//------------------------------// // Episode 1-Magic is Hard: Harmony's Rigorous Training // Story: Adventures in Magic and Friendship: Season 1 // by kurusagi16 //------------------------------// Episode 1-Magic is Hard: Harmony's Rigorous Training "Again." said Princess Celestia. She and Harmony were out on the castle grounds, not far from the Canterlot Archives and the castle observatory. The two of them were going through the special training exercises that Celestia herself had come up with, as a means of helping Harmony gain control over her newfound magic. Harmony took a deep breath and closed her eyes tightly, concentrating as hard as she could on her magic. There was a crack and a spark. Static shot from Harmony's body, wrapping around her as she began to levitate off the ground. Celestia nodded approvingly. "Remember, the key is to maintain concentration as you take control of the power inside you. Focus on the flow of magic, and direct it according to your will." Harmony did as she said, reaching for the magic inside her, it felt endless, flowing like a currant of water throughout her body, waiting to be wielded. But as she reached out to it, it became erratic. Harmony held on, focusing as much concentration as she had on keeping the magic steady. She had to be careful, for if she broke concentration, she would lose control and the magic would just burst out of her. Little by little, Harmony could feel her magic beginning to calm down, becoming more and more manageable. Harmony's heart ba-bumped with excitement. She opened her eyes and saw that the static had disappeared, and that she was now floating in midair. A grin sprang to her face. "I'm doing it. I'm doing it!" "Don't lose concentration." warned Celestia. But it was too late. The magical static returned, snaking up Harmony's body. A powerful blast shot out of Harmony and hit one of the walls on the castle, creating a medium-sized hole, wisps of smoke trailed around it. Harmony dropped back down to the ground with a thud. She laughed nervously as she looked from the hole to Celestia. "Oops." she said sheepishly. "Sorry about that, princess." "That's quite alright." said Celestia, eyeing the hole. "You're improving, but you still need to build up your concentration and control. "I know." sighed Harmony, looking down at the ground as she got up to her hooves. "I'm grateful for all your help and offering to teach me how to use my magic, but..." "But?" pressed Celestia. "I don't know, I just wish there was somepony else who could teach me. Somepony who knows more about spirits and how their magic works." "I know, but unfortunately there are very few beings who could help you. Except..." Harmony lifted her head. "What? Do you know somepony that could help teach me?" Celestia hesitated for a moment and nodded. "As you know, there is but one other spirit in Equestria, and that is Discord. I already sent a letter to him, informing him of your return and how I'd like him to help guide you as you become more accustomed to being the Spirit of Harmony." Harmony flapped her cream-colored wings in excitement. "Great! I can't wait to meet him. When do we start?" Celestia's mouth fell into a frown and she turned her head away. "I'm afraid it's not quite as simple as that." "What do you mean?" asked Harmony. "I have not heard word from Discord since I sent him my letter, possibly because it's a little late in delivery, or because he's refused to answer or acknowledge my message." "You mean...he won't help?" Celestia nodded. "But...but why? I mean, he's reformed isn't he? Why wouldn't he want to help me?" Celestia bit the inside f her cheek, choosing her words carefully. "I'm afraid I don't know. While Discord had changed from the being he once was, he still has some, habits that he's held onto. One of which is doing things only if they suit his needs or interest." Harmony stared at Celestia incredulously. "So, that's it? He won't teach me just because he doesn't want to, or doesn't feel like it?" Celestia held up a hoof to calm Harmony down. "I'll have a talk with Discord as soon as I can, in the meantime, we'll have to go on with the usual lessons as planned." Harmony frown in disappointment, but she sighed and said, "Alright." Celestia smiled. "Good, now, let's--" "Princess!" A voice interrupted. Both mares turned their heads to see one of the castle scribes running toward them. He stopped before them, a little out of breath. "Princess, I'm sorry to disturb you, but there's some urgent business the requires your immediate attention." "I'll be right with you." said Celestia, turning back to face Harmony. "I'm afraid that concludes today's lesson, sorry to cut it so short." Harmony waved a hoof. "That's okay, I understand. I'll see you tomorrow, princess." She turned, opening her wings and flew up into the air, heading on her way home. Harmony threw open the door of her little cottage and trotted inside, accidentally waking her pet jackalope Tempo from his usual midday nap. He let out a long yawn and rubbed his eyes. He was surprised to see Harmony back home so early, so he rushed up to her and cocked his head to the side as if asking a question. "Hey, Tempo." greeted Harmony. "Lessons ended a