PegaAnon

>It never stopped thrilling you

>The aching pulse of your wing muscles straining

>The taste of ozone in your mouth

>The sound of your heart in your ears

>You loved it

>Ever since you got your head wrapped around two extra limbs you took to the sky everyday

>And you climbed higher into the sky every time

>Over cloud and Cloudsdale

>It had gotten to the point that other pegasi had started to warn you to slow down

>But what did they know

>They'd always been able to do this

>You'd only been able to dream

>But no more

>You just needed a little more

>A little more strength in your wings

>A little more stamina

>A little more air in your lungs

>Oh, there it is

>Your eyelids grow heavy, and a fog fills your brain, stalling all limbs, forcing them limp and causing you to plummet

>The wind whipped past you, and you could feel gravity pulling you down

>You knew where you were going, and you knew you should stop, but your brain was still fogged

>In the fog you saw it

>Beautiful skies

>Obscured by towers of concrete and steel

>Clear nights, painted with stars

>Tainted sick with smog

>Memories of a lifetime ago

>A lifetime of being gravity's bitch

>Slowly the fog cleared, and you saw the rolling emerald hills and verdant plains, a quaint little town

>You quickly realized just how close the ground was really getting and the danger brought a laugh up your chest

>Your wings snapped to attention like two soldiers

>You'd spent a lifetime under gravity's heel

>Not anymore

>With a simple tilt, you leveled out and flew on gentle currents, gliding over fields, letting your hoof dip down to brush the blades of grass

>You missed your hands

>Hooves sucked

>But the trade off was worth it you'd say

>Despite gravity's leash being loosened, karma still seemed happy to kick your ass as your wing clipped a tree and sent you into a spin across the ground

>Several rolls and expletives later you came to a stop

>A sweating, panting, exhilarated stop

>Flat on your back, you laughed again

>You laughed and laughed and cheered for yourself, damn whatever looks you might have been getting to hell

>You'd fallen from a height no human could have survived, and the worst you got out of it was a slightly misaligned feather, and any bruises you got, you could sleep off

>"Uh, you hit your head or something dude?"

>Oh, it was the rainbow pony

>Prism Crash or whatever

>With a grunt you rolled onto your hooves and stood, a quick once over of your wings was all you needed before you took off again

>Or at least, you would have, if you hadn't felt her step on your tail

>Now you looked like a jackass, your canceled jump leaving you with two hooves still in the air

>You bite at the air near your tail and she pulls her hoof back with an offended "Hey!" as you take off again

>Sadly, she is faster than you, and in a flash of blue, she's in front of you

>"Would you slow down? I was being serious back there! That was a nasty fall you took."

"Please, I've hurt myself worse falling out of bed. It wasn't even a fall, it was a controlled crash."

>You hoped that was enough to get her off your back as you attempted to maneuver around her

>Sadly not, as she's immediately in front of you again

>"Dude, just- can we talk?"

>God she was insufferable- or- Celestia, whatever weird vernacular this lot insisted on

>She indicated back to the ground, to which you simply scoffed before flying toward a nearby cloud

>Not that it was particularly nearby

>You'd spent the better part of your morning helping to clear out most of the clouds to keep up with Cloudsdale's daily quota

>Now that you think about it, wasn't that rainbow pony on the team?

>Maybe you should learn her name

>You turn your head to ask, but the sour look on her face makes you decide it wouldn't be worth the headache

>Finally reaching the cloud, you lay on it, partially to catch your breath, partially to rest your wings as she lands beside you

"What do you want, and can you keep it to five words?"

>"What the hay is the matter with you!?"

"That's eight."

>"Don't be a smartass."

"Counting to eight makes me smart?"

>"Just answer the question!"

"The question makes no sense to begin with. What exactly am I doing that's upsetting you?"

>"That- that whole... plummeting thing you do! Everyday, over and over and OVER again. Clear skies, rain, snow, lightning storms-"

"That was a really weird day, what was up with the factory?"

>"Someone got rainbow mix into the cloud machine, don't ask, but what's wrong with you? Do you have any idea how much you could get hurt?"

Standing to your hooves again, you jab one into her chest. "I don't see how it's YOUR problem."

>She jabs you right back. "It will be my problem if I have to scrape you off some patch of hillside and fly you to the hospital."

>Your chortle only seems to anger the mare further

>"I'm serious! I'm not the only one either. Do you even know how high you're going!? Cause Twilight does! She says you're basically passing out from lack of air with how high you're going."

>You crane your head up with a small smile

>You were really going that high?

>You felt like you could go higher

>"I just want you to-"

"Oh my- why are you nagging me about this!?"

>"Because ponies down there are worried about you, jerk!"

>This gives you pause

>"You showed up here out of nowhere months ago, you never talk to Twilight, you avoid Pinkie's parties and barely anypony even knows your name. You just took a weather job, do it, then fly up, plummet, fly up, plummet, repeat until you get hungry, then keep doing it until you go home and repeat again."

>Yeah, you still don't get why these ponies let you get a job so easily, but hey, it paid the bills

>"Don't... don't you want to do anything with your life other than flying?"

>Normally you'd dismiss those words

>All you'd known was an ache in your legs and feet

>But now, now you'd been given a second chance

>You'd tasted real freedom, and you planned to never stop chasing another taste

>But still, her words gave you pause

>Was there anything beyond the freedom?

>You slowly stepped over to the edge of the cloud, and heard a defeated sigh behind you

>She clearly expected you to take off

>But not yet

>You spread your wings out, and let the gentle wind whistle through your feathers

"You feel that?"

>Soft hoofsteps come up behind you, then beside you, and she unfurls her wings too

"You know what that is?"

>"Uh... the wind?"

"Yeah... the wind..."

>"Seriously, dude, did you hit your head?"

>You ignored her, your eyes focused on the village below, the ponies going about their day, and in the distance, hanging in the sky, Cloudsdale

>You looked up, and it felt like the wind was whispering in your ears, calling you into the sky

>Calling you home

>But it stung to look at the sky too long thanks to the sun

"Don't burn your wings, Icarus..."

>"What?"

>You let out a small sigh

"Forget about it. I'll think about what you said, and... thanks, I guess, for talking to me."

>"No problem. You're a pretty tough flier, I don't know a lot of pegasi that can get to that altitude. You just need to be more careful."

"Don't count on it. I'll see you around or on the ground, later Prism."

>"Later- wait, Pris- that's not-"

>Whatever she was saying, you didn't hear as you let yourself fall off the cloud and took up into the sky again, climbing higher and higher again

>You just needed a little more

 

~~~

 

>While you had quickly detested your lack of clothes, you were able to put up with it by imagining your coat as a new set of clothes

>Clothes with hooves

>And green fur

>That you could never take off

>Yep, no, still hated it

>It did keep you warm most days though

>Today was not one

>Though, you only have yourself to blame

>You didn't have to go out into this storm

>But something about the thunder called you

>It was like the lightning was inviting you to dance

>And you happily took it to the dance floor

>A brief flash of light above is your only warning as you twist into a corkscrew spin, the bolt of lightning dancing around you

>The thunder that followed was like a roaring crowd

>And you all too happily drank in its adoration

>Wind whipped you, rain pelted you, and lightning threatened you

>But you'd never felt so alive

>Turning your nose up you take your flight vertically

>The clouds flash once, twice, warning you

>Your grin is your only response

>The lightning falls towards you like a hammer, and it comes so close you can almost feel the burning static graze your fur

>Just as you're about to punch through the cloud something halts you in place and a blue glow overtakes the world before you find yourself on top of a hill overlooking a clear night sky

"Damn it!" You exclaim, slamming your hoof down as you take flight again. "What happened!?"

>"Fear not, my little pony." A gentle voice calls to you as that same blue glow reappears and engulfs the moon

>Some pony comes floating down, and you're more confused than ever

"Um... can I help you?"

>"Nay, we are here to help you." As she lands, you notice that she's significantly bigger than you, it's a little unnerving. "You are currently dreaming, we helped rid you of that nightmare."

"Nightma-? So you got rid of that storm? Well put it back!"

>You throw your hooves up and she leans back a little, clearly caught off-guard by your outburst

>"We are afraid that we do not understand. Thou wishes to be struck down by lightning?"

"I wasn't being 'struck down' I was..." Okay, thinking about it, telling someone you were 'dancing with lightning' would make you seem crazy at best and suicidal at worst. "I... was... just flying through it. It was fun."

>"Thou hast a most unorthodox definition of 'fun'."

"Yeah, well, it's mine. Who are you anyway? How did you get in my dream?" You glance around and notice a few things off about the surroundings, making the fact this is a dream more obvious

>She tilts her head curiously at you as her eyes narrow, and you realize for the first time that she has a horn as well as wings

"And how come you have both?" you say, indicating to the extra appendages, then poking your own wings and hornless forehead "That doesn't seem fair."

>"Dost thou not recognise one of your princesses?"

>Princesses. Shit. You meant to read up on that

>The only convenient library was guarded by that purple pony who always wanted to bother you with questions

>While you could have flown to another one, it would have gotten in the way of your flying and falling time

>Okay, focus, you can salvage this

"I've kind of only been here a few months."

>"In... Ponyville, we assume thou meanest?"

>Roll with it

"Yeah, of course."

>"Yet there are foals whom know of my sister and I, and you seem to be a hale and hearty stallion."

>She's giving you a more suspicious glare and your eyes dart around for a way out of this dream

"Oh, well, you know, I kind of, sort of, dropped out of school?"

>"Out of foal school?"

"...yes"

>You could cut the silence between you with a knife

>A knife, that'd be a great way to wake up

>Sadly there are none in the air

>Oh wait, gravity

"Well, this has been fun, Princess, but would you look at the time, I need to wake up now, bye."

>With a beat of your wings, your hurtle yourself into the ground and press your wings to your side

>As you approach the ground, a puddle remains from the previous rainstorm

>And in the reflection you see yourself

>But you're not a pony in the puddle

>Your body slams into something and pain rocks you

"WHAT THE FUCK!?"

>Your words echo through your empty home and you briefly tussle with something that's wrapped around with you

>Eventually, and clumsily, you untangle yourself from your blankets

>You hurl your pillow into the wall for good measure

>With a slight pant, you try stretching out and running a hand through your hair

>Only for your balance to be completely thrown off as your face gets intimate with the floor again

>You drag your face against the ground to glance at the mirror in your room

>Yep

>No hands

>Still a pony

>You slam your head into the ground, hoping maybe this is a dream, and you were just dreaming inside the dream

>Instead of waking up, you get pain

>A sigh leaks from your mouth as you drag yourself up and glance at the clock

>Four in the morning

>You didn't have work for another few hours

>Like the temptress she is, your bed beckons you back

>But that moon pony freaked you out

>You might have to bite the bullet and try to avoid that weird librarian to get a book on those princesses

>This place is so weird that the fact it was a monarchy faded into the background

>Was it called a monarchy if there was more than one ruler?

>Something else to get a book for

>You slowly drag your hooves as you make your way through your house

>Yeah, a house, made of clouds

>After only a few months of working

>Did you even pay taxes anymore?

>Fuck this place was weird

>Why did you want to leave again?

>Your muzzle bumps awkwardly against the fridge handle, then your hoof clumsily almost breaks it, then your wing gets snagged in the hinge and you're fully awake and ready to put a hole in a wall

>Right, that's why

>Your battle with your mortal enemy ends as you shove it open, though it gets the last hit in as it bounces back and bumps you in the side

>What will you have today, animal food, animal food or more animal food?

>God, you missed meat

>You tried asking around once but you got given weird looks

>Oats in warm milk with bananas it is

>Prism was right yesterday, you really don't talk to ponies

>Mostly because, as your near-princess experience just reminded you, you have the social grace of two rabid foxes taped together

>Still it was pretty easy to just lay in a cloud and listen to whatever ponies talked about

>Some of the pleasant surprises were a handful- hooful? whatever of recipes

>Your early early morning breakfast goes by quietly as you simply enjoy the sound of silence

>It took traveling to an alien planet to truly understand what people really meant by the 'peace' in "peace and quiet"

>That peace, unfortunately, is broken by what sounded like a mix between a whip cracking and wood splitting

>You pause your meal briefly to see if your ears are pulling tricks on you

>The silence continues, then lingers, and you slowly pull your spoonful up to your muzzle

>Another whack

"Confound these ponies" you mutter to no one as you get up and head to the door

>Poking your head out of the threshold, you notice that your house has drifted in the night

>It did that sometimes

>There was an extra expense they wanted to put on your house when you got it

>To keep it in one place

>But you knew your rights

>Actually, no you don't

>That's three books you'll need

>You told them to take it off and now you got a surprise every morning and an annoying search every evening

>These things were kept above wherever the weather clouds were put though

>So more often than not, your house would normally just be a little to the right of wherever you left it

>Besides, you didn't keep glass in the house so, whatever, nothing of value would break

>Now though, after a few solid months of drifting, you were a lot more right

>Over some sort of farm seemingly

>You do a double-take, then a triple-take as you confirm that there's actually a pony down there

>And she's just kicking the trees

>You weren't sure if this was a sign that you should get out of your house more, or a sign that you were right not to interact with these ponies

"Hey." You try calling down to the mare

>No response

"Hey!" You put some more volume in your voice this time

>She pauses briefly, then continues

"HEY!" You all but bellow, at her

>This seems to grab her attention as she cranes her neck up to look at you

>"Well how about that... GOOD MORNIN' NEIGHBOR!" she yells back at you

"GOOD MORNING!? THERE'S NOTHING GOOD ABOUT IT! IT'S 4 O'CLOCK!"

>"IT'S 5! O'CLOCK IN THE MORNIN' THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"

>She was not thanking you at all

>You briefly duck back into your house to check the time

>It's already been over an hour

>You go back out the door, and she's returned to her tree-kicking

"HEY!" You pull her attention again

>Even from this distance you can see her glaring at you

>Maybe

>If you squint

"YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD TO DO ANYTHING WITH THAT RACKET YOU'RE MAKING!

>"WELL IT'S HARD FOR ME TO WORK WITH SOME CRAZY COLT FLYING HIS HOUSE OVER MAH HEAD! THIS IS APPLE FAMILY PROPERTY!"

>You glance around at the field below, rows and rows of apple trees

>You scrunch your muzzle at her

"ARE YOU A PEGASUS!?"

>"NO! WHY!?"

"THEN I DOUBT YOU OWN THE SKY!"

>She lets out an exasperated groan before continue her shouting match with you. "WOULD YOU JUST GIT! MY LITTLE SISTER WON'T BE ABLE TO SLEEP WITH YOUR YELLING!"

"YOU'RE YELLING TOO!"

>"CAUSE YOU STARTED IT!"

"SOUNDS LIKE A YOU PROBLEM!"

>She lets out another angered groan as her hooves hit the ground

>"WHY DON'T YOU COME DOWN HERE AND SAY THAT TO MAH FACE!"

"WHY DON'T YOU COME UP HERE AND SAY IT TO MINE!"

>"I'M NOT A PEGASUS!"

"THEN IT SUCKS TO BE YOU!" With a small kick, you slam the door shut and you feel a small sense of victory

>Victory that is quickly decimated by your not at all girlish shriek that you make as a red blur flies past you at mach speed

>Something splatters against your kitchen wall

>It looks like apple, smells like apple and, as you lick the wall, tastes like apple

>Look at what these ponies are turning you into

>You're licking walls now

>And she put a hole in the other one

>This is not over

>You throw your door back open

"DID YOU JUST KICK AN APPLE INTO MY HOUSE!?"

>"CALL IT A HOUSEWARMING GIFT!"

"JOKES ON YOU, I NEVER HAD A HOUSEWARMING PARTY!"

>"I DOUBT ANYPONY WOULD TURN UP WITH AN ATTITUDE THAT FOUL!"

"OF COURSE NOT! I DON'T HAVE ANYONE TO INVITE!" Again, you kick the door shut, hoping at this point to just end the back and forth

>"I'M NOT SURPRISED!" You bristle as she gets the last word in

>Your eye twitches as another apple blur flies into your house and knocks over your breakfast

>The oats and bananas were probably soggy at this point anyway

>This is why you preferred passing out in mid-air to talking with ponies

 

