Cloudsdale was a factory town, one of the few in the agrarian Equestria. While farming towns like Ponyville and even the capital city Canterlot were still dark and silent, Cloudsdale was already awake and starting its daily duty of making and distributing clouds. Even on frigid, blustery morning like this, the city was filled with the sounds of the factories starting up and pegasi heading in.
Wind Whistler banked out of the wind stream and planted her hooves on the cloud in front of the towering structure of cumulous with pillars of cloud supporting the generous openings clouds floated out of.
She pulled her I.D. card out of the pocket of her heavy overcoat and flashed it at the guard in the gatehouse. He pushed a button on the control panel in front of him, and Wind Whistler walked through the turnstile.
The lobby was open to the weather like most of the weather factory. After all, the weather for Equestria was made in factories like this. It had to get out there somehow. Fortunately, the lobby was out of the wind with heaters warming the air to comfortable levels. She walked to the door to her office.
She could hear the vats bubbling and other equipment working. Weather factories practically run themselves.
Wind whistler came to the door and opened it enter. The first room was a reception area. It was cozy with couple couches sitting across a table from each other in one corner. Ten-Pad sat behind her desk. The older mare with a tan coat and orange mane was typing away at her typewriter. Wind Whistler often wondered how much of her typing was actually related to her job and how much might be her trying to give the sense she was busy.
Wind Whistler unbuttoned her overcoat and pulled her front legs out of its sleeves, uncovering the sleeves of her pink jacket. She hung the heavy, dark gray garment on a hook in the coat rack.
“What fascinating news awaits me today, Ten-Pad?” Wind Whistler asked dully.
“You’re way too young and new at your job to sound that cynical in the morning,” Ten-Pad replied.
Wind Whistler heaved a sigh. “I fear nothing will change with age or time in this position. That is the reason for my unenthusiastic disposition.” Though, she had hoped it was not so clear in her voice. “This is the three month anniversary of me being named factory controller.” Wind Whistler furrowed her brow. “The floor workers don’t intend to mark the occasion with secretly planned festivities, do they?”
“I couldn’t tell you either way,” Ten-Pad replied.
“True,” Wind Whistler replied. “Though, I don’t feel like celebrating. After three months, I have discovered a controller’s duties are as monotonous as a floor worker’s. Weather Management sends a quota I give to the workers, and they do it. I can give no suggestions for alterations or future planning. I just pass the orders along. It also seems to be the same quota every day.” Wind Whistler was never going to admit to it, but she tried a little experiment couple weeks ago where she used a quota from the previous week. Everything went along as usual with nopony noticing to her disappointment. “Aside from switching over to snowflakes for winter and the occasional problem, there’s so little variation or room for thinking.”
“Maybe that’s why ponies your age haven’t been promoted before,” Ten-Pad said with her normal dispassion. “You came here fresh out of college and Sprinkles tapped you to be controller after only six months on the floor. She broke the unwritten rule about seniority as well as several friendships because she thought you were the best choice for the job.”
“Which I am eternally grateful for,” Wind Whistler replied. “It’s just that this job does not utilize my intellect. I get quotas prepared by Weather Management which are really the demands from the Agriculture Bureau who gets their marching orders from the farms who want everything evenly and rigidly scheduled to make their lives easier.”
“That’s the point,” Ten-Pad replied.
“But it’s boring,” Wind Whistler sighed. “I look ahead in my life and just see the same routine over and over with no real need for my actual input for decades. I’m a cheetah that is given nothing but hares to hunt.”
Ten-Pad furrowed her brow. “A what?”
“A medium-sized, cat-like animal living on the savannah and known for its pattern of solid black spots, incredible sprinting speed, and specialized adaptations,” Wind Whistler explained. “I wish Equestria had some proverbial gazelles to test my limits instead having me do a job just about anypony could do.”
A knock came on the door to the lobby. “Come in,” Wind Whistler replied to it.
A yellow aura surrounded the door and it opened to reveal Princess Celestia. The alacorn was a sight to behold. She was much taller than the average pony with long, slender legs and a long neck leading into a graceful head. Her pastel mane waved like a flag in a breeze only there was no physical breeze. She walked in gracefully. Even her ducking to bring her long, fluted horn in under the door jamb was fluid.
