First Lesson

Chapter 6

She had to ask, didn't she? This day was proving to be the most interesting Twilight had ever lived to date and it was just beginning too. The princess' jaw hung open as her violet eyes were locked onto what was floating before her. Thicker than she had ever seen in her life, surrounded by an air of mystical energy to the point where it was simply intoxicating, a lesser pony might've actually passed out from the sheer amount of magic that surrounded it, but thankfully she wasn't just any pony. Although its aura alone did seem to cause a bit of a headache for her or was it the fact that, it was possibly the largest tome she had ever seen in her life. This begged the question again as her gaze shifted from the oversized tome, back up to its owner. Why did she have to ask if she had to read something for her lesson? This was by far the first time she had ever regretted asking if she did.

He found himself chuckling softly as he gauged her reaction, watching every movement she made very carefully. Eyes wide, jaw hanging open, a reaction he often received from ponies who saw this book. Something else, however, hid behind his eyes, it was that of the smirk that was beginning to spread across his face, as he could figure what was about to happen next. This would prove to catch Twilight off guard especially when she heard it echoing across the room. “You called, Silver?” the voice itself was deep, eerie and very mystical, seeming to be filled with very profound wisdom and magical power. Where had it come from though? The sound of the voice caused her head to shift in every which direction as if trying to pinpoint the source of it. However, there was only one other pony in the room and he didn't have that deep of a voice.

“Yes, I did.” Silver finally replied, his gaze turning down to the book, as if admitting to the princess that it was the source of the voice. This is what really threw Twilight for a loop beyond all possible thought. It was illogical, nay inconceivable that a book could talk! This caused her to climb right off her bed, and with slow strides, she inched closer to the book. As she did, everything began to become clear to her. With a brief glance back up to her new teacher and then back down to the book, she took note of the fact that it was levitating, yet...it wasn't the stallion who was making it levitate. The book seemed to just float before her without any assistance from its owner.

“What in Equestria?” Was the first thing Twilight asked, as she poked the tome with her hoof, as if trying to inspect it. Simply searching for a logical solution for why it was able to levitate by itself and even speak if she wasn't hallucinating. “I-I know magic can make objects float...but...TALK? What the hay is going on here?” The stallion could only laugh as she began to inspect the book, recalling a similar reaction when it first spoke to him and began to float on its own as well.

“Well...you see, Twilight...” Silver began, that was until he was rather rudely interrupted by the object now floating in the room.

“I'm not just an ordinary book!” the tome announced, “I've passed through the hooves of very many unicorns and even a few alicorns. In that time, I received an assortment of enchantments, some to protect my contents from unworthy hooves, others that link me to my present owner....and over those very many years, the enchantments began to pile up...eventually, I became what you now see today, a book with a mind and a voice of its own.” As the book spoke, the stallion's eye seemed to twitch. Being interrupted wasn't something he particularly enjoyed, especially by his own spellbook. However he knew full well he couldn't argue with it, so he simply sighed in defeat, with a very careful nod to Twilight.

“And...this is the book you want me to read?” she inquired with a small tilt of her head, gazing back up at him.

“Yes...well...” he began, clearing his throat. “Consider this book more of a study guide for you. While I'll be teaching you new spells directly and even be helping you practice, in your down time, this book will be the one aiding you.” With another glance toward the book and then back to Silver, she couldn't help but feel a bit overwhelmed. Thoughts from before quickly returned, between the book and the alicorn stallion, this was quite a bit of information to take in, not to mention what else she had learned today. This was enough to make the already-brewing headache far worse than it had been before. On top of that, anxiety mixed with her excitement at the prospect of learning new spells was starting to eat away at her. In just a matter of seconds, she found herself reaching out to the book, as if attempting to open it, but before she could, she found herself blocked by the stallion's hoof, whom shook his head. “No...not yet.”

