A Soul's Journey

Chapter 1: The Accident

"Not that I'm complaining or anything, but I wonder why he has so many blankets lying around. I can't imagine a blacksmith at work having much need for them." Wrapping one of the offending items around herself with her magic, Twilight looked around the large room she was in, which was otherwise a very typical blacksmith's workshop with a furnace that radiated pleasant heat into the room, a big anvil and multiple workbenches filled with various tools and unfinished projects.

Rainbow just sighed at her friend's unnecessary question, snuggling deeper into the mountain of questionable blankets, relishing in the warmth and comfort.

"You're right, blankets aren't really standard equipment in a smithy, but the neighbor's foals, Daffodil and Speedy, often come over to watch me work, so I keep blankets and hot chocolate around to make their stays as comfortable as is possible in a blacksmith's workshop." Snowstream came in from the back room he had disappeared into after directing his guests to the pile of blankets and pillows in the corner and telling them to make themselves at home. He turned his head, revealing a tray with three steaming mugs that he had been carrying on his back. "Speaking of which, I hope you don't mind that I made you some." He set down the tray he had been carriyng on one of the less crowded workbenches and sat down with one of the mugs. "Have a seat and a drink, girls."

Rainbow Dash zoomed out of the mountain of blankets like a multicolored missile, instantly gulping down half of the contents of her mug, before sitting down as well, sighing contentedly. Snowstream smiled amusedly. "Nice to know that you like it. It's my own recipe. Kept me warm on cold nights, when the wind came through the cracks in my cart. Thank the gods I don't have to endure that anymore."

Twilight took a sip from her mug, before directing a puzzled look at him. "It really is quite good. But what did you mean with the cart?"

"I bought this house a month ago. Before that I travelled the villages and smaller settlements between Hoofington and here with a miniature forge and an anvil in a rickety cart."

"So, what's the story with you and AJ?" Rainbow interjected. "You said you just moved here, but I'm pretty sure I saw you at AJ's at least a couple of months ago."

"As I said, I moved around, and I was at the Ponyville market a couple of times during my wandering years. I had my wagon parked next to Applejack's stand for a week or so half a year back. Since then I always visit her when I am in the area. She was the one who found me this place when I decided to settle down and open a real shop. You probably saw me when I made her brother a new plow a couple of months back. I hope you can forgive me when I now leave you two to each other, I still have a bit of work to do before I can turn in for the night."

Rainbow stared. "He works at this time of night? Who does something like that voluntarily?"

"Well I don't know a lot about metallurgy and smithing, but it probably makes sense to prepare some things, let them cool off over the night, then finish them off the following morning. It seems way more efficient than standing up hours earlier."

"Ugh, I get it, egghead. Well, I'm gonna hit the deck and get a little sleep, wake me when the storm passes. Should be around 4 or 5 in the morning." With that, Rainbow Dash flew towards the mountain of blankets once again, only to clip her wing on one of the workbenches and tumble into the wall. Rather hard, if Twilight interpreted the loud "thud" correctly.

"Oh no. Rainbow Dash, are you alright?" Twilight hurried to her friend's side, only to get her hoof tangled in one of the blankets Rainbow had strewn across the room in her mad dash for hot chocolate earlier, and joined her cyan friend in a touseled heap of pony against the wall.

Only this time the rack on the wall did not take the assault sitting down. Twilight and Rainbow Dash brought up their hooves to shield their faces as small pieces of metalwork and jewelry rained down on them. As Rainbow's flailing hoof caught a falling amulet and smacked it towards Snowstream, who had just turned around to see what was causing the noise, Twilight heard a panicky voice shouting "oh no, oh no, oh no!". Just as she realized that the voice was indeed her own, the amulet, now glowing,  hit the white Pegasus directly in the middle of the forehead. Then there was a flash and everything went white.

The first thing Twilight perceived as her senses started returning was Snowstream's voice, seeming slightly distressed. "Well, that's not exactly good."

"What the BUCK just happened?" Rainbow Dash piped up.

"Is everypony alright? Snowstream, do you know what just happened?", Twilight asked concernedly. Then she noticed the distinct lack of Pegasus blacksmith in the room. "Where are you?"

"Directly below you."

Ignoring Rainbow’s snickering she turned her slowly returning vision downwards, only to see...