~~~

 

"Ragged fraggin' farmponies" You mutter your tame expletives to no one

>It's been a few days since your house drifted over the local hicks

>Long story short, things escalated

>She woke up earlier to buck trees and wake you up

>You "borrowed" some rain clouds and gave her a few mid-morning baths

>She kicked more apples into your house

>You struck a thundercloud outside her room

>She scared a flock of bats into your house

>You put her plough on a cloud

>Now there's a tree in your living room

>At this point, you've stopped questioning things

"How badly would the weather factory miss their lightning machine?" You grunt as you try slamming your shoulder into the trunk

>You attempt to kick- or rather, buck the tree out, but each time you do, your legs go numb

>If they think it's so funny to stick a tree in your house, maybe you'll see how hard they laugh when you abandon them on a cloud for a day

"Come! On! You! Stupid! Piece! Of! Wood!" With a final gasp you let yourself collapse onto your floor

>Your pulled from your stupor by a somewhat familiar voice trying, and failing, to hold in her laughter

>Propping yourself up on your elbows, you look up to see Prism sat on the tree

>As your eyes finally meet hers, her suppressed giggles turn into outright guffaws

>They say laughter is the best medicine, but you're a different kind of sick of these ponies

>It is a little funny when she loses her balance and crashes out of the tree though

>Dusting herself off, she chuckles one last time as you continue your fruitless attempts to evict your newest roommate

>"Wow, you must have really gotten under Applejack's skin"

>You simply grunt in response

>With a hop and flap of her wings, she lays on your kitchen counter, clearly enjoying the show as she helps herself to some of your food

>Maybe if you ignore it, it'll go away

>You've been telling your reflection that everyday since you got here

>It hasn't worked yet

>Turning around, you press your hooves to the lowest part of the trunk you can reach without pressing your belly to the ground and fly

>Your arms ache

>Your legs ache

>Your wings ache

>Your stomach aches from lack of food and Prism isn't helping by audibly eating your food

>And now you're getting a headache

>Hope comes to you in the form of a tiny glimmer as the tree's massive size shifts ever so slightly

>Only for that glimmer to fizzle as your wings finally give out

>Crashing into the ground, you feel an angry need to hit the tree, but your body is too weak to express it

>"Dude, how long have you been doing this?"

>You glance up at the prismatic mare

>Then at your clock

>Then let your head hit the floor again

"Twelve hours"

>She starts coughing and choking on the food she'd helped herself too

>You'd help her if your body would respond

>"Twelve!?"

"Yep. Woke up at six, found this in my living room, been trying to remove it ever since."

>"How have you not made any progress in twelve hours?"

>That was enough to fuel your body into finally getting up

"Why? WHY!?" You're in her face quicker than you intended to, and by her reaction, quicker than she expected. "I'll tell you why! Because despite the fact I can fly high enough that ice starts to build up on my wings and I pass out, apparently, they're not strong enough to budge a who-knows-how-many ton tree. Because that cloud city miraculously broke all of its power tools on the same day. Because despite there being a literal, actual store down in that town whose SOLE product for sale is axes and saws, today they were out of stock somehow. Because when I came home to just cut my losses and use a knife to at least get rid of the branches, I found this!"

>You shove a sticky note into the mare's chest

>It reads "Hiya, I hope you don't mind, but I needed to borrow these, I Pinkie Promise to bring 'em back tomorrow. Your Party Planner, Pinkie Pie"

>For some reason it's made with what seem to be newspaper cut outs, despite the fact she signed it

"I don't even know who that is! The reason I'm still here is because SOMEHOW a pony with no magic got a TREE into a CLOUD!"

>Because this whole day is a joke, and you're the punchline

>That's why you're still here

>With your rant over, you finally feel the weight of your own panting, heaving chest

>And your eyes focus

>The emotion on her face is difficult to read, it's a whole lot of different things mixed into one

>Though you're pretty sure you see pity in there

>Pulling yourself back from the mare you walk back up to the tree, slump against it, and simply bump your head against it over and over

>You loved to fly, but sometimes you hated this place

>"Alright, so, you went all over Cloudsdale, and all over Ponyville to try and get rid of this thing, right?"

>You don't even bother answering, but she takes your continued bumping as a nod

>"Did you ever consider just... asking for help?"

>You stop as your head hits the tree once more

"Ask who? I don't know anyone here. What am I even supposed to do? Just go up to a random in the street and say 'hi, nice to meet you, there's a tree in my house, want to waste your day getting it out?'"

>You stare blankly at the mare, and she rolls her eyes with a groan at your tone

>"Um, yeah?"

"Look, Prism-"

>"That's not my name!"

>You pause briefly and feel your muzzle twist in confusion as you crane your neck awkwardly to look at her

"What?"

>"My name's not 'Prism', it's Rainbow Dash! How do you not know that!?"

"Because... I... never... asked?"

>"Then why didn't you!?"

"I didn't need to know it. We're just co-workers."

>"Ju- just-? What!?"

>You're too tired for this so simply let your head fall to hit the tree again

>It's quiet for a while

>It's nice

>Then you feel a hoof on your shoulder, and it rubs in small circles

>The touch is fidgety and the rub is awkward

>She's clearly as unsure of what she's doing as you are

>It's still nice, despite it all

>"Do... have you really not made any friends since you moved here?"

>You bring your hooves up and over your eyes

>Your stupid fucking hooves

>If there was ever a time to wake up from this dream, it would be now

>Her hoof stops on you

>You can still feel her

>You're not waking up

>A shudder escapes you and you blink away the burning in your eyes, thankful that you covered your eyes

"Who am I even supposed to talk to?" You're only just able to keep your balance on the tightrope of keeping your voice under control. "I've only been here a few months, and the only ponies who seem to want to talk to me are that crazy librarian, or that hyperactive ball of pink"

>Her hoof lifts from you and a pause settles in the air

>"Uh, dude, you do know those are two of my best friends, right?"

>You look at her and hope your eyes aren't red

"No, I didn't. Sorry."

>You meant it too

>It surprises even you

>She slowly sits beside you and places her head next to yours on the tree

>"Don't worry about it, you're only half-wrong about them. Twilight's just an egghead. She wants to know more about you."

>Yeah, that was the problem

>"And Pinkie is just... well, Pinkie. She throws parties for everyone. I think it's actually bothering her that she hasn't thrown you one yet. Wait-" Her eyes widen slightly as she tilts her head to get a better view. "has your birthday passed since you got here?"

>You nod lazily and she sucks in a breath through her teeth

>"Pinkie was really hoping you'd start getting to know ponies before then.” Her head turns away as she mutters to herself. "Maybe I can convince one of the others to tell her."

"Why are you here Pris- Dash?"

>She looks over at you again, this time like you'd told her the dumbest thing ever

>"Why else? To help." Her face slowly shifts into a smirk though. "Unless you'd rather make another fly to Axes and Saws?"

>You hit your head against the trunk of the tree again, and your answer comes out in a muffled mouthful of bark

>"Come again?" She asks, with a hoof to her ear

>Pulling your muzzle away, you groan

"Will you please help me move this tree out of my house?"

>"There you go!" She says, standing as she bumps your shoulder lightly. "You just made your first friend!"

>You can't help but look up at her

>She extends her hoof out to you with a mischievous, yet warm smile, and you can't help but accept it

>"Give it a year, maybe you'll have more."

>Her jokes spurs a small chuckle out of you as you look the tree up and down

"So, any ideas on how to move this thing?"

>"Well, that depends. Do you want to move it before or after I help you push your house away from Applejack's farm?"

"After. Definitely after." You kick off from the tree

>Sure, the apple pony would probably take it as a concession

>But at this point, you're too far from sense to care anymore

>"Moving a cloud house can be a bit of a hassle. You ever done it before?"

>If "would I be in this situation if I had done it before?" could be found in a look, it would be found in yours now

>"Right, my bad." She laughs off her own question. "Then, let's take a fly. I can talk you through it, you can relax, then we can come back. Sound good?" She says all this as she heads towards your front door

You can't stop the question that comes to mind as you follow her. "Why are you helping me so much?"

>"Look dude, I'm glad we talked the other day, but I kind of get the feeling you need to be SHOWN more than told that there's more out there."

>You pause at the door and briefly swap your gaze between her and the world outside

>Ultimately, she wasn't wrong

>In truth, you'd barely experience anything

>On the ground at least

>But you'd explored a lot of the sky

>Every time of day

>Every kind of weather

>With your new wings by your side, you almost felt invincible

>The sky seemed endless

>But you were always trying to explore it all

>Letting yourself only go to the ground just to buy food

>Still, even then you kept yourself off the ground, flapping your wings lazily to keep yourself in a hover

>Maybe she could help you make that first step after all

>Thinking about it, maybe you could apologize to that apple pony too

>As long as it was a mutual apology

>Honestly, thinking about it, you were now more impressed than annoyed by what she did

>"So." her voice pulls you out of your thoughts and pulls your head back to her

>The sun had only just begun to dip beyond the mountains in the distance, the orange glow seemed to illuminate her, highlighting that particular part of her mane

>"Since we haven't hung out before, let's do this properly this time. I'm Rainbow Dash."

>She offers you a hoof and you feel a light smile slowly crawl it's way back onto your face as you breathe just a little easier

>With a bump you press your hoof against hers and do what the equivalent of a handshake is to these ponies

"Nice to meet you."

>With a flap of your wings you take off and you hear her quickly follow behind you

>"Hey, dude, you kind of did it wrong."

>Confused, you stare at your hoof

>How did you mess up something that simple?

>"No, not that part. I mean... well- actually never mind."

>That peaks your curiosity

>Quickly wracking your brain through the last interaction and times before, you try to figure out what went wrong

>Like lightning, a thought crosses your mind

>It's equal parts ridiculous and possible

>Her eyes shift slightly as she seems to suspect your theory

"Rainbow... when we met, you said barely anyone knows my name."

>"Yeah, well- it's true." She responds, almost in protest

"And the entire, brief, time we've talked, you've only ever called me "dude" haven't you?"

>"I-"

"Do you not know my name?" You cut her off before she can defend herself and your face breaks into a full smirk as she stutters and falls over her own words

>"I- well I just- and Mayor Mare wouldn't- and the filing system for the Weather Team isn't-" she cuts herself off with a groan before her arms go limp at her side, her wings keeping her up. "Yeah, alright, I don't remember your name. If I ever learned it. Sorry."