This caught Twilight's attention right away, especially having his hoof on hers. Right away, she pulled her own hoof back as a new sensation traveled through her body. At first, she didn't know where it had come from, but, before long she was overcome with the exact same feeling that she had felt before, the very same feeling that Silver had entered the room with the first time. It felt like ice traveling up her hooves and throughout the rest of her body and it seemed far worse than she had felt before too. The sensation seemed to cause the color of her coat to grow a bit dull for a moment, as if responding to his touch, this reaction only lasted a second however as she turned her head back over to him. What was with this pony? Why is it he felt so cold? Was this intentional or was it something else that was causing it? It couldn't of been a coincidence that she had felt what she did earlier, there had to be something more to it, and she was determined to get to the bottom of it, eventually.

The stare Silver had been receiving from Twilight was a bit unnerving for him, as he hadn't ever received a look like this in his life before. After a few seconds though, the odd look seemed to vanish completely, especially when he cracked a smile again. “The book will remain in here...as you'll need it more than me...you may study it later tonight if you find the strength to...” These words caught her attention right away, what did he mean by 'find the strength'? Could it have something to do with today's lesson? With the curious look on her face he could only give a very small chuckle before he proceeded to trot from the room. As he opened the door again, the stallion turned back with quite the smile on his face. “You coming Twilight?” Without another word, she followed him, wondering where he planned on taking her for the first lesson.

The breeze was very gentle, causing the grassy field to seemingly roll as they stepped out onto it. The two alicorns had chosen it out of all the possible locations, not because it was the closest to Canterlot, but because of its natural beauty. What really got her though, was not so much the rolling grass, but the gentle breeze itself. It made everything feel so serene, especially as Twilight felt it flowing through her mane. It seemed to clear her anxiety right up as well as any possible fears she had. Silver couldn't help but smile as he looked back at the princess, he knew full well this would be a tough day for her, but at least he could give her something pleasant before they began.

Twilight closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, feeling the fresh, cool air enter through her nostrils before flowing out her mouth. It was simply intoxicating as she felt it. For the first time, she didn't even seem to have a care in the world as she sat in the grass. It was impressive just how relaxed she had become in such a short amount of time. Had it been the scenery? Or was it the fresh air? This wasn't important though as Silver stepped forth, turning to her very slowly.

“Alright...today's lesson serves multiple purposes.” he began, the very sound of his voice snapping the lavender alicorn back to her senses. With renewed enthusiasm, she sat quietly and listened to what he had to say.

“The first purpose of today's lesson, is to help you connect more with your new body.” he continued, “Part one of the lesson will teach you how to control each of your five senses and the sixth all alicorns have...” Wait, a sixth?! She didn't recall him mentioning something about a sixth sense before now! Did this have something to do with what she had been sensing from him before? What was this sixth sense? She was about to get her answer as he continued on with his lecture. “But, before that, allow me to explain. The sixth sense has little to do with your other five, its more of a psychic sense, per say....this sense...allows us to sense the auras of other beings, some have even taken it to the point where they can even see the aura itself.”

In her curiosity, Twilight spoke up right away. “What purpose does it serve to be able to see somepony's aura?” she inquired.

“Well, you see, the aura is like a natural energy that exists around all living things...but when its around a sentient being, it allows us to feel their mood...and no matter how hard they try, they can't hide it completely.” he explained, “And often, the aura of sentient beings will rub off on their belongings, or things they've had contact with, it better allows us to actually track something...magical objects also often have their own auras, which in turn allows us to sense these objects.” This could only make her smile, with each passing second she grew more and more eager to learn, reaching the point to where she was actually tapping her hoof impatiently.

“The first step though...is to learn to focus your other senses. Sight, Smell, Taste, Touch and Hearing...I will explain what focusing each one can accomplish....although I wouldn't recommend focusing your sense of taste.” this remark sparked a bit of a giggle in Twilight as she could only assume what it would do if she ate something at all while focusing it, especially something sweet like cake. At first, the thought made her shiver as she imagined what a chocolate cake would be like if she ate it with a focused sense of taste. At the same time though, she also began to understand as to why Luna and Celestia loved their sweets so much, which only made her laugh again.

