//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: A Day Among The Clouds // Story: The Bridge Between Worlds // by Artemis Orion //------------------------------// A Day Among The Clouds The Human that had just entered Ponyville was now at Fluttershy's cottage. The knowledge of what existed behind his urges and hesitations was made fully aware of. For the rest of that day, he was accompanied by two Pegasi. He was about to embark on a trip. A trip that usually required a passport, or a pilot's certificate, or at least a driver's license. But none existed here. The freedom itself was wonderful. Now, a feat was about to be accomplished that no other human has ever tried in modern history. A human was about to ride a Pegasus. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "It's been an hour since we ate." I leaned back on the couch, observing the old wooden cuckoo clock that belonged to Fluttershy. "Maybe now we can fly." "Uh, correction; we can fly." "But what's that you said about taking me flying?" Rainbow Dash smiled sheepishly. "Yeeaahh, I didn't really think that one through. We don't even know how you're going to get up there!" Both Pegasi were on the couch next to me. We had been conversing for about an hour. We talked about life, how they had come to Ponyville, how they adapted to the friendly folk, and to their amusement, how I enjoyed being strictly vegetarian in Ponyville. I had an idea, but I had to convince both Pegasi first. I leaned forward, and clasped my hands beneath my chin. "Dash, you know horses exist in my world right?" "Yeah." "And you know what Humans used horses for?" "Umm... not really..." "Dash, Humans RODE on Horses." "What?!" "Yeah, it's what we mostly used horses for. Mostly transportation." "Not to mention they get shot once they break a leg." Shut up, Aura! You know we wouldn't hurt animals! Rainbow Dash's face lit up. She gave the exact different reaction I had thought she would. "That's a great idea! You could ride one of us!" Rainbow Dash gestured at herself and Fluttershy. Fluttershy just looked down and blushed. "Oh... I don't know, Rainbow. I'm not exactly the best flyer to come out of Cloudsdale..." "Don't sweat it, Fluttershy, I'm sure you can handle it if somepon- err... somebody were to get on your back!" "Actually, it may not be as simple as that either..." I cut in, "You see, Humans rode horses with a device called a saddle. It prevented Humans from falling of horses." "Humans fall off horses?! How clumsy are you guys?" She chuckled at her own joke. "But I think it might just work without the saddles here. You guys are ponies. Considerably smaller than horses. I may just be able to hold on enough..." "Well, why don't we try it out?" I swallowed, now it was my turn to hesitate. "Umm... well... see I'm not so sure whether it might work..." "You won't know 'till you try it, Human!" "Pretty Please?" Fluttershy stared dead center into my eyes. I swore my heart melted from d'aw. "Aw, okay..." "WOOHOO! TIME TO FLY!" And with that, Rainbow Dash snagged me by my sleeve and dragged me out the cottage. I didn't bother much with protesting by that point. We stood at the garden, the numerous animals that inhabited it were freely roaming, at peace with each other. Most of them cowered at the sight of me. I would remove their fears some other time. "Alright, Keith, who'd you like to try first?" Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy stood side by side in front of me. I had to make a decision. It was a tough decision. I could ride my favourite of all the Mane Six, or I could ride on the fastest flyer of Equestria. Considering Rainow Dash's breakneck speeds, I decided it was better to be safe than sorry. "Fluttershy, would you mind?" "Huh... oh. Umm... not at all." She was unconfident in her flying ability, just as I was now, but it was overpowered by excitement. I approached the yellow Pegasus. Trying to remember the lessons learned from a Horse-riding course I had taken so many years ago. It should be no different. One leg up, hop on, then the other... "You forget that these aren't just horses. Their ponies. Pegasi Ponies." I know that, but how much difference could it be? "I'm not sure man. Just be careful, I don't want to die today, and neither do you." "Okay Fluttershy, if I'm hurting you at anytime, tell me." Their bodies were significantly smaller than