Chapter Six
On the Wings of Kindness
“You know Dove,” D said as the group sat together to breakfast; “I haven’t seen you fly since we came to Ponyville.”
Dove shrugged, “Don’t need to.”
“It’s a fair observation Dove, you didn’t hurt yourself or anything when you fell did you?” Edge said with concern.
“Don’t worry Dove is a strong one,” Scribe piped up, “We’re going to Cloudsdale anyway, why don’t I take Dove to get checked by a specialist?”
“I’m fine you know!” Dove snarled, “I don’t need checked!”
“When was the last time you got a check up Dove?” Rouge said quietly eating her daisy salad.
Dove muttered incoherently.
“That’s what I thought.” Rouge said, “So may as well get a check up if you are going to be in Cloudsdale.”
Dove grumbled to herself, D however piped up loudly, “When do we head out? I can’t wait to test these wings out! I finally finished the last of the enchantments last night and all the screws are tightened and ready to go.”
“We could go at lunchtime?” Steadfast nodded, “The winds are low and the sun will be high in the sky, couldn’t ask for better weather.”
“I’m up for that,” Scribe said, “it will be great to visit Cloudsdale again.”
“I’ll take the balloon.” Dove mumbled.
“Really? Not helping your argument about not needing a check up there Dove.” D said in the matter of fact tone.
“I’ll go with her.” Edge piped up, Rouge looked at him with her head dipped slightly so only he could tell. “I’ll wear the wings and try them out in Cloudsdale but I’ve never been on a balloon before.” He lowered his voice and spoke to Dove softly so as no other pony could hear, “And I’m scared of heights anyway, easier to hide in the basket.” Dove smiled at him softly.
“It’s settled then! I’ll go get the wings!” D leapt up and galloped up the stairs to get his gadgets.
Midday Sun
The group were congregating at the balloon on the outskirts of town. Rouge was talking hushed to Edge.
“Don’t be upset if she doesn’t notice Edge, she’ll come round eventually.”
“I know. She is out of my league anyway. No harm in being nice right?” Edge responded.
“I worry about you. You are far too kind to everypony. I just hope one day you get something nice back.”
“A smile is all I need.” Edge grinned at her.
“You look after her.” Rouge said as they arrived at the balloon dock.
“Two to Cloudsdale!” Dove was bouncing about happily giving bits to the vender.
D meanwhile was helping Rouge with the straps on her wings and Scribe was giving Steadfast flight tips. Edge shrugged into his wings, D having informed him that the cloud standing enchantment was on them. Everypony struggled to get there travel supplies attached over the wings.
Dove came bounding over, “All set at the balloon.”
“Cool, I know the route, I’ll lead.” Midnight scribe leapt up flapping his wings then hovering while D showed the others how to get airborne.
“We’ll see you there.” D said as the rest of the group struck ahead, wings flapping with the galloping of hooves before taking off into the cloud line.
Dove jumped into the balloon basket and shouted “Weeee!” before even taking off. Edge sighed at her but then smiled widely and sat beside her. The balloon pony settled in for what they assumed was going to be a long journey with an excitable Pegasus on board.
Edge sat with his head below the basket edge so he didn’t have to look at the ground getting farther away. Dove on the other hoof was leaning over the edge shaking with excitement. “Look down there! Oh and over there! I can see Canterlot from here! Oh look at the snow on the mountains!”
With a soft smile Edge came closer to her and peeked over the edge trying to only look forward. Dove laughed at him and dragged him up with her hoof and pointed over the horizon where the metal glints of their friends technical wings could be seen as the sunlight bounced off them. She was almost bouncing out of the basket, clearly loving being in the air. He stayed stalk still trying not to shake the basket anymore than Dove was. He always wondered why she didn’t fly much. She had gorgeous wings much larger than the other Pegasus. And her eyes sparkled when she was smiling, and her main always curled cutely when it was wet, not to mention he’d heard rumours that she had a gorgeous singing voice, and...
“Hey Edge look down there! Isn’t that the town your brother played that gig?”
