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// Chapter 5: What Goes Up, Must Come Down 
// Story: Keys of My Destiny 
// by RageLokiCat 
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It was about 1:30, and Fluttershy and I were on our way to the castle courtyard where I was supposed to meet Twilight. Fluttershy and I had just finished an excellent lunch at a small corner café, although we did have to eat inside as the rain had picked up.

"I think I may have forgotten to say it earlier, but thank you for lunch, Fluttershy. I'll be sure to pay you back once I find a way to earn some money in this world..." I said with a smile as we worked our way from the overhang of one building to the next.

"Oh, you're welcome. Don't worry about it, it's not like you were taking advantage, and I couldn't have you starve." She replied as we got back under cover. There weren't many other ponies out in this rain; many of them wisely choose to stay indoors. In fact, as I looked around, I noticed we were the only ponies in the area. Looking forward again at the castle, which was now looming in front of us, I wondered what Twilight had planned to try and teach me. From what I'd seen, nearly every unicorn was able to levitate things, regardless of their cutie mark, so I assumed that would be one of the things she would try. I must have been distracted for longer than I thought, because suddenly I ran into Fluttershy from behind, and I realized she had stopped outside the gate to the castle courtyard. I muttered 'Sorry' and looked around her, where I saw a pair of guards.

"Oh, hello Fluttershy, what brings you to the castle today?" The guard on the right said.

"Princess Twilight requested that Blazing Star here meet her in the courtyard at 2:00 for magic training. May we be allowed entry?" She said. I looked at the gate I front of us. It was definitely solid; it would be hard to break through. I wondered if two guards would really be enough, but I wasn't about to tell them that.

"Of course. Here you go Fluttershy, and Blazing Star." He said, opening the gate and letting us through. The courtyard was large, yet not unnecessarily so. Off to the side under cover, there were a pair of guards sparring with their spears, but other than that, it was pretty quiet. Also sitting under the under-hang was Twilight, who had a look of worry on her face. We had begun to walk over to her when she looked up and saw us. Her expression became more cheerful, and she stood. We finally made it over, and out of the rain.

"Thank you Fluttershy. Blaze and I shouldn't be too long, a few hours maybe. Do you know if the delivery you were waiting for has come in yet?" Twilight said, looking at Fluttershy.

"It has, I was planning on picking it up then coming back here when I was done, that way I might catch a bit near the end." She responded.

"That sounds good with me. Any objections Blaze?" Twilight asked me.

"Sounds fine, although I don't know how interesting this will be later." I said, looking over at Fluttershy. She smiled and then turned back towards the gate, back out into the rain. We watched her go, before Twilight looked back at me and spoke.

"So Blaze, do you have any questions before we start?" She asked cheerfully.

"Well... How hard do you think this will be?" I said apprehensively. She got a thoughtful look on her face, then she responded.

"I guess it depends on how much of an inclination for magic you have. I mean, some ponies find it easier than others." She said. I nodded slowly, considering what she had said. After a few seconds, she began her lesson.

"Now, when it comes to magic, to most important thing is focus. If you find you're having a hard time with something, don't let your nerves get to you, because that will just make it harder. Find somewhere nice and quiet, free from other distractions." She looked at me intently, and I nodded.

"Next, when you're doing spells, simple ones at least, all that's involved is imagining what you want to happen. Imagine power flowing from you, through your horn, to do whatever task it is you want. Eventually, you won't think of it quite so literally, but for now that'll do." She said, glancing out into the courtyard with worry. I thought about what she said for a few moments before speaking.

"So, if I wanted to levitate, say, that rock, I would imagine it floating and channel my power into that thought?" I nodded over at a small rock that was sitting next to us. She smiled and nodded, backing up to give me space. I looked at the rock, then back at her. She nodded encouragingly, and I again switched my attention to the rock. I closed my eyes, holding the image of the rock in my mind. For an agonizing few seconds, I couldn't ignore the sounds of the rain splattering on the ground next to me, but I soon blocked that out.