that of horses, that much was true. But the wings were another thing. "Umm... Fluttershy, don't mind me asking, but could you lift your wings for a second?" "Oh...uh, of course." Her feathered wings opened out. I did my best to avoid touching them, knowing that the wings were the most sensitive part of a Pegasus. Slowly...ever so slowly... I raised a leg and stepped over Fluttershy. I was directly on top of her. I lowered my body slowly onto her back. She was the kindest Pegasus I knew and I could never forgive myself if I hurt her. But before long, I had my full weight on her, and she barely budged. Rainbow Dash observed with a curious eye. "Wow, Fluttershy. You can take that guy's weight?" "I'm not that heavy!" I retorted. "Oh, I'm fine. In fact, I barely feel it. It's like a saddlebag really." I was seated like I would have seated myself on a sports back. My legs were raised up to her flank, my upper body flattened against her back. There was a gap in my position that allowed her to retract her wings fully. My first thought was Flutterbike. "Oops, sorry. That's my thought." Aura spoke at the back of my mind. Rainbow Dash began to instruct Fluttershy. "Okay Fluttershy, this may still be a little different from a few saddlebags. Let's see whether you can even get off the ground first." "Okay, Rainbow. Please hold on, Keith" I had no reins to hold on to, so I just held onto Fluttershy's shoulder muscles. Slowly, she flapped her wings. I could feel the wind gathering round her. It grew stronger and stronger. And before I could notice, we were a feet above the ground. It was a great start! "Hey! I'm okay!" I yelled at no one in particular. "Good! Okay Fluttershy, try to fly around!" "It's alright, Rainbow. I honestly feel no different from regular flying." "No, kidding." I clutched down tighter round her sides and shoulders as she rose a little over ten meters above ground level. Rainbow Dash joined us, rising off the ground with ease. She caught up to us in no time. "Alright! Since there doesn't look like much of a problem, where should we go first?" I really wanted to just launch into the sky, but I knew it would be better to just test drive first. It would also be fun to scare a few of the Mane Six. "I have an idea! Let's head to Applejack's farm!" "Okay. But why?" "I've never seen it before. Plus, I want to see Applejack's reaction." "Ooooh. Good idea, let's go Fluttershy!" And so we made our way through Ponyville, in the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. I had a bird's eye view of the town below. Some of them even looked up, and watched wide-eyed as a Human was calmly riding a Pegasus. The wind blew against us, and it felt so refreshing. Every trace of the events of the previous night were gone. At one point, we passed the filled-out tree home of Twilight again. The lavender unicorn and her personal assistant were just leaving the library. I waved a hand and shouted down to them. "Hello down there!" They looked up at the three of us. Twilight's reaction was that of a mother. Spike's was that of a fainting dinosaur. "Oh my goodness, Keith! Is that safe?!" "We're fine, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash swooped down to greet her. "We're just headed to Sweet Apple Acres. Wanna come?" "Thanks, Rainbow Dash, but I'll pass. I got some errands to run... and Keith!" She called up to me. "I sent what we had learned so far to Trotter, he might reply sometime today! I'll let you know!" "Alright, thanks!" We raced off once more, waving goodbye at the Purple Unicorn. Soon, we passed the town square, and headed for the quiet hillside, where civilization was at a minimum. The sun was high in the sky, and it gave us all a picture that was worth a million words. The sun was a bright light in the deep, blue sky, filled with clouds. The beautiful greenery swayed in the breeze, as the sun cast a dancing silhouette on every thing that moved. The world seemd so immense here, so beautiful. So different of what Earth looked like. Earth... Before long, we reached the farm. I great plot of land that harvested many types of plants. At the entrance stood the famous great red barn that was the landmark of the area. We flew into the farm grounds, up to the barn house. We spotted Applejack towing back a cartload of shiny red apples. We closed in on her. As her back was still turned to us, we flew in