>You almost forget the tree in your house with how hard you laugh

>Initially annoyed at your laugh, Rainbow slowly joins in

>Wiping a tear with a wing you slowly calm down and share a smile with the mare and offer a hoof

>She bumps it lightly and gives it a shake

"My name's Anonymous." With a beat of your wings, you start flying again, doing some lazy spins and flips to get started

>"Weird name"

"Said the rainbow pony with the rainbow mane"

>"Hey MY name makes sense"

"Whatever helps you sleep at night"

>"Hey, that thing you said before, "see you around or on the ground" is that like, a catch phrase or something?"

"No."

>"Is it just a thing you say?"

"No."

>"Are you gonna use it?"

"No."

>"Can I?"

"No."

>She takes a faux dive at you, tucking your wings, you do a spiral turn around her body to avoid her

>While you had tucked your wings, she hadn't and lost slight control, but regained it just as quickly

>As she turns back to you, she flies at you again, and suddenly it feels like a game of air-tag

>"Come on, I've got this fan club thing, I bet they'd love it."

>Again you narrowly avoid her by curling your side inward

"Maybe if you catch me. How about that?"

>You almost immediately regret your words as a playful smile bursts onto her face with a fire in her eyes

>"Oh you are SO on"

>She dives at you again, and all your mental systems go on auto-pilot

>And slowly, thoughts of an annoying tree fade for now

 

~~~

 

"Why am I here?"

>You tiredly rub at your eyes

>With minimal success

>It was early

>Way too early

>The sun wasn't even up yet

>But that apple pony was

>Thankfully you'd been moved away from audible range

>It was very irritating to try and clear your eyes with hooves

>Holding stuff without thumbs was one thing

>Getting the sleep out of your eyes without gouging your eyes with a hoof was another

>Across from you was Rainbow Dash

>She looked as tired as you felt

>With a yawn, her wings fluttered lightly behind her in a stretch

>It was contagious, as you did the same

>The sight brought a giggle to her

>Her voice was a little rough, but she had a cute laugh

>Despite them being aliens, you couldn't deny the good things about them

>"Well, it turns out that, somehow, we're short a few rain and storm clouds, so the weather factory suddenly needs somepony to spend some early overtime making up the difference before they can be moved out to the teams."

>You hum, choosing to ignore her knowing gaze

>"You wouldn't happen to know anything about those stolen clouds, would ya Anon?"

"Nope." You dismiss casually

>A half-truth

>Sure, they weren't yours, but they're clouds, they're not exactly labeled

>You glance at Rainbow and sees she's completely unconvinced

"Look, Dash, I didn't do it, but even if I did, she deserved it and it was worth it."

>This brings a snicker through the mare's nose

>You glance around the sleepy diner you two were sat in

>For some reason, the pegasus who owned the place liked to open the place early and close it late

>'To catch the stragglers in the weird hours' she said

>You suppose it helped that she seemingly lived above the place

"Weirdly enough, that doesn't answer my question."

>"I was not so subtly saying that, if you don't help me, I'm throwing you under the carriage." Her messy mane half hangs over her eyes as she gives you a tired smirk

You scoff in mock hurt. "Honestly, is that anyway to treat a friend? With blackmail?"

>"I could say that a friend would just help without the need of blackmail but you're..." she pauses, searching for the word

"Incredibly charming?"

>"I was gonna say weird, but whatever floats your boat."

>You both share a laugh as you finally hear the trotting of hooves and the slight rattle of a tray

>Following it was the tantalizing smell of morning fuel

>The mare had a soft pink coat and strawberry-blonde mane tied up in a bun and covered by a hairnet, a small pair of glasses balanced on her nose

>"Hot Stuff, coming through." She says to the other non-existent patrons as she slides the trays she'd delicately balanced on her wings to you both. "And I ain't just talkin' about the food." She finishes with a small wink to you

"I can tell." You respond with a wink of your own

>A month ago, you wouldn't have been caught dead flirting with these aliens

>You were barely used to looking at yourself, let alone them

>Ever since you'd started getting out of your little bubble though, you'd decided to start thrusting yourself out of your comfort zone

>It was like throwing a kid in the deep end

>Uncomfortable, and you had no idea what you were doing

>But when you got used to it, it wasn't so bad

>She laughs heartily, clearly more awake than you and slaps the table with a hoof

>"Colt, you must be new here." Her laughs turn into chuckles.

>"That's her name, featherhead." Rainbow said through barely concealed snickers

>Your face twists uncomfortably as you try to hide behind your wing, causing both mares to laugh a little more

>It's a soft laugh though, so at least you're stuck comfortably in feeling embarrassed

>Seems you've drowned in this particular pool

>A poke from a pink hoof jolts you and you pull your wing down

>"You're lucky my husband doesn't pick up his shift until the kids are up, out of the house and in school." Her smile told you she was in equal parts enjoying your embarrassment and trying to comfort your slip-up. "But I tell you what, smart mouth, you made an old mare smile, and that ain't easy. This one's on the house."

>Seriously?

>Just like that?

>This place was always weird, in a good way most of the time, luckily

>"So, can I get you two anything else?" She looks between you both and walks off with a nod when you wave her away

>Hash browns, hay bacon, hay fries, eggs and coffee

>It confused you the first time you saw eggs on a menu here, but after trying them you didn't care

>Why some animals were aware and some were still dumb as rocks, you didn't know, or care

>The hay bacon took a while to get used to

>After a month of no meat, you swallowed your pride, choked some down, and found it passable

>It didn't hold a candle to a nice crispy strip of pig meat, but you'd been happy enough on this new, forced vegetarian diet

>As you dig into the food, you feel the food and coffee finally beginning to grease the creaking cogs in your brain and limbs

"How do you even use the machines in the factory?"

>You don't pull your face up from your food as you throw out the question

>Through your peripherals, you see that Rainbow stays engulfed in her own meal as she answers

>"I can show you. I'm technically trained to be a Weather Team Captain."

"But you're not?"

>"Nah."

"Why? Pay not worth it?"

>"I still get paid a captain's wage for knowing, but we have enough that I'm basically just in reserves."

>Maybe you should look into this captain thing

>You weren't exactly strapped for cash

>But more couldn't hurt

>Then again, you never really found yourself wanting

>Everything just seemed to run really well

>Benefits of immortal, benevolent rulers and gold being as common as rocks

>"Besides, I don't wanna stay on the weather team anyway."

"Going somewhere?"

>The flick of her rainbow mane catches the edge of your sight and you look up

>She strikes a small pose which is decidedly less impressive by her bedhead and tired eyes

>"You're looking at a future Wonderbolt!"

"A what now?"

>You turn your muzzle back down to your plate as a small silence falls between you two

>As it persists, you pause and look up

>She's staring at you slack jawed

>Shit, that was something else a normal one of these lot was supposed to know, wasn't it?

>"You don't know who the Wonderbolts are!? Did you live under a rock before you came here?"

"If I said 'yes' would you let me go back to my hay bacon?"

>"Hay bacon schmay bacon!"

>That's a no then

>"The Wonderbolts are only the greatest aerial team in all of Equestria! Any pegasi who's any pegasi knows who they are, and wants to be one of them."

>You place a hoof on your coffee and a wing in front of your plate as her wing sweeps in a wide arc for dramatic effect

>While your order remains safe, she's scattered hay fries over the table and her coffee mug clinks as it spins towards the edge of the table

>"Their members have invented all sorts of techniques. Like the Thunderbolt Corkscrew, or the Blind Triad!"

>You lazily unfurl a wing to catch her forgotten coffee as it slips off the table's edge, and slide it back to her

"Uh huh."

>As Rainbow gets engrossed in her fangirling, you glance around the diner to take it in

>It was old fashioned in designed, but kept like new

>Hot Stuff clearly took pride in the place

>Pride well deserved, you thought

>A glance over at the mare in question shows her giving you a small nod

>Thankful that she wouldn't have to clean up coffee and shattered ceramic most likely

>You turn your gaze out the window

>Cloudsdale was a uniquely vertical city, even here, rather deep into the city, you could still see to its edge and to Equestria beyond

>The streets were empty because the sane ponies were still asleep

>"But the best of them has got to be their leader."

>Speaking of crazy

>You tune back into Dash now that she seems to be winding down

>"She's been an idol of mine for a while. Spitfire."

>The plane!?

>Probably not

>But still

"What's she done that's impressed you so much? Flew through fire or something?"

>"She's the youngest pony to ever become the leader of the Wonderbolts. You can imagine which record of theirs I want to beat huh?" She raises her eyebrows at you teasingly

>You don't know

>Taking the longest nap coma?

"All of them?"

>"See. You already know me so well."

>You share a smile as you begin to finish your breakfast, as she realizes that she barely touched hers during her rant

>Not that it matters as she races through it quick enough to finish her plate before you

>As she chews through her mountain in a mouthful, a thoughtful look crosses her face as her eyes narrow at you

>Poking your face, you check for any scraps of food that stuck to your fur, but find none

"What?

>"You..."

"Me." You confirm

>"I'm just wondering what the Wonderbolts record for altitude flying is"

"Probably like... two, maybe more."

>"Two?"

You nod. "Two whole altitudes, at least."

>She gives you an unimpressed look, which you return with a smirk

>Her face doesn't break from the look, but you do see the smallest twitch at the corner of her lips

>You throw up your hooves and settles your smirk into a smaller smile

"Sorry, sorry, I can tell they mean a lot to you, I- I just don't have that same investment. Alright?"

>This seems to satisfy her as the resting smile returns to her

>"It's alright, dude, I kind of get it. Honestly, it's weird, but kind of nice to have someone who's clueless like you."

"Thank... you?"

>"You're welcome." She smirks. "I guess it's like... getting another perspective! You know?"

>You nod along with her words as you finish off the last scraps of food and dregs of coffee

>Noticing your meal winding down, Hot Stuff comes by and clears the table before walking off, waving you both off with no cheque

>You weren't gonna look that particular gift horse in the mouth

>Free food is free food

>Doesn't matter where you go

>As you both slip out of the booth, you stretch out one last time as you make your way to the door

>"You ready to get to work, Anon?" With a flap of her wings, she hovers above you

"No. Any chance you could tie down my wings and throw me off the edge so I can go home?"

>She smiles at your attempt at humor, though it's a little uncertain

>As you smirk up at her she relaxes, glad that you were, in fact, joking

>With a beat of your own wings you join her in the air, and begin the climb through the city towards the factory

>"Hey, since we're gonna have a few hours before the main bulk of workers come in, I've been meaning to ask, what's with your cutie mark?"

"What's a cutie mark?"

>She stops in the air, staring at you, a mix of disbelief and annoyance in her eyes as you fly past her

>"You have GOT to be messing with me, dude!"

 

~~~

 

>"So, you talk now, huh?"

"Apparently so- uh… um... Flutter?"

>"It's actually Flitter, and she's my sister, I'm Cloud Chaser."

>The mare points at a very similar pegasus who gives you both a wave

>Like you, she's helping put the finishing touches on the weather routine

>Now you're gonna have to figure out what to focus on to differentiate those two

>Differences, differences, differences

>Your eyes dart between the two mares

>Should be easy enough

>They were both a sort of purple color, but she had some white in her slightly spiky styled mane and tail

>The other’s mane was more straight and combed down, with a bow

>"You know, you actually lost me some bits"

"Wait, what? How?"

>Since your work is basically done, you lean against a cloud

>She joins in

>"The whole weather team had this betting pool going that you were a mute."

>She shrugs

>As if she'd just told you the most casual thing in the world

>"It started off as twenty bits from each pony, every month that passed with nopony confirming yes or no, another twenty went in. I lost 120 bits."

>Six months

>Had it really been that long?

>Had you really been that bad?

>How much worse would you have become?

>Your internal struggle doesn't go unnoticed

>A yelp escapes you as you're startled out of your thoughts by a poke

>Her previous worry devolves into a small snicker

>"S- sorry, I just wasn't expecting that."

>Despite your own worries, you let yourself relax again

>"If it makes you feel any better, Flitter was on the side of the betting pool that you weren't mute, even splitting it as we are, I'm making a profit."

>Meaning there were more ponies who thought you were mute, than ones who thought you weren't

>"Oh, that didn't help, did it?"

>Sighing, you simply wave the mare off

"Meh, I'll get over it."

>"By doing that... passing out thing you do?"

"Why? Is there another betting pool I should know about?"

>Her wings stiffen and eyes dart from side to side

>You’re not sure if you’re surprised or not that there was

>"Uh- what's that Flitter!? Coming!"

>Without another word she follows the imagined words away

>Initially, the thought stung, now these betting pools were just amusing

>Who knew you could become such a talk of the town by doing nothing?

>As you've been doing the past few months, you clock out and make your way out of the factory

>Recently you've really noticed just how much of a community these ponies really are

>Not just have

>Are

>They seem to live and breathe each other's lives

>And they were all too happy to bring you fully into the fold

>All too quickly too, some part of your brain adds

>Old memories told you not to trust people who smiled too wide or too often or were too eager to talk to you

>But these weren't people

>It was a strange thing to have to keep reminding yourself

>Did the fact you had to remind yourself mean you were getting comfortable?

>You shiver a little at the thought

>Unlike your old coworkers, you don't exchange mindless pleasantries and empty greetings

>Some of the pegasi of the factory fall in beside you and talk to you

>Sharing some of their life and day and you sharing the same

>They even ask you questions, actual questions, that you have to think about

>Like they actually cared about you

>It's nice

>You're not sure why you didn't want any of this

>"There he is!"

