Major Leagues

"Why do we have to help this incompetent stallion out, anyway? The Great and Powerful Trixie fails to see any benefit in doing so." She glared at Cloudie, the incompetent stallion.

"The benefit is far beyond anything you can imagine, child." Her grandfather said after a bit of thought.  He looked at the young stallion.

"Are you anxious, young one?" He asked, noticing that Cloudie was visibly shaking.

"A-a little...I'm very grateful to both of you for agreeing to help me, but it's just as Miss Trixie says-"

"THAT'S THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE TO YOU!" She interrupted him.

"R-right! Sorry...It's just...what benefit is there to helping me? I'd also like to know that." He finished his thought.

"What is it with the youth today...must every single action be beneficial? Can't it just be that I'm a kind, old unicorn?" He sighed and shook his head.

"No, I didn't mean you weren't kind...but you said it yourself just now." Cloudie chimed in.

"That I did!" The elder laughed a bit before coughing.  "The benefit is for everypony, including the future generations.  If we manage to get you to learn and use earth magic fluently, we'll have pretty much revived a lost magic.  You can then pass it on and spread your wisdom."

"...Is earth magic really lost?" Cloudie felt butterflies in his stomach.  The way Eon put it made it seem almost as if the young stallion was the last entity alive with the skill.  Simply put, a few tons of pressure was laid upon him.

"That's a bit of a trick question.  You see, earth magic can be learned by every earth pony." He began to explain.

"EVERY SINGLE ONE?!" Cloudie and Trixie replied in unison.  Eon sighed.

"I should correct myself...any earth pony with a unicorn or alicorn parent automatically has the right blood to potentially use magic. It's a bit of a shady area...because while everypony does have 'The potential', it would take majority at least a century to manifest it, even with daily practice and training.  That's right, 100 years seems like a very long time indeed, and that's way beyond any earth pony's lifespan, but this ludicrous learning time is also due to the lack of knowledge on the subject."

"I...I see..." Cloudie began to understand, and a heavy burden was lifted from his shoulders.  Even if he were to completely fail the training, all hope wouldn't be lost.  There could be another, or several others that can save the art.

"The pink one...she showed a very unique type of earth magic herself." Eon added.

"Y-you mean Pinkie Pie?" Cloudie raised his head in surprise.  "Seriously?"

"I'm a bit disappointed you failed to pick up on it...she does physically impossible tasks daily, predicts the future, and seems to have the ability to talk to beings on a different dimensional plane.  She may not be aware of it, but she uses earth magic on a level far beyond yours."

"Wait, I'm confused.  If she does it so much better, why choose me to train? Why not bring her too? Or even her alone?" Cloudie asked with genuine curiosity.

"Pinkie Pie is an element of harmony.  Severing her from the others could be catastrophic on several levels.  Fear not, Cloudious! If this training is too much and you die in the process, she'll be the first to take your place." Eon added.

"Die?" Cloudie got nervous.

"Your name IS Clou-DIE!  The Great and Powerful Trixie smells foreshadowing!" She began to laugh violently.

"How rude..." Cloudie sighed, but felt hopeful altogether.

"All jokes aside, the training could take years, you can die at any point throughout it, there is a very high chance you'll fail to get far and in the end be ultimately useless." Eon got down to serious discussion.

"When you put it like that..." The young stallion started to doubt himself.

"Will you undertake my training anyway?" The elder asked with a stern face.

"...I've kind of felt like this wouldn't be easy all along...yet I'm still on this train going to Celestia knows where with you two.  I want to get strong and be useful...so that I won't be a burden to anypony, and instead help Equestria take a step forth.  I may be nothing more than a lab rat to you two, but you still believe I can succeed, and I really don't feel like letting you or anypony else down again.  That's my answer." Cloudie finished his thought with a confident smile.

"A simple yes or no would have been just as good, you almost put The Great and Powerful Trixie to sleep." The mare let out a yawn.

"But a simple 'yes or no' wouldn't have reassured me this much." Eon laughed.  "I admire your spirit, youngin', I really do!  I have high hopes for you once we get started."

"Try not to die, I guess." Trixie rolled her eyes.  Cloudie chuckled nervously at the remark and focused his attention on the outside world which he zoomed past in the train.  He wondered what the training would be like, but felt asking would be rude for some reason.  Could it really be intense enough to potentially kill him?  Wouldn't Eon and Trixie get in trouble if their training killed him? More importantly...

"...would Pinkie be sad if I died...?" The young stallion whispered worryingly.

"Talking to yourself, creep?" Trixie mocked him for the whisper.

"Yeah...I guess I am..." Cloudie smiled, rendering the effect of her insult useless.

"You're in love with the pink weirdo, huh?" Trixie asked.

"H-how rude!" He blushed.  "Don't call her that.  Her name is Pinkie Pie...and she's..." He trailed off, never finishing the sentence.  At least, not out loud.

"You're right, I suppose you're the one The Great and Powerful Trixie should ridicule for developing feelings for a weirdo like her!" She began to laugh again.

"Trixanne, that's enough.  There's a limit to how far one should go with their jokes, and you just passed yours." Eon gave her glare.

"Y-yes, Grandpa...sorry..." She put her head down.

"It's fine!  She was just joking, anyway...I don't like Pinkie or anything..." Cloudie looked down, blushing a bit more.

"...I suppose you don't.  Why else would you leave her? She's probably crying her pretty little eyes out, all because of you, and-"

"Trixanne, what did I just say?" Eon snapped a little.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie only tells it like it is.  I believe Cloudious here is more than aware of it himself, aren't you?" She asked him.

"...It was for the best...I know it was..." He began shaking.

"Whoa, don't cry! You're a stallion! What's wrong with you?" Trixie started to feel bad as he trembled.

"...Gotcha!" Cloudie raised his head to look up at Trixie with a mischievous smile.  His action made even Eon chuckle a bit under his breath.

"Of course I know all of this.  Moping and being depressed won't make me anymore useful.  In fact, it will do the complete opposite...I'll just be a bigger burden than I already am." He declared.

"Oh?  Perhaps The Great and Powerful Trixie has misjudged you.  She admires your drive to get better, but all she hears are words.  Anypony can say they'll do something, and later chicken out or bail.  Let's see your actions do the talking." She smiled maliciously.

"You've got it, Trixie!" He nodded in agreement.

"THAT'S THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE TO YOU!" She unleashed again, causing Cloudie to laugh out loud.

The train resumed to go full-speed ahead to a destination the young stallion had not yet known.  Neither Eon or Trixie would tell him where it is exactly his training would take place, but that just added to his excitement.  Wherever he was headed, Cloudie would work hard to master the gift bestowed upon him by the elements of harmony, but for more than anypony, he wanted to do it for Pinkie Pie.  She had done the most for him, and he felt the favor needed to be repaid.  He vowed right there and then that when the training was completed, he would return to Ponyville and do anything in his new-found power to make Pinkie Pie as happy as she could possibly be.

To Be Continued