It was a quiet evening in Ponyville. The sun was slowly westering, the thatched roofs of the houses casting long shadows over the town. It was one of those pleasant summer evenings, where the sun doesn’t seem particularly interested in actually getting around to setting, even though it's getting late. While the air was warm, there was an occasional breeze that had a pleasant coolness to it. Most of the day’s activity had ended, but the town was not completely silent. Every now and then a door could be heard opening and closing, or a cart’s wheels rattling over a stony patch in the road, or the faint sound of a conversation between ponies out enjoying the evening air.
On the western side of town, the train station was empty. Most of the trains came in the morning and afternoon, and only one evening train was scheduled to run through Ponyville that night. As a small group of wayward clouds moved northeast out of the Everfree Forest, skirting the town and floating off into the distance, that last train came rumbling and hissing from out of the west. Its metal brakes squealed as they pressed against the wheels. The train slowly rolled into the station, and came to a stop with one final burst of steam hissing into the air. The conductor climbed down from the first car where he had been waiting. He walked down the length of the train, opening the doors of the other cars. Only a small stream of ponies disembarked, and they were in no real hurry. There were a few “Pardon me”’s and some “After you”’s as they left the platform, walking down a small set of stairs to the road.
Eventually, only one pony was left. The grey pegasus’ hooves clopped on the solid wood, making a slightly hollow sound because of the mostly empty space underneath the platform’s raised floor. He put his bags into one of the small cubbies the station had set aside for temporary storage, and signed his name, ‘Nimbus,’ in the appropriate space on the sign-in sheet provided. Then Nimbus walked back out onto the platform, and took a seat to wait and watch the train depart again. After making sure the train was clear, the conductor walked back along it, closing the doors before stepping back into the first car and closing that door behind him. Leaning out the window, he waved to the driver.
A moment later, the train shuddered, and with two short, shrill bursts from its whistle the train began to laboriously pull itself out of the station. With much puffing and hissing, the train chugged away southward, turning southwest before crossing over a small stream. As the train disappeared into the hills, Nimbus dropped off the bench with a huff, and descended the stairs that his fellow travelers had used. He crossed the rails with a quick glance in both directions, and looked up at the very large hill that loomed over him. His eyes trailed over its varied surface before reaching the top, some hundred and fifty feet above him.
Slowly, Nimbus leaned forward and stretched out his back legs. Then, rump raised, he stretched out his legs and back. Slowly he stretched open his broad grey wings to their fullest extent. Standing up straight, wings still fully open, he shook himself from head to hoof. Then, eyes still locked on the hill, he crouched and raised his wings high. For a few long moments, he held that position. Then in a blur of movement he brought his wings down hard as he kicked off from the hard, dusty earth.
Beating his wings furiously to gain altitude, Nimbus sped up the side of the hill, just feet above the grass that swayed in his wake. As the hill grew steeper, Nimbus increased the angle of his climb, until he strained to keep up with the incline. Then he cleared the top of the hill and flew into the brilliant light of the setting sun, which bathed him in its fleeting warmth. Continuing to climb, but not quite as steeply as before, Nimbus continued east.
The evening air above Ponyville was cold, and although many might not, Nimbus quite enjoyed it. And while the air itself was cold, the sun was still high enough for its rays to warm his body a little. And the same chill that burnt at his throat also made it easy to feel the streams of air flowing over the length of his body, through his mane, and over the long feathers of his outstretched wings. Tilting his wings slightly, he began to bank to the left. He squinted and averted his gaze from the glaring orange and yellow rays of the setting sun as it passed across his field of vision. Though it was now much lower, and many times weaker than it was during the day, it was still far too bright to look at. For a few moments, Nimbus closed his eyes and just enjoyed feeling the sunlight on his face.