little early than usual, which means I have the rest of the day off to myself." Tempo grinned, delighted to hear the news. Harmony chuckled. "I thought you might be glad to hear that." She then tapped her chin thoughtfully with her hoof. "Now then, since it's just the two of us, what should we do first?" she mused. Tempo pointed up at the nearby clock, which showed the time as a quarter after lunch. "Hmm, lunch sounds like a good idea, especially after all that practicing this morning." Harmony went into the kitchen and went to work making lunch. She hummed to herself as she got out slices of bread, some peanut butter, and heated up the frying pan over the stove. Soon, the delicious smells of food cooking filled the room. Tempo breathed it in, licking his lips in eager anticipation. "There, all done." said Harmony, brushing her long black mane out her face. She'd just finished making her food, a full platter of fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches. Harmony took one of the sandwiches and cut it into fourths before putting it on a plate and setting it down in front of Tempo, then she proceeded to sit herself down at the dining table and helped herself to the lunch she'd made. But, just as she was about to take the first bite of her sandwich, there was a knock on the door. "Who could that be?" she wondered, getting up from the table. Another knock sounded. "Hold on, I'm coming!" Harmony opened the door to find three of her best friends, Razzaroo, Flurry Heart, and Morning Star, standing on her doorstep. "Girls! What are you doing here?" Harmony asked in surprise, not expecting to see them. "We heard that Princess Celestia gave you the rest of the day off from your lessons." explained Morning Star. "Since you've been so busy with your training, we thought it would be nice for you if we stopped by to see how you were doing." Razzaroo nodded in agreement. "Yeah! We want to know how things are now that you're the Spirit of Peace and Harmony, and have all these new powers." The orchid pink Earth Pony then leaned in a added. "Kimono and Sparks wanted to come too, but they're both a little tied up, helping out their families." Harmony grinned. "Well, it's good to see you guys, come on in, and make yourselves comfortable." She opened the door a little wider and welcomed them inside. "Wow, you've got a lovely little home here." complemented Flurry Heart, her gaze drifting around the room. "Thanks." said Harmony, heading back toward the kitchen. "You guys want some tea?" "No, we're good." said Morning Star. "Alright then, more for me." Harmony brewed herself some tea, and took the plate of fried peanut butter and banana sandwiches with her into the living room, and sat down in a comfortable green armchair. "So," she said, taking a bite from the sandwich. "What do you want to talk about?" Razzaroo was the first to speak up as she excitedly asked, "What kind of magic can you do? Has Princess Celestia taught you any spells yet?" "You might want to slow down a little, Razzaroo." said Flurry Heart. "Give Harmony a chance to answer one of your questions before asking her more." "Oops! Sorry." Said Razzaroo. "That's okay, Razz." said Harmony. "I haven't exactly moved onto spells yet. So far all I've been doing is trying to get used to my new magic and earning how to control it." "Morning Star nodded. "That's understandable, considering you've never used magic before, it may take some getting used to." Harmony rolled her eyes. "Tell me about it. Just this morning, I accidentally blasted a hole into one of the castle walls. And I was getting close to maintaining control too." Morning Star snickered a little. "That's nothing, you should hear what happened with Flurry Heart when she was just a baby." The amber Unicorn pointed a hoof in Flurry's direction. "She blasted dozens of gaping holes into the Crystal Castle, and one of those times was only by sneezing." "Morning!" cried Flurry Heart, her pale pink cheeks turning a darker shade as she blushed in embarrassment. "Don't tell her that!" "What? I'm just trying to help." said Morning Star defensively. "Everypony makes their own share of accidents, and you're a good example of that." "What's that supposed to mean?" questioned Flurry. "Ahem!" Morning Star and Flurry Heart turned their heads to Harmony. "Sorry, Harmony." they said in unison, looking down in shame. "It's okay, thanks for trying to help." said Harmony with a small smile. "I appreciate it." She took a small bite from her sandwich, looking down at it as she chewed with a somewhat melancholy expression. "To tell you the truth, I've been a little unsure about this whole spirit business. I know that I have these powers and all, but what does that mean for me? What exactly am I supposed to do?" "Don't worry, Harmony." said Razzaroo. "I'm sure you'll figure it out soon enough." "Razzaroo's right." said Flurry. "All you need to do is be patient and get more used to your new role." "Easier said than done. I've been going over Princess Celestia's lessons for the last few weeks, and I still can't seem to get the hang of my magic." She heaved a sigh. "Honestly, I don't think I ever will." "You will." assured Morning Star. "It'll just take some more