//------------------------------// // Chapter four: The Journey Begins // Story: An Elegy of Enlightenment // by Algoortheviking //------------------------------// The landscape here defiantly took a dramatic turn. We were only a few of miles west from the Sir Dante and the lush plains and rolling hills that I was accustomed too. Here it was tall evergreen trees, large ferns grew everywhere and the sun light filtered in from above. Large boulders dotted the forest and the ground was more mulch than grass. Spectra and I stuck to the road, a wide dirt path that cut through the woods. The further in we traveled, the larger and more spread the trees grew. Apart from the bird chirps that echoed in the distance, it was rather quiet. Spectra lead the way, occasionally glancing at the map, but mostly she would just read one of her books from her saddle bag. I didn't mind the peace and quiet but this constant walking and saying nothing was starting to bore me. “Hey Spectra,” I said to get her attention away from that book. “Do you know a lot about magic?” She just glanced back, “I know a good deal about it. Why do you ask?” “Well I was wondering; what if supposedly that a non-unicorn, like for say an earth-pony, wanted to learn elemental magic. I know it’s rumored to be possible that non-unicorns can use certain elementals, like for say, fire magic. Is that true?” Spectra just cocked a smile at me. “What are you saying? That you want to learn fire magic?” “Wait what? No, I was just… well I suppose a pegasus could also want to; I mean… uh, yes, I want to learn fire magic. So, is it possible? Can you teach me?” Spectra just kept on grinning as she slowed her pace. “Yeah it’s possible, however it’s not something most ponies are capable of. Otherwise a lot of ponies would be shooting fireballs or conjuring lightning.” Well at least I knew it wasn’t all just a hoax or a rumor. “So, can you teach me how its done?” Spectra’s grin took on a more a more sarcastic look as she paused her advance. “You seem to think that there is some trick to it, and once you know it, then the rest will be easy. I’m sorry to burst you’re bubble but it doesn’t work that way. You need an understanding of magic on the fundamental level.” “And you seem to think that mere words will deter me,” I replied with a smirk. Spectra just sighed and smiled, like she always does. “Ok, first off I want you to take in a deep breath. Ok, now exhale slowly. You need to feel it in your chest, let the air fill your lungs. Now exhale again at a slow and steady pace.” Taking in a few gulps of air and releasing it like she said, I was tingling with excitement, eager to learn the next step. “Ok, what’s next, Spectra?” “Just keep breathing like you were. Breathe in and breathe out. Breathe in and breathe out.” This was starting to sound ridiculous. “I know how to breathe. What I need to learn is how to use magic? It sounds to me like you’re training me for pregnancy, not fire magic.” She just smiled as she batted an eyebrow to that remark. “Yes well you are right there. Giving birth and casting fire are quite similar if you think about it. In both instances you are bring new life into the world.” Her light hearted smile switched to a serious glare. “However, unlike child birth, if you screw up with fire, you can end you taking life from this world as well.” I didn't think about it in that perspective. All I wanted to learn as basic stuff, like lighting my fire place or simple tricks to show off. “Proper breathe control will teach you how to manage your magic’s flow and output. This will not only allow you to control the size and duration of the flame, but also the ability to intensify the heat, compress it into a jet that can cut steel, and even extinguish the flame at will.” I was defiantly pumped now! “So all I have to do is breathe for a while and control my breath and I’ll be ready for the next step?” I asked eagerly with a spark in my eye. “More or less, but that’s the jiff of things,” Spectra said as she continued to walk. She then went back to levitating her book as I continued to practice my breathing. We were now deeper into the forest; the terrain was getting rocky with ledges and steep inclines. It felt like the side of a small mountain, or a really big hill. I must have been practicing my breathing for an hour or two. Slow breathing, fast breathing, holding my breathing and releasing in on big breath breathing; Spectra had me doing it all. It felt like my lungs were ready to pop. “Ok Spectra, I’ve been breathing for a while, can I stop now?” Spectra just glanced back at me. “You want to stop breathing? Why would you want to do that?” “You know what I mean!” “Alright,” Spectra said with a chuckled. “Next up is magic. As a pegasus, this concept will come easier to you than it would an earth pony. I assume you know how to make precipitation and lightning strikes from clouds, right?” “More or less,” I replied since I don’t actually do that on a day to day basis. I studied about it back at the academy but unlike Equestria weather pegasi, Ponytopian weather teams used ships and machines to control