Edge snapped out of his thoughts and gulped as he looked over the edge without thinking. “Uhhh....”
Dove giggled at him, she sat him down and patted his back. “Maybe next time we’ll get Celestia to use her magic and just zap you there.” She smiled brightly.
“Yeah....” He breathed, “I like that plan slightly better.”
A tour of Cloudsdale
Upon arrival in Cloudsdale Edge leaps off the balloon and starts gasping happily for air. “Air! Sweet air! And clouds! Never thought I’d be so happy to be standing on clouds!”
Dove laughs at him.
Steadfast facehoofs “Honestly Edge you really bring up the class of this group!”
“Right,” Scribe says, “I’ll drop off Dove and catch up with you lot at the weather factory and then we’ll come back and pick you up in the evening? Or we can meet you at the Cloudsdale inn?”
“I’ll meet you at the inn. I’ll catch you later, have fun on the tour!” Dove trots off with Scribe.
“Awesome, so we’re hoofing it to the factory solo. Guess it’s explore and get lost for the none-Pegasus.” Steadfast says flatly.
“Just ask for directions.” Rouge states. “Come on I’ll get us there.”
The ponies start to follow her but Edge stopped and stretched his limbs. He watched the group but didn’t feel interested in a weather factory. “Edge you coming?” Rouge called.
“You know what I’ll catch you all up; I need to stretch my legs a little.”
“Alright, but don’t be too long.” Rouge shrugs, “Come on colts lets go see some rainbows.”
Edge stood on the spot for a while watching them canter away until they were lost in the crowd of Pegasus.
Once the coast was clear he sighed deeply and flexed his legs, the wings beating with each movement. They were heavy but not uncomfortable, maybe now he was off the balloon he could try them out. He would need somewhere with space though, and where he would not be able to see the ground below. Only problem, he didn’t know anything about Cloudsdale or the surrounding area.
He trudged along as he tried to think of a solution to his predicament when a sound caught his ear. Somepony sobbing, he just made out the figure of a mare as her dark coat and tear stricken face as she galloped off almost out of sight. Edge hated the sound of somepony crying and in his heart knew only one solution. So he gave chase, calling out. “Hey! Excuse me! Hello!”
The mare galloped surprisingly fast and with the weight of D’s wings on his back Edge struggled to keep up. A few turns around cloud buildings and pillars and eventually Edge came to an edge. The pony, a Pegasus had glided down to a lower level of clouds and had settled next to a rainbow pond. From where Edge stood he could hear her sob softly. He looked down the gap and panicked. “Oh no....oh colt....!” He shuffled on his hoofs, wanting to help but not able to pluck up the courage to jump.
As he deliberated and muttered to himself in frustration he failed to notice the mare stop crying and look up at him. She had cocked her head to the side and was watching Edge with a mixture of confusion and amusement. “What are you doing?” She said nervously.
Edge startled leapt back the wings catching the breeze jolting him forward, curling up in fright the wings spread open further and he crashed forward, rolling onto the clouds and skidding to a halt beside the mare that had leapt to her hoofs and taken a step back.
“Goodness, are you ok?”
Edge dazed and startled looked up from the heap he was in and eventually muttered. “Ow...”
“I’ll go get help!” The mare said calmly and was about to gallop off when Edge rolled onto his hooves.
“No no it’s alright! I’m sturdy.”
“Are you sure you’re alright?” The mare said with concern.
“I actually was coming down here to ask you that.”
The mare was taken aback. “You came to ask me if I was ok.”
“Yes. You were galloping around crying. It’s only right to ask if a pony is ok. Is there anything I can do?”
The mare sat down in shock, “You came to ask if I was ok?” She repeated.
“Yes. Are you?”
The mare sat quietly for a second, her lip quivered. She gulped and opened and closed her mouth a few times. Edge knew this routine well. Dove did the same thing when she was upset. Clumsily he got to his hooves and sat beside the mare and put a hoof around her. “It’s ok. My name is Edge and I’m here to help.” He smiled softly to the mare whom instantly started to cry again.
She sobbed for a while and he just held onto her. “You want to talk about it?” He eventually said.
