//------------------------------// // Paradise // Story: Another Sappy HiE Fic // by exsnaggerwes //------------------------------// “Are you sure you're okay? At this altitude, you might get out of breath quickly and I don't want you fainting in the air.” “I can handle it, I think,” I responded to Umbra, who was showing signs of serious concern on his face. “Are you sure? We can always stop, or decline a little bit if it's too much.” Rainbow cut in, “You already said that, nincompoop. Stop worrying or you'll give yourself an aneurism. And we're not falling, either. If we lose altitude and suddenly climb straight up when we get there, not only will we have wasted a ton of time, but the altitude sickness could land any one of us in the hospital, and nurse Wind still has a bone to pick with me, so I'd rather avoid that if at all possible.” It was clear she was annoyed by Umbra's constant questioning, but I could understand his concern. Apparently I wasn't hiding my misgivings about coming to Equestria alone very well. He didn't know that, of course, and so he probably thought I was getting sick or out of breath. It wasn't much of a stretch to say I was out of breath, either. Cloudsdale was significantly further away than I had first anticipated, and my mistaken judgment for size was growing more relevant the closer we got. Cloudsdale had to be, by far, the largest city in all of Equestria, and possibly even the whole world. Even if it weren't for the many cloud homes near Ponyville, like Rainbow Dash's, that fell under Cloudsdale's domain simply because it was just slightly out of any other town's airspace, Cloudsdale's main hub was easily twice the size of New York City. The city itself lacked any formal streets and alleyways, as all of the citizens flew between the many buildings to get around. To look at the ground would quickly snap one back to reality as they would see just how high up the city flew. As for the size of it, I could not easily see from one end to the other. Even if I could see beyond the horizon, which seemed further away from the height I flew, my eyes couldn't take in the vastness of the magical floating city. It all made perfect sense, really. Most clouds are further up than they appear, unless they're on the ground, and even the weather zone is about 5-7km from the ground. Strangely, in Equestria, where the ponies ruled the weather, they could make the weather zone as high or low as they wished, and it seemed for convenience in Ponyville, it wasn't nearly that high. However, Cloudsdale obviously played by normal weather rules and as a result, floated slightly above the natural weather zone. Because of this, and the fact that they actually made the weather, they could easily enjoy clear weather and sunshine at all times without rest. I wouldn't ask if it ever got boring, as obviously one could venture to the ground for a stroll in the rain, or simply crack open a storm cloud above their home. Of course, the climate of the city didn't seem to suffer from stagnant weather, anyway. Regardless of how unnaturally the pegasi controlled the weather, it seemed some general physics still applied. Water vapors floated freely in the air, and crystallized above Cloudsdale, shrouding the city in a glimmering dust almost like snowflakes. The breeze carried the dust around the city and into the structures, seemingly merging with them and frosting them in a glittery texture. The dust didn't fall, but merely allowed itself to be carried on the frigid wind, waiting to become one with the floating city or be pulled into the weather factory to become weather. The weather factory, which was in our view as we approached Cloudsdale, was quite a bit larger than what I had imagined. I supposed that it had to be since it was where all of Equestria's weather came from, but it was still mind-bogglingly huge. It stood on the same cloud as Cloudsdale's famous Cloudesseum, which in itself was about the size of my hometown. The phrase “Everything's bigger here” came to mind more than once as we blitzed past many of the office buildings and mansions in the city. The majority seemed to take up airspace above a peaceful-looking forest, however I didn't want to confirm my assessment of how 'peaceful' it was by looking down. That would have been fairly dangerous considering just how far away down was. Cloudsale was breathtaking. Whether my delirium came from lack of oxygen, or the sudden surrealism of hundreds of pegasi flying about, for some reason I thought I had died and gone to heaven, and I didn't even care. There was no panic, there were no screams, and for what seemed like forever, there was no time either. There were just clouds and magical flying ponies for miles. Even at the late hour, there were many ponies going about their business. Some weather ponies were changing shifts at the factory, and weather clouds were constantly being shipped out on enchanted chariots in all directions. Several business mares were returning home from their respective office buildings with fancy silk saddlebags matching their coats. Sculptors busied themselves adjusting columns, and leveling what few walkways existed, and some ponies were even tending to hanging gardens atop extravagant balconies. Even though the sun had set hours ago in Ponyville, it was clear that it had only just set in Cloudsdale shortly before our arrival, as the moon still lingered low in the night sky. It was the second time I had seen a sight so beautiful. The galaxies and nebulae were still unobstructed by the imposing light of the modern world. Houses, buildings, and mansions in Cloudsdale used only the common lanterns and natural light, and at night, it was easy to see why. There weren't any clouds about as they had all been underneath us, and the stars wrapped around the night sky in a dome that went on forever. Nothing could ever compare to my first view of that floating city, but it was still marred by that constant nagging feeling that I had made a horrible decision. It wasn't until I was broken from my reverie by a leathery wing nudging me that I realized I had landed and was staring at the moon. I recovered quickly and we continued the rest of the way to our destination. Rainbow, Umbra, and I approached a relatively small building compared to the rest of the surrounding area with a sign above that read something incomprehensible. “Is this a griffon establishment?” Umbra asked offhandedly. “You don't have a problem with griffons, do you?” Rainbow teased, seeming mildly offended. Umbra stumbled over his words for a moment. “N-not at all. I was just wondering because the sign says 'The Dragon's Den' in Lyonnais.” “You know what it says? Your Equestrian accent is quite convincing.” “Oh, no. I'm not Stirropean, I just know the language. It's helpful to know many tongues when working for the crown, and it even comes with it's own benefits.” We entered the bar, and I was expecting to be assaulted with smoke and harsh smells, but was pleasantly surprised to discover that there weren't any lit cigarettes in sight (or possibly in existence), and there weren't even the slightest traces of alcohol-breath floating through the air. My curiosity piqued, so I asked, “What kind of benefits?” Umbra turned to me with the slightest tug on the corner of his mouth and replied, “You wouldn't believe how many curses a Princess will use if they think nopony knows what they're saying.” I held back a laugh and just settled for a smirk. Rainbow seemed intrigued as well. “Which princess?” “Both.” “Cool. Do you think you could teach us any?” “Perhaps another time. Most of them don't translate well anyway, and it's not like they're used very often. You don't want ponies thinking you're some crazy gypsy enchantress.” They both laughed wholeheartedly at a joke I apparently missed, while Umbra escorted Rainbow and me to a booth, then wandered to the bar alone. Rainbow shot me a toothy grin. “It looks like your gentlecolt friend is treating us tonight. I hope you like cider, because that's my favorite! You better like cider.” “I love cider, but how do you know that's what he'll bring back?” “I hope you like cider.”