Roarke trotted through the jungle until she had a break in the forest's ceiling. She tilted her head up, her eye-lenses focusing on a cluster of clouds above. Several winged figures were congregating around the wisps of moisture, and one prismatic pony in particular was zipping speedily through the mess, causing the clouds to cluster tighter and thicker together.
With flaring nostrils, Roarke muttered something to herself, turned her back to the scene, and marched to where her experimental weapons lay in wait.
"Yah! Haah! Zaat! And loop the loop around and—" Rainbow came down from one last spiraling glide and kicked a final cluster of mists into the main cloud gathered before her. "—yeah!" Panting, she nestled down atop one cloud, sitting with a smug face. "What'd I tell you?"
"I dunno..." Kitsune folded her forelimbs from where she hovered alongside Sivrem. "Felt like more than ten seconds to me."
"Pffft. That's not the point." Rainbow rolled her eyes, then pointed at the large cloud again. "Do you see this or don't ya?"
"Indeed we do." Sivrem smiled. "It's a cloud."
"Not just any cloud... but one that I've compacted using pegasus weather flying skills!" Rainbow smirked at the First-Borns. "You do know how to weather fly, don't you?"
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhhh..."
"Didn't think so." Rainbow reclined on her side, pressing her hoof into a plushy cloud. "You ever sit on a cloud before, dude?"
"Absolutely." Sivrem nodded. "Plenty of times."
"Yes, all Durandanans can," Kitsune remarked. "Even from a sparrow's age. We've always considered it a gift from the Valkyrie."
"But we can't sit on a cloud for too long," Sivrem said. "Eventually, the mists dissipate, carried off beyond the greens."
"Is that so?" Rainbow gestured at the cloud. "Try flying through it now."
Sivrem simply squinted at her.
"Come on!" Rainbow grinned brightly. "Do it!"
"Hrmmm..." Sivrem cracked his neck joints as he flapped his wings harder. "Hate to mess up your hard work."
"Don't worry." Rainbow yawned. "You won't."
"Hrnnnnngh...!" Sivrem backflipped, picked up speed, and hurled himself at the cloud.
"Errrr..." Rainbow was already wincing. "Maybe not quite so fast—!"
WHAM! Sivrem's body pinballed off the cloud like it was a solid brick wall.
"Sivrem!" Kitsune gasped. In a blink, her body had darted down below in time to catch his dizzied figure. "Are you alright?!"
"Guhhhhh..." Sivrem's eyes rolled until he shook the cobwebs clear. "Feather my insides!" He rubbed his head as he glanced up at the cloud. "Been a long time since I've been whalloped that hard."
"Heh..." Kitsune smirked. "Like that last fight you had with Drenner before he became a Gray-Feather."
"Rainbow, care to explain?" Sivrem hovered upright, squinting at the cloud. "I've never seen a cloud stay put like that before."
"Because you've never compacted it with weather flying skills before!" Rainbow said with a proud smirk. "And—for your information—it doesn't have to 'stay put.'"
"Huh?"
"This is the kind of stuff that cities like Cloudsdale and Las Pegasus are made out of!" Rainbow Dash said. "Pegasopolis was the same thing. You see..." Rainbow trotted briskly across the cloud top. "...Harmony empowers the pegasus body to walk on clouds—as well as manipulate the weather. If I wanted, I could turn this into a thunderstorm, make it produce lightning, and even generate hail!" She turned about and winked. "And, no, it's not because I'm related to the Valkyrie or some noise. Every pegasus can do this. All it takes is knowing how nature works and learning how to bend the rules... just a teeeeeeeny bit."
"Then how come we've never been able to do it before?" Kitsune said.
"Probably because you were never taught the tools of the trade," Rainbow explained. "All you've known or cared about these past few millennia is looking after the scrolls of Duranda. That's all good n'all, but—at the same time—the ability to fly your sexy flanks out of here has been hiding right under your muzzles!" Rainbow blinked. "Or, y'know, above them." She giggled.
"So... what you're saying..." Sivrem pointed, fumbling for words. "...is that this cloud can take us out of the basin?"
"You wanna find out for yourself?"
"Uhhhh... when?"
Rainbow's ruby eyes lit up. "Now."