“Now...we'll begin with touch.” Silver began, pressing his hooves into the dirt. “When you enhance your sense of touch, it allows you to 'feel' everything within a significant distance...you literally feel everything. From a flowing river, to the smallest of insects crawling across the ground. All without disturbing a thing...the sad part is though, you can't feel anything beyond the surface of the ground.” She watched as he demonstrated the proper technique, his wings briefly flaring before his eyes closed. With each breath he drew, he grew more and more relaxed, but this was all she could see until he opened his eyes again. “With these senses, I won't be able to give that great of examples...but I can guide you through the technique...now first, close your eyes.”

Twilight complied with the request, following his instructions right down to the T. Silver's voice became like a river to her fairly quickly, especially as he instructed her to clear her mind. Without a thought running through her head, his words flowed over her like silk, her body simply reacting to every word that slipped from his mouth. With each breath she became more and more relaxed, the world around her quickly coming into a focus that she hadn't ever attained.

It was like a state of bliss for the lavender alicorn, not only could she feel the breeze flowing over every detail of her body, weaving in and out between every single hair of her coat and mane, but she could also feel the the breeze flowing over each blade of grass and each flower among the blades which caused it to roll. She could envision it in her mind very clearly, every detail of the land around her, from the smallest dip in the land to the full height of the hill they were on. She could even feel the ants marching in the dirt not more than ten feet away from her! She could've sworn they were actually crawling up her leg, which mind you was a bit of an unnerving feeling.

“Now...slowly bring yourself back, let it recede back into your hooves.” he whispered, “Let the thoughts flow back through your mind.” Slowly, the sensations began to fade from her mind as her eyes fluttered open. Never in her life had she felt the world in such detail and while in motion too! This was defiantly something she'd have to practice with later to see what other possibilities there were. Silver didn't even have to ask how it felt either as the evidence was plastered on her face. She had enjoyed what she experienced, which was a good thing for the lesson.

“Is it really like that for the other four senses?” she asked without hesitation. “I mean...does it always feel that blissful?” He shook his head to her disappointment.

“No, the other senses...aren't so friendly depending on where you use them.” he stated. “Which is why we won't be practicing with three of them...hearing is the last one we'll work with for now. The other three require more specialized practice. As for hearing...” This is where Twilight smirked, she wasn't clueless. With her mind back in full gear, she could easily figure out that touch wasn't all that different than hearing.

“Wait, let me guess...I'll be able to hear the ants crawling?” This impressed the stallion and it only seemed to make him a bit more excited to be her teacher. This became apparent as his wings fluffed out. This was followed by a giggle from the princess, whom simply gestured to it, and he swore a few times as a response. With the next part of the lecture he explained that she simply has to perform the same technique, but instead of touch, she simply listens. This was a simple enough task, the tough part however was actually accomplishing it without his voice to guide her as he couldn't speak without risking damage to her ears.

This was real practice, unlike before, where she had his voice carrying her. This time, it was a real struggle to find her peace. It was rather nerve racking for her as she continued to try various times, but to no avail. It was only when she was reminded of his words and voice was she able to finally relax. A single deep breath was all it took as she felt herself being lifted. Her ears perked up and everything began to flow into place.

It was sensory overload at first, as the world around her became twice as loud. The first thing she was able to zone in on was the buzzing of a nearby fly, this agitated her to no end as the buzzing rang in her ears. She pushed past this obnoxious noise, only to zone in on the subtle, yet flowing sounds of the grass in the breeze, their very movements weren't without sound, the air flowing around each blade. Listening deeper, she could hear a tune flowing over the grass, it was on the breeze, and by far one of the most beautiful sounds she had ever heard. Then, the realization dawned on her, this is why he wanted her to just practice two senses, this is why he had chosen this particular field. Nature itself was in motion around her. On this day, the grass even held a tune and it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever heard in her life, bringing her to the point where a tear fell from her eye as she opened them.

Twilight wanted to speak, but she couldn't find the words as she gazed back up at Silver. Nature had been a beautiful thing to her in the past, but never like this! She had appreciated the land back when she was a unicorn, but now everything seemed different. Was this the meaning of being an alicorn?

