“I’m not so sure this is such a good idea.” Twilight magically held up a paddle that had just been freshly carved from the trunk of a nearby fallen tree.
Starswirl sent bark chips flying as he continued to direct his magic in the hollowing out of another trunk that lay before him. “Almost finished with this one. We’ll be on our way soon.” The large pines in the area made excellent fodder for the crafting of a river worthy vessel. In a matter of minutes, a tree was felled and the canoe making process nearly finished.
Twilight figured Starswirl had a pretty good beaver impersonation going as he attacked the trunk. “Yes, but I still don’t see why I should be traveling in a canoe down the Filly River when I can just as easily follow you in the air above. Besides that, couldn’t we try and teleport our way to Baltimare? I know it wouldn’t be ideal, but it’s got to be better than canoeing down a river.” Twilight was having second thoughts about agreeing to Starswirl’s travel plans.
“Now where’s the adventure in that—I thought you liked to learn new things.” Starswirl finished hollowing out the trunk as he moved to levitate the canoe built for two into the water a few hundred yards down from where the train engine had plunged off the bridge. He slipped the vessel into the water before turning back to Twilight. “Also, did you even listen to what I just said about taking shortcuts?”
Twilight gritted her teeth as she replied, “Yes, and I love to learn new things—from reading my books! This is completely different. Is it really such a shortcut to fly or use our magic to avoid taking a trip down the river in a hollowed out log?” The tenuous infatuation she had with the stallion was wearing thin. With the prospect of floating down the river being the only real option, she wasn’t looking forward to the rest of the trip. She felt dizzy just looking at the floating wooden bench that figuratively had her name written on it.
“Don’t be scared to get your head out of those books and try things out first-hoof.” Starswirl offered her his foreleg as he guided the princess into her seat at the front of the vessel. “You may surprise yourself when you find what you are capable of. Plus, you’ll have lots of time to ask all of your questions as we take a leisurely cruise down the river.”
That, more than anything, was the reason Twilight had agreed to this plan. It would have been difficult to get her questions answered if she had to concentrate on flying while Starswirl was left to navigate the river by himself. Her head still swam from the events of the wreck and the curious healing spell that brought her back from the brink. Two grand displays of her companions magic, and she could swear that the stallion’s beard was getting longer with each one. At this rate, Starswirl the Bearded didn’t seem to be such a misnomer. With all that amazing power at his horntip, she wondered why the journey was even necessary. There had to be something more to all this and she was going to get to the bottom of it as soon as possible.
“Shoving off then.” Starswirl pushed the makeshift boat out into the main flow of the river before teleporting himself into the second seat. Gliding off from the bank, the little vessel turned into the current as they began their journey down the river.
It took a while to get used to, but Twilight came to realize that slow and steady strokes beat out a frantic paddle attack when trying to steer the canoe through the gently flowing waters. She relaxed and found her groove, paddling in long, striding motions—a few on the left and then a few more on the right. The simple rhythm in the magical motion of her strokes helped to settle her nerves.
She watched the trees roll by on either bank as the canoe floated along with the current. Occasionally, her paddle would touch the water at such an angle that a splash would threaten to invade her sanctuary of dryness. She brushed it aside and soldiered on. She had all but forgotten about her partner.
“Why don’t you try it without using magic?” Starswirl’s suggestion knocked her from her rhythm. In the last hour or so she spent concentrating on her paddle strokes, the reason for her current situation took a back seat. The stallion didn’t make much noise and practically spent the entire time simply sitting in the back of the canoe, watching her.
Starswirl took an inquisitive role in studying how she managed to familiarize herself with the fine art of canoe paddling. Realizing he was still there with her, she felt she had done a good job impressing him—they managed to stay afloat and avoid running into rocks or either bank. What had started out as a random flailing of paddle and pony, she now displayed the skill of a seasoned veteran of the waterways expertly navigating a familiar route.
“What’s the point of that?” Twilight replied as she continued to count her strokes. “I have magic—why shouldn’t I use it?” It seemed a silly question, but served to remind her of his presence and the precious time she had wasted in not furthering her line of questioning.
Starswirl grinned. “What if you didn’t? What would you do then?”
The question defied logic, albeit once or twice when her magic failed her or had been forcibly taken. “Ever since I learned how to levitate things, I haven’t really bothered with the non-magical way.” Twilight scratched her head as she thought back to her youth. “I guess I could give it a try.” She felt it couldn’t hurt to humor her companion—possibly trade her cooperation for some more information.
Starswirl shook his head from side to side. “A common fault of many a Unicorn—using magic becomes second nature. Why, I would dare to venture, if you were to remove many a horn, ponies would starve by forgetting how to bend their necks to eat.”
“How about a trade? I won’t use my magic to paddle as long as you start filling me in on where we’re headed and who it is I‘m supposed to meet.” A devious little grin spread across Twilight’s face as she turned her neck around to glare at her near silent canoeing partner.
“It’s a deal!” Starswirl readied himself for the shift in stability as Twilight changed gears and tried to wrap her hooves around the small wooden paddle. Now having to balance more carefully, she dipped the tip into the water and slowly pulled it back across the side of the canoe. The blade came out and passed over the bow to give the other side a try. It didn’t take long before she had her rhythm again, quickly getting the boat turned back into the main river flow.
