//------------------------------// // Chapter Sixteen // Story: For Lack of a Better Word // by Gunsmith //------------------------------// I jolt awake, immediately sitting up and opening my eyes, only to find that I am in my small bedroom. It is quiet and calm, and morning light streams in through the windows behind and across from me. My heart pounds in my ears, though, deafening me, and the light is almost painful. I bring my hands up to my face, rubbing my eyes slowly. Another nightmare. Really, more of a memory than anything. I turn to the side of my bed, placing my feet on the floor. I remove my hands, opening my eyes and staring mindlessly at the floor. My gaze shifts over to my weapons, lying on the floor; I pick up the tomahawk, running my fingers up and down the smooth blade. A tired sigh breaks the silence in the air. Going downstairs, I walk over to my table and sit down. I'm tempted to turn on the lantern, just to watch the fire, but I know it doesn't look as nice during the day. All I really want to do is just turn off my mind for a moment, stop myself from thinking. But I don't want that, not at all. I know now how that feels. I start to replay the past few days' events in my head, still absently stroking the small ax in my hands. If heaven feels like that, relaxation to the point of absolute ignorance...I want to stay here. That felt more like a hell to me. I go over Princess Luna's words again, before I left. I am sorry, Mark. I am truly sorry. I feel like I should be the one apologizing to her. She didn't even do it on purpose, yet was taking it very hard on herself. It's not like I was sent anywhere terrible. Everyone's fairly nice here. The only thing I can complain about is the food, I think with a small smile. My mind drifts on its own, like a boat without a sail. Why did she seem to have less of an effect on me than Princess Celestia? I think for a moment, trying to remember how it felt to be under each of their presences. With Celestia, I could not even talk, only listen, take in her words, and even then I could not react to them. Yet with Luna, I was able to manage a few meager thoughts. And why is Luna smaller if they're supposedly equal in power? I continue to question other things about the two as I sit at my small table. Eventually, I come to a conclusion: I want to know more. *** A phrase catches my eye; I peer closer at the worn page. Luna Lake: This small body of water, named after Princess Luna, was discovered outside of the small town of Ponyville during the one-thousand-three-hundred-thirty-second year of the Sisters' Era. The residents of the town who discovered this area claimed it had unusual properties. Legend states the lake is unable to be affected by any Pegasi weather magic, similar to lakes discovered within the infamous Everfree Forest. The lake's tides are also seemingly affected by lunar cycles, another tendency shared by bodies of water within the Everfree, despite the lake being well away from the forest. Luna recognized this lake, and has been known to converse with ponies who speak to the waters... Huh. That's interesting. I skim the rest of the page, finding nothing interesting, and flip a few pages onward. I come across a few pages upon which the ink looks fairly new, as if the book has been added to recently. Nightmare Moon's Return and Defeat: In the one-thousandth year of the Celestial Era, Nightmare Moon, the corrupt image of the former Princess Luna, returned to Equestria with the intent of reclaiming the throne and bringing eternal night upon the land. Utilizing the Elements of Harmony and five other ponies representing them, the unicorn Twilight Sparkle both uncovered the sixth Element, found to be the Element of Magic, and returned Nightmare Moon to her former self, Princess Luna, only in much younger form... Wow, Twilight helped to save Equestria?I read through the rest of the page and onto the next, explaining the effects of the Elements of Harmony on Nightmare Moon and Princess Luna's freedom. At the bottom of the next page, I notice a familiar group of names. The current Elements of Harmony, as of the first year of the Reunited Era, are as follows: Twilight Sparkle, Unicorn Pony; Element of Magic Applejack, Earth Pony; Element of Honesty Fluttershy, Pegasus Pony; Element of Kindness Rarity, Unicorn Pony; Element of Generosity Pinkie Pie, Earth Pony; Element of Laughter Rainbow Dash, Pegasus Pony; Element of Loyalty I close the book, looking at the cover again. A Detailed History of Equestrian Royalty, Volume II: Princess Luna. I slide it back between the other books, where Twilight had retrieved it from for me. These guys are heroes--heroines. Why are they treated like normal citizens? Doesn't anyone realize that they've saved them from peril? I rub my chin as I mull over this. Maybe I can ask Rainbow Dash...oh, shoot. I was supposed to meet her sometime today. Standing up, I start towards the door of the library. I push outside, looking into the sky in search of my rainbow-maned friend. I look around the clear, blue sky, searching for...there she is. Rainbow Dash soars along almost directly overhead. I wave my arms above my head, trying to get her attention. She doesn't