weather. Spectra just sighed in disappointment. “Ok, well first off, all you need to be concerned about is lightning. You don’t realize it but when you strike a cloud to make a lightning bolt, you’re actually releasing a stream of magic energy from your body to direct the lightning. Once you’ve learned to recognize and perform this technique on your own, you’ll be able to summon electricity to you at will.” “So I need to learn how to make lightning? Which is supposedly natural to pegasi?” “You need to learn how to sense and control the flow of your own magical energy. Magic is your primary fuel for controlling a flame. If you can’t control a magical flow, then you might as well douse yourself in kerosene and light a match. You’ll get better results that way, but you probably won’t do much else after wards.” Her sarcasm seems to rival my own. “So create lightning and feel the magic as I use it. Sounds easy enough, what should I look for when I try to sense it?” “I don’t know. I’m not a pegasus, I don’t do lightning. I’m a unicorn. Unicorns don’t need to sense magic to use it, that’s why it’s so easy for us. This is something you’ll have to discover for yourself,” Spectra snapped aggressively as she tried to continue reading her book. “Alright I get it, sorry for asking.” flapping my wings, I took off for the nearest cloud. “And don’t forget to keep practicing your breathing!” Spectra shouted from the ground as I made my way up to the cloud line. Another hour or two must have passed as I was up there. It took me around thirty minutes to just figure out how to even create a lightning strike. I tried bucking, kicking, even karate style moves just to make a lightning bolt. Usually I just busted the cloud up or made it rain. I was actually forced to venture off just to find new clouds since I busted up all the close ones. In all the commotion, Spectra’s location almost became lost to me. Luckily the path through the forest was easily recognizable from up here. The road was the only place where the trees weren’t growing in large numbers. Once back over the road, I could spot Spectra easily on the ground. Once I mastered creating lightning without destroying the cloud then I was set to continue practicing above Spectra’s location. One thing I did notice immediately was that I found myself reaching for my water canteen a lot. Even to the point that I was draining other clouds to refill it. I did start to notice something though but it was faint and I still didn’t understand what I was feeling. However, all this practice was tiring me out. After another hour of continuous lightning bolts and thunder claps, I finally returned back to the ground. Landing beside Spectra as she cantered along, still reading her book. Trotting alongside her, I took a peek at the pages and read it a bit. It looked to be some sort of a romance novel involving the relationship between a vampony and a robot. “Hey, Spectra, are we near Detrot yet?” “Not even close,” Spectra replied, not even bothering to take her head out of that book. “Well, is there a town nearby that we can stop at?” “We passed a trading depot a couple of miles back, and we’re at least a few hours from the next town. Why do you ask?” She said still reading her novel. “Well you see I was hoping we could stop somewhere and find a bathroom. I’ve gotta pee really badly!” Spectra didn’t even take her eyes off the pages after hearing that. I was hoping she would at least pull out the map and check. “Well, can’t you hold it for a few hours until we reach the next town?” “I went through like five canteens full of water while I was up there! You try holding it for that long after drinking that much!” Spectra lowered her book and glanced back at me. “Well, I guess you’ll have to go in the woods then.” “What! You can’t be serious?” I shouted; I could feel myself blushing from embarrassment at the thought of it. “Haven’t you ever gone camping before? Yes I’m serious. Go find yourself a bush or a fern or something. I’ll wait right here till you’re done.” Spectra replied, immediately she went back to reading. “What if somepony sees me? I would die right then and there, never able to show my face in public again!” “Nopony is going to see you! We’re the only two here, besides, we’re both girls. I’m not going to peek at you, so you should have nothing to worry about.” “Alright fine, but something bad happens then I blame you,” I replied as I put some distance between me and her. Luckily these sequoia trees were huge, offering me some privacy. “Quite complaining, that’s part of going on an adventure. I knew you would only slow me down,” Spectra yelled back as she sat down on the road reading her love story. “Honestly, I never thought I’d be arguing with somepony about the morals of peeing behind a tree. I swear.” About a minute later, Spectra started to get a bad feeling. “Something’s wrong.” Spectra hoped to her hooves, looking around in all directions. “Autumn, where are you?” She yelled worryingly as she scanned the tree line. “I’m right here!” I shouted back as I hoped back onto the road. “Damn that felt good, I seriously