//------------------------------// // Chapter 10 Night Flight // Story: WHY DO I HAVE HOOVES?! // by Cydon //------------------------------// Chapter 10 Night Flight 'After all, how hard can it be?' I went down the stairs and out the front door. Quickly peering over the edge I backed away when I saw how far down the ground was. 'Okay Kevin you can do this.' I stretched out the wings I had been wanting to try out for myself ever since I first saw them being used. Working the muscles I managed to flap them. 'Okay that's the first step now to hover.' After a few more practice flaps I began flapping slowly at first then picking up speed until our hooves started to float off the ground. 'Haha!' I found my excitement a bit premature as a sudden gust of wind blew us into the wall. 'Ow. Come on, I can do this.' walking back up to the edge, I look down and remember just how high we are. 'Maybe this isn't such a good idea.' I back away from the edge trying to calm down. 'Ergh, but if I don't do this I'll never know what it's like to fly with my own two wings. That's it no more co-pilot for me I'm taking the Captains chair!' Mind made up I step up the edge once more. I spread open our wings feeling the cool breeze against the feathers. Looking down I grimace before looking straight ahead and step off the cloud. 'Ahhh..ah...ha...HAHA! I'm doing it! I'm gliding! Take that nature! Humans can fly!' This is amazing! The wind in my face the air flowing over my wings the feeling of freedom, that sense of openness that comes with flight. My glide continued like this for a few minutes as I looked around trying to take in the world around me, from the stars in the sky to the glowing lights from the town below. 'Okay now lets try flapping to get up to that cloud there.' I look at both wings still locked in glide mode. 'Now how does it go? Come on I've been here for a few days surely I was paying enough attention to that. Lets see in, up, out, down. Yeah that sounds right.' I pulled in my wings and immediately began plummeting. 'AHHH!' In a panic I flap our wings hoping to regain some control. But to no avail as I fall faster and faster coming closer and closer to the ground. Seeing no way out I resign myself to our fate. 'Aw man I'm sorry Rainbow.' At the last second my flailing wings spread wide catching the air, slowing our fall and softening the landing leaving only a dull ache in our knees. I quickly realize i'm not dead and try to calm my breathing and return our heart rate to normal. 'That was close. I almost turned Rainbow into a pancake!' I look around to see where we are. 'Ponyville is there, and the cloud house is up-' I squint in the darkness looking for it. '-There! But how do I get up there?' I look back at the town. 'I can't get back up there on my own I need help.' With a heavy sigh I wonder how I'm going to explain this as I begin the long march into town. The moon shines brightly on the ground before me as I walk lighting the path nicely. The trees lining the path leave shadows and rustle ominously on the breeze. As I trot my hoofsteps clopping along in the stillness of the night create an eerie feeling of loneliness. I begin to notice something strange. 'Where are all the bugs? The owls? Anything? It's so quiet.' I stop and listen hoping for some sort of noise. My hooves stop hitting the road but the sound of hoofsteps hitting the path does not. 'I'm not alone.' I feel my heart beat faster as I realize this, somepony is out and about and their nearby. But who? And why are they out here? Looking around quickly I spot a large bush and hop inside trying to make as little noise as possible. The sound of approaching hoofsteps grows louder and louder as the pony came closer and closer. I could feel our heart rate rise until it was beating so loud I thought it would wake Rainbow. But still the hoofsteps came closer, I was starting to panic when I came to a stunning realization. 'Now wait just a second here. Why am I so scared of another pony?' Chuckling quietly at my own mind scaring me I'm about to step out of the bush when the clopping stops. I peek out of the bush to see where they are. Before my eyes I see a figure in a cloak the shadows obscuring its face but still showing two glowing yellow orbs. I'm about to scream in mortal terror when a voice comes from it. "Greetings my colorful friend it is unlike you to be out at such an hour I certainly hope the reason is not sour." I jump in fright and leap out of the bush heart pumping furiously I'm about to run when. 'Wait what did it say?' It lowers its hood. 'A zebra?' The zebra is smiling but gives me a concerned look when I don't respond. "Is something the matter? Zecora is sorry for making your heart pitter patter." I give her a strange look. 'Does she always speak in rhymes?' "Has the cat got your tongue? Or will you speak while we're both still young?" Zecora tilts her head still giving me a worried look. "Oh yeah uh sorry." Zecora's face changes from confusion to worry and back again. "Hmm... what is this strange aura?" She mutters as she starts to circle us. "Look this is just a misunderstanding I'm Kevin and I was just going for a walk while Rainbow was asleep." Zecora stops in front of me. "Who are you to walk in the hooves of another?" Zecora takes a step forward as her face adopts a not so friendly look. "I'm not in here on purpose. Twilight was trying a new spell and I kinda ended up here." "This I can see, a talk with Mrs. Sparkle I will have later indeed." Zecora stepped back but kept looking at me like I was going to try something. "Yeah but I have a problem. See, I need to be getting back to the cloud house but I don't know how to fly." Zecora raised a hoof to her chin before speaking. "There is no need to worry Twilight can send you home in a hurry. Follow me." "Oh good." Zecora set off for Ponyville at a brisk trot with me following close behind. "So Zecora." "Hmm?" She said turning her head while continuing to walk. "What are you doing out here? I mean shouldn't most ponies be asleep?" "That which you say may be very true but most ponies I am not. I seek the moon flower that glows luminescent it blooms only when the moon is not a crescent." "Cool, you mean like those plants over there?" "A good eye you have, it is indeed the flower I need." Zecora picked the flower placing it into a small pouch at her side. "Do you always talk like that? All mystical and rhymy?" Zecora raised a hoof to her chin. "Hmm... No." Zecora smiled and laughed making me laugh too. After we settled down we continued into town Zecora brought me to the library after telling me a bit about herself and the first time she met Rainbow and her friends. 'I have to get some poison joke for a prank.' She bid me goodbye at the entrance disappearing into the shadows. I looked at the door and gulped. 'Maybe she won't mind being woken up?' I knocked. *Knock knock knock* Some hoofsteps and the door opened revealing a tired looking purple mare. Behind her a desk filled with notes and books a sleeping dragon laying in a basket off to the side. "Hey Twilight just who I was looking for." Twilight raised an eyebrow. "It's really late what is it?" "Ah ya see I was wondering if you could help me get back to the cloud house." I said rubbing a hoof on the back of our head. "Can't you just fly?" Twilight's eyebrow raised even further. "Um no." I gave her a sheepish grin. As she closed her eyes putting a hoof to the bridge of her nose. *sigh* "Fine, hold still this will tingle." Twilight's horn started to glow brightly pulsating before growing brighter, before releasing a bright flash of light. I shielded our eyes too late and when I opened them I was seeing spots. I rubbed my eyes and looked around. The sight of the front door to Rainbow's cloud house was very welcome. 'Finally back, safe and sound to boot too.' I open the front door of the cloud house and step inside. I walk towards the stairs and see Tank fast asleep on the couch. Heading up the stairs I go into Rainbow's bedroom and hop into bed. I look out the window. 'Just in time too the sun's coming up.' After getting comfortable I yawn and close our eyes. 'Never doing that again.'