Unlike the Everfree Forest, the Whitetail Woods are a span of light woodlands that rest to the south of Ponyville.  These woods are peaceful and bright, making them perfectly safe for Ponies and other creatures to traverse through as they please.  The woods are home to many animals and the tall trees serve to supply Ponyville with fresh maple sap for syrup.
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:36, Sat 14 Apr 2012.

<<< FROM: The Summer Song Cafe with Twilight

Widget took in a deep breath as he and his date entered the bright and pretty woods. This time of year, everything was green and fresh, with birds and insects chirping and working away in the safety of the dapple green light that managed to escape from between the clouds that poured down from between the waving leaves. He liked the Whitetail Woods, even if he rarely had time to visit them for anything but business, though he did occasionally come to test his latest invention, when he was less sure of how steady it was. He didn't recognize the irony that he usually did less damage to the forest than he did to apple carts in the Ponyville Square when he was far more confident with the invention of choice.

As expected, there was no one else around. Good - it would be safe for whatever Twilight wanted to try on him. Well, for everypony else anyway, Widget thought jokingly to himself as he looked affectionately at Twilight once more. "It's a nice time for a walk, if nothing else," he said casually. "Not too warm and I don't think rain is scheduled until later today."

<-- Entering from Summer Song Cafe with Widget

It was nice to just be able to stroll along without rushing anywhere for once.  So often it seemed like Twilight spent most of her time running about from place to place having to put out fires and solve problems... just having the chance to relax with some personal time was perfect.  Plus the company sure didn't hurt either.  Every now and then Twilight would glance up at the stallion at her side and find herself feeling rather foolish about how she'd reacted the other night.  She didn't really know how relationships worked or what was to become of her current situation, but she felt things were off to a good start regardless.

"No, just passing cloud cover off-and-on through the rest of the week, though mostly sunny.  There's a scheduled rainfall later next week though." Twilight mentioned as the conversation touched on the weather.  Leave it to somepony like her to memorize the weather schedule.

The lavender unicorn often came out to the woods for practice with her magic.  There was plenty she could safely do in town, but some of her experiments and studies were too noisy, messy, or flat-out dangerous to perform in the middle of Ponyville.  She knew the woods quite well as a result and led Widget along assuredly off the main path to a rather large clearing a ways off the road.  The clearing didn't quite look natural... it was too perfectly round and the trees were too evenly spaced around the perimeter.  A careful eye would notice that they were actually precisely spaced an exact measure apart from each other and in coordination with a tall rock formation in the middle that served as a giant sundial.

"Alright, this is it~!  My little hideaway spot.  I come here all the time to practice magic where it won't bother anypony." Twilight was rather proud of the spot.  It had taken a lot of careful work to get the clearing just right.

Widget followed Twilight up and off the path toward the secluded area some distance away, noting how far it was off the path and in which direction they were taking, noting how the gentle sound of wind whispered to them and the birds fluttered carefully in the branches above them, watching the ponies as they passed beneath them. The clearing came suddenly around them, and Widget looked around the carefully manicured space, complete with sundial. He smiled brightly as he heard Twilight's words, so laced with pride, as he took everything in, from how the trees were so carefully placed, to how the sundial was exact, and even how the leaves of the trees were perfectly manicured. Yes, he liked this place very much... It's perfection and order radiated of Twilight.

"It's beautiful, Twilight," he said sincerely as he looked back at her. "It's such a nice place to work, so calm and quiet..." He leaned in slightly to further examine the sundial, studying the angle and height as well as the material. "You worked really hard on this place, didn't you?" he commended.

Twilight puffed a bit under the praise.  She was no braggart, but getting recognition for work well done was nice... and, frankly, she'd hoped Widget would be impressed.  It seemed a safe bet to her anyway since the two of them shared appreciation for particular work space.

"It's nothing special... besides, it was great practice for my nature spells.  Getting the trees to uproot themselves and walk over into position was pretty tough at first.  Well worth the effort." she hummed as he examined the area.  The sundial he spied was made from natural rock like many he'd seen laying around on the way there, though its shape wasn't like any that formed regularly.  It had obviously been warped and shaped by transmutation magic into its current form... though admittedly, it lacked artistry.  Had somepony like Rarity magicked up a time piece it would have been sleek and beautiful on top of functional, but with Twilight, it was utilitarian first and foremost.

By the time Widget looked up from his examination he'd find Twilight off a ways with her head lifted to the breeze.  She spied the clouds overhead and muttered to herself as she watched them lazily drift by -- he could hear bits of math floating on the breeze as she rendered a few quick observations based on the wind speed.  Whatever she was busy plotting seemed to come to a satisfactory end as the ponytailed librarian smiled brightly.  "Ah!  Perfect~!"  she chimed, obviously thinking out loud more than anything.  Her horn was lit with a purple shimmer as she turned and sent her smile Widget's way, though it was immediately lost as the view of her vanished in a glimmering whirl of magic that flowed out to ensnare her body.  It lasted only for a moment before it totally encapsulated the unicorn and burst in a flare of bright light brilliant enough to leave Widget dazzled if he was foolish enough to look directly at her when it happened.

"Sorry... I guess I should have given you some warning about that, huh?  I was a little too eager..." she apologized as spots would gradually fade from Widget's eyes.  By the time he got full clarity back he'd find Twilight looking up at him with a sympathetic wince.  Though one thing in particular was sure to catch his attention pretty quickly; last he knew he'd been on a date with a Unicorn, not an Alicorn.  Yet there she was -- from Twilight's back had sprung a full pair of elegant, long-feathered wings the same color as her lavender coat that flexed at her sides every now and then.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:38, Thu 28 June 2012.

Widget smiled slightly at Twilight's assertion that this clearing was nothing special, silently disagreeing with her wholeheartedly. This place was extremely special. She had put in hours here, both making the clearing and practicing her magic here. This was her sanctum and her place of balance and peace. She had used so much magic here, the air seemed to tingle with it... but that might just be Twilight's presence and happiness. Widget couldn't quite tell.

He watched her as she mentally calculated, the look on her face familiar to her visage and likely very similar to the kind of looks he often wore when pondering about his work. He somehow found the gentle rattling of calculations and math soothing, as he had often seen Twilight like this before and thought it to be more of her natural state than even being still and quiet. She even talked to herself while she read, a gentle whisper that Widget had been hard pressed not to listen to while he had prowled the shelves of the library and she had sat in study. He found himself watching her make the unknown calculations with a soft warmth in his heart, which grew only bigger when she turned to him, apparently ready to tell him what she had been calculating.

Or at least that was what he expected. Instead, a bright purple plumage blossomed into his eyes rather suddenly, and he flinched as he brought up his hoof to block the light that shone brightly off of his glasses. He was still bedazzled a few seconds after it finished, and he looked up blinking into the clearing again with a quizzical look about him. What had that been all about?

But the questions pertaining to what the bright flash had been for were quickly answered, and all other thought died away as his vision returned properly and he was looking at a much different embodiment of Twilight Sparkle. Well, not all THAT different, but the wings were something else! He had heard of incredible, difficult magic like this, but even in pictures he had seen in books, they had not been this exact, this detailed. "Oh... wow! Twilight... That's incredible!" he said as he quickly came close and examined the wings carefully, taking in their detail, circling her once as he did so to take them in at all angles. "That spell is just so difficult, and look at this! You've got it down to perfection! They look totally and completely real!"

He came back around to the front, grinning. Every day he was surprised at her prowess in magic, how exactly far it was. He had a feeling she'd surprise him every day he allowed himself to be. "Can you use them?" he asked eagerly. "Can you fly with them? Have you tried?"

"They are real.  Fully functional and anatomically correct.  It took a lot of practice to be able to render them in this manner, but again, well worth the effort." Twilight flushed a bit in the cheeks as Widget bounced about her in scrutinizing curiosity.  She liked his attention but wasn't sure she was quite ready for so much of it directly on her all at once.  The now-winged unicorn diverted his gaze a bit as she stretched out one of her wings to the side, flaring it to its full spread so that he could get a closer look at the natural layering of feathers.

"The first time I ever tried this sort of spell was on Rarity.  That was a Flutter Wing enchantment and it gave her wings like the legendary Flutter Ponies.  She seemed to have so much fun flying despite what happened, and ever since then I'd just been dying to try it out too.  But Flutter Wings weren't really what I was looking for." Twilight explained as she rolled her shoulders demonstratively to put her wings through the motions of flight while staying grounded.  "So I did some research and a whole lot of digging.  Turns out there were already transmutation spells to grant wings already, but they were mostly censored and locked away in the Royal Archives.  The spells are really difficult and can be a little dangerous if you don't know what you're doing, or if they dispel mid-flight.  Plus there's apparently been some history of Alicorn impersonators trying to weasel their way into royalty, so it makes sense for this sort of thing to be kept away from the general public."

Twilight did have a knack for rambling, but at least it was mildly interesting information.  If Widget was even listening to her at all, that was.  He'd totally zoned out Fung Shui before when given the chance to pour over Pinkie Pie's blueprints, so a similar situation was surely likely now that he had Twilight's wings to study up close and personally.  When he came back around to the fore his excited smile took Twilight more than she expected... and despite herself, she couldn't help but share it even though she was more accustomed to the situation.  His eagerness was contagious.

"Can you use them?" he asked. "Can you fly with them? Have you tried?"

Rather than answer with words, Twilight just lit up with her own smile that quickly turned wry.  Why not show off a little?  The first time she'd ever tried flying she'd ended up face-down in the dirt with her horn wedged like a post, but she'd become more capable since then.  Taking a page from Rainbow Dash's book, Twilight hopped back a step, tucked down low as her wings spread out broadly to the sides, and leaped upward with a swift flap.  Just like that she was off like a shot straight up into the air so quickly that her dark-hued tail snapped like a whip.  Those lavender wings pumped at the air as she gained altitude all the way up to the tops of the trees around the clearing's edge and then pitched over, slowly swooping down in a broad, banking spiral back down to settle into a trotted landing back where she began.

"So... what do you think?  Do you want to try?" she asked, grinning from ear to ear.  Even if she had done it plenty of times before in practice, flying was always such an exhilarating rush.  No wonder Rainbow Dash spent the bulk of her time in the air.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:43, Thu 28 June 2012.

Widget might have been fully fascinated with Twilight's wings, but he did listen to her. Firstly, no offense to the stallion in question, but she was hardly Fung Shui, and he found it much easier to pay attention to her than to him. Secondly, she was talking about something very interesting to him indeed. It made sense that the wing producing spells were locked tight away, and he felt very privileged to know a pony powerful enough, and with enough connections, to pull off the difficult magic so flawlessly.

His smile remained as he stepped back, watching her take to the air with a wide-eyed wonderment as she took off like a shot into the air. He couldn't help but to laugh with glee at the sight of her flying so effortlessly and naturally, his heart thumping hard in his chest. He was quick to move forward as she landed, so excited at her poised question, he danced slightly on the tips of his hooves like he had at Sugarcube Corner when preparing for their date, and his tail almost wagged.

"Are you kidding?" he said breathlessly. "I would love to! Yes! Yes, please!" This was what he had been waiting for, all the countless hours of inventing and pushing himself to the limits and the experimentation with clockwork; to experience true flight, unhindered by limitations and aided only by his own body.

Twilight couldn't help but laugh brightly over how giddy Widget was at the offer of flight and shook her head with the gesture.  "Alright, alright!  Just promise me one thing first: don't go trying to flap right up first thing, okay?  It's a good way to put yourself face-first into a tree or pitch flank over teakettle." she said sternly as she set a hoof onto his shoulder.  "I mean it.  This is going to be a lot different than your flight packs and I don't want you hurting yourself."

Once he'd assured her he would at least keep his hooves on the ground long enough for her to instruct him on how to fly manually, Twilight stepped back and closed her eyes.  She took a long, calming breath to focus her concentration... but then paused as she heaved it out again with a soft 'Oh, wait'.  The unicorn gave a gentle toss of her head from side to side as her horn lit up -- the gesture echoed as Widget's vest was tugged a bit and two gaps opened at the shoulders.  She hadn't torn his clothing; she'd actually modified it with a quick spell to have openings where his wings would be.  Satisfied, Twilight gave a nod and then returned to proper concentration as she closed her eyes tightly.

The spell was indeed very difficult and even more so when being cast on another pony.  The Flutter Wing spell was different -- it was an enchantment that wasn't actually a part of Rarity, hence why she was unharmed when the wings just burned up.  This spell, however, caused an actual physical transformation.  The full development of new limbs, muscle groups, skeletal forms, and neurological paths.  She'd cast it on herself enough times to know how to do it swiftly and easily, but casting it on another pony's unfamiliar body was a lot more tricky.  She had to work much more slowly as she felt her way through it.  Her horn glowed brighter and brighter as a gradual swirl of magic coursed its way over Widget's body from hoof to tail, slowly blotting out his view of the world beyond its shimmering haze.  He could feel it tightening around him... warm at first, like a blanket, but soon increasingly hot and stifling.  Just when it reached the point of feeling like he was about to be smothered it suddenly snapped and flared away in an outward burst, freeing him to take in a deep breath and no doubt reflexively spread the new wings that had formed from his back.

"Hoo... haven't done that in a while.  How do you fe--he...eeel?" Twilight asked as she opened her eyes back up, though they went wide as she took in the sight before her.  The spell had gone off just fine, but that wasn't the issue.  Alicorns honestly played a very important part in Twilight's life.  She practically worshiped the ground Princess Celestia walked on and held her in the highest of regards and affections.  Princess Luna, not so much... the relationship she had with the younger immortal was far more casual and friendly, but just as warm.  Cadence was truly beloved in many ways.  But one thing that had never occurred to Twilight until just then was a very simple, but somehow unrealized concept: an Alicorn stallion.  True, Widget wasn't actually an Alicorn, but Twilight's budding affections for him and the appearance combined to send a dark blush blooming across the mare's face as she took in the sight.

Pomf~!

Twilight's eyes widened and she quickly reached back to push her wings down from where they'd spontaneously unfurled on their own.  With them firmly at her sides, she cleared her throat and looked back to Widget with a sheepish smile.  "How do you feel?" she asked, her voice a few octaves higher from the strain of keeping her tone level.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:24, Thu 28 June 2012.

Despite how giddy and dancy he was, Widget was apparently able to grasp the importance of what Twilight was telling him, and nodded in agreement. "I promise," he said, and he meant it. The last thing he wanted to do was to ruin this for either of him by acting stupid and getting injured their (hopefully) first time doing this. If her own ease at casting the spell upon herself was any indication, she did this often enough, and the idea of sharing it with her many times in the future was a very happy one indeed. He had ended up horn first in the ground or stuck in trees more times than he could count, and he didn't want this one to end up one of those situations just because his heart got in the way of his head.

As the warmth of Twilight's magic began to envelope him, glowing brighter and brighter, Widget was forced to close his own eyes and wait for the difficult spell to be finished. All for the best, most likely - as excited as he was at the moment, he wasn't sure how well he would be able to handle the sight of wings actually sprouting out of his body. Glowing flutter wings were one thing, but real wings of flesh and feathers and blood might be a bit much for him to actually watch. And so, he waited, clenched and bundled in the flow of magic that cast bright shadows on the ground of the clearing, even in the middle of the day. The warmth became uncomfortable, but Widget endured, knowing in the back of his mind how powerful it had to be to actually transform his physical body. That logic didn't make it much easier to deal with, though, and he was soon hard put to not struggle, his breath coming in hot and sharp gasps as he tried to find some form of relief from the unpleasant, stifling blanket of magic.

However, it was over as quickly as it had begun, the magic whipping up and flaring away as Widget arched back and took a deep breath, his eyes snapping open, even though he couldn't see anything just yet, and he felt a sharp movement of his form he had never felt before that caused him to jerk back. He shook his head a little bit to gather himself as Twilight asked him how he felt -- sort of.

But before he could question that elongated tone of 'feel', he had looked back, and with wide eyed wonderment, he gawked at the wide wings that had sprouted right out of his back near his shoulders. He spread the wings wider, the very light powder blue feathers, the same color as his coat, sparkling with the sunlight that poured down from above, and with the magic that still filled the air so soon after such a spell had been cast. Widget felt his heart seize and his breath catch in his throat as, at long last, he arched up his wings with one small flap, enough to lighten the weight on his hooves.

"By Celestia..." he breathed, turning at last to look back at Twilight. His smile had, somehow, grown, and he threw back his head, laughing with utter glee. He wanted to take to the air at once, but even in his blind excitement, he remembered what Twilight had said, and restrained. Barely. Still, he had to show his pleasure, he had never been so happy! So, he displayed his feelings with a sharp flap of his new wings, kicking upward to stand on his hind legs and paw at the air with his front. "This is amazing!!" he cried out as he came down to land on the ground, his eyes once more on Twilight. "YOU are amazing! The best! I can't believe it...! I've got wings!!"

Even though Twilight had been heavy with the warnings and urged Widget to practice self-control after the spell had completed, she found it hard to stick to her own words in the face of his glee.  His ecstatic energy just made her want to send him off right on the spot, riding that wave of happiness he was experiencing into the thrill of taking first flight like he'd dreamed of for so long.  She had better sense than that, but gave in a bit to that temptation as she laughed and turned aside to dash off across the broad clearing.

"C'mon, keep up~!" she called.  The unicorn led him in a wide circle around the clearing's span, holding stride with him to keep herself at his side a few paces off so that each of them had room to spread their wings.  Learning to flex certain muscles and actually utilize the new anatomy wasn't the hard part -- the body adapted swiftly and reflexively, allowing for organic introduction of the new physical information.  The hard part was actually figuring out how to use what one had correctly.  While Twilight was more the sort to learn through study and sought the knowledge of the written word first and foremost, she never turned down the wisdom of 'learning by doing'.  "Stretch them out and get a feel for the full range of movement.  It's easier if you synchronize it with your breathing -- inhale, draw up, exhale, flap down.  Feel how the wind moves along the primary and marginal coverts.  It's not like swimming -- you'll just exhaust yourself if you try and push too hard.  You can alter the angle of attack upward and downward with certain movements, like this..."

There was something to be said for a non-winged being trying to teach flying to another.  Somehow Twilight doubted someone like Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy could properly convey the necessary information.  They were born fliers and it was first nature to them; even if they were intimately more knowledgeable with the process, a lot of the understanding was innate and taken for granted.  Twilight and Widget shared a different way of thinking.  They understood the logistics, the physics, and the engineering behind such things.  She could rattle off a string of angles and degrees to him, and he would understand how to hold his wings to move through different flight poses.  She could refer to specific points of anatomy by their full scientific titles and he'd know just what she meant, especially since he'd spent so much time in study and development of mechanical versions of them.  As the two ran together, it made the learning experience much easier... and, as Twilight had to admit, more pleasurable.  It was nice having someone who could keep up...

"Alright, follow me now~!  It's ten strides, a leap, and then tuck your legs in!  We'll handle landing when we get to it!"  Twilight threw some caution to the wind as she threw herself to it as well, charging ahead in a burst of speed.  Her hooves pounded along the grass to the ten count and she flared her wings outward into a full spread, hoisting herself on the breeze and taking advantage of the wind's lift to take off.  At first she skimmed low to the ground, demonstrating how to hold one's legs close to the body, then pumped her wings to begin climbing in altitude.

As Twilight took off across the edge of the clearing, and shouted back at him to keep up, Widget's grin persisted and he did so, cantering after her, their hooves pattering on the grassy flat. He watched as her wings moved and she explained what to do, repeating the motions as he breathed in and flexed up, breathed out and flapped down. As she described, he could feel the wind whipping over his feathers, the exhilarating feeling of his feathers rippling on the slipstream they created. He could feel the lift even now, and felt himself running the razor's edge to flying as his excitement grew, and he wasn't sure exactly how long he would be able to last without at least trying to fly.

Thankfully, he didn't have to wait much longer. Twilight seemed quit as eager as he was to get to the fun part of having wings, and soon took off in a low, wide swoop around the clearing before beginning to pump her wings and gain altitude. "One, two, three," he breathed as he picked up speed, spreading his wings as wide as they could go. "Four, five, six," He took in a deep breath, his teeth gritting in his excitement. "Seven, eight, nine... ten!"

He arched up, wings fully spread, and he felt the wind catch him. Grasping that pull, he pumped his wings and tucked in his legs against his body. A slight decent, and he flapped again, the movement becoming more and more automated and natural feeling with each one he did. He had been very wrong... this was not at all like his flight packs. It was so much smoother, so much more natural and somehow easier to grasp than the constant stream of magic he had to put out before to keep his Daedelus Device powered. That said, he was in enough of a right mind to remember all the information he had read about flight, how pegasus had described the wind currents and slip streams and how they flew. He began to feel the drafts and soon use them to his advantage as he climbed up into the air after Twilight.

"Woo~hoo~!" he cried as he broke the treeline with her, laughing again as the wind breeze through his main and tail, ruffling his feathers as well as giving him something to glide easier on. He banked to the right, and then the left, getting a feel for his rudder, if you would, teaching himself how responsive his wing movements were to his mental commands, then breezed upward again to land himself just at Twilight's side, the tips of their wings brushing each other as the ascended toward the clouds. "I can't believe this!" he said breathlessly, feeling on the edge of tears. It was better than he had ever imagined, more incredible than his wildest dreams...

It was a good thing Widget was a quick learner.  Twilight had a moment of quiet fear bubble up in her the moment he first took to the air and her horn glowed as she readied herself to catch him if he fumbled his take-off.  It proved an unnecessary precaution though.  With relief taking the place of concern, Twilight was able to relax once more and return fully to enjoying the glorious sensation of the wind rushing over her body.  Pegasi really didn't understand just how good they had it.  The freedom of movement, the speed, the sensation of defying gravity... it was nearly addictive.

"You're doing great~!  And while it goes against conventions, feel free to look down!" she called over as Widget leveled along beside her while they rose up over the trees.  The clearing below was becoming smaller and smaller as they flew into the sky together; they could see the gradual scope of the landscape taking form below them.  The vast spread of the Whitetail Woods, the distant mountains and foothills, and Ponyville itself became visible from a whole new perspective.  Beyond even further was the Everfree Forest and an absolutely horrible black storm that swirled about over it, though weird weather was part and parcel for that strange woodland.  The weather team wouldn't let it spill over into Ponyville, so there was nothing to worry about.

As the two neared the low-hanging clouds, Twilight broke away as she pitched upward into a steep climb.  She shot smoothly past a cluster of fluffy clouds and stalled as she hit the apex, then dropped back down with her wings tucked in close at her sides.  Rather than fall through the cloud she landed on it with a muffled 'whumph!' that tossed up bits of the puffy volume outward around her.  Anypony but Pegasi went right through clouds, but the spell granted the same sort of cloud-manipulation abilities that Pegasi had.  While the two of them couldn't go about altering weather without resorting to more magic, it did make cloud walking easy... plus clouds were unbelievably comfortable.

Taking Twilight's advice, Widget let himself gaze down over the expanding landscape of Equestria below them on a scale he could never have imagined. Even with his flight packs, he had never been able to sustain flight much higher than than the trees that lined Ponyville park for more than a few moments, and even then, it took a lot of concentration. But this, this was easy! This was wonderful! The trees of Whitetail Woods soon resembled modeling sticks, the individual leaves gone entirely, and Ponyville itself a short distance away looked like a child's play set, the ponies moving about on the street no bigger than ants. The feeling of his wings beating against the air, more on their own than by his conscious thought, the wind that whipped through his short main and tail and swished around his broad wings, the rush of air in his ears, all of it was exhilarating, to put it lightly, and he knew that no matter what happened between him and Twilight in the future, be it tomorrow or twenty years from now, this was something she had done for him that he would never, ever forget.

He watched Twilight rise up swiftly and then plummet back down onto a thick, fluffy cloud above them. He wasn't quite sure he was ready to just plow into a cloud face first, but the idea of landing on and walking on a cloud was exciting. His flight pack, of course, never would have allowed him to do that. He circled below for a short while, watching as Twilight ascended and then descended, and followed suit after she had 'whumph'ed into the cloud. He circled upward and glided down, but scrambled when he was noted he was coming in too shallow. It was probably a good thing that Twilight had decided to land on a cloud, even if clouds weren't awesome to land on, because it would be a lot softer landing for his first than the ground would be...

His hooves hit the cloud running and caved beneath him at the shallow angle and too high speed, sending him pitching forward face first into the cloud. His entire upper body up to his wing joints were soon lodged into the fluff. There was a pause as he gathered himself, pulled down his back hooves to brace himself, and yank upward. After a few good yanks, he eventually pulled up his head up out of the cloud, his eyes rolling slightly in his head. He shook his head to steady his vision, then leaned down to the side and clopped against his head, sending a few bits of white fluff floating from his ear. "Well, that could have gone better," he said goodnaturedly, standing up and making his way over to where Twilight was still lying in the clouds. With a grin, he flopped down in the comfortable cloud beside her, his eyes just barely open behind his oval rimmed glasses, and a smile of happy contentment on his face.

Twilight burst out into cheery laughter at the predicament Widget had gotten himself stuck in, flopping back onto the cloud and kicking her legs up in the air at the sight of him with his head stuck in the fluff.  "It might be a good idea to practice landing up here in the clouds then.  That wouldn't be so funny had it been a hillside." she giggled as she rolled over onto her side, gazing up at Widget as he settled down beside her.  With a bit of cloud scooped up beneath her head like a pillow she cozied in and just relaxed, enjoying the warmth of the sun shining down on them as they laid over the overcast atmosphere.  Up in the sky it was so quiet and peaceful as their cloud swayed idly about on the breeze.

It wasn't so easy for Twilight to relax like she was just then.  Her entire life had been dedicated to study and the acquisition (though not always implementation) of knowledge.  She made sure everything was tightly scheduled, precisely planned out, and charted down to the most insignificant of details to be triple-checked twice over.  Sometimes it paid off in her favor.  But it had also given her a lot of grief too.  Being with her friends and the rest of Ponyville had taught her to slow down a bit and take in more of life... and, frankly, she couldn't think of a better way to be spending her time at the moment than what she was already up to.  For as grateful as Widget was to have been given the opportunity to experience true flight, Twilight was likely grateful for being able to share such moments with somepony special to her.

That thought caught her attention.  Was he special to her?  As a friend, certainly.  As more?  Yet to be seen, but things had been going well so far.  She felt happy spending time with him and being able to make him smile as well.  "Hey Widget?" Twilight asked softly to get his attention.  Once she had it, the mare scooted closer and leaned in, safe in the privacy of their high perch so far above the rest of the world as she gave him a kiss.  It was gentle... chaste, even, right at the edge of his lips rather than a full lip lock as they'd shared at the Library balcony.

It was remarkable how easy it was to relax in the quiet of the afternoon sunshine that surrounded them on that cloud. The blue tone of his coat, so often mistaken for white, was obvious against the pure white fluff the pair lounged upon. The stresses of work and every day drained away so effortlessly by the utter calm of the atmosphere the two had set with their comfort with each other and their adoration of the activity they had chosen. Widget had rolled onto his back to look lazily up at thecrisp blueness above them, idly watching the few fluffy bits of cloud that drifted pass on the gentle breeze that rocked their cloud like a hammock.

The wind tugging gently at his mane and the featgers of his wings, Widget became aware that he could not remember ever being this happy before. He had not exactly been unhappy with his parents as a youngster, but up until he had earned his Cutie mark, he had been overworked and under appreciated. Even after, he had still had to work a lot to try and learn what he could from his mother and her associates,.leaving very little time for leisure. And since the accident, it had been very difficult to even relax, much less feel actually happy about anything at all. Thrown head first knto his work, he had survived by keeping as busy as he could with his inventing. Now, though, around Twilight, he felt a warm happiness that was alien and so lovely in his heart. He kept many friends, but as Twilight appreciated his intellect in comparison to her other friends, he in turn appreciated hers. Not to say either of their friends werent smart, but there was just something about talking to another academic in comfortable terms without having to dumb it down.

The gentle calling of his name pulled him from his thoughts to look at Twilight. He smiled lazily at her approach, letting her lean in of her own accord. His eyes closed at the contact, that chast, gentle kiss that made him melt, finding it somehow more powerful than the full on one the night before. One hoof rose and very gently brushed her dark purple hair from her brow, the small kiss ending soon after it had begun. He didnt move away, looking into her pretty face, his thoughts filling with nothing but her. Even the flight somehow seemed less important right now as he leaned in to kiss her again, gentle and soft as the one she had given him.

Yes, there wasn't much Twilight could think of that would be better than the current moment.

Mulling back on the night before, she once more found herself feeling silly over how much she'd over-reacted.  Gah, was she ever going to be able to think about that and not blush over her spaz attack?  She really needed to do something special for Applejack to show her appreciation for all the help.  She felt comfortable with Widget now, though in a different manner than when it had just been a 'friends and fellow intellectuals' sort of thing between them.  It was difficult for her to put her hoof on though.  She was new to the whole romance thing after all.  Identifying emotional states and her feelings was going to take some time... ooh!  And it'd make a great checklist to fill~!

For a time the two could just lay there in each other's company.  Twlight was eager to share more kisses as the two now had their privacy and emotions weren't running so high as to leave her flushed and breathless after just one.  She was curious and wanted to explore the small affectionate gestures, though it was very difficult for her not to approach it in an analytical manner.  While Widget no doubt would have been initially amused if she went at kissing with a protractor to figure out an optimal angle of attack, she felt it might have spoiled the mood a bit.  Instead she just took her time becoming accustomed to the little things, the feel of him nestled against her as she cuddled on up to his side, and figuring out easy ways to lay her head so that she wouldn't accidentally stab him in the face with her horn.  Again, mood spoiler.

Twilight bringing out a protractor and an angle to calculate kissing angles might have ruined the mood somewhat, but only because Widget likely would have laughed his way right through the cloud. It was lucky, then, that he couldnt read her thoughts, and instead let his own thoughts drift in and out of focus. He, as a more creative mind, liked to learn through experimentation than any real study, and therefore just let his lips and own feelings lead him. Eventually, it became easier for both of them to keep track of their horns, as they brushed against each other when they had become more comfortably cuddled up together. Each kiss he gave her, he gave a gentle nuzzle against her muzzle, the gesture clearly affectionate.

The longer they spent like that, cuddled up on the cloud sharing tentative and gentle kisses, the more relaxed Widget felt. He was lank, almost limp, except for his head and the gentle stroking that seemed almost absentminded of his front hoof adgainst her shoulder, where he had laid it after brushing her hair from her brow. His body was growing warmer, slightly flushed, likely from being in the sun like this while cuddled up, and vaguely wondered if the heat made Twilight uncomfortable. Widget was used to a hot workshop full of welding sparks - this heat was easy to handle by comparison.

