Aqua--The Magic of Friendship

by 621Chopsuey

04--The Promised Beginning

Author's Note:

Finally got it out. It's not my best work, but it's something.

Comments, criticisms, and queries are always appreciated.

The search for Fluttershy was more difficult than Rarity claimed it would be. She, along with Aqua, Lyra, Bon Bon, and Sweetie Belle, had scoured the square and the street leading up to her shop, but thus far to no avail. The Unversed must have spooked Fluttershy more terribly than usual, a worrying thought that plagued the group.

When they reached Carousel Boutique itself, the group split up to search the surrounding area. Aqua and Sweetie Belle were browsing around the tents of a nearby shop when the latter spoke up.

“You and Lyra seem to be really good friends. How did you meet exactly?

Aqua pulled back a curtain. “We met when I first came Canterlot with Master Eraqus. He brought me there to undergo magic training with Princess Celestia as well as teach her students a thing or two about magical combat.”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes lit up. “Oh, right! You touched on that earlier when you showed up those timberwolves.”

“Lyra was one of my lab partners in class,” Aqua continued with a nostalgic look. “She practically welcomed me with open arms--er, hooves, and we’ve been friends ever since.”

“Just like that?”

“Well, maybe there was a little more to our first meeting. It’s a long story, but one for another time. Right now, we need to find Fluttershy.” She could see the disappointment in Sweetie Belle’s eyes. The young filly really wanted to hear the story. “I’ll tell you all about it later, after we find Fluttershy. I promise.”

“Okay...” conceded Sweetie Belle as they exited the tent. “I just hope those monsters didn’t scare her too much. Knowing Fluttershy, they’d send her running out of town.”

“I’m starting to wish I did. Those monsters were really scary,” said a timid voice. A look upwards revealed a butter-colored pegasus hugging a tree branch in a death grip, her long pink mane dangling to where it could almost tickle someone’s nose.

Sweetie Belle just kept looking up. “Found her.”

Rarity must have had excellent hearing, for she and the others were right there not even a moment later. “Fluttershy, darling, thank goodness we found you! Are you alright?”

“Um, I think so...” Fluttershy cautiously scanned the ground below. “Are they gone?”

“Rest assured, the monsters are gone. Now please come down, it’s perfectly safe.”

Fluttershy was not convinced, huddling close to the tree. “Are you sure? They could be lurking in the bushes again. Or the trees, just waiting for the teeny tiniest moment I’m not careful and pounce.”

Bon Bon dragged a hoof down her face. “This is going to take a while.”

---

It took some persuasion, but they managed to convince Fluttershy to come down from the tree.

Once in the boutique, Rarity immediately rushed off to the kitchen to brew some tea, while Aqua and company took their seats at the table. The color scheme of the kitchen appealed to the Keyblade Master. Blue tile, lavender walls, redwood cabinets with brass handles, it was a lovely setup.

Sweetie Belle trotted up to older sister. “Can I help with the tea, Rarity?”

A flash of hesitation adorned Rarity’s face before she regained her composure. “No thank you, Sweetie, but you may fetch the shortbread cookies from the pantry.” When Sweetie Belle turned to get the cookies, Rarity let out a silent sigh of relief.

“Thank you.”

Aqua turned to Fluttershy. “Hm?”

“Thank you, for fighting off the monsters. Normally I’d be unhappy about somepony hurting little creatures like them, but when I saw what they could do, I knew they weren’t nice.”

“By nature, the Unversed are not kind creatures,” Aqua stated gravely.

“Unbirths?” Sweetie Belle asked, having returned with the cookies.

“I believe she said Unversed.” Fluttershy hesitated, then turned to Aqua. “Um, what exactly are Unversed?” She listened intently as Aqua explained what exactly the Unversed were. By the time she was done, Fluttershy was visibly uneasy. “Oh goodness. Definitely not the sort of creatures I work with.”

“You tend to animals?”

The timid pegasus’ demeanor brightened at the question. “Oh yes, I do. Nothing makes me happier than taking care of adorable creatures, whether they are big or small, furry or scaly. Especially Angel Bunny.”

Lyra stifled a laugh, much to Bon Bon’s annoyance.

“Tea’s ready, darlings,” Rarity announced as she brought the steaming china pot and a set of cups to the table.

After Rarity poured her a cup with the appropriate sugar and cream, Aqua thanked her and took a sip. She revelled in its soothing properties. She needed this after the craziness today had offered so far.

“You like?” Rarity asked expectantly to her guests.

Fluttershy smiled appreciatively. “Oh yes, it’s wonderful.”

“It’s excellent,” added Lyra and Bon Bon.

Aqua nodded. “Thank you, Rarity.”

“The pleasure is all mine.” Rarity took a sip of her own tea. “You mentioned you are friends with Lyra and Bon Bon, yes?”

“I only met Bon Bon earlier today, but I’ve known Lyra for a few years.”

“You have? Well, I simply must hear the story of how you two met. Telling stories tend to go well with tea time, after all.”

Sweetie Belle piped up. “You promised you would tell it after we found Fluttershy.”

“Fair enough,” Aqua giggled. “It started when my Master and I came to Canterlot…”

---

Four years before the events of “Birth by Sleep”.