"Color wheel boomer is certain Floydien shouldn't follow her mist glimmer?" the elk asked from the starboard side of the hovering Jury. "To protect from gravity's spit?"
"If you wanna have Eagle keep his snazzy eye on us, that's fine, Floydien," Rainbow said as she stood on the cloud drifting slowly past West D's tower. "But, if I'm gonna prove that this thing can work, it's gotta work on its own ya feel me?"
"Hrmmf..." Floydien's nostrils flared. "If the boomer insists." He turned and trotted inside the Jury's cockpit. "Floydien will think up a touching eulogy."
"Yeah. That may not be such a bad idea." Rainbow gulped. "Generally speaking, I mean." She nevertheless threw on a happy smile and turned towards her winged partners. "We all ready to go?"
"Just about." Sivrem turned about from where he stood atop the bulky cloud. "Smythe! Jagold! Hurry it up!"
"Yeah!" Rayvinne chirped, hovering alongside Kitsune. "Let's gust already!"
"We're c-coming!" Jagold glided down, but stopped just inches from the crowd. "Mmmmmm..." She whimpered to herself, squirming at the sight of the coagulated mists. "Is... is it g-gonna hurt me?"
"Come on, girl!" Smythe swatted her on the back with his wing. "Every gull knows you like it fluffy!"
"Aack!" Jagold landed, sprawled across the cloudbed. She blinked, her ears perking up. "Hey! It is fluffy!"
"Story of my life," Rayvinne droned. She turned towards Rainbow Dash. "So, you 'built' this yourself, huh?"
"Yup!" Rainbow nodded. "And for the return trip, I'm gonna show you how to build you your own!"
"That's assuming we don't get dashed to meaty ribbons across the mountaintops," Rayvinne said.
"Hey. You volunteered to come along."
"Mmmmhmmm..." Rayvinne's eyes went thin above a warm smile. "And I can't think of another pony whose arms I'd rather die in."
"Uhhhhhhhhhhhh huh..." Rainbow pivoted about. "On that note, we ready to go or what?"
Sivrem opened his mouth—
"Not quite yet."
Everypony turned and looked up.
"Jerrio...?" Kitsune blinked akwardly.
The First-Born in question touched down with a canvas bag bulging with items. "There's no telling how long this venture will take," he said, settling down on the cloud. "We're going to need food and water for the trip beyond the greens."
"What do you mean we?" Smythe asked.
Jagold gasped. "You're coming along too?!"
Jerrio glanced calmly aside. "But of course. You're going to need somepony responsible to make sure this goes off without any problems."
Sivrem squinted. "You mean we're going to need somepony to report every damn detail to the Gray Feathers like the pigeon-tailed sissy he is."
"Mmmmm... yes." Jerrio's muzzle curved ever so slightly. "Something to that extent."
"I thought as much." Sivrem turned to Rainbow Dash, sighing with a tired smile. "I believe we're a go."
"Groovy!"
"Erm..." Smythe fidgeted. "Just how is this going to work?"
"The key is not to think that the cloud is an object," Rainbow said. "But—instead—a piece of ourselves. I mean... we built it."
"You built it," Kitsune said.
Rainbow stuck her tongue out. "A maiden voyage is best led by the maiden herself."
"Do you seriously believe that?" Rayvinne asked.
"I do now. Alright, everypony. Spread out."
"In what way...?"
"There's only seven of us, and we need to get this cloud moving against the wind. So... four in the back. two in the center. I'll take point."
"Huh?"
"What I mean is that I'll be up front. Now—for the ponies in the back—we want the outside wingponies to be the strongest."
"Guess that means Sivrem and Kitsune."
"Hrmmm..." Jerrio murmured to himself.
Sivrem smirked. "Would you like to say something, First-Born?"
"I'll take the middle with Smythe."
"Hey!" Jagold frowned. "I'm not that weak!"
Rayvinne glided past her, murmuring in her ear. "Yes you are."
"Ohhhh..." Jagold melodically sighed, following the other mare. "I guess you're right."
"Alright!" Kitsune sounded off from the rear of the cloud. "We're in position!"
"Are we doing what I think we're doing?!" Smythe remarked.