>Ah, there's that scratchy voice you've grown fond of

>With the sound of soft exertions and a blur of rainbow hues, Rainbow Dash does a small spin in the air before landing in front of you

>"Was wondering where you flew off too"

>She walks backwards as she talks to you

>It's all said with the cool confidence, and slight cockiness you've come to enjoy

"I was looking for you, slowpoke."

>A small teasing "ooo" comes from the other ponies

>Seriously, were you all adults, or children?

>Maybe these ponies just knew how to enjoy themselves

>From what you've seen, it's the latter

>She moves so that, still walking backward, she's just a few inches from you

>"As Applejack would say, "them's fightin' words" you really want to race me?"

"Depends, we doing speed, or endurance?"

>Cause if it was speed, you would graciously fly with your metaphorical tail between your legs

>Maybe the literal one too

>But if there was anything you'd built up in your months of flying

>It was endurance

>You admittedly weren't as confident as you tried to show even in that

>She had literal decades on you

>But your ego demanded you at least consider giving yourself 50:50 odds

>She laughs lightly

>"You think you can take me in either?"

"I KNOW I can fly TWICE as high as you can"

>She pauses, then lowers herself slightly, wings flared

>You match her

>It was at times like these you were thankful you weren't a complete hermit

>Just a partial one

>You'd managed to figure out some pony mannerisms simply by watching

>"So... it's a bet?"

"What are the stakes?"

>"Besides the ego-boost?"

"Or ego-check in your case."

>Another chuckle from her

>And one from you for good measure

>The jingle of coins pulls your attention to a, quite frankly, hefty coin purse she pulls out

>"I just so happened to win this from a certain betting pool about a certain pony, if you win, it's yours."

"And if you win?"

>"WHEN I win... you have to do me a favor."

>That makes you pause

>And her smirk tells you she intended that

>Money was nice

>But a blank cheque?

>Could be trouble

>If you had to cash it in

>Screw it

>The time of routines was over, now was the time to live dangerously

"You're on, Prism~"

>You smirk as she huffs out of her nose

>She didn't like the nickname you'd given her

>But she'd never given you reason to think she outright hated it

>You hold out a hoof and she bumps against it in a shake

>"Tomorrow, this weekend, midday, sharp."

"You want to wait? Why not today?"

>"You've still got the work gunk on ya, I want you at your best when I wipe the sky with you."

"I get it, you need a day to figure out how to come to terms with your inevitable loss."

>You both share a small smile before heading out of the factory and taking to the skies

>"So, you want to hit Hot Stuff's? And maybe not flirt with a married mare this time?"

>You roll your eyes

>That wasn't going away anytime soon

>You both weave through the soft clouded buildings and alleys of Cloudsdale as you descend away from the factory

"Don't worry, I'll keep my flirting to single mares from now on."

>You can tell she has a number of clever comebacks to your words

>Luckily she seems to choose the most tame

>"Good idea, and I mean, hey, if you want some practice, I think Cloud Chaser likes you."

"How is that possible? I'm pretty sure I learned her name today."

>Rainbow shows off her mastery of flying and acrobatics casually by flipping so she's flying backwards as she shrugs at you

>"Stoic, silent, reckless but good at flying? Some mares like that I guess."

"You almost sound like you're describing yourself."

>Her head snaps to you, brow raised and confusion painted on her face

>Hook, line and sinker

"You know, except for the 'silent' bit."

>Her confusion shifts to a more flat look

"Or the 'stoic' bit."

>You meanwhile, smirk wider

"And that "good at flying" is also a bit generous, so reckless- you're just reckless."

>She holds her unamused look for a moment before a smirk cracks the façade and she shakes her head, causing her mane to sweep back forth over her eyes

>"Idiot..." she mutters under her breath

"Back to Cloud Chaser though. Didn't I lose her a bunch of bits by being able to talk?"

>"That's perfect then," she nudges you with a hoof, "you can make it up to her by taking her on a date."

"I assume Hot Stuff's would probably be a bad first date choice?"

>"Oh, relax. And don't worry, this trip's gonna be on me."

>You wave her off as you land

"You don't need to do that, I'm gonna be getting a ton of bits soon."

>She knows where you're going with this, but doesn't stop you

>"Oh really?"

>Hot Stuff leads you two to a booth, smiling as she enjoys listening to your back and forth

"Yeah, you won't believe this, Dash, but some sucker made this bet with me that she's obviously gonna lose."

>"Oh really? Do I know her?"

>You shake your head

"Doubt it. Her name's Prism. Loud, kind of obnoxious, though her voice isn't too bad to listen to I guess, once you get over how scratchy it is.

>She chuckles on her side of the booth before leaning forward

>"It's funny you mention a bet, cause this absolute featherhead I know made a bet he's gonna lose too."

"Oh yeah? What are you getting out of it?"

>"A favor, I can't believe the colt actually agreed to it. Celestia, I'm not sure what's gonna be more fun, the favor, or watching him squirm while he waits for me to make up my mind."

"Do I know this colt?"

>"Well, he's a loner, nopony knows his name," she leans forward, with a wing by her muzzle, as if to hide her words, "and between you and me, I think he's mute."

You nod thanks to Hot Stuff as she brings over your usual coffee first. "Or maybe he just finds you all annoying." You hide your smirk in the mug as Rainbow chuckles into hers.

>"Order up, hon!" A deep voice bellows from somewhere in the bowels of the diner's kitchens

>Short Fuse, Hot Stuff's husband

>Thankfully he just has an affinity for fireworks

>Temper of a saint

>Gave you a mean stink-eye when you first met

>For about two seconds before breaking into good-natured laughter

>He liked to pat you on the back a lot

>And for a pegasus he walloped like an earth pony

>Luckily never too hard

>Speaking of earth ponies

>You should probably apologize to Applejack

>She'll probably be there with Rainbow's other friends when they hear about your little bet competition

>That thought sparks a reminder in your mind

"Hey, Rainbow."

>She looks up at you

"How many betting pools are there going on about me?"

>Now she looks nervously everywhere but at you

>"Duck!" Short Fuse calls from the kitchen

>A glance over shows no food coming out

>You briefly whip a head around

>There weren't any griffons here

>Ponies didn't... did they?

>Seemingly, in your confusion, Hot Stuff had come and gone with your order

>Rainbow probably ordered for you

>She only knew you a few days

>Which either meant she ordered you the perfect meal

>Or something you were gonna hate

>It was hard to tell with her

>"Tell you what, Anon, I'll let you in on the betting pools, IF, you help me win them"

"Only if I get half of what you win"

>"Only if you don't get half of what I've already won. You either get all or nothing tomorrow"

"Only if you cover the tab”

>"Deal."

>She puts her hoof forward, and you bump and shake it

>"Duck!" Short Fuse calls again

>Again, you look and nothing, though you do feel a slightly harsh breeze

>You glance behind you

>The door's not open, and there wasn't any strong winds scheduled for a few days

>"So, anyway, you already know the first one. Let me see, what other ones were there?"

>She taps her chin with a hoof in thought

>How many bets have you caused?

>Unfurling her main primary, she uses it like a finger to point to her other wing as she counts the feathers and bets

>"There's one about when you're gonna crash during those flights you go on."

>Considering she was worried about scraping you off a hillside a few days ago, you wonder which side of that betting pool she's on

>"One's about your name, no one won that-"

"What did ponies think it was?"

>"There was a bet for Emerald Blitz, mine, one was Green Feathers," you almost argue that one, then you remember who you're talking to, "and another one was Petrichor Wind"

>Strange strange names becoming stranger still

>"There's another one about where you're from"

>That'll be another one she loses

>"One's about what your cutie mark means"

>You glance down at the strange mark on your flank

>You'd been aware of them since you arrived here and tried to scrub yours off

>A simple black question mark branded on you that contrasted against your green coat

>"And the last one's about whether you're gay or not."

"WHAT!?"

>Her face splits into a silent laugh as she chokes on air before devolving into a wheezing mess

>When she finally gets some air into her lungs she bursts into cackles and laughter and tears as she can't even look at you before breaking into more laughs

>"Dude, you should have seen your face!"

>You grumble, but only slightly

>That was something you could get back at her later for

>Right now, you're enjoying yourself

>"Order up!" Short Fuse calls and you hope that it's yours

>Someone smiles down on you as you're correct

>A small kick under the table jolts Dash to her sense as she wipes away the last of the tears, still giggling to herself as Hot Stuff puts your plates in front of you, glancing between you two with a smile

>What's in front of you is new, but as you try it, you don't hate it

>Maybe Dash took a shot in the dark and landed a hit

>Other than the occasional relapse into chuckles from Dash, your meal is pleasantly quiet

>You wonder what you'll do when you're done here

>"Duck!" Again, Short Fuse calls and you roll your eyes at the stallion

>Curiously though, you see Rainbow lower her head, as if du-

>Your thoughts are interrupted as something slams into the back of your head

>Hard

>You hit the table and bounce off it, food now on your face

>Motherfucker, you’re gonna hurt whoever threw that

>Briefly your heart races and your breathing quickens

>"Whoa- sorry dude, I forgot to tell you-"

>"MACH! You get your keister here, mister!

>You're only vaguely aware of Rainbow talking to you and Hot Stuff yelling at... someone

>Your senses slowly settle from the brief shot of adrenaline

>"But moooooom, dad called out, it's not my fault he didn't-"

>"Don't you dare blame that nice stallion, young colt, now you go over there and you apologize.

>"But this is our house."

>"We've been over this, upstairs in the house, this is the business, and everypony loves letting you fly around, but he's new."

>"But-"

>Short Fuse finally moves himself through the hole in the wall that acts as the window between kitchen and diner

>A red coat with a two-tone orange and yellow mane cut short and sharp, with stubble covering his muzzle

>Looked as tough as his name implied and also added to why his stink-eye had you worried before you found out he was as soft as his food was tender

>"That's enough buts outta you mister, you've only got the one anyway, now stop arguing with your mother and go apologize, he probably ain't even mad, just rattled."

>Hot Stuff comes over, a colt in tow

>Well, guess you’re gonna have to vent your anger with a few flights

>You almost feel bad for the kid, he was his mother's kid through and through

>Almost, he did wham you pretty good

>Pink coat, flecks of red in his wings, and a strawberry blonde mane, though it was cut in the same style as his old man's

>Probably to offset the coat and try and show some of Short Fuse's toughness

>But still, pink coat on a colt, probably in school

>And kid's can be cruel

>He mumbles something as his hoof digs at the cloud ground

>"Speak Ponish, not Mumble, Mach. And look at him, you're not talkin' to the floor, sweetheart"

>He looks up, and you notice the tiniest flinch as his gaze meets yours

>Must have had a bad experience crashing into someone before

>"S- sorry mister."

"Relax kid, after all, there's nothing like a concussion to wake you up after a shift, I can probably sleep it off."

>"Anon!" You let out a small "ow" as Rainbow kicks you beneath the table

>Hot Stuff rolls her eyes, but smiles, glad that the situation went fine as she clears your ruined meal to get a new one

>The colt begins fluttering off, looking downtrodden and Rainbow lightly kicks you again before nodding at him

"Hey, kid! Mach, right?"

>He looks back at you

"You hit like a flying freight train, you know that?"

>You rub the back of your head again, just to double-check you're fine

>"I already said I was sorry!

"I mean... you'd make a hell of a firefighter when you're older."

>This stops the colt as his wings lightly click to his sides and he lands

>"You really think so?"

"You kidding? Pretty sure you could break rocks at that speed, let alone some wood and burning buildings. Or a Royal Guard even."

>His eyes light up as he trots back to your table

>”Really!?”

"Yeah, something that fast in metal armor? Celestia knows I'd never commit a crime with you around."

>"Cooooool."

>His gaze drifts off to somewhere

>Waving a hoof in front of him is ineffective

>Yep, he's daydreaming

>Hot Stuff returns with a piping hot and new meal for you

>"Alright, young colt, let's go help dad wash the dishes."

>"But moooom, I did it yesterday, the others are helping today."

>"Then do your homework"

>"I already did it, can I go outside?"

>The small family back and forth brings a small smile to you, though you pause as you glance up at Rainbow

>She's eyeing you curiously

"Worried about me?" You smirk

>Your sarcasm confirms to her that all your mental faculties are fine and she scoffs

>"Worried that you're gonna make out with your food again."

"Shut up." You say with a chuckle

>"No, seriously dude, save it for Cloud Chaser."

