A long two months had gone by in the time since magic had been restored to the land, and Cyre himself had been quite busy helping Sunny, Phyllis, Haven, Alphabittle, and the others repair and renovate their respective towns, as well as tie up any loose ends. Just because magic returned doesn't mean the world stopped moving. Things had to be done, and communities had to be reorganized to reflect the great change that would be in Equestria in the coming months.

Maretime Bay was the first to receive his help. Most of his time was spent at Canterlogic, helping Phyllis get the factory reorganized to provide beneficial goods and services to all ponies, and not defense mechanisms. While Cyre didn’t mind making defenses at its core, it didn’t help other ponies quite trust them, even with magic returned. With that in mind, Cyre helped Phyllis recruit ponies, including a few unicorns and pegasi that applied for the job. When he wasn’t assisting Phyllis, he was either with Sunny or Hitch, though Sunny was the more often chosen because he was helping to fix her house. He had unintentionally helped in its destruction, and even when Sunny told him it wasn’t his fault, he chose to do what help he could anyway. It also didn’t help that Sprout helped. He at the very least was forced to help rebuild Sunny’s house since he was the main cause of why it was wrecked at all. Once he'd done what he could in Maretime Bay, he departed immediately for Bridlewood.

Since Bridlewood was essentially a forest, There wasn't much Cyre needed to change about it. In terms of renovating, Alphabittle's bar was the first place to start. Aplhabittle himself was surprised to see Cyre again so soon, but he didn't protest it. Aplhabittle challenged Cyre to the prancing game for a trilobite fossil Cyre found while walking on the beaches near Maretime Bay. The stipulations were the same as Sunny's: he only had to win one time. This was due to the fact he only had two legs. Cyre ended up winning 2-1. He ended up losing the third because he lost his footing. In any case, he took the douglas fir that he saw the first time he entered the bar with his friends. The rest of the town was friendly enough, now that they weren't in an emotional dead zone, and didn't do that weird dance anymore. Cyre spent time there rather than do much fixing, cause nothing needed fixing. He had to eventually leave though.

Zephyr Heights was the final destination on his list. He saved this one for last, mainly because he wasn't sure things were quite politically stable there yet. After all, the last time he'd been there he was a fugitive and a prisoner, and the royals were exposed and were warranted for arrest for lying about being able to fly. While that wasn't the case anymore, It was a little troubling to think what might happen to them if things hadn't gone as well as Zipp, in particular, had hoped. He'd have his answers soon enough though, as he was flying towards the castle. He looked to the side of the city and saw a few ballons rising through the air. looks like they got that docking area they visited fixed. And in record time too! On his way there, it seemed like a normal day for its citizens, so that could only mean well, right? He landed right at the doorstep, walked in, and asked the guards to escort him to the throne room. Knowing who Cyre was, they quickly obliged, Leading him there. To his surprise, Zipp, Pipp, and Haven alike were all there looking as well as they ever did, which made him smile. They noticed him walking in and Zipp was the first one to speak with him.

"Cyre! It's been way too long since we've seen each other. How have you been?"

"Better, now that I know you aren't in a jail cell, along with Pipp and your mother. I thought for sure your mother would've been stripped of her power."

"Well, she kinda was, and she kinda wasn't. When we got back, mom did turn herself in again, though she vouched that we didn't come up with any of it, and she did. That was mostly true, at least in my case. About a month later Pipp and I issued a huge apology to Zephyr Heights. Pipp staked her music career on a vote that she posted. I said she took it a bit far, but she felt that she needed to get everything off her chest for a new start. The vote was 87%/13%, In favor of her continuing her music. It seems most ponies forgave us. As for mom, she was reinstated as Queen but is under surveillance, and has to have some decisions approved by a council until she's deemed truly trustworthy."

"Ah, limited powers for the meantime, is it? That's relatively light, but I won't question your council." Cyre then looked away from her to Pipp, now asking her questions.