thought I was going to-” Spectra shushed me, she was on edge. “What’s wrong?” “We’re not alone,” she said looking up at the ridge. “What! I knew it, somepony saw me didn’t they?!” “No, this is something else… Timber wolves,” Spectra replied in a low, aggressive voice. Her eyes focused up on the ridge to the left of the road. I couldn’t see any timber wolves at first but I did notice a low growling in the distance. All of a sudden they started to make their way out into the open. Five timber wolves in total, and they looked vicious. Spectra then turned to me, grinning as she hatched some sort of plan. “Ok, Autumn, I need you to do exactly as I say. You’re in for a real treat. I need you to sit there and don’t move a muscle, got it.” “You want me to just sit here!” “Yes, don’t move an inch unless I tell you to,” She ordered. I didn’t like the thought of it but I did as I was told. A timber wolf suddenly launched towards Spectra. Just as fast, Spectra performed a backwards somersault. There was a distinct glow around her hind leg as a fire began to kindle. The flame engulfing her hind leg was then shot forward in a vertical spiral, knocking the wolf backwards as well as setting it a blaze. Spectra landed on three hooves and slid backwards, extending her foreleg forward to keep herself balanced. The timber wolf started whining and rolling about trying to extinguish itself. Two more of the wolves attacked Spectra simultaneously from the side, barreling down on her. She twisted around and launched another fire wave with a butterfly kick. Timber wolves did not like fire as those two dashed away in the opposite direction, a trail of black smoke following them. There was a growling coming from behind as a wolf set its eye on me. “Spectra, can I move now?!” I asked eagerly as I heard the wolf approaching. “Don’t move, Autumn!” She said with confidence, I wasn’t as confident. I heard the growling turn into a full snarl, the wolf making its attack. “SPECTRA!” “Don’t move!” Spectra yelled spinning around with yet another kick, firing a large flame ring directly at me. I could feel the heat of the ring grazing me as it passed over. Suddenly there was a burst of hot air rushing behind my body accompanied by a loud explosion. I couldn’t help it. Turning my head around to see what happened, I saw the timber wolf scorched from the blast, smoking heavily as embers flew off as it retreated back behind the trees. I then caught something out of the corner of my eye. “Spectra, watch out!” I yelled as the last timber wolf jumped out of the shrubs, lunging at her. She quickly hoped to the side with another somersault, landing on her hind legs. As the wolf was right about to pounce, she clasped both of her front hooves and thrust them forward, strait at the wolf’s chest. A blast of fire was released in a continuous stream, pushing the wolf back into a large tree, Spectra standing up on her hind legs now, slowly walking forward. She did not let up, the flames roaring as she maintained flow of the fire, gusts of hot air and steam was flowing all around. It sounds just like a flamethrower. Spectra started to back off, the flames dying down. The whole front of that sequoia tree was scorched black with glowing embers everywhere. What remained of the timber wolf was just a pile of glowing ash and sparks. There was the sweet smell of roasted charcoal, which now that I’m thinking about it is quite disturbing. Spectra just glanced over at me with a smile. “Didn’t even use my horn once.” “So that’s fire magic?” I was astounded. Something like that could be performed by any kind of pony, the thought of it was… seductive to say the least. So much power at one’s hoof tips. “Alright then, I’m off to practicing again!” I said as I dashed up to the sky. “Hey, we need to get to the next town soon before it gets too late. So don’t wonder off!” Spectra yelled back from the ground. “Yeah, alright I hear ya!” The sun was beginning its descent as we reached the nearest town. I got a good three more hours of practice in, and I was actually noticing that magic flow Spectra was talking about. Still can’t summon lightning on my own though. The landscape was much different now than it was back in the sequoia forest. The trees grew scarce, the entire area was surrounded by tall rocky mountains, steep drop offs, and large cliff faces. The air up here was a bit chillier than it was in the forest. A lot of the plant life looked dead. I turned east while I was up in the sky, to see if I could spot the green rolling plains I called home, I saw nothing but endless trees and mountain peaks. Bringing myself to the ground, I landed beside Spectra who stopped at a split in the road. “So how far did we travel?” I asked since I didn’t pay any attention while I was practicing. “Oh we covered some ground, at least forty miles,” Spectra replied looking at her map. “We’ll head north up this road. It will bring us to the town of Canterburg , up in the mountain.” “Ah, ok. So where what region are we in exactly? It’s a lot different than the Chesternut valley.” “We’re in the Ponievynian Mountains, located on north