"Shut up!" You may be louder, but your smile is wider as you flick some of the food at her

>Luckily, you two don't devolve into a foodfight, just another conversation taking jabs at each other

 

~~~

 

>Your eyes snap open

>It sucks because you were having a really cool dream

>But you get over it when you remember what day it is

>With a spring in your wings you jump out of bed

>The clock tells you that you've got a few hours until your little one on one with Dash

>But the time couldn't go quickly enough

>A part of you wants to do a lap or two of Cloudsdale

>Another part of you wants to conserve your energy

>The last part of you wants to go back to bed

>You find a happy medium in making yourself a hearty breakfast

>Eggs and hash browns today

>Gotta get in those carbs

>Quite frankly, you knew today would be a measure of energy

>Of stamina

>Every advantage you could give yourself was needed

>You were no fool

>Though you'd chosen a hermit's life, it was wasn't complete isolation

>Rainbow Dash would always reach your ears in one way or another

>Some new adventure

>A deadly foe beaten

>Local records broken

>Honestly it's a wonder you never actually knew who she actually was until she corrected you

>Your thoughts end as your cutlery clinks against an empty plate

>Huh

>You thought the meal was bigger than that

>Rummaging through your pantry you find a bit more food to fuel you

>After a second breakfast you make your way to the door

>Wasting your energy on laps wasn't ideal

>But neither was confining yourself to your own home

>It turns out that having wings makes places feel smaller than they are

>You don't know why, but there's more energy in your wings as you take off

>Not just because you'd had a big breakfast

>Something was... different

>The smallest flap took you much further than you should have

>Briefly wondering, you press a hoof to your neck

>Not as dextrous as a finger, it's harder to tell, but your heart rate seems fine

>Excitement? Nerves? Magic? Magnets?

>Any or all of these could have been the reason

>With a tilt of your wings, you make a beeline for Ponyville

>Despite the early morning, and it being a weekend, ponies were already out and about

>These crazy ponies

>Anyone sane knows you sleep in on a weekend

>You have the excuse of being insane

>Just before you reach ground you flap hard, kicking up some dirt and leaves as you slow yourself and begin to hover

>Before you'd been pulled into being more social, the market was about the only part of this town you knew

>It was quite quaint, simple buildings, some stone, some wood, most with thatch roofs

>With some time still to kill, you decide to give yourself a proper tour of the place

>Upon seeing you, some ponies start whispering and pointing to you before hurrying to somewhere with smiles

>Weird

>Rolling through the air, you make your way through the town, building a sort of mental map

>Small as it is, you quickly come to what you assume is the town center

>A large, multi-storied white building towers over every other structure around

>It almost reminds you of a spinning top

>Or maybe an upside down spinning top?

>You orient yourself in different ways

>Who knew that trying to figure out what a building reminded you of could be so hard?

>"Hiya there, whatcha doing?"

"Does this building remind you of anything?"

>"Huh." You briefly hear a sound similar to pressing balloons together. "It kind of does, but what? Who knew that trying to figure out what a building reminded you of could be so hard?"

"That's what I was just thinking" You say, turning to the source of the peppy voice coming from behind you

>Or rather the peppy voice ON your behind

>There's a pink pony stood on your ass

>It's that pink pony that always tried to bother you

>But you're upside down

>And so is she

>And she's an earth pony

>Your shocked rolled almost sends you into a crash

>She stays there though, tilting her head at you

"You know you're upside down right?"

>"No silly, you're upside down." She says with a giggle

"Turn your head"

>She does so, and gasps. "I AM!?"

>Gravity finally intervenes and pulls her down

>Slowly

>Too slowly

>You decide to put a few hoofs between you and the pony

>Just in case

>"Did you figure it out yet?"

"Figure out what?"

>"What the town hall looked like, silly, if you ask me, it just looks like town hall, but then I thought "maybe Discord's back and did something funky with it again and we'll have to use the elements again but not before having some more chocolate stuffed cotton candy clouds" but then it was just town hall."

>Okay, you understood maybe half of that

>Who or what is a Discord?

>"Lord of Chaos, can warp reality and stuff, he's fun"

>Did you say that out loud?

>"Nah, I just read it"

"What are you on and can I have some?"

>She pulls a cupcake out of her mane and hands it to you

>"There you go, on the house, gotta keep up your energy for your flight today, huh?"

"You know about that?"

>"Well duh, I've only been putting up posters all morning."

>Once more, from her mane, she pulls out a bucket, paint brush and piece of paper

>She dips the brush into the can, slaps the content, which you're now realizing is glue, onto a wooden post of the building, and presses the paper to it

>It's you

>Well, you and Rainbow Dash

>Just your heads, back to back, separated by a rainbow bolt of lightning, the rainbow going to black when it reaches the back of your head to blend in with your mane

"Cool design"

>"Thanks, good luck and remember, turn left"

"Um... thanks?"

>She bounces away, as if her limbs were home to a mix of springs and rubber balls instead of bones

>Confound these ponies

>If Dash didn't make being around them so fun, you'd go back to being a hermit

>The best course of action is probably to keep away from the pink one, so you fly in the opposite direction

>As you go, you see more and more of those posters around town

>Was that why those ponies before were pointing at you

>Quickly coming to halt mid-flight you wonder

>Do ponies think this is a competition?

>It's just a bet you made with her

>How many ponies are gonna turn up

>No more than her friends are gonna show up

>Maybe

>Probably

>Hopefully

>You're not sure how you'll do with a crowd

>Hot Stuff's and work was fine, that was just ponies being around

>But them being there with the intent purpose of watching you and Dash?

>You were fine

>It'd be fine

>Quite frankly, you wouldn't even be able to see them with how high you were going to climb

>"HEADS UP!"

>Not wanting a repeat of a pony stood on your ass you flap up just in time to feel something rush beneath you

>Metal and wood click on stone before softly landing on dirt as you look down to the source

>Young pegasus filly, orange coat, purple mane

>"Whoa! Watch where you're flying mister, I almost hit you."

"Have you considered watching where you're going?"

>"I was! YOU stopped in the middle of the air, I couldn't stop mid-trick"

"It's free airspace"

>"More like a free head case" She mutters to herself

"I heard that"

>She snorts and snickers to herself and you can't help but chuckle too

>Curious, you glance around for the kid's parents or friends

>No sign of the former, but signs of the latter

>A white unicorn with a two-toned purple and pink mane and a white earth pony with a red mane

>"Hey! You alright?" The white unicorn asks the pegasus

>"You alright up there mister?" The earth pony asks you turning her head up

>The pegasus scoffs nonchalantly at her friend "You kidding? I'm fine."

>You simply wave off the other one with a hoof

>"Ya know, you look awful familiar mister." The yellow filly rubs a hoof on her chin as her eyes narrow at you

>"Oh yeah! Hey! You're the guy flying against Rainbow Dash, right!?"

>The orange pegasus points to the poster and your sort of spitting image on it

"I am, why?" You only ask because you fail to see the big deal

>"Rainbow's talked a lot about you recently. An- In- En- uh... O- Onion! Onion, right?" She says confidently

"Wrong." You say just as confidentially. "It's Anon"

>"That's a weird name"

"Oh yeah? What makes yours so great?"

>"I'm Scootaloo!"

>"Sweetie Belle!"

>"Applebloom!"

>The three introduce themselves, and they're all as weird as each others and weirder than yours

>The last one catches your attention

>Apple name

>Accent

>Earth pony

>Damn it, will you never be free of these hicks?

>You turn to leave before she can recognize you

>"Hey! You're the one who kept pickin' on mah sister!"

>Crap

>Also factually incorrect

"For the record, your sister gave as good as she got." You fold your arms as you hover. "Also I'm keeping the tree."

>She stomps her hooves at that

>Like sister like sister

>"You can't keep that tree, it's an apple family tree!"

"Well I couldn't get it out of my living room after trying for a day, so I'm keeping it. It really brings the whole room together, you know?"

>"Mah sister didn't wantcha to keep it!"

"Then why did she give it to me?" You respond with a smug grin

>The yellow pony lets out a groan that is almost an exact copy of her sister's, if not a few octaves higher

>"Forget this." The pegasus says as her wings spring to life and rapidly flutter behind her. "Let's go Applebloom, we gotta get front row seats to watch Rainbow thrash this guy!"

>With a small cheer from the other two, they pile onto the scooter as it speeds off

>Children were hoping for your downfall

>Truly this was a world of new experiences

>Deciding to push them from your head, you fly to the rest of the town

>It takes about a lap of the town, but the time was here

>A while ago you'd seen a certain signature rainbow trail fly over

>With a bird's eye view, you see where ponies are congregating

>Unfortunately it seems your previous thoughts of this bet being small are proven wrong

>The voices mesh together and seem to rise as you approach

>In the center of the gathering is none other than your opponent for the day

>Along with five others

>Three of which you're familiar with

>But your gaze is focused on one mare

>And hers is focused on you

>You're both grinning like idiots

>Out of your peripherals, you see her friends roll their eyes good-naturedly as they let you two approach each other

>"And here I was thinking you'd chickened out"

"And miss out on my payday?" You stretch out a wing with a sigh

>"Well, not every colt is eager to get humiliated in public, you know." She stretches herself backward and forward

"I feel the need to warn you, I don't go easy on girls." Your smirk and wink make her chuckle

>"That's good, cause neither do I." She pushes the tip of her end primary against your nose, making you sneeze, causing her to laugh again

>Rainbow steps away to wind down from her laughter and to do some more stretches, along with take in the adoration of her fan club

>You thought she was joking

>Goes to show what you know

>"Well hey there, sugarcube"

>Oh no

>That voice

>You're stopped from bolting from a southern chuckle

>"Oh don't get your feathers twisted, the water's under the bridge far as ah'm concerned"

>You turn to her, tilting your head, slightly suspicious

"Really?"

>"Really."

"So I'm not gonna be pelted mid-air by an apple?"

>"Well, Granny Smith might try, but her throwing hoof ain't so good no more"

>"It's still good enough to knock that young'un outta his ponyfeathers!" A decrepit green wrinkled mare calls from the crowd "Ain't that right Big Mac?"

>"Eeyup." A massive stallion who stands head and shoulders above the other ponies said

>He's holding the plow you stole and put on a cloud on his shoulder

>Menacingly

"Hey, uh," you start, leaning to the orange pony, "I, um... I am sorry, you know. I was a bit of a jerk."

>She considers your words for a moment, then whacks you lightly in the chest with a hoof before chuckling

>"We bother escalated it, no harm, no foul"

>Now you're glad you didn't get those lightning clouds like you planned

>You don't want to know what she would have done with you

>"Hi again!" The pink pony from before presses her face to your before snapping back out to a more reasonable distance

>You barely suppress the instinct to yelp and calm yourself

"Yes, hi, hello again"

>"Hi, hello again to you too, did you remember to turn left?"

"I... bumped into those fillies over there." You say, pointing to the three who were talking to some of the others

>"Oh good. Those three are great aren't they?"

"I think the orange one is plotting my downfall."

>You and the pink pony turn to look

>Scootaloo is eagerly watching Rainbow Dash as they talk

>Whenever Rainbow stretches in a way that pulls her face a way from Scootaloo, she glares at you, then goes back to smiling up at the rainbow mare when she stretches back

>"Eh, probably." The pink one says with a shrug. "So, what's your favourite kind of cake?"

"Why?"

>"Well for the party of course, I need to throw Rainbow a "Congratulations on Winning" or "Better Luck Next Time" party, and I need to throw you the inverse of whatever I throw her, then I need to throw you a "Welcome to Ponyville" party, a "Happy One-Monthiversary" part, and a Birthday party cause Rainbow told me your Birthday came and went but you had no friends before and that made me sad, and I need to throw you a "Halfiversary" too, that's a potential of SIX parties at once! Which means six cakes, so what kind of cake do you want?"

"Cake?"

>She nods

"Surprise me?"

>She nods, and sinks down

>Despite just looking at her, as soon as you blink, the pink one's gone

>"I'm Pinkie Pie by the way." You yelp and stagger away as she was stood on your back without you noticing somehow

"What?"

>"Pinkie Pie. I'm telling you cause that was getting old."

"What was?"

>"Don't worry about it." Pinkie says, waving you off

"Wait a minute." You pause. "You're the one who stole all my knives!?"

>"Well, duh, I needed too so you couldn't cut the branches."

"Why would that have been a bad thing?"

>"Because the branches were lodged in the cloud wall and without them you'd have gotten it out and never had that talk with Rainbow

"Wait, wait, wait, you're making it sound like you knew that would happen."

>She stares silently at you with a pleasant smile, blinking with a tilt of her head

"Is she always like this?" You ask no one in particular

>"Yeah," the purple unicorn librarian answers, "you get used to it."

"Really?"

>"No" She says with a shake of her head

"You're that librarian, right?"

>"Twilight Sparkle." She corrects you, offering a hoof

>You gladly take it, happy for a normal interaction

"I might need to rent some books from you soon."

>"Only if I finally get to ask you some questions."

>You think for a moment

>Do you really need those books

>What good has knowledge ever done you

>Glancing at the unicorn, she seems nice enough, which makes you groan

>Maybe she wasn't crazy

"Fine, but one question per book"

>"I wouldn't have it any other way"

>As she begins to trot away, she pulls out a notebook and quill and begins to write on it

>For a long time

>Too long

"And no asking questions that are just twenty questions compounded into one!"

>She pauses, then smiles at you as she crosses out everything she'd just written

>"Hey! You ready to do this or am I gonna die of old age!?"

