"Please can I fly?" I begged, shaking some of the moisture from my feathers.
"No, you're still new at it, and I don't want to be responsible for any injuries you could sustain."
"I promise I'll be careful, pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease?"
"No! Stop asking."
I had plenty of reasons for wanting to meet the sky. I wanted to try standing on clouds, the weather was more pleasant above them, and Rainbow Dash had taken off and drifted through them. My wings were more cooperative after she left my sight, and I tried keeping them closed, but my radiating excitement kept my feathers and fur on end. I was psyched to be so close to meeting Rainbow Dash and determined to get my way. I groveled some more, "I'll be fine, I'm a grown stallion. Can't you let me go for like five minutes?"
"..."
"I'm going."
"Wait!" She tried to stop me as I galloped at full speed, extending my wings and pumping them in preparation for takeoff. I managed to gallop for a whopping two meters before tripping over my own four hooves and skidding in the mud.
"Tartarus," I swore under my breath.
"How did you expect to fly when you can't even trot in a straight line?"
To tell the truth I blissfully ignored that fact hoping (obviously in vain) that my wings could bring me more balance, I thought. "Ugh this sucks," were the only words to escape my mouth. I wanted to see the clouds so much that I couldn't pull my head out of them long enough to see that I had no experience with flying.
"If you want to fly so badly, you'll get your chance when this weather passes. The rain was only scheduled for an hour today," Twilight lectured. "Come on, let's get inside first. I'll show you around town later, but it's unlikely you'll get lost here. Ponyville is quite small," she sighed, "On the other hoof, I'm still getting used to the castle, and I've lived there for long enough to know it like the back of my hoof."
We continued to said castle and she beckoned me inside. Despite having so many new places thrown at me since arriving, I was still averted to entering new houses. At least I didn't have shoes to take off at the door. I briefly wondered where Spike had wandered off to, but kept my thoughts to myself since it was none of my business in the first place. I gazed in awe upon the grand entrance as I stepped through the threshold. The castle was ornately decorated and shimmered brightly on the inside, but not enough to cast a glare on a pony's comically large eyes. The crystals shone whole spectrums of light that danced as we moved further into the room. The ceiling was about ten meters high and a beautiful eight tier open-flame crystal chandelier hung midway between the floor and the ceiling. "Wow," I gaped in a hushed tone.
Twilight didn't seem to notice and directed me to the east corridor leading from the lobby. Turning a corner and climbing a wide spiral staircase Twilight spoke, "I recommend picking a room with an east-facing window and light curtains. It will help you wake up in the morning. I don't have any alarm clocks for the extra rooms yet, even though whatever power brought this castle into existance was nice enough to fully furnish them."
My eyes wandered in all directions as we reached the top of the staircase which opened up to a curved pathway that opened up onto a massive balcony overlooking the hallway below. The crystals never ceased reflecting their spectrums, and they each gave off a suble glow. The railing for the balcony was crescent-shaped, and allowed plenty of wing room should any pegasus or alicorn wish to glide down instead of taking the steps. To the right, a hallway of stained windows lead to a larger version of the same type of balcony to overlook the entrance, level with the chandelier. Instead of having pictures telling stories, the stained windows remained blank, each one only having a different color scheme to set them apart from the next. I peered past the chandelier to see another hallway of stained glass reflected on the other side. I assumed that the castle was mostly symmetrical, which could either make it easier or more difficult to get lost, depending on how one handled directions.
I returned my sight to the hallway ahead of us where Twilight had been waiting, politely watching my inspection. Seeing that I was finished observing the immediate area, she continued her canter through the forward hall, which had been lined with doors on both sides. "This wing is for bedrooms. I think they're supposed to be quarters for my guards, but as you can see, I haven't found a use for them yet until you arrived. It actually gets quite lonely here with just Spike and myself, so if you want to choose a room close to mine or his, you're welcome to do so. These are our rooms," she extended a hoof to an open door on her right. I noticed that she had neglected the advice she gave me earlier about choosing a room with an east-facing window, as hers seemed to only point to a courtyard resting in what looked like the center of the castle with some openings for air and light above the rooms on the west wing, and I assumed had matching openings that I couldn't see above the rooms nearest us. The openings were slanted upward allowing the rain to fall through and feed the sapling. The window in her room rested on the floor, allowing me to peer through to the outside without intruding her personal space. A sapling lay smack-dab in the middle of the courtyard, with a brick ring surrounding it. My gut told me there was great significance in that tree being there.
I was quiet throughout the whole tour, taking everything in completely before reacting, and patiently waiting for the princess to tell me what to do. She only stood there looking at me, boring holes in my side until I made my decision. I turned completely around, crossing the hallway and bringing a hoof up to the door handle. Pushing down the lever and leaning into the door, it gave way willingly opening to a reflection of the room across the hall, save for the darkened drapes covering the window. The crystals on the edges of the room between the wall and the ceiling emanated a faint light making the room visible. I silently hoped that there were a way to control their brightness so I could sleep in peace. Twilight seemed to read my thoughts, "The crystals dim when it gets later. They funnel light from outside the castle into the hallways and rooms, so when it gets dark, you'll have to rely on your own light source. I have some candles around in case you don't want to sleep right away, and I almost never do. The lights in the hallways don't ever seem to dim, but they don't get brighter throughout the day either. They must hold a charge, or have some magical quality keeping a steady stream of light shine from them. So you won't have to worry about stumbling around in the dark. I haven't really had a chance to study them yet. Do you want this room?" She asked.
"Sure. Do you mind that it's across from yours?"
"Not at all. Spike's is right next to mine too," she beamed.
"Thank you for letting me stay here until I get on my hooves. I really appreciate the gesture, Princess Twilight," I expressed my gratitude, adding in a bow out of respect.
"Wes, I already told you you can call me Twilight, and you don't have to bow to me. It's nothing, really. I don't mind taking you in, at least as long as you don't wreck anything," she jested.
"I'll try my best not to destroy your home, Twilight. Really though, thank you." I cautiously put a hoof forward to close some distance between us, gaging her reaction so as not to offend her. When she didn't back down, I stepped closer and swiftly nuzzled her cheek with mine as thanks. When I drew my head back, she was blushing. I suspected I was, too, but hoped that I hadn't just made things awkward between us too soon.
"Oh hey Twilight!" A chipper voice called out from the landing down the hall. I jumped in surprise, my wings flaring yet again and my heart raced. I instinctively turned to see a baby purple and green dragon walking towards us.