Wind Whistler bowed. “Pleasant ante meridiem, High Princess.”
“Good morning, Controller Wind Whistler,” Celestia replied.
Wind Whistler stood up. “To what do we owe the honor of your unannounced visitation and at such an early hour?”
“I was actually hoping to speak with you personally before you began work,” Celestia replied in her angelic voice.
Wind Whistler turned Ten-Pad. “Ten-Pad—” she started to say.
“You’re morning has been cleared,” Ten-Pad said without looking up from the typewriter.
“Uh…thank you,” Wind Whistler said. She turned back to Celestia. “We can speak in my office.” She swept her leg to the pair of doors in the wall adjacent to Ten-Pad’s desk.
Celestia walked to the door and opened them to enter.
Wind Whistler walked up to a mirror on the wall to give herself a quick onceover. She had to look as professional as possible for the High Princess.
A young pegasus mare with a light blue coat looked back at her with large, pink eyes. The forelock of her light pink mane fell over her left eye, but it always did that no matter how much she tried to tease and tame it.
She wedged her pastern between her chin and the knot tying the corners of her white kerchief together and pulled the knot out. She removed it to reveal the rest her wavy mane and the white horseshoe band she wore in it. The kerchief had done its job in keeping her mane from being disturbed by the wind.
She moved down to her outfit. She wore a white blouse under her pink jack with a pale blue ribbon tied in a large bow around her neck and under the blouse’s collar. The gold broach holding an oval sapphire her dam had passed down to her sat on the knot of the bow. Wind Whistler adjusted the bow to make sure it was straight.
“The Princess is waiting,” Ten-Pad said with a little inflection in her mostly monotone voice.
Wind Whistler turned to the opened door into her office. She swallowed. Perhaps somepony did know I used the wrong quota, she thought.
Wind Whistler entered her office. Princess Celestia was standing in front of her desk examining the few ornaments Wind Whistler kept on it. Wind Whistler looked up. Celestia looked down at her with a small, but tender smile. “We have much to discuss.”
“About what?” Wind Whistler asked as she closed the doors.
“It’s about your possible future,” Celestia said.
Wind Whistler swallowed.
“I’ve been searching Equestria for certain ponies to take on a little project,” Celestia said. “Certain ponies like you.”
Wind Whistler furrowed her brow. “What kind of project?”
A yellow aura surrounded Celestia’s long, fluted horn. A shell of yellow energy surrounded them.
“Before I say anything, I have to ask that you never tell what I’m about to tell you to another living soul whether you accept or decline my offer,” Celestia said sternly.
She seemed to loom over Wind Whistler with the tip of her horn almost reaching the ceiling. Forget the fact she could move the sun, her very physical presence was both awe-inspiring and intimidating.
“Of course, High Princess,” Wind Whistler replied timidly.
Celestia grinned slightly. “Princess Celestia is fine.” She voice was gentle and comforting, putting Wind Whistler more at ease.
“Of course, Princess Celestia,” Wind Whistler repeated with the correction.
Celestia’s grin broadened. “That’s better. We should sit down. You should be comfortable to hear this.”
Celestia sat in a chair in the corner which was much too small for her. Wind Whistler walked behind her desk and sat in her chair.
“In the Crystal Empire is a very special mirror,” Princess Celestia said. “For the past year, it has turned into a portal once every five moons for three days. I intend to build a colony on the world on the other side.”
“Another world?” Wind Whistler gasped, “and you want me for this endeavor?”
Celestia nodded. “The next window begins a week from today. We will be sending an advanced team to prepare a site for a larger colony force when the portal opens again. I want you on that team.”
Wind Whistler’s jaw dropped.
“Do you accept?” Celestia asked.
“Y-Yes,” Wind Whistler stammered out hastily. “It would be a tremendous honor.”
Celestia stood up. “You will receive a train ticket from the trip from Canterlot to the Crystal Empire in the mail tomorrow. It will be for the day before the window begins. In the meantime, I suggest putting your affairs in order and bringing your most prized possessions as this world will be your new home should you choose to stay.”
Wind Whistler leaned back in her chair. She could not stop the broad grin forming on her face. A new world with new challenges was the answer to her prayers. A thought then crossed her mind. “What kind of world is it?”