"The amulet? What? Are you telling me....? Oh no, this has to be a joke, please tell me this is all a very elaborate prank."

"Prank? You think I would prank you with something like this? No, I'm afraid this is an actual empowered soulshard." This didn’t calm down Twilight in the slightest.

“Oh great, so we just have to worry about getting you out of there before you fade, and I don’t even know much about soulshards, and oh my god, I need to get researching…”

“Twilight.”

“What if we can’t reverse this? If we…”

“Twilight…”

“...can’t undo this, then it’s my fault when you…”

“For Pete’s sake, Twilight, would you shut it?”, Rainbow Dash interrupted her friend’s rambling. “I have no idea what you are talking about! What just happened, where is Snowstream and why are you panicking?”

“Because I have every reason to!”, the Unicorn snapped. She slid the amulet around her neck and hurried towards the door.

“I just started feeling my limbs again and you want to get into the rain? Again? Oh, come on!”, Rainbow whined. But the other pony was already out of the door, back into the storm, and with a groan she followed her (because what else could she do, really?). “So, are you going to tell me what is going on now? What the hay happened to Snowstream?”, she queried while taking up her shielding position by Twilight’s side again. The unicorn gave her a thankful smile before launching into her explanation.

“The Amulet contains a gem called a soulshard, which, if empowered with the correct spells, is capable of perfectly trapping a pony inside, basically putting them into a stasis, until they are released again. The problem is, that the power to keep the Pony alive in the absorbed state is being taken from the Pony’s soul, which means that the longer someone is trapped, the weaker they become, until they finally fade away.”

Rainbow’s reaction to this revelation was expectedly strong: “..... What? Can we get that in equish?”

At this point the subject of their worries reentered the conversation: “Basically I’m trapped in this amulet until a unicorn gets me out of it, and if they don’t do it quickly enough, I die.”

“...Ah”, Rainbow muttered. “Well, I think I get it now.”

“...Ah”, Rainbow muttered. “Well, I think I get it now. So, how long do you have?”

“I don’t know, could be anything from two days to a week. Isn’t finding things out the reason you are running to the library? So how about less talking, more trotting?”

It wasn’t long until Twilight rounded a corner and spotted the big sign announcing “Golden Oaks Library”, although it felt more like an eternity of trekking through the pelting rain.

“Oh, finally. Come on, Twi, let’s get you out of the rain.” Rainbow Dash flew forward and slammed the door open. Twilight hurried through before her home’s lobby could be completely drenched and shut the door a lot more gently than her chromatic friend had opened it. Then, she took a deep breath, looking around, and tried to recall where the books she needed were situated (because yes, she knew the location of every single book in this library by heart). Rainbow looked at her and realized nothing interesting was going to happen right away.

“Yeah, you do your egghead thing and I go and re-read some Daring Do, okay?”

“Hmmm… you do that. Now... Gentle Breeze’s “Mental Translocation”, Sapphiric’s “Rare chrystals and magical Anomalies”... and something about enchanting…”

“How about “Enchanting your jewelry” by Dusty Scrolls?”, Snowstream chimed in.

“Don’t be ridiculous, that text is a joke to any professional researcher, The author doesn’t even have a higher education when it comes to the arcane sciences.”

“But she is still the world’s greatest enchantress, even if she doesn’t go screaming it from the rooftops. Trust me, we need her stuff for this,” came the voice from the amulet again. “And since I am the one trapped in here, maybe you should give this a little consideration, would you?”

Twilight sighed and mumbled, hesitantly: “Fine, I’ll have a look at it. But I still dislike the idea.”

“Well, since it is only my life on the line, I am insanely grateful that you consider actually listening to me”, Snowstream drawled, his voice dripping with unprecedented sarcasm.

"This can't be true!"

"I think it is. And that is just all kinds of inconvenient.” Rainbow startled at the sudden outburst and found her book tented over her muzzle and a faint glow coming through the windows.

Huh? Must have dozed off. She thought to herself, removing the book and turning her attention to the desk where Twilight was sitting among opened books and hastily scribbled notes. "What's wrong, Twi? You found anything yet?" When her friend turned around, Rainbow Dash instantly knew from her frazzled look that the research wasn’t going well.

"Yes, but we’ve got a problem.”

“Only the unicorn that empowered the soulshard can retrieve the trapped soul”, Snowstream chimed in.