With a low and happy sigh, all manner of time lost to the both of them, their latest and by now most well practiced kiss ended, and Widget nuzzled down and beneath her, his muzzle slightly below her own. There, he did not stay idle, but instead planted a soft kiss upon her neck just below the jawline. For the first time, then, he understood words he had read long ago... Wheresoever she was, there was Eden...

Twilight had indeed begun to feel quite warm herself though hardly from the sun overhead.  When Widget's kisses moved further along her jaw and down her neck she first smiled at the sensation, but gently pushed at him all the same.  The look on her face was hesitant, unsure, and perhaps a bit apologetic... but she'd barely gotten a handle on the whole basic premise of kissing and wasn't comfortable beyond that just yet.  A soft peck explained that she hadn't rebuffed him or been spooked.

"C'mon, we should get back to the ground soon.  I didn't cast a particularly enduring version of the spell, so it'll wear off before long.  Better we have our hooves on the dirt when that happens." she said.  Twilight didn't particularly want to end their moment together just yet, but having the two of them suddenly go plummeting to the earth wasn't the most romantic of ideas either.

When Twilight gently pushed him back, it slightly surprised him, his head pulling back to look up curiously. He looked as if he had had a few too many hard apple ciders, his cheeks flush and eyes unfocused. That didn't last long thought; after only a few blinks, he realized what exactly he had done, and he smiled a little sheepishly. He was glad she hadn't gotten upset at him being lost in the moment. Sliding back to lay on his stomach, he flexed his wings outward as he arched his back, stretching to get more comfortable. "Yes... Right..." he said, still getting his mind back on more immediately important things, like not dying to the sudden lack of wings. He grinned as he stood up, shaking bits of fluff from his coat. "You still have to teach me how to land properly. The last thing I want to do is end up in the ground like I did in this cloud."

A few moments of stretching and flexing was necessary for both ponies.  Twilight found herself pleasantly lethargic from the warmth and companionship, so it made getting up and moving again a bit of a chore.  When Widget reminded her of needing landing lessons she nodded in reply and, without a word, tipped sideways right off the cloud like a fainting goat.  A beat later she came shooting back up from the other side, having twisted about in her drop and used the momentum to carry herself through overhead once again.

"Incidentally, landing is the hardest part.  It takes a lot of practice to be able to pull it off well as opposed to just passable." Twilight explained as she flapped her wings about, hovering in place overhead.  With a quick turn she winged out into the open air a second time, wheeling around in a broad circle about the cloud they'd been lounging on.  "You really don't need to worry about swooping in for a perfect landing or anything.  All you have to do is get close enough to the ground to be safe, stall your momentum, and land on your hooves.  If you feel you're coming in too fast, just take a few easy banking turns to kill your speed."

Twilight demonstrated just that as she aimed herself for the cloud.  She picked up speed and took a fly-by, pulling out into a broad turn with plenty of drag to swiftly cut away at her forward speed.  On the second approach she dipped down to a bit beyond jumping height from the surface, reared back with a wheel of her legs and flare of her wings to stall completely mid-air, and lightly landed down on the cloud with a puff of fluff about herself.

"And if all else fails, aim for something relatively soft and shock-absorbent." she smiled brightly.  "...not hay bales, by the way.  Those are way more firm than they look." it sounded like that was a statement made from experience.

Widget watched the movements of Twilight's wings as she demonstrated how to land. She did it with practiced ease, and his own wings slightly twitched to mimic the movements as best he could without actually doing them in flight. He smirked when she mentioned finding something soft, but winced slightly at the idea of running into hay bails. Owch... "I'll remember that," he said. He pulled up and flapped, rising up above the cloud a few feet, not feeling quite confident enough to just roll off the edge like she had, though privately he sincerely hoped he would one day.

Concentrating on his landing, he spotted a small meadow in the woods below them, as good a spot as any to learn. It was at least full of soft grass if worst came to worst. Staying confident, he descended from the cloud to the clearing below, the colored spots that were flowers coming into sharper image as he approached it. "Bank low... Stall momentum..." he mumbled as he calculated as good an entry angle as he could, coming in from the narrowest angle of the meadow. He was lucky. There was very little wind to push off his angle, and he moved smoothly through the air almost exactly as he had calculated.

He couldn't help but hold his breath as he passed the tree line, his wings pulling back as he noted he was coming in too fast, though thankfully not as shallow as he had on the cloud, and he had to force his knees not to lock up, less he break them on impact. As he swooped in, his hooves scrambled slightly, and though he technically did land on his feet, the momentum of his flight pushed him over, and he tumbled. Thankfully, though, it was just that - a tumble into a patch of soft grass - and not a crash.

"I think I'm getting better already," he said with a jovial smile, making his way back up to his hooves and brushing grass off of his vest, his mane somewhat tousled from the breeze and the tumble landing.

As Widget flew down through the sky for a landing, Twilight went with him.  She remained nearby in the air a ways behind him, watching and measuring his approach to make sure she could give advice if he needed it.  Also, her horn was already glowing and ready to throw up a shield around his body if it looked like he was going to wipe out, but she kept that particular fact hidden out of his line of sight for the sake of his pride.  She didn't want him to think she didn't believe in him, but it was better safe than sorry... let him do it on his own, but be there in case something went out of hoof.

Thankfully the worst of it was just a little tumble and he was back on his hooves in the blink of an eye, joking and shaking it off unharmed.  Twilight let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and landed as well, fluttering to the earth with far better form than her date had shown.  As she trotted along to his side both of their wings began to shimmer and emit little globules of light that drifted up off them like flower spores on the breeze.  She'd become accustomed to the feeling of pins-and-needles going through her wings and into her shoulders as the spell waned, numbing the muscles entirely until those feathery appendages disintegrated away into nothing.  Once more bound to gravity's rules, Twilight rolled her shoulders to work some feeling back into them.

"All in all, I'd say that was a successful first flight.  You got the hang of basic maneuvering a lot faster than I would have thought... but you've been studying pony flight a lot more in-depth than I had when I first started, so it stands to reason.  We'll have to do it again soon." Twilight shrugged.  She felt rather... emboldened... and cast a smile Widget's way as she stepped up and rose to her hooftips, stealing a more direct kiss from her date's lips.  "Besides... wings suit you.  You looked really good like that~."

If there was anything Widget was used to, it was tumbles from attempting to fly. He found it easy to brush off. It wasn't even the worst fall the inventor had had that week, or even in the past two days. What he wasn't used to was the wings suddenly disappearing and the sensations that came with it. Widget was momentarily distracted by the unexpected and unpleasant sensation of pins and needles prickling within the appendages he still wasn't at all used to having, and he grimace in surprise and discomfort. He was distracted from the distraction, however, by something much more pleasurable, the pain and numbness instantly fading from his consciousness as Twilight kissed him so directly.

His eyes were slightly wide behind his glasses from that surprise, but it quickly melted into a sheepish grin, a flush rising in his cheeks when his date professed that he had looked good in such a state. "Well then," he said, trying to sound smooth despite the grin and blush, "I'll just have to let you put me in such a state more often. I have to say, you look amazing with those wings on... I would have sworn you were one of the Princess' Alicorn nieces, you looked so natural in them."

Loathing the idea of actually going home when he was having such a good time with Twilight, Widget did not immediately start to move, but instead lingered on the ground, the actual scientific information he had been able to garner from the flight experience finally making its way into his conscious mind. "That was quite enlightening, truth be told. I learned a lot from that flight that I'll be able to put toward my future research and development." Already he was thinking of changes he would make to the blueprints of the clockwork design Pinkie Pie gave him to make them feel more like natural flight, now that he actually knew what natural flight, sort of, felt like from a first pony perspective.

"I am one of the Princess' nieces, remember?  Well, niece-in-law, but still." Twilight giggled as she stepped past Widget and started to head off back for the main path that rain through the middle of the woods.  She was enjoying the date as well and certainly had no desire to see it end any sooner than it had to... so why should it?  Her schedule for the day was clear, after all.

"So... what do you want to do next?  I've been dragging you around so far." she asked as she gave him a look over her shoulder and beckoned him along.

"Oh yes, you've had to just tug be along by the tail all day," Widget said with a playful smirk and a roll of the eyes as he cantered up after her and came to a walk at her side. He pondered a moment, but in truth, there was really only one thing he did during his days off or when he had time in the evenings. He wasn't exactly the outdoors-ey type, obviously, preferring to spend a lot of time doing what he did best - being creative. "Have you ever been to Games and Tables? I spend a lot of time there when I'm not working with Rook White and his brother, Quick Buck. I actually did want to go there in the next few days..."

Twilight giggled softly over the comment and playfully bumped Widget in the haunch with a sway of her own, then settled back into pace alongside him.  "The board game shop?  Yeah, I visited there once before.  Pinkie Pie dragged the whole group there when they first opened up, both to welcome the brothers to town and to see if there were any good party games available.  I haven't really made it a habit of visiting though." she explained as they went, curious to see what Widget had in mind.

Widget visibly brightened when Twilight confessed that she hadn't made a habit of going into the shop. It made it all that much more exciting to show her what the quaint little shop really held within it. "Oh, there's much, much more than simple board games in that shop," he said in a mysterious tone, grinning wider. "They have a huge variety of games, including a few that I consider myself quite good at. My favorite is a role playing game called Ponies and Perils. Essentially, the basis of a role playing game is taking on the persona of a character you invent, and play that character out with a bunch of your friends in an ever-evolving story. One person is the PM, or Pony Master, and acts as the narrator to our story, controlling events and situations, while the rest of us tell how our characters would react to the situations. The outcomes of our actions are decided by fate and chance, portrayed by rolls of the dice. There's a load of different rule books spelling out different scenarios and examples, spells and abilities, everything we need to run a game fairly and properly." He smirked slightly, imagining Twilight playing a game with so many books required for proper play. It would certainly be her kind of game, if anything was.

"They also have several different collectible card games. My very favorite is called Magic: The Galloping. I used to play it a lot in school, we even had an after school club for it."

Twilight listened with interest, though it was apparent from her expression that she didn't quite get it.  Of course, she and her friends went off on major world-changing adventures more times than most ponies went out to eat.  She had actually fought of monsters, so imagining fighting off monsters didn't quite carry the same impact with her as it would others of less exciting and life-threatening careers.

"Well, that absolutely sounds right up Pinkie Pie's alley.  I'm surprised she hasn't tried to put together a game yet... sounds like the perfect excuse for a party." the Unicorn shrugged.  Like Pinkie ever needed an excuse to throw a bash?  The mention of the card game perked her interest though.  "That sounds familiar, actually... I think my big brother used to play that at the soldier's academy when he was younger.  I didn't realize they were still making that game after all these years."

"Probably because it requires sitting still and quiet for a few hours at a time. Somehow, Pinkie strikes me as the type that likes to keep moving and making some kind of sound, at all times." Widget snickered fondly at the thought of Pinkie Pie playing Ponies and Perils, wondering what sort of wild character concept she might come up with. It would be most amusing to see Pinkie trying to properly play a lawful good cleric...

"Oh my, yes. Magic: The Galloping has been around for almost twenty years now. New kids get interested watching their friends and family members play. There's even professional leagues that compete in tournaments. I havent played professionally before, but it looks too tough for me. Ill stick with games with my friends on the weekends." He looked to her. "Would you care to come to the shop with me? I need to pick up a few things, and ask Rook White about our next game session. I could show you the game room in the back, if you like."

"Yeah, that would be a feat.  She got into a staring contest with Fluttershy once.  Standard rules are that you can't talk or making any sudden movements to startle the opponent.  I thought her head was going to explode into confetti after two minutes.  Same goes for The Quiet Game.  Fluttershy is still reigning champion." Twilight giggled.  She'd actually challenged for the title on The Quiet Game herself in the past... it turned out that the demure Pegasus was not so easy a foe to topple.  Twilight's habit of thinking out loud had been her undoing.

At the invitation to the game shop, the Unicorn smiled and nodded her horned head.  "Sure~!  It should be interesting to see what sort of new stock they have anyway... I still need to replace my chess set since the last time Spike had a cold.  Maybe you could teach me how to play that card game too?" she asked.  She wasn't so sure she'd actually be interested in such a game, but it never hurt to try new things.  Plus if she did enjoy it, then it'd be one more thing the two of them could do together~!

Widget smiled brightly as Twilight agreed to go with him to the game shop, and his smile became a positive grin when she suggested he teach her how to play Magic: The Galloping. "I would love to teach you," he said happily. "I bet you'll love it. Lots of strategy to be had. And even if you don't like Magic in the end, we can still play chess some time." He winked at her playfully, now excited that they had a destination in mind. Widget couldn't help but think that today had been almost too much to handle... First, his first real flight with real wings with Twilight, lounging on a cloud and cuddling with his girlfriend, now heading to the game store to teach her how to play his favorite card game? This was quickly shaping into a contender for the best day ever.

He leaned down and stole a kiss from her, deep and firm but brief, before he pulled back and grinned playfully at her. He felt so full of energy... He'd start giggling if he didn't get it out. "Up to a race?" he asked challengingly.

As with anything, practice made perfect.  Twilight felt she was getting a hang of the whole dating thing now and was eager to try more aspects of it.  Kissing, as it turned out, wasn't so bad at all and she certainly didn't mind practicing that one bit.  Why had she ever been so worked up in the first place?  Widget's stolen kiss left her lips tingling and curved into a smile, though her expression perked as he offered a challenge to her.

"Up to a race?" he asked.

Rather than give a reply, Twilight fixed her date with a serious look.  It wasn't often she took such an expression and it almost seemed to feel as though something were the matter, or that she had something of great importance to tell him.  The Unicorn stepped about in front of him and raised a hoof to have him halt, pressing it to his shoulder as she held his gaze in her own.  Twilight leaned in and took a kiss of her own -- firm as the one he'd given her but lingering into passing seconds.  It was the sort of gentle, affectionate kiss one would hope to part ways with at the end of a first date or perhaps share later on down the road after a long, happy time spent together... the sort that swept away thought and made one feel like floating even without wings.

The kiss slowly broke as Twilight drew back just enough to rest her cheek against Widget's, cant her head upward to his ear, and then finally speak out with a soft breath:

"Yes."

And just like that she was gone, off like a shot as she turned and dashed off down the wooded path for town with devious laughter echoing out behind her.

--> Twilight exits to Ponyville Town Square
This message was last edited by the player at 05:02, Mon 16 July 2012.

Widget might have worried that his wings had re-sprouted with some surge of his own magic with the strange floating sensation he got in his stomach as Twilight laid that deep and unexpected kiss on him, if he had any logical thought left in him. The absent minded pony had in the past, despite his absentmindedness, always been so level headed and straight thinking, even when he had gotten creative with his inventing. When the young stallion was with Twilight Sparkle, however, it became so difficult to keep a grasp of anything else but her, and especially when she was kissing him like that.

When she broke it at long last, the flushed and lightheaded unicorn's eyes were hardly open, and he leaned softly into her when she leaned rested her cheek against his own. For a moment when she leaned up as if to tell him something, he thought he might topple over, or float away - he wasn't quite sure which.

But suddenly, she had accepted his challenge of a race, and off she was like a shot across the woods. He blinked in surprise, stepping back to catch his footing before he toppled over, her laughter echoing back to his ears helping to snap him out of his trance. He shook his head as his hooves danced slightly, blinking rapidly and staring at her retreating form. "Wait, wha-- Hey! That was cheating!" he called after her, his own laughter bubbling as he took off after her down the path, the sound of their hooves cantering down the cobblestone and rustling through the leaves the only other sound over the sound of laughter. He followed her, for the gangly pony couldn't quite catch up with her (having never read Racing for Eggheads), into Ponyville, and eventually into the square on their way to the game store.

>>> TO: Ponyville Time Square

After Time Skip

Scootaloo had spent the last six days hiding and crying, trying to think of a plan and crying, crying, making an effort at running away and crying, crying, and trying to think of some way to avoid Merriweather for the rest of her life while still remaining in Ponyville. Also crying.

She had barely been able to eat, her stomach was constantly upset and she didn't feel like she would be able to keep anything down but had forced herself to eat in case she needed the strength to get away quickly. Today, she had finally decided to go visit the one place that was sure to help her. So it was that she struck out from the CMC Club House and into the White Tail Wood. It took her some time to make her way to where she needed to go but eventually after much checking to make sure she wasn't seen or followed she came to the small clearing only she knew about. It was a fairly nondescript clearing, measuring only about five feet across before being swallowed up once more by the woods. In the middle of the clearing sat a rather unremarkable stone, the only thing noteworthy about it being the two words carved into it.

                                                              COPPER BOLT

Scoots walked slowly up to the stone, slowly sitting down in front of it and simply looking at it for a good ten minutes before she let out a heavy sigh and reached up to touch the words with a hoof. It had taken her nearly three days to carve the name deep enough into the stone to make it permanent. Leaning forward she gently kissed the words and rested her forehead against it. "Hello Mommy, it's been awhile hasn't it? I'm sorry I haven't visited as often as I should. It's been a busy and not so good time for me this last week. I-I kind of attacked a pony to keep my secret. I know it was wrong, but she was trying to talk to you and I knew that if I brought her here she would have just shipped me off to some orphanage and I'd rather be with you than face that. The only problem is that now she's probably angry at me for attacking her and I won't be able to slip away again and once she catches me I'll face that fate anyways." She said, her lips trembling as she talked and voiced her fears. She could feel her pain lessen just a bit and she could almost feel the comforting weight of her mother's wing wrapping her up.

"I don't know what to do. I don't want to leave my friends behind, but I don't want to go to an orphanage either. Why couldn't she just mind her own business? Then none of this would have happened." She slumped down against the rock, curling up against it and letting out a little sob. She knew that she had school and that if she didn't show up questions would be asked but she just couldn't bring herself to care at the moment. She'd avoided her friends and knew that they were probably worried about her but again couldn't bring herself to care. She'd figure something out, everything was always clearer after she'd visited here.

As Scoots lay there, her breathing evened out and her chest eased out of the painful tightness that had consumed her for the past six days. She could feel her worries and fears seeping out of her as she basked in the calming presence of her mother's spirit. She didn't have to worry about Merriweather turning her in. She'd apologize if she saw her and if the elder mare pressed matters she would simply say that her mother was not available to talk. Or she would simply ignore any questions about her parents, where she lived and other such topics. It's not like she was Merriweather's foal and she didn't have to listen to her if she didn't want to. Yeah, yeah that's true!

Her head perked up at this thought. She wasn't Merriweather's foal! She didn't have to answer or obey her! Sure, she might be seen as a little rude but better that than the alternative! A smile bloomed on her face, the first one in six long days as she clambered to her hooves. "She can't tell me what to do. She's not my Mommy! I'm saved!" She let out a joyous whoop, hopping a bit in glee. "Thanks for helping me Mommy!" She threw her forelegs around the stone, giving it a thankful squeeze. "I promise I'll come back soon and visit more often. But I should probably get going, though I don't think I'll go to school. Yes, I know. School is important but I didn't do the work that was assigned and I'd rather not go and be sad again after I just started feeling happy again. I know you understand!" She said, giving the marker one last squeeze and a parting kiss. "See ya soon Mommy, I love you!"

Thus, feeling so much better now than before, Scoots trotted out of the clearing and started following a random path that would make it impossible for anypony to follow her tracks back to the glade. Now then, what to do with her free day?

To Unknown Adventures!--->

<-- Twilight enters from Books and Branches Library

Taking the 'long way' to the woods by walking instead of teleporting gave the two Unicorns time to chat.  Dating and romance were tricky topics even for experienced Ponies and Twilight made sure to make it very clear that she was still learning the whole mess herself.  She didn't want to give Starcrasher any false impressions, after all.  She explained that, fundamentally, it wasn't much different than hanging out with friends except for the emotional context involved, though it was difficult for her to elaborate on.  Being out in the bright forest on that cleared path helped clear her thoughts and concentration though.

"The basic principles are the same -- companionship, understanding, a sense of belonging, equal exchange of personal value..." she went on with her head canted aside in thought.  "But there's more to it.  There's this... closeness... that isn't quite the same as the sort friends have.  You can see it every time Mr. and Mrs. Cake look at each other and trade pet names.  It was there between my big brother and Cadence at their wedding when they exchanged vows." she realized she was speaking more about love though and decided to rope it in a little.  "I suppose dating is the progression toward finding somepony you can love like that.  Someone to spend your life with, who wants to be with you as much as you want to be with them.  There's a level of intimacy and trust involved that's on a different level than the sort you share with a friend.  There's also the physical aspect too, of course."
This message was last edited by the player at 17:41, Mon 10 Sept 2012.

--> From: Ponyville Residential District - Books and Branches Library -->

Starcrasher listened to Twilight's explanation, a bit concerned to hear it was something she hadn't quite figured out yet either. With all she knew, and living in a library at that, it had to be a real difficult topic as well.

- "Physical aspect? So you mean, it's kind of like being friends, only with kisses? So if we were close friends and i'd kiss you, then that would make this a date?"

From the look on her face it was clear Starcrasher had no intention of putting that question to practice, she was still trying to figure this whole thing out. And with all the recent studying crammed into her skull, it took a bit to find a place for more to fit in.

Surprisingly, Twilight took that sort of remark in stride and just laughed gently.  "Well, there is a term for that... but it's not quite what I'm talking about.  The key part behind a date is that both parties involved are interested in seeking the other as a potential romantic interest.  Dates are a way of figuring out if you have things in common or are compatible with each other." she continued as the path diverged off the main road and further into the woods itself.  "That's why it's so common for Ponies who are already friends to begin dating.  Friendship can sometimes evolve from a platonic love into a romantic love."

As the two continued along, Twilight told Starcrasher about her big brother and Princess Cadence.  The two had known each other their entire adolescences; they were about Starcrasher's age when they first met.  Twilight's family was closely involved with the castle thanks to her tutelage under Celestia and Shining Armor's squireship in the royal guard, and he met Cadence when she became Twilight's foal-sitter.  They started out as friends, though Twilight herself had no idea their relationship had grown so close after she'd become an adult and moved along into her own independence.  She'd gotten the story herself well after the fact, but found it sweet that the two had begun as friends and let their feelings for one another grow into something more.

- "I get it. I think. My folks just have their parents pick a mare or stallion from one of the high-up families, i figured Widget was just the person your family picked for you. Kind of like how Princess Cadence became your foal-sitter because her family chose your brother for her to get married to."

Starcrasher nodded in understanding, it was all starting to make sense now. Oh well, another mystery solved.

- "Right then, what should i try first?"

"Ah... that's not quite what I meant.  Cadence became my foal-sitter to watch over me, not to be a match for Shining Armor.  Our parents didn't have anything to do with that; it just happened on its own between the two of them." Twilight corrected quickly.  "Arranged couplings and marriages went out of style in Equestria ages ago.  It used to be a matter of marrying into wealth or strengthening family bonds, but that's changed in the modern era.  Well... here, at least.  It's still pretty common in places like Chineigh.

As for Widget?  Well... he actually asked me out first.  I didn't realize his intentions and I spazzed out a little since I didn't think I was ready to start dating." she shrugged and still felt rather silly at the memory of her bad reaction.  "We'd been friends for so long already, and he is very charming... but our families didn't have anything to do with it.  I only just mailed home to tell them I've started seeing anypony in the first place.  I'm expecting a letter from Shining Armor demanding to put Widget through interrogation any day now." she was only half-joking on that point.  Part of her actually worried Shining Armor would send guards...

By then, the two had arrived at Twilight's training grounds.  She had her private clearing deep in the woods that she'd first shown Widget, though Starcrasher as well since it made the perfect place to practice her magic.  Like the Everfree Forest, the ambient magical energies were more potent there, but they didn't have the side-effect of making control any more difficult.  Starcrasher wasn't powerful enough to come close to depleting the leylines of magic and the extra atmosphere allowed Twilight to more accurately sense her pupil's fluctuating control.  All in all, the ideal spot for a Unicorn with difficulty manifesting magic to work in.

"Okay, let's get back on task." she chimed in as well.  A magical battery was hovered out of her saddle bag and set on the ground between the two of them.  It was a simple enough device -- merely a molded cylinder that contained a glowing crystal full of magical energy.  A little meter bar on the side showed that it was full to capacity.  "Let's start with some threshold testing this time.  I want you to try and lift the battery, but do so very gradually.  I want to see if we can determine a specific point of exertion at which your magic-negation kicks in."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:03, Mon 10 Sept 2012.

Starcrasher nodded again. Well... It made sense, in a way, for Twilight and Widget to pick their own dates given that none of their relatives lived in Ponyville, but what Twilight had said about her brother coming over for an interrogating session added up to what she suspected. He still had to pass according to the standards of her family after all.

Instead of continuing on that topic, she focused on the battery, as instructed gradually increasing the power she put into the spell to lift it off the ground. The magic swirled around the battery, close to touching it... but the moment the spell actually touched the battery its indicator started to empty rapidly, much like a bucket of water with a hole punched into the bottom. Noticing the movement she quickly stopped her spell, and the instant she did the meter stopped as well, hovering around the quarter full point.

She looked at Twilight as if to ask 'Okay, what now', though she didn't actually say anything.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:15, Mon 10 Sept 2012.

Twilight's horn glowed as she focused on the battery and recharged it, bringing the meter back to full strength.  "Again."  she intoned with a nod.  And again, and again.  Each time Starcrasher would drain the battery, Twilight would refill it and ask her to give it another shot.  The point wasn't to try and lift the device -- it was that they could both get a better feel for how Starcrasher's magic formed when she tried to cast spells.  Since Starcrasher went around not using magic given the side-effects, it meant she wouldn't have as solid a feel for knowing her own strengths or limitations in casting as more practiced Unicorns would.  So for the first part of the lesson, they just focused on getting her into a steady control.

"Alright, now I want you to focus your magic until just before the drain starts.  Hold it there and don't push any further, okay?" she instructed.

Starcrasher nodded, and again the magic started swirling from around her horn up close to the battery. The problem however was that the meter would drain the moment the magic even as much as brushed against it. While in the past week she had attained a modicum of control in that her magic no longer scattered all over the place -- as in, Twilight did not believe more power equaled better results -- the side effects remained as persistent as ever.

"Well, the good news is that you're not destroying the magical energy.  Just dispersing it." Twilight explained as she stepped up beside Starcrasher.  It was a world of difference in the details, but at a glance anyone would mistake one for the other.  Had she been destroying magic, then the battery would be impossible to recharge once she'd drained away its strength.  Instead her magic was just causing the energy stored in the battery, or in other spells, to get scattered away into the atmosphere rather than do its job.

Twilight lit her horn once more and channeled her magic gently into Starcrasher's spell.  At first there was no use as her contributed energy was dispersed away instantly, but she gradually increased the potency until she matched the strength that her pupil was putting out and stabilized the spell.  The two Unicorns were casting in equilibrium -- Twilight was more than strong enough to be able to pour in energy just as swiftly as Starcrasher's dispersed it, keeping the spell from collapsing away.

"Let's do it together now.  Slowly increase your focus and try to lift the battery.  I'll keep it stable for you." she instructed, ready to increase her own energy to match the filly's.

With Twilight's assistance, Starcrasher gently moved her magic towards the battery. Much as she expected, upon its touch the meter began to waver and drop slightly, but stabilized a short while afterward as Twilight's magic acted as a dam to prevent the magical energies from being dispersed. With the air around the battery charged to saturation, the meter did not drop further.

Another thing that would be clear to Twilight was that if the intention had been to disperse magic, her pupil's casting actually did a pretty good job. Rather than forcibly pull magic apart, or provide a counter to it, it instead ate away at the very framework of spells. In a way, it could be compared to breaking down a house by removing its supports. The brick and mortar would remain unaffected, but the building would collapse anyway.

Starcrasher however was not in a position to realize this due to the more subtle details being lost to her. What she did notice however was the battery starting to wobble as it was starting to fight the hold gravity had on it. As she put more effort into lifting it, the battery wobbled more violently, balanced on the edge and... fell over, rolling some distance away.

- "Sorry, i'll get it."

She headed off in the direction the battery had bounced off to, though fortunately that wasn't very far away. Picking it up with her hoof and kicking it to land on her back, she started heading back to Twilight again... which was honestly only a few steps away from where she had gone to search for the battery. Not like they were practicing on top of a hill or anything.

Years of research and careful study had given Twilight a knack for understanding magic that complimented her own innate skill.  She knew spellcraft inside and out, so it wasn't difficult for her to analyze the behavior of Starcrasher's own magic while she funneled her energy in assistance.  She stopped helping once the battery rolled away though and instead watched her student with an idle grin on her face.

"Starcrasher... you realize what you just did, right?" she asked as the filly returned with the full battery in tow.

- "I know, right?"

Starcrasher beamed a grin she doubted she could get off her face for at least an hour. She'd done it, she successfully cast magic! Oh sure, Twilight had needed to compensate for her own magic by quite a bit, and she didn't doubt the combined power that had gone into what she had just done would have been enough to lift a cart full of apples, but that didn't matter. She lifted a battery!

"It's progress.  Still... out of curiosity, have you ever tried to purposefully break a spell?  Like by casting a disenchantment?" Twilight asked as she set the battery back down in its place to double check its charge.  Yep~!  No energy drained!

Starcrasher chuckled for a moment at the question.

- "Heh, sorry. I seem to have that pretty well covered... But to answer your question, no. Same result, everything i try dissipates, kind of like back when my horn dragged me off somewhere."

"It might be worthwhile to try.  Given the nature of your--" Twilight began, thouhg she cut herself short when what Starcrasher said clicked with her.  "Wait a second.  Your horn did what?"

- "Eh... According to the teacher, it's like when you're ready for your Cutie Mark and your magic goes kinda wild to take you someplace?"

She waited a couple of seconds for a reaction, then started drawing circles in the ground with her hoof.

- "Anyway, mine took me to an area that was pretty rich in magic, rocks floating and everything, so i figured my Cutie Mark had to do with that. I was having trouble back then as well, and figured that if i'd get my Mark my magic would sort itself out and i could start casting..."

She took a deep breath, not really wanting to drag up the memory, but she was too far in to stop now.

- "So i did a levitation spell by the book and... well, everything just up and collapsed. Kinda scared me, didn't come out of my room for a week. And of course, no magical power Cutie Mark like yours."
This message was last edited by the player at 02:08, Tue 11 Sept 2012.

"Honestly, a Unicorn's horn physically dragging them somewhere is actually an absurdly rare occurrence.  I've only heard of it happening to maybe five Ponies in the past thirty years, and only once in a manner that resulted in gaining a Cutie Mark." Twilight explained.  She wasn't incredulous over Starcrasher's claim, but more shocked that her teachers hadn't mentioned it in their letters.  Had she ever told anypony before now?