Celestia looked to her. “That’s for you to find out.”
“Thank you for this, Princess Celestia,” Wind Whistler said. “You have no intellection of what this opportunity means to me.”
“You’re welcome, Wind Whistler,” Celestia replied. “I only ask you do Equestria proud.”
Celestia turned to the door. The shell around them dissolved and Celestia opened the doors with her magic. The doors closed after she left.
Wind Whistler heaved a sigh and chuckled. The gazelles had finally come.
She happened to look at the quotas sitting on her desk. It was going to be standard winter day in the land of hares. Her grin dropped into a frown. A week can’t pass quickly enough, she thought.
Celestia practically stumbled into her private chambers. Her wings ached from literally flying from one side of Equestria to the other and back. After lowering the sun for the day, she was ready to settle in for the night.
A topographical map and several files sat in a pile in front of her kneeling pillows. Celestia walked up and plopped down on her pillows in a very un-princess-like manner.
She looked at the map. It was of the rocky valley in the other world. There was an odd crater or depression on a mesa on the north side. There was a dried riverbed that expanded into what had been a decent-sized lake at one point.
“Sister,” Luna said.
Celestia looked up to Luna standing at her door which she had not bothered to close. Luna had that look that she got when she doubted Celestia’s judgment. There were only a couple times Celestia had seen that look since Luna’s return.
“What is it, Luna?” Celestia asked tiredly.
“Did you find the ponies you were looking for?” Luna asked with flat tone to her voice.
Celestia nodded and then removed her crown to place it on her dresser. “They all accepted. I expected they would. They’re the kind of ponies we were looking for.”
Luna deepened her scowl. “You aren’t telling them everything about this world,” she said sternly.
“We don’t know everything about this world.” Celestia motioned to the map. “Pretty much all we know about this world is this valley.”
“We know about what is waiting there for them,” Luna said.
“We know they’re waiting,” Celestia said. “We don’t know what they are. That’s why we’re sending such a diverse team there.”
“You also didn’t mention the mirror is malfunctioning,” Luna said more forcefully. “It should only open once every thirty moons to Canterlot High, not every five moons to that desolate valley. What if it suddenly stops and they’re trapped there?”
Celestia heaved a sigh. These were all very good points. “I have considered the risks. They are worth the opportunity.”
“What opportunity?” Luna asked, this time she took some of the sharpness out of her voice. “We don’t need to set up a presence on this world. We have plenty of resources and room in Equestria.”
“It’s not about resources or room,” Celestia said, letting her own voice sharpen.
Luna’s expression softened to be a more neutral one.
Celestia summoned her magic and lifted a deeply creased and wrinkled scroll off her desk and floated it to in front of Luna. Luna furrowed her brow as she read it.
“It’s a friendship lesson from one of Twilight Sparkle’s friends,” Luna said. “Applejack I believe.”
“No,” Celestia said in a low voice. “It’s a very rude wake up call.”
Celestia brought the scroll back to herself. She read the first four words after the greeting. I didn’t learn anything, no matter how many times she read Applejack’s arrogant opening, Celestia could not help the tension form in her body. She crushed the poor scroll like she had more times than she cared to count. Some ponies had stress balls to relieve tension. Celestia had this scroll. She had even put a preservation spell on it so it could always serve as a reminder and stress reliever.
“That stupid, arrogant hick of a pony,” Celestia snarled as she slammed the scroll on the desk and ground it in a little before finally releasing it from her magic.
Luna gasped. “That’s one of Twilight Sparkle’s closest friends you’re speaking of.”
“That’s what makes it even worse,” Celestia said. “And there are countless ponies exactly like her. Equestria has stagnated. New ideas and inventions trickle out and many are by conponies out to make a dishonest bit like the two who tried to take Applejack’s farm. I look upon my kingdom with its beauty and smell death and decay coming from it.”
Celestia heaved a sigh. She was too tired to get so upset. She held her head low out of fatigue and sorrow.
“It’s my fault too,” Celestia said quietly. “I built a clockwork country where everypony has their place and friendship and cooperation are valued more than anything else.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Luna asked.
“It’s a very good thing,” Celestia said. “However, in the process, I’ve removed the adversity that breeds innovation. Applejack didn’t even consider maybe changing how she makes cider. She just relied on her friends. I fear a day will come when Equestria faces a crisis we can’t simply rely on each other and be woefully unprepared.”
