//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 - TreePort // Story: The Skies Belong to us! // by enamis //------------------------------// Chapter 2 - TreePort The wind brushed his sides as Checkers the changeling stood at the skyship’s bowsprit. They were on their way to PonyVille, a town his friends called home… except for him… A foreign traveler, outcast from his hive, nearly killed by his Queen the changeling had almost died of starvation… save for one griffon that stepped in and twisted the threads of fate. One griffon… by the name of- “Gilda!” Checkers turned his head to see the one who was breathing on his back. None other than the ochre brown griffon whit highlights of purple. “Geez, you scared me!” “Something’s on your mind Check’s... Come on, spill the dam beans already, I'm starving!” Gilda the griffon laughed and climbed right next to her changeling friend, dangling on the side of the bowsprit by her sharp talons in an awkward angle that nearly defied gravity. “I'm fine!” came an annoyed response. Gilda dropped her smile and looked at the changeling whit a bored expression. “I'm FINE. I just need to clear my head, is all.” Gilda rolled her cold-golden eyes. “If you wanna’ be like that, fine. At least do me a favor as the only other flyer of this dam ship and go ahead and make sure they don’t blaze us out of the sky, alright?” “‘Course…” Checkers sighed. “And get rid of your sighing problem. Now GO!” Gilda suddenly shoved the changeling making him topple off the bowsprit and into the wild blue skies. As Checkers regained his balance whit a pair of frail wings sporting a hole or two, he was accompanied by a round of cocky laughter… then a screech and sound of scraping wood. Gilda was never the one for balance. Checkers smirked and pressed onwards to a place he should call home. --------- Checkers flew and flew, fields upon fields of apple trees, and ponies upon ponies picking them, rushed underneath as the changeling darted forward. His little insect wings buzzed as he weaved through the hoards of scattered clouds. Ever since the dawn of steam the pegasi no longer bothered and simply let the skies run wild. Checkers loved it. Just as he came out from behind a cloud he a saw a sight most exotic for his glacier blue eyes. A metropolis laid in the small valley at the foot of Sun’s Rising. Chimneys and factory exhausts stretched high into the sky as skyships and balloons marched onwards through clouds. The city below his hooves bustled with activity like ants in an anthill, reminding Checkers of his Hive. Cars and carts and ponies of all sizes and ages strummed in the streets. Checkers took a deep breath and flew onward. As he broke through a small cloud that coated him in droplets of cool dew, he was caught off guard by a congaline of magical flames. The small embers stopped him mid-flight and began circling around the changeling. Shades of blue, white and green twirled around him before a voice crackled like an intercom. “Formabat vicissitudinis Culex pipiens Equinae, identify yourself. Over.” “Checkers, last name-nugatory. Race: North-western Everfree changeling, unofficially non-hostile. First mate of skyship Equinox - series number: 44532-9-24325. All legal actions withheld in the airspace of the city via permission from Celestia of Equestria and Council of the Elements. Permission number: 89454448. Equinox requesting access to land at TreePort in roughly o-point-30-minutes. Over.” “Roger, roger, permission granted. Over.” “Confirmed. Over.” The flames stopped circling and suddenly blasted away thorough a thick cloud in another congaline. Checkers rolled his eyes and sighed, taking off into the city. He took a few deep breaths and dragged the tip of his hoof counterclockwise around the holes in the other. That had always relaxed the changeling, no matter the situation. “Curse this new technology…” He managed to mumble before his voice was overpowered by noisy machinery of the metropolis. --------- Checkers bolted through the city avoiding forklifts, enormous cogs, the occasional carriage and other various objects he couldn’t even name. The deeper he went the more sky the city occupied. Reaching high beyond the clouds, skyscraper after skyscraper dotted the landscape. And to think - only four years ago this was but a measly town nopony (and defiantly noling) knew about, boggled Checker’s mind. In the speed of light he managed to duck under a moving bronze arm lifting something up into the sky. He cursed it whit words in his native tongue, but you knew the guy was bad to have your foals hang around. ‘Nazzachras’ was a cuss, right? Checkers flew onwards, taking loops and loops around every skyscraper he could see just to waste some time. He wasn’t in the mood to go back to Gilda, that griffon knew how to persuade him… And at the point where he was now, he didn’t want to spit out something he’d regret two seconds later. After all, besides the ship and the crew… he had nothing… The changeling sighed and spotted a clock tower. Whit an easy glide he found himself perfectly perpendicular to the tower. He smirked. That was his favorite advantage of being who he was. He could sit, sleep, or stand on any surface at any angle without worry. Fun. Checkers closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the stench of the city. You could argue, that too much fresh air was bad for you. He smiled for a