Reopening his eyes and turning them upward, Nimbus steadily flew a few dozen feet higher. Then he pulled his body up sharply and flared his wings to brake, before pulling his right wing closer to his body and spun around as his left wing continued to provide air resistance. Twisting his body around to face east, he reopened his wing and flapped hard to regain some altitude he’d lost. Leveling back out, he sped up a bit.
Shortly he was flying high over Ponyville, gazing down at the buildings and the grey dirt streets that ran between them. The town was nestled alongside a river, which had many tributaries, which fed into it from west, south, and east. The river ran past the town then off northward into a valley, one so long that its far end could not be seen. Off in the distance rose the Canterlot mountains, which were stained orange and red by the sunset, and whose snowy tops glowed in the evening light. Off to the south, the upper branches of the Everfree Forest were gently swaying like the surface of a vast green sea. Across one of the tributaries from the forest ran a long road, which came to the town’s largest farm. Apple trees stretched for acres upon acres, laden with bright white blossoms and newly budded leaves.
There was also much to see that was not so far. Nimbus saw a large shop that looked like it had emerged from a fairy tale, shaped like a giant gingerbread cottage. A few streets further on, and he came to an open area and the Town Hall. To the south, he noticed a smaller round building that stood out from its fellows by virtue of its ornate design and purple, pink, and white paint.
By far the most eye-catching feature of the town, though, was the massive crystalline structure that dominated its north side. Its foundations emerged from the ground like the roots of an immense tree, and its blue, gem-like branches held aloft a castle of the same material, but of a darker hue. The castle was crowned with a shining spire of white, which seemed to faintly glow from within.
Behind the castle and across a lake, partially hidden by the taller structure, stood the largest building in town. Though it was not as tall as the castle, it was built on and into a small cliff, which lent it a sense of size greater than what its own construction provided. Several waterfalls fell down beside it, and flowed out past it to feed the lake.
After a short time, Nimbus had passed over and beyond the town. He kept watching the countryside as it went by. Trees dotted the grasslands which rolled away to the east before climbing upward into the foothills. The sun’s lowness made it so that each tree cast a stark finger of shadow east.
Nimbus banked right, gliding over tilled fields and a white barn. Farther to the south he could see a narrow country lane that ran out of Ponyville, dotted with a few scattered cottages. Gliding around another of Ponyville’s small lakes, he leveled out and flew west. Passing over town again he soared directly over the ornate building he’d seen earlier, then turned slightly to pass over the town’s west square, and from there again to follow the rails.
He landed by the station, kicking up a small cloud of dust from the road. After stretching out again, paying particular attention to his wings, he clopped up the wooden steps to the platform and retrieved his saddlebags. Nodding to the stationmaster, Nimbus hopped down from the platform. He took a few steps away before taking off again, headed east into town. He flew lower this time, so he was not quite so alone in his flight. He saw a few pegasi here and there, on their way home as the dusky sky grew dark in the east. None of them were close to him, and because the sun had fallen below the hills, everyone was on their way home. Tow all was draped
The first few stars were beginning to emerge, and the moon was not far off as Nimbus made his way to the hotel he intended to stay the rapidly approaching night in. It was growing hard to see anything outside the glow of the occasional lamppost. The air was growing colder when he landed again in front of the small, pleasant looking building. Beside it grew a large tree, whose budded branches were beginning to burst into new green leaves. A wooden sign with shiny golden lettering stuck out perpendicular above the lintel, announcing that this was the “Tranquility Inn.” Nimbus pushed the door open and entered, making sure the door closed quietly behind him.
The decor was made up of cool blues and greens, occasionally interrupted by white or gold. The lighting had been lowered for the evening, so the lamps only cast a faint golden glow over the room, just enough to comfortably see by. The large white desk was curved, flanked on either side by a hallway. Behind it was a closed wooden door. As he approached, Nimbus was noticed by the attendant, a middle aged Earth Pony mare with a light cream coat, whose mane matched the pastel blues in the decor.
“Good evening,” she said, smiling at Nimbus. “I’m Moon Blossom. How can I help you?”
