Twilight struggled to keep her eyes open, her entire body drained from the sheer expenditure of magic she'd been forced to unleash. The world around her was razed to ash, leaving nothing but scorched earth and stone in its wake. Still it was not enough. Her magical enhancing staff fell from her telekinetic grip as she collapsed, the magic connecting the two severed. Her robes, designed to enhance her magic as well, felt heavy and stuffy as her chest heaved from exhaustion.

Even her horn was sore from the unleashed elements she had struck at her foe. Fire, ice and lightning had flung from her body in torrents. Bruises coated her purple coat, the after effects of a long, impossible battle.

Her foe, a massive rune covered wolf made of stone, yipped in triumph as it warily circled its pray, in case she had any tricks left. The runes glowed a bright red, a sign from one of her powerful flames. However, its tainted body repelled her magic with ease, reducing the effectiveness of each of her strikes.

The creature stopped and tensed up, ready to pounce at a moments notice. Twilight closed her eyes and waited, a hoof slowly reaching out to grip her staff. If she would fall, she would fall fighting. As one of the Warriors of the Sun, it was her duty.

The beast lunged, mouth open and fangs bared at her throat. Its jaw snapped shut as it was slammed into the ground by a powerful hoof.

Applejack stood over the beast, jumping back. The stallion smirked to his friend. “Nnnnnope.”

“Prince Goldenseed.”

Twilight quickly looked up and gasped. “Applejack! Look out!” The wolf lunged again, but was easily knocked aside by the sudden appearance of Spike, wielding her shield and bashing the monster in the face. Though the stone refused “Prince Goldenseed!” to crumble under the blow, the pony managed to hold the beast back.

“I told you we wouldn't let you take this on alone, sis,” the mare said with a chuckle.

The wounds across the unicorn's body began to heal as she quickly turned back. Fluttershy appeared behind them, giving the unicorn a shy smile as his horn glowed with healing light. “Sorry it ummm, took us so long. We--”

The book was yanked into the air, slamming shut. Goldenseed stared up into the eyes of an annoyed unicorn wearing a monocle. His coat and mane were the same dark red, almost as red as his scowling face. “Prince Goldenseed,” the stallion asked in a harsh tone. “Don't you think you're forgetting something?”

“Errr, no?” he said softly, nervously chuckling. “I still have ummmm...” He looked out the large glass doors that separated his bed chambers from the deck outside. The sun shone high in the sky. “Oh.”

“Yes, 'oh'.”

“S-sorry Straightlace. I'll get ready! Just a few more minutes, please? I just got to the part where Twilight rejoins the group and--”

“They fight off the stone wolf and Fluttershy confesses his feelings for Twilight, patching over their earlier fight. They then proceed to defeat the hydra and save Luna with its heart. There, now you don't have to read it.”

Goldenseed just stared. “You... you spoiled it! That's, that's--”

“Your father will spoil a lot more than a story if you aren't ready for the ceremony.” Straightlace flung the book onto the bed before the armoire across the room flung open. White robes flew from it, descending on the child. “Now hold still. You really shouldn't be wasting your time on those fairy tales. Myths passed down to amuse children and keep them from causing trouble.” A small crown of grass was dropped on the prince's head. “You are no longer a child and you no longer have time for such frivolity.”

Goldenseed straightened his robe, making sure the seals over his chest were properly arranged. He sighed and gave a mournful look to his book. “They aren't all stories though. I've heard what the soldier's talk about all the time. Adventurers fight all kinds of monsters like that. Even Celestia showed up a few decades ago.”

“Yes. And she proceeded to burn entire outposts to cinders, slaughtering all who dared oppose her. Hardly the compassionate princess they show in those tales, now is she? Hold still.” A few golden medals were entwined in the prince's mane, before the unicorn nodded. “There, you're ready. At least, as ready as you'll be. Now go, before your father notices your tardiness!”