"So... I hear you made an apology, Pipp? I'm not quite sure why you would since you were just following your mother's lead.. but still, I'm glad you did something about it when you came back. Shows you've got integrity... that, and you're not some shallow internet personality. Cause trust me, there's plenty of those back where I'm from."

"I don't necessarily blame you for that, Cyre. Before magic returned, I did everything to please my fans. But after this whole ordeal, I learned that isn't the true me. To be transparent, I have to tell my fans what I think. It isn't smart to just say yes to everything. Like Zipp told you, I was living a lie, and I apologized to everypony, leaving my fate to them: to keep making music or stop altogether. I wasn't sure what I'd do if they said yes, but I was gonna think of something in case it happened. Thanks to my fans, I'll keep making music, and I'll be much more honest... not too honest though, as there is such a thing as being too honest. Oooh, sorry Cyre! I gotta take this, it's from my media advisor! We'll talk some more later!"

With that, Pipp flew up into the opening of the spot where she was floated down in the show and quickly disappeared. It was just him, Zipp, and Queen Haven now, and speaking of Queen Haven...

"Well then, It seems everything worked out well for you in retrospect, eh Queen Haven? You've still got the throne, your daughters have made amends, and you're out of prison. While your moves are being watched, and some decisions are overseen by others, It honestly could've been much worse."

"You're not wrong there, my sweet little Saiyan. Even I didn't expect to be given a chance like this. But if they think I can prove it to them I can be a benevolent ruler without lying as I had before, then it's all fine by me. I have to ask though. Why are you visiting Zephyr Heights? I figured you would stay in Maretime Bay with most of your friends."

"Well, I mainly stopped by to see if you needed help renovating areas of Zephyr Heights, like that abandoned station I'm sure Zipp told you about. The other reason... was Zipp herself. I promised her some things, she promised me some things."

"Is that so? And what, pray do tell, did you promise to her? I'll have you know that even though I honor Zipp's privacy, I am still her mother. And as such, I will protect them, even from you if need be. If you harm her, you'll be hearing from me very soon. Understood?"

"Mom! Stop please, I'm more than capable of protecting myself! Besides, you never really cared when I went off to do my own thing for long periods. If I really couldn't protect myself, I probably wouldn't be sitting here to talk about it."

"Zephyrina! Your mother is talking, you shouldn't be interrupting! Now hush while I pry apart our guest for answers!" Zipp made a turn to Cyre, who was holding in his laughter. Cyre had been right all along about Zipp's name is far more embarrassing than his.

"So... Uhm... "Zephyrina", huh Zipp? And you had the AUDACITY to say MY name was weird and embarrassing... Those in glass houses..." Zipp glared at Cyre but the damage was already done. Zipp was bright red in the face out of embarrassment and resigned herself to sitting on her haunches turned away from the two of them. She was just gonna take a minute to cool off as Cyre spoke to Queen Haven again.

"As I was saying, I was going to train Zipp to become a martial artist. She asked me this while we were on our little adventure to restore magic. As such, I gave her something of mine, a scouter. It's a piece of technology from my world. In return for her keeping it safe for me when we meet again, I would teach her how to harness the power of Ki."

"What... is Ki? Is this "Ki" something you bring from your world?"

"Yes... and no. While Earth is a planet known to be able to have species that can use ki, ki flows within every being in the universe, even you have it, Queen Haven. Ki is also known as "latent energy" or "fighting power," which directly translates as "life force." Most of the Ki within you is focused in the center of the body. By drawing it out, an individual can manipulate it and use it outside the body. Ki can be used for many different techniques both for healing, and fighting alike. Because there are physical limits to the strength of the body using ki itself, it is necessary to increase one's Ki to overcome this barrier and become stronger. When fighters gather Ki, they can gain enhanced strength, speed, endurance, and can increase the power of their attacks to inflict greater damage to opponents. Normally, the more the Ki is increased, the harder it is to control, so Ki control is also important."

