//------------------------------//
// Ch 4: Small Adults 
// Story: The Misadventures of a Few Ponies 
// by Power Hors3 
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Ch. 4: Small Adults
In what seemed like no time at all, Cherry and Alina reappeared on the other side of the portal at Cloudsdale. At first they land on the clouds, notably, they start to sink in. “Alina we’re going to fall!”
“I think I got a spell for this umm...” Alina’s horn shines as she cast the spell, she closes her eyes, thinking it was the end for them. 
“It worked yay!” Cherry hops around, she slips but Alina grabs her hoof, “Ahhhhhhhhh! Oh thanks Alina!” 
Alina pulls her back up on the cloud, “Dear Celestia! We could have both died!” Her heart races. 
Cherry smiles, her own heart was rapidly beating, “Yep…hehe where are we?”
Alina can see the grand pipes of the Rainbow Factory, “Cloudsdale. We might be back home now, but we’re…” Looks at the small cloud they’re riding on, “Stranded here” 
“I’m sure some nice pegasus will pass by soon” Cherry snuggles up to Alina, the air up there was much colder than below. Hours pass by with no pegasus coming near them. 
“I’m bored Alina…” Cherry says to her companion who was reading. 
“How long has it been? I’m hungry now” Alina closes her book as their cloud drifts slowly across the sky. 
“At least a few hours, your books are boring and I wanta use the restroom!” Cherry complains. 
A few filly pegasus fly by and laugh at them, “Rainbow look! These two unicorns got stuck on a cloud!” 
“Yeah hahah more flying unicorns in one day!” Rainbow Dash lands on the cloud with them.
“Say little one, could you send help or push our cloud?” Alina asks kindly. 
“Hmm, yeah okay sure! Then you can see how strong I am!” Rainbow Dash begins to push the cloud, soon more of the small pegasus start to push with her, eventually connecting them to a ‘mainland’ cloud. 
“Thanks we owe you!” Cherry hops lightly upon the bigger cloud, soon followed by Alina.
“What are two unicorns doing on a cloud anyways hmm?” A small filly asks; the other small kids gather round with curiosity.
“We’re experimenting” Alina speaks up, the colder feeling of the sky sent a rush of shivers through her.
“I saw two other unicorns earlier today; one had wings too! See wanted to race me for some reason.” Rainbow said.
“Twilight!” Cherry says aloud. 
“Where’d she go?” Alina asks.
“I dunno she left shortly after.” RD replies.
“There goes that. Anyways we can get back onto the ground?” Alina asks.
“Ask the adults, I gotta go test some moves!” She flies off happily. Alina motions Cherry to follow. Together they go into the city, which was buzzing around with the flying ponies going along their normal day. 
“Excuse me. Pardon me we- hey you can we...- I don’t think they’re listening” Alina looks as they fly past them. 
“Wait till they’re grounded on the clouds or…a police station!” 
“That would be good” 
“No, a police station!” She grabs Alina and points to one.
“Oh. Righty heh” They trot on over to the station.
Going in, the male at the front looks at them and smiles, “How may I help you two” He looks at their horns, “Unicorns?” 
“We don’t know how but we ended up on the clouds!” Cherry falsely panics and coughs, “Ahem, so we’d like to get back onto the ground if you wouldn’t mind helping us out” 
“I’m sure I can arrange something for you mares.” He goes to the back and returns to them, “Your escort will be awaiting you outside ladies” 
“Sweet! Thanks!” Cherry boops his muzzle causing him to blush. The mares go outside where a few Wonderbolts had gathered to see them. 
“Two unicorns show up again on Cloudsdale on the same day?” One of the head ones speaks up.
“A um coincidence heh” Alina states, “We just want to get down…we’ve been up here for hours” 
“Sure, you’ll be getting on a carriage to bring you down to earth again” The main one points towards a carriage.
“Thank you guys!” Cherry hugs every single one of them before hopping onto the cart with Alina. Soon they are off in the air.
“Where to?” One of the piolets asks.
“Canterlot or Ponyville?” Cherry asks Alina.
“Ponyville” Alina says; the pilot nods and brings them down to Ponyville within a few minutes. 
“This place…looks a bit emptier.” Alina says as they look over the builds, mainly, the missing buildings. 
“I dunno, maybe someone did some sort of spell that made them vanish!” Cherry squeaks. 