She sniffled then replied “I have a flight test today and I’m never going to pass.”
Edge tilted his head and smiled at her. “Oh that’s nothing to worry about...” He looked at her flank trying to guess her name; the flaming storm brazened on her flank gave him no clue. “Err..?”
“Ember. My name is Ember.”
“Well Ember. Tests can be scary but so long as you try your best and you are sure that you have then it doesn’t matter if you pass or fail. I’m sure you’ll do great. At least you don’t have great hefty metal things on your back that catch any breeze that comes along.”
Sniffling again she rubs her hoof against her nose and looks up at him, “What are those things anyway?”
“These are wings. A friend of mine is an inventor. He enchanted them so I could walk on clouds. Earth ponies cant you know.”
“I know but I’ve never seen a contraption like those.”
“Me either. Maybe you could show me how it’s done?” Edge said slyly.
“But how do they work?” She had gotten up and was prodding his wings with enthusiasm.
“I think it depends on when I move my hooves.” Edge lifted a front hoof and one of the wings folded up.
She compared her wings flexing to his. “That is pretty rough for a wing movement. You must need smoother motions. Try galloping.”
“What now?” Edge acted cool, wanting her to think she had the lead, that and he didn’t want her to realise he was scared of heights.
“Yes now. Look like this.” She galloped forward her wings flapping hastily till she lifted off the ground; she came back round with a smooth slow glide and hovered in front of him. “You try!”
Edge lacking in confidence but seeing the instant joy he’d created just from a moments comforting took a deep breath and started to gallop. He closed his eyes not daring to look ahead; he could hear the wings beat the air as she came up beside him. “You’re doing great!” She exclaimed.
Edge opened an eye and instantly wished he hadn’t. “Wahhh!”
He curled up in fright the wings opening up further causing him to be lifted higher. The ground looked a long way down.
“Don’t stop now.” Ember encouraged but Edge just made a squeal noise and closed his eyes tight. So she flew up beside him, controlled and calm and grabbed the underside of his wings and pulled up controlling his flight and hers. She took him lower and eventually got him onto a cloud where he rolled all over it repeatedly giggling and saying “cloud soft cloud!” She rolled her eyes at him.
After he took a moment to compose himself he sat up and looked over at her. “So flight test you say?”
Ember looked down a quiver on her lip once again.
“Well I’d say you’re ready, that was great strength and control and you seemed to know exactly how to explain it to a beginner.” Edge said matter of fact.
She looked up confused, she paused to think, then a smile broke out and she beamed at him ecstatic. With a cry of “Yeah!” she bounced into the sky and looped before landing again.
“And bonus points for the fancy tricks.”
She blushed. “I didn’t think I was any good.”
“You are perfect.” Edge complimented.
Ember flew straight into him. “Thank you Edge! You’re so Kind!”
“Nah,” He said, “Just being me.”
“No really, you are so kind. I just wish more ponies were like you, everypony used to be so kind back in the old days. I wish the flight schools were less harsh.” She seemed gray as she pondered what things must have been like.
“I bet things haven’t changed that much.” Edge suggested, “But I wouldn’t worry. Go show them what you are made of.” He added cheerily.
“Oh I will!” Ember almost flew off.
“Ember!” He called after her, “Listen if you ever feel down again send a message my way. My friends and I will always cheer you up.”
She looked at him blankly. “Really? Are you sure? I’m sure no pony wants to hear my problems.”
“I do. I’m here to help. I’m Gamers Edge from Canterlot. I’m travelling at the moment but if you need a friendly hoof consider me happy to help. Although maybe with my hoofs on the ground next time.”
Again she flew back and hugged him, “Thank you so much!” And in a moments breeze she was gone.
Feeling like He had done his good deed for the day Edge went off smiling to catch up with his
One trail to another
Later on the group had booked into an inn in Cloudsdale and were waiting anxiously for Dove in the lobby. They had been talking excitedly about the weather factory and Rouge had taken photos for Dove. When Dove arrived she didn’t look happy. She said one thing.
“I have to sit a flight test.”