“That’s why you’re sending these ponies to the other side,” Luna said.
Celestia nodded. “The ponies I selected are restless. They feel boxed in by Equestria’s society. Perhaps colonizing this world will allow them to grow and rekindle the spirit of innovation on both sides. Perhaps we can learn from the races on the other side.”
“What if they have nothing worth learning?” Luna asked. “Our initial encounters have been hostile to say the least.”
“It’s only a small group,” Celestia said. “I can’t believe the whole planet is like them.”
Celestia yawned as her exhaustion made its presence known. “I should retire for the night. I’ve had a big day.”
Wind Whistler braced herself as the train made one last lurch before coming to a complete stop. She thought trains were fascinating pieces of engineering, but the ride left much to be desired. The constant rocking of the cars was disconcerting, and the view was not as picturesque as it would have been from the air. However, it was the only way to reach the Crystal Empire especially in the middle of winter.
The conductor stood up. “Passengers getting off at the Crystal Empire can now disembark!” he shouted.
Wind Whistler stood up from her seat and grabbed her suitcase from the overhead shelf. She turned around as best she could and worked herself into the line of ponies in the aisle. "Excuse me," she muttered to the ponies she got between.
It would have been much easier without the large, white skirt she was wearing. Wind Whistler wanted to look her absolute best when meeting Princess Celestia and her new colleagues, and by wearing it she did not have to store it in suitcase which would never hold it or her trunk. However, the skirt was a bit cumbersome for the train car. Even the most intelligent ponies can have a lapse in foresight, she thought.
She stepped out of the car and down the steps onto the platform. Despite being the middle of the arctic north, the weather was milder than in Canterlot. However, she could tell the warmth was not from the sun low on the western horizon, but the palace rising high above the city of crystal buildings.
She looked down the tracks they had traveled. The clouds and glaciers they had passed through suddenly stopped about a kilometer away. It’s like being in the eye of a hurricane, she thought.
“Who was summoned here by Princess Celestia?” a male voice asked.
Wind Whistler set down her suitcase and looked to the source of the voice. An orange pegasus stallion wearing crystal armor was standing at the end of the platform. Crystal earth ponies in similar armor were standing next to carts. Just about every pony on the platform raised their hoof and so did Wind Whistler.
“All right,” the pegasus said. “Load your luggage into the carts, and we’ll escort you to the palace.”
Wind Whistler picked up her suitcase and looked to the pallet being wheeled out of the baggage car. She needed to find her trunk. Fortunately it was on the outside and not under any of the other luggage. She trotted to the pallet and slipped her suitcase into the netting on the side. The trunk had wheels built into the bottom, so she just had to wheel it off the pallet and down the platform.
Her whole world was now in the trunk. All of her personal possessions she had emotional attachment to were in her trunk, suitcase, or on her back. She had named Cloudchaser as her replacement as controller. She reclaimed her deposit on her apartment and given her furniture to her parents. She converted all of her savings to gold and jewels since she doubted bits would be of much use. She effectively severed herself from Equestria, and it felt liberating.
A shout of “Watch out!” caught Wind Whistler’s attention. Wind Whistler looked up at the pallet. Ponies were frantically trying to keep the luggage from toppling. A unicorn mare with a white coat and a dark green mane streaked with red glared at an earth pony mare with a bright pink coat and a pair of sunglasses in her curly, vibrant yellow mane. The earth pony clutched a bag and seemed to shrink away from the glare of the unicorn.
“Watch what you’re doing, you klutz,” the unicorn snapped.
“I’m really sorry,” the earth pony whimpered, tears welling up in her light blue eyes. “I didn’t think my bag was as stuck as it was.”
“It was an honest mistake,” Wind Whistler said. “There is no reason to be overly-hostile.”
The unicorn turned her aqua-eyed glare on Wind Whistler. It was a sharp glare saying ‘Don’t mess with me.’
Wind Whistler swallowed. She decided it would be best to remove herself from the situation and pulled her trunk to the edge of the platform.
When she reached the edge, two crystal ponies picked up her trunk and placed it in the first cart. The other ponies brought their luggage to the edge. After loading the last of the luggage, the crystal ponies strapped each other into the harnesses of the carts and pulled them towards the palace.