just a few meters away from the Earth pony. "Good afternoon, Applejack!" I cheerily announced our arrival. Using her mouth, she unlatched herself from the cart so she could turn around to greet us. "Why Howdy, Keith! Fancy havin' you comin- woah... uhh... is that safe?" Fluttershy giggled, she lowered herself closer the ground, where I jumped off the side, careful to avoid touching her wings. "I'm fine Applejack, and so is Keith." "Yeah! Who knew it could be so easy to accomplish!" Rainbow Dash dived for the ground and skidded to a halt. It was daring, yet graceful. "Well Ah'm glad ya'll are here! Have an apple!" She tossed one to each of us, catching it with their mouths. Applejack assumed I ate the same way, and lobbed one directly at my face. I caught it before it could make it's unpleasant collision. Wow, I never knew I could respond that fast. "Just doing my part, buddy! Natural Energy remember? I'm converting some of it using the Pendant to enhance some of your physical abilities." Well, that's nice of you. "You don't need to thank yourself." "Heh, sorry 'bout that. Forget ya had hands." Applejack blushed. She turned and trotted back to her house, with us not far behind. "So why're ya'll here?" "Oh, just thought we'd pop by and say hi." I chomped down on the red apple. It was delicious, and was a lot better than those from Earth. "Well, Ah'm still a little busy with the farm work at the moment. Maybe you could come and visit some other time?" "I'd be happy to." We stopped at the entrance to her home. Big Macintosh was just leaving through the door till he spotted me. "Ah'm just on mah way to the fields, sis. Won't be..." He didn't flinch, there was no surprised reaction. Just a raise of the eyebrow. "Well, what do we have here?" "Hi there, I'm Keith." I approached the lumbering red pony, but he was the size of a real horse. Not to mention a lot more muscular. "Nice to meet'cha Mr. Keith. Mah name's Big Macintosh, but you can just call me Big Mac." He didn't sound the least bit scared. "Fancy that, a Human in Equestria! An' I thought Ol' Granny Smith was jus' tellin' a story!" "I'd be happy to stay and chat, Big Mac, but I was on my way to somewhere." "Alrighty then. See ya next time Mr. Keith." "Bye, ya'll! I'll be seeing you guys later!" Applejack waved a hoof in departure. "Wait...later?" "'Course Ah am! Twilight just sent me this magical letter doohicky!" She pulled it from her satchel. "It say's that all seven of us are to meet at the Library later tonight!" "Oh, okay I guess." I turned to the two Pegasi. Fluttershy was readying herself for me to mount. But I stopped. I had a better idea. "Oh man, I know what you're thinking. And it's crazy!" So? If you're not happy with it, stay in my phone. "Fortunately for both of us, I like crazy." "Hey Rainbow Dash!" She turned to me in surprise. "How about taking me for a ride." "You serious? I hope you like to go fast!" I mounted the cyan pegasus the same way I did before. "Hey, yeah! I don't really feel much resistance! I might still be able to go at the same speed!" "Just what I wanted to hear." "Why? Where are we going now?" I grinned in excitement as I uttered two words. "The sky!" "Woah-ho there cowboy!" Applejack was still on her patio. She looked genuinely concerned. "Ah'm not sure that's the best idea here." "Relax, Jack! I got it all under control!" Rainbow Dash was headstrong as usual, but was I really meaning to risk it? "Hold tight, Human!" And with that, she launched herself into the air, with me hanging on for dear life. Our altitude increased at an amazing speed. The air resistance pulled at my face and hair. We were almost vertical to the sky. It was a real drastic change from the type of ride Fluttershy gave me. "AAAWWW YEEEAAH!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she reached the level of the clouds. We flew through one, as it made a poof sound as we shot through. I reached a hand out to touch one. It condensed into water on contact. Rainbow Dash glided to to a full stop above the horizon. I straightened myself up from the turbulent flight and had a good look. What I saw was a field of pure, unmoving clouds, overseen by the shining sun. So this was what it felt like to fly. "This..." I had no words to describe the view. "This is awesome! This is so different from flying on a plane!" "What's a plane?