"You're going to have to write all of that down because I didn't catch a word of what you're saying. Regardless, you're teaching my daughter how to defend herself, is what you're trying to say? Cause if so... I give you my blessing to train my daughter to fight. If it keeps her from harm, I suppose I can let her go along with you, just this once."

"...Thank you then, your majesty. Alright, Zipp, you heard your mother. we have permission for you to be trained! Training starts today, Zephyrina! Come now!" Zipp quickly took flight after Cyre as he made his way out of a nearby open window. Now the two were flying side by side, as Cyre led her down the mountain and into a nearby grassland. Landing a few feet apart, the two face each other. Zipp being eager to start had a determined look on her face, wings flared open.

"So? What are we working on first? are you gonna show me how to float? How to fire beams of energy? Come on, I'm anxious to get going!"

"Zipp. Before you could learn any of those things, you need to know how to fight. I know you're in shape already, but you could end up killing yourself without control and technique. Lucky for you, you've got an excellent teacher since I've trained with some of the best warriors this side of the universe. To get a feel of how powerful Ki can truly be in the hands... or your case hooves, of a master. Or at least someone powerful with it."

Cyre stood back from Zipp a little more as he spread his legs a little bit. His fists clenched as he slowly built up his ki. What started as a low growl quickly escalated into a deafening yell. The entire nearby mountain began trembling as he unleashed his power, and a white aura came to life as he did so. Zipp barely had time to brace before a huge gust of wind began to blow, almost being taken off her hooves. Small rocks and things of similar size begin floating into the air, and Zipp could barely believe it. Cyre was capable of this when just powering up?!? Just how powerful was he when he was fighting seriously? Cyre noticed her expression, and also not wanting to disturb the surrounding area too much, he stopped powering up and went back to his relaxed state. As soon as the rumbling and the gales ceased, along with the rocks stopping in mid-air and falling back to the ground, he grinned. Zipp was silent, before speaking.

"....That... was... AMAZING!!! You have to teach me how to do this stuff, you GOTTA!!! I DEFINITELY won't stop asking you to train me now!"

"Before you learn anything CLOSE to that, you need to make sure to take this seriously. The power that you can gain for ki is a blessing, as well as a burden. You feel like you can do anything... And you pretty much can. If nobody else on a planet knows Ki, you can essentially rule unopposed. Which is why I'm making you another promise... If you use what I teach you for any nefarious purposes, to punish and frighten innocent people... I'm bringing you down myself."

"I... I understand. Maybe I'm a bit too excited. I'll admit that much. But I understand what you're saying... So, what do I need to learn first?"

"The first step would normally be training your body. Getting it in proper shape. But I'm pretty sure you've already been doing that. So I think we can move on to the next step: Harnessing your ki. Come, sit in front of me and listen closely."

Zipp nodded and she sat about 3 feet in front of Cyre, sitting on her haunches. Cyre then put his hands close together as a few moments began to pass. After that, a small, yellow ball of energy formed in between his hands. Zipp watched as closely as she could, studying everything. Cyre got her attention by speaking again.

"Relax, and feel for the energy deep within your mind and body. With time you'll find that using your ki is as easy as it is to stretch open your wings. You have to make the energy flow from your core, to your hooves. That's the most basic form of ki imaginable. You should learn it in no time. You seem to be able to concentrate well enough. I can't say the same about Izzy, she always seems to be constantly having her mind on something other than actually doing much concentrating... Anyway, do as I showed you, and we'll see how good you are."

Zipp put her hooves close together and began to concentrate, with Cyre staying silent. Only the breeze blowing through the grasslands could be heard by the pair. It was relaxing, exactly what Zipp needed. Zipp was grunting, doing her best, but for about 10 minutes nothing had happened. Then, Cyre saw the faintest flicker of yellow before it quickly disappeared. It happened frequently for another 5 minutes. After that, the flow became steady. The ball of ki was much like the one he'd made a few minutes ago. Cyre smiled and tapped her, signaling that she could stop.

