Raison D'être

by mechafone

7 - Goodbye, Goodbye Again

Spark Storm returned to his room to find that his bed looked different. It took him a moment to realize that all the covers, blankets and sheets had been changed. His room was also in perfect order. Strange...he hadn't allowed anypony to clean up after him since he'd been staying here.

After settling in for the night, he half-expected Sapphire to come in and keep him company like she had several times that week. After staying awake for two hours, it was evident she wasn't going to show up. He finally decided it was time for some sleep, so he closed his eyes and tried to stop thinking about the pretty Pegasus. It lead to a long, restless night, and he didn't fall asleep until well after midnight.

---

The next morning, Spark Storm woke to the sound of knocking at his door. Brushing the sleep from his eyes, he slipped out of bed and plodded wearily to the door and opened it to find Sapphire with tears in her eyes. "Sapphire? What's going on?" She looked like she was trying to be brave as she stepped into his room and gestured for him to close to the door.

He did and stepped over to her to rest a hoof on her back. At the contact she immediately latched herself on to him and cried. Confused and worried, Spark simply held her close, rubbing her back and nuzzling her head. He waited for her to calm down and talk to him. After a while, she had calmed down enough to tell him what was happening. "Spark, I...I have to go away for a while. Some of the Fighters are going to be giving me some personal training, and...it's going to be a while before I see you again."

Spark frowned. He could feel himself deflating at this news, especially in his heart. Sapphire had been an enormous help to get him off his feet and gave him purpose. He almost literally lived just for her. "Why? Why can't they just train you here, in Canterlot?"

Sapphire let out an angry sigh. She'd been asking that herself all day. She gently butted his chest with her head to emphasize her feelings. "I don't know...something about me getting older and changing, but I don't get it and I don't care. I don't want to leave you. I..." She paused, considering her next words. "I...really, -really- don't want to leave you." She brought her head up and looked into his eyes.

The intensity of her stare made them both blush. She reached her hooves up to his shoulders. Her heart was racing, and she could feel his heart also pounding a mile a minute through the veins running from his shoulders into his neck. Well, if there were ever a time...she leaned in and kissed him. And for the first time in six years, he kissed her back.

Eventually, the two had to part. It was actually a task and a half to get them to open the door, and even then it was difficult to separate them. Finally, Sapphire Snow was gone. The two young lovers wouldn't see each other for another two years.

---

"Come on, Spark, come on!" Braham called over Spark's grunting and groaning. Spark had insisted that Braham increase the strength of his gravity spell at least ten times that month. Each time, Spark overcame the pull of the black circle, and made it out. Each time, Spark was a little less tired and spent less time recovering.

The dark Pegasus was now pulling over five hundred pounds of extra weight as he moved along, and he showed no signs of stopping. Two months of constant training had started to shape Spark, giving him a little extra bulk. If he kept this up, he could have the build of some of the biggest soldiers in Celestia's guard. He was already stronger than half of them, the way he'd grown up plowing fields.

Spark Storm emerged from the black circle, sweating and breathing heavily, but no worse for wear. Braham gave a low whistle as he dispelled the gravity circle and stepped closer to the young stallion. "Spark, you keep this up and you're gonna be one Pegasus I'd rather not mess with." Spark chuckled lightly. Ever since Sapphire had left, he'd been pushing himself harder and harder at training in the gravity circle. Braham had had his concerns, but after seeing Spark work harder and pushing his limits, he had no worries about what the colt could do. However, he was getting more and more concerned about Spark throwing himself too much into his work.

"Spark, listen...don't you think it's about time to take a break?" Spark sighed and stood up straight again. The top of his head nearly reached Braham's chin now. He'd grown an inch in two months, and there was no telling when he'd stop. "I guess you're right, Braham. Maybe we can start again on Wednesday." The Unicorn sighed and shook his head, then reached to put a hoof on Spark's shoulder. "No, lad, I mean you need to take a break from this," he said, gesturing at the courtyard they were standing in. "You're working yourself too hard."

"Yeah, well maybe I wouldn't be working so hard if you guys hadn't taken Sapphire away from me!" Spark snapped. Braham looked taken aback for a second, then smiled warmly down at the young Pegasus. "Spark...it was something that had to happen, and you'll understand some day, I promse. For now, go and rest up. I think we should go get some wilderness training in later this week. If you're going to join our group, you'll need some wilderness skills. So go and get cleaned up, pack, get some rest." Spark sighed, feeling dejected. He wasn't a kid anymore...

---

They left that day. To Spark Storm's surprise, he was allowed to take just a single tarp with him, to protect him from the rain. Apparently, he'd be expected to learn to live off the land, find drink and food on his own. Comforts such as bedding, baths, and proper bathroom essentials would be denied. Plus, the woods were full of monsters. Wolves, Shadow Breeds, and monsters that looked like they were literally skin and bones littered the forest floor. Taread Wolves, Braham told him they were.

On his first day, Spark Storm had to learn how to look for food. They had traveled a good 20 miles away from the castle into the heart of the Everfree, and food was scarce. They found a river first, something Braham was all too happy with. "Oh, wonderful! Two birds with one stone, as they say." Spark arched a brow at this. "What, you mean there's food here in the water, too?" Braham nodded and activated a spell that was a little different from the usual gravity spell. Something moving through the water, a dark shape, became even more shaded through Spark's view, when it suddenly shot up into the air over the river and onto the ground. It was a big, 20 inch fish.

"Ah. There be dinner." Braham chuckled and rubbed his hooves together conspiratorially. Spark made a face. "A...fish? That's kinda gross." Braham looked back at Spark with a deadpanned look. "Boy, what are ya?" "I'm a...pony?" "No..." "Pegasus?" "No. You're alive, boy. And when you're a hundred miles away from home, with either a fish or an acorn in front of ya, what's more likely to keep you alive, hm?"

Spark sighed and shrugged. There was a point if he ever saw one. "A fish." Braham nodded with a grin, then grabbed a stick with his magic and jammed it through the fish's torso. It stopped struggling after a moment. "Hm...Next, I'll need to teach you how to start a fire." Braham went and gathered some big sticks and piled them all together. Then, he used a spell to locate some appropriate rocks from the ground to start a fire. He was about to start when there was a loud snap sound that had originated from Spark's wings, along with a brief streak of light. It had startled Braham so much that it took him a moment to realize that Spark Storm had zapped the pile of sticks to start a fire.

The Unicorn stared up at Spark, having never seen his electrical powers in action before. He then let out a hearty laugh. "Well, that's not fair at all, is it?" Spark shrugged and tried not to smirk. "Well...Utilizing one's natural abilities is part of learning, right?" Braham nodded approvingly at his young student. "Indeed. Indeed it is. I think these next three months'll be good for both of us." "Wait, what? THREE MONTHS?" The forest echoed with Braham's laughter.

Comments

[dracoantares]

Can't they just eat grass? They are ponies. Good story

[mechafone]

972522
I'm sure they could, but that would defeat the purpose of the storytelling :P

[Jacensolo43]

HAHA!! Although i agree with Derpdragon, i can see your reasoning behind this. And i cant help but laugh at Spark's reaction to being in the wilds for three months.

[vangrimm212]

972563
And then they ate grass and got high, the end.

[PinkiePieCupCakeSlayer]

I can see it all now...
Spark and mr unicorn make babies
Sapphire gets depressed then murders mr unicorn
They eat his body
Smoke some pot
Have an orgy with the princess
Then partay