>The scratchy voice pulls you away from the other mares and to Rainbow Dash

>Flying over to her, you land and ready yourself to take off

>You mentally note that your take-off positions are different from each other

>"Taking all bets! Taking all bets!" Pinkie Pie announces through a megaphone, riling up the crowd. "Put your money where your mouth is, ponies! Who will emerge victorious!? Our very own Rainbow Dash, sole performer of the Sonic Rainboom and Element of Loyalty or the strange green visitor who stumbled out of the Everfree Forest a few months ago, homeless and alone? I've got 20:1 odd on him and 2:1 on Rainbow"

>Ponies immediately begin handing in bits and shouting out bets

>Ouch

>Your pride

>You think

>Clearing her throat, Twilight stands to the side and in-between you two

>"Alright you two, as the referee to this match-"

>"Yeah, cause you wouldn't stop asking me." Rainbow mutters to herself

>"As referee," Twilight reasserts, "I'll be making sure this is a clean, fair flight, meaning no tackling each other-"

"Boring"

>You and Rainbow chuckle to each other, only laughing more as Twilight looks annoyed at you

>"The rules are simple." She continues, tersely. "First one to an altitude of-"

>"Nope! This is a flight of no-holds-barred endurance. Whoever goes higher, wins!" Rainbow interrupts

>"Rainbow, that's incredibly-"

"Agreed. I want a nice high view when I see you fall, Rainbow."

>"I'm serious you two this could-"

"Bored again. THREE TWO ONE GO!"

>Rainbow's not caught off-guard though as you take off at near the same time

>The force from your simultaneous take off causes a small updraft that pushes you further

>As they had been all morning, your wings are energized

>The slightest flap pushed you further and higher

>In less than a second, you're above the entirety of the town

>In five minutes you're halfway towards Cloudsdale

>The two of you slightly spiral around each other as you fly, and even with the wind whipping past you you can hear her chuckle

>"Just tell me when you want to get serious, big guy"

"Go for it, Dash"

>"Don't say I didn't warn you"

>Her wings beat faster and faster, stronger and stronger and she rockets up and away from you

>But this wasn't that kind of race

>Five minutes later and you're waving to Hot Stuff and her family as you go by

>Twenty minutes after initial take off and you're pretty sure you've passed the peak of Canterlot

>A few minutes more and the clouds are nothing more than wisps all around

>And just as you'd expected, Rainbow had slowed down

>She was panting heavily

>Quickly flying over to her, you grab her for support and move her head to look at you

>You make your breathing pattern more pronounced, and she slowly copies it

>With her breath back, she starts to relax

>"Wow! That... that was something"

"Yeah, air gets weird up here, so you have to breathe a certain way or-"

>"Or you pass out?" She asks with a smirk

"Basically"

>A shiver runs through her as she gasps lightly. "It's freezing up here too, how do you stay warm?"

>You turn to show her your wings and point at the with a hoof

"You've gotta balance out flapping your wings with sending vibrations through their base. That shakes off any condensation or water vapor you collect up here, which stops smaller ice crystals from forming, which stops bigger ice crystals from forming, which will freeze your wings and-"

>"And make you plummet to the ground?" She asks, again with a smile

>"There you two are!"

>Both you and Rainbow's eyes widen as you hear Twilight's voice

>"Twilight!?"

>"Yes, well, technically yes, but also no." A purple bubble floats up to you. "New spell, not enough time, I can see and hear you, the girls are here too cause they insisted."

>A clamor of the voices from before echo out greetings from the orb

>"I made this to follow you two, but you went too fast for me to catch up. Now, you two have proven you're very tough, now get back down here before you freeze"

>"What!? No way! Anon just taught me all his tricks for getting higher."

"One, no I didn't, and two, you don't have the experience to use them well."

>"Wanna bet?" She smirks

"Huh... what have we been doing all day?"

>She bumps your chest with a hoof. "You know what I meant."

You shrug. "It'll be your crash."

>With another beat of your wings, you and Rainbow take off higher and higher, leaving Twilight warnings behind

>You reach the heights that you've been before and you feel the air wrap around you

>Like a hug

>These heights had missed you

>And you'd missed her too

>It'd been far too long since you'd been here

"Just... a little... more..."

>A little more strength in your wings

>You had it, your wings felt like they could flap for days and not tire

>A little more stamina

>Your meals had given you enough to keep up with your wings

>A little more air in your lungs

>You chuckle as you feel lightheaded again and your wings threaten to either go stiff or limp

>But you close your eyes and focus on your lungs

>Your breathing shifts and changes and your wings continue you on

>You were in uncharted territory, and the sky couldn't stop you

>A cheer would come from you if you had enough to make one

>Looking to where Rainbow Dash was, you realize you're alone

>In your tunnel-vision, you hadn't realized she'd gone

>Panic seizes you as you look down, trying to spot a streak of rainbow and blue

>The grip on your chest relaxes as you see two purple bubbles rising towards you

>One containing a passed out, but breathing Rainbow Dash

>"Right! That's it! I am calling this now! Anonymous! You won! Now get in the bubble before you freeze to death or fall to it."

>You stay where you are, looking between the bubble and the sky

>Up here, the air's never been so thin, but you could swear you hear a whistle in the wind

>Calling you higher

>"H... hey... hey 'non?"

>You look over to Rainbow Dash, she's just coming too

>"C- can you go higher?"

>Your eyes widen, and you look between her and the sky

>"Wait what!? No! No! Anon, don't listen."

>You ignore the voice and nod at Rainbow, who smiles at you excitedly and nods

>"Do it."

>Your smile is toothy and wide as you feel energy surge through you

>Maybe it was one last pump of adrenaline as your body knew you were about to force it to do something stupid

>You don't care

>While flapping, you plant your hooves on the orb with Twilight's voice coming from it

>"Anon listen to me! My magic's been going for too long, any more than at that height I can't-"

>She doesn't get to finish her sentence as you use her orb as a leverage point for your legs to boost your wings up as you fly higher and higher than ever before

>The sky

>It's all around you

>In a way that it's never been before

>Something that's always seemed close enough to touch but forever out of reach

>So you reach out for it

>And you realize you can't breathe

>You wonder how long that's been for

>Your wings go stiff

>And you're not sure if you're plummeting or floating where you are

>Your eyelids are growing heavy

>You hope you have that storm dream again

>That was fun

<>

>You open your eyes

>At least, you're pretty sure you do

>It's dark

>Then it's green

>That's your hoof

>So your eyes are open

>And you're not blind

>That's good

>But that also means you're in a featureless shadowscape

>That's bad

>Neutral at best

>There's no earth beneath you

>But you can walk just fine

>Nor is there any wind

>Yet you can fly just fine

>So you do

>It's not like you can get anymore lost

>Though you start to wonder how true that actually is

>Pitch black up, down and on every other side of you

>You decide to flip onto your back as you fly

>Weirdly it feels no different than when you were flying upright

>Like you'd just corrected yourself

>That wasn't right

>Was it?

>You flip again

>And again

>And again

>You fly sideways

>You dive headfirst into what you think is the direction of the ground

>It's all the same

>Wherever you are, it doesn't matter what you do

>However you turn yourself, your equilibrium orients itself like you're the right-side up

>How did you even get there?

>White dots blinked into existence in the endless black that stretched around you

>Stars maybe

>Then wisps of wind

>A blur of purple and blue that split into prisms

>And you couldn't breathe

>But it was so hot now

>You looked to the side and found out why

>The sun was almost pressed against your face

>And then you felt your wings catch fire

>Then you fell

>Finally some sense of gravity returned to you

>Sadly it was pulling you to certain death

>Still there wasn't any ground

>Just the inky darkness

>Lucky you, it didn't seem to matter

>With the sound of shattering glass you impacted the darkness and colours returned

>Drab and dreary, but colours at least

>Quickly, you came to a stop

>Despite the fall, you didn't feel any pain

>Also your wings were still on fire

>Looking around, you realize where you are

>Unfortunate for you

>Everfree Forest

>That's what the ponies called it

>Personally, you called it the death trap you dragged yourself out of when you first got here

>With a glance down you definitely don't yelp

>Crystal clear waters reflect like a mirror

>And you see yourself

>Not you but the real you

>Hands and opposable thumbs

>The deluxe package

>Your reflection doesn't mirror you though

>You move a hoof, but he stays still

>Just as you begin to relax your wings droop down

>Sadly you were mistaken

>It wasn't water

>It's oil

>Now everything's on fire

>Can you not catch a break?

>Was the universe out to get you

>Of course, none of this shit makes sense

>Must be a dream

>Hopefully anyway

>Otherwise you're not gonna leave behind a pretty body

>Before the fire can grow more you look to where you think the direction of up is

>And feel your heart stop

>Rainbow Dash was falling too

>Your eyes snap open and you swing wildly as your adrenaline pumps so hard it's like it's trying to get out of your veins

>"HE'S AWAKE!"

>"HOLD HIM DOWN!"

>Who the fuck are these idiots?

>Why are they grabbing you?

>Your mind has no answers only instincts

>So you struggle

>You were burning and Rainbow was falling

>That's all you knew and that meant danger and that meant you had to do something

>"WE NEED ANOTHER SEDATIVE IN HERE!"

>"HE'S ALREADY ON ENOUGH KETAMINE! WE CAN'T GIVE HIM MORE!"

>"MISTER ANONYMOUS! PLEASE SETTLE DOWN!"

"GET THE FUCK OFF ME!"

>Where are you?

>What happened?

>You're vaguely aware of a door banging open

>"What's going on!?"

>That voice

>"Anon!?"

>You're still straining, but not struggling

>Rainbow Dash and Twilight are in the room

>One of the things grabbing you pulls away

>Now that you're focusing you realize they're doctors

>You really hope your wild haymaker didn't catch any of them

>Do ponies still call them haymakers?

>"Miss Sparkle, Miss Dash, please, you were told to wait outside-"

>"Is he okay? We heard screaming."

>"Just a sudden onset of a hysterical episode. He," the doctor looks back at you, "seems to have calmed down some now"

>"Mister Anonymous?"

>One of the doctors comes more into view

>"We need you to lay down, alright?"

>You nod slowly and then feel your energy leave you

>Where'd all that adrenaline go?

>Quickly you fall back into a soft bed as you go limp

>Why is it so hard to catch your breath?

>"You exposed yourself to very high altitudes, Mister Anonymous, even for a pegasus." She slowly puts a mask over your muzzle. "You'll need some time for your lungs to readjust, just take it easy."

>Well this sucks

>"-please, he's my friend"

>You begin to tune back into Rainbow and Twilight

>The doctor is looking between them, then at you

>In an attempt to show him you've calmed down, you wave

>Or at least you try to

>Your limp hoof rises then falls again

>He sighs then nods

>"Alright, but please behave"

>Then it's just the three of you

>When you think about it, it's almost funny

>The librarian

>The athlete

>And you, the adrenaline junkie

>At least, you assume that's what you've become

>Still, it was a wild ride to the top of the world

>You can't stop the smile that tugs at the corner of your lips

>"Well, I'm glad to see that you clearly haven't learned your lesson"

>Twilight and Rainbow come up beside you

"How bad-" You grunt and pull the mask away from your muzzle. "How bad was it?"

>Your breathing tries to become a little erratic

>Like it's trying to breathe the same way you had to in the high altitude with thin air

>Forcing your lungs to act normally is a weird feeling but you endure it long enough to settle them down

>"Well, like I tried to tell you, I didn't have enough magic to catch you, you could have-!"

>"Twi!" Rainbow says a bit sharply

>The purple unicorn sighs as her eyes soften

>"Sorry, Anon, it's just... what were you thinking?"

>Normally at this point you'd just give a quick and easy answer

>But maybe these two deserve a little more thought

>So you do just that

>Think

>Honestly, you're not even sure yourself, so it'll be a surprise for you too

>It takes time for you to piece together an answer

>A long time

>Long enough that the two pull up chairs to wait

>But clearly they can tell you're thinking as they don't press the question

>Eventually you feel an answer start to tug at the back of your mind

"I... wanted to see if it was real..."

>"What? The sky?" Rainbow asks

You chuckle "I know it doesn't make much sense"

>"Or any" she says with a smirk

>With a nod your conversation turns to other topics

>Like how you got here

>"Well, luckily my magic held long enough for me to bring Rainbow Dash down, but I couldn't do anything about you" Twilight begins

>It hurts when Rainbow won't meet your eye

>She must have had a bird's eye view of how you plummeted straight towards the ground

>And she had no way to help you

>Apparently Princess Luna of all ponies had appeared in a burst of magic and caught you

>When she landed she was quick to hand you off to Twilight and the other ponies

>She hadn't said much

>"But she did want us to let you know that she plans to speak with you more, so that should be nice"

>Naivety is how you'd describe the smile on Twilight's muzzle

>Luna may want to talk to you

>But you doubt you'll want to talk to her

>You'll let your mind ponder that later

>Right now, you're wondering about the bandage around Twilight's horn

"What gives Twilight?" You point at your own forehead weakly. "You didn't crack it did you?"

>Raising a hoof, she hums

>"It's an enchanted cooling wrap, meant to help with the magic burnout from exerting myself too much"

>"Sorry" Rainbow says curtly, her eyes briefly meet your then flick to the ground

>Twilight nudges Rainbow in the side, making her yelp and look up only to be met with the sight of Twilight unsubtly nodding towards you

>The prismatic mare groans, her eyes flicking between yours and the ground several times

>Clearing her throat, Twilight bluntly excuses herself and departs the room

>Then there was two

>"'m- ry-" Rainbow mutters

"Say again?" You ask

>"I said... I'm sorry..." She still mutters it, but clear enough to hear now

"For what?"

>She blinks and stares at you like you grew a second head

>"For making you-?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa-" you cut her off, "you didn't make me do anything"