seem to notice, though. I step out a little ways from Twilight's tree house, continuing to wave my arms. Still no dice. After a moment, I look up at my arms, more specifically at my hands. I bring them together hard, creating a loud clap. To my satisfaction, it even echoes throughout the air a little. The sky-blue Pegasus looks down towards the noise, and spots me waving my arms like a maniac. She dives down to greet me. "There you are!" she says upon getting within earshot. "I've been looking everywhere for you. Still wanna' hang out today?" I nod happily. "Awesome. What were you doing at the library?" she asks out of curiosity. I remove my paper from my front-right pocket, scribbling out a quick message. Reading about the Princesses. "Really? Why?" I shrug. "That's kinda' lame," she comments with a chuckle. I laugh, shrugging again. "You should read the Daring Do series sometime. Way better than some egghead book," she says, grinning. I smile back, nodding. I might just have to do that. She pauses for a moment, idly hovering before me. After a little while, she does a quick loop, much to my amusement. "So, whaddya' wanna' do?" she questions. I look up in thought; nothing really comes to mind, much to my own disappointment. I see something out of the corner of my eye, floating in the sky. I turn to look at it; it looks like a normal cloud, almost. However, I can see some out-of-place color just above it. I wonder if it's just my eyes playing tricks on me, but I wave behind me, attracting Rainbow Dash's attention. I point at the distant cloud as she comes to my side, squinting to see. "What, that thing?" I nod. "Well, that's only the coolest, most awesome, most radical house in all of Equestria: mine! Haven't I shown you it before?" I shake my head. "Aww, no way!" Dash exclaims. "C'mon, you've gotta see my--" She stops, looking at me. She frowns. "Wait, you can't fly. Or walk on clouds...wait a sec'!" Her magenta eyes shift over to the tree house we stand in front of. "Twilight can cast a cloud-walking spell on you! And then...hmm..." Rainbow thinks for a moment, screwing up her face. "...yeah, okay! I can bring some clouds down, and make some stairs up to my place or somethin'! We can totally pull this off," she muses giddily. I grin, nodding eagerly. Are you serious?! I might get to walk on a cloud! Rainbow Dash shoots towards Twilight's house, nearly blowing the door off its hinges. I run inside, following her. I spot the tell-tale rainbow-colored tail heading up the stairs, and follow her up, skipping every other step. I find Rainbow looking similar to Pinkie Pie, bouncing around Twilight Sparkle with massive energy. "Twilight! Can you do a cloud-walking spell on Mark?" The violet unicorn glances over at me, frowning in thought. "Well, I suppose I haven't done that spell in a while, and a test his size might be good practice...I might not be able to do it, though, for those very reasons..." Rainbow Dash clasps her hooves together. "Pleeeeeeeease, Twilight?" she begs. Twilight thinks it over a moment longer, then nods in agreement. "Alright. I think I can do it. Mark, could you stand over here, please?" She points with a hoof to a space before her. I oblige, standing motionless where she indicated. "Okay...stand back, Rainbow. Please stay still, Mark, this may feel a bit odd..." I remain still, watching as a pinkish aura begins to surround Twilight's horn. She closes her eyes calmly as the aura glows brighter. My vision is tinted pink for a moment, and I feel a tingling sensation throughout my body, like all of my nerves are responding at once. It isn't painful, but does indeed feel odd. After only a second or two, everything returns to normal. Twilight opens her eyes. "Alright, that should do it. As a forewarning, Mark, that spell will wear off within a day or so. When it does, make sure you're on the ground; you already pushed your luck with those wolves," she adds, nodding towards the bandage on my arm. I glance at it, then nod in compliance. "Please be careful, you two." "Don't worry about it, Twilight. He'll be with the best flier in all of Equestria, remember?" Rainbow Dash says, puffing out her chest confidently. Twilight just snorts, tuning back to her work. Dash and I race back downstairs and outside again. Once outside, the Pegasus turns to me. "Okay, I'm gonna' go figure something out. Just head towards that cloud!" she says, pointing a hoof towards the cloud that had distracted me earlier. I nod and smile; she grins, then jets off into the air, nearly knocking me off my feet with the wind she generates from doing so. I watch her rainbow trail for a moment, then start off at a jog towards the floating house in the distance. *** "Alright, try it out!" Rainbow Dash calls. I look before me; there is a fluffy, white cloud, a small platform only a few feet wide and long. I reach out a hand and press down on the cloud; to my surprise, I'm able to push into the cloud a couple of inches before my hand stops. I bring up my other hand, placing it on the cloud, and shove down, hoisting myself up. I step up onto the cloud, balancing for a moment. I find that I sink in a short distance before stopping, enough to almost completely