practice, then you'll be able to handle your powers in no time." "Yeah, maybe." said Harmony doubtfully. "You know, you're not the only pony to ever wonder about her new title or what her role is." said Flurry Heart. "What do you mean?" asked Razzaroo. "When my Aunt Twilight first became a princess, she too had new powers and a new title thrust upon her. It was all so new and different for her, she wasn't sure what to do, or what her role would be." said Flurry, telling them the story. "But luckily, she managed to figure it all out." "How'd she do that?" asked Harmony, her curiosity piqued. "Well, there were a couple of incidents that happened, but in the end, Aunt Twilight and her friends managed to set things right and she was able to discover her role as the Princess of Friendship." "I think you're forgetting that both of those incidents involved Discord and the fate of Equestria in jeopardy." said Morning Star bluntly. Flurry waved a hoof at Morning as she continued. "The point is, you have nothing to worry about. You'll figure everything out eventually, just like Aunt Twilight did. Well, maybe not exactly the way she did, but, you know what I mean." Harmony tapped her chin thoughtfully, the gears in her head were turning as an idea started to form. Her eyes lit up and she grinned at the girls. "That's it!" she exclaimed. The girls looked at her in confusion. "What's it?" asked Razzaroo. "I'll tell you about it later, right now, I've gotta go see Princess Celestia." Harmony got up from the armchair and went toward the door. "I'll see you guys later. Bye!" With that, Harmony sped out the door and was gone. "What was that all about?" asked Morning Star asked aloud. Flurry shrugged. "You think she'd mind if I finished off her sandwiches?" asked Razzaroo, who was staring at the plate of sandwiches that'd been left behind on the seat of the armchair. Morning and Flurry said nothing, merely rolling their eyes at Razzaroo. "What?" the Earth Pony asked innocently. Later at the castle... Harmony had entered the throne room, where Princess Celestia was finishing up signing some important documents, and approached her to tell the princess about how she wanted to go to a certain little town. Celestia blinked in surprise. "You want to go to Ponyville?" she said, repeating what Harmony had said. Harmony nodded. "May I ask what for?" "Well, I heard from Flurry about how Princess Twilight also had some trouble adjusting to the new role she was given, so I thought, maybe she might know best how to help me get used to be the Spirit of Harmony. She might even be able to help me get used to my magic!" Celestia pondered over this, tapping her chin thoughtfully with her hoof. "Yes, I can see how that would be most helpful to you." She returned her gaze back to Harmony. "I'll send a letter to Twilight to inform her that you'll be arriving in Ponyville to see her." "Thank you, Princess Celestia." said Harmony, bowing to the princess. "One more thing." added Celestia, just as Harmony turned to leave. "While I agree that Twilight may be able to help you, there will be some things that you'll need to figure out for yourself. Do you understand?" Harmony nodded. "Yes...at least, I think so." she said. "Then I wish you good luck, Harmony." said Celestia. Harmony thanked the princess and hurried out of the throne room to get ready to go to Ponyville. The next day... The Friendship Express pulled up into the Ponyville train station. Harmony stepped off the train and onto the platform, at her side was Tempo, who was trying to lug the suitcase she'd brought by himself. Harmony laughed. "Here, let me get that for you." she said, picking up the suitcase from Tempo. Tempo wiped his brow and gave Harmony a grateful smile. "You're welcome. Now then, let's head down to Princess Twilight's castle." The two walked of together from the station and headed into town. * * * Harmony rapped on the tall double doors of the Castle of Friendship, and waited on the top of the steps for somepony to answer. After a minute or two, Harmony was greeted by Spike, the teenage dragon and number one assistant of Twilight. "Harmony, you're here!" he said. "Hey, Spike." replied Harmony. "Is Princess Twilight home?" "Yeah, she's right in the throne room." Spike jutted his thumbed over his shoulder, glancing in the direction of the throne room as he said this. "I've been helping her pick out what sorts of lessons she should teach for when you arrive." "Great! I can't wait to get started." she said enthusiastically. Spike took Harmony's suitcase and led her down to the throne room. They stopped in front of another set of double doors, Spike opened to reveal a round crystal table surrounded by several tall thrones, six of which were each marked by a different cutie mark on the back. In the throne that bore Twilight's cutie mark, sat Twilight herself, going through the array of scrolls and books that littered the table. She looked up and smiled as she saw Spike and Harmony enter. "Harmony! It's good to see you again." said Twilight, getting up and going over to greet her. "Thanks, Princess Twilight." said Harmony, bowing her head to the Alicorn. Twilight batted a hoof. "Please, call me Twilight." she said. "I was