The city was even more breathtaking from street level. Much like Cloudsdale, the architecture had an organic feel to it like the buildings were grown instead of constructed. That could very well have been the case since everything was made of crystal including the road they were traveling down.
Wind Whistler looked around the group for the soft spoken earth pony. She noticed her sulking behind the group. Wind Whistler stopped until the earth pony made it up to her and then walked with her.
“Are you all right?” Wind Whistler asked.
The earth pony nodded, but had a long frown on her face that suggested otherwise.
“My name’s Wind Whistler,” Wind Whistler said, hoping to break the ice. “What’s yours?”
“Shady,” the earth pony replied.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Shady,” Wind Whistler said, trying to sound cheerful but not overly cheerful. She was admittedly not the best at social conversation, partially due to a lack of practice. She probably would not have bothered if Shady had not seemed so put down.
“Is it really?” Shady asked. “I don’t even know why I was chosen for this.”
Wind Whistler shushed her. “We can’t discuss our reason for being here in public,” she whispered. Though, she wondered how much ponies would surmise from a large group headed to the palace with so much luggage.
“You see,” Shady said despairingly. “I can’t do anything right.”
“Don’t say that,” Wind Whistler said.
“It’s true,” Shady replied.
Something hit Shady from the side, and she toppled into Wind Whistler. Wind Whistler planted her hooves to keep from falling over, but Shady slipped from her and hit the crystal pavement with whatever hit her.
Wind Whistler looked down. A unicorn mare with a turquoise coat and a frizzy mane streaked pink, white, a darker shade of pink, and dark green was sprawled over Shady. She was a very young adult or perhaps a late adolescent. The large, pink bow in her mane gave her a fillyish look. She opened her pink eyes which reflected light in polygonal shapes and looked down at Shady.
She jumped off Shady. “I’m so sorry,” she apologized frantically. “You aren’t hurt, are you? We were in a hurry, so I was running too fast and wasn’t looking where I was going.”
“It’s fine.” Shady got her legs under her and rose to her hooves. “I know how that feels.”
“Why were you in such haste?” Wind Whistler asked.
“Haste?” the unicorn asked, cocking her head to the side with a confused frown.
Wind Whistler rolled her eyes. She needed to remember to keep her vocabulary in check sometimes. “Why were you in a hurry?”
“Oh,” the unicorn said. “You see, we’ve been summoned to the palace.”
She motioned back to nine other ponies. All of them had manes and tails streaked in four colors and eyes that reflected light in polygons like the unicorn. A couple of carts filled with luggage trailed them.
“Are you going to the palace too?” the unicorn asked.
“Yes,” Wind Whistler answered.
“That’s great!” the unicorn cheered. “I’m Fizzy. Who are you?”
“I’m Wind Whistler,” Wind Whistler said.
“Shady,” Shady replied softly.
A unicorn mare with a pink coat and mane streaked red, dark pink, white, and reddish orange walked out of the group. “We should get moving. Your group is already leaving you behind.”
Wind Whistler looked ahead. The others were a half block closer to the palace. Wind Whistler galloped back to them as they came into the open area around the palace.
The palace rose high into the evening sky, shimmering in the low sun. They made their way into the area under the palace where it spread to what Wind Whistler could best describe as feet at its four corners. In the center was the Crystal Heart slowly spinning between spires of crystal coming up from the ground and down them ceiling.
“This is amazing,” a mare said in awe. “I’d seen pictures, but they don’t do it justice.”
“Princess Celestia is waiting in the throne room,” the pegasus in armor said. He pointed to the door in the foot ahead and to the left of them. “You can reach it through there.”
Celestia straightened as the guards opened the doors. The ponies entered in a disorganized mask. Some were taking in the sight of the throne room while there were a couple pairs whispering to each other.
Celestia immediately recognized her both new and old captain of the guard. Colonel Spearhead was a hard pony to not recognize with his gunmetal gray coat and mane the color of fresh blood and streaked with black. The older unicorn stallion marched to distance himself from the others.
Celestia cleared her throat. The ponies stopped and all face forward. Spearhead turned to face the group.