Next, I imagined the rock slowly rising into the air. As I did, I began to do my best to channel energy into that idea. I focused intently, to the complete ignorance of everything else, even breathing. After a few more terrifying seconds, I heard Twilight speak again.

"Yes, that's it! You're getting it!" She said happily. I peeked one eye open, and saw that it was indeed rising wobbly off the ground, surrounded by an orange field of magic. The excitement from my success broke my concentration though, and suddenly the rock shot straight up and bounced off the ceiling, cracking in half and falling to the ground. I grinned sheepishly as Twilight smiled and shook her head, grabbed another rock from the courtyard and brought it over, setting it in from of me.

"That was pretty good for a first time. This time though, don't let your excitement break your focus." She said, nodding to tell me to do it again. I closed my eyes and brought the image of the rock again into my mind. Remembering the feeling from last time, I tried to move the rock upwards.

"Yes, but keep focusing. See if you can make it less shaky. And you might as well open your eyes, you're to need them open eventually if you want to see what you're doing." She said, giggling. I slowly opened my eyes, keeping the image of the rock in my mind, but holding it still. Once I was ready again, I began to move the rock up further. I did as Twilight asked, and slowly made it shake less. Soon however, I was again at the ceiling.

"Erm, now what?" I asked, looking quickly over at her before looking back to make sure the rock was still in place.

"Now, move it down. And sideways. And wherever else you like. Just not at me!" She said with a laugh as we both remembered my first attempt. I smiled and began lowering the rock. Next, I began moving it side to side. Soon after, circles. I decided to see how far out I could make it go, so I turned to the courtyard and sent it out. After a few seconds though, I found that I had lost it in the rain.

"Erm... I think I'm going to need a new rock." I said in embarrassment, looking around on the ground for another. I saw Twilight's horn light up, but didn't think much of it until she yelled out.

"Here, catch!" She said, sending a small rock sailing quickly at me. Thinking fast, I let my human instincts take over, and my head snapped around. I saw the rock was aimed towards my shoulder, and I reached my hoof out. My reactions were rewarded with a soft thump, and I grinned when I felt the rock in my grasp. I looked over at Twilight, who had a look of mild frustration. She blinked a few times in shock, before sighing and shaking her head slowly.

"Well, that was impressive, but I was hoping you would catch it with magic." She said, looking at the rock in my hoof. My smile faded, and I apologized.

"Sorry, I haven't had a lot of experience with magic; my human instincts still seem to take priority." I said. She smiled warmly, and I could tell she wasn't really annoyed.

"Here, I'll show you what you can do with levitation magic if you work hard enough. Or, I'll try at least." She walked out into the courtyard, until she was in the middle, getting soaked by the pouring rain. I watched intently and she stood, eyes closed, deep in concentration. For almost a minute, nothing happened. Then, I saw her horn begin to glow again, until it was enveloped by a layer of magic. The rain in the courtyard seemed to slow in its descent, but I just pushed that off as part of my imagination. Suddenly, another layer of magic formed on her horn, and I realized that it wasn't my imagination, the rain was actually slowing. A grimace formed on her face, and another magic layer formed, this time accompanied by small glowing sparks. The rain around her slowed to a crawl. Then it stopped, and after a few seconds, actually began to move back up. I watched in utter awe as she forced an ever-growing sphere of rain away, forming a shield of water around us and much of the courtyard. Underneath it was dry; there was no rain left that reached the ground. Suddenly, Twilight quivered, and the outer layer of magic on her horn faltered and broke away, the pieces fading from existence. I saw cracks from in the water shield above us, and just barely heard Twilight yell 'Watch out!' before it broke, sending a huge amount of water crashing to the ground. Just before she was hit, Twilight ducked to the ground to lessen the impact. I, however, was not so wise, and was hit by all the water that had splashed back up from the ground after it hit. In a feeling that was akin to having several buckets of water thrown at me at once, I was knocked over, landing in the pond that had formed from Twilight's spell. I got up in time to see Twilight rise shakily to her hooves, and walk back over to the overhang with me. She smiled, the exhaustion clearly evident on her face. I smiled back, looking around at all the water before responding.

