//------------------------------// // first lesson // Story: Equestria plane of ponies // by SliverBrony //------------------------------// Early the next morning, everypony was still asleep, well not everypony,four of Ponyvile´s inhabitants were making their way to the edge of the Everfree Forest despite the early hour. After they walked some time, Applebloom walked up to the green Pegasus leading the group. "Mr. Wolfhard why did we have ta get up so early?" "Just Wolfhard is fine,"Wolfhard told her, "and for why did we get up so early, your first lesson in Magic will be to sense and gather green mana, which radiates mostly from plants, espacially trees, and with you being a farmer, maybe you can tell ma why we´re starting before the sunrise?" "Maybe because the trees grow when the sun shines, so we can sense the difference from when its dark?" She answered him cautiously. "Yes indeed, but next time you answr a question, be more selfasserted. Now lets hurry I have some things to show and tell you before the sunrise." About five minutes later they arrived in a decent sized clearing near the edge of the forest. It was surrounded by smaller trees, which weren´t as menacing as the ones found deeper in the forest. Wolfhard felt quite at home there and had already thougth of building himself a small hut here, but he hadn´t found the time since he arrived here. But as he probably was to stay here for a longer time, he wanted to start with it this afternoon, after finishing the training with the girls, so he wouldn´t have to rely on Twilight´s hospitality any longer than absolutly necessary. For now though he had three little apprentices to worry about. "Before I teach you anything about spells, you will need to learn how to gather mana, for that we will meditate untill all of you can fell the green mana in our surroundings. Now Please sit down and close your eyes." He paused a moment to give the fillys time to do as they were told. "Good now feel for the energy of the trees around you, fell their strength and their liveforce, when you can feel it, please drop you head so I know when your ready for the next step." - Scootaloo´s POV- that sound like what Rainbow taugth me yesterday about my inner pegasusmagic, Scootaloo mused, now let´s try it the same way with the trees.She cleared her mind from althoguths except for the ones about the trees nearby, Scootaloo concentrated on their positions behind her. It took her some time, but slowly she felt a sense of growth from where she guessed the nearest tree was. This sense took the form of a green mist in her thougths, slowly itformed the outline of a tree. As soon as it finished forming, she began to feel strength and live radiate from this mental image. That´s probably what he ment, Scoots thougth as she dropped her head careful not to loose the conection to the tree. -Wolfhard´s POV- As he expected, Scootaloos head was the first to go down, as the technique t gather mana was similar to the one Rainbow Taugth them yesterday to draw on a pegasus´ inner magic needed to fly. She realy takes this serious, from what the girls told me about her, she never sat still this long when she was awake. -Sweetie Bell´s POV- Strength radiating from the trees, how could I be able to sense that? Sweetie wondered,maybe if I tried to concentrate on them like Twiligth tells me to fcus on my horn when she tries to teach me Unicornmagic? After some minutes of strict concentration, there was a mist forming on the edge of her consiciousnes. careful not to loose it, she contained her excitement. a Short time later the Mist had formed a tree, radiating a sense of strength and live. Sweetie lowered her head, convinced that she had it now. -Wolfhard´s POV- That Sweetie Bell was the seond filly to drop her head surprised the Planeswalker, as he was sure to that Applebloom, as an earthponie and farmer, would be more familiar with the energy a tree gave of and to get it before her Unicorn friend. I just hope that Applebloom doesn´t try to force it, she will get it that way too, but it would take her longer to finally have it. As if she heard his thougths, the filly in question lowered her head soon after. -Applebloom´s POV- Tree, feel the stength in the trees.Applebloom thougth agitated,Why doesn´t it work it shouldn´t be to hard I mean there are so many trees around I Should have felt one of them allready.She tried to feel the trees i such an aggresive manner, until she remembered what her Sister once told her while applebucking: "ya must understand lil sis applebucking ain´t about how hard you buck the tree, ya need ta listen to it and hit it not with brute force, but with the rigth amount of strength, in the place the tree tells ya to, else you will only damae the tree."Of course the earthpony realized,it´s like applebucking. it ain´t about the stength you use, you need to listen to the tree and not shout at it till it answers as soon as she realized this, she quited her thougths, and imideatly there formed a green tree in her mind radiating strength and live. Confident, that she had it rigth now and droped her head. -Wolfhard´s POV- "Now