The story Starcrasher told about accidentally destroying a magic well did raise a point of interest though.  She must have found a stable but cut-off resource of magical energy, no doubt stored in the rocks.  Natural wells like the one Twilight had built her clearing on were sustained by global leylines, so even if something heavily drained or dispersed the magic native there, it would just restore itself over time.  But either way, scattering that much raw magic at once was no easy feat.  It got Twilight pondering on the spot as she tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"Hm... interesting.  Back when you were in the fog in the Everfree Forest; you could cast your magic successfully there, right?" she wanted to confirm a point from a previous discussion about Starcrasher's misadventures in the castle ruins.

Starcrasher gave a quick nod at recalling her adventures in the forest.

- "Yeah. It felt... kind of like how my magic felt. Natra was having trouble with her magic and i think probably the poacher as well, but with me there was a delay, a moment where my magic worked. Then after a second or so i guess you could say it violently exploded. Levitation spells clearing out the fog, simple light spells becoming blinding flashes of light, that sort of thing. I... didn't really try any of the stronger stuff."

She blinked, looking at Twilight. In the time that she had known her she hadn't been likely to ask the same question more than once, and the times she did she often had a good reason for it. So what was on her mind?

- "Why'd you ask?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:22, Tue 11 Sept 2012.

"That entire area is essentially a giant arcane singularity.  It's been the epicenter of some major magical events in Equestrian history and the Elements of Harmony were activated there three times to date." Twilight explained.  She'd gone into that area for study quite a few times herself given the peculiar traits of the region.  It was odd even for the Everfree Forest.  "Because of that, spells don't quit behave as normal -- they get supercharged with excess energy to the point that Unicorns lose control of their spells unless they can compensate for the difference.  When I was there, I cast a minor charging spell and the backlash tossed me across a room."

The lavender Pony ambled over to the battery and tapped it demonstratively with her hoof.  "When you moved the battery just now, it was because I was stabilizing your spell by adding in excess energy for the dispersion effect to eat up.  When you were in the castle ruins, the atmosphere was essentially doing that as well.  It flooded your spell with more magic than necessary, so first it prevented the anti-magic effect from kicking in, then overcharged the actual spell which caused them to explode."

At that point Twilight was in full-on scholar mode as she paced back and forth behind the battery, her focused on some distant point in the air while she mused aloud.  She had theories buzzing around in her head that needed testing, though she felt she was already onto something of a breakthrough given where the current information was pointing.  "Starcrasher -- I'd like to teach you a disenchantment spell.  They're not easy to learn, but I think it might be a good idea for you to try."

- "Disenchantment? Uhh... Sure, if you say so..."

While Starcrasher could follow the conversation -- mostly due to Twilight explaining it was sort of like how she helped her stabilize her spell earlier -- she gave her teacher a questionable look as she proposed casting a disenchantment spell. That was definitely among the more advanced of classes, and while that would fit into Twilight's teachings, she had her doubts. Not that it would do her any good though, it hadn't seemed to stop Twilight before.

- "Okay, so... Show me."

She took a deep breath, waiting for Twilight to show her how to cast the spell.

"It's not quite as simple as that.  There's different forms of disenchantment, after all.  They have the same final result -- that the magic is dispersed -- but to different effects.  Have a seat." Twilight gestured for Starcrasher to rest in the grass, which meant that she was about to launch into a lengthy lecture... again.

With a quick conjuring of a chalk board that floated in the air behind her, Twilight went on to explain the structure behind magical spells.  There was innate magic in the world that occurred naturally, but when it came to Unicorn spells, they took their own energy (or borrowed it from other sources) and shaped it into a tangible effect on the world around them.  As she lectured, Twilight illustrated on the board, representing a constructed spell as a snowflake-like lattice.  Even the same spell cast by the same Pony was different each time it occurred, and the differences became even more prominent when cast by other Ponies, or using different sources of energy.

But in all that, there was a constant -- the structure always had a core point of focus in it.  The spell would manifest as a point of energy and spread outward, taking shape and thus having an impact on the world.  So long as the spell had sufficient energy to endure, it would do so.  Disenchanting was the process of removing the spell's connection to the energy, be it severing the link to the Unicorn casting it or undoing its own stored energy.

"When it comes down to it, there's really only two ways a spell can be broken.  That's not counting suppressing the spell either -- in that case, the magic is still there but it's just being temporarily stifled.  Actual disenchantment completely removes a spell." Twilight explained.  "There's Deactivation, which is the most common method, and Nullification, which is a far more rare practice.  The difference being is that Deactivation is a precise, comparably surgical action while Nullification is brute force.  They're both effective, but not everypony has the sheer stopping power necessary for Nullification.  What you were doing to the battery earlier was Deactivation.  Compare:"

With that, Twilight pointed her horn at the nearby battery.  The tip of her horn flashed with a sudden bolt of purple light that struck the device like a crackle of lightning, knocking it to the grass and leaving it spinning on its edge.  As it settled, not only was the meter at absolute zero, but the magical crystal contained inside the battery casing had turned a cold gray color.  Twilight once more lit up as she did when she'd recharged the battery before, but this time it remained a dead cell -- its capacity for magic had been totally destroyed.

"A long time back, I made the mistake of casting a mind-compelling enchantment on a doll of mine that affected a lot of Ponies.  I couldn't Deactivate the spell because I couldn't get a clear shot at the doll, but in the end the spell was Nullified by some... ah... divine intervention." the Unicorn rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly at the memory of that particular event.  "Neither form is innately good or bad, nor superior to the other.  It just depends on what your individual need is, and what your own abilities are capable of supplying.  Being able to do both is ideal.  Are you following me so far?"

- "...So what you're saying is, my magic actually doesn't not work, it just kind of ends up deactivating itself?"

Starcrasher looked at Twilight while sitting on the grass, trying to see the point that her teacher was trying to get at. She had a couple of thoughts on what she could have meant however, but which was the right one would revolve around the answer she would get to her question.
This message was last edited by the player at 17:51, Wed 12 Sept 2012.

"Not quite.  The majority of Unicorn spells are learned, but a lot of the times we have innate magic related to our Special Talent.  My friend Rarity, for instance, has a spell that can detect gemstones hidden in the earth.  Nopony ever taught her that spell -- it's a natural ability.  When it first activated in her childhood, it dragged her off just like yours did." Twilight continued as she dismissed the chalkboard away in a puff of sparkles and smoke.  "Telekinesis is an ability all Unicorns have as well, but it does take practice to learn how to control it properly.  If one doesn't practice it, they never get any better.  There are other cases where some Unicorns never master any spells at all... like you."

Twilight joined Starcrasher on the grass and tucked her legs beneath herself comfortably.  She drew her bag over and hovered out one of her many books from within -- a spellbook, as the case was.  She had all sorts of writings from basic spellcraft to the advanced, experimental stuff, and based on the weathered cover it was apparent that the tome she had there was one of the more advanced pieces.  Twilight flipped through the pages to a later portion of the book which featured an illustration of a black-coated Unicorn with a gnarled horn and a shattered star for a Cutie Mark.

"Remember when I told you about Twist Horn the Accursed?  It took her a long time to find a place for herself in society because of the stigma against her -- she was a spell breaker.  Her Special Talent was being able to destroy magic." she continued at further length as she flipped along deeper into the old book.  "She eventually became a physician because her ability allowed her to lift magical ailments and dark spells; her first documented case was when she saved a group of local children who had been hypnotized by Will-o-Wisps and kept them from being kidnapped.  Later in life, she contributed a great deal to the field of magical theory -- she had a more intimate understanding of how magic worked because she was able to undo it better than anyone else, and her writings held true for hundreds of years before they were ever expanded on with new findings."

Twilight knew she was getting long-winded at that point and hoped to spare Starcrasher's attention span by getting to the point.  She turned the book around and pushed it back to her pupil to show a page detailing Twist Horn's essays and demonstrative instructions on Disenchantment.  The spell it listed was rather complex, but frankly didn't look like anything more difficult than Twilight had already been throwing at her in lessons so far.  Learning from a Pony like her did wonders to raise one's threshold for what 'difficult' meant in study.  "I agree with your own theory.  That could be why all other spells you attempt fizzle out.  What I'm getting at here is this: I think you've been unwittingly casting Disenchantment spells this whole time.  It's entirely plausible that you're a natural spell breaker, like Twist Horn was."
This message was last edited by the player at 18:43, Wed 12 Sept 2012.

Starcrasher lowered her head and her ears drooped a little when Twilight mentioned some unicorns never learned to properly cast magic. That was, until Twilight -- most likely sensing her mood -- walked up beside her to show her what she had learned of Twist Horn the Accursed. She looked at the black coated unicorn, but the lines of ancestry were too vague to see anything of herself in the picture. Still, it did cheer her up a little to know that even with that weird side effect, there was something she could be good at. She perked up even more hearing she'd actually have been casting spells all along.

- "Wait, really? I can... I mean, i'm already casting spells? That's great, that's... Wait, so how do i turn it off?"

Her initial enthusiasm was tempered a little with the realization that while it was good to hear she could cast spells, she still wouldn't be getting anywhere if they just kept dissipating all the time. Though it did make her feel kind of tingly inside to hear that every time she had tried to cast a spell she had unwittingly been casting two. At least, she thought she had been.

She started reading the essay and the first of the demonstrations written in the book. It looked pretty difficult, but she couldn't care about that: It could have been the ancient spell to regulate the speed of the Sun and Moon and she'd still have given it her best shot if it could make her able to cast magic.

"Control comes with practice.  Assuming the theory holds water, then you need to understand the principles of disenchantment so that you can know what not to do.  If you've been casting disenchantments innately this whole time, then it's your default method of projecting magical energy -- you can't be expected to just turn off what's essentially a reflex without understanding how it functions first."  She explained as she gestured to a particularly relevant paragraph amid the texts.  "When I first learned how to dispel magic, I did so by not only studying previous examples of disenchantment, but spell structure as well.  You've done plenty of structure studies already, so now we should focus on the flip side and get you familiar with deconstruction."

Starcrasher stopped reading for a moment to move to the paragraph Twilight had indicated, before continuing where she had left off. She was still paying enough attention to follow the conversation however.

- "That sounds kind of weird, knowing the spell but not the theory. It's like... the other way around, trying to figure out what you've been doing."

She really didn't know how to handle the situation, just going with Twilight's directions and hoping that at some point it would all start making sense. She felt as if she had heard enough new information to cram the few leftover spaces in her brain full, it was a surprise Twilight's head hadn't exploded yet for knowing about all of this.

- "Okay so... If this is my normal way of casting magic, how do i notice what's supposed to be there and what isn't? Can you disenchant a disenchantment spell?"

"Actually, yes.  It's called a 'counter spell'." Twilight re-conjured her chalk board, but in a miniature version that she could set between them and illustrate with as she spoke.  Again, she used a snowflake as an example.

"When magic is cast, it starts as a single focal point.  Usually the tip of the horn in the physical world.  In the intangible side of things, it's a point of energy that the Unicorn channels their magic through.  The spell builds outward from that point into a structured form and, when it reaches its finishing point, enacts an effect on the physical world." she explained as she drew first a dot with a bit of chalk, then illustrated it branching outward into a simple snowflake design to symbolize the structure of a spell as it was being cast.

"Disenchantment works either by completely overwhelming the spell's energy and destroying the structure, or by carefully disengaging a single part between the source of energy and the spell itself that causes the whole thing to collapse in on itself.  You've been doing the latter." Twilight continued.  "But like all developed magic, Disenchanting is a spell in and of itself.  It has a form, pattern, and structure to it like any other.

"A counter-spell is the application of raw magical energy to a spell that's currently being cast.  Control is very important when doing magic -- too much energy and it burns out.  Not enough and it just fizzles out.  Apply it in the wrong way and the spell spirals out of control, usually resulting in an unintended effect or just imploding in on itself due to instability." she illustrated further by actually casting magic overhead.  Twilight just shot a few sparks into the air from her horn -- first with too much energy, which made them burn hot and crackle away instantly.  Second with not enough, which made only pitiful little pops of light over her head.  Third she focused her efforts purposefully incorrect, which made what should have been sparks peter around like worms in the air before they vaporized themselves.  "What I was doing before, by stabilizing your spell for you?  That was essentially a counter-spell, if a very rudimentary form of the practice -- I was countering the disenchantment, which allowed you to use telekinesis unhindered.  With practice one can layer their own spell use to cast more than one at a time without much difficulty at all.  You see it most commonly when Unicorns lift two different objects with telekinesis independent of one another.  Presumably you should be able to learn how to stabilize your own spells and, from there, figure out how to stop casting Disenchantments by default."

Of course, that was a whole lot of energy and discussion on a single key point: "Assuming the theory holds true, that is."

Starcrasher paid attention to everything Twilight had been saying before turning back to reread one of the demonstration paragraphs again.

- "Okay, i think i have a good chance of pulling this example off, one-b. So umm.. What should i cast it on?"

She believed it was likely Twilight would simply conjure up or cast something with too much power for her to accidentally dispel which she would proceed to try and dispel so Twilight could get an impression of how good she could dispel. Or something. Either way, she waited with more patience than she had believed herself possible to.

Twilight took up the ruined battery and set it on its end once more, focusing her magic upon it again.  Just because it couldn't hold a charge didn't mean it was immune to spells, after all.  The battery cell floated up into the air as it became encased in a semi-opaque purple bubble that hovered lazily overhead.  A simple force field would be a good test to work with -- it was strong, stable, and very basic in its structural concept.  More potent force fields like the ones her big brother or Merriweather conjured were far more difficult to figure out though.

"We'll start with this.  Once we flex your magical muscles a bit we'll see if we need to move on to counter-spelling."  Twilight said as she gestured to the floating battery.  "I put more power into this field than you should be able to dispel normally, but using the actual proper spell should do the trick."

- "Okay, so umm..."

Glancing in the book a couple of times, Starcrasher had to make a couple of attempts before she got the actual casting sequence right. It still wasn't much of a spell of course, as this was the first time she was actually trying to cast a spell of that nature some trial and error on a practical basis was to be expected. After a couple of minutes however, she had gained enough confidence in her ability to get the sequence right that she started putting some power into the spell.

It started to form, and she knew from experience that it wouldn't take long to destabilize if it were anything like the regular spells she had been trying to cast. What did surprise her however was that all of a sudden it seemed to grow in power. Perhaps the best way to describe it was a bubble absorbing another to form a bigger bubble. Nevertheless, she was surprised enough that it broke her concentration, making the spell fade, but she was sure Twilight had noticed it as well.

- "Sorry, wasn't really expecting that."

Another look at the paragraph, another casting of the spell, got the sequence right on the second try this time... And much to her surprise, the spell was stable. It was wavering, and she doubted it would have any kind of power, but it didn't seem to scatter like the others did. Almost hesitantly, she had it approach Twilight's force field, but control slipped from her before she could reach it.

- "Third time's the charm i guess..."

The spell formed for a third time, this time much closer to the force field. Slowly, trying not to lose control of the unstable spell, she had it move against Twilight's spell, trying to see what would happen once the two spells touched one another.

As Starcrasher's spell came in contact with the force field, it would smoothly spread across the surface and slightly shift the hue as the colors layered over one another.  Her spell encased the field and, through it, Starcrasher would experience something similar to what she'd felt in the Everfree Forest.  When she'd tried casting magic there, she could feel the spell writhing in her control like it was a living thing trying to break free.  Similarly, she'd find herself able to sense the feel of the force field itself.

"Alright, good so far.  Take your time -- so long as you keep feeding energy to the disenchantment it should stay steady." Twilight coached.  "Feel your way through the spell.  Force Fields are stable magic; they're uniform and rigid.  The shape matters too -- this one is round, so its strongest point is at the origin where the magical energy first manifested.  The weakest point is the spot furthest away from the origin."

The force field had formed from the top down and, by focusing her concentration around the surface, Starcrasher could feel a distinct difference in the magical resonance between those two points.  It was strong all around, but the lower curve of the bubble was notably weaker than the top.  "Disenchantment works by finding the weak link in a spell and severing it.  Sap its energy away and disperse it outward, overpower it and break the spell, destabilize it and cause the whole thing to collapse... or in some cases, you can even channel its power to your own needs and absorb the energy like a sponge."

The spell wavered a little more as Starcrasher felt magical energies she had never experienced up until now. It was the relative novelty of it all that made it hard for her to focus on much aside from feeding magic into her spell. She started trying to feel her way through the spell, noticing the difference between the top and the bottom of the field and trying to find if there were places along its surface that she could try and slip her spell into. Not finding anything though, she continued her search.

She carefully applied a little pressure by feeding more into one side of the spell than into another, allowing her to in some way knead the force field to check how much force she could apply to it before it would break and in doing so find out how much would be expected of her.

Eventually, she felt confident enough to start trying. She focused some magic power into the disenchantment spell again, only this time tried to focus it into one spot at the bottom of the force field, where the spell was thinnest. The only real thing she could think of was the idea of popping a balloon with a needle, so if she'd manage to breach the field her spell could sneak inside and dispel it. She hoped, anyway.

A lot of magic was founded in visualization.  The more imaginative and creative a spellcaster was, the greater variety they could manage with their spells.  It was also a limitation in some cases.  Any Unicorn could lift something with their Telekinesis, but could never hope to use it to levitate themselves; they often visualized their magic as reaching out from their horn and lifting the target, so common sense told them they couldn't possibly lift themselves in the same manner.  Twilight idly smiled at the memory of Pumpkin Cake, who'd yet to have the general concept of physics impressed upon her, flying around with Telekinesis without issue.  It was also similar to how malleable Merriweather was with her force fields, being able to manipulate them into useful shapes rather than just being limited to bubbles and walls like most Unicorns.  To that end, Starcrasher's mental image of a needle to a balloon was just right for her effort.

Force fields were self-sufficient structures, but only so long as they remained unbreached.  The introduction of a foreign element into the structure destabilized the whole thing, be it extra energy or a good, hard whack powerful enough to overwhelm its structural integrity.  As the Unicorn pushed at the weak point she could feel the bubble deforming under the effort and, with a steady increase of magic, finally pierced through.  In the blink of an eye the force field collapsed from the bottom up, splintering away into particles of dispersing energy while the battery cell dropped down to the ground.  Further, Starcrasher's spell vanished along with the bursting bubble -- its energy was eaten up by the collapsing spell form and ended both simultaneously rather than the usual nature of her magic continuing until she stopped applying it.

"That's the way~!"  Twilight chirped approvingly as she wheeled her forelegs in delight.  "How did that feel, Starcrasher?  Did you learn anything?"
This message was last edited by the player at 00:39, Fri 14 Sept 2012.

Starcrasher gave a start when the force field disappeared all of a sudden, much like a real bubble would have when pierced by a needle. It actually took her a moment to realize that there had been no anti-magic shockwave, no destabilization of magic in an area around her own. It looked... pretty much like it was supposed to, actually.

- "Yeah, that... i can cast magic. I can cast magic! Woo!"

She wheeled her forelegs along with Twilight, happy that she finally had something her magic was good for. She wasn't there yet of course, not by a long shot, but now that they had figured out what the cause of the problem was she could finally start working to a solution. She'd become the bestest Mage in Equestria!

Though there was still a second part to the question she had yet to answer, her mind was going into Sugar Rush Overdrive as she hopped through the field, squeeing about having finally succeeded to cast magic.

As eager as Twilight was to get back to work and keep the progress rolling, she didn't dare interrupt Starcrasher's celebration of her accomplishment.  She recalled how she felt in her own first scholarly achievements and let her student savor the warmth of success as her efforts paid off.  Of course, the Unicorn herself wasn't unmoved by the situation either.  She'd never really been a teacher before... not in any official sense... and it set a deep satisfaction in her soul to see someone she coached succeed.  It made it a lot easier to understand what drove Cheerilee on every day.

Frankly... I could get used to this.  Twilight mused internally.  She'd mentioned before to Widget about perhaps going into teaching for a career.  Maybe it wasn't so crazy an idea after all?

Having burnt some energy on hopping around, Starcrasher walked up to Twilight again, still sporting a huge grin. It felt absolutely wonderful to finally be able to do what she had been trying to do for decades... Well, maybe not actual decades, but it felt like years anyway. It had been a problem back when she joined the Magic Academy, and had become nigh impossible to overcome after the incident with her horn. Oh, which reminded her.

- "Okay, so now what? How do i err... cast normal stuff?"

"Well, first of all, you need to think of it in a more positive light.  What you've been doing so far wasn't abnormal or wrong; just a bit misunderstood.  Being able to dispel magic is potentially a wonderful talent and has all sorts of beneficial uses." Twilight noted as she hovered the battery cell over again between them.  She flexed her magic once more and encased it in another round force field.

"But other spells will come later.  For now, you need to focus on practicing what you've already learned.  Once you're comfortable with it we can move on to different force field shapes, and then we can start brushing you up on some basic spells.  Telekinesis first, naturally." she said as she floated the bubble on over for Starcrasher to work on.  She'd supply a force field again and again, keeping the filly working at it until she either had figured out her knack for it or simply ran out of energy to keep going without a break first.  Practice made perfect, after all.

Starcrasher started working on the disenchantment spells, still a little erratic and imperfect due to just having learned them a moment ago. Judging by the amount of time she was able to keep this up she showed a great deal of magical fortitude, likely unintentionally trained due to her tendency to simply feed more power into her failing spells. She disenchanted the force field a couple of times, even attempted variations such as forming the disenchantment spell as a needle and throwing it directly at the force field like a dart, though that hadn't been very successful as Twilight was smart enough to keep moving around the weak spot.

She got so carried away with trying to figure out alternate versions that she had failed to keep paying attention to figuring out her knack. Going by the amount of improvisations she was quite skilled, but even though she felt she was enjoying this far too much the very notion of her actually casting spells on her own made her feel too giddy and excited to stop before she ran out of power.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:48, Fri 14 Sept 2012.

While they may have had the goal of studying, the morning ended up full of more playfulness than anything else.  Twilight was content to let Starcrasher take her time and enjoy herself in her practices.  It was important that she have confidence in what she was doing and explore her abilities rather than just run the same drill over and over until she knew it by heart.  That could wait until later.

"Alright, let's take a little break." she said after a good long series of practices with disenchantment.  She didn't want Starcrasher to completely wind down and, even with all the power Twilight herself toted, she needed to take a breather every now and then as well.  She left the most recent force field bubble still floating about lazily overhead while she retrieved a couple of juice bottles from her bag for them to cool down with.  "How're you liking this so far?  Having fun?"

- "Yup, definitely! I feel like i could keep this up all day!"

While true in that Starcrasher felt that she could do it since the spell was relatively small compared to the constant string of empowered light and levitation spells she had been casting in the woods, she was aware that if Twilight actually took her up on that it'd be a toss up on whether she'd be able to last halfway into the afternoon. But, the euphoria she felt drowned out the feeling that she was getting more tired that she would have wanted to admit.

- "So, you really think i'm as good at disenchanting stuff as Twist Horn?"

As she worked on unscrewing the tap from one of the juice bottles, she waited for the answer. There was no sign that she felt let down for having the same ability as a unicorn with the title of 'The Accursed', if anything she felt excited over being compared to a pony important enough to be written about in a book.

"I think you could become so, yes.  You've got a lot of innate talent, Starcrasher.  It's just a shame that you didn't get a chance to explore it while you were at the Academy."  Twilight sighed with a shake of her head.  She'd have to write a lengthy report to the board of education about this... it was absolutely shameful that they'd dismiss Starcrasher out of hoof.  Was Twilight really the only Pony who cared about obscure Unicorn history?!

"Twist Horn is actually a very good role model to have.  She overcame a lot of adversity in her lifetime and is a great example of a self-made Pony." the Unicorn explained as she hovered the book on over to idly flip through it.  "Plus her contributions to the study of magic have been invaluable.  We wouldn't understand magical structures as well as we do today if not for her, and these disenchantment spells you've been reading are the ones she created herself.  The fact of the matter is that nopony is without talent or use -- it may take them a while to find what their purpose is, but we all belong somewhere.  Just like with spell breaking: you need to attack the problem from different angles until you find the one that works."
This message was last edited by the player at 14:39, Mon 17 Sept 2012.

- "Well, it... wasn't as much them not wanting to teach me magic, but i kept disturbing magic lessons up to several classrooms away. So they told me to practice, just way out here."

Starcrasher wasn't quite sure, but interpreted the shake of Twilight's head as something she had done. For all she knew Twilight was a part of the Academy as well and given her expertise at teaching, it wouldn't have been very surprising to find out. Come to think of it, she never actually said she was, had she?

- "Uhh, Twilight? You're working at the Academy too, right? I mean, why else would they send me over here without someone to oversee my lessons? Heh, and besides, you talk just like some of my teachers."

Twilight was actually a bit flattered that she apparently sounded so much like a teacher already.  Perhaps she had found her calling?  A scholastic life did seem to be the best thing for her...

"Actually, I'm a career student myself.  I'm on assignment from Princess Celestia to study the magic of Friendship, though I also have my own fields of study on the side as well.  Being the Librarian for the Ponyville Library is practically a hobby." she explained with a shrug.  It really had just been chance that she ended up being Starcrasher's mentor.  It had have happened on its own eventually, but circumstances had been in the filly's favor that she met Quill, who linked her to Widget, who only just happened to know Twilight directly.

Starcrasher chuckled at the reply as the pieces started falling together.

- "Oh, i think i understand now. If my teachers at the Magic Academy conveniently decided to send me to study at the same place the Academy's patron stationed a career student on a special assignment, you can bet they'd have anticipated our meeting. All of them would have."

The chuckle became a laugh, the laugh almost uncontrollable as she gasped for air in between her laughter. After a couple of minutes, she calmed down again, though she was still sporting a wide grin for having figured it out. She took a deep breath.

- "So, how's your actual assignment coming along?"

Twilight wasn't quite sure of the motives of the teachers at the Academy, but it was good fortune that the two of them met regardless.  She'd have to ask about that later though.  In the meantime she indulged in quiet laughter along with Starcrasher over the idea of their whole meeting being orchestrated.  It wasn't that strange an idea, to be honest... Princess Celestia certainly had a knack for her gambits, after all.  Why would the school board be any different?

"So far so good.  'Friendship' is a pretty broad topic though, and I'm always finding new outlets and experiences through it.  I don't think I'm ever going to really understand it wholly... and that's a good thing as far as I'm concerned."  Twilight smiled fondly as she thought back on everything she and her friends had been through.  Even now she was learning new things as she developed different relationships with others.  "I've been expanding my research a bit as of late.  Dating Widget, for instance.  Ah... that's not to say our relationship is just for study -- I do genuinely like him." she quickly added on that disclaimer rather than let Starcrasher get the wrong idea about her sincerity toward Widget.  "Teaching you as well.  The sort of friendship I have with you is a lot different than my other friends, and it's not something I've experienced.  I've never been a mentor before."
This message was last edited by the player at 21:10, Mon 17 Sept 2012.

Starcrasher looked surprised by the admission, and she rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof as she thought on the nature of the relationship between Spike and Twilight.

- "Well umm... Don't you have Spike? You're raising him. I mean, it isn't magic, but you're still teaching him stuff, right?"

As far as she could tell, apprenticeships were also a way of mentoring, and assistants were almost kind of apprentices too since they were usually learning by helping. Spike couldn't cast magic -- at least, she thought dragons couldn't cast magic -- but with her researching Friendship there was bound to be something for Spike to pick up on.

"Well, yes, but it's not quite the same.  Relationships have all sorts of shades to them.  I suppose even if I tutored somepony else it wouldn't be the same as with you.  Besides, the relationship Spike and I have is... ah... complex." Twilight shrugged.  She wasn't quite sure how to describe it.  Spike had been initially raised by Princess Celestia, but Twilight was the one who hatched him.  And now she lived with him and raised him through his youth, and was also his employer... she really didn't know how to classify their relationship.  Mother?  Sibling?  Partner?  "If nothing else, Spike is very precious to me.  That's the best I can describe it."

- "Y'know, the last time a fellow student told me their relationship with somepony was complex, one of the teachers got fired for dating her."

She tilted her head a little as she tried to gauge Twilight's reaction. This romance thing was still quite new to her with all the time she had spent practicing her failing spells, but she didn't seem like the type to date a teacher. Unless Widget was her teacher as well... No, wait, that wouldn't make sense. Would it?

- "...Is Widget a teacher?"

Twilight's reaction was to choke and spit her juice out all over the grass.  Whether it was over the scandal of a teacher and student relationship or the possible insinuation that she and Spike had such a thing going on was anyone's guess.

"No!  Our relationship is not like that at all!" she protested hotly.  When Starcrasher continued with the next question, Twilight had to wonder where her train of thought was taking her.  "Widget?  No, he's not a teacher... at least, not that I know of.  He's an inventor."

- "Well, you called your relationship with Spike 'complex' and Spike isn't a teacher, so i asked if Widget was one. I mean, you can't be dating Spike, right?"

She alternated her look between Twilight and the apple juice that had been sprayed over the grass. When she heard Widget wasn't actually a teacher, she sighed in relief.

- "Ah, that's good to hear. He's a good person, wouldn't want to see him get fired, y'know?"

Twilight ran a hoof over her forehead and mane to try and regain some of her composure.  It seemed as though Starcrasher was confused...

"No, I'm not dating Spike." she confirmed just to be sure that statement was understood.  "Teachers can date, but it's unprofessional for a teacher to be dating one of their students, just the same way it would be for a doctor to date one of their patients, or an employer to date one of their employees.  That lapse in personal conduct was why that instructor got fired." Twilight explained, making the most likely assumption on the matter.

- "Ah, i see. So since Widget isn't an instructor it's fine for him to date a student like yourself, right? Man, and i thought magic could be hard to understand at times."

Starcrasher whistled, trying to straighten up what she had learned. Twilight was dating Widget, that she knew, and Widget was in no trouble at all for dating her. Then there was Spike, who Twilight didn't date because it would be unprofessional. So Spike would be... kinda like Owlowiscious, someone around to help out all the time. Coming to a realization, she groaned, burying her face in her hooves.

- "Ugh, i got so caught up in magic that i totally forgot about Widget and Quill... Your relationship with Spike is the same as theirs, right?"

"It would be fine for Widget and I to date even if he was a teacher, so long as he wasn't my teacher." Twilight explained.  She genuinely wondered how Starcrasher's thought progression flowed and was curious to try and chart it, but thought better of herself for it.  The last time she'd tried such a thing was with Pinkie Pie and that was a practice in futility.

When Starcrasher mentioned Quill, the Unicorn nodded in return.  "Professionally speaking, yes.  Spike is my assistant, just like Quill is Widget's."

Confident that she had the whole thing figured out now, Starcrasher stood up again, smiling as she looked around.

- "Okay, i rested, what's next on the list? You mentioned telekinesis, right?"

Twilight wasn't so certain that Starcrasher had everything quite figured out yet, but she figured there was no point in dwelling on the matter any further.  Later confusions and misunderstandings could be corrected if they came upon them.  In the meantime they did indeed still have practice to do.  It wasn't going to be much longer before lunch time and she wanted to get in all the work she could with her pupil before they had to part ways.