Goldenseed nodded and galloped from the room. The earth pony was just barely larger than a colt, having begun his final steps into adult hood. His coat was a golden-brown, with small flecks of white across his cheeks and down his neck. His mane was a grass green, long but smooth, with gentle curls near the end.

He stumbled awkwardly as he ran through the halls, his new robes, despite been tailored for him, felt too restrictive, designed for slow, graceful movements. Unfortunately, as late as he was he couldn't afford a slow, gentle stroll. It didn't help that half the time his legs felt a few inches too long for his body, making him quite clumsy in the best of situations.

Still, he managed to make it through the white halls of the castle and out to the courtyard with only a few stumbles and one small tumble down a few steps. As he stepped out into the open air, he let out a sigh of relief. The sun was bright and the sky clear, the heat brushing across his body making him almost feel as if the day would be perfect.

“Goldenseed!” an angry voice pierced his thoughts, making him cringe. He slowly looked up and cringed.

His father stood, glaring at him from across the large, stone covered courtyard. He wore the same white robes, though he wore a crown of roses. He was a tall, muscular earth pony with a bright red coat and a dazzling golden mane. Standing around him were a hoofful of other earth ponies, all wearing the same white robes and bearing different flowered crowns. He cringed when he saw a pony hiding behind his father.

Cherryseed. Her robe was gray and she wore no crown. However, she took after their father far better than he had. While he was tall, skinny and lanky, she was a bit short, but her legs and body were thicker and tougher. She was nowhere near as clumsy as he and she always managed to be around for events such as this one. He could hardly believe she was allowed to come at all, she was still just an initiate.

“Goldenseed, come!” his father ordered again. He shook himself from his thoughts and quickly galloped over, stumbling over his robes and face planting into the ground. He quickly picked himself up and galloped over. “S-sorry father! I was--”

“You're late, your crown is crooked and you tore your robe.” The voice was filled with borderline contempt, making the boy hang his head in shame.

“Sorry father...”

The stallion rolled his eyes. “It is no matter. Come, we're already behind as it is.”

He nodded and took his position, near the center of the mass of white robed earth ponies. Though they kept their voices down, his ears twitched as they whispered to each other. Likely about him. His cheeks burned with shame when he heard one call Cherryseed the 'other son'.

They walked out from the castle and down a short, brick road. It quickly split to the left and right. The left led to the city, Canterlot, which their castle overlooked from its small hill. The right, however, led into forestland. They quickly veered that way.

“Now, for today's trial,” his father began, “you'll be demonstrating your powers of healing the land. I assume you have been practicing your magic?”

“Of course father,” Goldenseed said softly. His father already knew, since it tended to be him, or those chosen by him, who trained the colt. He looked around as they slowly passed past the first of the trees.

The Everfree Forest was a dangerous, deadly place. Or, at least, that's what they told him. The magic had once moved wild and free through the trees, twisting and tormenting the lands here. Feral timberwolves, cockatrices and hydras ran a muck, destroying all in their wake. Goldenseed didn't put any belief in those 'stories'.

While the magic did have a tendency to build up and damage the trees, the forest had been watched since the founding of the Order of the Green Hoof. Nopony alive had even known anypony who could remember any true dangers in the forest, aside from the occasional threat. He imagined they were lies, designed to keep ponies from questioning the order's continued presence near the woods.

On occasion there were talks of chimeras or cockatrices, but any such threat had been quickly removed before it could come anywhere near the city. To his disappointment, they never even had adventurers come to help in the lands anymore, most never coming to the castle. Most stories of adventure and danger now came second hoof, from books or bards. Canterlot had just known peace for too long for there to be any real excitement.

Knowing this, it came as no real surprise when he saw a small gathered herd, all wearing the same white robes, surrounding a thick, tall and powerful tree. As opposed to the earth ponies that composed his father's group, there were zebras and buffalo filling that herd. The only representatives he didn't see from the order were the sea ponies, though that wasn't surprising considering they were on land. He knew why they'd come, too.

