//------------------------------// // First day, hopes crushed, promises made. [Rewritten] // Story: The Adventures of Charm Feather, In Just Me, and possibly her Chronicles. // by R-A-B-G //------------------------------// Chapter two Edit by FordPrefect My rest was interrupted from the noise of rustling bushes next to the clearing we occupied. I could see hungry yellow eyes gathering in the darkness. Quickly I got up, preparing myself for a fight. I looked towards Rarity, she wouldn't be able to defend herself, so I quickly placed soul gems around her and set up a force field spell relay. ‘That should do it.’ I thought while looking at the shimmering shield. The first of the wooden wolves walked out of the bush, ready to eat a filly. I smirked, thinking of how wrong I would prove it. I flared out my new wings and lowered my head into what I hoped was a good battle stance. The lead wolf jumped at me. I ducked low, conjuring blades and struck the wolf in its belly. Looking behind, instead of seeing the expected floating blades, I instead saw ghostly blades, attached tightly to my wings as if they were a part of them. I had no time to study my summoned wing blades as more wolves rushed out of the forest towards me. No doubt trying to overwhelm me with numbers. I charged one corner of the oncoming pack, jumping over the first row of wolves to kill the wolf behind him. The other wolves turned around and jumped at me. I quickly switched spells and my wings, sheathed in flame, peppered the wooden wolves with fire. Seeing their comrades in flames caused the remaining wolves to flee. Panting loudly from the exertion, I looked towards Rarity to make sure she was alright. The shield had protected her, but she had awakened. I started to feel a little sheepish at her disbelieving stare towards my still flaming wings. “Heh” I said a bit awkwardly, “uh, good morning?” as the light started to creep over the treetops. “Y-You can do magic?” she said in disbelief. “Heh, heh, yeah, pretty neat huh?” I said trying to brush off the whole situation, but Rarity’s mind must of fizzled and displayed an error screen because she then promptly passed out. “... Wonderful...” I deadpanned ----- I made use of the morning by working on the camp. I eventually set up the small but heavy alchemy table up in the middle of the tent. I placed it there since I preferred sleeping next to the fire and it would keep it safe from the elements. “Phew. Finally” I said rather winded, wincing as my injury flares with pain, from all the heavy lifting I been doing. “Oh man, never going to get used to thinking that I have wings.” I said. Though they do kind of act like three fingered hands. Maybe that's why the scrolls decided to make me a pegasus rather than a unicorn like Rarity. Speaking of which... I looked outside to see if she was still unconscious. “Geez, she can sleep for a long time.” I looked up at the sky. “It's almost past noon!” Groaning, I returned to the alchemy table and reached into my now much lighter, but still far too large backpack and pulled out a few choice ingredients to help with my injuries. Crushing the blue mountain flower and butterfly wings I made a healing potion that I promptly drank. Feeling worlds better, I sighed and went back to work. Next, I set up the small arcane enchanters table in the corner of the tent. To make sure it still worked like I expected it to in this universe I decided to try imbuing power into a knife. A moment latter, my bread knife gleamed with fiery goodness. “Awesome, an automatic toaster!” I said gleefully. Now I can toast my bread while I cut it. “Heck not just bread but meat ...”, my thoughts derailed, as the harsh reality of my new body manifested itself into my mind. I'm in a body of an herbivore, I can't eat meat! “DAMN YOU ELDER SCROLLS!!!” Panting, as my temper tantrum was over, I looked to Rarity who is... still sleeping despite the noise. I went back to the alchemy table, deciding to work on replacing the potions that had been destroyed from the hard landing. I mixed some basic healing, stamina and mana potions. Then I mixed up some smelling salts for Rarity. Heading over to Rarity, who is drooling in her sleep, I placed the smelling salts near her snout. She bolted awake, covering her snout while trying to get away from the foul smell. Glaring at me, she grumps “Don’t you know you never wake a lady up?” “Not if said lady has been asleep past noon.” I said smugly. “What... huh?” she checks the sun before coughing into her hoof. “Ahem... well I guess that is ok then.” Gaining her composure she looks around. “So, um, what’s for breakfast, I mean lunch?” “... whoops” I said, I had forgotten about food so I dove into my bags looking for things to eat. Ignoring things like jerky, I grabbed items like berries, grapes, apples and lettuce. I brought the food over to Rarity in two bowls, placing one down for me and one for her. She smiled in thanks and we both started to chow down on the grub. I've got to say snowberries are epic. I mean they were good when I was human but now they were intoxicating. I almost passed out from how good they tasted. Taking a break from the awesome food. I watched Rarity in amusement as she pigged out on the snow-berries. After the meal. Rarity went around the camp, looking at my enchanters table, alchemy set and book collection inside my tent. She returned with the book, ‘De Rerum Dirennis.’ and I wondered if she would be able to read it. There was some nice fluffy clouds, far up in the sky. My wings twitched at the prospect of flying. I won’t lie, I'm really excited about learning to fly. I could hear some birds in the distance and insects buzzing. The smell of the fresh grass permeated the air and was pleasant to lay on as well. I smiled as I enjoyed the moment. I had learned to appreciate moments when it was both peaceful and pleasant out during my time at Winterhold. I hadn't even relaxed for two minutes before Rarity started poking me with book 'De Rerum Dirennis'. “Yes?” I asked. Shyly Rarity asked “So, um... how can you do magic?” “Well it’s not like I take unicorn horns and grind them into dust or something.” I laugh slightly but it slowly fades as I see how the white unicorn in front of me is even paler than normal. “Joking! I'm joking! Sorry!” I apologized, which seemed to ease Rarity’s horrified face. “Not sure on the exact details, but I use my willpower and spirit to draw forth mana. Then I put the mana into a spell matrix which then leaves my body when I cast it through my focus. For you, your focus is your horn, while for me it is my wings. A spell matrix can be either taught by another or learned from a spell tome. A magical spell tome can allow a practitioner to instantly learn a spell, but it is destroyed by the act of reading. It accomplishes this by engraving the spell upon your mind so that you will never forget or mess up the spell. Spell tomes only lay a framework of a spell, it takes practice and study to be able to unlock the spell's full potential.” Looking to Rarity she seems quite perplexed at the large stack of information I had just dropped onto her. “Well... um that’s great so... um... why is it you find me levitating something so fascinating?” “Oh well its cause I never seen someone use levitation before.” I said rather sheepishly as her gaze turned even more disbelieving. “Wait so you never seen somepony else levitate before?” she asked in disbelief. “Ahem. Yes, I have never seen 'somepony' else levitate something before.” I said. “Anyhow!” I clapped my two front hooves together as I changed the subject. “I was wondering, Miss Rarity, why were you in this forest to begin with?” I asked. “For as you have seen, this place is rather unhealthy.” I said, gesturing at the clearing which contained the charred remains of timber wolves. “Oh... well I was going home... then something happened with the sky. Then the next thing I knew I being chased through the forest by that brute of a manticore.” Rarity said summing up her adventure threw the forest. “... Well why were you in the forest in the first place then?” “Oh well my horn activated and I was dragged through forests and land from my home as I... was working... on costumes... for a school.... play...” Rarity said. I started to get a little worried, as Rarity's face was turning into an expression of horrified realization. “Um Miss Rarity? Is something the matter?” I asked. I checked behind me, to make sure she wasn't freaking out because of a monster, just in case. “Is something the matter? Is something the matter?!” she yelled. “Something is definitely the matter! I missed the school play! I was supposed to bring the jewels to the pageant so I could make fantastic costumes with them!” “It’s been two days! I've missed the pageant” she yelled frantically, “and I am stuck in this forest with a magic wielding pegasus with no way home!” She stopped suddenly and whipped towards me, “You're a pegasus!” “Um. Yes I'm a pegasus” “You could fly me home” she said happily! Her voice full of hope and relief. “Um well you see there is a problem with that.” I said with my ears folded back. “The problem with that is, that ... um.... I can’t fly.” She looks at me even more horrified then before. “Wha-what?” Rarity said in a voice so small that I almost didn’t hear her. “Well the problem is that... I don’t know how to fly.” I could see tears forming in her eyes when she heard me say that. “So … well … um. I’m really sorry that I couldn’t help but maybe if we work together, I could still get you home? Do you know which way to go?” She shook her head no and started to cry. She looked so heartbroken, I went up to her and gave her a big hug while she cried. “I’ll protect you.” I said out loud with determination, Rarity looked up at me. “I'll learn how to fly and help find your home Rarity.” I said with a smile, while internally I was feeling guilty that my untimely arrival had probably caused her getting chased by a manticore. Yet, if she hadn’t run into me, she would had died, alone in this forest. With my own tears starting to form I hugged Rarity, “I’ll get you home. You’ll see.” End of Chapter... From one world to the next I travel. Not knowing my actions had changed lives of many, I vowed to protect a child... or filly. She is now my responsibility. I'll use fire, ice, lightning, ghostly blades, poisons and potions. My full might will be used to insure she is protected.