"That was incredible! I never even imagined that would be possible! But... what do we do with all this water?" I asked, looking at the ever-persistent pond.

"That's a good question. Erm... Would you please go warn the guards at the gate? I think I'll just send it out that way." I nodded, and splashed over to the stairs. I clambered up, and found myself at the gate again. The guards jumped in surprise, but quickly regained their composure.

"I'm here to warn you that there's about to be a lot of water coming through, we seem to have run out of space in the courtyard." The guards looked at each other in confusion, until they saw the water that was pouring up the stairs and over to the gate. They scooted out of the way of the gate, and I turned just in time to be hit in the face with a hundred gallons of water for the second time today.





We had finally gotten all the water out, and the rain had actually started to let up when Fluttershy came back. Twilight had been helping me practice my precision by having me hit targets that were further and further away, and I was taking a break. Fluttershy walked up wearing a pair of saddlebags, each of which appeared to have a package in them. I jumped up in excitement when I saw her, and immediately started talking about our 'adventures' with the water, with particular emphasis on Twilight's spell.

"And look what I can do now!" I said, looking around for something to use my magic on. I spotted hoof sized stone next to one of the support columns, and decided it would work. I closed my eyes for a moment, focusing on the stone. I opened my eyes again and brought the stone over, until it was floating in-between Fluttershy and I. I then sent it around in a circle in the air, then I put it down again. I heard a giggle from behind me, and looked over to see Twilight holding a hoof over her mouth, trying to keep from bursting out laughing.

"What's so funny!?" I demanded, wondering why she was laughing at me.

"You're like a little colt, since you're new to magic, and the way you're so excited is funny." She said, grinning and shaking her head again. I glowered at her a little before Fluttershy interrupted.

"I think it's very nice Blaze. That seems like a huge improvement from not even knowing you had a horn a few days ago! I'm proud of you." She said, defending me. I blushed a little and said 'Thanks' quietly before another giggle sounded from Twilight and she spoke up.

"You two are adorable. But Fluttershy is right; you have made huge improvements Blaze. We'll have to get together for more magic training sometime." This time it was Fluttershy's turn to blush. I smiled and nodded in agreement, silently wondering if all of her magic involved as much cleanup after. Suddenly a thought dawned on me, and I wanted to face-hoof.

"Uhm, I never actually thought about this before, but... Where am I staying tonight? I uh... I can't exactly afford a hotel yet." I said, looking from Twilight to Fluttershy and back again. The two mares looked at each other, and I got the feeling they hadn't thought about it either. A few seconds full of blank stares later, Fluttershy spoke quietly.

"Well, the room that Princess Celestia provided for me is pretty large. You could uh..." She blushed deeply. "You could stay with me... I mean, unless Twilight has a better idea..." She looked away; clearly embarrassed at the idea but feeling she had to offer anyway. I looked over at Twilight, who nodded and responded.

"I'm afraid there are no more spare rooms in the castle right now, so that seems like it would be the best option. Are you sure though, Fluttershy? I mean, all things considered, you don't actually know him that well. He seems pretty trustworthy, but you never know... No offense intended, of course." She finished off looking at me, and I just shrugged it off. Fluttershy looked up in determination, and she responded confidently.

"I trust Blaze, far more than I trusted Discord at least, and I let him stay with me. That turned out well in the end, so how badly can this go?" She said with a small laugh.

"No exactly the best example, but if you're sure, it's your choice I guess. But remember Blaze, I'm watching you..." Twilight picked up one of the buckets of water that was still sitting around, and glared threateningly. After a few seconds, she began laughing, and soon all three of us were giggling, remembering how many times I had gotten soaked during my training. I held out my hoof, pretending to hold her away.

"I'll be good, you can be sure out that. There's no way I would do anything to Fluttershy considering how nice she's been to me these past few days." I said solemnly. Twilight nodded, and I turned back to Fluttershy.

"Now where to? I assume you're going home tomorrow, now that you've gotten what you need. It's about 4:30, so I doubt you'd be leaving tonight, but I don't know." I said, looking at her expectantly.