“Understand now?” Silver asked, taking note of how the look in her eyes had begun to change. Unable to find the words to respond, she only nodded. 'She's learning fast...' he thought, 'I'm going to need to really step it up now.' In truth, with how fast she had figured out her senses, as well as her reaction, it was beginning to excite the stallion even more. It wasn't just the fact that she was essentially absorbing the information like a sponge, but it was also the fact that she was picking it up even faster than some of his previous students. “Good...because I think you're ready for part two...where not only will I teach you a new spell, but one that'll help you get more in touch with your pegasus side....least I hope.” It only took two words to make the joy in her mind overflow.

“A new spell?” She asked, virtually bouncing, her eyes beaming with excitement. What could this new spell be? Already she had several ideas in mind of what he'd teach her on the first day, ignoring over half of what he had just said in turn. Twilight was caught off guard by what he had done next, his horn lighting up before swinging his head off to the left, unleashing a small blast spell. The result wasn't what she had expected at all though, in the place where the spell had landed now sat a large, fluffy white cloud, to which simply caused her jaw to drop.

“This, is actually one of my favorite spells, its not that commonly known either, but very simple to perform.” Silver explained, “I don't think it has an official name either, so I call it the drifting cloud spell.”

“What purpose is this spell supposed to serve?” Twilight asked, pushing her jaw back into place. “I mean...all it does is conjure a cloud...”

“You see...this spell serves only one real purpose, as a comfortable way for an alicorn to relax and observe.” he pointed out, patting the cloud with his hoof. “But...in this case, it serves another purpose...its to help you connect with your pegasus side.” While he spoke, the lavender alicorn would be patting the cloud herself, just feeling how soft it could really be. Right away she noticed a distinct difference between this cloud and other clouds she had felt back in Cloudsdale. The first distinction she discovered was, it was much softer and even fluffier than other clouds, not only that, it also seemed sturdier than others, having more of a firm surface, but then again, that could also be attributed to the fact she had recently gained the abilities of a pegasus. What was he planning? That was all she could ask as her head turned in his direction, where he simply gestured for her to climb onto the cloud.

“Y-you mean...?” he only nodded, she gulped, feeling her nerves starting to get the better of her. “A-are you sure its safe?”

“Twilight...I'll promise you, that as long as I'm here, you will not get hurt.” Silver assured, which seemed to ease her nerves a bit, before she was able to climb on. The surface was a bit slick at first, but relatively easy to get a hold of, even with a hoof. With her mentor's help, she was able to pull herself onto the surface of the cloud, where he proceeded to join her. Thankfully it was large enough for the both of them.

The lesson itself had been relatively simple, after adjusting to the surface of the cloud, came the rather challenging part, especially for Twilight. Thankfully though Silver had made it relatively easy for her. What he had decided to teach her was something that, while not very common anymore, it was a game often played by young pegasi to help strengthen their wings before they learned to fly, giving them the appropriate time to feel them out. It was something known as cloud-hopping and it was quite the strenuous workout for the lavender alicorn, but one she seemed to greatly enjoy once she was able to catch on.

Before long, Twilight was able to leap from cloud to cloud with ease, utilizing the combination of her wings and legs. It reached the point where she was even laughing rather loudly as she leapt from one cloud to another, following her mentor's exact path. She took another small step back, before leaping into the air. A thermal quickly caught her fully extended wings, bringing her a bit higher up into the air, this allowed her to land rather gracefully on the next cloud, standing right before the stallion with a large grin on her face, breathing rather heavily at the same time.

“I...never knew training could be this much fun!” she laughed, “Its not a wonder why Dash loves the skies...it makes a pony feel so free!” Twilight was overjoyed to actually be standing atop a cloud this high up, it felt simply liberating, especially to a pony who had spent most of her time with her hooves on the ground and her nose buried in a book. Without even thinking and in a great amount of gratitude she threw her arms around the stallion, embracing him rather tightly for having shown her such a wonderful experience. Right away, it seemed like he wanted to pull away, yet, he found himself unable to, his own hooves pulling her in a bit closer.

It had been quite a long time since he had experienced this, his heart pounding in his chest even harder than it ever had. Twilight noticed the difference right away, as his body felt much warmer than it had been earlier. She didn't seem to mind either, this time actually savoring and enjoying the embrace.

“Thank you.....Twilight.”