>"But you wouldn't have gone that high if I didn't encourage you"

>You pause for a moment

>Is that what she thought?

>You doubt it

>Seems more like something a guilty conscience would cook up

>But why would she feel guilty?

"Are you sure about that?"

>Now it's her turn to pause

"Rainbow, with all that you know about me, do you really think that you were what pushed me to go that high?"

>Her mouth opens and closes a few times before she scratches the back of her head with a hoof

>"Huh, I... hadn't thought of it like that"

"Well, you did think counting to eight made me smart so clearly thinking isn't your strong suit"

>"Oh my Celestia!" She yells, but she's smiling. "You're never gonna let that go are you?"

>You shake your head with a toothy grin and she begins to laugh

>Eventually, and with a light scolding from a doctor, your shared laughter tapers off

"So, where's my money?"

>"Huh?" She tilts her head at you

"Well, I won the bet didn't I? I'd like my money now."

>"Whoa, you didn't win"

>Finally some strength returns to you

>Only enough to help you sit up though

"Don't be a sore loser, I went higher than you."

>"That wasn't the bet." She smirks. "Technically, you bet you could go twice as high as me, and you didn't"

>But-

>That was-

>And you-

>Cogs in your brain clunk and bump against each other

>It's become a really disorganized mess up there

>But you recall to your conversation at the factory

>Technically, she was right

"Oh come on, you're seriously gonna be a stickler over semantics?"

>She crosses her hooves with a smirk and nods "Yyyyyep"

"And here I was starting to think you were cool" You tease her with a smirk

>Hook, line and sinker, she takes the bait

>"What!? I- I! Am the coolest mare you know!"

>You shrug your shoulders and wings at her

"Considering how few mares I know, is that really an achievement?"

>Her muzzle scrunches in annoyance

>"Oh yeah? W- well, you're hardly the coolest colt I know"

"That's fair"

>"Yeah, there's Big Mac, way stronger than you"

"He is freakishly strong." You nod as you remember the hulking stallion. "Actually, is he freakishly strong, or is that normal for earth ponies?"

>"Nah, he is a pretty big guy. You're not even the coolest pegasus I know either."

"Oh? Do tell"

>"Well... there's..." she falters and thinks before tapping a hoof, "Soarin! I met him at the last Grand Galloping Gala, he's great."

"Am I supposed to know who that is?"

>"Wh- he's a Wonderbolt!"

>Damn it, that's why the name rang a bell

"Riiiight... he works with Spitfire?"

>"Exactly, and not just him, there's... um... Thunderla- no, not Thunderlane- um..."

"Do you even know many stallions, Prism?" She goes to answer and you cut in. "Your dad doesn't count."

>Her jaw clicks shut and you laugh

>"Well what about you?" You tone down your laugh as she speaks. "What are your parents like"

>Parents

>Damn that stung

"Oh, them- no, they're... they're not..."

>On this plane of existence

>But that was a bit hard to explain, so you settle for miming an answer

>You wave your hooves and wings vaguely and her eyes widen a little before she shrinks into herself a little

>"Whoa, dude, I'm sorry I brought it up- that must-"

>You wave her off

"It's... nothing to worry about, Dash. But hey, meeting your folks could be fun"

>"Oh my Celestia, no, that'd just be embarrassing"

"Well now I definitely need to meet them."

>"No! Absolutely not! You can't!"

"Do they live in Cloudsdale?" She says nothing, but her eyes widen. "Your silence is deafening, Dash. I'll be sure to look out for another rainbow mane when I'm out of here."

>You two devolve into mindless back and forth for a while

>Her trying to convince you not to look for her parent

>Then pretending she doesn't care if you do find them

>Finally falling to her offering to pay you with the money she won from bets to not look for them

>It's an absolute treat worth enjoying after your little fall

>You don't really become aware of how long you've been there until you realize the room's become slightly orange

>The sun's started to set

>Rainbow notices your shift and looks around too

>"Huh. Time flies, am I right? "

>You nod to her and she stands from her seat, stretching and popping her limbs

>"Well, I should probably head out before I end up sleeping here or getting kicked out"

"That would be fun to watch, but yeah." She rolls her eyes at you and begins making her way out. "Hey, wait..."

>She pauses at the door and looks back at you

>A part of you wants to wave it off and send her on her way

>Another part holds on to the thought that's stuck in your mind

"Before, you said "he's my friend"... did you mean that?"

>Now she's looking at you in a strange way

>Now she's walking back up to your bed

>Of course you couldn't have kept your big mouth shut-

>She's hugging you

>It takes a moment for your brain to register it

>But sure enough

>She's on her hindlegs, her forelegs wrapped around you

>Or, rather, wrapped around you as best they can be when you're laid down

>With a small effort you hug her back

>"Of course we're friends, you big lug." She pulls back. "Try not to die in here while I'm gone."

"Ha ha, your worry is touching"

>You both share one last chuckle before she waves at you one last time with a wing and heads out the door

>With a soft click, you're left alone in the hospital room

>One friend richer

>She definitely still owes you that bet money though

<>

"Ugh, it feels good to be out of there"

>You spread your wings wide as you stretch back and forth

>You never liked hospitals

>Doctors were fine

>And you weren't gonna say no to getting healed

>But the buildings just weren't your thing

>Having wings didn't help

>Any building could make you feel cramped now

>You trot on the spot to get some of your blood flowing

>Now you just needed a quick flight

>"Anon, no"

>What could she read minds now?

>You look to the side to see Twilight

"Come on, just one-"

>"No"

"But it's just-"

>"Anon"

>You knew that tone

>A "no nonsense" tone

>"The doctors only agreed to let you out if you didn't fly for a day"

"But my house is in the sky!"

>That makes her pause

>"Well... maybe Rainbow Dash can fly you up to your house"

>You groan and drag your hooves down your face

>Now you're getting antsy

>And your wings are twitching

>They long for the sky

>So do you

>What, you're supposed to keep yourself on the ground for a day?

>How do other ponies do this?

>Walking?

>Lame

>Reading?

>Your brows furrow

>You never did get those books

"Hey, you live in the library, right?"

>The question seems to catch her off-guard briefly before she nods

>"Golden Oaks, why?"

"Cause I need some books on the princesses, laws and... some other stuff I'll probably remember when we get there"

>This seems to spark her memory of your previous conversation before you crashed out and she excitedly nods her head

>"I'd be happy to make some suggestions on what to read"

"Fan-tastic," you drag out, only slightly sarcastically, "I doubt I'll be doing much else today"

>"Oh no need to be like that," she rests a comforting hoof on your withers, "reading can be a nice way to wile away the hours"

"Said the mare without wings" You grumble

>She seems to take it well though

>There's a smile on her face as she rolls her eyes

>With the hospital behind you, you slowly come to a horrifying realization

>Walking is unbearably slow

>How do ponies waste time when they can't fly

>Better question

>How did you waste time when you couldn't fly

>Listen to music or talk

>Seeing as you weren't in the mood to start one of the spontaneous broadway numbers these ponies insist on, talking seems to be your only option

"So..." you begin, already lost on what to say

>She's looking at you

>Why couldn't you have just shut up?

>"So?"

"How long have you lived in this horse town?"

>"Ponyville" She corrected you

"Yeah, that" You agree, disinterested in whatever pun the town had

>"Well, I've been here for one of their Winter Wrap Ups, and two Nightmare Nights, so roughly a year and a half? Honestly though, it feels like longer"

>You nod and hum along with her as she begins to recount many long and boring anecdotes from her time here

>As it often does you find your head craning up to gaze skyward

>Rainbow and the rest of the team are doing a good job today

>Mostly clear skies with only the occasional cloud passing overhead

>It was practically picturesque

>These next days are going to be real test of willpower

>The wind softly rustles your face and you feel your wings instinctively twitch outward, your feathers, rustling

>Instinctively they want to caress each drawn-out breeze and glide along them

>The inherent draw to the sky you've felt ever since you landed in this new body pulls at your mind again

>As your thoughts begin fading to give way to the instinctive flex of your wings, you become vaguely aware of something at the edges of your pervading consciousness

>Or rather someone

>Twilight

>Her voice

>Right, you left her back when you were paying attention

>"ANON!"

"WHAT!?" You snap back to the suddenly yelling mare

>Honestly it's not lik-

>You’re flying

>With a doubletake you confirm that your eyes aren't lying

>You're a little bit above the ground, gently flapping

>When did this happen?

>You click your wings to your side and land, your knees feeling a little weak as you do, almost buckling

>Twilight is quick to support you though

>"Anon, what happened!? You suddenly started drifting off the ground, and you weren't answering me!"

"I don't know, alright!"

>The simple fact of the matter was that you really didn't know

>You never even noticed your hooves leaving solid earth

>And her agitated tone isn't helping

>With a slight twist of a feather in your ear to clear the ringing you move ahead of the mare

>Looking back at her, you see her watching you cautiously and with worry

>You groan and roll your eyes as you point your wings out towards the town again

"Look, I got lost in thought and started floating, big deal, Twilight, can we go now please?"

>"It could be a big deal..." You hear her mutter to herself as she picks up her pace and trots past you

>The walk to her library is mostly uneventful

>Aside from one other instance of unconscious flying

>Luckily you catch yourself before Twilight does

>Your hooves lift an inch off the ground before you force yourself down again

>Okay, that was weird

>But nothing to worry about

>You just missed flying

>Who wouldn't

>You give a few waves and greetings to some ponies who stop to say hello to the two of you

>Not just Twilight

>But you as well

>It's weird

>Especially considering you don't know the names of most of these ponies

>The ones you do know the names of, you're more inclined to have a proper conversation with

>They're mostly mindless back and forths, exchanges of them checking on you, and you asking them how they've been since you've been gone

>Applejack turned out to be a good mare to trade barbs with when you both weren't throwing things at each other

>Her family was also nice enough

>Somehow you ended up invited to dinner with them

>You don't even know how you did it

>Rarity is another one you run into

>Apparently your little race with Rainbow Dash had "inspired" her

>Despite not being fashionable, apparently, she wanted to try her hoof at flight suits

>She even offered to give you one on the house if you modelled it

>Not really your style, but it could be fun, and you're starting to learn to just go with the flow of these ponies, so you agreed

>Sadly, out of all of Twilight's friends, the only one you wanted to meet was one of the ones you didn't bump into

>According to Twilight, something's kept Rainbow busy the past few days

>Strange, considering she seemed to have more than enough time to visit you in the hospital

>Whatever, you'll use it to take a dig at her the next time you're at Hot Stuff's

>Eventually the two of you come to a stop at what looks like a tree that's been gutted and had its insides turned into the books that now line its walls

>Brutal

>In the nerdiest way possible, but still brutal

>"Spike! We have a guest" Twilight calls into the library, and a tiny voice responds

>Also, guest?

>This is a library

>Aren't you a customer?

>Whatever

>Time to learn what you can about those princesses

>Luna's definitely gonna be your focus

>Hopefully she has a 'How to bullshit a Princess 101' in here somewhere

>First Edition if you're really lucky

>"What's goin' on, Twi? Oh- hey- you're that Anon guy, right?"

"Yyyyyep" You answer absentmindedly as your eyes swim across the book titles

>'The Millennia of the Sun'

>No

>'Celestia: A Monarchy'

>No

>'Sunrise to Sunset'

>Nope

>'A Family Tree: Tended by the same Sun'

>Nada

>Can't you go two books without this white horse staring back at you?

>"Anon!? Again!?"

>You snap out of your thoughts as you look over to Twilight

>That's a wall

>And you're way too high up again

>Looking down you confirm that you, once again, have subconsciously taken flight

>She's giving you that look again

You roll your eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I'm coming down, don't get your horn in a twist." You let a small pause linger as you land and smirk at her. "Get it? Cause your horn has-"

>"I got it, Anon"

>She doesn't laugh, but you do

>God, you're funny

"You got anything on Luna?"

>"Anon, I don't think that's what we should be focusing on"

"Oh really?" You begin pulling books down to emphasize your point "Because it seems like asking for a significant book on one of your rulers, and for her not to just be a footnote in the biographies of the other is too much to ask for." You take the books out by your hooves and wings as you look from alabaster cover to ivory cover. "But if I want to know what type of cake Celestia ate on a sunday three hundred and thirteen years ago, I have multiple choices to find out, and scholars arguing if it was coffee or red velvet."

>As you let the books drop from your grip, the faint sound of magic fills the room as Twilight catches them and returns them to their rightful places

>"Anon, would you please just-"

"She was banished some thousand years ago, right?" You recall from when Rainbow recounted her 'epic duel' between herself, Nightmare Moon, and the girls. "I could have sworn she mentioned you had books here detailing a time before the reunification of the tribes, there must be something..."

>"Anon"

>Twilight's voice, mixed with her poking your side finally jolts you from your thoughts

"Hm? Oh, sorry Twilight. Got a little lost in thought there"

>You were glad to lose yourself in thought for a time

>When you'd dropped those books, you could feel Twilight's glare burning holes into the back of your skull

>She seems to relax though and a gentle smile comes to her muzzle

>"It's okay, Anon, just be a little more careful with these books please" She gives a small nod as she leaves to deeper into the library, hopefully to help find what you're looking for

"Of course, Twilight" You call after her

>"And use a ladder if you need to reach the top shelves!" She yells back at you

"Yes, mom!" You mockingly call back to her

>For a while you spend your time rummaging through the shelves again

>It really was remarkable that there was so little available on Princess Luna

