//------------------------------// // ...And Up... // Story: The Gravity of the Situation // by Masem //------------------------------// “Angel, that’s rude!” Fluttershy scolded the bunny. The critter was rolling on its back, giggling in his high-pitched voice. “Don’t worry, I’ve already had my fair share of that today,” Twilight said, her eyes narrowed at Angel. Spike had brought her to Fluttershy’s cottage, finding the pegasus feeding her animals behind her cottage. Fluttershy poked at the bunny with her wing. “Angel, if you still want your dinner, you’d better get back into the cottage and stop that laughing.” Angel looked up to see his owner given him a deathly stare, and quickly shut up. He disappeared in a cloud of dust, darting into the cottage within moments. “Oh, dear, I’m sorry about Angel,” Fluttershy apologized. “He knows better than to laugh like that.” Twilight gently shook her head. “It’s okay, Fluttershy. I’m more worried about being able to help with the preparations tonight. Rarity’s working on an ingenious dress idea that will keep me down for the event but it won’t be ready until just before the delegates arrive.” “But isn’t Spike helping you out already?” Fluttershy pointed to the rope. Twilight shook her hand while patting Spike’s head. “No offense to you, Spike, but I’m not very mobile like this. I need to move about more freely but I can’t go floating off.” “No worries, Twi,” Spike smiled. “Hmm, more mobility? I think I have an idea.” Fluttershy took off from the ground and flew herself over to where several birdhouses hung from a grove of trees. “Oh, birds, are you home?” she sing-songed into the cubbyholes. Several avian heads poked out at the voice and stared attentively at Fluttershy. “Do you think you can help Twilight here?” She pointed with a hoof. “She can’t get stay on the ground but needs to move around.” The birds, about a dozen of them, flew as a flock from their homes and clustered around Twilight. They squeaked and squawked among each other, before settling down on Twilight’s mane and tail, gripping the strands of her hair into their beaks. Twilight frowned. “Er, I don’t think I need my mane done up, Fluttershy,” she commented. Fluttershy drifted back over. “Oh, no, that’s not what they’re doing. Spike, let go of the rope, let’s see if this will work.” As instructed, Spike let loose his grip. Twilight remained suspended in air, drifting a little with the slight breeze. “I’m not sure where you’re going with this, Fluttershy,” Twilight asked. “Just tell the birds where you want to go, Twilight.” Fluttershy grinned. “Don’t worry, they’re very well-trained.” Twilight looked back with a raised eyebrow. “Well, if you say so. Um, birds, can you take me over there?” She pointed her hoof towards the chicken coop in the yard. The birds didn’t audibly respond, but Twilight felt small darts of pain as her hair was yanked by the birds’ sudden movement. But, as a group, they flew her straight and true to the coop. “Hey, that might do it, Fluttershy!” She looked for another target, this time picking the top of Fluttershy’s cottage. “Let’s try there, birds.” Save for the jolts on her hair, the birds quickly brought Twilight to the shod roof of the cottage. “Fluttershy, this is great! But what if the birds get tired?” Fluttershy flew up to catch up to Twilight. “Hmm. Well, if you’re staying in one spot, they can just perch on you. Show them what I mean,” Fluttershy directed to the birds with the wave of a hoof. The birds slowly settled onto Twilight’s back, still hanging onto her hair strands in their beaks. Twilight remained mostly in place, only drifting a bit forward from the inertia. “There, see? Perfect.” “Oh, this was a great idea! Though I kinda wish they didn’t have to pull me by the hair...” Twilight offered. Fluttershy shook her head quickly. “I’ve got some materials inside. We’ll rig some harnesses that they can pull on instead instead of by the hair. I know that can hurt.” Fifteen minutes later, Fluttershy proudly led Twilight out of her cottage, with Spike in tow. Several small leather straps were wrapped around Twilight’s body, snug at the shoulder and thighs. The straps were attached to thick strands of yarn, held taut by the birds that were pulling on them. “You sure the birds don’t mind?” Twilight asked, looking at the various species tugging her along. “Oh, no. They love to help!” Fluttershy grinned. “And it’s only for a few hours, right? Until Rarity has that dress ready?” “That’s true. Thanks again, Fluttershy! I’ll see you later, okay?” Twilight waved, and then pointed towards the center of town. “Okay, let’s try to get to Town Hall and see how preparations are going. Ready, birds?” The birds gave off various muffled chirps, and started flying towards town, with Twilight pulled along behind them. Spike followed along, carrying the length of unneeded rope. “That’s working great, Twi!” “Perfect!” Twilight turned back to Fluttershy as they moved off. “Oh, Fluttershy, you’re all set for tonight?” “Oh, of course, Twilight. I need to do some last minute practice with my bird choir so that they are ready to greet the delegates with song, and I’ve got my dress all ready to go.” Fluttershy waved to the two with a hoof. “Great! See you soon, Fluttershy!” Twilight waved back awkwardly, getting used the feel of the ropes around her body and how they responded to her movements. “I don’t know why we didn’t go to Fluttershy’s first, Spike. This will work out great.” Twilight smiled as she was pulled along gently in the breeze. They had moved closer to town and were passing by Rarity’s boutique. A few ponies gave Twilight a few surprised stares, though nowhere as embarrassing as her initial trek to Applejack’s. “Er, Twi, the birds seem tense about something.” Spike took a worrying look to Twilight’s birds. Though they kept in formation, some of the smaller birds were twisting their heads around, and their movements were more erratic. “What’s there to worry about, Spike? It’s a great day, I’ve finally gotten this little problem of mine taken care of for the time being, and everypony’s getting ready for the delegates tonight.” “I don’t know, but whatever it is, the birds seem awfully scared.” Twilight waved a hoof in Spike’s direction. “Oh, they’re probably just tired from pulling me. I probably shouldn’t have had that second helping of hay fries yesterday.” Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at herself. As they passed under one of the trees by the boutique, there was a quiet rustling of the leaves. The noise spooked the birds even more, and their more errant flight paths jerked Twilight out of her calm state. “Hey, what’s got you so excited?” “Watch out, Twi!” Spike pointed as a mass of white fur launched itself from the tree. Opalescence tried to swipe at the birds as she landed but they dodged out of her path in time. Twilight was yanked hard in the same direction, and her momentum continued to drag the birds with her, despite them trying to flap as hard as possible to regain control. “Auggh! Opal! Not now!” Twilight tried to calm the cat, but she darted ahead, climbing atop Spike to try to jump at the birds again. The birds instinctively flew up, dragging Twilight with them. “Spike, hang onto that cat!” she screamed, trying to turn herself to follow the cat’s movement. “I’m trying, Twi! She’s too jumpy!” Spike called out as he attempted to grab Opal’s tail, but the creature dashed off against, this time clawing her way up another tree, trying to get the higher ground on her prey. “No, no, no! Stop her!” Twilight cried, trying to wheel her legs to will the birds to move away, but their formation has long broken down and were trying to fly off in different directions. Opal had padded across a branch above where the birds held Twilight. She crouched and pounced onto her waiting prey. The birds, unable to decide on a direction to escape, dropped the yarn strings they were carrying so they could fly off to safely. Opal’s claws missed them by inches as the cat landed on the ground. Between the momentum Twilight’s body had already, and the last action of scattering from Opal’s attack, Twilight found herself floating up from the ground. “Spike, HELP!” she screamed, flailing her hooves to grab at the tree, only managing to grab a thin branch that snapped off too easily. Spike stopped chasing Opal and grabbed the bundle of rope. “Hold on, Twilight! Let me see if I can toss this to you!” He found a small rock on the ground and tied the end of the rope to it. He eyed Twilight, already drifting past the tops of the trees, and started swinging on the end of rope with the attached rock. “Here, catch!” Twilight held her hooves out, waiting for the rope. “Hurry up!” Spike let go of the rope at the apex of his swing. The rock sailed up about six feet before falling back to the ground. “Ugghhh,” Twilight groaned, slapping her face with her hoof. “Hold on, I’ll try again, Twi!” Spike shouted as he collected the rope to try again. By now, Twilight had cleared the height of town hall, and she had fallen into a full panic model. “HURRY UP!” “I gotcha, Twi!” Rainbow Dash yelled as dove out of the clouds. The pegasus grabbed at one of the loose strings of the harness the birds as used, pulling the aloft Twilight alongside her. “Oh thank Celestia you came!” Twilight said through her rapid breathing. “I thought I was going to be lost to outer space there!” Rainbow brough Twilight down to the ground level. A winded Spike raced up to retie the rope around Twilight while Rainbow held her from drifting off. “Hey, no sweat. I had heard strange rumors from Cloudsdale about Twilight floating around and had to come see if for myself.” She nudged Twilight in her side, a smirk on her face. “Good thing I came by when I did, wasn’t it?” Twilight had her face in her hoof. “Ugh, I knew it would spread fast, but not that fast.” She sighed and collected her thoughts as Spike adjusted the rope around her. “Thanks anyway, Rainbow.” “You should let yourself float around some more, Twilight!” Rainbow drifted in a lazy circle around the pair. “Letting the wind stream through your hair, seeing everypony else as small as ants... it’s really a relaxing feeling.” Twilight was already starting to drift upwards herself after Spike had finished the knot, the end of the rope gripped in her hand. “Right, and drift off into nowhere. Or get taken by the next gust of wind over to the Bad Lands!” “Hey, I would have been there for you!” Rainbow thumped her chest. “I’d never let my friend down. Besides, I’d really love a flying buddy at times, but I never can get Fluttershy to pony up and join me.” “Well, after this spell wears off, I’m planning on staying on the ground forever,” Twilight nagged while her body floated aimlessly. “I assume you’ve got the weather taken care of for tonight?” “Sure thing!” Rainbow smiled and nodded. “There was a small drizzle scheduled for tonight but I got the okay from Cloudsdale to postpone it until tomorrow. Just need to grab the rest of the Ponyville cloud-clearing squad to push it out of the way.” “Oh,” Twilight paused, her ears drooping. “You mean, all the pegasi?” “Yup! Even that lazy Thunderlane!” “Well, I was going to ask if you or any of the other pegasi were available to help me, but the weather duty for tonight is much more important than my predicament right now.” Rainbow frowned, and scratched behind her head. “Yeah, I’d love to help, but I need the full team for this.” Her face suddenly lit up. “Hey, but I can help you a bit! How about a hitch over to the town hall? I’ve got to go there anyway myself to start rounding up the team, it’ll be no sweat to help you along!” Twilight smiled with relief. “I’d appreciate that, Dash. I won’t have to worry about floating off between here or there once I’m inside.” “And then it’s just a short walk back to the library after that,” Spike offered. “We shouldn’t have any problem getting you back home after that, right?” Rainbow was already gathering the yarn harnessed in her teeth and began towing Twilight towards town. Twilight turned towards Spike and narrowed her eyes at him. “After a day like today, I just don’t know what else can go wrong.”