"First, I was thinking of dropping some things off at my room, but after maybe we could take a walk around Canterlot? I didn't get to show you much when it was raining, but it should be more fun now." She said, looking at me brightly.

"Sounds like a good time! Thank you so much for your help Twilight, I would never have figured all that out and seen some awesome magic without your help." I said gratefully, turning to look at Twilight.

"You are welcome. I hope we meet again sometime soon. And don't forget to keep practicing. Now if you'll both excuse me, I should be returning to my royal duties." She sighed and took off into the sky. I watched her go, wondering what it would be like to have wings. I shook off my curiosity and motioned for Fluttershy to lead the way, and soon we were off, in search of Fluttershy's room. The castle was huge; we had to go through several doors and up several more flights of stairs before we arrived. She grabbed a key from one of her bags, and unlocked the door. She paused before she opened it, turning to me.

"I'm sorry for the mess, I... I haven't been tidying up as much as I should." She said as she opened the door. She walked in, and I followed her through. Pausing once I was in, I looked around. I did a double-take a what I saw, for Fluttershy's idea of 'A mess' apparently meant some clothing on the floor on one side, a few boxes on the other, and an un-made bed.

"I... I know, it's pretty bad. I'm sorry." She said, hanging her head in shame. I smiled, and laughed.

"Seriously, this doesn't even begin to describe bad. My mother would have..." I trailed off, my smile fading as I remembered what had happened. Shaking it off in an attempt not to start crying again, I finished my sentence.

"She would have been ecstatic if I had ever kept my room this clean." I looked down at the ground, unsure of what to do next. To my surprise, I felt Fluttershy nuzzle me, and I looked over to see her standing next to me, a caring look on her face.

"I'm really sorry. If it helps, I bet she would be happy to know that you're still thinking of her, and that you still care." She smiled a little, and made it very difficult to be sad. I smiled back, admiring her ability to spread happiness.

"Thanks, I'm sure she would." I said. I looked around the room again, and I noticed that other then the bathroom, this was the only room, and it was devoid of furniture other then the bed and a small dresser. Realizing what that would mean, I blushed a tiny bit, much to Fluttershy's confusion.

"Is... Is there something wrong Blaze?" She asked curiously.

"No, nothing really. Erm... Where am I sleeping? Usual I'm fine on a couch or something to that degree, but there doesn't appear to be any other furniture." I said, still blushing.

"Well, I... I had assumed we would share the bed, but if you want, I can certainly sleep on the floor for tonight." She said, looking over at the bed, then back to me.

"No, I couldn't have you offer your room for me to stay in, then make you sleep on the floor. And I probably shouldn't sleep on the floor either, considering my side hasn't fully healed yet. So... I guess sharing the bed will be fine. But let's worry about that later. If you're done here, we should head back out before it gets dark." I said, swallowing my embarrassment. She nodded and grabbed a small bag, very similar in design to a purse, which she put on over her head so that it hung down her right side over her shoulder. She nodded, and I walked over to the door. I held it open for her, and with a laugh she walked through. Before I got to ask about the door lock, she had already started answering.

"Don't worry about locking the door; it automatically locks whenever you close it." She said, and I closed my mouth. After shutting the door carefully behind us, I followed Fluttershy back out of the castle. The sun was getting lower in the sky, and was two or three hours from setting. I looked down just in time to avoid running into Fluttershy again, and had to make a mental note that when going on a walk for fun, I needed to walk slower or I would run into things. As we go further into the city itself, I saw how it looked far more beautiful when it was not raining.