“Thank you all for coming,” Celestia said. “You’ve been chosen to take on ponykind’s most ambitious endeavor since Equestria’s founding. As you know, you will be the advanced team to lay the groundwork for a colony on a new world. At the moment, we’re calling the project Equestria Nova.”
Fizzy raised her hoof.
“Yes, Fizzy?” Celestia asked.
Fizzy put her hoof down. “Why did we have to keep it secret?”
“Because we want to introduce this to Equestria slowly,” Spearhead answered before Celestia could. “If we told everypony, there could be conflicts. Some would be frightened by the idea there are other worlds while others would only see it as something to exploit for their own short-sighted gain. That’s why all of you were chosen. You represent a desire to grow and learn which is needed both here and on that new world.”
“Thank you, Colonel,” Celestia said.
Cadence and Shining Armor walked up to the side of Celestia. “The maids will show you to your rooms,” Cadence said. “I have to imagine it’s been a long journey for many of you.”
Several crystal mares wearing frilled headbands walked into the throne room. “Your luggage has been dropped off in your rooms,” one of them said. “Dinner will be served within the hour.”
The ponies turned and walked towards the doors. The maids led them out, and only Spearhead remained standing there at attention.
Shining Armor walked around Spearhead to face him. “I see Princess Celestia dragged you out of retirement, Colonel. Or should I say Governor?”
“Either’s fine, Prince Shining Armor,” Spearhead replied.
“You can call me Shining Armor. You still outrank me in the Royal Guard.” Shining Armor motioned to the door. “Do you want a short tour? It’d give us a chance to catch up.”
“I was actually hoping to have some time with my best trainee before leaving.” Spearhead walked with Shining Armor.
The two walked towards the door, talking about something that became intelligible with distance.
Cadence got close to Celestia. “Are you sure he’s the best choice for governing this colony, Aunt Celestia?” she whispered in Celestia’s ear. “He’s always given me the creeps.”
“That’s just how he is,” Celestia replied in a hushed voice. “He might not be the friendliest face, but he’s loyal to Equestria and ponykind. He is the best choice to lead this colony.”
“What about Twilight Sparkle?” Cadence asked. “It would be proper to have a princess ruling what is essentially a new adjunct kingdom.”
“Twilight is a little too by the book,” Celestia said. “This world goes by its own rules, so we need adaptable ponies especially in positions of leadership. While Twilight has improved, she’s still too rigid in her thinking for this task. Spearhead is both adaptable and disciplined, a combination needed in a leader.”
Cadence heaved a sigh. “I guess you’re right, Aunt Celestia.”
Wind Whistler poked her head into the room the maid opened for her. It was spacious even compared to Cloudsdale’s open designs with a canopy bed against one wall and a vanity and wardrobe against another. A door opened out onto a balcony. The crystal columns in the walls looked like they had been grown to come to a point at the pinnacle of the ceiling where a chandelier hanged down. Her plain-looking trunk seemed out of place amongst this majesty.
“I hope the accommodations are to your liking,” the maid said.
“They certainly are,” Wind Whistler replied, still absorbing the room.
Wind Whistler walked into the room as the maid closed the door, leaving her alone. Wind Whistler immediately went to her trunk and opened it. Everything looked like they made the trip intact. There were her mementos, her more cherished foalhood toys she decided to keep into adulthood, her diploma from Cloudsdale University, and even the parasol and fan her dam said every lady should have.
Her thoughts fell on her family. She wished she could have told them where she was going. They were worried when she pulled up stakes like she did. However, she understood why they needed to keep the secret, and her family was supportive despite their concern. She was a fully grown mare after all.
She felt like a pit form in her stomach. Even though she would not miss Equestria, she would miss her family and the few friends she had. Perhaps when they had contact with Equestria she could visit them.
Wind Whistler picked up the blanket her granddam had made for her when she was born. The blue square of flannel fabric was a bit faded, and there was some tattering along the edges. However, it had weathered the years very well all things considered.
Wind Whistler held it up to her cheek and rubbed the soft, naturally cool fabric in her fine coat. The blanket was only big enough to cover a foal, so it was more like a giant kerchief to her as an adult. However, she found comfort in the tactile sensation of holding it and pressing it against her face and neck.
A knock came on the door. Wind Whistler quickly folded the blanket and placed it in her trunk before closing the lid. “Come in.”
