//------------------------------// // In the Clouds // Story: Turning Back the Winter // by Dinkledash //------------------------------// Celestia looked at the cliff's edge with dread. "Starswirl, this first step looks like a doozy." "Don't worry, honey. It's the same spell we practiced at ten feet when we walked on that fog bank. You cast it once and you can walk on clouds for twenty-four hours. I'll go first." Starswirl disappeared off the edge of and a horrible scream echoed, trailing off in the distance. Celestia ran to the edge to see Starswirl sitting on the cloud, wearing a cheesy grin. "Seriously?" The look she gave him could have melted lead. "When am I ever?" Her deathgaze bounced off his armor of coltish charm. "Well then," she said, stepping down carefully, testing her weight several times, onto the small cloud which sat there, stabilized by Starswirl's arcanokinetics, "you can just forget about that little experiment you wanted to conduct during the trip up to Stratosopolis." His face fell. "Oh baby, come on, I was just messing around a little!" She hmphed and sat down on the cloud, ignoring him as he added a vector to his arcanokinetic web to get the cloud moving. Cloudriding was not something commonly done because it was a slow ride; you can only push a cloud so hard before it starts to break apart, so while the unicorns could technically fly, it was at a slow walking pace and you needed favorable winds or still air to get anyplace. "You know I love you!" "Guess it's going to be a long, slow, awkward trip." She polished her hoof, scowling at nothing in particular. "For some reason, the thought of my lover hurtling to his untimely demise does not fill me with amour." "Well, you know it is going to get pre-t-ty cold up here when we get to altitude." "Fine by me. I brought a blanket." She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a colorful afghan. "Room for two?" Starswirl endeavored to make puppy eyes. She glanced at his cutie mark, a whirling galaxy of stars on his toned flank. "Mmmmm... I dunno. Maybe. It depends. What's in it for me?" "Well, um, I read about this thing I was thinking maybe you'd like me to try, in a um... gentlecolt's publication." He showed all his teeth. "What?! You read those things?" She flushed, slightly disturbed. "Only for the articles! And you know, some of them are pretty interesting." "Just how many of those articles have you read?" She was getting a little angry now. What is he doing, hoofing off to pictures of Miss Neighvember? "Let me tell you what I am going to do under that blanket." He leaned forward and whispered in her ear and she turned bright pink. ______ "Wow. That was certainly... sophisticated. And very nice, sweet colt." She lazed, her back on the cloud, looking up at the heavens while a steady breeze wafted them slowly towards the pegasi's cloud capital. She kept an eye out for possible intruders. We don't want to be interrupted in the... wait... again? ______ "I didn't know I could do that! Come here and kiss me, prince of my life! On my mouth this time!" He obliged, smiling through his mussed up beard. "I could do that all day!" "You better not or else I'll be rather too relaxed and pliable to be an effective diplomat." She grinned. "Though I feel as though I should reciprocate." "Huh? How?" "Well, I read this article in Cosmoponyton..." ______ By the time they docked their cloud at the Stratos lower level, they were wearing enigmatic little smiles, snuggled up to one another under the blanket, and the pegasi were not quite sure what to make of it. "Commander Hurricane, the unicorns are here!" An amber coated pegasus with a short cropped gray mane shouted up what looked to be a tower of solidified cloud. It was rather warmer here in the cloud than they had expected; perhaps the body heat of all the high metabolism pegasi in what was effectively a floating castle contributed to the ambient temperature being more tolerable. A black figure with a white mane leaped from the top of the tower and dove straight at them, causing them to jump back a couple of feet. It stopped inches from the cloud surface and settled with a final flap of ebon wings. "Hi there! I'm Commander Hurricane! Welcome to Stratosopolis! Or just Stratos, for short." The stallion's pale blue eyes held no guile. Celestia cleared her throat. "Commander, I speak with the voice of her august highness, Princess Platinum of Unicornia. She sends her royal greetings to you and to your..." The pegasus broke in impatiently. "Yeah, yeah, all that diplomatic crap. Who are you and what do you want?" Celestia wasn't sure whether to be insulted or amused, but seeing how she came as something of a supplicant, she smiled and bowed her head. "I am Equesse Celestia, of Green Bend. My traveling companion is Starswirl. We have come regarding matters of considerable import which may be better discussed in private." "Well, ya see here Lady Celestia, we don't have any secrets here in Stratos. What you see is what you get. I'm the commander of the military because I got elected on account-a-because I'm the best flyer and the best tactician and that's all that matters up here. So we don't have any back-room dealings. Anything you have to say, you say in front of the Epistates and whatever decision she makes, they'll put to vote in the Boule for ratification and then that will go to the Ekklesia for approval when it is next in session. Unless the Bouletai say it requires the passage of a new law, in which case it needs to go through the Hellaia before it gets presented to the Ekklesia. Now really, before you go and start complaining about how cumbersome