"Ah yes, we made it. Usual I'm alone, and I can just fly up to this point. This is where I like to sit and watch Celestia's sunsets. And I think we're just in time!" Fluttershy had shown me all around the city, from her favorite places for tea to the parks she likes to sit and read in. We had stopped back by the library, and to our mutual amazement, Quilted Page had actually cleaned up the entire pile. Now, Fluttershy and I were on our last stop, which she said was her favorite place in the city. It was a quiet balcony high above much of the city, on one of the high-rise buildings. The sun was quite close to setting now, and the sky had just started to turn from blue to orange. Wordlessly, we both sat down on a bench to watch the sunset. Fluttershy had picked a good place, the view was breathtaking. A pony could see the land far below stretch on for miles and miles, until it reached the horizon, where the sun now gracefully lay, setting. Not a word passed between us the whole time, for neither of us wanted to break the perfection. The sky was burnt the color of autumn leaves, with streaks of blue dashing in at the edges. Further behind, the darkness of night had started to creep in, like a wave of shadows that was spreading over the world. It felt like the world was on fire, and slowly the fire was burning itself out. We sat for almost half an hour before the sky was dark, and the stars had begun to shine. Only then did I speak.

"That was incredible, Fluttershy. Thank you for sharing this place with me; I can't imagine a better way to end the day." I said, looking over at her. She looked back with a smile, then responded as she stood up.

"Everything is more fun with a friend, and I felt like you were the kind of pony who would appreciate a good sunset. Some of the colors even matched your coat!" She said with a giggle. I looked at the hair covering my body, which was actually very close to the colors in the sunset. I smiled as I got up from the bench as well. We worked our way back down to the street, where Fluttershy stopped and turned to face me.

"Now, are you hungry? It's been quite a while since we last ate, and you were working pretty hard earlier." She said confidently.

"Uhm, I guess so? Ya I guess I am pretty hungry." I responded slowly.

"Then it's settled. We'll go grab dinner somewhere before we head back to the castle for the night." She said.

"Are you sure? I mean, it's very kind of you to offer, but you really don't have to keep paying for my food. I'm sure I'll be fine until tomorrow." I replied, trying in vain to change her mind. It was weird hearing her talk with such confidence.

"Quite sure. You don't eat very much, and I was planning on going out to get food anyway, so it coincides nicely." She then seemed to notice the look of shock and confusion on my face, because she shrank down a little and returned to her normal way of talking.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I was just trying to sound more confident, like you and my friend Rarity have been telling me to." She said quietly.

"No, it's cool; I was just a little bit surprised. I guess if you're so sure, I might as well stop arguing. Where did you want to go?" I asked, looking around for nearby restaurants.

"Um, ok. In that case, follow me." She said. We walked for a few blocks before she turned abruptly left in through the door of a little restaurant that reminded me of an Italian restaurant. As soon as we got in, and I smelled that place, I realized it was an Italian Restaurant, or at least the Equestrian equivalent.

"This place is one of my favorites. They have something called pizza here, and it's delicious. Did the human world have pizza?" She asked excitedly. A huge smile crept onto my face. This world may be a little strange, but it has pizza. I thought as I nodded, mouth hanging open.

"Well that's good; I can imagine somepony who has never eaten it before might find it a little odd." She said, walking over to the counter. We were only waiting for a few moments before a stallion appeared from the kitchen.

"Hello, may I take your order?" He said with a smile.

"I'll have a slice of cheese pizza with... Olives and Onions please." Fluttershy said happily.

"Nice alliteration." I said with a laugh. She looked at me in confusion, and I just shook my head with a smile.

"And you sir?" The stallion said, looking up from his note tab.

"Uh just a slice of cheese pizza, please." I said, still smiling.

"Sounds good, feel free to grab a table." He said as he disappeared back into the kitchen. Fluttershy walked over to a small nearby two-pony table and sat down. I sat down across from her to wait, but was soon bored. By the time he brought out our pizza about ten minutes later, I had already counted all the ceiling tiles and started on the walls. The pizza looked good, and tasted even better. It was gone in far too short a time, but it always is. When we were done, we got up and walked back over to the counter. Like clockwork, the stallion appeared again.

"How much will it be?" Fluttershy asked.

"Seven bits." He said. She handed him seven copper colored coins, which I cleverly deduced must be worth one bit each.

"Thank you kindly. Have a nice day!" He said as he put the coins away.

