Progress
Apparently, we weren't the only ones that were hyped about the buzz of the Young Flyer's competition. Settled at just one of the many restaurants and cafes that were scattered around Town Square, we could see pegasi of every shade and colour busying themselves with something or another pertaining to the event.
Seated around the circular table, Fluttershy and I watched in amusement as foal after foal came up to Rainbow Dash, respectfully and admiringly asking her any sort of question related to the competition.
"Are you really gonna perform you legendary sonic rainboom, Rainbow Dash?"
"You bet I am!" She proudly replied to one.
"I will win this year's competition, Rainbow Dash!"
"Good luck, little guy!" She said to another.
"One day, I"m going to grow up and break the sound barrier, just like you, Rainbow Dash!"
"Heh, keep chasing your dream, kid." She ruffled the bespectacled fillies mane.
Poking at the other half of my caesar salad, I continued to observe her behaviour. Although it had been almost a year since I had arrived, and almost a year of getting to know these pastel-coloured ponies as more than just cartoon characters, but as friends, it never ceased to intrigue and interest me in the way they behaved and interacted. Everypony was so unique, so different, yet everypony was accepting of these differences. Maybe it was just that huge difference between the social norms of Earth and Equestria that made me enjoy this world a lot more.
"You never get tired of doing that, do you?" I teased, forking roman lettuce into my mouth.
"Nope! Never have, never will." She said, dismissing what seemed to be the last of the foals. Even when they were gone, she couldn't help but smile to herself.
"That is something that will never change." Fluttershy giggled, munching down on a white chrysanthemum flower sandwich. What was fragrantly tasty to them was tasteless to me, but then again, they weren't really meat-eaters.
"But it's good right? This 'guest of honour' thing, I mean." I asked,swallowing another bite.
"Of course it is, dummy!" the egoistic rainbow pegasi dug into her plate of an assortment of dried fruit. "With the Wonderbolts out on their beginning-of-Spring tour in Las Pegasus, they didn't have many option to find an equally awesome performance." She spun an apple on her hoof, gnawing at the sides rapidly. When the apple came to a stop, it was nothing more than the core of the fruit. "But you do know what this means right?"
"Umm... that there was bad planning between this event and the Wonderbolts?"
"Wrong!" Rainbow Dash pushed upwards and hovered above the table. "This means that my signature move is being compared to a whole Wonderbolt performance! It's something that their bound to notice, and once they do... oh-ho, that Wonderbolt suit is getting closer!"She squealed while doing miniature barrel rolls above us. "Soon, it'll be 'Rainbow Dash, the Wonderbolt'! And everypony will know my name!" She struck a pose, brashly pointing a hoof at the morning sun.
"I'm pretty sure everypony does already." I smirked.
"Rainbow Dash, dear! Do control yourself at the table!" From a street in the town square, a posh and dignifying accented voice chirped at the rainbow-maned pony. It was none other than Ponyville's fashionista, and one of our good friends, Rarity. She trotted over with a perfected poise. "I say, this pegasi event has really gotten you worked up, hasn't it?"
"Why wouldn't I be?!" Rainbow Dash took back to to the ground with a graceful flap of her wings. "After all, it's not everyday that you see the breaking of the sound barrier. Performed by your truly, and the only pegasi capable of this amazing feat!" She circled around the diamond white trend-setter, boasting her achievements. But Rarity knew Rainbow Dash too well to take her friend's list of achievements with a pinch of salt. Rainbow Dash was, at one point, crowned the title of fastest Pesgasus in Equestria. Whether she still holds that title is uncertain, but very likely.
"Good morning to you too, my dear." She smiled. "Seeing as you're actually awake at this hour only means that you're heavily anticipating this event." The sun was still on the rise, and it was still probably around the later half of eight o'clock. "I believe I won't be speaking for just myself if I wish you good luck! Right, Pinkie Pie?"
"Mmhmm!" Out of the blue, Pinkie Pie had slipped between the space between Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, and we didn't even notice. That sudden pink appearance startle Fluttershy, causing her to squeak. I could never get enough of that sound throughout my time here.
"And I'm super-duper proud of you, Dashie! It's too bad I can't fly though, it would be great if I could! Not only would I see your performance, but the Wonderbolt's too. And visit Cloudsdale. And do barrel rolls. And..." This unexpected presence was somewhat expected, seeing as Pinkie Pie's unexplainable actions could be explained in itself, as confusing as that already was. She was cheerily munching away at some pastry, and her pink cheeks extended to the size of chipmunk's.