>On the borderline between impressive and inane

>It's only after you slot what feels like the fiftieth book you've gone through that you realize you're being watched

>Looking over your shoulder you see a small purple dragon and an owl sat beside him

>Spike, if you're remembering what Rainbow told you correctly

With a curt upward nod, you greet the dragon. "Hey"

>"'Sup" he says, returning the gesture. "So, you're the new guy?"

"I guess I am" You reply as you begin your search through another shelf

>"How long have you known Rainbow Dash?"

"Generally? A few months. Personally. A few weeks tops"

>"What’s it like flying?"

"How many of these questions do you have, dude?" You ask, turning away from your search

>He shrinks back a bit and you feel a small twinge in your chest

>You didn't even use a harsh tone

>It was curiosity mostly

>"Sorry," he says sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, "it's just, most of the ponies I know are all girls, and Big Mac doesn't really talk that much"

>Little guy wanted another dude to talk to

>You can't blame him

"No problem to me, Spike, lay the questions on me"

>"Really!?" He asks with a slight bounce of excitement

"Really really" You say with a sure nod as you continue your search

>"Alright, so, flying"

"It's like... swimming, but not as heavy"

>"Cool..." His voice trails off and you can tell he's losing himself in daydream land before snapping out of it. "Why do you want to know about Luna so much?"

>Flashes of your previous dream with her, and what she might have seen in that dream cross your mind

>And the looks she gave you

>Like she wasn't looking at you

>But at YOU

>It was unnerving

>Enough to send a shiver down your spine even now

"No reason..." You lie

>Thankfully Spike takes the lie and continues

>"Okay, well then, do you like Rainbow Dash?"

>You're suddenly struck with the urge to fly yourself into a wall and go back to the hospital

>You weren't sure if you were lucky or not

>On the one hoof, you found the book you needed

>On the other hoof, you couldn't read it

>It's not like you were illiterate by Equestrian standards

>You'd checked

>This book was just old

>Really old

>So old it was in a part of the library that was around before Twilight moved in

>Written in something called Old Ponish

>It might as well have been written by a schizophrenic russian with how legible it was

>Still it wasn't all bad

>You finally got that book of laws you were looking for

>Now you can say you know your rights and mean it

>You also picked up a few other books while you were at it

>A book on flying tricks

>Now you can keep up with Rainbow when she starts one of her rants

>Also a book on the Wonderbolts

>Which meant you could keep up with Rainbow on her other rants

>Then there was the first Daring Do books

>The third and last thing Rainbow ever ranted about

>Now instead of giving half-hearted affirmative noises, you might be able to have a full conversation with her about these things

>While you hadn't finished any of these massive books that Twilight had given you, you'd gotten a head start on enough of them to make a considerable pile around you

>A pile you happened to stack around yourself

>Then, with Spike's help, turned into a book fort

>One that he'd generously helped reinforce with comic books

>The Power Ponies

>You'd managed to convince him to temporarily part with the less valuables comics in his collection

>There's a jolt of pain in your wing

"Damn it-"

>You tuck the errant wing back into your side

>"Anon, again?"

"Do you mean the wing or the language, Twilight?" You ask the purple unicorn

>Still sitting across from you two with an unimpressed look, she magically lowers her own book

>"Both. I'm starting to worry, you could seriously hurt, or even cripple a wing if you keep it up"

"I know!" You groan at the mare. "But I don't know how I'm doing it. Certainly not on purpose."

>"Really?"

"Yes"

>"Really!?"

"Yes!"

>You two stare each other down for a while

>Her with a doubtful glare

>You with a challenging gaze of your own

>You remain stalwart and she slowly falters

>Her ears dip up and down

>Her muzzle scrunches

>Her head turns from side to side

>As if to inspect you from different angles

>Slowly though, doubt of herself begins to creep onto her features

>"Really?"

>It's asked softly this time, her words dipped in worry

"Yes! How many times do I have to say it!?" You ask, exasperated

>Her book finally drops

>A hoof comes to her muzzle in thought

>A moment passes

>Then another

>She's just staring off into space now

>You're about to speak when you feel a clawed talon on your chest

>"Dude. Just let her be, she'll be like that for a bit"

>You look between the young dragon and the mare

>Then decide you'd rather find out how the Power Ponies beat the Mane-iac

>Spike was right when he said she'd be like that for a bit

>You got through two more comics by the time she snaps out of her thoughts

>"Anon, I think I have an idea"

>When did she get there?

>You lurch back a little as she's all but an inch from your muzzle

>She has a smile that's both mischievous and excited

"Alright what-"

>Before you can get the words out, she's grabbed your leg in her magic and pulling you behind her

>Down

>Down into the basement of her tree you go

>Into some kind of lab

>She sets you down in front of a machine and helmet filled with blinking lights

>"After I used this on Pinkie Pie a while ago, I lost more than a little trust in it, but maybe it'll help us figure this flying thing out"

"Well, the flying thing is pretty simple, you just-"

>Spreading out your wings, you smirk as she lightly glowers at you

>"We both know that's not what I meant"

>With a snicker you click your wings back into place

"So what's this dohickey do?"

>"I'm gonna use it to scan your brain, then I'll be able to see what's causing your constant flight."

"An unconscious desire to fly?" You offer. "I don't do it on purpose, but the reason seems obvious"

>"Possibly, but I think there's more to it than that"

>You briefly turn over the helmet in your hooves

>It's dozens of multi-coloured bulbs are annoyingly bright

>And you can faintly hear a soft, constant clicking noise coming from it

>This feels like a bad idea

>But you're bored

>And have nothing better to do

"Strap me in, I guess" You say as you place the helmet on your head

>The buckle is a bit harder to connect with hooves

>What you wouldn't give for an opposable thumb right now

>A quick shimmer of magic from Twilight and a click fits it into place

"So, what now?" You ask, glancing around the room

>There are fancy formulas written down

>On the table are a bunch of chemistry looking equipment

>All rather boring

>"Now we simply monitor your brain"

"For how long?"

>She gives a non-committal hum and shrug of her shoulders "You can't rush science, Anon"

>That was certainly true

>Seconds become minutes

>And the minutes go on and on

>Minutes becomes hours

>Hours become day

>Days become-

"Ugh, Twilight, how much longer? It's been like, three months!"

>"It's been three minutes" She replies, unimpressed

"It's called hyperbole, Twi"

>She gives a half-snicker at the nickname

>Eventually Spike comes around, comic books in tow

>With something to take your mind off the boredom, you read

>The villain rises

>The heroines rise harder

>Quips are said

>Classic stuff

>You can't help but wonder about how the pictures are done

>Are all comic artists in this world unicorns?

>Can earth ponies use their hooves to draw? Their mouths?

>Every time you have an answer for these ponies, you get more questions

>It sucks

>You're half-pulled from your comic by a distant thump

>The new ears that came with this pony body were sensitive

>It was annoying

>You'd feel them flick and tickle your head over some irrelevant distant sound

>Though, maybe this sound wasn't so irrelevant

>It thumped again

>And again

>Enough for you to pull your muzzle out of the comic page

>Twilight and Spike are either unbothered or too absorbed to notice

>You decide to wait and see which

>Again and again

>Thump after thump

>Closer and closer

>Until

>"Twi!?"

>Twilight yelps, dropping the quill she'd been using to take notes as she whirls around to the source of the noise

>Rainbow Dash

>"Hey, Dash" Spike says casually, not looking up from his comic

>"Hey Spike. Twi, do you know where- Anon?" The prismatic mare asks, tilting her head at you

>You nod to her

"Sup, Prism"

>Her face falls to an unimpressed glance before a chuckle washes over her briefly

>With a casual ease she glides into the room, her eyes roaming over your new helmet

>"What's with the gizmo?" She asks, poking it sharply, earning a light smack from Twilight

>"Rainbow! This is delicate neuro-scanning equipment, please don't break it."

>"Neuro-what-now?"

"Smart thing to scan my brain"

>You tap the helmet, chuckling at Twilight scrunching her muzzle at you

>"What brain?" Dash asks with a smug grin that you happily return

"Yeah, it must be hard to understand something you don't have, Dash" As you lean forward, so does she, both your grins growing

>"Well do you understand-"

>"Could you two please not?" Twilight says, putting herself between you two and pushing you away from each other

>You and Dash chuckle

>Out of your peripherals you notice Dash taking a few glances at you

>"So, you finally got off your lazy butt?" She asks

>Yep, she missed you

>Dare you assume, missed you

"Well, I had to come collect my winnings, Dash"

>"You said twice as high as me" She reminds you

"Alright..." You tease out. "But don't blame me when the factory learns that you're a stick-in-the-mud over semantics like Twilight here"

>"Hey!" The purple unicorn protests

"Sorry" You mutter to her as Dash flaps to gain some height on you

>Rude

>"Fine." She jabs you with a hoof. "You can have your bits, but I want another race, speed this time"

>"Dash!" Twilight complains. "He just got out of the hospital, don't put him back!"

>"Relax, Twi." Dash says, flying with her forehooves behind her head and her hindlegs crossed. "I'll bring him back in one piece. Besides, he seems fine to me."

>"What?"

>What?

>You're flying again

>Damn it

>The machine your helmet was connected to is going crazy

>Twilight's eyes widen in wonder as she tears the paper away

>"I've never seen readings from the subconscious like this, it's incredible. Also, Anon."

>You groan and click your wings to your sides again

>"It'll take a while to get through all this" Twilight mutters to herself

>"Like, a few hours?" Dash asks

>Twilight hums, clearly not having heard

>Dash smirks

>"So, it'd be cool to take Anon out to town, right?"

>Another hum from Twilight

>Her smirk widens

>You gain your own

"Your treat, Twilight?"

>She hums again

"So we'll get the places to send the bill here, cool?"

>Another hum and Rainbow silently wheezes as she pushes a hoof to her muzzle to stifle her chuckles

>With a few flicks of her hooves, she frees you of the helmet and grabs you under your legs

>As you fly out, the helmet clatters to the ground, finally startling Twilight out of her gaze

>But it is too late

>You're already out of the library

>"Rainbow! Don't let him fly today!" Twilight's voice slowly fades behind the two of you

>With her out of sight, Rainbow lets you onto your hooves as you two head into Ponyville

"So, admit it," you start, and Rainbow turns to you, curious, "you missed me"

>Your smug grin and laugh causes a flash of annoyed amusement to cross her face as she takes a faux-dive at you

>With a hop to the side, the two of you go back and forth as you begin strolling through the town

>The fresh air feels good on your feathers

>"So, was Twi serious about you not being able to fly?" Dash asks lazily

>She hovers beside you, her body half-sagging as she lets her wings do all the work

>Show off

"If you ask me? She's overreacting"

>Which was true enough

>"And what would doctors say?"

"That she's right"

>Which was also true

>"How are you gonna get to your house?" She asks, her muzzle scrunching in confusion

"That's what I was thinking" You say, poking a hoof at her. "Twilight says I'll basically have to have someone carry me up there." You pause to think for a moment. "There any hotels in this town?"

>"Nah, but the clouds are free"

"Still can't fly, Dash"

>"Right"

>As you wander through town, the two of you fall into thoughtful silence, trying to come up with an answer to your problem

>"I'm hungry," Rainbow interrupts your train of thought, "lunch?"

"Yeah"

>Alright, so neither of you really cared enough to call it a problem

>And on a day like this, who could be bothered by anything?

>The sky was clear, the sun was warm but not hot and the cool breeze was flowing just right

>You don't know why or how these ponies control whether, but you're not complaining

>Eventually you both come to the market of Ponyville

>Stalls as far as the eye can see

>From fruits and vegetables to hammers and nails

>One fruit in particular catches you both

>And who should be watching the stall but the apple kicker herself

>"Howdy RD, 'nonymous. What can I do ya for?" She drawls out

>"I'll take a slice of apple pie, Anon'll have-"

>You poke her in the side to cut her off as you look over her selection

"Slow down, 'RD' we're not racing yet"

>"Are y'all planning another already?" Applejack asks incredulously. "Actually, don't answer that, o' course RD's rarin' for another race now that she's got someone to actually race." She says half to herself

>Eventually you point to an apple fritter

>You and Rainbow Dash briefly argue over payment

>After another thinly veiled threat of leaking to your coworkers that she was, in fact, lame, she takes off

>With enough speed to pop your ears, she rockets off from the ground, leaving a rainbow trail behind

>Now you just need to wait for your bits

>The apple fritter is a perfect balance of sweet and savoury

>It's crust is tender but not crumbly

>While the apple itself is soft but not mushy and seemingly kept at the perfect temperature

>"You didn't pay for that"

>Briefly you turn to Applejack

>Either you've got the wrong pony or she knows hick ventriloquism

>She points to the ground beside her

>Looking down you see her younger sister

>Apple Blossom or something

"Dash is getting my cash"

>She scoffs slightly at you as she continues unloading some more apple stuff to restock the cart

>"That barely rhymed" You just barely catch her mutter

>"Young Apple Bloom, it is not in the form of how the rhyme unites, but rather, the nature of it that delights" A new voice drifts behind you

>Turning your head you're briefly startled to see an honest to god zebra in front of you

>Gold rings around her neck and hoof with a mohawk mane

>"Now THAT'S how you do a rhyme!" Apple Bloom says with a spring in her step and voice as she bounds over to the new mare. "Good to see you Zecora"

>"It does my heart good, to see you, away from my neck of the woods" She replies. ruffling Apple Bloom's mane

>"Well I'm sure glad to always see ya too, Zecora. How can I help?"

>"I fear my trip is for naught, is my conclusion, sadly, I do not see what I need for my new infusion"

>Infusion?

>Like potions?

>Or those lame scents you used to see being sold everywhere