that all of you got this rigth,"Wolfhard told them, "I now want you to slowly draw some of this mana you´re sensing and focus it at your rigth hoof,when you think you have it, raise your hoof" He watched as slowly a green mist formed around each of the filly´s rigth forehoof. shortly there after, they each raised their hoof signaling that they thoguth to be ready. They really are fast lerners, maybe I can teach them an easy spell they can practice on their own, Wolfhard mused beforehe gave them new instructions:"Now I want you to slowly open your eyes, there is a green mist floating around your hoof at the moment, don´t be afraid, that´s just like mana looks when gathered, but not cloaked, you will learn to hide it in time." As they opened their eyes, the amazement was writen all over their faces as they saw what they had done. "Now for the last practical part of today´s lesson, i will teach you a spell usefull in many situations, after that i will give you a short theoretical lesson about the different kind´s of spells, and then there will be Lunch and a suprise for you." At the mention of theorie the filly´s looked a little bored, but after he mentioned a surprise, their eyes ligthed up with new vigor. "For this Spell you need to think about a thick fog and then focus it through the mana you gathered, now let´s see how you do." The filly´s gave it heir best shot, but still each of them only managed to cover their leg in fog, which led to a little disapointment, as they hoped to atleast encease themselves in the fog, but apperantly Wolfhard had adifferent opinion, after he showed them how the spell looked when mastered, by filling the whole clearing in fog, he complimentet them, sayin that for a first try, it was better than most beginners would have been able to manage. "So let´s get the theorie lesson done, so you can enjoy your surprise. There are four kinds of spells, instantanous incantations, like the fog spell which only need mana and a thougth focused at it to work, sorcerys, which also need a oment of time and sometimes a certainchant to work, echantments, which are like sorcerys, except that theyhave a ongoing effect instead of a one time effect like sorcerys or instants. and the Fourth type are summons, which can be diided by how they work, some animate things in your vicinity to create elementals or avatars, other summon a creature you have formed a bond with, or, if it´s sentinent enough, have got their agreement to be summoned. The first part of your surprise is something i will summon now." As he channeled the mana needed to summon his old companion the fillys`eyes gleamed with excitement as a red and green glowing circle formed in the middle of the clearing. Suddenly there came a huge leg out of the circle followed by the rest of a green-grey furred beast about the size of a Timberwolf, with huge tuskers coming out of the sides of its mouth. "Girl´s I Wnat you to meet Fluffy." "FLUFFY!?" The Crusaders screamed confused, "how did you get the idea to name it Fluffy?" "Hey she´s no it and I think you will understand the name, ones you met her cubs." As Wolfhard said this, the fillys noticed three small cubs looking exactly like their mother, except for the just gres fur and the lack of tuskers. "Now everyone of you take a piece of the meat here and feed it to one of them." As they did as they were told they noticed how the fur of the cubs took on just a hint of the color of its feeder´s coat. "Why did their coat change ta look like our coat?" Applebloom asked her teacher. "Because they now recognise you as their companion, you just formed a bond with them, that will grow untill you´re able to communicate with them in a limited fashion, if you take good care of them that is. When you achieve this, I will teach you how to summon them to your side." Wolfhard answered her, at the prospect of understanding an animal the fillys grew even more excited. "but before we eat lunch, I need you to undertake the rite bonding, it´s a tradition of the Gruul-Clans, that a young apprentice, after his mentor gave him a compaion, he or she is formerly included in the mentors clan, for this normaly you would get a tattoo, but as you can´t see that through fur, i will just paint the Burning-Tree-Symbol on your shoulder, so please stand still for a moment." It took him half an hour to finish painting all three of the crusaders. After he finished, the girls asked him of what this meant, which he told them is mostly respecting their senior clan members, accepting anypony in who doesn´t have aother home and providing them shelter if they need it, and to come to the annual clan feast, at which the leaders would be determined by trials of knowlede, crafting skills and combat prowess. After they fully understood what he just explained them, Scootaloo spoke up "So the Clan is like a big family, do I undestand that rigth?" "Yes, it is, but let´s get you to Fluttershy´s, your little cubs seem to get hungry and I know from experience that they can inflict serious wounds even when they don´t mean it." And with those words Wolfhard escorted the girls back out of the forest.