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Uh... never mind..." "Right... so I take it you like the scenery huh?" "No kidding! I bet if I could, I would stay here for a loooong time." "Now you know how Pegasi feel." We glided across the see of clouds. After a while, I wondered what a Sonic Rainboom looked like in real life. "Hey, Dash. Do you think you could show me a Sonic Rainboom?" "Really? Sure, if you want. Hold on to your hair, Keith!" "W-Wait! I meant without me riding-" I was cut off as Rainbow Dash jerked downwards, pulling me along with her. We broke through the clouds, and I realized how high above the ground we were. And we were heading right towards it at a speed unparalleled by any other Pegasi in Equestria. "DASH! TOO FAST!" I yelled at the top of my lungs, but at the speed we were going, no sound could be heard besides the gush of wind. If I even tried to stop her, she couldn't hear it. My mind raced furiously for a solution. This is bad! What's the speed needed to break the sound barrier? About 750 miles per hour. We're quickly approaching that speed. How much of this force can a human take? "Uh, dude, I don't think we can hold out much longer." I get that! C'mon think! As we approached Mach 1, my mind began lose focus, I couldn't open my eyes from the force. Every thought was now pushed to the back of my brain. As I slipped slowly into blackness, I felt my grip on the cyan pegasus' shoulders weaken. No! Gotta... hold... on... As I submitted to blacking out, I felt myself release the cyan pegasus. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rainbow Dash was at her best! She embraced her instincts of flying and continued darting down. As Rainbow Dash drew a few hundred meters closer to the ground, she noticed that the living weight on her back had disappeared. Knowing it was useless trying to speak at this speed, she turned her head ever so slightly to check on the Human. But the Human wasn't there. "KEITH?!" She slowed herself from the rapid descent and turned her body to look up. Through the clouds, she noticed a black speck, smashing harmlessly through the clouds without a reaction. It was coming closer, but it was too fast for Rainbow Dash to react. A gasp escaped her lips. She felt the force of the body as it whizzed passed hers. "OH MY CELESTIA! KEITH!!" She shot downwards once more, determined to catch the free faller. But it was an act of desparation. Rainbow Dash knew through all the experience of flying that she had a very slim chance of catching up to Keith. But it was either try, or... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I returned to my senses, and they sensed I was falling. Am I... dreaming? "NO YOU'RE NOT, IDIOT! OPEN YOUR DAMN EYES!" They shot open, revealing the small town that had accepted me was only a few hundred meters away, en route to a crash course with my body. As of any human reaction, I screamed. At the top of my lungs I cried for help, but it was pointless. Nopony could catch me at this speed. I caught sight of the rainbow-maned pegasus, streaking towards me. She's too far! She can't reach me in time! The panic had engulfed my mind, spread eagled in the sky, I cringed, waiting for what I thought was the inevitable. Unless... I concentrated as hard as I could. AURA!! HELP US OUT!! "I'M TRYING! I DON'T WANNA DIE EITHER!" DO SOMETHING! ANYTHING!!!! "FINE! BUT DON'T SAY I DIDN'T WARN YOU IF THIS FAILS!" We were only a few hundred feet from ground level by now. I looked back at Rainbow Dash. She was closer, but not close enough. Fear was stricken across her entire face. ANYTIME NOW, AURA!? Aura gave no response. But the pendant did. The pendant's purple middle gem began to glow faintly. It grew brighter and soon became a flash of pure white light. I covered my face with my hands, blocking out the light. It burst and vibrated through my entire body. After that, I felt my back collide with something. Something soft and fluffy. *FOOMP* I broke through it, but it slowed my fall. I tilted my head back, realizing what I had just done. Did I just... feel a cloud? Another cloud rose to meet me. Bracing myself, I made contact a second time. *FOOMP* I passed through it again, but this time, my fall had really slowed down. One last time... Another cloud came straight for me. I turned in mid air to face it, and spread out all four limbs. *Poof* I had landed. But not on what I had