eastern region of Ponytopia. Good thing you can fly, because it’s nothing but sheer drops and deep canyons for a while. Any ways, lets head in to town before it gets dark,” Spectra said as she turned right and headed up the road towards town. A chill ran down my spine, “Spectra, wait up! Do you mean the Ponievynian region? Aren’t there like, a lot of monsters here; wyverns, basilisk, hyenas, vampires and other nightmarish creatures?” “Yes, that’s why it’s a good idea to make it into town before nightfall,” she said as just kept walking. I for one did not want to be out here after nightfall. So I followed Spectra closely until we reached town. Making our way up the road, we started to spot houses and eventually the town itself. It was a nice little place, a large open plaza lined with shops and a fountain in the center. Everypony seemed happy, so that was a relief. “You wait here; I’m going to go see about getting us a hotel room for the night.” Spectra stated as she headed off to some market stalls to ask around. I in the meantime will wait over by the fountain. The place was lively, not what I was expecting. The sky was a beautiful array of orange, pink, and turquoise as the sun started to set over the mountain tops. I gazed at my reflection in the town fountain, getting lost in thought. “Wow cool, a real pegasus!” a voice said from behind me. Turning around I saw that a large group of young fillies and colts had gathered around me. “Ah, look at those wings, they’re so big!” one of the colts said with big bright eyes. “And they’re so soft too!” a filly replied as she rubbed her cheek against my wing. “Hey miss, do you fly a lot?” one of them asked as they all watched me, excited to hear my response. I was starting to blush; I was never the center of attention just because I had wings. “Why yes, I do indeed fly,” I responded, loving all the attention. They all got really interested now. “Wow, so how are you not dead?” “Well you see I… what?” Did I just hear what I think they said? “I thought she would have been eaten by now!” “Do you think she’ll disappear in the middle of the night like the others?” “Let guess how long she’ll last; I say she won’t make it till tomorrow morning!” My heart sank into my stomach. I can’t believe what I’m hearing; you don’t say something like that to somepony. What where they talking about? Was it really that safe to be here? Should I have stayed home after all? I then noticed that some of the adults were eyeing me. What’s going on here? I was soon approached by a mare this time. “I’m sorry about that miss, but I think that it’s best if you leave.” “I agree, this is no place for a pegasus like yourself.” A stallion said this time. “Wait, what’s going on? I don’t get it,” I asked nervously, having no idea as to why I was so unwelcomed here. All the commotion caught Spectra’s attention, who was close by at a nearby market stall. “What’s going on here, Autumn?” Spectra asked as she approached the crowd. “What did you do?” “I didn’t do anything! I was just by the fountain and all of a sudden everypony wants me to leave.” “Hey, is she with you?” one stallion asked, staring at Spectra. “Yeah, what of it?” Spectra responded, not amused by the whole situation as she gazed at each member in the crowd. “You need to tell your friend to leave immediately!” another mare said franticly, nudging her head towards me. “What is going on? Why do all of you ponies want me to leave so badly? What do you have against pegasi?” I glanced around at all of them. I was the only pegasus in town by the look of it. Everypony else was either earth pony or unicorn. One of the mares turned to me with a look of worry on her face. “We don’t have anything against you or pegasi in general. It’s just that it isn’t safe for you here and it’s best if you leave.” Spectra just glared at the others. “It’s not safe for her out in the wild at this time of day either. What can be so dangerous that all pegasi need to be driven out of town while everyone else lives as if it’s perfectly safe?” “You really don’t know, do you?” A stallion asked surprisingly. Spectra just batted an eyebrow at him. “This has been going on for years. Young pegasus mares have been abducted all around the area and never seen again. All of the other pegasi and any other ponies that assisted them in their search were wiped out as well. The military hasn’t done much about it either.” “Look, we don’t mean to be rude, but it’s for your own good,” one of the mares said. “We can’t risk remaining in the wild lands during the night either. We’ll stay here for the night and we’ll be off by morning.” Spectra responded to the crowd. She then just glanced to me. “Come on, Autumn, let’s find a room for the night. Oh, and for your sake, I’d suggest you stick close to me until we leave.” “Um ok,” Trotting up to Spectra, I kept close, watching everything around me. As we visited the few hotels that where available, they all were too scared to let us stay the night, saying they didn’t want us to bring trouble to their doors. The hour was growing late, the west was a dark orange while the east a deep