The canoe and its passengers moved steadily down the river as Starswirl cleared his throat and began to elaborate on the details of their mission. In a florid voice that spouted a royal proclamation like tone, he declared, “Princess Twilight Sparkle, you have been summoned to appear before The Guardian to face the Trials of the Master—the greatest test you will ever take.”
Twilight nearly dropped her paddle. “Test!? You didn’t say anything about a test! I haven’t studied—at least I don’t think I have.” The sudden jolt upset the balance of the canoe and Starswirl was forced to grip both sides of the vessel to keep from tumbling overboard. Twilight was affected by the rocking as well, but she was able to use her paddle to maintain her balance. The sudden shift of balance went somewhat unnoticed as she focused on the impact of the announcement.
“It’s alright, princess. I’m sure you’ll do fine.” Starswirl tried to calm her back down. “You’ve been studying for this test your entire life, and I believe you are more than ready. Why else would I have recommended you?” He gave a toothy grin and adjusted his grip on the boat.
Twilight grabbed her saddle bag and started rummaging around inside it. “I hope you packed my books and plenty of parchment, quills, and ink.” The boat carried on without the aid of a helmspony.
Starswirl chuckled. “You won’t be needing any of that. In fact, you won’t be needing much of anything at all for this particular test. I managed to pack only the essentials.” He magically hauled out his small paddle and tried to give the boat a little rudder action to avoid hitting anything as Twilight was preoccupied with her belongings.
Twilight continued to pour through her sack. Item after item was emptied until she reached the bottom. She pulled back and looked over the random assortment of doodads now rolling around on the floor of the canoe. A sinking feeling crept up inside her as she realized she had none of her usual test preparation materials with her. She shook her head. How careless of me—I should have checked these bags before we left.
She took another look over the items now strewn about the cup of the canoe bow, trying to make sense of why Starswirl had packed them in the first place. There was an old, mother-of-pearl inlaid mane comb, a simple white feather, and a broken copter blade—along with a number of balloons and party streamers. She found some more personal items mixed in with the rabble; a photo of her parents and brother, her very first report card, and her royal crown. The last item she pulled from the bag was her traveling cloak that Rarity had given her at the start of another journey not that long ago.
Twilight tossed the assorted junk along with the personal items back into her bags before settling into a sulking position at the front of the canoe. The thought of leaving her friends now fresh in her mind, she questioned why she left on this trip without them.
“What troubles you, dear?” Starswirl reached ahead and patted a hoof on her flank.
“Oh, nothing.” She waved her hoof in the air with a gesture of couldn’t care less. “I’m just floating down a river with a Unicorn who claims to be the famous Starswirl the Bearded on a quest to visit some Guardian I’ve never heard of in order to take a test I haven’t studied for. What could be better? That’s right, I left all my friends back at home too.”
“Oh my, do look on the bright side—if you hadn’t come along with me, those poor ponies you rescued might have fallen to their death. At the very least, you saved the lives of a number of grateful souls back on that train.” Starswirl patted her on the back while magically attending to his paddle in order to keep them on course.
“Yes, but didn’t I end up needing to be saved as well?” Twilight crouched down and tucked her head between her legs resting on Rarity’s cloak as a pillow. Starswirl lifted the second oar and took over the steering of the boat allowing her some time to process things.
“That’s not the point.” He mumbled to himself just loudly enough that Twilight still made it out. “Self-sacrifice isn’t without the sacrifice.”
Another few hours passed. Twilight had finally come around and broken out of her funk. She returned to paddling and it helped to take her mind off things. She continued to use her hooves to guide her strokes to each side of the canoe. The physicality helped focus her energy—she had less time to occupy her thoughts with anything but the effort of keeping the craft on course.
What fleeting thoughts of where her quest was leading swarmed around her like flies. She fought to keep her focus—swatting them away, perhaps not wanting answers to her previously unanswered questions for the time being. Each time she got an answer, it wasn’t something particularly good. The nagging questions returned again and again. One in particular she found hard to shake—why had Starswirl nominated her for this unknown test in the first place? She was scared to ask. Regardless, the notion of who exactly this Guardian was remained her top concern. The thoughts rumbled around in her head as the canoe continued to drift downstream.
Several tributaries joined the river flow, tumbling down from the Filly Range, and the water beneath the canoe swept them along ever faster while the span between the banks remained constant. At a few points, the travelers were forced to find portage and levitate their canoe alongside as they passed the more rapid portions of the river. After a mile or so, the gap widened and the flow slowed enough to allow them to return to their waterway conveyance. With most of the day behind them they came around a large, sweeping bend. Twilight could see the outline of Horseshoe Bay and the city of Baltimare sprawled out in the distance.
Throwing the bulk of her strokes to the right side, she made to guide the boat to the northern shore near the city itself. Starswirl had other plans, however. “Twilight, pull in your paddle and I’ll take it from here.” She obeyed and watched as he guided the boat to the southern shore of the delta. The canoe ran aground in the soft sand not far from where the ocean met the river.