envelop my shoes in cloud. It's almost like walking in deep, springy snow. I look up again, to the next cloud. It's a little high, but I can reach. I grasp what one might call an edge, pulling up with my arms. I scramble onto the cloud, righting myself again. I begin repeating this process, one cloud after another, higher and higher into the air. I don't necessarily have a fear of heights, rather, a fear of falling; I make sure not to look down. After a few very long minutes, I finally climb atop the last cloud, which also happens to be the base of Rainbow Dash's house. I stand, walking forward a few steps, pulling up my feet and stepping high. Really is like walking in deep snow...After getting myself away from the edge, I look up at the house before me. Without a doubt, it is the most original house I have ever seen, and not just because it's made entirely out of clouds. The main design is that of a tall tower, multiple floors stacked atop one another, probably about three, by the looks of it. It bears resemblance to Greek and Roman architecture, featuring quite a few decorative pillars and arches.The originality comes from an almost modern design, mixed with a flair that can't possibly exist in any other world. Various waterfalls flow out of points throughout the cloud home, including from the peak, trickling down into pools; these waterfalls are not made of water, though. Rather, they are made of rainbows. I take a few steps closer, my mouth falling open in awe. I walk towards the rainbow-falls, staring wide-eyed at them. They almost appear liquid in form, pooling at the bottom of each waterfall. I hear the familiar noise of wingbeats, and look over to see Rainbow Dash flying over to me. She grins, glancing at the rainbow we are nearest. "Yah' like that? It tastes better than it looks," she says. I give her a funny look. "No, really. Try it." I look back to the pool of liquid rainbow. Ah, what the heck. I crouch down beside it, dipping two fingers in. I bring my hand to my face, looking at the liquid for a moment. A mess of color covers my fingers, shimmering as the liquid reflects sunlight. I tentatively lick my fingers. Suddenly, a burst of flavor covers my taste buds; it is spicy, like a hot sauce, but doesn't burn. It has perfect flavor, hot enough to let me know it is there, but only warm on my tongue and throat. I glance over at Rainbow Dash, smiling. "Pretty good, right?" I nod happily, eyeing the rainbow pool; I'm tempted to drink more of it. Maybe bottle it up, take it home. Not only would that look cool, it would taste awesome, I muse to myself. Rainbow waves a hoof, signaling for me to follow her. "Now, c'mon, I'll give you the grand tour." *** We climb up a spiral staircase once more, one that leads from the bottom floor of the house, a kitchen, to the middle floor, a living room, and to the top floor, to which we are headed. I find that cloud stairs are even more hard to maneuver than normal pony stairs. Continuing around, I follow the Pegasus up even higher. I eventually come out behind her into a room the same size as the other two, which is fairly big. A large, low-set bed is the focal point of the room; on it is a blanket with a blown-up version of what I recognize to be Rainbow Dash's cutie mark. On either side of the bed are bedside tables; upon one rests a framed picture and a single book, on the other, a tall stack of novels. On one side of the room is a dresser, with some things like rainbow-colored scarves hanging messily out of it. Stepping a little farther inside, I see that there are a few other doors in the room, one leading to a bathoom, the other to a closet. And finally, all around the room hang posters depicting the Wonderbolts, the ace flight team of Equestria that Dash seems to idolize. Scratch that, does idolize. I count around twelve posters, as well as multiple shelves filled with memorabilia related to the flight team. Well, can't say she isn't devoted...I chuckle to myself, finding the short pony again. She is lying on one side of her bed, smiling at me. "Feel my bed." I raise my eyebrow in question. "Just do it. Jump on it or something." I shrug. Your funeral. I line myself up, begin a running start, them jump onto the bed, spreading my arms. I land face-first, and immediately sink into the bed. I hear Rainbow Dash laugh next to me, and assume I've sent her airborne a little. I pull my face out of the bed, watching it re-form itself like one of those foam mattress beds. I look off to one side of the bed, raising the blanket; as expected, the bed is indeed made of clouds, as well. I start to laugh, looking over at the light blue pony, who is as well. I sit up on the bed, still chuckling. Eventually, the air becomes fairly quiet. Having gone through the rest of her house already, I feel this is an opportune time to thank Rainbow. I fidget with my pocket for a moment, then start writing. Thanks for showing me your house. It's really cool. "No prob'. It is pretty awesome, I know," she says with a smirk. I smile to her, then start looking around again. My eyes fall upon the picture on the bedside table nearest me. I look closer at it, trying to make out the details; within the photograph are six