Chapters Chapter 1: An Autumn Afternoon
Honey Glow trotted to the window on the far side of the living room. The hardwood floor was cold beneath her hooves, and it gleamed in the late afternoon sunlight. As she reached the window, she pushed it open, and inhaled the scent of fallen leaves. Mmm... She could almost taste the pumpkin pie she was planning to make later. She pushed back the gingham curtains and studied her reflection in the window. The worn fabric allowed light to softly filter into the room, and smelled like her childhood. She gazed through the glass, watching a group of school ponies race down the street, laughing as they tossed an apple back and forth.
As the tucked a stray curl back into her bun, she spotted her neighbour, Starswirl the Bearded, approaching the veranda. His velvet cape trailed behind him, shifting like a surging stream. Around his middle were several pouches. Each of them tied with golden string, so as to protect the precious herbs inside. On one of their weekly meetings, he had opened them to show her each herb. He had gathered them from a place called the Everfree Forest, so they were like nothing she had ever seen before. There was one, called cinnamon, which smelled oh-so-delightful. He had let her taste some, but it did not taste nearly as good as it smelled. She heard him knock on the door, and hurriedly tucked another runaway curl into her up do. Then, Honey hurried to the door to greet her elderly guest. She opened the wooden door, and had to bite back a grin when she noticed his unruly beard. Starswirl had a bad habit of fiddling with his beard when he was deep in thought. Often, it left him looking more than a little scruffy. His familiar scent of pine needles and old books washed over her as he stepped into the house.
"Good afternoon, Starswirl," Honey smiled gently, "How are you?"
"I am well, Mrs. Glow, and yourself?" Starswirl inquired in his usual polite tone.
"I too am well, although the weather has gotten colder than I prefer," Honey replied as she guided Starswirl to the back porch. Two rocking chairs were arranged around a small wooden table. "Please," Honey nodded towards the table, "seat yourself whilst I bring out the tea." Starswirl sat down and proceeded to empty the contents of his saddlebag onto the table. By the time Honey had returned with the tea tray, several thick books were spread out across the table, and a stack of diagrams lay near the edge. Honey set down the tray and began to pour tea for Starswirl, and then herself. "So," Honey began, as she relaxed into her rocking chair, "what have you brought with you this time?"
Starswirl leaned forward in his chair, "Mrs. Glow, it has been over a year since we started having these weekly tea meetings." he spoke in a soft voice, and one of his hooves was absently playing the the curls in his beard, "I have come to trust you completely."
Honey sat up straight in her chair, surprised by his strange comment, "I am flattered, Starswirl, but I must say, you usually do not speak so forwardly. Tell me, is something the matter?"
Starswirl shook his head softly, "Nothing is the matter, Mrs. Glow. It is simply that I believe it is time for me to share one of my personal theories with you. It is one I care about greatly, and one I hope you may help me prove."
Honey could hardly believe her ears, "Starswirl, I am honoured that you would trust me with such a thing, but I am not a scholar. I may be curious, and our conversations have definitely sparked many an interesting thought, but I am not sure what I have to offer to help prove a theory. Especially one of your theories."
Starswirl gave a small smile, "It is just like you to say such a thing, but I would like you to take a look at my ideas anyhow. Perhaps you might change your mind." He flipped through one of the heavy tomes on the tabletop. "As you can see here, this book explains the science behind a sonic boom," Honey nodded, and Starswirl continued, "for a long time I have had a suspicion that if a Pegasus flies fast enough, they would be able to break the sound barrier. However, I recently found an ancient book on magical forces that describes a similar phenomenon. If a Pegasus is truly connected to their flying magic, their passion may be able to cause a magic boom. If a Pegasus were able to perform a sonic boom and a magic boom," Starswirl flipped over one of his diagrams, "they may be able to create something called a Sonic Rainboom."
Author's Note
Credit to The Brony Notion for inspiring me to write this. I have used his theories to support my plot line.
Chapter 2: Moving Forward
Honey Glow stared at her reflection in the plate she had just washed. The polished ceramic felt cold against her hooves. She squinted, trying to see herself more clearly. She squirted some more liquid soap onto the plate, filling the air around her with a lemony scent. She glanced over her shoulder, where her husband, Basil, was clearing the remains of Honey's pumpkin pie. The pie had turned out great, but Honey wondered how much better it would taste with some of Starswirl's cinnamon. Perhaps next week she'd ask him for some. Basil trotted over to the sink, his hooves echoing against the hardwood floor. The night's silence had stolen over the house. The window in front of the sink was open, allowing the cool evening air to filter into the kitchen. The moon was full, and the lemony smell of the liquid soap mixed with the outdoor scent of fallen leaves.