glad when I got Celestia's letter yesterday, saying that you wanted my help in your lessons. I've already planned out some topics and subjects for us to cover." Harmony could see that Twilight was just as excited about teaching as she was about learning. "I'm ready for whatever you've got planned." said Harmony readily. Twilight grinned. "Then let's get started." she said. "Bring it!" Two hours later... "This isn't exactly what I had in mind." said Harmony, staring down at an open book till the words in it started to blur. Twilight had seated her down at a table in the library and had her read through a book titled A Beginner's Guide to Learning Magic, stopping every once in a while and writing down some notes. Twilight, who was sitting across from Harmony, said, "In order for you to be able to wield your magic, you first need to understand it, and that means looking at the basics." As Harmony thought about it, it did make sense. She'd gotten so used to Celestia's control exercises that it hadn't even crossed her mind to read about magic and to try and figure out it actually worked. But even so, after two hours straight of reading and note taking, Harmony had grown bored and was in the mood for a short break. Even Tempo was bored, as he sat beneath the table, listlessly gazing around the library and trying to find some means of keeping himself entertained. Harmony sighed. "I guess I should've expected a lot of studying to be involved with learning magic." Twilight nodded. "Yes, learning magic is something that takes years to perfect and practice." Then she added, "Of course, since you're the Spirit of Harmony, your magic is different from Unicorn magic." "It's all so complicated." said Harmony. She rested her head in her hooves and leaned her elbows onto the table, casting her eyes downward as she frowned at the book. "Maybe I'm just not cut out for being a spirit." "Hey," said Twilight, resting a hoof on Harmony's shoulder. Harmony lifted her head and turned to Twilight. "Don't beat yourself up over it. I'm confident that you'll become a great spirit!" She gave a small smile as a reminiscent look appeared in her eyes. "I had similar doubts when I first became a princess." Harmony nodded. "I know, Flurry told me. That's why I thought maybe you'd know how to help teach me." she said. "Well, you came to the right pony." Twilight said with a little wink. "I'll do whatever I can to help you out." "Thanks, Twilight." Harmony said smiling. She felt a little bit better now. "Now then, after we finish A Beginner's Guide to Learning Magic, we can go over some of the exercises you and Celestia do, and apply what you've studied to them." "Sounds good to me." said Harmony. Just as Twilight was about to agree, her cutie mark began to glow. Harmony arched an eyebrow in confusion. She'd never seen a cutie mark do anything like that before. Tempo peeked his head up from under the table to look at it himself. "Oh dear." Twilight muttered. She turned to Harmony and said, "Excuse me for a moment, I'll be right back." Harmony and Tempo watched as Twilight trotted out of the library, her cutie mark continuing to glow. "What do you think that was?" Harmony asked Tempo. Tempo stroked his chin in thought and then shrugged. After a few minutes, Twilight returned to the library. "Something's come up," said Twilight. "I need to go to away to Vanhoover for a litte while." Harmony's eyes widened. "V-vanhoover?" Twilight nodded. "Yes, I'm afraid so." "But, but what about our lessons?" "I already wrote a detailed list of our lesson plan. Spike can help you with your studying until I get back. Sorry." Harmony sighed. "Alright. When do you think you'll be back?" she asked. "I can't say." said Twilight. "But I'll try to come back as soon as possible." Harmony lowered her head, but did her best not to show her disappointment. "Okay." she mumbled. The next day, late in the afternoon... Harmony let out a groan as she let her head fall on the library table. "Maybe we should take a break." said Spike. "Thank Celestia." mumbled Harmony. Since Twilight had left for Vanhoover the other day, Harmony hit the books, having Spike go through the lesson plan Twilight had left behind. She'd didn't mind hard work, but nonstop reading for hours on end had become a bit much for Harmony. Her head felt like it was going to explode from all the information she'd taken in. Tempo patted Harmony on the shoulder, for a job well done on her studying. Harmony lifted her head up slightly at Tempo and smiled at him. "Thanks, Tempo." she said. Harmony sat herself up, surveying the pile of scrolls and books before her. Is all this studying really helping? she wondered. I know Twilight means well, but, even if I learn all there is to know about magic, who's to say that it'll even improve my control over my powers? "Let's see." mused Spike, pulling out Twilight's list and scanning over it. "After this, Twilight wants you to do a reflection." "A reflection?" Harmony looked at Spike in confusion. He nodded and said, "Yeah, you know, to think back on something. In this case, she wants you to think back to when you first used your new powers and how you were able to summon them and use them." Harmony tapped her chin. The