moment before he let a frown stretch across his face as he loudly sighed, letting go of the air he was holding in. His brow furrowed just a bit as he lifted his hole-ridden hoof to his head. He lazily adjusted his pale-black hat and just as he was about to withdraw his hoof, it glided over a small stump on his forehead. Checkers sighed. He closed his eyes and began to draw circles on the spot where a curved, slick, black horn was supposed to be. It wasn’t there… “You are disgrace. Not a drone, nor a commander. You disgust me…” His Queen’s words ran in his head. Checkers clenched his teeth. An outcast… what else? He wasn’t even a changeling anymore, unable to transform: useless… His Queen had been right, then why had he resisted? A spark of rebellion, or was it something else? Maybe… l- --------- “Hey Checkers!” Dinky greeted her black fried as he landed next to the ship’s wheel. The skyship had entered PonyVille airspace several minutes ago and was now steadily weaving through the skyscrapers to the heart of the metropolis. TreePort. “Hey Dinkster.” Checkers softly spoke and ruffled the filly’s mane. “Dinkster? Is that like my new name or something?” The filly giggled and pushed his hoof away. “Maybe.” Checkers smiled. “Seen Gilda?” “Nope. Maybe Scoot knows though? Oh, can you tell Vinyl we’ll be eating in town tonight, my poor gut cant handle anymore flowery grub…” the filly shuddered and flinched, accidentally twisting the wheel and making the ship sway to the left. She quickly managed to avoid collision whit a window-cleaner and get back onto course. She tugged a lever on her side and that opened the ‘wings’ on the skyship’s sides angling their descent. Dinky tapped on a small, spearhead-shaped gem on a small stand next to a collection of levers. “Spike. Do. You. Read. Me?” She spoke in a monotone voice. “I can hear you Dink- *HSHHH* -y, loud and clear.” The voice of the teenage dragon echoed through the gem. There was another hiss and a crackle of flame. “Spike, I want you to give a big burp and then come up, we’re nearly there and I don’t want to rip off another branch like last time.” Dinky tapped the gem and the light went out. “Well, well, young missy’s planning to take my place, eh?” Checkers joked. Dinky giggled in response. “‘Course I'm not Check’, I'm an engineer not a pilot!” The filly offered a heartwarming smile and giggle. Checkers smiled back and felt the warm feeling of a childhood crush litter the air around. He couldn’t help but lick his lips and take a deep breath. “If you eat so much love you're gonna get fat!” Dinky mocked whit a laugh. Checkers shook his head and chuckled. He tousled the filly’s mane one more. “You’re a sweet kid, Dink’s… Tell ya’ what, I’ll let you park the ship while I grab all the hoofs on deck.” “Right-o capt’n!” Dinky saluted whit another giggled and went back to the wheel as Checkers fluttered down to the lower deck. --------- “Now, a little to the left. No, left! Ugh! Your other left!” Dinky shouted as the two flyers angled the ship at the dock. For a filly her age, Dinky had nearly stuck the landing whit amazingly little property damage. Though, it was still a little bit off… Rover made sure of it. The diamond dog was so eager to leave the ship, he’d jumped just as the branches of TreePort were in reach… those were just branches… The bloody idiot had nearly plummeted down to death if it hadn’t been for a quick thinking Gilda, who caught him just in time. Now the poor idiot was sitting in a corner shaking his tail off in fear. The ship’s hull gently bumped into something signaling that the parking was surprisingly successful. Just as that thought crossed Gilda’s mind two sets of feet heavily landed on the dock. Sparkler and Vinyl used their super-magical-unicorn-powers and quickly managed to tie the ship down. Spike pushed out a small footbridge and climbed down, followed by the rest. Gilda fluttered up to the dock and began a small march in her signature-‘obey’ way. “Alright. We’ll be in PonyVille for three days while me, Vinyl and Dinkster stock up on everything we need, alright? Ya’ll can go running around and do whatever, just for Celestia’s sake don’t make me pay jail fines this time.” Spike and Rover shuffled nervously. “Gilda, you know the dude stole my drink and Rover’s lady…” “First off, you were drunk, second, nopony believes that your technically 18, and thirdly, you didn’t have to sent the poor sap to Celestia via dragonfire.” Gilda facetalon’d. “Now, for the love of Twilight get lost!” Spike shrugged and walked away. “Oh, and I'm locking the ship’s fund.” Spike froze mid-step. “C-can I borrow three bits then? I need to buy some flowers.” “For what? Lil miss Wawity?” Gilda mocked, drawing a few shy giggles from the crew. “No.” Spike stomped his foot and clenched his claws. He glared back whit mixed emotions and determination gleaming in his emerald eyes. He whispered. “For Twilight.” Gilda’s face turned to surprise and then softened. The giggles came to a sharp stop. The crew gave a few sympathetic looks. “Oh… Well, umm… *Cough*…” She ruffled the feathers at her chest and pulled out a silver bit and two copper ones. She threw them over to the young dragon and gently smiled. “Get a big one.” So I have a small challenge for my readers. If you can figure out the code Checkers spoke of at the first half of the story you'll get a cookie. Hint: The numbers are letters.