The final test for the prince before he became a true conjurer. Never mind the fact his 'tests' were minor and insignificant compared to the dangers a real conjurer might face. No, since he was the prince, they had to give him the simplest, easiest tasks lest he somehow fail and possibly get hurt. His ears burned as the other herd turned to him and started muttering to themselves.

No doubt they were talking about the state of his robes, or how he was a little late. Or possibly the fact his 'trial' was nothing more than a child's game. He kept his head high, ignoring them as they parted to allow him access to the tree he was to 'heal'.

He walked to it and closed his eyes, gently placing a hoof against the bark. He opened his magical senses to the feel of the land as the world around him seemed to melt away.

He could feel the ground around him, the magic flowing through the lands. It entered trees through the roots, spreading through them before blowing out through the leaves. Grass and bushes practically glowed with the magical energies that coursed around them. It was almost over whelming and the entire experience made his breathing stop for a moment as he felt awe at the sheer majesty of the world around him. He'd once tried explaining the feeling to a non-conjurer, but the closest he'd ever been able to come was becoming one with the sea, yet knowing exactly where and how every single droplet flowed.

He could feel little pools of magic as well, constantly in motion as magic flowed in from outside sources, then flowed out again into the land. Were he healing a person, it would be those pools he'd borrow the magic from to heal any wounds, which had in fact been his first trial. A frown creased his brow as he remembered having to heal it, a minor paper cut. A waste of the land's kindness and giving nature.

He'd heard stories from some of the other students, their trials. Some had healed massive wounds from those attacked by feral animals, one had even had to dispel the stone skin from a cockatrice. Sometimes they failed on the first try, and a more experienced conjurer would finish the task. However, they would be allowed another trial, as all conjurers were.

He, on the other hand, wasn't even given a chance to fail. They gave him a small paper cut, something he could have fixed after his first week of training, while more advanced conjurers hovered over him and made sure to return any energies he borrowed to the land, not even trusting him to do that properly.

The world around him began to fade and darken as he felt the magic flowing from the ground and into him, begin to knot up and create blockages. He took a deep breath and the energies began to move smoothly again, in through his hind legs, through his body, then out through his forelegs. He then began to direct some of the energy from his forelegs into the tree, increasing the magical flow through it.

He frowned when he found the 'trial'. One of the branches had a blockage, making the magic flow out slower and build up. It wasn't a full blockage, stopping only about a third of the magic from escaping. It was so minor that it would take weeks before anypony would likely be able to sense the disturbance from any meaningful distance.

Which made it even worse. Because that meant the order had likely scoured the forest, searching for the smallest possible amount of damage they could. It was the pony equivalent of a tiny chip in the hoof, or a minor bruise. It likely hadn't even been caused by outside sources abusing magic. It was just a small mishap that could happen anywhere.

Frustration spurred him as he ignored the damage. He was a conjurer and, even if they thought he was helpless, he'd prove them wrong. He focused his magic and sent it riding through the land. It jumped from tree to grass to bush to tree, stroking along the land, searching and pushing. He heard worried stammers from behind him, but he ignored them. He kept looking, before smiling.

He found it, less than a league away. One of the trees had a clog halfway up. Magic was building up within, but had no way to escape. He sent his magic into it, grasping the blockage in his magic and coaxing around it, trying to find the cause. It took him seconds to find it.

The magic was twisted and knotted, the energy having obviously been used and transferred into aether recently. That meant somepony had been using magic nearby and ended up sending the magic back into the ground immediately after their task was done. He borrowed magic from the trees around it, poking and prodding at the disturbance, peeling off small chunks and loosening them, not yet purifying them but setting them free. He had almost touched the core, when he felt as if the world had fallen out from under him for a moment.

The magic compressed into a little ball and shot up through the tree, the tainted bits reaching out and following the trail his magic had created. He pulled his magic back, but it was too late. The ground shook for a few moments before he felt it.