ponies, huddled together to be in the shot. I recognize them as the group of friends I've come to know, who also happen to be saviors of Equestria. Looking at the picture for a few more seconds, I decide to ask Dash about the Elements. I begin scribing out my statement as she watches me intently. I didn't know you and your friends were the Elements of Harmony. "Yeah, we are. You didn't know that?" I shake my head in reply. "Huh...well, yeah, like I said, we're the Elements of Harmony." She stops as I write out a new question. Why are you the Element of Loyalty? "I dunno'." I look at her for a moment in question. "Well, I mean, I don't know why I am, I just am. I'm loyal, I guess. When we were all in the Everfree, looking for the Elements, we came to this fallen rope bridge. Nopony else could fly across to tie it back up, so I did. When I went over there, these ponies called the Shadowbolts came up to me and asked them to lead their flight team. And, well, I said no. I mean, I really wanted to, but I couldn't leave my friends hangin', y'know?" I nod thoughtfully. "It's not really a big deal." I frown, looking at her in surprise before scribbling quickly some more. It is really a big deal. You and your friends saved Equestria from eternal darkness. That seems like a big deal. "Yeah, I guess. I mean, that was nothing compared to Discord, but y'know." I'm barely able to keep my mouth from falling agape. I swear my pencil nearly lights the paper on fire from how quickly I write. Who is Discord? Have you all saved Equestria twice? "Three times, actually. Discord was this one guy who created chaos. Made me think I was defending Cloudsdale...it was just a little cloud, though. He messed with all of us, big time. But we got him. And then, at Twilight's brother's wedding, it turned out his wife was actually Chrysalis, the changeling queen. Sort of. Chrysalis had locked away Shining's actual wife, Princess Cadance. That was pretty fun, actually. We had to fight a bunch of changelings that looked just like us, copied us and everything. It was weird, but cool. I even got to beat myself up!" Rainbow Dash explains with a chuckle. My mouth is open, I can feel it. Three times. They've saved this whole planet three times. More writing. Why aren't any of you recognized, or thanked, or something? You should be going down in the history books as a hero! Rainbow frowns. "I guess that might be kinda' cool, but I don't see the point. We're just doing what we were made to do, I guess. It's like, our job. I don't get paid extra for kicking clouds faster than everyone else, but I do it anyways, because I want to do my best. Same thing, sorta'. We do it because it's who we are. And I'm loyal, so I be loyal." My shoulders droop, and I blink a few times. I feel stunned. She knows she's saved everyone three times over, but it isn't a big deal to her...My writing slows. I'm sorry. It just seems like you all should be honored, revered, at least recognized. "No, it's okay," she says, smiling. "It's not like I don't like being recognized, y'know." I smile to her, and she smiles back. "Honestly, I think you're the one that should be recognized or something." I blink hard, slightly taken aback as a look of confusion crosses my face. "Well, yeah," she continues. "You basically help everypony out all the time. Plus, you've got a ton of courage. Or stupidity," she adds with a smirk. "And you're just...really nice," she says softly. I blink again. "You always want to watch me fly, or hang out with me, or let me do stuff with you, and tell me how awesome I am, and..." She trails off. Her magenta gaze meets mine, her eyes shimmering with light as they look at mine. In a flash, Rainbow Dash is much closer. Her face presses up against mine; I feel soft lips touching my own, her soft muzzle rubbing against my nose and cheek as she twists her head. A spicy taste enters my mouth, similar to that of the liquid rainbow. Her mane brushes against my face, almost tickling. I feel the press of a hoof against my back. She feels warm, and comforting, and soft. Yet every part of me screams no at once. This is wrong! As calmly as I can manage, which is barely calm at all, I lift my hand and place it against Dash's shoulder, pressing lightly away from myself. She doesn't want to let go; I push a little more firmly. The sky-blue pony pulls away, opening her eyes. They dart back and forth, looking at mine in what almost looks like true, genuine fear. I continue to press on her shoulder, slowly pushing her away. I can't break her gaze, so I hold it, looking at her, not even knowing what I'm thinking, except that that was not right. "I...I don't...I thought...you...?" Her voice is a whisper, unable to form a sentence. I hope to God it stays that way. I don't think I could keep myself together if she finished that in any way. My jaw tightens as I start to see her eyes growing moist. Please, God, don't...I slowly remove my hand, breaking her gaze to look down at the paper I pick up. I start trying to write, but every time I try to explain, it doesn't sound right. I am left with the only two words I can manage. I can't. I set the paper down, stand up, and walk as quickly as I can muster to the door.