"Right.  Since you're still getting the hang of stabilizing your spells, we'll start with something small." she said as she plucked up the cap of her juice bottle and set it down on the grass between them.  Even the youngest of foals just coming into their magic ability could lift something that only weighed a few grams, so she had no worries about Starcrasher needing to focus on feeding too much energy into her spell.  Twilight produced another book from her saddlebags and began flipping through it for a particular entry.  "I know that telekinesis is innate, but I've got a book that dissects its functionality and explains how it works.  Would you like to take a look first to get a better idea of what you're aiming for?"

Starcrasher thought for a moment, then nodded.

- "Yeah, i probably should. The way i do it now a disenchantment keeps slipping in, so it's better if i treat it like a new spell."

She would then start to read the entry much like she had done with the disenchantment spell, trying not to think of it as something innate that she could already do, but move through the steps one component at a time, trying to memorize the correct order.

Telekinesis was literally the most basic spell in all of known magic.  It was so simple that most Unicorns figured out how to cast it just by focusing their energy without direction at a young age and literally muscling their way through it.  It was the purest form of magical expression: exert force to gain an effect.  Despite how simple the premise was, the entry regarding Telekinesis was actually surprisingly complex and in-depth.  The reason being that, while it was the simplest form of magic, it was also the most versatile and had seemingly limitless applications.  It was useful in literally every potential field of work, study, and even leisure.

"Most of the time with Telekinesis, young Unicorns learn just by envisioning a result.  The first thing I ever did with magic was turn the page of this very book." Twilight explained.  She'd been in Starcrasher's horseshoes many years ago, reading up on Telekinesis and giving it a shot.  "I thought 'I want the page to move' and focused as hard as I could, then it turned.  Over time I got better at lifting bigger things, or maneuvering them with more delicate accuracy."

Twilight had come a long way since those humble beginnings -- even just a few years prior she was displaying tremendous capacity in lifting a multi-ton Ursa Minor, harvesting hundreds of apples from their trees without plucking a single leaf by mistake, and even snaring portions of a collapsed dam as they were being washed away down river.  Simple spells always had the potential to have the greatest impact so long as their user had sufficient skill and power to utilize their full capacity.  The book described common forms of visualization with Telekinesis -- imagining a tether of energy rising from the horn and snaring an object, or forming some sort of utensil to manipulate it.  Some of the more advanced forms discussed envisioning multiple phantom limbs, or even an unseen servant flitting about at its master's bidding.  There didn't seem to be a wrong way of casting the spell and it was different for every Unicorn who did it.

Taking a couple of deep breaths, Starcrasher started to focus. Before her were the most basic ways to use telekinesis, and pretty much the first thing she needed to do was keep in mind how the disenchantment spell was formed, and try to steer clear of that happening. She decided to test it on something other than the book though, no use accidentally tearing a page out trying to get it under control. Filly steps.

Looking around, she picked a small pebble to start out with. Forming the technique was harder than it seemed, not because of its complexity but because her magic had a tendency to slip into disenchantment patterns almost on its own from several years of unintentional casting experience. Trying to break the habit was proving to be quite difficult.

Twilight was not an idle teacher.  As Starcrasher focused on her task her instructor was there to help her, supplying advice and information all the while.  Whenever it looked like her magic would shift the wrong way, Twilight would light her horn and gently give the developing spell a little nudge to push it back into order.  A guiding hoof was needed for such things but Twilight didn't do the work for her.  She just made sure to keep her student pointed in the right direction while she took her own steps toward progress.

It again took a couple of tries, but ultimately Starcrasher found she got the best results by emptying her mind and convincing herself that she was trying to cast an entirely new spell despite her body remembering the casting process. Nope, different spell entirely. She concentrated, aided along by Twilight's gentle nudges in the right direction, until eventually the pebble, unmoving as it had appeared to be, finally wobbled a couple of inches over the ground. It was still far from steady, but again, that would come in time. And the most important thing, nothing was actually unraveling itself and losing cohesion!

She looked at Twilight, mouth open to ask her if she was seeing this, which caused her concentration to waver, once again disenchanting her own spell to create a mini-blast of air around where the pebble had been held as magical force was no longer restrained. Realization cut off what she wanted to say, but she had managed to lift something without it dispelling! Yay!

"Good job~!  Now let's try it again." Twilight urged with a smile.  Telekinesis was the simplest form of magic and, once Starcrasher had an understanding of it, she'd surely be able to adopt it as second nature in no time at all.  It was important that she did so as well -- the sooner she got comfortable with a new spell form, the easier it would be for her to start learning other spells too.  There was no telling what sort of potential the filly had, after all.  It may very well have been that she was like most other Unicorns and could only cast one or two spells, or she may have had the talent to explore even greater varieties of magic like Twilight did.  Only time, and practice, would tell.

Armed with the strength to cast the spell -- and more importantly, the confidence brought with the knowledge that she had succeeded in casting it before -- Starcrasher redoubled her efforts at attempting to lift the pebble. The amount of magical power she was putting into it had increased as opposed to her earlier attempts, knowing what worked meant she could apply it on a larger scale than when she was still trying to find out if she did it right.

LNot long after, the pebble rose again, this time both higher and a lot less wobbly. She had decided to apply Twilight's circular force field shape around the pebble rather than make a telekinetic platform to carry it on, making it more stable and less exposed to the wind or the irregularity of her own still crude spell control. As the book had explained, telekinesis had many different applications.

"Alright, good.  That's much more stable than before." Twilight appraised Starcrasher's work with a critical eye.  "By nature, Telekinesis is tethered to a Unicorn's horn.  You can move it about by turning your head or walking so long as you keep the spell active."  she demonstrated as she hovered her bottle of juice up and tilted her head from side to side.  True enough, the object swayed with her in direct relation to the position of her horn.

"You can maneuver an object at will, but it's good to be able to know where you can conserve your energy.  There's no reason to hover something around by application of force when you can just tilt your head and get the same effect." she continued, showing what she meant as she kept her head still and used her magic to make the bottle drift about instead.  "But at the same time, there are uses to maneuvering entirely with magic.  You'll always be aware of something you're holding in a spell even if you can't see it at the moment, which is really useful in a lot of different tasks." the bottle floated around behind her head out of sight and was joined by its cap, which screwed itself in place on its neck to seal it.  "It's generally not a good idea to try and grab something blind though.  It can safely leave your line of sight if you already have a hold on it, but grabbing something you can't see in the first place is tricky and can even be dangerous."

Starcrasher nodded in understanding, which resulted in a pebble getting bashed repeatedly into the ground. Surprised to hear a sound she turned in its direction while ending the spell, causing the pebble to get thrown over a decent distance to bounce off of a nearby tree. She turned back to Twilight, grinning sheepishly.

- "Okay, i... think i know what you mean now."

She took a deep breath, and figured that the best thing to test next would be control. There were bound to be more pebbles in the area, and she would start practicing by lifting two pebbles at the same time, keeping at it until she could move them independently from one another. But of course, learning how to move one came first, even if it was as easy as turning her head.

Twilight giggled a bit over Starcrasher accidentally flailing the little stone about.  She'd learn better control in time... but for now, it was reassuring that she could let her focus relax and still maintain the spell.  While the filly continued to practice on small stones and bits of debris around the clearing, Twilight idly conjured up a small rubber ball to bounce in place beneath her hoof.

"Here, let's have a little fun with it.  Plus this will be a good test to see how well you can maintain spell stability without going back to disenchantments." Twilight said as she hovered up the ball telekinetically.  "Ready?"

Once Starcrasher was indeed prepared, her teacher gave a gentle lob of the ball and released her magical hold on it to toss it along.  Playing catch was an easy enough way to practice, plus it had all sorts of useful learning benefits hidden under the guise of mere leisure.

As easy as it had seemed to levitate and control pebbles and small debris, anticipating moving objects was in a whole other category. She tried to form the spell while paying attention, but the ball simply passed through her net due to it not having formed fast enough, and the ball bounced against her horn back to Twilight. While she had been successful in returning the ball, it wasn't quite in the way she had intended it.

After some practice, she eventually found a good way. She would guesstimate the ball's movement through the air, and create a 'glove' of the type she had seen in sports. Using that image as a reference, forming the spell in its likeness was a little easier than doing it without the mental crutch, and after that was done tossing it back was easier. Well... easier if you didn't count getting the amount of force just right so Twilight wouldn't end up having to dodge a projectile, nor have it travel less than halfway to her.

The whole time they worked and played together, Twilight's thoughts kept drifting back to her younger days in school.  She had spent so many hours in just the same way, practicing by casting a ball back and forth with Princess Celestia.  She didn't understand at the time how much of an impact it had on refining control and concentration.  While she was grateful for the lessons, as she looked back on those memories with such fond nostalgia, she most recalled the long conversations she had with her teacher.

~I think I'll write Princess Celestia a letter... one that's not a Friendship Report...~ Twilight mused internally.  One of Starcrasher's tosses sailed past her head at high speed and she reflexively reached out with her magic, snatching it out of the air even though it was well beyond her in her distracted state.  It did bring her focus back on the present moment though.

"You're pushing with your magic, Starcrasher.  You don't need to put that much effort into it -- just find the right amount of energy to get the result you want.  Carry through with a motion and, at the apex of the swing, let go.  Physics will do the rest." Twilight demonstrated as she swung the ball back in an easy lob.  Just as the swing hit its rising point, she released her telekinetic hold and tossed it on over lightly.  "It's important to be able to feel force and resistance through your magic.  Applying too much energy can be bad if you're trying to pick up something brittle or fragile.  I can't count how many dishes and glasses my brother and I broke growing up..."

- "Yeah, i'm just... too used to this stuff not working i suppose. When a spell failed to work i just kept shoveling more raw power into it, so i'm still trying to get the hang of being subtle."

Starcrasher kept at it, attempting to copy the speed and momentum of the way Twilight had tossed the ball. Just move it along and let go of the hold... She sighed. Normally unicorn would learn this as one of the first things to do with magic, when their power wasn't as well developed. In her case, the circumstances had ended up with her having the raw power -- more so than most unicorns of her age due to constantly trying to cast at full power -- but she was lacking in control. On the upside, she seemed to be a fast student given how much she had learned over the past week, and some troubles with aim aside, the ball was now going at more acceptable speeds.

"You're doing fine so far.  This sort of thing doesn't all happen at once and you'll need time to practice before you get it locked down, but you're doing remarkably well already."  Twilight said encouragingly as she kept the ball moving about, tossing it back and forth.  "Was there any particular style of magic you were interested in learning?  I've always been terribly fond of Conjurations myself."

- "Hey, up until today i couldn't cast anything, so i'll take whatever i can learn to be--"

Starcrasher paused for a moment, catching the ball and throwing it with at least semi-decent accuracy back to Twilight. At least the power that went into the spell was okay now, and as time progressed she hadn't needed to adjust her telekinesis spell as much as she used to either.

- "..to be honest. Though disenchanting seems to be what i'm good at, so probably that, though i suppose i'd need something a little more variable."

"Well, it's all up to you.  I personally suggest trying all sorts of things to see what catches your interest." Twilight advised as the two continued to play ball.  Over time she began trotting about rather than standing in one place, leaving their game slowly working its way around the clearing with greater variety in their pitches.

"Ah, that reminds me -- I've been keeping progress reports on your studies so far, but I haven't sent any back to the Academy yet.  Would you like to help me write one for today?  I'm sure your teachers and parents will be excited to know how well you've come along."

- "Sure.. Might even give me my old name back."

Starcrasher kept lobbing the ball back, starting to get the hang of it. Most of it was just learning to aim again though, she could play catch with her hooves like Earth ponies and pegasi, but with her magic was a first. It felt like aiming from a distance, and she had to re-judge her throws accordingly.

"Your old name?"  Twilight asked as she snagged the ball out of the air and looped it around her head, giving it a long toss from a different angle than she'd been throwing it back with up to that point.

- "Mhm."

Starcrasher paused what she had been about to say to focus on the new angle the ball was traveling at, standing on her hind legs as a habitual reflex even though it was no longer needed for her magic. Trying to copy the angle and momentum she tried to toss it back to Twilight under similar circumstances.

- "It was supposed to be Star Dasher, but Mrs. Jennings over at the birth registry was getting kinda old and couldn't hear too good. So when my folks learned that i was having trouble with magic they decided to have my name be a prize for motivating me to solve my casting problems."

She caught the ball from Twilight again and tossed it back, this time from a different angle than her old attempts. She needed to get the hang of this after all.

- "...What, you didn't really think my name was supposed to be Starcrasher, right? I mean, most ponies have two names."

That announcement took Twilight so by surprise that she completely missed the next toss.  The ball whapped her square in the face with a dull 'whud!' and dispelled itself in a flurry of magical sparkles, though she hardly even noticed.

Starcrasher's parents did what?!

Twilight had learned quickly after her thoughtless reaction to learning of Rainbow Dash's contest.  She had an immediate response over Starcrasher's revelation but bit her tongue to keep it in check.  The last thing she needed to do was make another mess by giving a critical response without thinking it through first.  But oh, was it hard.  The very notion that Starcrasher... Dasher... that her student's parents would hold her name hostage until she learned magic was appalling!  How could they do such a thing to a young filly?!

"Okay, I think I'm going to schedule a parent-teacher conference." Twilight muttered to herself as she rubbed her sore snout.  She'd teleport all the way to Canterlot if she had to rather than let such a terrible notion stand.

Starcrasher was as surprised as Twilight was, though in her case it was for having hit her right in the face. Okay, she didn't really toss it that hard, but she did walk over to see if she was alright. And as a result, got close enough to recognize the look on Twilight's face for what it was. Grinning apologetically, she rolled her eyes before replying.

- "Eh, First born of a direct line of descendants from Star Swirl the Bearded... Oh come on, you're Celestia's personal student! Don't tell me you've never had to live up to expectations?"

She wondered what was so wrong about having her parents motivate her to do something she wanted to be able to do anyway. Sure, there had been a couple of laughs at the Academy when they learned of her name, but hadn't that only motivated her to study harder and put more effort into it? Wasn't that how things were supposed to be?

Twilight sat back on her haunches to mull over the whole matter for a few moments, taking her time to think before she spoke.  "Well, yes, I understand what you're talking about... my parents were always really supportive of me though.  I wouldn't even have gotten into the Academy if it weren't for them." she shook her head.  "I just don't think it's right that your parents would hold something like that over your head.  I'm sorry to be frank about it, but it seems cruel."

Starcrasher paused for a moment, thinking of the right way to describe it. As much as she wanted to react instantly that it wasn't cruel, she was trying to look at it from someone else's point of view, that didn't know her family like she knew them.

- "Well, it's not really cruel... I mean, they went through the same thing, and so did their parents as well. Okay, maybe not with the name, but other stuff too. My family's always been honors students, so yeah... I have to be one too."

"I suppose I should withhold critique until after I have a chance to speak with them..."  Twilight conceded.  Perhaps she just wasn't getting the whole story and there were details that would clear things up for her.  She just couldn't imagine somepony's parents being so critical of their child as to do such a thing.

"But... well, what do you want, Starcrasher?" she had to ask.  "When my parents got me into the Academy, it was because I had such an interest in magic and they wanted me to have the opportunity to follow that desire.  Do you even want to be a student?"

- "Yeah, i mean, all my family did, so umm..."

Starcrasher blinked for a moment, the look on her face a myriad of emotions, but above all confusion. It was clear that she had been talked into focusing on magic at such a young age that she found it very hard to consider anything but a magical career.

- "...Is that even an option?"
This message was last edited by the player at 21:36, Thu 27 Sept 2012.

Twilight sighed and facehoofed, clunking herself gently in the forehead.  She was absolutely going to schedule a meeting.  Dear Concerned Parents, it has come to my attention during your daughter's studies that...

"Being a student of the Academy is a great thing and it's really fulfilling.  But that doesn't mean it's the only thing out there.  You should focus on doing something with your life that you actually enjoy doing, not just because someone else told you to do it." she tried to explain the idea gently as she didn't want to accidentally vilify Starcrasher's parents any further than she already had.  "There's something to be said for following tradition, but it's not everything.  Haven't you ever had an interest in something of your own volition?"

- "Ehh... Umm..."

Starcrasher was starting to look a little uncomfortable now. Most of her childhood had been taken up by studies, books and (attempts at) magic, it was something she had simply come to accept. But when Twilight was asking if there was something she wanted to do, she found herself too submerged in traditional paths to manage to think in a way that would go against it.

- "Well... I... don't really know."

"In that case, I'm going to give you some advice that a very wise Pony told me once;

My dearest and most faithful student: You know that I value your diligence and that I trust you completely...but you simply must stop reading those dusty old books!" the very idea of Twilight Sparkle telling someone to not study was practically a sign of the end times, but she'd come to acknowledge the value of getting out of the library every now and then.  Books had their many, many uses... but sometimes you just had to go out and do something for yourself.

...with a suitable degree of study ahead of time, at least.

"I spent pretty much my entire childhood and adolescence buried up to my horn in my studies.  It benefited me and I thought I was happy with it, but I learned how much I was missing out on after coming to live here in Ponyville." she explained with a fond smile for the thought of her friends.  "Scholarly pursuits are wonderful, but there's a whole world of other potentials out there as well.  You owe it to yourself to explore your options and see if anything grabs your interest.  Besides, there's nothing that says you can't have multiple endeavors.  There's no need to lock yourself down into any one thing to the exclusion of others."

Especially if you've been pressured into it by your parents, she added mentally.

- "Well... I do kinda get carried away when i promise to do something."

Starcrasher thought on it for a moment. With her main concern of not having been able to cast spells now more or less solved save for some extra training, she would have more time free to see what else she liked here. Odds were there were a whole bunch of things to do here that she couldn't have done in Canterlot, at least not without a hundred other ponies all standing in line for it.

Twilight reached out to rest a reassuring hoof on Starcrasher's shoulder.  "I think we've done enough for today.  Now that you've got a handle on spell stability, you can practice on your own too, so keep at it when you have a free moment to stay in the habit.  It'll make it easier for our next lesson." she advised with a smile.  "But for your homework; I want you to forget about school for a little while.  Go into town and take some time for yourself.  Goof off, read a book, see a show, whatever.  Just go relax and do something that you want to do, okay?"

Starcrasher gave Twilight a comforting smile. Even though she was the one being comforted, she still felt that Twilight had been upset somehow by hearing of the way she had been brought up, so returning the gesture made her feel a bit better about herself as well.

- "Well, if it's all the same i'd like to keep practicing my magic. I've been trying to do this for so long, and now that i finally can... Yeah, sorry."

Her smile turned into an apologetic one when she mentioned she couldn't put her newfound ability to cast magic out of her head. Her horn glowed a soft amaranth, a hint different from the orange it had been before, and two stones were thrown into the air before the spell fizzled and diffused itself. She grinned, and tried again, it being fairly clear that she was trying to improve her casting speed.

-------------> From Ponyville Town Square

Natra Condu trotted solemnly, thinking about her experience in the town square. How had it happened? Why? She meditated on it as she tried to avoid things, to run away from a world she didn't understand which didn't want to understand her; at least that's what it felt like to her.

She listened to the trees and grasses, following the normal things, those things that she understood. Those things that understood her. She wandered through the woods, listening to things, taking in something more pleasant, when a familiar voice reached her ears. She recognized it from a week ago, the voice of the filly whose name she somehow couldn't recall. The Camahueto, colored like mud and stone with foliage about her, raced toward the sound, only to find that it wasn't alone, a purple unicorn pony was with her.

After the experience in Ponyville, needless to say, Natra had been a bit shocked. She stood at the edge of the clearing, waiting to be notices by Starcrasher and the Purple Pony who spoke to her. Best to leave as few waves as possible after what had happened.

Starcrasher went and practiced her skills on a couple of pebbles at the same time, trying to juggle multiple at a time though for starters she had begun working on two. More would only make things unnecessarily complicated, she'd slowly build it up step by step. When one of her last second saves ended up with the pebble flying wide, she noticed Natra standing a ways off, though it needed to be mentioned that had she not seen her before, she would likely have missed her against the backdrop of the forest. Camahuetos were hard to spot when they didn't want to be seen.

- "Oh, hey Natra! Been a couple of days, how've you been?"

The Camahueto looked at the pair of ponies, namely Twilight Sparkle. She remembered, of course, Starcrasher, but she didn't want to be overly affectionate, like she knew something of the situation. in the jungle and in Nature differed greatly.

Of course, of all ponies, Twilight Sparkle would be the most likely to know what she was straight off but that didn't mean they'd met like Starcrasher. She gave a brief wave of the hoof with a nervous grin. "Hi..." Whether this would confuse Starcrasher, as Natra had made sure to keep optimism back then, or she wouldn't notice the change, not knowing her well didn't matter. Natra was stricken with shyness since the Town Square, and though it was most unlike her, that was what it was.

Twilight conceded to more practice time so long as Starcrasher felt up to it.  While she wanted the filly to go relax a while, she wasn't going to dissuade her if she really wanted to keep at her work as well.  It was difficult to figure out if she really did want to study magic though or if she'd just become so accustomed to doing it at her parent's behest that it was a reflex.  Twilight kept to the sidelines all the while, mulling in her own thoughts and mentally writing out the letter she'd have Spike take dictation for later.

After some time, the little clearing ended up having a visitor.  Twilight had been so lost in her own thoughts that she didn't even notice Natra's arrival until Starcrasher spoke up to greet her.  At first glance she thought that the visitor had taken a tumble into a mud patch, though a closer look brought some surprise out of the Unicorn.  "A Camahueto?  Wow, that's a rare sight around these regions..." she wasn't so stunned as to forget her manners though and took to Starcrasher's side with a friendly smile.  "Is she a friend of yours, Starcrasher?  Hello~."

Starcrasher nodded, and proceeded to introduce the two of them to one another.

- "Yeah, she's the one i met in the forest, y'know, when we saved that Thunderbord's chick from the poacher a week ago?"

She stepped forward, looking back and forth between Natra and Twilight.

- "Natra, this is Twilight, my magic teacher. Twilight, this is Natra. Couldn't have found my way out of the forest without her."

She then turned back to Natra, grinning as she recalled their adventure together. Though truthfully, time had ebbed away the bad parts of the memory in favor of the good parts, making the adventure far more pleasant than it had had any reason to be.

- "So hey, what're you doing way out here? Finally decided to see what Ponyville's like?"

For a half a moment there was a glint of hope in Natra's eyes. At least now she'd found that Unicorn Filly, the one whose name she couldn't recall because it was hard. She had proof that what she said had happened! But...

As if she were walking on noodles, Natra walked slowly closer to the pair of ponies. Admittedly she knew that these two, at least for now, wouldn't be outright mean to her. She forced a grin on her face and gave a small nod of acknowledgement to Twilight, who seemed to be taking an interest in her. "Twi..." She toyed with the name like she always did, for once actually caring about the name instead of the usual toying with it. "Twiligh?" She asked, struggling with the hard consonant noise at the end of Twilight's name.

She looked at Starcrasher. This place was so new to her she wasn't sure if having both witnesses would mean anything. Obviously Nature's Thief had gotten away yet again and the failures were beginning to stack even on Natra's bubble personality. "Natra run away..." She said to Starcrasher. "Went Ponyville. Natra find Thief. Natra try get but Ponies attack... Natra no friends Ponyville." A couple small tears streaked down her muddy colored face as she kept her grin plastered in place, which would have been a decidedly Natra Condu sort of thing to do if it wasn't so very clear she was using her trademark pearly-whites to hide the fact that she felt horrible. She laid down in the clearing a couple hoofsteps farther than would be Polite conversational distance and half buried her face into the ground, trying to hide this, more from herself than anypony else. "Find Silva..." She mumbled into the dirt just loud enough to be heard.
This message was last edited by the player at 02:51, Mon 01 Oct 2012.

- "Wait, you found the poacher? Well, that's good ri--"

It was then that Starcrasher noticed the tears, and the scope of what Natra had said sank in. Wait, the residents of Ponyville had attacked her? She headed over to her friend, lying down in the ground close to her as she tried to comfort the camahueto. Though she was wondering what could have happened, she had a sinking feeling that Natra had tried much the same thing she had done when they had first arrested the poacher.

- "Natra... You didn't attack her in front of everypony without saying anything, did you?"

She hoped Natra wouldn't have, but the fact that she didn't quite master the language as well as things being rather different in the jungle -- she could recall Natra willing to challenge a Timberwolf or two for right of passage -- told her that that was probably the case.

Natra nodded into the dirt in reply to Starcrasher; her ears, though down, were very much listening around her. It was shameful, now that she knew what it meanmt. Guilty until proven innocent worked like a dream back home but here it seemed it was quite the other way around. Ponies were innocent until proven guilty. THIS was one of the many backwards thought processes Natra hadn't yet come to understand, or even hear about.

Starcrasher took a deep and audible sigh before looking over her shoulder to Twilight.

- "Twilight, sorry to ask this, but... Could you teleport back to town, try and calm everyone down? That poacher i told you about that went through the forest stealing baby animals, she's a red unicorn with a chair and whip as her cutie mark, can't miss her. Me and Silva can both confirm it."

She smirked apologetically at Twilight before turning back to Natra, telling her that everything was going to be fine and that she wouldn't get chased out of town. She wasn't too sure herself, but the ponies sure looked the forgiving kind. At least, Widget didn't seem to mind much when she cleaned up his workshop and pulled out the magical charges of every battery in his workshop twice.

Despite her curiosity over Natra, Twilight remained aside for the most part as she and Starcrasher spoke.  Twilight had actually forgotten about the filly's trek into the woods during the week... she was so accustomed to getting caught up in extraordinary circumstances that it just faded into the norm for her.  Going on a search for her friend ended up with her charging headlong at a Hydra.  Attending her brother's wedding uncovered a Changeling plot to take over Equestria.  Sometimes she wondered if she wasn't going to get sucked into another dimension while making breakfast one morning... so even other Ponies' remarkable adventures didn't seem out of the ordinary to her.

The whole matter over Natra causing a fuss in town and the Poacher being around was troublesome though.  Perhaps not for the reasons Starcrasher thought either.  As much as Twilight was a friend of justice, she was also the realist more often than not.  "Well, first things first -- do you have any evidence to link this Pony to the crime?"  she asked, looking between both.  "It's not that I don't believe you, but that you'll need suitable proof if the police are to do anything about it.  Accusations alone aren't enough.  We could always send word out to Canterlot to see if there are any standing warrants for somepony like her, but that's not a quick process... it could take days."

- "Umm... no, not unless you count witnesses... Me, Silva, Natra here, a group of Timberwolves, a Thunderbird, the Reptans that were working for her..."

Starcrasher paused for a moment, allowing her words to trail off as she thought of a way to make a summary of the list she was about to offer before it got out of hand.

- "Okay, so practically every creature in the Everfree Forest. Which would... probably attack the poacher on sight as well, come to think of it."

At that final realization, she looked down at the dirt as well, feeling very much like trying out the way Natra had her own snout in the earth as well.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:11, Mon 01 Oct 2012.

Normally, if this had been home, the creatures Starcrasher had mentioned would have meant something. But little did Natra Condu know that there were ponies who talked to animals in Ponyville, or at least one. Back home there had been Camahueto whose job it had been to talk to local animals and get stories straight, for their opinions meant just as much in solving a crime as ponies. Still, this was, as Natra was beginning to really bang into her thick skull, NOT home...

She removed her face from the dirt. Twilight Sparkle spoke large words she didn't want to hear. Starcrasher was trying to be helpful, blessed filly, but it didn't seem like it would help very much. She looked up at Twilight and frowned. There must have been a way she could get the picture across to Twilight.... The picture?!?

Ooh! Hard chants! Truthfully Natra knew MANY chants and incantations for various spells of her people and some of them were very long but none of them actually qualified as hard to her, even if they were hard incantations. Like anypony from her tribe that had been inclined to Natural symbiosis she had been taught some more... important spells which she'd yet to have too much practice with. "Spell?" She sputtered out. "Natra show... spell." Her already dirt colored face somehow looked more... dirty even now. She wished she could talk a little easier in this language. She wished she couldn't explain to Twilight what her spells did when they, very simply, didn't translate.

Twilight hated to be the bearer of bad news and honestly wanted to help the two out, but she didn't quite see a plausible way of managing it.  It wasn't like they could go looking into the Everfree Forest for evidence.  She briefly pondered getting a hold of Fluttershy to try and speak with the animals, but that would be a futile effort too... even if she could talk the waif of a Pegasus into tromping through the forest to interview Timberwolves, it wouldn't do much good since it was still just accusations without solid evidence.  It was unlikely that they'd be able to find any real proof in the forest either after a week of it being left to the environment.

"I'm sorry... I wish there was something I could do to help, but this isn't exactly a simple scenario."  Twilight sighed.  Natra piped up then about a spell and the Unicorn canted her head curiously on the matte.  "A... spell?  Um, sure, I suppose.  What sort of spell is it?"

The Camahueto had to admit that most of twilight's words still meant nothing to her but... What kind of spell? That she understood very easily. In Camahueto society it wasn't only easier to track down those guilty of crimes against nature because there were certain spells the elders shared to those younger, one's that could either make or break a case of guilt. Things worked themselves out because Camahueto had long adapted a method of allowing others to see their thoughts through natural spells. Of course, customs being different, as she was coming to learn, she had no idea if it would be worth it or mean anything in this new system but... Anything would help right?

"Spell see." Natra said, pulling herself up in a small bit of motivation. "Manulika siki munita." She continued chanting as she cleared slowly the distance between her and Twilight Sparkle. She wouldn't ever do this sort of thing on a filly like Starcrasher, of course. Children weren't ready for the entry of so many images, sounds and memories. And, at that, Starcrasher was already a witness to the crime. It had long come to Natra's mind, also, that Animals weren't viewed with the same respect here as back home. Ponies didn't think animals had answers, at least that's what she'd gathered.

A spectacular deep green overglow blasted outward as Natra finished her incantation and touched her horn to Twilights... And, in an instant, twilight knew what had gone on, from Natra's perspective. She could feel the energy bindings that held her fast on the ground, see the cages, hear that raor of Silva in the background to scare away the Reptans. Natra stepped back with a wobble in her step. Third time she'd ever used that spell and, unlike unicorns like Twilight who trained at more advanced spells all the time, Camahueto culture discouraged using natural magics like that too often. In her tribe, every spell you used outside the most ordinary was an amount of energy you took from Nature. An amount you would inevitably have to pay back.

---> Enter from Rarity's Boutique, and Ponyville

Sneaking out from under the noses of her guards was a mater best undertaken with an eye to detail and keeping ones' wings tucked in  Luna couldn't walk the full distance to Canterlot - at least, she had no plans to do so, while she most likely could - but starting her flight away from the eyes of the town would give her a fairly discreet escape.  She just hoped Lotus had managed to delay them long enough for them to lose her.