To the naked eye, it was invisible. But to his magic senses, and the senses of those around him, it was as clear as day. A thing of aether, writhing and twisting, gathered in front of him. It was still weak, but it was one with the earth, impossible to defeat through sword and spear as it gathered rocks and dirt around itself.

A minor elemental. Something that could only be hurt by magic. Fortunately, as a conjurer, he knew the magic to use. He reached out and felt the magic flowing in the air, directing it towards the creation of aether, to begin tearing at and weakening it. It was then he was gripped and pulled back.

“What do you think you're doing?” his father asked harshly. Goldenseed's concentration was shattered and his spell dispelled, leaving the aether being alone to attack. It came straight at them, the only physical sign being the ground rumbling as it moved. His father merely held up a hoof, the others doing the same, before the dirt twisted about. The aether was torn asunder, back to its base components, and spread through the air as it belonged.

Goldenseed stared up at his father, his hooves shaking. “I... I was just trying to--”

“You had a task, and you failed. What do you have to say for yourself?”

“I... I...” His eyes slowly lowered as he struggled to hold back the tears. He hadn't failed though! He had it all under control. The aether elemental was no more dangerous than something other students would have faced on their trials. If he could have just been allowed the chance to try, he could have showed them what he could do. Instead, he struggled to hold the tears back as a few started to fall. “I just w-wanted to--”

“Wanted?” He cringed as he felt a sharp pain against his ears as they were boxed. “You've disobeyed your orders, failed your trial and now you cry like a filly?” The scorn and disappointment leaked from the stallion's voice. “Go home. Now.”

“B-but--”

“Go!” the stallion yelled, giving a smart swat to the child's cutie mark.

He quickly galloped off, hanging his head. He glanced back for a moment, his ears burning with shame as he saw the robed figures talking. No doubt the castle would be filled with talk of his failure by evening. How they'd made him a trial even a colt could have passed, yet he had failed miserably. No pony would talk about the fact they'd never even given him a chance to pass, jumping in as if he'd blow over at the slightest breeze. Even worse, they'd talk about how he'd been spanked and then sent off crying, home and alone. The only way it could have been worse was if his father had sent an escort with him, as if he truly was still a colt.

He looked around and, once he was certain no pony could hear him, he collapsed besides one of the many trees and began bawling his eyes out, burying his head in his forelegs. His entire body shook, quivering with sadness as he tried to control himself. He even tried shifting the sadness to anger, but the look of disappointment from his father and their harsh whispers only made him feel more miserable no matter what he tried.

“It's not fair...”

“What's not fair?”

“They won't even--” His head shot up and his mane went on end. He whipped around to find the source of the voice. Unfortunately, he hadn't paid attention well enough and slammed his head face first into the tree, rather than getting to see this person.

He yelped and rolled onto his back, holding his nose as his eyes watered. A moment later he felt a hoof pushed on his side and another pulling his head up, before gently placing a hoof to his nose. The pain disappeared and, when the hoof was removed, he got his first sign of the pony who had eaves dropped on him.

She was, in a word, dazzling. She was wearing a dark green robe and hat, trimmed with golden lines and strapped with a few small bottles across her chest, for easy removal. She was a unicorn, with a long, thin black horn thrust from her forehead. Her coat was a dark blue and her mane was a soft gray.

“Now child, tell me. What ails you so?” She smiled, gently rubbing his head in a soothing gesture.

His ears burned with embarrassment. “I... I'm not a child. I'm an adult!” he said fiercely, though his voice came out hoarse. He rubbed his eyes, which were red and bloodshot from his crying.

She chuckled and nodded. “Of course you are. Now, please.” She stood up and held out her hoof, helping him to stand. “Are you lost?”

“N-no...” He rubbed his nose, though all the pain was gone. She must have been a conjurer of sorts, but her robes were unlike any he'd seen before. “I was just... going to Canterlot.” His eyes wandered over the trees. None of them were familiar to his eyes, but his feel of the land told him exactly where he was.