As the chatter continued, I felt someone tap lightly on my shoulder. Turning from the conversation, I came face to face a grey pegasus. I made eye contact... or attempted to make eye contact, with the wall-eyed, yet careless expression of Ponyville's resident Mailmare, Derpy.
"Hi there, Keith Conway!" Derpy hovered a few inches above the ground. Although I had already heard her voice before, it was a relief to know that it was the original voice, and not the replacement. Who made those decisions and why, I still had no clue, but I wasn't complaining.
"Good morning Derpy!" I said cheerily, fully turning to face her. "Is there a letter for me?"
"You bet there is!" The blonde pegasus turned up the flap of her messenger bag with her wing. Bending her neck back, she retrieved the letter among the dozens of other scrolls and documents. "It's from Canterlot, and it looks important." She mumbled.
I took the letter from the grip of her mouth. Instead of the usual scroll from the scholars, it was an actual square letter this time. It was still embossed with the royal symbol, however.
"Thank you, Derpy."
"Just doin' my job. See ya at the Young Flyer's competition!" She then took off, swerving in mid-flight. Her blonde tail disappeared behind the roof of another building, just before she narrowly missed a lamp post and another pegasus by an inch.
I shook my head and chuckled. As clumsy as Derpy was, she held a special connection between the show and the fandom, as far as I was concerned. Turning back to the table, I broke the seal with a flick of the thumb. Pulling out the folded piece of paper, I recognized the cursively written initials on the front: H.T.
Everypony at the table looked on in curiousity. After I unfolded the letter, I read it aloud for everypony.
Dear Keith Conway,
Salutations, my dear friend! I hope this letter finds you well! I'm writing to you from my office at the Royal Academy, and I must say, living in two places can be a handful! You of all people would know! I'm set up right next to Celestia's school for gifted Unicorns, and sometimes it gets really disruptive outside!
Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself. Unfortunately, I'm writing this letter to inform you and your friends that I may not be returning as early as I had planned. I apologize, but something has come up, and I cannot say anymore on the matter, lest this letter gets withheld. But don't worry. I'll still be back soon! Learning from you and your kind is still one of my top priorities as a Scholar!
Apologies and well wishes,
H.T. Head of Mythology and Human studies
P.S. Tell Miss Dash I wish her all the best for her Sonic Rainboom.
"Who in the hay calls me 'Miss Dash' anymore?!" The addressed pony complained.
"Oh, let him be! If he wants to be formal, let him." I folded the letter back into its envelope and tossed it to Pinkie Pie. She knew where to put it. All of the Mane Six did, as every letter I had ever received in Equestria was being collected in a wooden box at Twilight's library. "Anyway, are we done here? I don't know what time it is, and I'm not sure when you have to reach Cloudsdale."
"We should get going, Rainbow Dash." Fluttershy added patiently.
"Well, I do have my own work to carry on with." Rarity politely excused herself, daintily waving a hoof as she trotted off. "Ta-ta for now, my friends! Good luck Rainbow Dash! Don't let your head swell too much!"
"And I've got more goodies to make-and-bake!" Pinkie Pie bounded away, her ridiculously pink and poofy mane bouncing in rhythm with her. "Bye girls-and-guy! I'll be seeing your superacular Sonic Rainboom from the ground!"
That left the three of us back as we were, when we arrived to eat. Nopony wore a watch, but I got used to guessing from the sun and the shadows it cast. Now, there were more ponies out and about, as it was later in the morning. At every block and street corner, Pegasi began to just take off to the clouds.
"We should get going shouldn't we?" I asked.
I was anxious. Cloudsdale would be my second famous destination to have visited in Equestria, aside from the lost civilization on the border. I was itching to see the city of clouds, the striking resemblance of their structures to the ancient greeks'. I was mostly hyped about touring the weather factory as well, and I was no longer really worried about how the ponies saw me.
"Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't be relaxing too much before the Sonic Rainboom, anyway." Rainbow Dash rolled her shoulders and stretch her hind legs.
"It's really a shame that the others couldn't come with us this year." Fluttershy said with a droopy expression. "With just the two of us, I doubt that we will be able to cheer loud enough, and-"
"It doesn't matter, Fluttershy." I assured her while I sneakily dropped a small pouch of bits to onto the table to pay the bill. "Enough ponies will know her enough to cheer for her, trust me."
"True that! Now c'mon! Let's get going!" The fastest flyer in Equestria was already hovering above some of Ponyville's taller buildings. She bellowed down to us.
"We shouldn't keep her waiting." Fluttershy said softly as she turned her side towards me.