As such, the regal mare was cantering at a relaxed pace through the peaceful forest, the sweet smell of the maple trees surrounding her. As she cantered along, stretching out a bit, the pulse of verdant magic further in the forest caught her attention.  So Luna cut off the main pathway, and into the trees, curiosity driving her more than any other concern. It was a distance to go though, but eventually the regal Night Princess was peering out from the treeline at the little clearing.

Twilight Sparkle?

Thankfully for Natra, the spell she gathered up was one Twilight Sparkle knew of.  Well, she knew of one like it, at least.  Memory spells had many different forms and methods, though she'd crafted one of her own in order to return her friends to their senses back when Discord had gotten loose.  It was still a shock though.  Her eyes widened as she went through the projected experiences of Natra from earlier that week to the extent that she could practically feel the muscle memory as well.  When all was said and done she cantered back, breaking the contact between the two of them and severing the spell with a crackle of energy sparking from their horns.

"Whoa..." Twilight shook her head to clear the remaining jitters of magic from her brain.  She looked to Natra with a perplexed expression, knowing that the Camahueto was eager for someone to help her... yet...  "Natra... look, I believe you.  Especially after seeing that.  But, it's just that it's not enough.  We need proof.  Physical proof -- something you can touch and show to others that proves the actions of that Unicorn."

Twilight didn't know how to explain it to Natra.  Part of her was tempted to use magic to make a little illustrated puppet show of sorts, but felt that would be incredibly condescending to the mare.  Gah... why weren't there any universal translation spells readily available?

Starcrasher looked back and forth between Natra and Twilight, her previous experience with Natra having taught her it was better to have her do her thing rather than step in when she didn't know what the Camahueto was trying to do in the first place. Still, Twilight's reply sounded almost incredulous.

- "What? But all three of us saw her do it. You did too, kinda! That's like saying i can do anything i want as long as i'm not caught doing it!"

Due to focusing on the current situation, as well as having her back turned to the forest, she did not see Princess Luna peering from between the trees.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:52, Fri 05 Oct 2012.

"It's because magical viewings aren't permissible in court, Starcrasher.  Any Unicorn skilled enough can create complex illusions or false memory charms -- there's no way to prove what's being shown is actually real or just fabricated."  she explained, though part of her knew she was already losing Natra with her choice in vocabulary.  "The same thing goes with Truth spells -- there's magic that can force a Pony to only tell the truth, but there's also spells that can control them and make them do things against their will too.  Because of that, magic isn't considered suitable evidence or a means of gaining evidence in court."

"Ponies are innocent until proven guilty, and it falls on the accuser to supply evidence to support their claims." she continued.  "Think about it -- would it be fair if a bunch of Ponies who didn't like you lied and said you committed some crime, and that you got in trouble for it just because of their word alone?  I'm sorry, but without some hard evidence, there's nothing we can do."

Twilight didn't like the idea of somepony getting away with crimes either, but she knew the law well enough to know that her companions didn't exactly have much of a case.  Even if that red-and-green Unicorn really was guilty of such crimes, she was in the clear as long as there was no way to prove it happened.  She gave Natra as reassuring a smile as she could manage.  "It's not so bad though.  I mean, all the animals got away, right?  So it's not like she profited."
This message was last edited by the player at 23:16, Fri 05 Oct 2012.

- "Yeah, but i was there, i saw it and there were no magical illusions in the area. The fog there dispelled everything as soon as it was cast! She hired a group of Reptans to steal baby animals and you're saying there's nothing we can do to stop her, how's that fair?"

Starcrasher didn't understand law the way Twilight did, and from a filly's point of view, if you did bad things you got punished for it. This whole "it doesn't really count when other ponies just see you do it" made absolutely no sense, it was like eating a jar full of cookies while being the only one home and being able to get away with it for remembering to wipe the crumbs off of her snout. And unless they had physical evidence, there was nothing they could-- Waitaminute!

Remembering something, she blinked before a grin appeared on her face and she turned to Natra.

- "Hey Natra, the broken cages! They'd still be in the area, right? Come on, i need you to get me to those ruins again to pick up a couple of them to prove the poacher's a bad unicorn!"

The Camahueto tried to follow the conversation but it didnt hep that this was legal-ese to a pony that didn't know legalities at all. Twilight was clearly trying to be helpful and reassuring but Natra knew by the tone of her voice to get her hopes up...

Then the filly turned to her and grinned, reminding her of the cages. Natra almost got excited but... She turned to Twilight, giving her a look like, "Is that good enough?" She hoofed at the ground impatiently, "Cage?" She asked, clarifying. She hadn't thought of the cages this whole time. They would stil be around. Natra had simply left them to go back to Nature. Good thing she didn't destroy them.

Luna lent an ear to the discussion at hand. From what she could make out, the strange Camahueto's tale, and Twilight's response. Somepony had been up to no good inthe forest? The thought was distressing to the Lunar Princess. Quiet as a shadow, luna stepped from the foliage  and approached the gathering from behind Twilight. "Ahem... My little Ponies..." She began, raising a hoof, lightly in a gesture. "Is something untoward ahoof, Twilight Sparkle?"

Twilight wasn't certain what the two hoped to accomplish, but at the same time she didn't want to try and dissuade them either.  If there was any chance of getting together evidence against the Unicorn, it would be in the castle ruins in the Everfree Forest.  She didn't know how much use it would be though...

"Ah?  Luna?"  she was taken by surprise as the Princess of the Night herself appeared from the treeline.  Part of her was inwardly annoyed though... just how many Ponies were going to intrude on her practice area?  She'd set it out in the deep woods to be away from hoof traffic.  She set aside the principle of the matter in lieu of being happy to see her friend again though.  "Starcrasher, Natra, this is Princess Luna." she made the introductions, though she was sure Starcrasher already knew of the Princess' stay in Ponyville.  Manners were manners though.

"Well, I'm not quite sure what to make of it, to be honest.  Apparently there's a criminal in town that Natra has been chasing, but there's no actual evidence to link her to any crimes." she explained in short.  "It seems she was poaching animals in the Everfree Forest earlier this week, but failed to actually catch any because of their interference."  she gestured to the other two demonstratively.

The princess smiled contently upon Twilight's recognition and introduction. The other ponies received a gentle smile. "Good afternoon, everypony. " She paused, as Twilight went into details. Was that even illegal?

Luna didn't know...  nor did she have a way to suddenly gain the knowledge. She gave Twilight an uncertain smile. "I see... Perhaps you could seek the aid of the investigator in Ponyville?" she suggested. "I'm sure he would know more about how to properly collect any evidence you can find." She chimed gently.

Twilight saw the brief flicker of uncertainty in Luna's expression and inwardly grimaced.  Was she the only Pony around who cared to remain informed on local bylaws and national standards of criminal procedure?!  Ah... okay, dumb question, but still!  Sometimes she couldn't help but wonder if Rainbow Dash was on to something with all those egghead remarks...

"The real problem is that the supposed crime scene is a week old, and it's in the heart of the Everfree Forest... at the ruins." she made mention of that particular spot with a measured tone.  That location held quite a bit of history for Luna, after all...

"Oh..." Luna replied, with a thoughtful expression, now. She hadn't been back there since... since... Luna frowned deeply, feeling a smoldering anger at the idea.   Those ruins weren't for ponies to just go poke around. She'd have thought that the forest would keep Ponies out of it. Luna raised a hoof to her lips, apparently conflicted. Part of her wanted to help, but part of her didn't want the ruins messed with at all - she didn't really want to go back there right now. She also had to head for Canterlot, but...

"Perhaps I could be of help?" She paused, hesitating..  what would her involvement say about the particular case? It was something she was still not used to...  the princess herself stepping into a matter like this would say a lot more than Luna could  rightly anticipate... wouldn't it?

As Luna announced her presence, Starcrasher looked around in the direction the voice had been coming from, and found herself looking up at the Princess. Though she was aware that the Princess had been in Ponyville for the party that had been going on back when she arrived, she hadn't thought Luna would have stuck around that long. Though she didn't say anything, her ears went flat against her head and she seemingly tried to make herself smaller in favor of edging back altogether at the unexpected meeting. At Twilight introducing her, she seemingly snapped out of her trance and found her voice again, though it still sounded somewhat shaky.

- "Yeah... I'm Starcrasher. Nice to meet you, Princess Luna."

She gave a quick nod of her head and a wide grin as part of the introduction. Though she knew she would have to bow, she was feeling quite a bit too tense to actually go through with it. When Twilight mentioned their efforts at thwarting the poacher, she nodded, that at least was a topic she could talk about.

- "Yeah, but Twilight's saying we need to prove she did, so me and Natra were going back to the ruins to pick up her broken animal cages. Twilight, you know where it is now, right? Can you teleport us there or does it only work short distances?"

Yep, teleporting away sure seemed like a good idea right about now...

Natra merely nodded in curt acknowledgment to Luna's arrival, not quite understanding what the relevancy of the tall Pony was.  Camahueto did not have concepts of royalty.  Besides, she was far too busy mulling on what to do about the poacher.  The remains of the cages would serve as the 'ev-eee-dense' they kept saying she needed, right?  Even though teleportation would have been much faster, Natra didn't wait for the boon and instead just turned and took off back into the woods once more, apparently intent on running all the way back to The Everfree Forest.

"Natra, wait!" Twilight called after her.  Too late though... that mare was fast!  Not to mention that she seemed to vanish as soon as she hit the tree line, blending in with her element immediately.  The Unicorn sighed, giving up on that front as she looked back to Starcrasher.  "I can do long-range teleportation, but it's not a good idea to do it into The Everfree Forest.  Especially not at the castle ruins -- the entire area is supersaturated in destabilized magical energy.  It makes using spells there really difficult since they go out of control.  I once used a minor focus spell there and it threw me halfway across the room.  But even if that wasn't the case, I can't just send you off into such a dangerous place."

Before further argument could be given, a pair of shadows shot overhead.  It seemed that Luna's guards had finally caught up with her... though she had given them quite a good run in the meantime.  She'd be as troublesome as Celestia sooner or later when it came to sneaking away from watchful eyes.  "Your highness!" they both called in unison.  The two Bat Ponies landed gracefully on either side of the Princess and instantly went to attention, though Captain Equinox looked like he was having a very hard time not immediately going into a scolding session.  Far be it from them to actually accuse Luna of purposefully losing them.

"Note to self; research a glamor spell to make this place harder to find." Twilight muttered under her breath.  She didn't really mind having visitors to her little hide away, but it was more of a crowd than she was used to just dropping in uninvited...

--> Natra Condu exits to The Everfree Forest
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:32, Mon 15 Oct 2012.

The princess frowned as Natra bolted off into the forest, then glanced back to Twilight with a smile. "I do hope that pony will be alright..." The regal mare turned with a smile to Starcrasher, though, the arrival of her guards interrupted anything she'd been about to say. "Oh... I'd just been wondering where you two had wandered off to." Luna smiled sweetly. "I trust everything is well?" she prompted them.

Starcrasher watched Natra bolt off and wanted to follow her, but the way she blended in with her surroundings made it a futile effort to try and keep track of her. Back in the forest she had somehow managed to follow her by not taking her eyes off of the camahueto for a second, but back then she had been walking, not running like she was now. Odds were Natra would be far out of sight even before she reached the treeline.

- "Okay, so teleporting's out, and i can't go in on my own..."

She was wondering what to do when Luna's guards came into the picture, and she suddenly got an idea. Not the best one mind you, but it sounded pretty good nonetheless.

- "Waitasecond... You two are pretty fast and you can fly over the Everfree Forest to the ruins, right? I mean, flying doesn't use magic so it should work, i mean it worked for Silva too. Plus, with you there i'd be protected from danger, right? So could you help me out and guide me to the ruins so i could pick up the broken cages?"

Despite her enthusiasm however, at that point she remembered something. It wasn't that she was reluctant to ask the help of somepony that was obviously better at something that she was, but rather the fact that they were guards, and she wasn't the one paying their salary. No, that particular alicorn happened to be standing close enough to hear her current train of thought, and she wondered how Luna would react to her conscripting her guards. She turned to Luna, biting a corner of her lip somewhat nervously as she kept her head down, her ears pressed against the side of her head as she tried to make herself smaller.

- "Uhh... I mean, if that's okay with you, Princess..."

Twilight wasn't all that eager to send anypony into The Everfree Forest without a darn good reason, but if there were any sorts who would be relatively safe in such a scenario, it would be royal guards.  She knew from Shining Armor and Merriweather what sort of hard training would-be soldiers went through during the early stages of their service... they would know The Everfree Forest better than most.  Plus if this was a criminal investigation, having royal guards on the task made it a lot more official.

"I suppose that would be a safer way of doing it..." she had to admit.  The guards, meanwhile, just looked confused.  Captain Equinox had gotten particularly flustered over Luna's playful attitude and seemed to have a lot of trouble keeping himself from giving a respectful retort, but all the talk of the forest and ruins had him confused.  Silver Crescent, thankfully, was more immediately savvy and stepped in for his senior officer.

"Everything is just fine, your Majesty.  But what's all this about cages and ruins?" he asked, looking amid the gathered ladies.

"It seems there are claims that a pony was  abducting and caging animals in the Everfree Forest. Well... I believe you mentioned Poaching, so they were also... well..." The princess cleared her throat gently. "You said it was at the old castle?" she asked, looking back to Starcrasher. "If the ruin has been put to such use, I for one want it uncovered and put to rest." Luna frowned, thoughtfully, and scuffed a hoof in the dirt. She'd really rather that ponies never go there, now.

Luna glanced briefly to Twilight. "I have a fair understanding of the situation, yes?" She asked - having just come upon this now, it felt odd to be the one explaining it without proof. It reminded her of another, horrible old memory.

"That's about the long and short of it."  Twilight nodded.

"Hm... well, there's no law regarding the attack or capture of wild animals or monsters within The Everfree Forest, particularly if there's justified cause for such actions." Captain Equinox mentioned.  Twilight gave a relieved expression that there was finally somepony around besides her that knew legal matters.  "However, there are many laws regarding the transport and distribution of animals out of their native regions, and even more regarding monsters in the same situation."

"If there's evidence to prove that this Pony had intent to remove the animals from the forest, then that's plenty to issue an arrest." Silver Crescent added.  "Who exactly is the suspect?"

"It's a Unicorn mare.  Bright red coat and green mane, with a whip and chair for a Cutie Mark.  About yea tall, Trottingham accent."  Twilight supplied the details thanks to the vision Natra had shown her.  The guards both exchanged a look with each other at that.

"We saw that Pony earlier -- she was at the Summer Song Cafe with... ah..." the Bat Pony mulled a moment thoughtfully.  His Captain reached into his breastplate and withdrew a small notepad, briefly flipping through it.

"Scootaloo."

"Right, Scootaloo."

"Scootaloo?!"  Twilight yelped, making the guards jump a bit in surprise.

"Scootaloo." one confirmed.

"Can we please stop saying Scootaloo?" the other rolled his eyes.

"Sorry... it's just that she's been missing all week.  I mean, she's played a disappearing act plenty of times in the past, but never for this long.  Why is she hanging out with that Unicorn?"

"They were having breakfast together." Silver Crescent noted.

"Very well, then. With all this considered, We shall assist in this matter." Luna glanced to her guards. "Captain, Twilight Sparkle. I shall rely upon your help in this. First - we must do this properly. There is a detective here in Ponyville, correct? Perhaps you could ask him to accompany us to look over the scene with an experienced eye. I would accompany him and Twilight Sparkle to the ruins. As a witness, Starcrasher, you can join us. In the meantime, perhaps the two of you..." She looked to her guards  "...could keep track of the suspect pony?"

Luna seemed to hesitate, raising a hoof, then turned to Twilight. "That is...  unless you've a more practical plan. I... hmm..." Luna's trailing off was clear that she'd reconsidered continuing her last thought.

It was with that summary of responsibilities that brought Twilight a moment's hesitation.  She grimaced a bit as her ears laid flat along the top of her head.  Luna knew perfectly well that the Unicorn was never one to shirk responsibility, but...

"Ah, Luna, could I have a word with you?" she asked and gestured to the side to speak with the Alicorn in private.  Once they had a little space, she looked to her friend with a bashful expression.  "Um... you know I'm always happy to help where I can.  But... the thing is, I was kinda gonna meet Widget here for a date, and it's almost time for him to show up.  We've been really busy all week and haven't been able to spend any time together.  You understand, right?" she explained, shuffling her hooves.  She felt selfish for putting her own pleasure ahead of the situation.  "I honestly think your guards alone would be enough for the job, and adding yourself and Starcrasher in too is plenty.  We can always inform Blue Shield about this and ask him to keep an eye on the Unicorn."

- "Not to worry Princess, i'll be glad to help. Oh, and i have some experience with the Mists too, i can push them away with my magic."

Starcrasher grinned, feeling a little giddy. Not only would she be able to put an end to the poachings in the Everfree Forest, she also had an opportunity to work with Royalty! Her parents would be so proud of her! Nevertheless, said cages still needed to be found, of course, and the sooner that would happen the better. However, to properly see what was useful or not they'd likely be needing the detective as well.

- "Okay, so umm, i don't really know this detective pony, but wouldn't it be more useful in taking him with us so he can search for evidence in the cages themselves? I mean, i could bring back a couple of them, but there's something i remember about... evidence needing to be left untouched or something? Not really sure though."

She looked around at the other ponies, hoping they would be able to tell whether that was correct or not. Both Twilight and one of the guards seemed to know a lot more about the law than she did, which was easier than it sounded.

"If the crime scene is in The Everfree Forest, then we'll be lucky to find any evidence there at all.  Getting an untouched scene is way too much to hope for." the younger of the two guards explained to Starcrasher.  Between the elements, animals, and the shifting nature of the forest itself, the place didn't stay the same from one day to the next.

"We have investigative training as well.  If a detective is unavailable, then we should suffice." The Captain felt it pertinent to mention such.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:07, Mon 15 Oct 2012.

Starcrasher shook her head in response to the objections of the younger of the two guards... Which was somewhat of an od way of putting it since the 'younger' guard looked nearly twice as old as she was. She was still too young to be considered an adult after all.

- "No, i think there's a good chance actually. I mean, the animals stayed well away of the ruins like they were afraid of it, and the fog stopped a short distance away from the ruins as well. Most of it should still be where it was left."
This message was last edited by the player at 20:34, Mon 15 Oct 2012.

In reply to Twilight Sparkle (msg # 156):

Drawn aside, Luna heard out Twilight's concerns, and smiled gently. "Of course, Twilight Sparkle." She smiled gently, and put a hoof to her shoulder. "Enjoy your meeting with him. I am sure this will be fine..." She said gently. "I suppose we should depart - wouldn't want to be in your way." Luna smiled, and lightly waved one hoof, before trotting back to the others. "Twilight will be staying here. Captain, I'll have you join us. Crescent, please return to Ponyville and keep an eye on the mare in question."

She paused a moment, then her horn lit as she gently plucked Starcrasher from the ground, levitating her along to the princess's back. She was slighter than Celestia, but she was still a bit bigger than most ponies, and she could easily handle a filly on her back. "Best we not travel through the Forest directly..."

Starcrasher was a bit surprised when she was picked up from the ground, and even more when she was deposited on the Princess' back. Trying to hold on tight without ending up making it hard to breathe for Luna -- something that caused her to shift her grip often -- she eventually just gave up, settled on a grip and leaned to the side a little so Luna would be able to look at her while answering a question she had.

- "Eh, Princess? Can you clear the fog as well or do you want me to? Just for future reference, y'know?"

She looked at Twilight, giving her a wide grin and a nod to tell her that she got this. Why, with Luna's help, she would be back with the evidence in no time at all, and Justice would be done! She had a mental image of herself in a dark blue skin suit and mask with a violet coat like some kind of superhero, causing her to giggle.

Twilight nodded gratefully in reply.  "Thanks Luna... I'll keep an eye out for the Unicorn around town, just in case."  she added, wanting to do something to help.  But between the crowd already getting involved, she felt she'd just be a fifth wheel anyway.

When Luna gave the order to her guards, both saluted simultaneously.  The difference was that as soon as Silver Crescent finished, he flared out his wings with a sharp snap and seemed to vanish into a dark blur.  The Bat Pony took off straight up into the air so swiftly he was hardly even visible, arcing high overhead and beyond the trees back for town.

"Ready to embark at your command, your Highness.  Please fly higher than I do so that I may intercept any coming threats from the forest."  Captain Equinox advised in his usual no-nonsense manner while he flexed his wings for take off.

"Good luck, everypony.  And watch out for Cockatrices~!"  Twilight added in as everyone set off on their mission.

The princess gave a firm nod, stretching her wings wide, and taking wing smoothly, able to easily handle the light weight on her back. She was conscious of Starcrasher's weight, ready to catch her with her magic if she slipped. Luna spiraled into the air above the forest, then turned her heading out toward the Everfree.

Exit to Everfree Forest

- "Okay, so if the guards are going to fly, how are they going tWHOA!"

It had been a common oversight really. She had seen Luna use her magic on her to pick her up, and habit had categorised her as a unicorn, completely forgetting that as an alicorn, the Princess would have the ability to fly as good as any pegasus as well. She wobbled and threw her arms around Luna's neck in an attempt to not fall off as they gained altitude, pressing her eyes shut as she felt the unfamiliar feeling of rising up in the air all the way to the pit of her stomach. It was a good thing she hadn't eaten lunch yet aside from the snacks Twilight had brought.

--> To: The Everfree Forest -->

<<< FROM: Sugarcube Corner

The day was bright and beautiful, with a gentle breeze rustling the leaves of the trees around the path Widget made his way on. He hummed softly as he trotted toward Twilight's special place she had shown him earlier, where they had agreed to meet, and imagined that the wind and birdsong echoed the happy tone he whistled. It was one of the many songs Pinkie Pie had broken out into, and one that just stuck in his head, especially when he had a good reason to smile, which was coming more and more often these days.

The sound of a swush! from above caught his attention, and he looked up to see the streak of something dark and vaguely pony-shaped head toward Ponyville. He blinked, confused. Had there been other ponies besides Twilight and Starcrasher here? He wasn't concerned - if there had been some sort of threat, he was pretty sure the forest would be burned to cinders by now. Twilight was not a pony to trifle with.

At last, he ventured from the beaten path, and came to the circle of trees and stones Twilight had forged for herself within the forest. And at last, his eyes behind his black square spectacles fell upon her. It was weird how it felt as if he had not seen her in years when it had only been a few days, but nonetheless, his stomach tightened and heart soared as his mouth spread into an uncontainable grin of happiness. "Fancy meeting you here," he greeted as he approached, hoping it sounded smooth and not overly cheesy.

Twilight Sparkle sat back on her haunches as the group took to the skies, watching them soar out over the trees and out of sight.  So there was one member of the Night Watch shadowing the Unicorn suspect, another protecting Luna and Starcrasher, and naturally Luna herself.  That was plenty, right?  Twilight honestly couldn't think of anything that the Everfree Forest could throw at the Princess she wouldn't be able to handle... it wasn't as dangerous as it was in olden times, and back then Luna had lived in those woods.

Of course, then there was the emotional connection to those ruins... but Luna wouldn't have volunteered herself to go were she not confident she could face such things.  At least, Twilight hoped that was the case...

"Fancy meeting you here."

The Unicorn looked up from her internalization at that familiar voice and couldn't help but smile.  She was worrying about nothing... they'd all be able to handle what was little more than an errand no problem.  If she couldn't trust the Princess and a Royal Guard, who could she trust?  Twilight tried to put such things out of her mind as she rose up to her hooves and cantered over to Widget, greeting him with a fond nuzzle neck-to-neck.

"Says you.  This place has been busier than Canterlot Grand Station this morning." she replied with a soft laugh.  "How have you been?"
This message was last edited by the player at 17:58, Tue 16 Oct 2012.

Widget returned the affectionate nuzzle Twilight gave him, magicking the picnic basket to the ground to keep it out of trouble's way. "Oh? It seems quiet now. Though I thought I saw somepony flying back to Ponyville a few seconds ago on my way here." He smiled. "I've been well. Trying to keep myself busy," he said, indicating the new set of clockwork wings on his back, still folded tight. "How about you? I've heard that you've been keeping Starcrasher extra busy. Not that I disagree - that filly needed somewhere positive to focus her energies."

He walked beside her to the more level area in the center of the clearing near the large stone dais in the center that served as Twilight's sundial, removing the blanket from within the basket to spread it carefully over the grass. "I don't know about you, but I'm famished. It feels much latter than just afternoon."

"That was just Princess Luna and a pair of ninja soldiers rushing off to investigate a possible Poacher smuggling dangerous monsters out of the Everfree Forest." Twilight explained flatly with a shrug. "So... you know.  Tuesday."

Adventure and misadventures sure seemed to have a knack for finding Twilight and her friends, that was for sure.  While she did feel bad about not contributing more to the investigation, part of her was inwardly happy to not have to rush off to put out another fire for once.  There were other capable Ponies around who could handle things.  She could just sit this one out on the side lines and enjoy an afternoon with her coltfriend.

...eeeee~!  She had a coltfriend~!

"Starcrasher... actually, Star Dasher, has been doing really well so far.  We finally managed to get a grasp on what was causing her to short out magic all over the place.  She's got a natural knack for Disenchantment and has been casting it all this time without realizing it." she explained as she watched Widget lay out the blanket.  He hadn't told her exactly what he had in mind for that afternoon, so she was eager to find out.  She joined him on the blanket once it was all set, getting comfy close at his side.  "It turns out that her parents have been putting a huge amount of pressure on her to succeed as a magician.  I really think I need to talk to them about it, but I'm sort of worried about butting into something half-informed."
This message was last edited by the player at 15:49, Thu 18 Oct 2012.

"Never a dull moment around Ponyville, is there?" Widget commented jovially as he began to set out the spread for lunch. Misadventure and excitement did tend to follow Twilight around, and as consequence (or benefit depending on who you ask), made the everyday citizen of Ponyville have a lot to write home about. Widget didnt mind at all though. He liked the mystery and excitement.

"Disenchantment, huh? Thats a rare and powerful ability to have. Poor girl, no wonder mishaps seem to follow her around. Im glad you were able to find out what was going on so soon. Star Dasher? Havent heard that one... Why does she go by Crasher, then?" he inquired curioisly. "I knew about her family's pressure on her. I had asked her before I introduced you two if she wanted to be a magician, or if she wanted to please her family. She seemed sincere when she said she wanted it for herself. Otherwise I would have discussed it with you further. Im a pretty big advocate in doing what you want and not what others want you to do. If she didnt want to be a magician, she will never get her cutie mark practicing it." He looked back at his own cutie mark with a smile, remembering how he had recieved it.

"Well, I think you should talk to her parents regardless. As her teacher, it's important to keep them abreast of their daughter's progress. It isnt butting in - its being a responsible teacher. You dont have to go in horn blazing and all accusatory like... Just sit down with them and gauge the situation for yourself." He set out the sandwiches he had brought for lunch as well as the tea kettle, fishing around for the water bottle and packet of lemongrass tea leaves mix. He raised hishead as Twilight snuggled in cozy close and couldnt help but to smile in pleasure at her proximity. Yes, this was perfect... an afternoon alone with each other to relax, play chess, eat good food, and just talk. A perfect Tuesday date.s

"I asked the Cakes to make these for you," he said as he withdrew the box of sugared flowers and set it gently on the blanket before them. "Ive seen them in Canterlot sweet shops and thought you might like them." Setting the box down, he opened it to reveal the glittering gem like flowers within.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:49, Thu 18 Oct 2012.

"I'm not sure I've got the whole story, but from what she told me..." Twilight mumbled in concern.  "Remember how Rainbow Dash used to have that nickname: Rainbow Crash?  It's sort of like that.  Except that apparently her parents said she can't have her real name until she learns magic.  She's descended from Star Swirl the Bearded and her entire line have been magicians so far... capable ones, at that.  When I asked her if she ever tried being anything but a student, she looked at me like I'd grown a second horn.  It had never occurred to her that doing anything else was even an option.  She told me that all of her family have been pressured to be honor students and magicians, so that it's normal for her... but it just doesn't feel right."

Twilight was obviously concerned over the whole matter and was distracted to the point that she barely noticed Widget setting everything up around them. "So you can see why I'm worried?  If this sort of thing is habit for the family, then they're not going to take kindly to somepony second-guessing them.  I understand having to live up to expectations, but your family should support and encourage you, not weigh you down with that sort of pressure." she sighed and gave a shake of her head.  "To be fair, I need to speak with her family first and get both sides of the story before I go making any other sort of decisions.  For now, I just hope I can ease the stress on Star Dasher by helping her improve."

Part of Twilight wished she didn't know about the situation in the first place.  Knowing that Starcrasher had been essentially forced into such a lifestyle because of her parents' choices cast a bit of a pallor on their lessons.  She didn't want to facilitate an abusive situation, after all.  But at the same time, it was obvious Starcrasher did have a genuine interest in spellcraft and absolutely had talent as well.  If nothing else, Twilight could supply her with a gentle learning environment where she wouldn't have to feel such needless pressure to succeed.  She knew from personal experience just how heavily things could weigh on a young Pony, after all.

"But these are problems for another time.  As of right now, I just want to relax a little and enjoy lunch.  I've cleared my schedule, so I'm all yours until further notice." the Unicorn set aside her worries as best she could in lieu of giving Widget some proper attention.  When he presented her with the sparkling flower sweets, she gave an excited 'Oooo~!' that sent her eyes gleaming like Rarity's would over a fashionable bit of jewelery.  "Merriweather's cooking, The Cakes' baking... you're gonna spoil me rotten at this rate, Widget.  I haven't had candied flowers since I was a filly." she giggled as she leaned in and took one of the blooms' petals in her teeth to lift the treat.  Rather than eat it herself, she offered it up to her beau instead.  "Say 'Aaah~'."

"They're holding her name as ransom?" he asked, obviously surprised by this bit of news, and more than a little disgusting. "That's... that's terrible! You're quite right, that doesn't feel right at all..." He nodded softly, understanding now why she was so hesitant. It sounded like a bad situation inside and out. He understood family pressure and having to live up to family expectations, though his case was of course somewhat different than Star Dasher's, but he also believed you should do what you want and not what your family wants. At the same time, this seemed to be normal for Star's family... perpetuated for generations. Could it be said that this mentality, this pressure, is what made them the great magicians that they were? Could they be looking too deeply into it because they cared for Star, but didn't see the big picture? Like Twilight, the last thing he wanted was to perpetuate an abusive situation. He had taken Star under his wing, so to speak, and was beginning to care for her as a big brother might. But could that personal connection be putting blinders on?