The door opened and Fizzy poked her head in. “Hi, Wind Whistler, are you settling in okay?”
“Yes,” Wind Whistler replied.
“I was wondering if you just wanted to hang out until dinner,” Fizzy said.
Wind Whistler was left speechless. Fizzy was several years younger than her. Why would she want ‘hang out’ with an older mare. However, Wind Whistler saw no harm in indulging her. They were going to be living in the same community going forward.
“I suppose we can.” Wind Whistler walked to the door. “Is there anything you had in mind?”
“I just thought you could use the company,” Fizzy said. “You and Shady seemed so alone in the group.”
“Although cannot speak for Shady, I prefer solitude,” Wind Whistler replied.
Fizzy frowned and looked down at her hooves as she slid one across the floor in front of her. “I’m sorry. I hope I’m not being a pest.”
Wind Whistler sighed. For some reason she could not bring herself to say ‘no’ to this young mare. “I suppose some social interaction would be to my benefit.”
Fizzy jumped to stand up straight and looked to Wind Whistler with a huge grin. “Does that mean you’ll come?” she asked gleefully.
“In laypony’s terms: yes,” Wind Whistler said.
“That’s great.” Fizzy grabbed Wind Whistler by the neck and pulled her out of her room. “Why don’t I give you a tour of the palace? It won’t be much of a tour since I’ve only been in it a couple times, but I don’t think you’ve ever been in it. Have you?”
“No, I have not never visited the Crystal Palace or the Crystal Empire for that matter until this evening,” Wind Whistler answered.
Fizzy looked to Shady coming out of a nearby room. “Hey, Shady! Wind Whistler wants to come along too!”
Want is a strong word, Wind Whistler thought.
“Well, I guess that’s okay,” Shady mumbled.
A door near Shady opened, and the white unicorn came out. She looked to Shady and said, “There you are.”
Shady yelped and practically leapt over Wind Whistler and Shady and cowered behind them.
Wind Whistler looked to Shady trembling and then at the unicorn. She scowled and said, “Wasn’t your outburst at the train station enough?”
The unicorn scratched her head and frowned glumly. “That’s actually why I wanted to see her.” She her head low and pawed the floor bashfully. “I want to apologize,” she mumbled.
Shady looked out from behind Wind Whistler. “You what?”
“You heard me,” the unicorn said with sincere remorse in her voice. That angry glower she had at the train station had been replaced with humble frown. “I’m sorry for yelling at you and calling you a klutz. I shouldn’t have been so angry. Can you forgive me?”
“Please forgive her,” Fizzy said. “We’ll be living together and should learn to get along.”
“I suppose I can forgive her.” Shady walked out from behind Wind Whistler. “Just don’t do it again.”
“I can’t make any promises, but I’ll try,” the unicorn said. “I’m Gusty, by the way.”
“I’m Fizzy,” Fizzy said cheerfully, “and these are Wind Whistler and Shady. We were going to check the palace out before dinner. Do you want to come along?”
“I don’t know,” Gusty muttered.
“Please,” Fizzy begged, looking as cute and innocent as possible.
Gusty sighed. “It can’t hurt.”
If they ever weaponized adorable, Wind Whistler thought, Fizzy would be a device of mass destruction.
“Okay, we’ve been to the throne room,” Fizzy thought out loud, “so let’s check out the lounge first.”
Fizzy skipped down the hall. Wind Whistler followed her in a walk, and Gusty and Shady followed behind her.
A thought came to Wind Whistler watching the light glisten on Fizzy’s crystalline coat, mane, and tail. “Forgive me for saying this, but I thought all crystal ponies were earth ponies.”
Fizzy settled her skip into a walk and looked back. “Most are, but there are a few unicorns and pegasi too.” There was a quiver to her voice, and that ever present grin had been replaced by the slightest of frowns.
Wind Whistler remembered Fizzy must have lived through the horror of Sombra’s reign and decided to change the subject. “Tell us about the lounge.”
The grin returned to Fizzy face, and she turned forward. “The lounge is cool because it’s perfectly round despite the walls being made of crystal.”
“She certainly does bounce back quickly,” Wind Whistler heard Gusty mutter to Shady.
Wind Whistler frowned. Perhaps a little too quickly, she thought.