blue. The moon was on the rise and we were running out of time. “Excuse me, but aren’t you the two from that big fuss in town square earlier?” asked a soft, sweet voice; smooth as silk. It was a young unicorn; her coat was light lavender while her flowing mane was a light combination of silver and purple. Her eyes were a bright amethyst. “Forgive me for intruding but I noticed that you were having a hard time finding an inn to stay at.” Spectra just gave her a suspicious look. “Yeah, it seems like everypony here believes we’re some kind of bad omen.” She didn’t seem dangerous to me. She had a soft and caring tone to her voice. She seemed almost bashful, though that could just be because Spectra wasn’t in the most welcoming mood. “I’m sorry about that, it was wrong of them to act that way, but they’re not heartless, just scared. Anypony who associated with a pegasus here usually ended up in a worst off position themselves. Everypony here is just scared of the consequences.” “You don’t seem too scared of those consequences,” Spectra replied intimidatingly. “No I’m not, I know better. This is why I came to offer you a place to stay until morning,” she said with a smile on her face. This wasn’t one of Spectra’s shallow smiles that were always hiding something. This smile was sincere. “Ok I’ll bite, it beats staying on the streets,” Spectra responded, still with a suspicious tone in her voice. We made our way back to the town square and stopped outside of a large three story building. There was a lot of commotion going on inside. Was this a bar or a tavern of some sorts? As we opened the door, we were met by the sound of music blaring. Rock guitars, wind instruments, and strings all playing in an energetic harmony. A lot of the ponies here wore cloaks, armor, robes or other adventuring gear. Most also brandish weapons of some sort; rather it be blades, axes, guns, scepters, great swords, spell books, and what not. This was a lively crowd; drinking at the bar, wrestling in the corner, or just sitting around exchanging stories. Walking in there was one pony that came running at us hastily. Spectra was on edge as he ran right on past us towards the door. “Sorry, gotta go, Later!” he said busting out into the street. “Does that guy ever take a break?” one stallion asked another sitting at a table right beside us. “I know right, if he’s not on a quest, then he’s combing the job board looking for one.” They then looked our way and waved. “Yo, Platina, did you bring us two new recruits?” Our lavender guide just smiled “Oh no, not this time; they didn’t have a place to stay for the night so I brought them here. Pegasus incident you know,” she said smiling as she glanced at me. “Is that right, well its a damn shame they act that way towards you. Any who, you’re welcome here,” the stallion said to us as he took a gulp from his pint. I liked it here, it reminded me of home. Spectra on the other hoof didn’t seem to enjoy the atmosphere as much. She just cringed as she looked around. “Uhhh, if I would have known we were headed to a guild hall then I might have reconsidered the offer.” “I don’t know, Spectra, I kinda like it here,” I said with a grin as I glanced around. I was loving this place, it felt so inviting. “You!” Sperta growled, “you didn’t strike me as member of the guild.” “Calm down Spectra, there’s no need to be rude,” I intervened. “Forgive her, she’s been kind of a bitch since we left on our journey. I’m Autumn Bliss and this here is Spectra… uhm, hmmm I can’t quite seem to remember your last name.” “It’s Serenity!” Spectra snapped. “Oh yes, right, Autumn Bliss and Spectra Serenity, it’s nice to meet you, and thanks for the help.” “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. My name is Platina Palladium, and it was my pleasure,” Platina smiled. She then turned to Spectra. “I know I’m not the adventurous, quest fulfilling, monster slaying type like most members are. But the guild is my home, and I love everything about it. I hope you can understand.” Platina explained with a charming smile on her face. She was similar to how Spectra was when I first met her, though Platina seems a lot more innocent than Spectra is. “Lighten up Spectra, what do you have against this guild anyway?” “Nothing much, other than it’s the complete opposite of the military. The guild is undisciplined, rambunctious, and destructive.” “Sounds like my kind of place,” I replied with a grin. “So, Platina, is there anything in the guild that involves airships?” “There is actually a section of the guild dedicated to airship captains who use their ships to complete quest. Many larger quest will often times require the use of airships.” Platina responded happily. “Where do I sign up?” I was excited now. “No, we are going to go get some sleep, then we are leaving in the morning,” Spectra said as headed towards the stairs. “Uh, ok, fine. Thanks again for all the help, Platina!” I yelled back as I made my walk up the stairs. “Oh no problem, hope you sleep well,” Platina shouted back waving. “… So do you think he’ll come?” “I don’t know, but if he does, then we need to be ready.”