“Good evening,” he said, smiling back at her. His tiredness was evident in his soft, deep voice. “I had a reservation?”
“Your name?” she asked, opening a black binder that lay to her right.
“Nimbus. Nimbus Cloudblazer”
Moon giggled, then covered her mouth with a hoof. “S-sorry!”
Nimbus smiled embarrassedly. “It’s okay, I know.”
She cleared her throat, then composing herself, ran a hoof down the page. After a second, she stopped at an entry. Nodding, she looked back up at Nimbus.
“Yes indeedy, I’ve got you right here.” Bending down, she pulled out a key with a numbered fob and stepped out from behind the desk. “I’ll show you to your room.”
Moon led him down the hallway on the right. They walked past several doors, then she stopped and indicated the golden “14” on the door.
“This is your room,” she said, unlocking the door then giving him the key. “Sleep well!”
“Thank you.” he said.
Moon returned to the front desk, and Nimbus went into his room. The decor was similar to the foyer, but the walls had been painted a few shades darker. The bed was a decent size, large enough to hold a full-grown stallion like him. There were two doors on the left side of the room. The near one was the closet, and the far the bathroom. Nimbus set his saddlebags down by the bedside table and flicked on the lamp. After closing and locking the room’s door, he went into the bathroom.
It was small and functional, but it was kept very clean, so it was pleasant enough. There was a shower, which Nimbus turned on. A warm shower would be nice after the long train ride, and all of the flying he’d done that evening. He tested the water’s temperature, then stepped in, drawing the translucent white shower curtain behind him. For a while, he just let the water fall on his back, gently massaging his shoulders and the small of his back. He relaxed his wings a bit, loosely extending and raising them to catch some of the spray that was deflected by his body.
Eventually, he picked up one of the bottles of soap provided. After opening and smelling it, he used a good amount of it to lather up his grey coat. He rinsed off, then took some of the mane-and-tail shampoo and used this to aggressively clean the two of them. All sorts of small debris got caught during a long flight, and the dust he’d kicked up taking off and landing on Ponyville’s dirt roads didn’t help. Once he’d used a little conditioner to keep his mane from getting overtangled while he slept, he turned to the difficult task of cleaning his wings.
Wing-cleaning could be accomplished in two ways. The older, less efficient method was to preen them. This was difficult and time consuming, and not always sanitary depending on how the wings had gotten dirty. The method that most pegasi prefered, including Nimbus, was to gently clean them by hoof in the shower, and to save preening for straightening feathers. Nimbus used some clear, unscented soap that was set aside for this purpose. Then he rinsed thoroughly to make sure there was nothing left in his feathers. Even with the specialized soap, it could still get itchy if there was residue.
Nimbus turned off the water, and after making sure the shower curtain was still in place, shook himself to get as much water out of his coat as possible. The ceiling had been designed with that in mind, with easily cleaned tiles above the shower, so there was no need to worry about water damage. Nimbus flicked his wings a few times, then opened the curtain and stepped out onto the floor mat. There were several fluffy white towels sitting on a shelf by the shower. Nimbus took one of these and dried himself as much as he could, especially his mane and tail, to avoid getting the bedclothes wet. Placing the towel on a rack to dry, he returned to the main room.
Nimbus peeled back the fluffy blue comforter and sheets, then reached down to his bags and pulled out a small stuffed fox. Closing his eyes, he nuzzled it’s tiny nose, the top of its orange head. Then he held it tight against his breast.
“I hope things’ll work out here.” he said quietly.
He sat for a while, letting his short coat and main air dry. Eventually he clambered up into the bed. Curling up around the little stuffed animal, he pulled the cool covers over him and tried his best to get comfortable. Forcing his body to relax into the mattress, he buried his head deep into his pillow. It took some time, with much adjusting of the pillow and tossing and turning. But as the moon climbed high into the starry sky, he finally fell asleep.