the system is because that's what you oligarchs always do, that's just the way it is and there ain't no changing it so... you're ambassadors, you will be received by the Epistates. But if you are even a little hungry after your trip, I would recommend you get something to eat, because you're going to be getting an earful. The Fleetfeather tribe have the prytany for another two weeks, and today the Epistates is Grey Wind and she can talk your wings off. No offense." Celestia's mouth moved but she wasn't able to get any words out. Starswirl gaped at Commander Hurricane in amazement. Finally Celestia was able to get over the feeling of disorientation brought about by the rapid fire introduction to the mechanics of direct participatory democracy, and was able to speak. "But... but we thought you were in charge." "Oh, I'm in charge of the military alright, for another four months. My actual title is Strategos, by the way. When my term ends, I'm thinking about running for Superintendent of Rainbows, or maybe I'll just volunteer for one of the Archon positions; it'd be great to be the Archon of Games. It will be time to let somepony else run the show; if other pegasi don't have the chance to lead, when I'm gone there won't be anypony who can do it. I'm just another pegasus, like everypony else. If I ruffle enough feathers, the Ekklesia can recall me on a majority vote and I'll step down. I know a good Estiatoros, with the best dolmades! Come on!" The couple followed the brash Strategos, their heads spinning. "Why didn't the princess say something about this?" whispered Starswirl. "She did say their form of government was incomprehensible, but I think she believes Commander Hurricane is actually the power here." replied Celestia, quietly. "Too bad he doesn't agree with her!" They both giggled and then they got to another cloudbank with a hole in it. It was very difficult to make out the layout of this place. "Here ya go! Silver Dart's place! Finest eatery in Stratos! Well, at least I think so. Come inside!" The black pegasus led the way and they found themselves reclining on exceptionally comfortable cloud couches in front of a low cloud table. The smell was incredible; Celestia and Starswirl looked at each other in surprise. "Silver! Three plates of dolmades please!" A pale grey pegasus poked his head out. "Hurricane, what are you doing, bringing unicorns in here?" He gave the two a dirty look. "I run a nice place! I don't serve barbarians!" The two unicorns were astounded and looked at the Strategos in shock. "A misunderstanding. Excuse me please." Hurricane stood up and walked straight to Silver Dart, pushing him into the kitchen. The two sat uncomfortably looking at the other pegasi who were sitting around eating and looking at them. Commander Hurricane's voice was muffled by the cloud wall between the kitchen and dining area, but the words could be made out. "You are going to go out there and apologize to those two perfectly nice unicorn diplomats who just dropped by for a bite to eat before going to present themselves to the Epistates and you are going to serve up three delicious plates of stuffed grape leaves or I am going to rip off your pinion feathers and shove them up your arse, you bone-brained booby! I would stand back and watch them blast you right to Tartarus if you weren't the best chef in Stratos!" "Hey, Strategos, I am not one of your flycolts and you can't order me around! It's those damned unicorns who are cooling down the sun and driving up the prices for everything from grape leaves to olives to ouzo! So take your magical friends and get the hell out of my place!" "Silver, I am not ordering you. I AM THREATENING YOU!" There was a thump followed by the sound pots and pans crashing and some indistinct yelling for a few seconds. "I AM NOT MAKING A PRETENSE OF BEING A LEGITIMATE AUTHORITY! I AM SIMPLY GOING TO BEAT YOU UNLESS AND UNTIL YOU DO AS I SAY, GOT IT?" A few seconds later, Hurricane came back into the dining area. "I cleared it up. He's got this ridiculous idea that unicorns have been draining the sun of its energy to power their spells and that's why its been getting colder. That's an unfortunately common misconception here. Ah, there you are Silver Dart. I believe you have something to say?" The grey pegasus carried a tray with three plates of rolled up leaves, placing them on the cloud table. He muttered something indistinct that may have included the word sorry, looked at them sullenly through a blackened eye and turned around, heading back to the kitchen before the two unicorns could gather themselves sufficiently to reply. "Now, please, eat." The general reached down and picked up a rolled, stuffed grape leaf and shoved it in his mouth, closing his eyes and smiling as he chewed. Celestia and Starswirl shared another glance, shrugged at one another and did likewise. They were hot from the oven, and the olive oil on the leaves combined with onion, fennel, pine nuts, brown rice, dill, and parsley to create a gastronomic experience simply not available in Unicornia, the land of potatoes and carrots. "Oh my sweet moon! This is incredible! What is in it?" Celestia forgot all about the recent insults and just savored the tangy, sweet chewiness. Starswirl said nothing but immediately downed a second one. "I'm no chef, but we trade a lot with zebras for the olives and grape leaves. They hire us out to do weather work, same as the earth ponies do. I know we get our rice from the freeholds as well as the fennel and onion. We get around, you know." He smiled as he ate his third. "Now, would you like some wine to wash that down? Silver Dart! Ouzo!"