Thinking on it too much made his head ache a little, and he made a slightly disgruntled noise as he tried to stop, at least for now. Twilight was quite right. This was not the time to dwell on outside matters. Star was safe and sound now, and no impulsive decision would aid her, and they needed to talk to the family before anything was done. They, not just Twilight. Twilight may be her teacher, but Widget was her psudo-caretaker, making sure she had a bed to sleep in, food to eat, and went to class. He saw Star as his responsibility, one he was glad for (though he'd never tell Quill that, the dragon would never stop bringing home strays if he did!). For now, though, it was time for them to relax and enjoy each others company.

His face brightened when she said she had cleared her schedule and the entire afternoon was theirs. Maybe to some it may seem clinical, but for Twilight, it was a great compliment indeed for her to clear her entire schedule just for him. He blushed slightly when she said he was spoiling her, grinning as he leaned in to kiss her cheek in affection. "Worth every bit of effort just to see you smile," he assured her with sincerity. The more he saw it, the more he was sure that Twilight being happy was the most lovely thing in the world.

He complied with her request, opening his mouth as he leaned down, still grinning. "Ahh~," he let ring softly in his throat as he leaned in, gripped the petal in his teeth, and kissed her around it, finding that far more sweet than the candy she offered.

Twilight was a very busy Pony by her own hoof.  She had been planning on taking care of at least two dozen other things once she was finished with Starcrasher's lessons for the day, but Widget's invitation to lunch had quite firmly persuaded her to do otherwise.  She wasn't keen on procrastinating, but a quick run-down of the priority level showed that none of them were immediately pressing anyway.  At the moment, the most important thing on her plate was lunch.

~Now let's see... if my hypothesis holds true based on previous research, then an effective way of instigating affectionate gestures is to make an invitation for intimacy, as opposed to directly seeking it.  That risks progressing into the 'clingy' status.~ Twilight's mind was never inactive.  She smiled into the warm kiss Widget laid on her around the sugar treat and pressed up to meet it as well before letting go and allowing him to crunch on the candy.  ~Success!~ the validation of a correct theory was almost as nice as the kiss.  Though, naturally, it would only be sound to repeat the experiment to ensure that it wasn't just a fluke.

For science, of course.

"The only thing that comes to mind is Rainbow Dash's competition.  That's supposed to be today and I wanted to be able to show support.  I know she'd be happy if we could be there for her." Twilight mentioned as she lit her horn and conjured a small hot stone to set the tea kettle on.  She let Widget take care of handling the food while she got their tea brewing away.

"That'd be fun to go see. I'd like to go when it starts," Widget said as he spread out their sandwiches for them - daisy on wry for her, wheatgerm and buckwheat on multi-grain for him. The apple tarts from the same restaurant box taunted him, bit he resisted. It wouldn't be very becoming to eat desert before lunch, even if it was delicious apple tart, which he had already proven to have a weakness for... Sweet, flaky tarts, with plenty of cinnamon, a touch of nutmeg, syrupy sweet apples, with fresh whipped cream... No! Had to stay strong...

He forced his eyes away at last, drawn once more to Twilight. Even apple tart faded when he saw her looking so pleased. The smell of lemongrass tea beginning to seep was also taking his mind off the very fragrant apple tarts in the bottom of the picnic basket, and to be honest, his sandwich was looking pretty tasty, too. It felt like weeks since breakfast!

"Until then, however, we have all this time to ourselves." He sighed slightly with a distinctly happy echo. "I brought this with me... I've been working on it for a while, I thought it'd be nice to have a little music with lunch." He magically pulled from the basket the tiny machine he had packed in it earlier and set it off to the side. "I had to build it. A size reduction spell, from me, anyway, isn't permanent, and it was too difficult to get all the pieces and gears to reduce at the proper percentages anyway. The records, though, those are easy." He pulled out tiny black disks no bigger than a pony's pupil, and carefully set it into place in the mini music player. "I call it the Music Portable Pony Party, or MP3 for short." A quick jolt of blue magic, and the gentle warbling sounds of classical music gently began to fill the immediate area.

"Until then, however, we have all this time to ourselves." Widget sighed happily.

Twilight gave a pleased tone in the back of her throat at that and shifted over a bit, nestling herself in warmly against Widget's side with an affectionate lift of her cheek against his neck.  For about the umpteenth time, she looked back on how badly she'd reacted to the idea of dating and felt absolutely ridiculous over it.  She and Widget had only been a couple for a short while, but she could already understand why so many Ponies were keen on romance.  It used to be that she thought Rarity and Aloe a little silly for how much they pressed on the company of stallions, or even how her big brother and Cadence acted around each other.  But now she felt she was starting to understand the draw.  Not only was there the emotional satisfaction, but the physical intimacy was also a major point of interest.  Twilight was never so cuddly with anypony -- even her best friends only got the occasional hug.  But there was something deeply gratifying about just being with him, even just relaxing there together.

Widget's invention drew Twilight's interest and she peered at is closely as he set it up.  When it began to play, she gave a cheery laugh.  "Wow, that's clever~!  I've seen portable phonographs before, but never a miniaturized version.  Does it have a magic cell to retain battery power, or is it entirely run on your own magic?  Have you considered any different frame shapes?  Or maybe a mechanism to hold a variety of vinyls and swap them out automatically rather than carrying them around individually?" she went on quite readily -- Twilight was always interested in new technology, after all.  However, she paused after a second as she recognized the music playing and gave a little roll of her eyes.  "Octavia..."  she perked her brow with a playfully suspicious glance up at him.
This message was last edited by the player at 06:20, Thu 25 Oct 2012.

The inventor pony couldn't help but to nuzzle in when Twilight snuggled up beside him. As she had not considered the continual physical aspect of a romantic relationship, neither had he. He hadn't considered much beyond having someone to talk to all the time, to share his dreams and aspirations with, and perhaps eventually, his life. The idea of physical contact had, of course, occured to him, but he hadn't been prepared for how it would affect him and his feelings for Twilight. Every cuddle, every hug and nuzzle, and of course, every kiss she offered him made warmth blossom in his heart anew. Just when he thought he'd gotten used to them and to her, she staggered him, shoved him off his hooves, and made him swoon for her all over again. The only thing that had really changed was that, thankfully, he could actually be with her without jumbling up his words or acting like a complete foal.

"Thanks," he responded to her praise with a beaming smile. "It can be fitted with a magic cell, but I didn't have time to install one, so for now, a quick jolt of personal magic sets it for a good few hours. I'm not sure if a mechanism like that would work on a unit this small... I'd have to do quite a bit of tinkering to make it operable on a level this small. Good idea, though."

The last comment, quiet and quick, brought a little flush to his cheeks as he smiled at his fillyfriend sheepishly. "What can I say? Cello music helps me concentrate. And no ones better than Octavia," he said, sounding half amused and half embarrassed. "Ah... Ahem. That reminds me. I was able to get tickets to that charity concert at the Canterlot Gardens next month. I expect them in the mail today or tomorrow at the latest..."

As the official deadpan snarker of her group of friends, Twilight could rarely pass up the chance to take a little prod at such things.  While she had felt a surprising rush of jealousy toward Octavia earlier that week, she'd since cooled and come to understand just how silly she'd been.  All the romance stuff was new to her, after all.  But when Widget came along with another of the cellist's works, she couldn't pass up the chance to tease him just a little bit~.

At the mention of the concert tickets, Twilight perked again. "Really?  That's great~!" she beamed at the prospect.  In the meantime, the tea had finished steeping and she set about pouring the both of them a cup full.  All that practice with Starcrasher had worked up an appetite and she was looking forward to their lunch. "I haven't been back to Canterlot in quite a while, actually.  I keep meaning to go back and visit with my parents one of these weekends, but I'm always so busy."

"I haven't been back to Canterlot in several years now," he said as he laid out their sandwiches and muffins, nodding appreciatively as he took his cup of tea. "I'd like to take an early train, if that's okay with you. I'd like to meet your family before the concert. Maybe we'll all do lunch, if your brother doesn't have me arrested on the spot, of course." He smirked slightly, obviously not particularly concerned about being thrown into the dungeons. "I don't have any family to visit, but there is an old family friend I'd like to see. My Mare Appointed was a friend of my dad's mom. She and my mom got really close before I was born, and she was kinda like a Grandma growing up. Only... Well, she reminds me a lot of Rainbow Dash, actually. She always got into more mischief than me. It made things interesting, that's for sure. Her name's Golden Laurels. Used to be a Wonderbolt more than thirty years ago."

He hovered his own buckwheat sandwich to his mouth and took a healthy bite, chewing in a savoring fashion before swallowing with a sip of tea. There was a pause, and he glanced at her. He looked nervous. "Do you think your family would like me...?" he asked in a slightly hesitant tone. Her brother was one thing - big brothers protect their little sisters. But her mother and father, not to mention Princess Celestia... Would they approve of him? Of them?

Twilight had tucked into her sandwich as well, on top of sneaking another candied flower too, when Widget voiced his concern about meeting her family.  The Unicorn paused and swallowed hard, then gave her beau a sheepish smile.  "Well... the thing is, they're actually pretty eager to meet you.  I may have sorta kinda sent them a letter already." It occurred to her a bit too late that she probably should have told Widget she'd mailed home about her new relationship before she actually sent the letter just to be fair.  But she was in such a habit of sending messages off that it never crossed her mind until after the fact.  "I sent a letter to Princess Celestia too, but I haven't heard back from her at all lately.  But I hear there's some bothersome things going on in Canterlot like a cave-in at one the train route's main tunnel and some kind of bug making the rounds, so she must be too busy."

Frankly, Twilight was concerned about introducing Widget nonetheless.  The letter she'd gotten back from her family was very encouraging.  Perhaps a little too much from her mother, but that was beside the point.  The mare had been pestering Shining Armor for grand children since the moment she'd heard about his engagement and wasn't yet satisfied now that Twilight was also in a relationship.  Of course, then there was the prospect of her meeting Widget's family... or at least, his godmare as mentioned.  She felt a familiar tingling of stress building up at the base of her spine as she began to think about making a good impression and what all could go wrong (so, so many things...), but forced herself to quell such thoughts.

"Well, either way, I think we'll both do just fine meeting each others' families.  We'll just have to make sure we keep tabs on each other to avoid any freakouts." she was honestly hoping more for her own sake that Widget would keep an eye on her.  A powerful magician with poor coping skills and an reflexive habit to 'fix' problems?  Yeah, she'd need someone to spot her...

Widget smiled and nodded in agreement to Twilight's sentiment about helping each other avoid freak outs. It didn't bother him when she admitted that she had told her family about him. On the contrary, he felt rather flattered that she had been so eager to tell her family that they were dating. He hadn't told Golden Laurels that he had found a filly friend, but... well, that was mostly for personal reasons. She was the closest thing Widget had to family, but she was... unique. Tact was not her forte, and that was one reason he didn't write letters very often to her.

"Yeah, you're right. We'll both be fine," he said more confidently. So long as they watched each others backs and took care of each other, Widget had a feeling they would be alright no matte what came their way. "It's settled then. We'll leave first thing in the morning and spend the night there. That way we have plenty of time to meet family and get ready."

He quickly polished off his sandwich and cup of tea, filling his cup again as he sighed in satisfaction of a no longer empty belly. He offered her a refill before going for what he was really waiting for - one of those delicious apple tarts he had been so eager for. "Ah, right," he said, pulling out the small blue box as he fished around for his apple tart. "I brought my chess set. Interest you in a relaxing game?" he offered.

Twilight contented herself to the idea of the two keeping tabs on one another during their visits.  But as she thought about it, something occurred to her.  It was very much like the pleasant feeling that she had when she became aware of the concern her friends showed for her, or herself for they.  The comfort and reassurance of knowing somepony was watching out for you... but with Widget, it was somehow more warm.  It took that normally bubbly feeling in her chest and spread it out through the rest of her body in a way that made her feel happier than she'd expected.  She felt it prudent to share that happiness too -- when Widget refilled her tea cup, she gestured for him to lean closer and indulged in another kiss; slow, sweet, and deeply affectionate.

"Chess?  Well, I haven't really played since I was a filly.  Princess Celestia taught me a little when I was living with her in the castle.  Just go easy on me, okay?" she asked when the topic turned to board games.  It stood to reason; Twilight spent so much of her time in study that she didn't really give herself the chance to enjoy games or distractions.  Even an intellectual diversion like chess was still a diversion.

---> from Ponyville~!

Rainbow Dash didn't slow down one iota from when she departed Ponyville, wanting to get to the woods to find Twilight as soon as possible. It was a fairly lengthy trip, however, and as she finally got over the trees, she was getting quite tired. She paused and hovered above them, finishing the last of her breakfast. She chewed on the last bite of her waffle sandwich before licking the sticky syrup off of her hoof.

"Phew! That was a good workout!" she told herself. "Now, where would Twilight be down there...?"

She resumed her flying, going slower now though so she could scan the terrain below, looking for any sign of the purple unicorn. Or books. Or whatever else nerds liked to have with them.

It took her a few more minutes of flying before she came to a clearing in the woods. She nearly flew right over it in her haste, but she caught sight of them out the corner of her eye. Ah, she's on a date, huh? Didn't Spike say she was out with Starcrasher practicing magic? Wait, did she lie to her assistant to cover the date up? Huh. Didn't think she had it in her.

Circling around a few times, she decided to head down there. "Twilight!" she called out as she slowly spiraled down into the clearing. She landed rather gracefully for somepony nicknamed Rainbow Crash and trotted up to the adorkable couple. "Twilight! Boy, are you a hard pony to find! I've been looking for you for hours!"

When Rainbow Dash called out all a sudden, Twilight internally resolved to put a glamor on her training grounds to prevent it from being found so easily in the future.  She loved Dash like a sister, but she'd gone and even turned away Princess Luna herself to be able to spend time with her date... she was not going to let interruptions keep happening!

"Excuse me just a second, Widget..." she smiled warmly as she got up to her hooves, leaving him to tend to the chess board in the meantime.  The Unicorn hurried over to Rainbow Dash and hooked a foreleg about hers, pulling her off to the side a ways out of earshot.  "What is it, Rainbow?  I'm a little busy right now..." she asked.  While she was naturally concerned about why her friend had gone to so much trouble to find her, she also didn't want to leave Widget hanging for long.

Rainbow Dash peeked over her shoulder and saw Widget, sitting there at the chess board. "Heh. Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt your date... or whatever it is you're doing..." she smiled sheepishly.

As they moved away, she sighed. "I'm just... I don't know... stressed? Confused, I guess? The contest... I'm doing it this afternoon. I want to go through with it no matter what, but I'm just..." she sighed again in frustration and growled, scratching the side of her head hard as she tried to think. "I can't really put it into words nicely. I have questions, I guess?" She was kicking herself for sounding like such a dork, but when it came to things such as romance, she really had no clue.

Given the topic, Twilight instantly regretted her haste.  Gah... she was being selfish.  It was the second time she'd acted thoughtlessly with Rainbow Dash and she didn't want to make another mistake when the Pegasus' feelings were at stake.  Instead Twilight quickly softened her approach and continued along, leading her friend further out from the clearing amid the trees where they could have some real privacy.  She trusted Widget, sure, but also wanted to give Rainbow the breathing room so that she wouldn't have to worry about her image.

"About that; I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash.  I was really thoughtless toward you before and made a knee-jerk reaction when you first mentioned the whole contest idea.  I should have been a lot more considerate of your feelings." Twilight apologized for her previous rudeness.  It had been a real surprise when Rainbow Dash had set up the contest in the first place, after all.  She'd been too quick to judge.  "I'm still not entirely convinced about how well this is going to turn out, but I want you to know that I'm behind you.  Ask me anything.  I promise I won't judge at all."

"A good strategy game like chess is good to keep your mind sharp. I'll go easy on you, but you'll probably have me by the tail after just a game or two," Widget countered with a laugh as he began to magic the pieces into place. However, there wasn't much time to do much else, as they were happened upon, or found, or whatever, by one of Twilight's friends, Rainbow Dash. He smiled in a friendly manner, but quickly settled back down when Rainbow's intent upon Twilight became obvious.

"Sure, Twilight. Take your time," he said when she asked him to excuse her for a moment. He busied himself with setting up the board, but was otherwise quiet and as unobtrusive as possible. He wasn't upset - girls just needed to talk sometime and would wait for nothing. He got that. It just meant he could get the board just right (with the white side for Twilight, of course) and hum along softly to the song that had just begun on his MP3.

Dash smiled softly, kicking at the ground a little and shrugged. "Ahhh, don't worry about it. I know how it seems to a lot of ponies. They think it's some kind of stunt. It's their loss for not coming to compete or watch though. You're going to compete, right, Twilight?" She asked suddenly, leaving it a moment to let that hit Twilight before laughing. "Just kidding, just kidding. I know you got a coltfriend now and all." She chuckled, the joke making her relax a little even if it was cruel to poor Twilight.

"It's not some harebrained stunt though. I'm serious about this." she looked up, meeting Twilight's gaze again. "I have too many questions... and, well... you're the only one I know of with experience."

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫
You're the expert that I seek
Even though you're what I'd call an egghead and a geek
I need to comprehend
What these feelings mean, I don't aim to condescend.

Love really is confusing
I'd rather forget and go back to snoozing
Though I'm not proud of
I really need help with love!
♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

Dash plunked her flank on the ground unceremoniously, looking as dejected and pitiful as she possibly could. "Seriously, I really really do..."

Twilight was frankly surprised to have such a thing confessed to her, but did her best to keep along with it.  She wasn't sure she was really an ideal person to come to on such a matter though.  Surely Rarity would have been better?  Or even Applejack?  "I am not an egghead.  I'm not really sure I'm the best Pony to be asking about this sort of thing, to be honest.  I barely understand it myself... but... well;

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫
I can't forget about that time.
The way it felt when I looked into his eyes.
I admit; I was terrified.
But now I'm glad that I gave it a try.

That first date, I was so anxious.
Curious...
Excited...
And yeah, I felt kinda sick...
But now I can't get enough.
Here's what I know about love:

Twilight couldn't help but feel light on her hooves as she discussed the matter.  What had initially been blind panic had turned into something a lot more comfortable between her and Widget.  She chanced a look over her shoulder to see him waiting in the distance before she continued.

Love's a strange concept.
Varied from one Pony to the next.
But there is a median:
Take notes --
the lesson will begin!

Love's all about devotion.
Chemistry.
Affinity.
Such odd emotions.
And yes, even mushy stuff.
They're all parts of love.
♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

"Stop making faces.  This is important and, I'll have you know, kissing is awesome.  Surely you have a type?  Some kind of personality or look you're attracted to?"

Rainbow Dash quickly snapped into a relaxed pose, looking somewhat puzzled at how Twilight could think she was being immature. "I'm not making faces! I'm just stretching my face muscles!" Even as Twilight turned, she resumed making ill faces at the mention of 'mushy stuff'. "And... I don't really... hmmm... a type? I haven't really thought about it before I guess."

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫
They'd have to be cool and cute
Awesome, amazing and athletic to boot
Honesty is key
She'd be strong just like an apple tree
♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

One of Twilight's brows perked at that. "She?"

They cyan pegasus' fuchsia eyes went wide as she realized what she had just blurted out. "Uh, he! He!"

"You know Rainbow, there's nothing wrong with being into mares as well.  Plus you didn't specify gender on your poster, so there's sure to be some girls in the contest today too." she added knowingly.  She'd heard that Pinkie Pie intended on joining, after all.

Rainbow Dash seemed to consider the words of the unicorn for a few moments before continuing on.

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫
Whether its a mare or stallion
It won't be one or two, maybe a batallion
You will see the proof
They will travel far to win my hoof

I've thought on this through and through
A contest like this is long over-due
Poster's up, can't turn back now!
Now I just have to think about how...
♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫
The contest should to do the task,
of weeding the good ones from the chaff.
As far as athletics is concerned.
But the rest?
You still risk getting burned.

It won't be easy to fit that bill.
Those are some big horseshoes to fill.
It's hard to find love,
when you rely on luck.
♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫
I'm really quite demanding
I want a smooth flight not a crash landing
I don't wanna date whoever
I'm gonna be alone forever!
♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

"Well it sure sounds like you've already got somepony in mind..." the Unicorn said with an idle roll of her eyes.

Rainbow Dash blushed and fidgeted a little, looking shyly to the side. "Well...There is somepony I had been sorta thinking of..."

Twilight led in almost teasingly.  "Who is she?"

Rainbow shot her a little bit of a stern look. "He, remember? He!  A... stallion.  Yeah." She rubbed her forehooves together as she began to ramble.  "Named Jack.  Jack... Apple... Appleton!  Jack Appleton." She smiled rather dorkily.

That sort of reply earned Rainbow Dash the exact sort of flat deadpan look that had gotten the two of them into the whole mess in the first place. "...are you for real?" Twilight had to genuinely fight the urge to face hoof and continued with more care in her tone.  "Look, Rainbow Dash..."

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫
You can't rely on just your wings.
Your heart is better suited
for these kind of things.

However things turn out,
your heart will guide you
without a single doubt.

I may have balked the first time,
But dive straight in and
you'll be just fine.
I know you'll find out
all you'll know about love~~.
♪ ♫ ♪ ♫

Rainbow Dash nodded quickly with a smile, seemingly finally starting to get it.

♪ ♫ ♪ ♫
Love is kinda like flying
At first its tricky
Butterflies, spinning, death defying

This is really something new
It's rather scary, but I
Need to be strong and see it through

I know what I need to do
I need to let my heart guide
I'm wiser now, thank you
I know I'll find out
All I'll know about love~~

We know we'll find out
All we'll know about love~~<3!

Twilight took a moment to draw in a quiet sigh.  It had been a while since she'd indulged in a musical interlude, to be honest.  She'd forgotten how refreshing those could be.  Along with helping Rainbow Dash settle her own feelings, it also allowed Twilight herself to get some extra clarity as well.

"So, is your Jack Apple going to be in the competition for certain?" she asked, playing along with her friend's sheepishness on the matter for her sake.

Rainbow Dash, likewise, felt very relaxed now from the song and the getting a lot of it off her chest.

"Jack Appleton." she corrected. "And... I'm not sure to be honest. He might be..." she seemed to sigh over it. "And I'm not sure of his reasons either. But anyway, whether he's in it or not, I'm still going through with it."

She smacked her hoof with her other front one as she remembered something. "That reminds me. I want my competition to be more than about athletics. Do you think you could come judge some sort of contest on smarts?"
This message was last edited by the player at 20:28, Thu 08 Nov 2012.

"I'd be happy to help.  Widget and I were going to show up anyway to show our support, so that works out really well."  Twilight nodded.  Such a request was the moment to put her money where her mouth was.  If she was going to back Rainbow Dash in her romantic endeavors, she couldn't turn down such a request.  Besides, it might have been fun in its own way.  She'd just need to make sure not to make any sort of trivia or questions she might give the contestants too difficult...

Dash found herself beaming at Twilight's acceptance to help. "Thanks, Twilight! This is going to be so awesome!" She leaped into the air and did a tight loop. "Alright, I have a couple more stops to make before the contest... I'll see you both there!" She giggled with excitement, before waving a hoof to Widget and taking off into the sky and back toward town.

To Ponyville Town Square --->
This message was last edited by the player at 20:34, Thu 08 Nov 2012.

As impulsive as ever... Twilight watched Rainbow zoom off in her usual hurry out of sight and shook her head.  Well, no turning back now.  She could only hope that things worked out well in the end.  "Well, if nothing else, maybe I can get a letter to the Princess out of it." she shrugged.

The Unicorn turned about and headed back into the clearing where she'd left her date.  She greeted him with an apologetic smile and a quick kiss before she settled down on the other side of the chess board, grateful for his patience in the whole affair.  "Sorry about that.  Rainbow just needed some advice, plus she wants me to help out with her competition later on.  It seems she wants some intellectual challenges for the competitors too."

Widget, who was obviously oblivious to the whole spontaneous singing episode that had happened outside of the clearing, had made himself busy by setting up the chess board (Twilight was the white pieces), setting out their deserts (including his long awaited apple tart with cream~) and turning up the volume of his MP3 player. When Twilight returned to the clearing, Widget had been sitting with his eyes closed, one hoof up and swishing back and forth slowly as he hummed along with the song, pretending to conduct it, apparently. Hearing Twilight return, he quickly opened his eyes and stopped with his conducting, giving her a slightly shy grin.

"No problem," he said graciously as he settled down in the grass comfortably across from her and lowered the volume of his player to just background music with a magical swish of his horn. "I understand. It's a big day for Rainbow Dash." He considered her last statement for a moment, giving a curious look. "Intellectual contest? Well, what sort?" he asked curiously, "I can't imagine Rainbow would put together something like a math test or a spelling bee, but judging 'intellectual challenges' with no other information sounds a little... well, scary, truth be told." He poured them both a fresh cup of hot tea and sipped his own lightly. "I mean, this IS Rainbow Dash we're talking about here - subtle and quiet intelligence doesn't really seem her type..."

He lifted up his apple tart, giving his lips a quick lick a he took our a hungry bite. "White moves first,"he said, motioning to the board as he swallowed his bite of tart.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:09, Sun 11 Nov 2012.

"I was thinking maybe some basic trivia.  Like history, science, applied physics, quantum field theory... you know, simple stuff."  Twilight explained as she briefly reviewed the board before telekinetically moving a pawn to start with.  Apparently her idea of 'simple' was a bit skewed compared to the average Pony.  But what could one expect of a life-long scholar?  "I think if I try and format it more like a game and less like an exam, it'll be easier for others to deal with.  Especially Rainbow Dash.  What do you think?"

While they chatted and played, Twilight procured one of the carrot muffins for herself and crumbled some candied flowers atop it to give it a little extra sweetness.  Bless The Cakes... she didn't know how Ponyville could ever survive without them.  As she and Widget played along a few more moves, her style of attack became apparent.  True to form, Twilight relied on existing strategies she could study and memorize... though impressively enough, she didn't just stick with one at a time and seemed to blend styles on the fly.  She had a knack for reading the board and predicting movements based on possible legal moves, then reacting accordingly.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:18, Sun 11 Nov 2012.

"I think that's the best idea," Widget agreed as he watched the white pawn move across the black and white tiles of his chess board. "Not everypony likes the idea of a test. Turn it into a game, and they're much more likely to stay interested, and try their best." He studied how she had moved. Knowing Twilight, she would go with book moves almost exclusively. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but he wouldn't be surprised if she also played defensively rather than aggressively, which as white, was something of a determent. Though he had said he would go easy on her, he had a feeling they weren't as unevenly matched as Twilight feared they were.

He moved forward his alternate pawn two places, placing it within easy capture position of her own, but remained quiet about it, leaving Twilight with something to think on. To leave the pawn where it was would potentially threaten other, more important pieces. This was known as the Elephant Gambit, black sacrificing a pawn to gain the initiative of the game. Risky, but with potential pay off.

As they talked and the game progressed and strategies had to be alternated to prepare for the incoming attacks or potentially dangerous moves, Widget became more and more impressed with Twilight's prowess. He had expected her to be more inflexible in a game like chess than she was proving to be, where there was indeed literally volumes of books about the different moves and strategies, names for every move of every piece at every place on the board and things you were 'supposed' to do in certain situations. But she was proving to be fierce competition, and Widget was glad he had not gone so easy on her as he had first considered.

It seemed like no time at all had passed, though it had been nearly forty-five minutes, the deserts and tea gone (except for a few of the candied flowers left over), when Widget finally smiled, moving his rook in a sweeping right motion to capture Twilight's knight. "Check," he said. It was not over yet, he knew, but it felt good to have at least a little momentary advantage! "For the concert in Canterlot, would you like to make it an overnight trip? It'd be nice to spend the whole day there and come back the next morning. We won't be so tired coming home."

It had been a long time since Twilight had played Chess.  She'd almost forgotten how enjoyable it was.  There were few games out there which allowed her to flex stratagem while still actually being a game... though she'd been warned away from a world-domination board game called 'Threat'.  She couldn't help but wonder why though?  All the same, she found herself enjoying the game immensely.  Widget was a very different opponent than Princess Celestia was and she felt a greater deal of give-and-take as they moved their pieces about the board.  She could tell he was considering his moves and adjusting to her own tactics, as she did with his, and the two played off each other with a more satisfying sense of challenge.  While she adored the Princess and treasured the hours spent together over a chess board with her, there was always a faint sense of boredom with Celestia... like she already knew all the possible outcomes and moved her pieces with unflinching confidence.  She never paused to consider a move or hesitated with her piece unplaced.  It was actually incredibly intimidating at times.

"For the concert in Canterlot, would you like to make it an overnight trip? It'd be nice to spend the whole day there and come back the next morning. We won't be so tired coming home."

Twilight very nearly knocked the board aside all a sudden while her bishop hovered in mid-air.  The little flinch had not been on purpose, but Widget had taken her by surprise with such a question.  He meant it innocently but her mind immediately leaped to the first most worrisome conclusion, as she was wont to do.  While Widget had been thinking about convenience and comfort for their trip, her brain focused on the 'spending the night together' portion and riled her into a momentary bout of reflexive panic.  At least nothing exploded that time around.  All the same she coughed softly to clear her throat and set her piece down to break check.  Within the next two moves she'd managed to sweep her King away to a safer position -- she was absolutely playing defensively then since he'd unwittingly thrown her concentration.

"Th-that sounds like a good idea.  Sleeping on trains isn't very easy anyway..." she agreed, though her tone was strained as she tried to force her heart back down from where it had leaped into her throat.

Widget had cocked a brow at Twilight's unexpected reaction to his, he thought, innocent and simple question, glad she had not toppled the board to bring the game to an unexpected tie ending. She was quite right - sleeping on a train was a nightmare, bumpy and brutal to say the least. He never slept right while riding a train, and the last thing he wanted to do was be useless the next day after an awful night trying to do so. He watched her sweep away her king to a safe distance and take up the defensive against his pieces. Perhaps the sudden unexpected check had startled her and not his question?

"Alright then, great. I'll find a hotel that still has vacancies tonight and make reservations," he said, trying to pretend he hadn't notice her almost topple the board to keep her from being embarrassed about it. He lifted his right bishop and tapped it gently on the square it had been resting on as he considered the board, one hoof under his chin as he squinted at each possible place he could move it. At last, he decided that a sacrifice was necessary to leave Twilight's king better exposed, and swept forward across the tiles to capture her castle. "Check," he said, but he already knew Twilight's next move. The bishop was defenseless and on its own, its purpose of capturing Twilight's castle completed.

"Are you okay?" he asked, smiling slightly, though he did look a bit concerned. "You seem a little stressed about something. You shouldn't be nervous about judging the contest. It will be fun."

Twilight once more broke check and led Widget on a merry little chase across the board as she kept her King in evasion, getting back into check every few moves before slipping away again.  By that time she'd lost a lot of her pieces as well and seemed to be grasping.