first time she'd used her powers was weeks ago, when she and her friends went out to rescue Flurry Heart when she'd been kidnapped by the changelings. How had she summoned her magic? And once she knew, how would it help her? Her thoughts turned away from this as she saw Spike's cheeks puff up. "Spike, are you okay?" she asked. Spike let out a belch of green fire, and out of it materialized a little scroll. Spike took hold of it and read the outside. "It's for you." he said, handing the scroll to a surprised Harmony. She opened it up and found that it was a letter from her friends. Dear Harmony, We hope everything's okay with Twilight, and that you do well with your lessons. Since you've begun your lessons, you've seemed a bit down on yourself. Know that whatever happens, whether you succeed or fail, we'll be there to support you, 100%. Until then, just be yourself and do your best. Your friends- Flurry, Kimono, Razzaroo, Sparks, and Morning. p.s. If you didn't notice yet, Aunt Twilight can get a little carried away when it comes to studying, so try not to get too stressed out. -Flurry. Harmony smiled. "Thanks girls." she said softly. "I will do my best." There was then a loud growling sound. Harmony's head spun to face Tempo, who smiled in embarrassment as his stomach rumbled. Then, her own stomach growled. Harmony laughed. "I guess we're both pretty hungry." she said. "Now that I think about it, we did skip lunch today." She looked over at Spike and asked, "Do you mind if we go out and grab something to eat?" "Not at all." replied Spike. "But hurry back, it'll be getting dark soon." "Will do." said Harmony. She set Tempo on her back, and trotted out of the library, in search for something to eat. After deciding where to go for dinner, Harmony and Tempo finally settled on going to the Hayburger. They entered the fast food restaurant, and went up to the counter. A teenage Earth Pony stallion with braces, acne, and a curly mane wearing a Hayburger employee uniform spoke to her and said in a nasally voice, "Welcome to the Haybruger, can I take your order?" Harmony looked at the menu and picked out what to get for her and Tempo. "I'll have two double hayburgers with extra ketchup, a medium side of fries, and a fresh garden salad, all to go, please." The pony nodded. "Coming right up, ma'am." he said. After a few minutes, he gave Harmony her order in a large, white paper bag with the Hayburger logo on the front. Harmony took the bag, set the bits on the counter, and headed out of the restaurant and back toward the castle. It was already sunset, with the sky shining bright shades of gold as the sun began to sink lower and lower toward the horizon. As she walked, she began to think aloud, carrying both the bag and Tempo on her bag. "Reflect on the time I first used my magic. Well, the first time was when Kimono got hurt after we were chased by vampire jackalopes, and I was able to heal her. After that, I used it again to defeat the changelings. But how was I able to do that in the first place?" While she mused over this, Tempo was sniffing for the salad through the bag, when he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. His head shot up and he saw somepony galloping into the Everfree Forest nearby. His curiosity piqued, he hopped off of Harmony's back and scurried off, following the pony into the forest. "Ugh! The girls are right, I've been so wrapped up in my lesson that I can't seem to think straight." said Harmony. She sighed. "Maybe if I clear my head I'll be able to think of something. What do you think Tempo?" Harmony looked over her shoulder. There was no sign of Tempo anywhere. "Tempo?!" Harmony froze, her eyes widening as she wildly looked around for any sign of her little jackalope. "Tempo!" she called. Harmony noticed a set of Tempo's tracks not far from her own, and saw that they led toward the dense Everfree forest. "Oh no." said Harmony. She rushed into the forest and called out, "Tempo!" The sun had set not too long ago, and the last few rays of sunlight were starting to fade away. Harmony trotted her way through the forest, weaving around trees and bushes as she continued to call out for her dear pet. "Tempo! Where are you?! Tempo!" Harmony gazed around at the shadows around the foliage of the forest worriedly. "Oh, where is he? He should know better than to run off like this." she said. It would be getting dark pretty soon, and Harmony didn't like the thought of poor Tempo being out in the forest at night, lost and alone. So she continued her search. * * * Meanwhile, Tempo had followed close behind the pony, deep into the forest. Once inside, the pony had slowed down and Tempo was able to get a better look at the figure he'd been chasing after. It was a little Pegasus filly, with a buttercream hide, a pale pink mane with honey colored streaks, and a cutie mark of three pink tulips with green leaves. She looked like such a delicate and helpless little thing, Tempo wondered why somepony like her would come here of all places. As it grew darker, strange sounds began to emanate from all around. The Pegasus filly squeaked in fear, her eyes darting left and right to see if there were any scary creatures around. When none could