Wind Whistler followed the maid into the dining hall. The other ponies were already seated at the long table with the princesses at either end. The smorgasbord of grass, fruits, vegetables, and bread was lined up on the centerline of the table.
There were four empty chairs in a row. Wind Whistler looked back to the other three and motioned to the chairs. They walked in and took their seats.
“The gang's finally assembled,” an earthling stallion with a yellow coat and orange mane said. “Enjoy your last good meal in a long time, ladies.”
An earthling mare with a white coat and curly aqua mane frowned at the stallion. “I’ll make sure you eat your words with your first meal on the other side.”
The group laughed. Wind Whistler joined as best she could. She always had a hard time taking interest in small talk.
She was more interested in the plate of fruit in front of her and her empty stomach. A bright red apple topped the formation. Wind Whistler licked her lips as discretely as she could and reached for the apple.
The pony across from her had the same idea, as he was reaching for it as well. They stopped, and Wind Whistler looked into his blue eyes. He backed away. “You can have it,” he said politely.
“Thank you,” Wind Whistler replied. She picked up the apple in her teeth and set it down on her plate.
“You’re welcome,” the stallion replied.
She looked back up at the stallion. He was a pegasus with a white coat and a neatly-trimmed, wine red mane. He wore a blue, button down shirt with short sleeves and what looked like white hurricanes printed all over it. He picked up a bunch of grapes and set them down on his plate.
Wind Whistler felt strange. Her stomach felt like it was fluttering, and it felt like her heart was in her throat and pounding in her neck.
The stallion reached his hoof across the table. “I’m Hurricane, by the way.”
The stomach fluttering and heart pounding intensified. However, Wind Whistler knew to be polite and hooked her pastern in his to shake. “Wind Whistler, pleased to make your acquaintance.”
He was a handsome stallion and very well spoken. He also had a sense of manners that she rarely saw in the factory’s cafeteria which was nicknamed ‘The Piranha Tank’ for good reason.
Wind Whistler stopped the shake and pulled her hoof back gently. The stomach fluttering and heart pound subsided. What brought that about? And why am I giving him such detailed consideration compared the others? Wind Whistler asked herself in her mind.
Wind Whistler decided to take her mind off him by surveying the group. Discounting Princesses Celestia and Cadence and Prince Shining Armor, there were 46 ponies seated at the table including her. Thirty-four were mares and 12 were stallions. There were the ten crystal ponies whose manes were streaked in four different colors. She knew none of them which was to be expected, but she would get to know them as individuals soon enough. These were the ponies she would be living with on this strange new world.
Wind Whistler’s eyes fell on Hurricane again. He was eating his grapes quietly. I suppose I can start with him, she thought. The stomach fluttering and heart pounding began to build again.
“So, where are you from?” Wind Whistler asked.
“Mareami,” Hurricane replied. “I’m a foul weather rescuer.”
“Really?!” Gusty asked. “So am I. I’m from Vanhoover.”
Hurricane looked to Gusty. “Good to see a fellow rescuer from the Great White North.”
They smacked their hooves together.
Hurricane turned to Wind Whistler again. The sensations had been subsiding again when his attention was drawn away, but they were coming back.
“What do you do, or rather did before colonizing strange, new worlds?” Hurricane asked.
“I’m a weather factory controller,” Wind Whistler said, still trying to determine the reason for these strange sensations.
“A bit young for a factory controller,” a unicorn stallion with a blue coat and darker blue mane with a white streak commented.
“I’m actually the youngest in Cloudsdale’s history.” Wind Whistler hoped that did not come off as bragging.
“And certainly the most beautiful,” Hurricane said with a sincere grin.
The sensations intensified. Wind Whistler realized they were the result of physical attraction to the stallion. Her cheeks grew hot as she blushed; hopefully not to the degree it was noticeable under coat. I just met him, Wind Whistler thought. How can I be susceptible to something as illogical as falling in love at first sight?
Colonel Spearhead stood up and raised his glass with his magic. “I propose a toast.”
Everypony turned to him. The sensations stopped as Wind Whistler could concentrate on this welcome distraction.
“To Equestria Nova,” he said, raising his glass higher, “where we will forge a bright and glorious future for all ponykind.”
“To Equestria Nova,” everypony replied in unison.