"Good going Zipp. You managed to harness your first pool of ki. Now, we'll go over more advanced concepts as we progress. Let's do basic levitation, without your wings as a guide. What you're doing now is a little different than what I just had you doing. Instead of letting the ki pool in your hoof, you're going to let it flow out of your hooves. the ki will allow you to hover as long as you can maintain the constant flow of ki. I'll show you an example. watch closely."

Cyre sighed and concentrated, directing his ki to his feet. Slowly, the grass around him started blowing away from him softly. Shortly after, Cyre began levitating off of the ground, holding position at around 3 feet. he then slowly hovered back down, setting foot back of the grass softly. Zipp stared at Cyre, who stared right back and signaled to her to try and do the same that he had done. Zipp stood up on all four hooves, wings folded tightly against her sides. she then sighed and once again concentrated. However, this time, it took far longer for Zipp to get it right. 2 and a half hours longer if you're curious. The whole time, Zipp got constantly frustrated, angry with herself for not being able to get it right. Cyre had her take breaks consistently. As Cyre said before, it wasn't going to be easy to master ki control. Having it is one thing, controlling it properly is another. She did finally manage to pull it off, hovering at 2 feet before losing concentration and falling on her rear. The sun was getting low in the sky by the time they finished. It was about 4:30 in the afternoon.

"Alright Zipp, I think that'll be enough for today. You've made more progress than I'd hoped for. After all, Your mother does somewhat care how long you're gone now."

"I guess you're right. Hey, you're sticking around in Zephyr Heights, right? In that case, mind flying with me for a bit? I wanna show you around Zephyr Heights since we were too busy running the last time you were here."

"Alright, I guess it couldn't hurt. But I need a place to stay before I do any of that. And I don't exactly have any money. at least, not money I can use on this planet." Cyre took of as Zipp flew after him, as they made their way back up the mountain, where their conversation continued.

"Don't you worry one little bit about that, I'll get it all figured out for you. Now that you have me thinking about it, I remember having a spare bedroom about two doors from my own bedroom. You could probably sleep there. And don't worry about it being unused or dirty. The maids kept cleaning up anything that was left in there on the off chance somepony would use it. Mom was REALLY articulate about keeping things tidy like that. As long as you don't mind staying in a castle near me, then you should be okay."

"Alright, I get it, Zipp, you want me to stick around for a while. just can't see why you'd want me to be so close by. What, do you really want me on standby to train you every day?"

"....Yeah."

"Well... I didn't think you'd answer so straightforward. points for commitment, Zipp."

After a 10 minute flight, they made their way back to the castle, going through the front door again as they passed by the throne room. Zipp brought him to the room he'd be staying in for the foreseeable future. Zipp opened the door to let him in as Cyre admired where he was staying. even by his size standards, the room was pretty spacious, about 1/4 the size of the throne room. There was a Queen-sized bed there, that could actually fit his entire body if he were to sleep in it. There was a desk with a built-in mirror and a private bathroom with a shower. And lastly, it had a balcony that looked out into the sunset on the horizon. Once Cyre took a seat on the bed, he was surprised at how soft it was. Zipped smiled as Cyre admired the place.

"Hmph. It's a nice little room to sleep in, huh? I knew you'd like it. I figure you'll want to have some time to settle in. I'll come back In about an hour, That's when dinner will be ready around here. See you then!" With that, Zipp left the room and allowed Cyre to have some alone time. Cyre decided to just lay down on the bed for a while. He didn't feel like taking a shower quite yet, since he took one the day before yesterday. From there Cyre took what rest he could before having to get up and go get something to eat.

Author's Note

And that's a wrap for this chapter! The next chapter will have Cyre eating and having a conversation with the royal family!

Pony Power Levels

Zipp Storm (Ki Control Trainee): 60