“And that could be anyone… I don’t even know where he got that.”

“Or you could just ask me, not that that seems to be high on your list of options to just talk to the afflicted party. And before you ask, I know who empowered the amulet and I even know where she lives.”

Rainbow decided to stay out of the conversation for now, it was obvious to her that those two were smarter than her (smarter, not more awesome!) and that she would only make things more difficult by butting in. So she instead settled for enjoying Twilight’s sheepish look as the unicorn noticed that she had indeed left out the ‘afflicted party’ all along.

“I … I am sorry. please, continue. I want to fix this”, Twilight assured hastily, embarrassed about having somehow completely forgotten that Snowstream might have something to say in that matter. “I mean, we are kind of at fault for this after all, so I need to fix it, so please tell me who enchanted the amulet?”

“Why, thank you”, Snowstream continued. “Now, we are looking for a mare named Diamondshine, she has settled down in Langenmare some time ago. I need a map of Equestria. As current as possible please." Twilight's horn lit up as she levitated a bundle of scrolls out of a shelf above her and began to search the map that would be the most useful to them. After a while, she selected a very new-looking scroll and unrolled it in the table, holding it down with her magic. Levitating the amulet above the table so that Snowstream could inspect the map, Twilight waited impatiently for the pegasus' instructions. "Yes, this is perfect. Now, if you follow the rail line to Appleloosa and then go about half a hoof's width to the left. See it?" Twilight and Rainbow Dash, who had by now joined them at the table, nodded.

"So we take the train to Appleloosa and hoof it from there. I hope we make it in time, this will be quite the trip." Twilight slipped the amulet around her neck again and floated her saddlebags from by the door and started to roll up the map and locate other essential supplies for the journey. While her magic brought items from all over the house to her, she turned to her friend. "When Spike wakes up, please tell him what happened and where I have gone. Oh, and tell the girls too, okay?" She was about to turn away when Rainbow Dash’s snort caught her attention again..

"Yeah, not happening. First, I'm not gonna let you go all that way by yourself, and second, I can just fly him there from Appleloosa and save lots of time."

“No, no, no”, Snowstream piped up before Twilight had a chance to answer. "No flying. Gods, please don't do that to me! Please, just... Get me there on hoof,” he pleaded.

“Wait,” the pegasus now interjected, “so this is about your life and your time, but you’re scared of a little flying? I don’t see how that -”

“No!”, Snowstream interrupted. “Just no. I am not. Going. To. Fly. End of the story. No flying.”

“But it would be so much faster!”

“No flying!”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“No, it’s self-preservation.”

“You -”

“Stop it, both of you!”, Twilight snapped and effectively brought an end to the argument. Rainbow huffed and shook her wings before folding them at her sides again.

"Fine. You're still not going alone. Write a letter or something. When's the next train coming?"

Twilight looked at the clock on the wall.

"In half an hour. I suggest you go home to get what you need and we meet at the station."

"Sounds good, see you there!"

Rainbow Dash zoomed out the nearest window and flew off toward her cloudhouse while Twilight returned to her magical packing. “...Ah”, Rainbow muttered. “Well, I think I get it now. So, how long do you have?”

“I don’t know, could be anything from two days to a week. Isn’t finding things out the reason you are running to the library? So how about less talking, more trotting?”

It wasn’t long until Twilight rounded a corner and spotted the big sign announcing “Golden Oaks Library”, although it felt more like an eternity of trekking through the pelting rain.

“Oh, finally. Come on, Twi, let’s get you out of the rain.” Rainbow Dash flew forward and slammed the door open. Twilight hurried through before her home’s lobby could be completely drenched and shut the door a lot more gently than her chromatic friend had opened it. Then, she took a deep breath, looking around, and tried to recall where the books she needed were situated (because yes, she knew the location of every single book in this library by heart). Rainbow looked at her and realized nothing interesting was going to happen right away.

“Yeah, you do your egghead thing and I go and re-read some Daring Do, okay?”

“Hmmm… you do that. Now... Gentle Breeze’s “Mental Translocation”, Sapphiric’s “Rare chrystals and magical Anomalies”... and something about enchanting…”

“How about “Enchanting your jewelry” by Dusty Scrolls?”, Snowstream chimed in.