"Sorry... I'm not worried about the contest.  I just sort of freaked myself out there for a second.  It's nothing important." she covered with a sheepish smile.  Yeah, like she could really fess up to having a brief panic moment over that.  "A hotel is actually a really good idea.  Normally I'd just say we could stay at my parents' place, but it's better not to impose.  Besides, I'd feel bad about making you sleep on a sofa.  Mine and Shining Armor's old bedrooms got turned into offices and work spaces years ago."

"No problem," he said brightly when she apologized about freaking out, and requested no more information about it. Twilight often got upset or startled about different things, but soothed herself in short order, and the last thing Widget wanted to do was draw attention to it and embarrass her.

"I would say we could stay at Golden Laurel's house. She has lots of room," he said as he started after her across the board in almost a playful fashion, smiling and obviously highly entertained with her strategies. "But trust me... We do not want to stay there longer than we have to. I love my Auntie Laurie, as she always insisted on being called, but I have to take her in hourly dollops at the very most and no more than that. You'll see."

As they hopped and skipped around the board, it was quickly coming down to the wire. Twilight was proving a slippery opponent, and as more pieces disappeared, Widget seemed to be getting happier and more excited for the final move to come. "And you were worried you wouldn't be a good opponent," he chuckled as he moved his remaining knight toward her king, but it was not a check, not yet anyway. "This is the best game I've had since I left Canterlot. Of course, that means I'll have to bring out the chess set more often."

Plans for the future were just that -- in the future.  She could worry about them later.  What was it that Spike said?  It would be Future Twilight's problem.  Of course, thinking that just made her inwardly groan.  She'd actually met (and become) Future Twilight... okay, so maybe that wasn't the best way to go about things.  Instead she tried to focus her attention back on the present and the game she was losing.

"I hope you do.  I may not be doing so well, but I have enjoyed it.  I tried to get Spike to learn how to play as well, but he didn't really have the patience for it.  He's more of a Checkers kind of Dragon." she smiled idly as she moved for another defensive move.  At that point it was pretty much moot though.  Within another two placements she was well and trapped.  She quickly ran through the possible legal moves from her current position on the board and realized that she was out of options come the start of her next turn.

With a soft shrug and a smile, Twilight reached over and gently tapped her King over, letting it clatter to the board in defeat.  While she knew there were mixed feelings on such a move, she always felt it was better to resign than drag on an obviously lost outcome.  The Unicorn offered a hoof across the board to shake.  "Best two of three?"

Widget could well imagine doing this every Sunday afternoon. A walk in the woods to a quiet, secluded spot, classical music and gentle wind surrounding them with the smell of the season, a tasty lunch packed up for them, and a wonderful game of chess to match their conversations. Heaven could not come closer than this.

Part of him was sad as he watched the white king clatter to the board, watching it roll slightly until it came to rest against her remaining bishop. It was not the way Widget would have ended this game had he been in Twilight's position. He liked to draw it out, to fight and struggle to the last breath, even if there was no real hope in winning. At the same time, he could more than appreciate Twilight's decisive movement in ending the match on her own terms rather than let herself be chased about and worn down bit by bit.

He reached across the board to take her hoof, then pulled slightly as he moved forward as he grinned. He kissed her with a heat behind it, pouring silent words into it - his affection, his thanks for the frankly amazing game, and best of all, not dissuaded from her loss, her desire for a continuance of their play time. "Absolutely," he answered at last when he finally drew back, ignoring how his glasses had gone slightly askew. With one quick flash of his horn, he set up the pieces to their proper places once more, even though he wasn't even looking at them. "And don't say that you didn't do well. It was a great game. I didn't even go easy on you." He grinned.

Twilight perked curiously when Widget took her hoof and gave a soft tone of surprise upon being tugged closer over the board, but it was muffled into a more pleased sound from the kiss.  Her surprise tapered away into a silly smile as her ears flattened back and she savored the affection readily, returning it in kind.  For as often as she rocked Widget back on his hooves with little unexpected kisses of her own, it was oh so nice to receive them as well.  She was left blushing as she settled back down on her side of the board but smiling all the same.

"If that's what happens each time I lose, you're not exactly encouraging me to try and win."  she teased as she lit her horn and carefully spun the board about, giving Widget the white pieces and first move for that round.

Widget couldn't help but to grin brightly as Twilight was so obviously taken off guard by his kiss. It was good to know he held at least a fraction of the sway over her as she did over him! "Don't think of it like that," he chuckled as he peered down at his white pieces. "Think about how much better it will be if you win. Victor's reward, and all." He winked with promise as he moved his white pawn out.

"How long do we have until we have to get to the square?" he inquired. He wasn't sure on the time - only that she would be needed this afternoon.

From Town Square Special Event

Scoots slowly made her way through the trees, wings buzzing at a quarter of their normal speed as she followed no known path and simply went further and further into the forest. She didn't have to worry about monsters or getting lost in Whitetail Woods, they weren't dangerous. As she went along she didn't even notice as the ground began to get steeper and steeper until she had suddenly reached the edge of a plateau. Coming to a stop she stood on her scooter, surveying the landscape that spread for as far as she could see in every direction. She could see everything from up here, there in the distance Sweet Apple Acres with it's many apple trees. Into Ponyville, the Carousal Boutique with it's eye catching purple and white combo. The school yard, the hospital............the Summersong Cafe.

Letting out a sigh she undid the chin strap for her helmet and let it fall to the ground. Showing a bit more care for her scooter she gently laid it down onto the ground. Rubbing a hoof through her mane she walked to the edge of the cliff and sat down, kicking a stone over the ledge and watching it tumble down before vanishing into the tree tops. How had everything gone so wrong so quick? If only she hadn't been out in that thunderstorm, if only she'd not stopped so long to drink or even stopped at all.

She heaved another sigh, lifting her eyes skyward and wishing that the moon was out instead of the sun.

♪♫♪♫
For what seems a thousand years I have waited here for you,
waiting every night.
For I thought you were the answer to my liiiiife.
♪♫♪♫

She turned her head, her gaze landing on her mother's little memorial though she couldn't actually see the stone as the surrounding trees blocked her view before scanning over to look at Rainbow's cloud house.

♪♫♪♫
Days turned into weeks
and into countless years
Patience had to fade.
♪♫♪♫

She stood up and turned to look at Ponyville, more where the Summer Song Cafe was, her gaze hardening before crumbling.

♪♫♪♫
Don't you see that there
is sorrow in my eyeeeeees!
♪♫♪♫

She looked up at the sky, picturing it filled with stars and the full moon glowing proudly.

♪♫♪♫
Luna won't you cry for me
I'm as lonely as I've ever been
I am forced back into the start
is there any way to fix a broken hearrrrt?
♪♫♪♫

She looked back to the ground, her eyes sweeping over Sweet Apple Acres and Carousal Boutique, Rainbow's house and even Diamond Tiara's home.

♪♫♪♫
Infinite despise
and endless jealousy
Bottled in my soul
Has erupted as I'm
tearing across the grouuund!
Days turned into weeks
and into countless years
Patience had to fade
Don't you see that there
is sorrow in my eyeeeeees!
♪♫♪♫

She sat back down, closing her eyes and tilting her face towards the heavens.

♪♫♪♫
Luna won't you cry for me
I'm as lonely as I've ever been
I am forced back into the start
is there any way to fix a broken hearrrrt?
♪♫♪♫

She sat there for nearly a minute, not moving and seeming for all the world to be a statue. Then, in a voice barely above a whisper and thick with unshed tears and grief she began to sing once more.

♪♫♪♫
Days turned into weeks
and into countless years
Patience had to fade
Don't you see that there
is sorrow in my eyeeeeees!
♪♫♪♫

Her voice rose higher, taking on an almost hopeful, begging quality.

♪♫♪♫
Luna won't you cry for me
I'm as lonely as I've ever been
I am forced back into the start
is there any way to fix a broken
Luna won't you cry for me
I'm as lonely as I've ever been
I am forced back into the start
is there any way to fix a broken hearrrrt?
♪♫♪♫

♪♫♪♫
Is there any way to fix a broken hearrrrt?
♪♫♪♫

She slowly opened her eyes, turning her head slightly so she could just see her mother's memorial out of the corner of her eye. Her voice dropped down into a whisper.

♪♫♪♫
_{Is there any way to fix a broken hearrrrt?}
♪♫♪♫

Her voice trailed off into silence, her gaze never leaving the memorial. "I love you Mommy." She said softly, pushing herself onto her hooves. She walked over to where her scooter and helmet were though instead of grabbing them she laid down next to them and simply let her gaze wander.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:53, Mon 17 Dec 2012.

When asked about the time, Twilight peered past Widget to the little monument of stones she'd built in the center of her hide away.  The shadow they cast due to the sun perfectly aligned with the spacing of the trees around the perimeter of the clearing and, as it was designed to do, told her the time as a giant sundial.  "We've still got a while, I think." she mentioned.

The two were well into their second game by the time noise from town started to filter on over through the woods.  They weren't all that far off from Ponyville, all things considered, and the powerful speakers from Vinyl Scratch's sound system carried very well.  If they listened closely, they could just make out what was going on.  In the meantime, Twilight contented herself to discussing topics for the trivia quiz and pacing through another stimulating game of chess; she was happy to find she did better her second game both as a combination of slowly getting back into the swing of it and recognizing a few of Widget's moves ahead of time.  She was busy trying to lock down his bishop as part of an ongoing ploy when the second round of Rainbow Dash's contest ended.

"Oops... looks like that's our cue.  Let's put a pause on the game here.  We can come back to it afterward, okay?" she asked sweetly.  "I'll just teleport us to Town Square."

Though slightly disappointed that the time had come for their game to be put on pause, he knew he was going to have fun at the contest that Twilight had been planning trivia for. And like she said, they could come back to it when they were done and finish up their game. It was fun, he thought, how a lunch date had turned into an all day date, even with something as big as the contest in the middle!

"Okay," he said trustingly as he stood up and moved to her side. "Uh... I've never been teleported before. Do I have to do anything, hold my breath or something?" he asked, half teasing.

"Just stand close." Twilight prompted.  When Widget would no doubt move to her side she smiled and shook her head.  "No, closer."  Only when they were nuzzled side-to-side would she apparently be satisfied.  Of course, that wasn't at all necessary to teleport.  She just liked the way it felt.

"Now, just for fair warning -- you may feel a little vertigo." she explained as her horn lit up.  She didn't give Widget a chance to question that before the two suddenly vanished in a flare of magical sparkles.  Better just to do it quickly than let him build up any anxiousness about it, right?

--> Twilight and Widget teleport to Special Event in Town Square

As the sun began to set and darkness started to creep across the landscape Scoots decided that she had spent enough time on the mountain and that she should get moving again. However, she didn't particularly care for heading back into town or even back to the CMC club house. Looking at the area her mothers marker was in she made up her mind. Snatching up her helmet and snapping it in place she picked up her scooter and hopped on it before making her way down the mountain. She zipped and zagged along the slight path she had made coming up before veering off and heading towards the glade.

It took nearly twenty minutes to reach but it wasn't like she was going fast, she totally could have gotten there in five minutes if she really wanted to. Coming to a halt she leaned her scooter against a tree and laid her helmet on the ground. Walking over to the stone she stared at it for awhile before collapsing on the ground with a WHUMPF! She let out a sigh. Why did things have to be so complicated? Why couldn't they just be simple and easy?

--> from Town Square

Rainbow Dash walked with Greenwood into the White Tail Forest, her head on a swivel as she scanned around for any signs of Scootaloo. That's what Greenwood was there for, after all, but it couldn't hurt to keep an eye out anyway. As they strolled along, Rainbow Dash was making small-talk. "...and then I totally broke the speed of sound and did a rainbow at the same time! It was a Sonic Rainboom! And let me tell you... it was... so... awesome!" she gushed over her own accolades, having gone over them from the time they left.

Finally, she looked the unicorn over as if studying her. "I've never seen you around town before today, Greenwood. What is it you do for a living? And how do you know Scootaloo?"

<-- Greenwood and Applebloom enter from Town Square

"Uh huh... yeah... uh huh..." Greenwood had fallen into the habit of nodding and commenting every now and then as she led the talkative Rainbow Dash along through the woods.  Geeze, she was just like Scootaloo... were the two sisters or something?  When the topic shifted over to herself, the Unicorn actually didn't notice at first and continued her deadpan until her brain caught up with her mouth to correct herself.

"Huh?  Oh... no, I'm not from Ponyville.  Trottingham, actually." Greenwood felt her accent would have given that away, but then again, the Pegasus didn't really seem all that bright to her.  Apparently not all muscle-brains were big and bulky.  She gave her flank a slight wiggle to indicate her Cutie Mark -- a chair and bull whip.  Applebloom couldn't help but grimace a bit; she still recalled that time she did lion taming as a result of her Cutie Pox using such props...

"I'm a monster hunter.  I go around tracking down beasties that have wandered into civilized areas and haul them back to where they belong.  Dirty work, but good for folk."  she explained.  It wasn't a complete lie... in the past, that was precisely what Greenwood had done for a living.  It was just that she eventually found it was more profitable to sell those captured monsters off rather than deliver them home, and one thing led to another... "I was out of Fillydelphia when I heard rumor of some poachers making a mess of things in the Everfree Forest and went to investigate, but got lost and was being attacked by some kind of savage Pony-thing.  Guess I accidentally stumbled into her territory or something, 'cause she really has it out for me.  Scootaloo found me and showed me the way to town.  Really pulled me out of a jam, that one.  She's a good kid... not particularly wise, but that's beside the point."

"What'ya mean?" Applebloom asked.

Greenwood didn't answer immediately as she paused at a point in the woods and looked about keenly.  She lifted her head to the breeze and sniffed a few times, then changed course to take them off the beaten path and amid the trees.  "Not my place to say, kiddo.  Best you ask her yourself.  She's not far.  Assuming she's not still moving, we'll come across her in a few minutes, so keep it down."

<-- Entering from Rainbow Dash's Contest

A long ways off from where the little adventuring party was trekking through the woods sat Twilight's clearing and, within it, a flash of light that suddenly flared up.  Teleportation: the only way to travel.  Twilight Sparkle kept by Widget's side in case he was left woozy from the jump again, there to steady him until he was safe on his own hooves.

"Ah, just as we left it."  she mentioned as their briefly abandoned picnic and chess game was still where it laid.

"Trottingham, huh? Interesting." Dash almost deadpanned. "I don't think we've ever had a pony from there around here before." she commented. As the flank shaking commenced, she took a moment to look it over. "A monster hunter? That's pretty neat, I guess." she mumbled, trying her best not to sound too excited about it. It couldn't be better than the accolades of Rainbow Dash of course! At the mention of poachers, Rainbow Dash did show some emotion as she let out a soft growl. "Ugh. Poachers. I've read stories about them in the newspaper. Sick, disgusting ponies, I tell you. I hope you found one of them and made their lives miserable. If I ever came across one, I'd show them all the colours of the Painbow." She growled again.

Sensing she might be disturbing Applebloom a tad with talk like that, she leaned down with a grin. "And then feed them to a giant manticore~" She made sure to sound all fake and over dramatic for this part, even giving a 'chomp' sound effect. Despite the show for Applebloom, she still meant those words. To cause harm to any innocent creature out there willingly and only for your own personal gain and satisfaction... that was beyond disgusting to the cyan Pegasus.

"Alright, I'll keep my eyes peeled for any sign of her." she mentioned as Greenwood instructed them to be quiet. She wanted to find Scootaloo as quickly as possible and didn't want to cause any sort of sound to alert her.

<<< FROM: Town Square

Widget wobbled slightly, but he seemed better as they materialized in the forest clearing where they had left off, his eyes only slightly crossed from the dizziness set in by the teleportation. "I'm not sure I'll ever get used to that..." he mumbled, shaking his head slightly to clear it before stepping slightly forward to gather his footing. "Though I suppose it's not that bad, if I get to stand next to you for it." He grinned, and moved back to the board game with her.

"Well, that was an interesting afternoon," he said with a chuckle, kneeling down again on his side of the board and examining it to remember where they'd left off. "Interesting developments... Rainbow Dash and Applejack... Honestly, I didn't see it coming. What do you think about it all?"

"You know, you don't need an excuse to do that~."  Twilight cooed as she pressed herself warmly to Widget's side before they parted to regard their game.  While the evening was still fairly bright, she took a moment to place an orb of magical light overhead to illuminate the immediate area and take the strain off their eyes.

As the conversation turned to Applejack and Rainbow Dash's new relationship, Twilight needed a moment to ponder on it all before she could answer.  "I'm not really sure, to be honest.  I had my suspicions from talking to each of them though." she shrugged.  "It's odd to think of them as a couple, but if they're happy, then that's all that really matters.  They've always gotten along together so well... they used to lock horns in the past, but that only made them even better friends in the long run."

"Heh, I should hope not," Widget teased back as she pulled away to go back to her side of the board. The magical orb was quite welcome, especially since Widget's eyesight was quite poor enough without the falling dusk making it difficult to see. Low light was not this colt's friend. Which was odd, considering how much delicate work he did after dark.

"Well, I think the best thing anypony can do in this situation is treat them exactly the same as they have been," said Widget confidently. "It seemed to me like this was much more of a spur of the moment revelation. They're likely both feeling a bit unsure, especially with how they were fighting beforehand. I don't know them as well as you do, but I wouldn't even ask about it. You're the pony they talk to most when they have issues - you'll likely know everything eventually, whether you want to or not." He smirked, imagining Twilight playing as a couples therapist for Applejack and Rainbow Dash, and finding it quite an amusing thought. "Your move, I think."

"Mm... don't I know it.  I just wish they'd come to me with something I had a little more authority on.  I'm still getting used to just having such good friends, let alone the idea of friends dating." Twilight had to admit as she lifted her bishop to move along to a plan of attack.  "Still, they've known each other for years; much longer than I've known either of them.  I can't help but wonder if this sort of thing was just a long time coming rather than a sudden development."

Her horn glowed brightly as she cast another spell, conjuring up a set of blankets out of thin air to drape down over the both of them.  It was still a temperate evening, but a faint chill in the air as the sun went down inspired Twilight to take precautions for comfort.  As she drew her blanket up about her shoulders, she cast Widget a fond smile.  "Besides, it's been my experience so far that having a romance with a friend can end up being pretty great~."
This message was last edited by the player at 22:52, Thu 10 Jan 2013.

Widget had a better idea. He stood and moved over to lay down at her side, moving the blanket so that he snuggled up beside her under the blanket she had conjured. That was a much better way to keep warm... "You can definitely say that again," he said fondly as she stated that dating friends could end up great. He leaned slightly against her as he studied the board backwards, and didn't seemed slowed by it at all, moving a decoy pawn into position by magic once her move was finished and he'd had a moment to think. "You might not think you have authority on it, but as far as I know, you are, or were, the only pony in your brigade of friends that was dating anypony. And like I said, you're who they trust the most anyway." He smirked, leaned down, and bumped her muzzle gently with his in a playful manner. "And you might not be experienced, but you're a pretty darn good fillyfriend, you know..."

He stayed like that, leaning slightly on her and watching her pretty face study the board. "Would you like to come to my house for dinner tonight after this game? It'll be late, just a light meal, but it's better than going to bed hungry."

Having Widget join her on her side of the board surprised Twilight and part of her instinctively wanted to object to it -- players were supposed to stay on their own sides of the field, after all.  But... well, the warmth of him next to her and that fond nuzzle made any objections she may have had evaporate away.  It wasn't like there was any rule that said they had to sit on opposite sides, right?

...note to self; find book for Equestrian standardized rules and etiquette for Chess.

Despite herself, Twilight couldn't help but blush and turn away bashfully as Widget gazed at her and said such things.  It was distracting, but in a good way.  The smile that made its way over her face spoke volumes to that regard.  "That sounds like a wonderful idea, actually... I'd love to." she smiled up at him.  "Though if that's the plan, why don't we just head there now?  I bet sharing a game and meal in front of the fire place would be a lot more cozy..."

"Ahh... That sounds excellent," he said softly, imagining the warmth of the fire washing over them and the chess board with a lovely light dinner set beside them, maybe some sliced apples with caramel or peanut butter for dessert as they played their game and talked. A little glass of cider for a night cap, and then a lovely walk under the stars to take her home. It sounded like the perfect evening. "I'd rather walk, if it's all the same to you. Not that far, not that late. And that teleportation spell, it makes me dizzier than a malfunctioning carousel." He didn't move from her side, but rather started packing up the picnic area by magic, everything except the chessboard for now, which he'd carry back by magic to keep the pieces in place.

Finally, however, there was little left to do but actually stand and leave. So, it was with obvious discontent that he stood up from her side, and reached down to help her up to her hooves again, the light shining off his glasses. "Ready?"

"You know, I notice that we have a bad habit.  Every time we plan to just meet for lunch, or a quick chat, we end up spending the entire day together."  Twilight observed as she took Widget's offered hoof to help her rise up.  She didn't move far from his side though.  Quite the contrary; even as she dispelled the conjured blankets, she kept close against him and rested her head against his shoulder as they started off for his home.

"Not that I'm complaining, mind you..."  she grinned, quickly stealing a kiss from his cheek to boot.

--> Twilight exits to Widget's shop, and likely ends Day 8.

Widget couldn't help himself. The idea of spending every day with Twilight was incredibly appealing... He smiled at her as she rested her head on his shoulder and reached down slightly to kiss the top of her muzzle with obvious affection. "Well, it's definitely not a bad habit, is it?" he chuckled, moving out of the clearing with her to the path, and enjoying very much their walk back to his home.

>>> TO: Widget's Home

End of Day 8

Scootaloo let out another heavy sigh, reaching up a wing to brush along the name as she looked up into the darkening sky. Her eyes drifted about until they settled on the area where Rainbow's cloud house was.

♪♫♪♫
There is a castle on a cloud
I like to go there when it's night
Ain't anypony to yell and fight
Not in my castle on a cloud
♪♫♪♫

---

Tracking by nightfall wasn't the best of ideas, but it wasn't like the White Tail Woods were dangerous.  The most vicious creature they might have encountered in that area would have been a particularly ornery squirrel.  Greenwood continued to lead the bunch along but paused as the sound of a quiet, wafting voice carried itself on the breeze.

"Well... that makes things simpler."  she noted, gesturing for the rest to keep quiet as they continued along in pursuit of that familiar voice singing its sad song.  It wouldn't take them long at all to crest a low hill and find Scootaloo at that somber bit of stonework she favored so much, though the Unicorn thrust out a hoof to keep her companions where they were and out of sight.  She had a bad feeling about this all a sudden...

---

Rainbow Dash was just about to speak when Greenwood raised a hoof to ensure silence. Was that Scootaloo singing? Of course it was... she would recognize that voice anywhere. She swallowed hard, hearing the words. It was such a sad song... and Scootaloo always seemed so upbeat.

As they got sight of Scootaloo, Rainbow noticed the stones she was singing beside. Were those gravestones? Like her unicorn guide, Dash began to get a pit in her stomach.

---

Scootaloo, unaware that she had gained an audience continued to sing. Her eyes never strayed from where they were, locked firmly on Rainbow's cloud house.

♪♫♪♫
There is a room that's full of toys
Full of friendly fillies and colts
Nopony is cruel or too proud
Not in my castle on a cloud
♪♫♪♫
Her voice lifted up as she turned her focus back to the marker, extending her wing out and running her feathers over the name.

♪♫♪♫
There is a mare she's all in white
Holds me and sings me a lullaby
♪♫♪♫
She wrapped her wings and forelegs around herself, her voice starting to choke up as she continued.
♪♫♪♫
She's warm and soft and she smiles too
She says "I love you, Scootaloo."
♪♫♪♫

♪♫♪♫
I know a place where nopony's lost
I know a place where nopony cries
Crying at all is not allowed
Not in my castle on a cloud
♪♫♪♫

Her voice trailed off as she drew the song to a close, letting her eyes slip shut and leaning forward to rest her forehead on the stone.

---

"Starting to get the idea?  I imagine she's been coming here for quite a while... kid's lost quite a lot, and she's scared." Greenwood stated quietly to the Ponies at her sides.  She didn't fully explain the situation - it wasn't her place to do so.  That was Scootaloo's choice and she was entitled to it.  But that didn't mean the Poacher would go and let the dumb brat go and screw her life up any more than she already had without at least making some effort to set her straight.

Applebloom looked back and forth between the adults and where Scootaloo sat with her expression one clearly conflicted.  She didn't quite understand what was happening but had a sinking feeling she knew where things were going.  It occurred to her that Scootaloo had never been all that forthcoming about her life... they all trusted each other and shared so much, but each of the three fillies naturally had their secrets.  She hesitated by Rainbow Dash's side, worried and still as Greenwood quietly cantered forward into the little clearing.  The Unicorn cleared her throat loudly enough to let her presence be known.

---

As the words of the song were heard more clearly and the grave markers seen more clearly and Greenwood's words understood, the pit in Rainbow Dash's stomach became a downright gnawing feeling that made her feel like she was going to be sick. Not because she was disgusted by the situation in any way, but because of the stunning realization of it all. Scootaloo... was alone... and had obviously been for quite some time. How could she not have seen it before? How could nopony have seen it before?

As she walked out into the clearing beside Greenwood, she was aware of the stinging in her eyes and the warm wet feeling running down her cheeks. This may have been the first time that Scootaloo ever saw Rainbow Dash cry. "Scootaloo..." she announced her presence as well after Greenwood did.

---

Scootaloo's head whipped up at the sound of somepony clearing their throat behind her! She leaped to her hooves and twisted around, her little wings spread wide to block the name carved into the stone behind her. How had she been discovered?! She let out a little sigh when she saw that it was Greenwood. "Oh, it's just you. You scared me Greenwood, I thought you might be......."

Scoots trailed off, her eyes widened when she saw Rainbow Dash appear out of the woods. Her mouth worked silently for a few seconds before she managed to force herself to speak. "HRGHK!" She shook herself, trying to act cool and collected. "I mean! Um...h-hey Rainbow Dash! What uh, what brings you here?" She asked, a very pained forced smile on her face.

---

Not to be left out, and certainly not without sympathy for the situation especially given how the grown ups were acting, Applebloom wasted no time in practically tackling her friend.  She darted up on tiny hooves and pounced Scootaloo, clasping her tight in a big Earth Pony hug.

"Where in th'hay have y'been, Scootaloo?  We've all been worried sick lookin' for ya' all week!  Why'd ya'... where did... what's..."  she seemed to be a little flustered by a sudden rush of emotion at finally having her friend back after such a hard time fretting over her absence.

---

Wordlessly, Rainbow Dash rushed forward and took Scootaloo in a tight hug. The filly could feel Rainbow's body shake a little and feel wetness dripping onto her shoulder. Rainbow Dash was crying... and not even bothering to hide it. "Scootaloo..." she whispered again. "Why didn't you tell us...? Why didn't we see it before...?" she muttered, shaking her head. "Scootaloo... I'm so so sorry..."

---

Scootaloo was at a total loss, completely unsure of what to do or how to react. First Applebloom hugged her, scolding her for going missing for more than a week which she couldn't really blame her for. Then the Rainbow Dash was hugging her! And crying! And she was talking as though she knew her secret! How did she know?!

Her eyes drifted to Greenwood, wondering if she had told them. "I......I uh, don't know what you're talking about."

---

As it were, Greenwood had kept her peace about the whole matter.  Well... at least in outright explaining everything herself, though not in orchestrating the meeting to some degree.  As Scootaloo continued to protest the situation, however, the Poacher just groaned and rolled her eyes.

"Cut the horse apples, kid." she groused as she met eyes with the fretting filly.  Was she really so quick to forget?  Just earlier that afternoon Scootaloo had been left burning with shame as Greenwood called her out on her own mistakes, and here she was making another.  Why?  Because she was scared?  Proud?  Just too dang stupid to see what she had going for her?  It was almost enough to make Greenwood lose her temper as Scootaloo was in the process of doing exactly what the Unicorn had accused her of earlier; she had so much that Greenwood never had as a child, literally holding her tight just then, and she was willing to squander it for no reason.

---

Rainbow Dash sniffled a little, doing her best to hold back her tears. She had to keep up the brave and cool appearance after all! But to think that Scootaloo had been alone and living like this for so long... bearing that burden all by herself... it broke Dash's heart all over again.

She sniffled once again, blinking out a few more tears. She cast her gaze down toward the grave markers. Surely those must be for her parents... either they were actually buried there, or Scootaloo made it in their honour. Either way, it had the same impact and meaning for the little filly... and for Rainbow Dash as well. "I'm sorry, Scootaloo... How could I have been so blind for so long? How could we all have?" she turned to Greenwood and smiled. "I guess we just needed a guide is all."

She turned back to Scootaloo, finally releasing her from the hug and looking her in the eyes. "Scootaloo... please... come back with me to Sweet Apple Acres. I know you may not want to talk about it right now, but please... know that I know. I can see it all now." she said a little sadly. "Please let me take care of you, at least for now."

---

Scootaloo looked back and forth between Greenwood and Rainbow, her mouth working soundlessly as she tried to come up with a lie to salvage this mess. But she had finally run out of lies, finally come to the end of her rope, confronted and caught at the marker she made for her mother she could no longer keep it buried inside. When Rainbow released her spoke kind words of acceptance and offering to look after her, not words of shipping her off to an orphanage she was stunned. She looked up at her idol, eyes beginning to glisten with tears as her lips trembled. "I............I....I..I'manorphan!" She blurted out, rushing forward and throwing herself against Rainbow, locking her in a fierce hug and bawling her eyes out. "I'manorphanI'manorphanI'manorphan!"

---

Greenwood gave Rainbow Dash a congenial smile when she looked her way, though once the Pegasus returned her attention to the weeping filly, she let that expression drop and just rolled her eyes in disgust.  Ugh... how sappy were these small town hicks?  She half expected the lot of them to burst out into song at any moment... again.  Still, all these bumpkins were too ignorant to notice an orphan in their midst and needed someone with a bit more savvy to set things straight.  Playing mastermind wasn't exactly Greenwood's forte, but someone had to do it.

"Scootaloo... why didn't y'ever tell us?  Ah lost m'parents too -- y'know that.  We coulda helped." Applebloom had extracted herself from the hug more to give Rainbow Dash room to move than anything else.  The little filly was rightfully confused.  Why hadn't Scootaloo trusted them with this?  How could they have never noticed until now?

"Can we discuss this on the way to that farm?  I've spent enough evenings in the woods as of late, thank you very much."  Greenwood interjected on the emotional moment with a jab of practicality.

---

Rainbow Dash sniffled and wiped a tear away with a hoof. She held Scootaloo throughout that entire confession and only now let her go enough to look into her eyes with a smile. "You may be an orphan... but you're not alone." she gave a knowing nod. "And you will never be alone again... I swear to Celestia."