"You too!" I said as we headed out the building. Once we were out, I looked down both streets, trying to remember the way. I face-hoofed, however, when I relined that I could see the castle, and it should be pretty easy to figure out the way back. Taking the lead, I began walking back. We weren't far off, only a few blocks, and were just passing through a street that was filled with many different music-related shops. Suddenly, we heard a door open quickly and then slam closed, and looked across the street to see a light gray earth-pony mare with darker gray mane and tail storm off, back the way we had come from. Fluttershy and I looked at each other in confusion, then slowly resumed walking. Not long after, we heard the door open again, and looked back to see a white mare with a multi-shade blue mane and purple glasses run out. She appeared to scan the area in disappointment, when she saw us. She quickly ran over, and began talking rapidly.

"Hey, did you guys happen to see a gray mare wearing a pink bow-tie leave the building I just came from? She asked.

"Uh, ya. She went that way." I said slowly, pointing down the street.

"So she's probably going back to her apartment... Thanks!" She said before galloping off.

"Uhm... You're welcome? I think?" I said, seriously confused. I heard Fluttershy giggle and looked over at her, confusion persisting.

"They probably just got into a fight or something like that." She said, shaking her head in amusement.

"Ya... Probably..." I said slowly. I knew I recognized the white mare from somewhere, but I couldn't place it. Slowly, I began walking again, still deep in though. A few minutes later a realized my hooves had indeed led us back to the castle. We had finally worked our way back up to Fluttershy's room, and she was about to unlock the door when a pair of guards turned the corner at the end of the hall, deep in conversation.

"Ya, I heard she's playing at the place down the street, near the record store tonight. Wanna go after our shift's up?" The first one said, oblivious of Fluttershy and I, who had stopped and were watching him. Suddenly, something clicked in my mind. I began mentally re-tracing our path. Just before the incident with the dance club, I remembered looking over at a record store as we walked past. And on the wall, there was a poster...

"I GOT IT!" I yelled, making the two guards jump and scaring Fluttershy nearly to death.

"Uhm... You got what, exactly, sir?" The second guard asked.

"You guys are talking about DJPon3, right?" I asked quickly.

"Uh... Ya, we are. Why?" The first guard asked, a look of curiosity on his face. I spun around to face Fluttershy.

"That's who the white mare was! I knew I recognized her, but I couldn't figure out where from. I had seen her on a poster." I said to Fluttershy. The look of terror on her faced changed to understanding, and she straightened back up. The two guards looked at each other, then the first one ran over to me.

"Dude, you met DJPon3, like, outside the club?!" He asked quickly, a look of amazement on his face.

"Ya, she came over to ask a quick question, that's all though." I said.

"So then you probably didn't get her autograph or anything..." He said, the disappointment clearly showing on his face.

"No, sorry. But I know she's defiantly there tonight, and depending on how long she's out and when your shift's done, you might be able to catch her still." I said, trying to cheer him up. His face lit up again, and I could tell he agreed.

"Hey, we should really finish our rounds." The second guard said to the first, grabbing his attention again.

"Ya, sorry. Thanks!" He said to me before trotting back over to his friend. Fluttershy and I waited until they were gone again before entering her room. Suddenly, it felt like the day's activities caught up with me, and I felt exhausted.

"Hey, which side of the bed do you want?" I asked Fluttershy.

"Uhm, well, I usually like sleeping closer to the window side, but you can have whichever side you want." She said.

"This side's fine." I said, flopping down onto the side further from the window.

"Ugh, I feel like I could sleep for a moon." I said through a face-full of pillow. Fluttershy giggled as she put down her things on the dresser.

"Well, I'm afraid you'll have to get up a little sooner, if we're going to leave in time for a reasonable return to Ponyville." She said as she pulled on her pajamas. I felt her climb onto the other side of the bed, and for the first time since I arrived in Equestria, I was worried. Am I even going to Ponyville with Fluttershy? I'd hate to leave her, and it really does sound nice there, but I'm starting to like Canterlot. That, and if I stay, I can probably get more magic training with Twilight. Oh Celestia, help me... I though as my exhaustion took over and I fell asleep.