be seen, the filly continued on. Tempo did his best to stealthily follow her, but ended up accidentally stepping on a twig, causing it to snap loudly. The filly let out another squeak. She turned her head in the direction of where Tempo was hiding. "W-who's there?" asked the filly, shivering slightly. Tempo sighed a little, and decided there was no point hiding anymore. He hopped out of the bushes and up to the filly. Upon seeing him, the filly broke into a huge smile and crouched down to his eye level. "Oh! Hello there, Mr Jackalope." cooed the filly. "What brings you here to this part of the forest?" Before Tempo could respond, the voice of his owner called out for him. "Tempo!" The filly also heard the voice. Harmony stepped through the bushes to where he and the filly were standing. Her eyes lit up when they fell on Tempo. "Tempo! There you are!" she cried. Harmony scooped him up in her arms, hugging him close and nuzzling his cheek against hers. "Am I glad I found you." She then set Tempo back down and began to lightly scold him. "You should know better than to run off like that, just think of what could've happened if I didn't find you!" Tempo then pointed a paw toward the Pegasus filly, who stood there timidly. Harmony looked at the filly with surprise, not expecting to see anypony else out in the forest, especially somepony so young. "Hello there, who are you?" asked Harmony. The filly rubbed her arm anxiously and said nothing. Poor thing must be shy. Harmony thought. "My name is Harmony." she said, trying to not appear too intimidating for the filly. "And this is Tempo." she gestured her left hoof toward Tempo, who stood at her side. "Are you lost?" The filly only nodded. "Then come with me, and let's head back into town." She reached out to the filly, only to have her flinch away from her hoof. "What's wrong? Don't you want to go home?" The filly continued to say nothing, staring down at her hooves. Harmony sighed. "Look, it's late out, and it's dangerous to be out in the woods by yourself. So will you let me help you and take you back home?" The filly paused, thinking it over, and then nodded. "Then follow me." said Harmony. The threesome thus began their trek out of the woods, hoping to make it back to town as quickly as possible. The moon hung high in the sky, it pale light lighting the way for Harmony, Tempo, and the little filly, as they traveled through the forest, with little success in finding their way back to Ponyville. "Huh. I was sure the way back was around here somewhere." said Harmony, trying to figure this out. But she couldn't think well on an empty stomach. Luckily, she'd brought the beg with her dinner with her. She turned to the filly and asked, "Are you hungry?" The filly nodded. Harmony reached into the bag and pulled out one of the hayburgers and handed it to the filly. "Here, I know it isn't much but, it's what I got." The filly reluctantly took the hayburger and bit down into it. She appeared to enjoy it, as she took another, larger bite. Harmony wolfed down her own hayburger and gave Tempo his salad. "Ah! That hit the spot!" said Harmony, licking some ketchup off her lips. The filly nodded. "Yes." she said quietly. "Thank you, very much." Harmony smiled at her. "So you can talk." she said. The filly lowered her head and said nothing. Well, at least she's opening up at her own pace. thought Harmony. "If you don't mind me asking." Harmony said to the filly, trying to establish some peaceful small talk. "Why did you come out here into the Everfree Forest?" The filly pawed at the ground. "You wouldn't understand." she mumbled. "Try me." replied Harmony. "W-well, okay, I guess." the filly said nervously. She took a deep breath and began to explain. "There are these colts who pick on me back home. They make fun of how I'm weaker than the other Pegasi and call me a cry baby. I was so tired of their teasing that I wanted to do something to prove them wrong. Then I remembered a story my Auntie told me, about how she stood up against many creatures in the Everfree forest and tamed them. I thought, maybe if I could go into the forest and do the same thing, to show that I could be brave, and maybe then those colts would stop picking on me." Harmony looked at the filly over her shoulder, feeling sorry for her. "What about your friends?" she asked. "Don't they help stand up to those bullies for you?" The filly shook her head. "I don't really have friends. Papa and Auntie help me though, and try to make me feel better, but this time, I wanted to try and stand up for myself." Her face fell as she cast her eyes downward. "But it looks like it didn't turn out very well." "You know," said Harmony. "There are other ways of standing up for yourself and showing that you're brave besides rushing into danger." The filly's cheeks turned pink with embarrassment. "Sigh! You're right." she said. "Auntie must be worried sick about me right now, wondering where I went. What do I tell her?" "Well, the truth is always best." said Harmony. "And if you'd like, I'll help talk to her and explain what happened." The filly looked up at Harmony in surprise. "Y-you'd do that for me?" she asked. Harmony nodded. "Sure! That way, if we go to her together, it