"Yup!" Rainbow took her spot at the very front of the cloud. The group formed a triangular "V" that fanned out towards the rear. "On my mark, you're going to start beating your wings. I'll get our position started, and then when I shout 'left,' I want Smythe and Kitsune to angle us towards the right. When I shout 'right,' I want Jerrio and Sivrem to angle us to the left! Got it?"
"I... th-think so?"
"Once we get enough momentum, the cloud will pretty much carry itself!"
"What about ascending—"
"I'll take care of it! What's more, I'll show you how it's done when the time comes! Just trust me!"
"Uh... sure thing..."
"Alright, everypony!" Rainbow Dash raised her hoof. "Southbound Express for Beyond the Greens! Let's roll!"
Across the deck of the Noble Jury, several ponies stood, watching with baited breath. Before their eyes, the angular cloud picked up speed and started cruising its way south.
"It's moving!" Kera squeaked, hopping up and down across Bellesmith's back. "It's moving!"
"Absolutely remarkable," Belle murmured, a soft grin plastered across her muzzle. She brushed shoulders with Pilate. "Beloved, I wish you could see this."
"Hmmm..." The zebra smiled. "I can hear it just fine."
Belle squinted at him. "But... it's not making any noise."
"I know, and that's the beauty of it." He chuckled. "Imagine, a vehicle built by clouds... powered by ponies alone."
"Winged ponies, you mean," Propsy said.
"Well, true."
"I wonder why we've never seen Rainbow do something like this before," Eagle murmured from where he stood with Ebon.
"Maybe you haven't, EE," Belle said with a smile. "But Pilate and I have witnessed Rainbow do some cloudplay in our day."
"I've seen her do it," Zaid said with a proud smirk.
Props blinked up at him. "You have?"
"Heck yeah!" He hung a forelimb around her shoulder. "It's how the Terrific Trio snuck aboard the Lightning Bearer! Pegasus Cloud Power! Yeah!"
Josho raised an eyebrow. "'Terrific Trio?'"
"Yup! Me, Rainbow Kickass, and Roarke Most Rawwwwr."
"Hmmm..." Josho smirked. "'More like Damnable Duo Plus One Jackass.'"
"Hey!" Zaid frowned at the fat stallion. "I provided charisma!"
"I bet you provided plenty of urine too, from how much you flew."
"Meh. At that height, it would have frozen as it came out. I know. This one time, I tried taking a leak off the side of Khao's skystone ship." He shivered. "Last time I drank applejuice over a mile high."
Props giggled.
"Say..." Ebon spoke up. "Just where is Roarke, anyway?"
Belle sighed. "I wish I could say. Just a day or two ago, she was opening up. We actually got the chance to talk about things like normal friends."
"Then what happened?" Ebon asked.
"I... I'm not certain."
"I'm sure it had nothing to do with Blondie commandeering Roarke's only piece of moving property!" Zaid said with a grin.
"Errrm..." Props squirmed. "I think I'll b-be sleeping with my wrench close beside me this month."
"Would I make a good substitute?"
"I dunno. Can you twist a pipe loose with your teeth?"
"Heeheehee!" Ebon giggled.
Eagle turned to smirk at him. "Having fun?"
"Hmmm..." Ebon smiled calmly, leaning his neck against Eagle's mane. "Something like that..."
Eagle reciprocated, nuzzling him gently.
Kera smiled at the two, then tilted her head up to gaze proudly at the cloud floating slowly away.
"There they go!" a pegasus shouted.
Several Durandanans along the upper platforms of West D chirped and shrieked in an avian melody.
Ice paused in mid-air, gathering the colts and fillies around them as they all whooped and cheered from the lower skies.
Standing along a platform, several Gray Feathers watched in dead silence. The younger ones with less-bleached manes stood on the very wooden edge, chewing on their lips as they struggled with mute anticipation.
Fawful hovered slightly above them. She glanced down at her fellow elders, then looked up at the cloud as it began to pass over the mountains of the southern crater. She closed her eyes and murmured a whispery prayer.
"Righteous Valkyrie, may your Light shine favorably on your First-Borns." She took a shuddering breath, a tear or two clinging to her lashes. "...as well as Rainbow Dash."