//------------------------------//
// The Journey Begins 
// Story: Blooming Talent 
// by Griffin Productions 
//------------------------------//

As Apple Bloom awoke the next morning, she felt something she hadn't in a few mornings; relaxation.

This was the first time she had fallen asleep and not had a horrible memory replay itself in her nightmares. She felt rested, and strangely..."excited." That was weird. What reason would she have for having that particular sensation upon waking?

She moved her head to look up, and her forehead brushed against something soft in texture, yet solid in mass. Her eyes widened and her face grew hot as she took a look and saw Goten fast asleep next to her. She remembered falling asleep while he was in here, but she thought he would have left after she did so. Then again, he did start to doze off a bit before she had. Perhaps he just passed out as well?

She was uncomfortable, but at the same time not wanting to move. They weren't making much contact, so it wasn't like they had fallen asleep in each other's embrace or anything, but still...he was right next to her, and had been the whole night.

Perhaps that was the reason she hadn't had any nightmares. When she was little she would sleep with either Big Mac or Applejack, but they had been her siblings, and she had been a filly. This was totally different.

After laying there unbelievingly staring at the half-saiyan, she slowly got out of bed, fixing her red mane and adjusting her bow. She looked back at Goten one more time and then headed downstairs.

Goku and Gohan were already downstairs, packed and ready to go; Apple Bloom's saddlebags had been packed with necessities as well. The two waved at her as she descended the stairs towards them.

"So, you ready to begin the search for the Dragon Balls, Apple Bloom?" Goku asked.

The mare nodded affirmations, and mounted her saddlebags. "I'm ready!"

"Sweet! This is gonna be great! We're gonna have such an awesome adventure!" 

"Uh, dad, don't get too worked up, ok?" Gohan chuckled. "It's gonna be a long journey, and you know it."

"Of course, but that's why it'll be so amazing!" Goku replied in earnest. "It's been awhile since I gathered all seven balls. This will be like old times for me ."

Gohan couldn't help but smile. His father was always young at heart, and got excited over the littlest things. It was rejuvenating. 

Apple Bloom noticed Gohan was holding a rather large watch-looking device. This piqued her curiosity.

"Whatcha got there, Gohan?" She asked, pointing a hoof at the object.

"Hm? This?" Gohan said, holding it up. "It's a dragon radar. Bulma's family invented it. It detects the location of nearby Dragon Balls."

There was that name again; Bulma. Apple Bloom decided she needed to meet this Bulma who even that grump Vegeta could have a civil dinner with. She seemed like a very charismatic and smart person if the things she'd heard about her so far were true.

After some goodbyes to the family, the three of them headed out, each one ready to face whatever challenges lay ahead. 



After a few hours of hiking, the three stopped to take a small break. As they rested, Apple Bloom took note of all the beautiful scenery Mount Paus had to offer. The lush green grass, the radiant trees, the chirping birds; it was a very enchanting place to live. It wasn't hard to see why Goku and his family lived here.

"Say, Gohan?" Goku said in a conversational tone.

"Yeah, dad?"

"I was thinking, wouldn't this go a bit faster if we teach Apple Bloom to fly?"

Apple Bloom looked bewildered. "Me? Fly?"

Goku looked over to her with a goofy grin. "Of course. If you learned to fly, we could cut half the time it would take us to find the Dragon Balls on foot."

Apple Bloom was just confused. "There's one problem. I don't have wings..."

"You don't need any wings, silly." Goku said, rising to his feet. "Just watch, and I'll prove it to you."

With that, Goku started to float into the air as if by magic. Apple Bloom's jaw dropped as she looked on. 

Goku hovered above the two a few feet, smiling. "See?"

How was this possible? How was he flying without wings? Was he magical? She remembered then that Goku actually wasn't a normal human, and she thought to herself that that must be the reason he was able to do so. He was a saiyan, not a human.

"So, is that like an ability of your race?" She asked to make sure.

"Nope." Gohan answered for Goku. "Flying can be achieved by anyone if they have the training to do so."

As if to emphasis this, he too rose into the air to join his father. 

The yellow southern mare was in complete shock. This was impossible. They had no wings, no devices like jetpacks, and as far as she knew, no magical abilities. How were they able to do this?

The two warriors returned to the ground, and chuckled at the shocked mare's expression.

"If you apply yourself, you'll be able to fly like us as well." Gohan told her. 

"Apply myself? I feel like it's gonna take more than that to fly..."

"That's why we'll train you. Don't worry. Videl learned how to fly in a few days training with me. Maybe you can learn even faster than she did with both of us teaching you." He added.

Apple Bloom nodded, still a bit uncertain. But, she did say she wanted to get stronger, and if learning to fly was the first step, then so be it. She steeled her resolve, and stood up.

"Ok," she stated. "I'm ready to start."