The air was abuzz with chatter as students walked single-file to the classroom. They were excited, and had good reason to be. A guest speaker was to appear today and give them a lecture on the defensive aspects of magic. Rumors about his identity spread through the crowd like wildfire, and Aqua heard many of them as she entered the classroom and took a seat in the center. A powerful magician, an accomplished swordsman, a locksmith with a hobby, she heard them all.

Of course, Aqua had already known who the guest speaker was well before she arrived on this world. Years, in fact. And as the earth pony in question made his way to the front in Princess Celestia’s company, she smiled excitedly.

“Good morning, students,” the princess greeted. “Today, we have a guest speaker to start off our lesson on combative magic. May I present to you… Master Eraqus.”

Master Eraqus stepped up to the podium and, for a moment, took in the sight of the students before him with discerning eyes of which Aqua was very familiar. He nodded to her before clearing his throat.

“Magic is more than a simple tool for everyday life. There will be times when you find yourself in a situation where one means you harm, and in these times your magic serves as a means to defend yourself.” Eraqus gestured to his forehead. “As you can see, I have no horn, and thus am not able to use magic conventionally like a unicorn. However, I have prior experience confronting those who have chosen to misuse it. Observe.”

At his cue, Princess Celestia cast a fire spell at Eraqus. His keyblade materialized in his hoof in a flash of light, which then he used to summon a shield of light. The fire fizzled upon impact.

The students clapped at the display. It was a simple one, but enough to establish Eraqus’ credit.

“Princess Celestia has invited me here today to assist in teaching you how to utilize your magic combatively. But first, you will divided into groups of three. I will explain why once this has been done.”

Aqua watched as Princess Celestia named off her students and directed them to different areas of the room. She made a thoughtful hum when the alicorn princess’ tongue lingered on the name of a lavender unicorn for the briefest second before moving on to the next.

The princess eventually reached Aqua. “Aqua, Lyra Heartstrings, and Trixie Lulamoon.” Guided to a spot in the front, Aqua was joined by two ponies, one mint green with a lyre cutie mark, the other cornflower blue with a sparkling wand cutie mark.

Once everyone was divided into groups, Eraqus continued, “Excellent. Now for your lab assignment. Each member will study his or her own magical talents, then list previously known strengths and weaknesses in addition to basic defensive uses. Once that is done, compare notes with the rest of your group. You goal is to uncover new methods to counter your opponent’s magic as well as use your own more efficiently, based on what you learn from them.”

“You may experiment with live exercises, but keep it civilized. We do not need a repeat of last year’s incident,” Celestia chimed in.

The students giggled, prompting Aqua to whisper to her lab partners, “What happened last year?”

“Somepony misfired a spell out of anger and struck himself with it.” The minty unicorn giggled. “Poor guy was puking up slugs for hours.”

The blue one stuck out her tongue in disgust. “Vomitrocious.”

“Oh yeah, it was pretty nasty.”

“You will have a month to complete the assignment and demonstrate what you have learned,” said Princess Celestia. “So to give you a headstart on the project, we will spend class time in the library. Remember, if you have any questions, please ask me or Master Eraqus.”

With that, the class vacated their seats and made their way to the school’s library. As she walked down the hall, Aqua was excited with the new project. It was not as thrilling as learning magic from the princess one-on-one as her Master implied, but that was not to say learning from other students focused on magic was not the next best thing nor a nice change of pace.

Aqua’s mint-coated lab partner fell into step next to her. “I’m Lyra. You’re Aqua, right? That means you have a knack for water magic?

“For the most part.” Aqua took a peek at Lyra’s cutie mark. It was a golden lyre. “Yours focuses on sound?”

Lyra nodded. “And a little bit of love, too. That’s where the Heartstrings part comes in.”

Aqua held a leveled gaze for a long moment. “You’re pulling my leg, are you?”

Lyra giggled. “Alright, you caught me. I can’t really perform love magic. Just play the lyre till I tug at somepony’s heartstrings.” She wrapped a foreleg around Aqua’s shoulders. “You know, Aqua, I think we’re going to get along just fine.”

---

Journal Entries

Fluttershy
Helped save Equestria from Nightmare Moon and her eternal darkness. As the Element of Kindness, Fluttershy is nice and respectful to others, and lends a helping hoof to those in need. However, her shyness can make it difficult for others to get to know her.
She fluttered into our hearts in “Mare in the Moon” (2010).

Master Eraqus
A Keyblade Master who served as loving mentor and father to Aqua, Terra, and Ven. He believed the world must be purged of darkness. Following the emergence of the Unversed, he was struck down by Master Xehanort, but rumors have it he lives on in some form.
Master Eraqus sent us on our journey in “Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep” (2010).

Princess Celestia
The ruler of Equestria, she provided Aqua with supplementary training in magic prior to the emergence of the Unversed. Princess Celestia is a kind mentor, but her mysteriousness leaves some wondering what she’s thinking.
She sent us on our other journey in “Mare in the Moon” (2010).

Comments

[HB_DS2013]

Lyra and Aqua were paired up with... TRIXIE!? Also, I wonder why Celestia didn't want Twilight to learn from Eraqus?

[621Chopsuey]

7170991 Plenty more flashbacks to come.

[Nova Blaze]

Nice Harry Potter reference.