Starswirl teleported himself to shore before extending a hoof to assist Twilight in doing the same. Twilight took hold of her saddle bags and avoided the potential for injury in being lifted out of the canoe by simply teleporting herself to shore as well.
“I thought we discussed the use of magic. The idea was to try and do things as though you had none.” Starswirl cocked his head to one side and gave a little smirk of a smile. “Remember what I said about taking shortcuts.”
“I guess that rule only applies to some.” Twilight felt annoyed that Starswirl would so blatantly use his own magic while holding her to a different standard.
“I see my lesson was not taken to heart. Perhaps another example is needed.” Starswirl turned and peered down the span of white sand beach. He raised a hoof to his brow as he scanned the lower shoreline. “Can’t bother fighting the tide and breaking waves in a dingy like this. We’re going to need some more sophisticated transport. From here, we trot—both of us.”
“If we need a real boat, why didn’t we stop in Baltimare?” Twilight pointed back at the city on the other side of the river. “There’s plenty of ships in town if your plan is to sail across the ocean.” Twilight felt she was being sarcastic in suggesting that they were about to take an ocean voyage. The prospect that Starswirl might actually intend for it to happen barely crossed her mind.
Starswirl seemed unfazed and began trotting off down the beach. He called back to her before travelling out of earshot. “We’ll have to hurry in order to make it before nightfall. Try and keep up.”
Twilight sighed. She finished strapping her packs around her belly and shook her head in the direction of the quickly disappearing Starswirl. Without even considering the alternative, she fanned out her wings and took to the air. In a few moments, she was gliding along next to the galloping stallion.
She kept her distance to avoid the spray of wet sand flying from Starswirl’s hooves as he charged down the beach. Her mane whipped back and forth as the crosswinds of the ocean brushed her closer to her guide. The view of the gentlepony driving through the sand in the dying of the light would have been romantic if she could have pictured it in one of her dreams. Unfortunately, this scene was far too real to appreciate the context.
“Why don’t you join me for a run?” Starswirl called to Twilight as she glided along his baffles. “It’s truly invigorating—exactly what a pony was built for. The wind in your mane and the earth beneath your hooves.”
“I prefer the air. I have wings you know.” Twilight swung a bit to the right and then back left to avoid a clump of sand flung behind the galloping stallion. “Wings were made for flying.”
“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of getting your hooves dirty? Also, what if you didn’t have those wings? Has it been so long since your transformation that you’ve forgotten the thrill of a gallop on the sand? Horns and wings are but appendages of the pony. You should try getting back to your true pony roots.” Starswirl tossed his mane and shook his tail as he charged down the beach, somehow gaining speed in near flight across the sand. “Suit yourself.” He turned his head forward and galloped on ahead. Twilight carried on in flight.
The beach gave way at times to the soggy flow seeping out of the nearby Hayseed Swamps. Twilight observed from above as Starswirl used his magic to solidify small patches of earth beneath each hooffall. The risk he took in running under such conditions scared her and she shied away from duplicating the task. The wings on her back, though strange and unwieldy appendages at the time of her transformation, now felt natural following a reasonable period of familiarization. The thought of going back to the way she was before, shedding the Alicorn and returning to the Unicorn of old, never crossed her mind. Her wings were a part of her now.
Another hour and the sun began to drop below the horizon behind them. She wondered how far they still had left to go—they had made it nearly to the end of the bay. Even flying that distance had put a strain on her wings. She had no idea how Starswirl had managed to run that same distance. The last rays of the setting sun lit over tops of the swamp forest to the west—a crown of fire atop the trees as night began to fall over Horseshoe Bay.
Starswirl dropped out of his full gallop and returned to a steady trot. Twilight swooped into position near his right flank. “We’ve nearly lost our light.” He came to a halt as he rose up on his hind legs and spun around to face Twilight. “I feared as much.”
“How much farther do we have to go?” Twilight came to a stop as she landed and folded her wings down against her body.
“Just over those hills.” Starswirl pointed south, directly opposite the open ocean bay behind him.
“But that will take another hour or two at least.” Twilight scanned the hilltops in the distance for any indication of a settlement or destination of any kind. The mass of jungle like swamp between them and the hills wasn’t something she considered passable without flight or magic. “Are you sure that’s where we need to go?”
Starswirl nodded. “Of course I’m sure, but unfortunately we’re going to need a shortcut to make it there before dark. We must keep to the schedule even if we have to break the rules a little.” His horn lit up. He focused his concentration on weaving a spell around both himself and Twilight. Suddenly, Twilight felt herself pulled along a magic pathway leading to another point in space. She quickly scanned the signature of the magical bridge as she swept along its proverbial length. In an instant, she found herself standing on the edge of a small cliff overlooking a clump of houses and planks stung together over the lapping sea breaks of the ocean and beach below. By her magical calculations, her current location was directly south of her previous position on the other side of the rolling hills to the north and the southern tip of the Horseshoe Bay peninsula.
Starswirl thrust his hoof out, sweeping out before him and over the village below. “Welcome to Pirate’s Cove.”