“I hope so, somehow I feel like we aren’t back in our universe yet...” Alina sighs as they get off the carriage, “Thanks sir” She says to the pilot who salutes and gets the carriage part off his back, and goes into town.
“Looks normal to me but the old house look nicer, isn’t that a good thing?” 
Alina looks at the road, “More dirt than cement, less worn out…” 
“They must have done some reconstruction!” Cherry suggests. 
“No no…look McKrie’s shop is open!” She points to a restaurant, “That chain of food shops went out of business years ago!”
“Someone might have brought back this one? Like since its antique, they brought this one just for the ‘Good O’l Days’” 
“I- I suppose that’s a possibility” Alina sighs. A little silly taps her hoof.
“Ma’am…ma’am I lost my way…” The little yellow pegasus filly says with a half-whimper.
“We can help” Alina smiles at her, the filly smiles back shyly.
“T-thanks I fell off a cloud and couldn’t fly back up…I’m a bad flier…” She says, hiding her face.
“Aww it’s okay little young one, we’ll help you get there, won’t we Alina?” 
“Yes, I already said that. If we can find the pilot that brought us- wait there he is going into the McKrie’s!” Alina dashes in.
“Come on, er, what’s your name?” Cherry asks. 
“Fluttershy ma’am…” 
“Fluttershy? I know a pegasus just like you, same color, similar hair…and shy too. Can you give us a moment?” Cherry turns to Alina.
“I think it’s the Fluttershy from our universe!” She whispers loudly.
“If you’re right, that means I’m right! We’re in the past!” Alina looks back at the pegasus who was patiently waiting for them.
“We know of a pilot that can escort you back home Fluttershy.” Alina smiles.
“Yay! T-thank you, I was beginning to think I’d be down here forever…” 
Cherry puts her atop her back and carries her. “To the McKrie’s right Alina?” Alina nods as they go into to the restaurant. 
“Welcome to McKrie’s dears!” A mare server greets them, “What’ll it be for today?”
“We’ll have three strawberry milkshakes” Cherry says right away.
“Ooh, many like those here, I’ll leave the bill here for you after ya’ll drink up” The server states.  
“Will do, I got bits” Cherry giggles, “plus it’s cheaper, 3bits for three shakes!” 
“Holy Celestia you’re right!” Alina says, the waitress takes note and goes. Fluttershy look at them both.
“Thank you misses for the drink…” The shy one says. 
“No problem kid” Cherry says then turns to Alina, “Find that pilot dude” Alina nods and looks around them, as it turned out, he was right next to them, 2 seats down, 
Getting up, she goes to him, “Excuse me sir?” 
“The unicorn from Cloudsdale, how may I help ya? Want to go back up?” He chuckles. 
“Kind of, not me though, I found this little pegasus that fell off from there.” Alina replies.
“Can do, I need to report back but figured I’d take my time here heh” He eats.
Going back to them, Alina informs Fluttershy of the special arrangement, she nods and goes to him, soon after leaving with the gifted milkshake. Cherry looks at Alina, “We just meet little Fluttershy!” 
“Yes…oh…this is hurting my head; I feel so out of place here. Buildings gone…we need to go. I’m going to be sick…” Alina looks at her milkshake, suddenly looking up, “But this is exciting! I can see in person events that happen! Like the sonic rainboom that Rainbow Dash created! It connected them all remember? It’s today too!” 
“Ohh you’re right! I can’t wait, Fluttershy didn’t have her cutie mark yet so we’re not too late for it!” Cherry squees, they had started drawing the attention from ponies in the restaurant, “Ahem, yes” She sips on the rest of the milkshake.  
After the two are done they look towards the sky, “Sometime in the day; if Cloudsdale is that way, then it should be seen from there” Alina points. 
“Can we take pictures?” Cherry says, already taking out the camera.
Alina shrugs, “I’m new to this travel thing too, let’s see if they last.” 
The two adventures wait for the event all day into evening then into night. “Maybe Twilight got the date right?” 
“No…she’s very right about dates. She wouldn’t get the date wrong” Alina looks up but her hopes of seeing it soon fade with the moon rising overhead with Luna’s imprint on it. 
Cherry pats her back, “Come on we should leave, we’ve stayed here long enough, I miss home” 
“Yeah, let us find the table” They go around to the (at that time period) outskirts of the small town seeking out the purple shaded table which they find, glowing a dull red. With a casting of the time spell, the two are lifted up and taken away in a small spectacle of light. 
End of Chapter 4.