“Ah, then perhaps you would like to come with me and my friends? We're headed to the Canterlot. It could greatly benefit us to have an experienced pony guiding us.”

For a moment he wanted to yell at her as she teased him, but then he realized she wasn't being sarcastic. At least, he didn't think she was. He smiled at the prospect. “I'd love to.”

“Thank you, please follow me.” She turned and started walking, ahead of him.

He blushed and admired her form, smiling softly as he watched her hips. She wasn't that much older than him, and was pretty. She had a thick book strapped to her side, covered in golden text, for some reason though. Perhaps she was a bard? He couldn't think of any other reason she'd come out through these woods.

She led him around a few trees, before he caught sight of her compatriots. His mouth fell open as a soft gasp broke from his lips.

A large wagon, piled high with boxes and chests, was currently trapped on the grass, off the beaten path. One of its wheels were broken, though the cart was being kept balanced by a number of stones piled under it. The first pony he saw was just... huge. An earth pony, wearing oddly very little amounts of armor, with a large battleaxe strapped to his side. He looked more like a gladiator than a warrior, with the armor doing more to accentuate his bulging muscles than keeping them safe. He had a dark violet coat, with a long, flowing yellow mane.

“Hey, Beefcake! Almost got it fixed?”

“I'm working on it, Aetherbind. Just a--” The stallion paused as he turned around and stared at Goldenseed. “Who's the kid?”

“Found him while I was checking the area. He knows the way to the castle, so he can guide us.”

“Huh, that'll be useful.” The stallion gave him another look, before returning to removing the wheel.

From inside the cart another pony appeared, this one a pegasus. Her coat was a soft pink and her mane was a gentle blue. Tight, brown leather coated her body, accentuating her own figure just like the stallion's did. Goldenseed couldn't help but stare. If Aetherbind was dazzling, this mare was the sun itself. The gentle curves of her wings, the width of her hooves, the way her cutie mark stuck out a bit when she was standing up. Everything about her was perfect and just seeing her alone brought color to his cheeks. He let out a yelp as he missed his step, tumbling forward and rolling head over hooves.

“Found the wheel!” the mare said, before looking down at him. She let out a soft giggle, it sounded like angels singing to him. “Hey, who's the cutie?”

“I haven't had a chance to ask yet.” Aetherbind said before smiling to him, holding her hoof out to help him up yet again. He took it with a shy smile, looking around at them. “Well, I'm Aetherbind. That big lug over there is Beefcake. The little flirt up in the wagon is his sister, Cheesecake. What's your name?”

He stared for a few more moments before his eyes widened a bit. He caught sight of a bow and quiver, propped up against the wagon's seat. Both it and the axe had golden runes on them, like the mage's book. It all clicked at once. “W-wait a minute. You're not traders or bards, are you? You're adventurers!”

The mare slowly nodded and he felt excitement bubbling up inside him. Adventurers! Real, honest to goodness adventurers! Here, in his home. It took him a few seconds to realize they were waiting for his answer.

“Oh! Right, um sorry. Goldenseed.” He puffed out his chest proudly as he tried his best to look noble and strong, even inspirational. “I am Prince Goldenseed of Canterlot. Please, allow me to guide you to the palace.”

“Oh, a prince? Really?” Aetherbind slowly smiled, giving Cheesecake a small wink. “We're certainly lucky to have run into you here. It would be our honor to have you guide us.”

“Done!” Beefcake said, shoving the wheel on, before kicking the stones out of the way. Within moments he was leading them through the forest, back onto a small path that took them right to the castle. He barely managed to suppress asking them questions, instead trying to act as noble and adult as possible, telling them everything he could about the lands as they walked.

He couldn't wait to show them the castle, he hoped his father would be as excited as he was.

Author's Notes:

Soooo, guess what game I've been playing a lot lately. Yup, you guessed it! Angry birds! No, not really. FF14(Behemoth server). So, since I've been spending a lot of time on it, I decided to try writing a story inspired by it. Hope you all enjoy.