She crouched down to allow Scootaloo to hop up onto her back before nodding at Greenwood's practical comment. "You're right. We need to get back... it'll be nearly morning by the time we get to the farm as is." she smiled and began the trek back to town. "You're all right, Greenwood. You might want to consider a career change and come live in Ponyville someday." she flashed her a little look. It seemed Rainbow Dash wasn't a dense country bumpkin after all... though she made sure to keep her comment covert enough so that the fillies wouldn't catch on.

---

Scoots wiped at her eyes, trying to stop the flow of tears but unable to do so. She nodded once at Rainbows words, almost unable to believe what she was hearing. She didn't have to be alone anymore. She gave up the battle to stop her tears, the rush of emotions to great for her to combat any longer. She barely managed to clamber onto the cyan coated pony, her hooves slipping more than once. Finally managing it she curled up high on Rainbow's back, burying her face in the prismatic mane before her as she cried. As they headed back to Sweet Apple Acres it wasn't long before her soft crying trailed off to be replaced by light snoring.

---

To Sweet Apple Acres! -->

Day 9 Kaishi!

As the sun rose over Ponyville, and sleepy ponies began rousing themselves from comfortable beds to begin their daily routines, the morning found that Fung had beaten it to the punch.  With Merriweather busy preparing for her competition later, Fung had been alone for his exercises today.  But, in an uncharacteristically spontaneous turn of events, Fung had woken up before dawn, traveled to Whitetail Woods, and run.  He had run with wild abandon, ignoring the hoof-trodden paths and charging straight through the wilderness, dodging trees and fallen logs in great bounds like a deer.  When the sun finally began to rise, Fung bounded his way to the top of a very old tree that towered over its cousins.

During his run, Fung's hair tie had become caught on an errant branch and been pulled free, leaving his mane to blow in the wind as he swayed along with the tree, watching the sun climb over the distant mountains.  His chest was heaving, and he was covered in sweat, but there was a... brightness in his eyes, and a small smile curving at his cheek.  Fung was happy, enthusiastic even.  He stood there atop that tree for a long time while the sun rose, both to catch his breath and to enjoy the...well, solitude was a poor word for it.  In a place where the sun was so closely connected with the ruling caste, whom one knew personally, watching a sun rise had a different sort feeling.  Instead, Fung felt more as if he were spending the early morning in the company of someone who was comforting and reassuring, and perhaps more than a little encouraging too.  A bit unwarranted, perhaps, considering Fung had almost no relationship with Celestia.  But who's to say that the benevolent Binarch wasn't watching?

The thought slowly faded as the sun rose higher, and slowly the feeling of solitude settled in.  The wind became a bit cooler for it as well, and so Fung made his way back down to the bottom of the tree, a bit more like his usual self again.  He felt his mane with one hoof and grimaced, mourning his lost hair accessory.  Instead, he removed the tie from his tail and pulled his rebellious mane back in a pony tail.  It was the best he could do without a full vanity mirror, and he wasn't likely to find one out in the woods.  Thus equipped, Fung turned back the way he had come, walking at an easy pace.  It was still early yet.  Summer Song was probably only just opening.  He had time to enjoy a walk.

-->Exit to Summer Song Cafe-->
This message was last edited by the player at 01:55, Tue 05 Feb 2013.

--------> From Sugarcube Corner

her cloven hooves had taken her from the far side of Ponyville to Whitetail Woods in what felt like the blink of an eye. When she finally did stop Natra Condu was breathing hard, looking around in panic and worry. She'd left Pinkie Pie behind, all the others to get devoured but was it worth it? At least she was safe, right? She couldn't believe she hadn't seen the trap sooner! Silly filly that she was she'd let herself fall into the traps of this strange, perverse reflection of how life was lived back home!

She slumped near a tree with labor and breathed for a bit, tears shedding from her eyes. It was all so confusing. She dug some dirt up around her and curled up, tired from the recent events. She didn't exactly blend in as she was but she didn't stick out. She mostly looked like the mossy rock she was patterned to look like.

<<< FROM: Ponyville Town Square

"I know what you're thinking," said Faux as she and Silver passed the tree line and officially entered the woods. "There are a lot of princesses around here. Isn't it awesome?" she added with excitement in her tone. "Princess Twilight Sparkle actually lives here. Princess Celestia and Princess Luna come by often enough to see her and the other Elements of Harmony, and I think they're making friends here otherwise, too. It's a little startling at first, but you get sort of used to it. Princess Luna doesn't make a big deal out of bowing or whatever, but it's still kinda awkward when Princess Celestia shows up."

She gave a carefree shrug, her head back slightly as she breathed in the lovely smell of the forest around then, enjoying the sound of the wind in the leaves. "Ahh... I love the Whitetail Woods. I try to come out here as often as I can."

As he continued to ponder how exactly he had come to gain the eye of such an energetic, outgoing, (and pretty) mare, Silver’s blood froze as said mare said she knew exactly what he was thinking.  Did Faux really know, or was she simply mistaken?  If she did know, would she mind?

He breathed a silent sigh of relief as her intuition proved to be a little off the mark.  But he played along, nodding his understanding.  ”I- can only imagine…” he offered weakly at Faux’s comment about Celestia’s visits.

Grateful that she changed the subject back to the world around them rather than his inner thoughts, Silver took a deep breath to take in the wonderful woodland air.  ”It certainly does have a lovely quality to it, doesn’t it? … I could just stay out here all day!”  His excitement at being outdoors, combined with that at being with a mare who shared his appreciation for nature got the better of him, and he trotted a couple paces ahead and off the path, circling as he took in the woodlands around him.

”I mean, just look at it all! … The hardwood trees,” he knocked on a tree trunk to illustrate his point.   ”… the mossy rocks,” he leapt on top of large lichen-covered lump of rock.  “…the fresh, soft earth beneath your hooves…” he started to jump into the patch of fresh dirt in front of him, but suddenly found himself tumbling head over hooves as he struck an unseen obstruction.

”Whooooaaaahh!!!”  He landed hard, upside down against a tree-trunk as his effects scattered around him for the second time that day.

”Ooooohhh…. What in the name of the Celestial Court was that?...” he swore as he rolled over onto his hooves and rubbed his now aching head.

A good many hours had the Camahueto remained almost entirely motionless. She had already had quite the last week and a half or so... Poachers, Nature Manifest, getting mobbed by ponies, getting reinvited back into their society only to find out just how much of a trap it was... Everything here was backwards....

And then somepony stepped on her!

She roared to life after briefly being stepped on by Silver Bolt, shaking the leaves from her body, the excess dirt from her form. She put a cloven hoof to her own back where the stranger had stepped on her. "Muki Naku Dana!" She cried out in pain, suddenly spotting that she wasn't alone, freezing in place, giving the two of them a surprised, if wary expression. This latest week was very.... troublesome. Even the normally upbeat Natra Condu, after all, was experiencing difficulties. A pang of inward shame touched her at that... wasn't she supposed to be Nature's Conduit? How was she not handling these things more easily?

Faux practically jumped out of her stripes at the sudden sharp roar of a noise that came from under Silver Bolt's hooves, jumping so hard she found herself clinging to the nearest tree, her already bushy purple and teal tail poofed out exactly like a frightened cat's would be, her jaw clenched and eyes very wide indeed. "WHATWHATWHAT??" she cried out sharply, eyes wild before focusing at last on... a pony. A little pony. An awful strange yet frankly adorable little pony. Who was currently limping around and seemed to be cursing at the one who stepped on her.

"Aww..." she preened, even from her spot up on the overhanging tree branch. Her hoof rose at once and pushed down on her hat, less it fall off. "She's so cute! Silver, you've stepped on a forest sprite! We're sorry, little sprite, we didn't see you sleeping there!"

Silver looked at the strange little pony that had startled Faux enough to run her up a tree.  She didn't exactly look the part of a "forest sprite," but she did look familiar to him.

Small stature... cloven hooves... sharp teeth... camouflage coat... I- it couldn't be, could it?

Silver cocked his eyebrow as he studied the pony-like creature.  "I don't think she's a forest sprite, Faux... She looks a lot like a Camahueto..."

He had read almost every issue of Equestria Geographic that had been released since he was just a colt, and a few before that.  He remembered reading an issue dedicated to the wilds of Brayzil, and how it spoke of the race of "Pygmy-Ponies" that inhabited the jungles there.

"But, how on Equis did a Camahueto end up in the Everfree?"

He carefully took a slow step away from his weapons scattered on the ground, gesturing peacefully as he tried to communicate.  "I'm sorry for stepping on you.  Can you understand me?"  His words were slow and carefully enunciated.  He hadn't recognized the language she had cursed in, so he figured communication was going to be a bit of a problem.  "My name is Silver Bolt.  What is your name?"

Standing, more or less, a statue in front of them, still entirely ready to spring into action or into the woods, she waited, trying tentatively to grasp what was being said about her.

And then a string of speech toward her, of which she understood very few words, especially since this particular pony... didn't speak in the same manner as most ponies. He had a strange sound to his voice... as she imagined she must sound when speaking Equestrian, what little she admittedly knew of the language itself. But "Camahueto" DID get understanding, if only in that she knew it was definitely the word this country used to identify her kind. Perhaps THIS instance would end up more favorably than her last pony encounters... and perhaps it wouldn't.

Without relaxing at all she spoke up, having balked at some words and then... You, Me, your... All these words she had never been able to process. What such words signified was, to but it gently, superfluous in the Camahueto language. They didn't have a place or translate even in the slightest. She slowly, cautiously pulled a forehoof up and pointed it at herself, "You?" She asked, then pointing to the stallion who'd stepped on her, "Me?" She asked
This message was last edited by the player at 09:31, Mon 22 July 2013.

"Ooooh... That makes a lot more sense," said Faux as she made her way down the tree in a sort of shimmying motion, before hopping down the last couple of feet to the ground and quickly trotting over to where Silver Bolt and Natra stood near each other. It seemed however that there was a definite language barrier, the poor Camahueto looking completely lost by what Silver Bolt had said. She paid close attention to exactly what seemed to trip the pony up, and gave a small nod. She understood, suddenly, that the smaller pony didn't understand what a pronoun was... I, me, you, he, him, and so forth, likely didn't mean anything to the pony. Which meant she was much more likely to respond to labels or concrete nouns than anything else. Something that wouldn't have a lot of wiggle room.

"Allow me," she said to Silver Bolt, pressing her hoof gently to his shoulder before turning to Natra. This looked like a job for a much more simple tongue.

She thrust out her hoof to point at Silver Bolt. "Silver Bolt," she said, though not loudly, just clearly. Her hoof pointed to herself. "Faux Paws." She then pointed at Natra. "Who?" she asked.

The dirt colored Camahueto finally was starting to understand... though her trust, admittedly, had been taxed the last few days. She gave a small, the smallest of nods and pointed to herself. "Natra Condu..." she said plainly, her eyes darting around for more ponies, maybe just for traps. She pointed cautiously toward Silver Bolt. "Bolt..." She spoke up in acknowledgment. "Paw?" she pointed to Faux Paws.

She hesitated still, She'd taken a wary step backward even further when the mare bounced toward her and Silver, baring her set of razor teeth for half a moment.

Natra's confusion only added to Silver's confusion.  He had spoken as plainly as he could, but she still had not understood him.  He was about to try again, when Faux's hoof on his shoulder gave him pause.

She further simplified her speech, and seemed to be getting through.  The Camehueto still seemed confused, but far less so than before.

"Yes," he started, deciding to go with the shortened names she had given them.  He pointed to himself, "Bolt."  Then to Faux, "Paws."  Then to the camehueto, "Natra."

He gestured between the three of them to ask, "Bolt, Paws, and Natra friends?"

Faux seemed to recognize her mistake, and paused at once in her bounding. "No scared," she said in as soothing a voice as she could, smiling in as friendly a manner as she could, but pushed gently on Silver's shoulder to push him back a little bit, to give the poor Camahueto some room. "Friends!" she said, reinforcing what Silver said, hoping the poor creature would calm down.

It was apparent that they were trying to be nice, though due to her recent experience with ponies... should she give them the chance? Gods of destruction and gods of nature quarreling in Ponyville, pods of ponies pummeling her with angered hooves in defense of a they. It all seemed so backwards now, so difficult to understand. She gave a brief nod. "Natra friend Nature." She claimed simply, digging her hoof in the dirt briefly, tentatively.

"Paw... Bolt... fight no." She continued defensively. "Natra fight no." She took a step back as if it were all some grotesque trap waiting to be sprung. She didn't want to have to deal with it again... so many reasons she decided to run to the Whitetail Woods. "Fight no..." she repeated, tense in body, fluid in mindset

Silver paused when he felt the pressure from Faux’s hoof against him.  The strange pony-like creature was still skiddish, but she seemed to be coming around little by little.

”No fight,”  Silver assured her with a smile.  ”Bolt and Paws friends nature.  Natra friend nature.   Bolt and Paws friends Natra.”

He didn’t make any more movements, as he realized it was time for the camehueto to reach her own conclusions.  He simply stood, smiling and waiting.

"Right. Yes," said Faux, nodding and smiling in agreement with Silver Bolt. She moved closer to Silver, leaning slightly in to show that the two of them were friends. "Bolt and Paw friends. No fight. Bolt and Paw and Natra, friends!" she said encouragingly. This was getting a little worrisome to Faux. Exactly what had happened to the poor creature to make her think they wanted to fight her when they had only just met?

She gave a brief nod, allowed herself to step back toward them. Definitely the stepping on incident could have very well been an accident. Another brief nod then a slow, cautious step forward. She sniffed at Faux, then Silver. They smelled strongly of pony, which was to be expected.... A shiver ran through her at the memory of getting trampled by the pack of ponies. She measured the two of them, confident that, if it came down to it, she could probably take them.

"Ville?" She asked them curiously. She was aware that not all ponies came from Ponyville. in fact she knew very well how many came from gigantic, unnatural places, with houses hundreds of feet high made of solid air. (glass) She knew that some, however, very much lived a more natural lifestyle, living in trees, if oddly hollowed out ones. she muttered and her eyes glowed seeing them for what they were, aura-wise at least. The deep green bursting from her stark violet eyes showed her that there was, if nothing else, no ill intent aimed at her from these two. "Silva? Crasha? Know?" She inquired simply, wondering if they knew her two friends from Ponyville, "Pinni Pie?" Maybe they knew the pink baker.

Silver allowed himself to relax a bit as it became clearer that they had indeed made a new friend out of the camahueto, even if it was a very shaky relationship thusfar.

”Ville?”  Silver echoed, a little confused.  He looked back over his shoulder toward town, ”Ponyville?” he wondered softly, gathering that she was asking if they were from the town.  Turning back to Natra he answered to the best of his understanding, still struggling to simplify his speech:  “Bolt born Trottingham.  Bolt now live Ponyville.”

He recognized one of the names she asked about too.  ”Silva friend Bolt!  Silva friend Natra too?”

He called himself friends with the Griffoness.  She had helped him with his things and he had repaid her with breakfast… By the simplest of definitions that made them friends, right?  Simple was what seemed to be working, at the moment…
This message was last edited by the player at 01:32, Wed 28 Aug 2013.

"Ponyville, yes. Pinkie Pie? Know. BEST friend," she said with a nod, but she wasn't quite sure if Natra was talking about them in terms of friends. Knowing Pinkie Pie, and how extremely timid this one appeared to be, it was very possible she could have scared her back into the woods on accident. That said, Natra seemed almost perked when she had said the name rather than worried. She still looked at her in a concerned expression, wishing she could help her relax.

Silva, above all, had been Natra's ultimate goal the last day or so, trying to find her to prove a pony's guilt. Now she wasn't sure if it was worth it. all the same, connections were connections. The spider does not walk into the tent and build a web right over the fire. It built on the edge, where best suited it. Ponyville didn't seem all THAT bad a place aside from pony tramplings, fights amongst gods and unrealistic outcomes. She nodded, "Silva Natra friend." She said simply, calming down.

She wanted to jump back when Faux piped in excitedly but resisted the urge. She wasn't so great with the Equestrian language but understood the concept of a best friend. She gave a hurried nod. The pink mare was the only pony around who even mildly spoke her language, both literally and figuratively. "Pinnie Pie Natra, BIG monsta." She said, waving her arms wide, "Pinnie Pie Eat, Natra No Eat. Nature Attack Other Nature; fight big. Natra scare. Run Natra." She retold the story of Discord and Luna arguing and her reaction. "Boom Boom, Voice BIG!" She waved her arms a bit more. She still remembered the wrath of Luna upon the crazy god of chaos.

The Sheer Sound Of it.

Silver struggled to follow Natra’s more complicated round of simplified speech, but he thought he got the gist of it.  Something about Pinkie Pie, Natra, and a monster.  Nature attacking Nature, and Natra getting scared and running away.

Well its no wonder she’s a little skiddish if she’s been through that…

He decided it would be best to leave the reply to Faux, however.  Whether it was her familiarity with Pinkie Pie, the fact that her accent was local, or maybe her talent and skill with animals somehow carried over to camehuetos, he did not know, but she somehow seemed to be able to connect to Natra a little easier than he could.

Silver began collecting his scattered things with his magic from where he had impacted the tree, inspecting the arrows carefully to ensure none of them were bent or broken, intending to allow Faux and Natra to communicate a bit.

Faux nodded as if in total and complete understanding. "That definitely sounds like Princess Luna's Royal Canterlot Voice," she said with a sagely nod and a sympathetic look. "No wonder you got scared..."

She gave a soft sigh, thinking about how to approach this. "Ponyville," she said, pointing in that direction. "Big party, at sundown." She swiveled her hoof to the sun and lowered it toward the horizion. "Natra come, if want. Noisy. Crowded. But fun! Food! Friends!" She smiled brightly, hoping that Natra understood. She and Silver were, unfortunately, on a time crunch, and needed to get back to Ponyville very soon to start decorating and cooking.

The Camahueto wasn't sure about so many interactions with the pony folk so soon. They didn't hold her in high esteem. Crowded... she understood that word, and noisy. She had come here to try to get away from noise... Gently she shook her head a bit, taking a step back. It seems like such a trap already. Time and time again. "Uh..." She hesitated, "N-No." She finished unsure.

"good Fun." she nodded a bit, "No Noise. Crowd no... food scare." The bait that the evil house thing pulled her in with was food, an offer of food; all a trap for the beats of Other Nature. She was beginning to balk at the misunderstanding between Nature and "Other Nature," that being anything distinctly unnatural. She didn't really no how else to say it though... "Pony Scare." She said softly, looking at the ground and hoofing at it idly, digging deep trenches into it with her strong cloven hooves, "Hurt Natra." She idly wished they had been there... maybe that Silva was there. Starcrasher.

Silver was following the conversation better now, and what he was hearing made him feel sad.  Whatever she had witnessed, it had apparently scared Natra away from civilization and gave her reason, at least in her mind, to fear ponies.

The stallion frowned.  "No want Natra scared.  No want Natra hurt."  He was telling the truth.  Something about this wild "pygmy pony" sparked his interest, and it didn't seem fair that she should have to live in fear.

"Bolt want Natra friend.  Bolt visit Nature, visit Natra?" he offered, intending to let her know that he would be back to these woods often.

EVENT: Acorn Afternoons!

As Celestia's glorious sun dipped from its peak, the afternoon breeze wafted through leaves of every autumn hue. The beautiful cascade of reds, browns, oranges, and yellows swayed and rustled, as, beneath the canopy, dozens of Ponyville residents mingled. There were ponies on picnics, others trotting out to walk their pets, and even a few ponies from Town Hall, planning and laying out the route for this years Running of the Leaves.

A unicorn pony, pale green of coat, with a forest-hued mane and a four-acorn cutie mark was manning a booth close to the path to the woods from Ponyville. By his side was a sign declaring that ponies should keep their galloping to a minimum - and that he was taking donations of acorns, nuts, and berries for the forest creatures' hibernation stash.

And on this particular day, there seemed to be just a bit of commotion around the forest...

As the keeper manned his booth near the road to Ponyville, a green unicorn stallion could be seen rounding the bend heading away from town.  As he appraoched, it was clear that the stallion was weighed down by heavy saddlebags which were practically bulging.

Silver was sure to trot, not gallop, the last several feet to the pony's roadside booth.  He levitated the nondescript saddlebags off his back with his pale white aura.  "Here you go, old chap..."  He offered the bags to the stallion with his magic.

"Roughly twenty pounds of assorted acorns, pecans, walnuts, chestnuts, and pinenuts..."  He grinned as the bag sagged under the weight of the bounty.  "Oh, and a few harder-to-find odds and ends in the top for the berry lovers:  boysenberries, elderberries, mulberry, and juniper."

He stretched his legs out and leaned closer to the ground.  Now that the weight was gone, he realized just how sore he had become from gathering it all.

"Goodness... It is such a lovely day out, isn't it?"
This message was last edited by the player at 23:16, Sun 07 June 2015.

The colt manning the barrels was more than a little stunned by the truly impressive delivery brought forth by  Silver Bolt.

"Wow, Mister Bolt. You do have a knack for finding the best -  but I guess when you can handle the Everfree Forest, it's not as big a deal, right?"

The unicorn nodded, and leaned over conspiratorially. "Not getting a lot of donations today. It seems like one of the Princesses' is touring the Running Route and there is a bit of a crowd following her..."

As the afternoon sun drifted across the sky, the canopy of the Whitetail Woods was aglow with sunlight dancing on the beautiful leaves. Princess Luna stepped with a certain dainty care along the well-worn forest trail. She was enjoying the autumn weather, her wings drawn back and mane flowing in the cool air. She watched a few  squirrels skittering on the branches above...

The moment didn't last long, though. The commotion of voices behind her startled the creatures, and they bolted for their homes. Luna glanced back over her shoulder at the small herd. They'd been slowly amassing over the course of her walk-through, and now, there was such a din behind her...

Luna raised a hoof, poised to gesture, though, she seemed to reconsider after a few moments. Everypony else seemed to be quite enjoying things, though, Luna found herself feeling a little pressured to keep up a pace. She was used to attracting attention, of course. But the attention was making things a little less relaxing than she'd intended...

"Oh, I've been collecting for some time now..." Silver bragged slightly.

"I had to be sure to start early enough to collect enough for myself as well.  I found a good stand deeper into the forest; I've had my eye on it for months."

"Don't worry though," he added, "there's plenty for the animals of the Everfree too."

A sudden rise further along the trail caught his attention.  Silver's ears perked and pointed toward the commotion.  The pony's tale of a Princess in the woods certainly offered a likely explanation.

"So it would seem..." Silver responded.  "... but don't those ponies know that this late into the season, even a louder than usual sound could cause the leaves to turn loose?"  Silver frowned.  "The clamor of ponies fawning over royalty could easily qualify, I'm afraid..."

Silver turned and looked deeper into the woods, off the trail ahead of where the sound was coming from.

"With your approval, I think I'll just try to slip ahead of them and have a look."

Silver knew that walking through the woods off the trails without care could also trigger the leaves falling, but if anypony in Ponyville knew how to step lightly in the woodlands, it was him.
This message was lightly edited by the player at 00:49, Wed 10 June 2015.

The unicorn waved a hoof. "It isn't my forest. You know how to be careful out there, so go ahead."

***

The princess's entourage was, mostly, keeping the commotion reasonable, though, Luna was moving a bit quicker through the forest than most who were trying to enjoy the woods before the Running of the Leaves. Luna still kept her pace slow enough not to rattle the trees, but only just. Eventually, though, Silver Bolt got ahead of her, and emerged to find Luna rounding a bend toward the latter half of the course.

The dark and beautiful mare came to a stop as she caught him, facing back toward her. She stood graceful and tall, tipping her head to the Trotsly colt.  The mild din of talking, laughing  ponies resounded from behind her - a faint rustling brushing through the trees.

"Ah... Greetings and... Good afternoon." Luna did seem to be consciously keeping her voice quieter...

"Greetings, Your Highness..." Silver bowed, his Trottish manners and accent on full display in front of nobility.

"I couldn't help but hear your..." Silver considered his words carefully.  "... entourage, from the main road, and thought it wise to discreetly check to make sure nopony was causing too much of a stir... The trees can be quite sensitive this time of year, you know..."  Silver smiled.

It was an unecessary explanation, he knew, but one he felt he should offer anyway.

"Oh!" he suddenly realized.  "Forgive my manners, Highness.  I don't think we've ever been properly introduced..." he bowed again, this time in a more formal, and yet somehow more fluid manner; a bow of introduction.

"Silver Bolt: Explorer, Guide and Woodspony at your service..."
This message was last edited by the player at 01:11, Wed 10 June 2015.

Luna nodded, and brought her hoof up to her chest. "Ah, yes...  These things simply seem to happen. I wanted to view the forest before we brought down the leaves, but I... didn't consider the attention I'd attract. Perhaps you could assist me in... breaking up the crowd? I was hesitant to say anything for fear of causing a bigger stir..." Luna gestured with her hoof, and then trotted lightly forward, glancing back as  the multi-hued colts and mares who were gawking her way  slowly made their appearance around the bed.

"Wonderful to meet you, of course, Silver Bolt."

"Hmmm..." Silver rubbed a hoof on his chin as he considered how best to break up the crowd without disturbing the leaves in the wood.  The ponies behind them had all gathered for a chance to see Royalty... so if there were no Royalty to see...

Silver paused his chin-scratching momentarily.  "I think I've got an idea, if you're up for a little walk through the woods proper, Princess..."  He looked back the way he had come from:  deeper off the trail and into the woods.

"Ah! Well, yes, but we must go quickly, or they'll catch up to us...."  The princess agreed, and veered off at a steady trot in the direction Silver Bolt indicated. Still, she was a big mare, and could be seen from the path...

Silver nodded.  "Then let's be quick about it... Stay close to me, and step where I step."  He slipped ahead of the Princess, and took the lead.

He lead them quickly over the more open areas and toward more brushy undergrowth.  He paused and closed his eyes with a deep breath.  His horn glowed a faint white before flaring for a brief moment.  The white glow of his horn expanded and enveloped the both of them for only an instant before it vanished altogether.

When it had vanished, Silver put his hoof to his mouth to signal that they should stay quiet, and made a downward motion to indicate they should crouch in the brush as everypony passed by.

Luna moved quickly but quietly, and as  Silver bolt led her into the brush and began to invoke his magic, her horn sparked once as well. That was.. unusual...  At his gesture, Luna crouched low. Silver would notice something vaguely .. different about this time -as if the shadows were a little deeper, darker,  wrapping around them in an almost inviting way...

The herd of royal-watchers steadily trundled by, a few leaves rattled loose in their wake. Luna covered her head with her hooves lightly and sighed at that. Once they were gone, she lifted her head. "... Ah... I did not intend to upset the event with my visit..."

As the last sounds of the mob of ponies died away, Silver stood and breathed a sigh of relief.  "Ahh... there.... Now you we should be able to enjoy the wood in peace."

His horn shimmered the same white again as the aura reappeared around them and vanished again, taking with it the familar tingle of a magical enchantment.

Silver tapped the base of his horn as it stopped glowing.  "Just a little trick my father taught me... Lets me pass without being seen, smelled, or heard.  Handy spell for a woodspony to have, that..."

He cocked his head to one side as he offered a hoof to help the Princess rise to hers.  He had noticed her horn react as well.

"What was it that you did there?  Another stealth spell?"

Luna rose at his aid and scuffed a hoof into the grass. "Oh... that..." She raised her hoof slightly. "Y-Yes, something like that.  I called the shadows to aid us as well. Nothing to worry about..." She said softly, and then turned, looking up to the trees. "...  It is much nicer without a noisy crowd. Would you care to escort me off the beaten path, Silver Bolt?"

Silver’s eyes widened slightly at the simple explanation.  ”I should have suspected the Princess of the Night would have the shadows on her side… Now that is a handy trick… “  He grinned, being entirely sincere.

As Luna carried the conversation on Silver nodded his agreement.  ”They really are quite lovely.”

He couldn’t help but grin again as she asked if he would escort her deeper into the woods, off the beaten path that most ponies stayed on.  ”But of course, Princess…. It would be my honor…”  His ears perked momentarily as a thought came to him.  ”We can hike back to my homestead, if you like.  It isn’t much to see in itself, but it does have an excellent view of the race route.”

"Ah, the entire route? Very well! That would be ideal. I wished to observe the route - not disrupt it.." she scuffed he rhoof on the underbrush lightly, and settled her wings behind her. "Lead the way then, Silver Bolt. I do hope this view is a good one. Is it far?"

Luna seemed agreeable,and once her companion started to show her the way, she cantered briskly but quietly after him.

Silver chuckled.  Something about how excited she sounded seemed amusing to him.

”No, it isn’t very far, but it is uphill.  There are a couple spots where you might want to use your wings to balance yourself, or just fly on ahead.  But it’s nothing too extreme.”

He took the lead, guiding her through the easier spots and navigating to avoid the more difficult terrain as they went.  They saw bends and hollows, ravines, and rocks that weren’t visible from the normal road.  It was a different side of the Whitetail Wood than most ponies even knew existed.

After a time, they came to a short bluff, just high enough to give an inexperienced climber pause.  ”The homestead is just at the top of the bluff.”

Silver gestured to a stack of rocks along the right-hoof side of the wall.  ”I stacked those up like stairs to help make the trip back easier.” He leapt up on the lowest rock in a single bound before turning and grinning back at the Princess.

”Feel free to fly on ahead, if you prefer.”

Silver set about bouncing from rock to rock, making his way up the primitive staircase with comparative ease.  It wouldn’t be long until he made it to the top.

==>Next Post:  “The Whitetail Wood:  Silverwood”==>

"I assure you, the terrain will prove no trouble to me." Luna said confidently, and softly but firmly dug her hoof into the forest floor. She kept up a rather brisk pace after Silver Bolt - he would find he had no need to slow himself down to allow the Alicorn keep up. She did enjoy looking out over the rockier, rougher terrain, with fewer trees... "This seems like it might be a fine view of the evening sky..." She mused more to herself than to Silver Bolt.

Luna cracked a smirk as Silver started up the stack of stepping stones, and invited her to fly ahead. She confidently opted not to do so, and instead, once he was up, she started up after him, making strong and effortless leaps - even skipping a step or two.  However, after one such skip, the stones beneath her wobbled and shifted, and Luna gasped in alarm. Apparently, they hadn't been prepared for the weight of a larger, stronger alicorn. Luna's wings flared out and she caught herself as  the rocks started to slip, though, the steps collapsed down the bluff...

"Ahhh~!" Luna hung in the air, staring down at the rising haze of dust as the  stone stepway crumbled into a pile of rocks.

==>Next Post:  “The Whitetail Wood:  Silverwood”==>

Once he had made it to the top, Silver heard the shift of the rocks below him and looked just in time to see the staircase crumble out of shape.  The dust cloud was rough, but it couldn’t quite hide the alicorn that now hovered, fluttering where the stairs were moments prior.

”Goodness!  Are you alright, Princess?”  He had to stop himself from stepping out on the now critically unstable remnants of the uppermost stairs.