“Don’t be ridiculous, that text is a joke to any professional researcher, The author doesn’t even have a higher education when it comes to the arcane sciences.”

“But she is still the world’s greatest enchantress, even if she doesn’t go screaming it from the rooftops. Trust me, we need her stuff for this,” came the voice from the amulet again. “And since I am the one trapped in here, maybe you should give this a little consideration, would you?”

Twilight sighed and mumbled, hesitantly: “Fine, I’ll have a look at it. But I still dislike the idea.”

“Well, since it is only my life on the line, I am insanely grateful that you consider actually listening to me”, Snowstream drawled, his voice dripping with unprecedented sarcasm.

"This can't be true!"

"I think it is. And that is just all kinds of inconvenient.” Rainbow startled at the sudden outburst and found her book tented over her muzzle and a faint glow coming through the windows.

"Huh? Must have dozed off," She thought to herself, removing the book and turning her attention to the desk where Twilight was sitting among opened books and hastily scribbled notes. "What's wrong, Twi? You found anything yet?" When her friend turned around, Rainbow Dash instantly knew from her frazzled look that the research wasn’t going well.

"Yes, but we’ve got a problem.”

“Only the unicorn that empowered the soulshard can retrieve the trapped soul”, Snowstream chimed in.

“And that could be anyone… I don’t even know where he got that.”

“Or you could just ask me, not that that seems to be high on your list of options to just talk to the afflicted party. And before you ask, I know who empowered the amulet and I even know where she lives.”

Rainbow decided to stay out of the conversation for now, it was obvious to her that those two were smarter than her (smarter, not more awesome!) and that she would only make things more difficult by butting in. So she instead settled for enjoying Twilight’s sheepish look as the unicorn noticed that she had indeed left out the ‘afflicted party’ all along.

“I … I am sorry. please, continue. I want to fix this”, Twilight assured hastily, embarrassed about having somehow completely forgotten that Snowstream might have something to say in that matter. “I mean, we are kind of at fault for this after all, so I need to fix it, so please tell me who enchanted the amulet?”

“Why, thank you”, Snowstream continued. “Now, we are looking for a mare named Diamondshine, she has settled down in Langenmare some time ago. I need a map of Equestria. As current as possible please." Twilight's horn lit up as she levitated a bundle of scrolls out of a shelf above her and began to search the map that would be the most useful to them. After a while, she selected a very new-looking scroll and unrolled it in the table, holding it down with her magic. Levitating the amulet above the table so that Snowstream could inspect the map, Twilight waited impatiently for the pegasus' instructions. "Yes, this is perfect. Now, if you follow the rail line to Appleloosa and then go about half a hoof's width to the left. See it?" Twilight and Rainbow Dash, who had by now joined them at the table, nodded.

"So we take the train to Appleloosa and hoof it from there. I hope we make it in time, this will be quite the trip." Twilight slipped the amulet around her neck again and floated her saddlebags from by the door and started to roll up the map and locate other essential supplies for the journey. While her magic brought items from all over the house to her, she turned to her friend. "When Spike wakes up, please tell him what happened and where I have gone. Oh, and tell the girls too, okay?" She was about to turn away when Rainbow Dash’s snort caught her attention again..

"Yeah, not happening. First, I'm not gonna let you go all that way by yourself, and second, I can just fly him there from Appleloosa and save lots of time."

“No, no, no”, Snowstream piped up before Twilight had a chance to answer. "No flying. Gods, please don't do that to me! Please, just... Get me there on hoof,” he pleaded.

“Wait,” the pegasus now interjected, “so this is about your life and your time, but you’re scared of a little flying? I don’t see how that -”

“No!”, Snowstream interrupted. “Just no. I am not. Going. To. Fly. End of the story. No flying.”

“But it would be so much faster!”

“No flying!”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“No, it’s self-preservation.”

“You -”

“Stop it, both of you!”, Twilight snapped and effectively brought an end to the argument. Rainbow huffed and shook her wings before folding them at her sides again.

"Fine. You're still not going alone. Write a letter or something. When's the next train coming?"

Twilight looked at the clock on the wall.

"In half an hour. I suggest you go home to get what you need and we meet at the station."

"Sounds good, see you there!"

Rainbow Dash zoomed out the nearest window and flew off toward her cloudhouse while Twilight returned to her magical packing.