expected to land on. I landed on a cloud. The panic I had experienced faded into sweet relief. I smiled to myself as I rolled around like a little kid on the softness of condensed water vapour. Rainbow Dash slowly descended to meet the overly ecstatic human. The fear in her eyes had changed to misunderstanding, and awe. Fluttershy flew up as well, her caring nature in full swing. She grabbed me the cloud which I lay and squeezed me. I could've squeaked. "Oh, Keith! You're safe, thank Celestia!" She spun me around in the air in her embrace. I enjoyed every moment of it. She soon set me back down on the cloud slowly, still afraid that I may fall through it. Now, it was time for Rainbow Dash to get an explanation. "HOW CAN YOU BE DOING THAT?! WHAT IS THIS? I DON'T EVEN..." she was dumbfounded. "I have no idea either!" this was true, but you wouldn't care either if you had just survived a breakneck fall without a parachute. "Wait... I think I may know who can explain..." I reached into my pocket and took out my Iphone. I switched it back on, and switched to Siri. "Alright, Aura. Care to explain?" There came a faint copy of my voice in reply. "Oh, god that was hard... Do you have any idea what I just achieved?!" "Well, we're asking you right now!" "Really? You have no clue what I did?! I feel under appreciated!" I searched for the intangible link in my mind that connected me with my Aura. It was only then I understood, everything. "Natural Energy? You have to be kidding me!" "Afraid I'm not. It took a lot out of me, man! I feel weak!" "You can't feel anything!" "Physically, maybe not! But mentally, I feel drained! Cut me some slack will ya?!" "Uh, Keith? As much fun as it is to see you talk to... erm... yourself... we still don't quite get it." Rainbow Dash gesture at herself and Fluttershy, who looked just as confused. "My Aura has harnessed a ton of energy. And combining it with the magic of the pendant, Aura has managed to grant me this little... ability." I fell backwards onto the cloud. I couldn't get over how comfortable it felt! "Human, you surprise me more everyday!" The cyan pegasus shook her head as she landed on the cloud as well. "Up for another round?" "Sure, but maybe not so fast this time!" "Actually Keith, this buff is a little... well... permanent." Aura emitted his voice from the phone once more. "I'm still new to combining with the pendant. I know just a little bit on helping us physically, but I'm still not sure how to remove the buff." "Aw, it's not such a bad thing! I could get use to this!" I bounced on the cloud, absorbing the force like layer of pillows. But don't expect me to save your butt every time we're about to die! I can't emit that much energy that often! Maybe if we learn a little more, I might!" "Good to hear..." I held the home and lock button for five seconds again, the screen went blank as the phone shut off. I mounted Rainbow Dash again. At least now I had less fear of falling. "Let's take it a little slower, eh Dash?" "Don't worry. I'm not letting you fall off again!" ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- We had been flying for almost the whole afternoon! As thrilling as it was, we had to stop eventually. We lay down on the see of clouds, watching as the sun disappeared beneath it. Rainbow Dash had her head rested in her hoofs, eyes shut and enjoying the weather which she had scheduled for that day. I held Fluttershy close as I stroked her mane. She was enjoying it. I could see it in her deep blue, eyes. I shunned the thought of treating her as a pet. She was my friend! An equal! Nothing more. "It's getting dark." I got up, brushing off a little puff of cloud that clung to my hoodie. "We should probably head to that meet up with the others at the Library. "Yeah, they're probably waiting for us." Fluttershy rose on all fours and stretched. Even her stretching is graceful! Rainbow Dash's was less suttle. She burped as she scratched her armpit. She was acting like such a guy! "And this is why part of the fandom thinks you're a lesbian." I teased. Rainbow Dash retorted with a punch in the arm. "Hehe, I'm no mare-lover!" With a mischievous grin, she launched herself off the cloud and headed back to Ponyville. Me and Fluttershy soon followed. There was enough thrills for one day. The two Pegasi and Human raced across the sky, returning to their friends on the ground.