yes. They’re wonderful. It’s perfect for anything you could want to do. As for racing? Well, I’d rather walk but that’s because I’d be enjoying the scenery.”
“Sounds like a plan to me,” Jason said to the group at large.
“Great!” Rainbow Dash said, flying a loop in excitement. “When do we start?”