Basil, leaned against the counter and helped himself to another slice of pie, "Mmm... Another success, sweetheart," he sighed, as he munched the pie crust.
"Thanks," Honey said softly.
"Are you alright?" Basil asked, frowning, " You seemed distracted tonight."
Honey dried her hands on a towel, and drained the water from the sink, "During our afternoon tea today," she began, "Starswirl brought up an interesting theory."
"Oh?" Basil finished his pie and began to wash the last dish, "Tell me about it."
"Well," Honey began, as she reached up to undo her unruly bun, "he was talking about something called a Sonic Rainboom."
"No way," Basil interrupted softly, "I did my final school essay on them," he frowned, "but they're just a myth. What did he say about them?"
Honey ran her hooves through her mane, untangling curls as she cocked her head at Basil, "You studied them? Starswirl said he thinks they are feasible, and he wants my help."
"Huh," Basil's frown deepened, "from what I remember, attempting a Sonic Rainboom is very dangerous." he gazed out the window and paused before continuing, "If you don't succeed, you get rocketed backwards by the sheer speed you were going at." He closed the window and turned back to Honey, "What kind of help did he want from you?"
Honey shrugged, uncomfortable, "Well, he wanted a volunteer." She kicked softly at the floor, avoiding Basil's gaze.
Basil's eyebrows knit together, "A volunteer? But he knows I haven't flown since-"
"He didn't mean you," Honey interrupted gently, still studying the hardwood.
"Then who..." Basil trailed off as his eyes widened in understanding, "He wants us to offer up our daughter as a test subject for an insanely dangerous experiment!?" He stomped his hoof against the floor, "What is he thinking?"
"Basil," Honey began, "he assured me it would be safe, and that it could help Celinda practice her flying."
Basil lowered his gaze, shocked, "So you're actually considering this?"
Honey shook her head, "I'm not considering anything yet." She glanced out the window again, "It's too late to be contemplating any serious decisions, and this is definitely serious."
Basil sighed in relief, "You're right," he said softly, as he reached out and ran a hoof through Honey's mane, "we can discuss this tomorrow with a clear mind." Honey turned off the light in the kitchen, and the two ponies headed to bed.
Celinda's jaw dropped. She stared in shock at her parents, one biting her lip with excitement, the other kicking quietly at the ground.
"You want me to do what?" she asked her mother, still not comprehending what they had just told her.
Her mother's eyes sparkled, "Train with Starswirl so you can break the sound barrier and prove his theories correct!"
Celinda stood in the entry hall of their house. The air smelled like her mother's cinnamon buns. Oh, how she loved those cinnamon buns... She shook her head to clear it, and glanced at her father, who had been silent this whole time, "What's wrong?"
He looked at her, "Nothing. I'm just not sure how this will go."
Celinda blinked, "Well, I think this will go excellently," she cried as she smiled and raced into her mother's hug, "And I can't wait to get started!"
As the little filly disappeared into her room, Honey Glow turned and stepped towards Basil. He stood stoically, the very picture of disappointment. She was so close to him she could smell the faint trace of herbs; a memento of all the time he spent in their vegetable and herb garden. He turned and began to walk slowly towards the back door. When he reached it, he turned his head slightly, waiting for Honey to follow him. Stepping softly on the cobblestones outside their house, the two of them headed towards the vegetable plots in the back of the garden.
"I didn't think she would be so excited," Basil said, breaking the silence between them.
Honey shrugged and buried her front hooves in the soil, "She loves to fly," she replied as she deftly pulled a weed from the plot.
Basil sighed, "I know. I just want her to be safe." He began to help Honey with the weeding, leaning close to the oregano sprigs to get a better view.
Honey turned her head to look at him, "Do you trust me?" she asked, her hooves still clearing the soil.
"Yes, I do," Basil replied softly, "And I know she's not me... It's just... I worry," he dug his hooves deeper into the soil, trying to bury his anxious thoughts.
Honey nodded, "I know," she told him, removing her hooves and moving towards the barrel of rainwater, "Just... try to see things from her point of view," she added, dipping her hooves in the barrel.
Basil nodded, then turned towards the barrel, "I will," he said solemnly, "I promise," He gazed down at his wife, and smiled softly.
"Well," Honey sighed, "I'd better go get dinner started then." She wiped her hooves clean and returned Basil's smile before turning to head back into the house.
As his wife walked away, Basil turned back to his work. He was soon absorbed in his work and lost in the scent of the herbs.
Chapter 4: Ready... Set...
Honey Glow squinted. The early morning sunlight made it difficult to see, but she kept her eyes glued to the sky. Way up in the clouds, Celinda and Starswirl were