She was waiting for me to climb on. The ponies of Equestria were just big enough to ride, with a comparable size to those of ponies from Earth, only more adorable and huggable. I had ridden on Fluttershy before, even Rainbow Dash, and after a while, it was no longer an awkward matter with the pegasi. As strange and as sick as it sounded to be riding your friends, there was nothing wrong with it. I just had to balance without a saddle.
Just before I got on, I remembered something that I had to do. A minor thing that I was reminded of before Spring started. I quickly turned about, confusing my sky ride for the moment.
"Oh, I just remembered something, Fluttershy. I'll be right back, I promise!" I darted around the corner, leaving the kind pony to delve in her patience.
I sped around the corner of the next block, grabbing a lamp post for traction. I knew exactly where I was going, and it would take no longer than a few seconds to get it done. Breathing steadily with each step, I reached the place where all of my weaponry and armour were crafted: the Blacksmith's.
And true enough, the blacksmith was out in the forge. Ingot was Ponyville's Blacksmith, but it was said his skills could rival those in Canterlot. But today, he wasn't smithing or crafting of any sort. He was packing. He was placing tools and equipment in boxes and bags. I knew who it was for, and it wasn't for him.
"Ingot?"
"Conway!" The smoke-grey Earth pony perked up, temporarily dropping the items he was packing. "Morning, human."
"Is he still here?" I asked.
"Yup, but he's busy packing. I'll get him down in a sec... DRISCOLL?"
Within two seconds, a younger pony of a different shade of the same colour scheme as his father stumbled through the door to the forge. He looked flustered, yet excited.
"You called, fath- oh hey! Keith!" The craftscolt rushed from the door to face me, picking up my hand with two hooves and shaking it. "You won't believe how excited I am!"
"I believe you." I said, pulling my hand away from the elated pony. "Anyway, I don't have much time. Just popping by to say congratulations on your new position before you leave. Your Dad must be real proud!"
"Damn straight!" Ingot chuckled.
"Well, I'm glad you took the time to!" He grinned as he looked over his shoulder at his boxes and bags of belongings. "Just think, I'm going to be the youngest one working at the Royal forge, along with some of Equestria's finest craftsponies!" The craftscolt could have squealed with excitement, had he not been given the gender of a male.
In the past year, Driscoll's skill at crafting had caught the attention of some of Canterlot's own Royal craftscolts. Impressed by his wide range of skills and detail, they had offered him a position in Canterlot, and Driscoll couldn't say no to such an offer. I had almost forgotten today was the day he was moving as well.
"Oh, and good news; Trotter will still be in Canterlot when you get there. You won't be alone!" I said, returning the smile.
"Well, I may need someone to show me around..."
"And how about you, Ingot? Think you can keep running this place on your own?" I waved a hand around the whole forge.
"Hah! I'm not that old! I could still be a fine craftscolt yet!" The town blacksmith laughed heartily. "And if needs be, I have the instrument to make another, if you know what I mean!"
After a moment of laughter, I turned to leave. I ruffled Driscoll's hair just as I stepped out the door. "I visit Canterlot quite often too. Don't expect that you won't be getting visitors soon, Driscoll. Good luck!"
"Thanks a bunch!" Driscoll waved me off and returned to help his father with what was left of his belongings.
As for me, I ran back to the Town Square, panting under the new warmth of Spring. It didn't take long to return to where I had left. Fluttershy was still waiting patiently, kicking at something invisible on the ground. Rainbow Dash was nowhere in sight, and I assumed she had gone ahead.
"Sorry about that, just had to see Driscoll off." I slowly mounted the yellow pegasus. I rested on her back in a sport's bike position, leaving the opening of my sides for her wing space. According to her, it was no different carrying me and some saddlebags.
"It's okay. Now let's catch up to Rainbow Dash." She said softly, effortlessly rising from the ground.
"Harder than it sounds, isn't it?" I teased.
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We soared high above the ground, zooming through walls of thin, condensed masses of water vapour. The clouds went on forever as an endless ocean of white. Bursting through layer after layer of puffy clouds, we came to our destination. It immediately took my breath away.
There it was; Cloudsdale. Equestria's center source for weather and the pegasi city that produced the best flyers in the land! The sight was so surreal, yet it was a total reality. Pegasi could be seen, flying in from each and every direction possible, into the city. I could instantly see the similarities of the structures with greek architecture. Here, there were towers that towered way above ground level, and the weather factory sat on top of one side of the city. The entire city was made of compressed clouds, another feat that I, being a human, found completely astounding.
We glided into full view of Cloudsdale, and it was colossal. I found my jaw had hit the floor in amazement.
"Welcome to Cloudsdale, Earth boy." Rainbow Dash spoke with what sounded like a sort of patriotism. "You're gonna like it here!"