won't seem so bad." The filly managed to give Harmony a small, shy smile and softly say, "Thank you...Harmony." Harmony smiled back. "You're welcome." "Mariposa." "Huh?" Harmony tilted her head to the side. "My name, it's Mariposa. But everypony in my family calls me Posey for short." "I like it. It suits you well." Posey's cheeks blushed a light shade of pink as she looked away. Just then, Tempo froze. His ears twitched as he picked up faint sounds not to far from where they were. Harmony noticed this and stopped walking as well. "Are you okay, Tempo?" she asked him with concern. Tempo concentrated on the sound, trying to determine what it was. He sniffed the air, and his eyes widened in fear. He hopped up to Harmony in a panic, making wild gestures, telling her they needed to run. "What is it? What's wrong?" Harmony got her answer soon enough, as a low growl sounded from the bushes. A horrible smell began to fill the air. "Ugh! What is that smell?" Posey began to quiver in fear, recognizing what it was that was coming toward us. "Timber wolves." she whispered. A long howl rang out, sending chills down the girls' and Tempo's spines. They wasted not a second more and galloped for their lives. More howls sounded, growing closer and closer to them despite how much ground they were covering. "Ah!" Posey cried as she tripped and fell to the forest floor. "Posey!" cried Harmony, swerving back to help her up. She quickly took Posey by the hoof and pulled her along as she continued to run. But the timber wolves had managed to catch up to them and were dangerously close. Harmony looked over her shoulder to see two of them snapping their jaws and growling. She could also see that Posey was starting to get tired and was slowing down. "Keep moving." Harmony urged her. "Our best chance is to try and out run them." Posey let out a yelp as another, larger timber wolf appeared in front of them. Harmony came to a stop. They were surrounded, as the three timber wolves began to circle around them, foul slobber dripping from their teeth like tree sap as they began to close in on them, ready to pounce. Harmony looked down at Posey, who was shivering and sobbing as she hid behind her from the frightening beasts. Harmony then had a sudden flash back to something similar to this happening to her and her friends when they were in the changeling forest. Except were cornered by vampire jackalopes, whereas here they were facing against ferocious timber wolves. Yet, as she recalled the memory, an idea came to her. She wasn't entirely sure if it would work, but she had to try. Harmony stood up tall and looked at the circling timber wolves with narrowed eyes. "Listen up, you timber wolves, I'm only going to say this once. Go now and leave us alone, or else I'll have no choice but to teach you a lesson." she said. "What are you doing?" whispered Posey. "You'll see." Harmony whispered back. The timber wolves just growled in reply and arched their legs as the prepared to attack. "Have it your way then." said Harmony. As quickly as she could, Harmony summoned her power just before the timber wolves were about to pounce. For once, she needed her magic to work. It had to if she was going to save Posey and get her back home. Harmony floated into the air and hurled blasts of white magic at the timber wolves, blasting them to pieces. Posey, who'd been cowering in a little ball, cracked open an eye and watched Harmony in amazement, as she reduced the timber wolves to harmless piles of twigs and sticks. Tempo wildly applauded Harmony for a job well done. "H-how did you--" But Posey was quickly cut off as Harmony picked her and Tempo off the ground and into her arms. "We can talk later. The wolves won't be sticks for long." said Harmony. Sure enough, the sticks and twigs began to reassemble bit by bit. "Hold on tight." Harmony opened her wings and flew Posey and Tempo high into the air, above the tree tops of the Everfree Forest. Posey let out soft cheers while Tempo taunted the timber wolves down below. Harmony laughed. "Alright you two, that's enough. Let's get back to Ponyville and put this whole night behind us." "Okay." said Posey. Tempo nodded. "I've never really carried anypony before, so you both might want to hold on tight for a little bit longer." And off she flew, with Posey and Tempo, leaving the timber wolves behind as they howled in defeat. After flying a little ways from where they'd escaped the timber wolves, Posey pointed down to a little spot near the edge of the Everfree Forest. In that spot sat a cozy little cottage with all its lights turned on. "Down there!" said Posey. "That's my Auntie's house." "Going down." said Harmony. She swiftly and gently swooped down to the ground, landing on the dirt pathway that led up to the doorstep of the cottage. There was some movement inside the cottage, as the pony inside came out to see what the commotion was. Harmony recognized the pony who stepped out as Fluttershy, one of Twilight's friends she'd met at Flurry's birthday party. The Pegasus gave out a gasp as she rushed toward Posey and pulled her into a worried hug. "Posey! Thank goodness you're alright!" she cried. Posey smiled as she hugged her aunt back."Where were you?" Posey looked down in shame and said, "I...went into the Everfree Forest." Fluttershy gasped. "The Everfree Forest? But why?" "Um, excuse me, Fluttershy?" piped up Harmony. Fluttershy looked up at Harmony, surprised to see her. "If I may, I think I might be able to help explain." And so Harmony told Fluttershy the whole story about Posey going into the forest to try and prove those bullies wrong and how she happened to find her and helped to bring her back home. (She left out of course the part about the timber wolves, not wanting to worry the Pegasus even more.) When she finished, Fluttershy sighed and gave Posey a serious look. "I'm very disappointed in you Posey. What were you thinking?" she said. "Your father would've had a fit if anything bad happened to you, and I was already worried sick." Posey hung her head. "I'm sorry, Auntie Fluttershy. I promise I won't do it again." Fluttershy softened and she smiled a little at Posey. "Well, all that matter is that you're back. I'll have to tell your father about this and let him figure out a good punishment for you. In the meantime, there's still some food left over from dinner for you if you're still hungry. Once you finish it up, you can go to bed." "Okay, Auntie." Posey gave Fluttershy a peck on the cheek and went inside the cottage. Fluttershy turned to Harmony and smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you so much for bringing Posey home." "You're welcome, Fluttershy. I'm happy I could help." replied Harmony. Tempo let out a yawn, as he struggled to keep his eyes open. Harmony also let out a yawn. "It's late, we should probably be heading back to the castle." "Wait." said Fluttershy, stopping Harmony as she was about to leave. "Please, why don't you stay here for the night?" "Are you sure?" asked Harmony. Fluttershy nodded. "It's the least I could do after you helped Posey. I'll make you a spot on the couch to sleep on." Harmony accepted Fluttershy's offer, and followed her inside the cottage, where she peacefully slept the rest of the night away. After spending the night, as well as breakfast at Fluttershy's cottage, Harmony headed back to the Castle of Friendship, where a frazzled Spike was waiting for her. He'd stayed up the entire night waiting for her to get back, and was in the mood for a good long nap. Harmony apologized to him and explained what happened on her way back from the Hayburger, only to have him fall asleep halfway through her story. She didn't blame him of course, and left Spike to catch some much needed rest, while she and Tempo went into the library and went over Twilight's lesson plan. There, she studied the rest of the books Twilight wanted her to look through. When Spike woke up and was well rested, he helped Harmony out as she practiced her control over her magic, and kept practicing until a couple days later when Twilight got back from Vanhoover. "Welcome back, Twilight!" said Spike as Twilight came into the throne room. "Did everything go well in Vanhoover?" Twilight nodded. "Yep! It took a while, but I managed to work it all out." She turned to Harmony and asked, "How've you been doing with your studies?" Harmony beamed. "Great! Check this out." Harmony floated off the ground a snaked over Twilight's head with such ease. Then, she put her hooves together, and created a little ball of white magic, which grew in size and power as Harmony opened her arms out wide. Once it got to a tremendous size, Harmony shrunk it back to a tiny ball and let it fizzle back into her. "Wow! It looks like you've really improved on controlling your magic." Twilight remarked. "I still need so more work on it." said Harmony. "But now, I'm starting to get a little bit used to it." She gave Twilight a smile. "And it's thanks to you." "Really? How?" inquired Twilight. "Your lesson plan said to think about the first time I used my powers. I thought about it, but I wasn't sure exactly how I got them to work in the first place." Harmony rubbed the back of her head as she continued. "It wasn't until I ran into a little trouble that I realized what it was. The reason I was able to use my powers was because I wanted to help my friends when they were in trouble and there was nopony else but me who could help them. " She placed a hoof over her chest and looked down at it. "I'm not sure exactly, but I think maybe my magic is connected to my thoughts and feelings, and it's because of them that I was able to use my magic in the first place." Twilight nodded thoughtfully. "It is an interesting theory." she said. "I've been so worried about my powers and my role as a spirit, that I wasn't able to figure out until now how to control them. Once I did, I started to get better and better." "I'm glad." Twilight said with a smile. "It seems that you're starting to get the hang of becoming a spirit much quicker than I expected. Pretty soon, you'll be ready to move onto the next level of your studies." Harmony loop-de-looped in the air and shouted, "Whoo-hoo!" As she did so, she accidentally shot out a little blast of magic that left a little scorch mark on the throne room floor. "But first, I think you still need a little more practice." said Twilight, as Harmony smiled sheepishly and said, "Oops."