Chapter 2: The Sky & Me, and Rockin’ Poetry
Once again her eyes flew open and she nearly missed hitting the ground. Not that it would have hurt that much. She’d crashed so many times in the past few hours that she was getting used to it. However, she was still tired and pulling herself together after every crash was exhausting.
Oh, what I wouldn’t give to lie down and sleep for just a little bit.
Mira had been flying now for about 10 hours and it was taking its toll on her. It was fun at first, but since she couldn’t land, couldn’t stop flying, and had to constantly be alert and in control or else her whole body would fly apart, she was getting tired fast.
Ever since she had woken up above the clouds that afternoon she had known something was going on. The fact that she couldn’t see herself, that she was flying, and that she couldn’t really feel anything had cemented this in her mind as a fun and unique dream.
After falling or flying below the cloud-line she had taken a good look around. Everything felt somehow familiar, the trees, the sky, even the mountains. It felt like she had seen them all before.
She had calmed down quickly enough when she came upon some talking ponies and figured the whole thing out. After all any Pegasister worth her socks should recognize Braeburn.
She left Appleloosa, after taking a good look around and fan-girling a lot, and followed the tracks towards the tall mountain in the distance.
Get to Ponyville. If something is going on just get to the center with the main cast and Twilight will figure something out. But seriously, I’ve got flying, I’ve got ponies, I’ve got flying ponies and I’ve got magic ponies. This is the best dream ever!
Now, 10 hours of monotonous flight later, she was beginning to figure out that it wasn’t the best dream ever, it was 100% real and it was exhausting.
Just maake its to Twilight’s Catsle and…
Her train of thought derailed again as she pulled herself out of a nose dive right into the Everfree.
Everflee. Almots there. Juts a listle further. Hasta keep going… gahhh!
She yawned again. One thing was for sure; her yawns were a lot more fulfilling than yesterday. It was like she was all lung. In fact she hadn’t even been able to take a full breath since yesterday.
As she flew through the Everfree she started breathing in to test herself. After a while she began to feel like Goofy in those shorts when the narrator would forget to tell him to exhale. However, unlike Goofy she couldn’t feel herself expanding; it was like her insides were already the size of a football stadium.
Maybe I’m a ghost, she thought, as she flew down below the treeline.
“Woah!” she said as something crashed through her.
“Who’s there?” yelled somepony from behind her, “Why don’t you come out and show yourself?”
“DASHIE!” squeed Mira as she spun around, wide awake now.
“Who said that?” said Rainbow as she spun around trying to find where the voice was coming from, “I’m warning you buster. Mess with the Cutie Mark Crusaders huh. Well I’ll show you. Where are ya?”
“Over here,” said Mira, waving her hands.
“Where?”
Rainbow circled a few trees and flew right by Mira a few times.
“How can something that big hide so well?” said Rainbow to herself.
Mira just… floated there, trying to find herself. She had stopped looking several hours back when she had figured out it wasn’t a dream, but she still couldn't feel her body. She had tried clasping her hands together, looking for her head, even hugging herself to no avail. She had finally given up after she had wrapped her arms around and through herself, tying herself into a knot, and then merely slipped apart like a cloud of ether. She wasn’t there no matter how hard she tried.
But at least Rainbow can hear me.
Mira never figured out whether it was because she was so tired, or whether she was mad because nopony (herself included) could see or feel her, but just then she started thinking a little more deeply about her situation.
Rainbow can hear me, but she can’t see or touch me…
If nothingness could grin wickedly then Mira’s non-existent face wasn’t quite the picture of innocence it used to be.
“Oh Rainbow,” she said in the softest, creepiest voice she could muster, “I’m a cute little flower. Want to hear me sing for you…”
Rainbow froze and slowly turned towards the voice, her eyes as wide as saucers.
“Don’t even think…”
“I am such a happy flower. I will now sing for hours. Cutsie wutsie cuddly coo, give me a hug and you’ll be cutsie too.”
Rainbow screamed and shot up out of the Everfree and towards what Mira guessed was Ponyville leaving a deafening boom and a rainbow trail in her wake.
Oh well, said Mira to herself, I guess she just can’t take a joke.
Thomas had been lying there for what felt like ages now. He had lost count of how many minutes had passed.
A little while ago he thought he heard Rainbow scream and then a boom like she went supersonic, but for all he knew she could be sitting on a cloud right now keeping an eye on the entire forest. Maybe she had gotten in touch with Fluttershy and all her animals were on the lookout for a giant children-eating monster. Who knows, maybe Twilight was out there now searching with some sort of monster detection spell and an annihilation spell at the ready.
I hope they don’t find me.
As he lay there though, he was beginning to feel different. He hadn’t been able to sleep all night. Being hunted by and invisible agent of the Orbital Friendship Cannon could make you rather restless. But now he was beginning to feel as though it was morning. He could feel warmth on his skin... stone-exterior.
The sun must be up. I wonder if Rainbow still is. Better not risk it.
Thomas continued to lay there as birds began their morning songs. Rainbow wasn’t that smart however she wasn’t that stupid either. He could wait.
Maybe the Elements won’t hurt me. After all I’m not really a monster at heart, and the stare is pretty much useless against me. No, then they’ll probably just Rainboom, Applebuck, or Dragon Ball Z me into oblivion. At least I’m safe from Pinkie… No matter what Cupcakes never happened. It’s not cannon… I wonder if the Bass Cannon is…
Over the next couple of hours Thomas noticed that not many animals came by. The birds continued their songs, the wind died down and he could hear and feel animals moving through the forest. But nothing disturbed or approached him.
Maybe I’m not as camouflaged as I thought. Or maybe the ponies aren’t as sensitive to nature as the wild animals, like humans back home.
This thought was put to rest when he felt a rabbit come by and, standing on the stone which used to be his right elbow, wiggle its nose. The rabbit did a few other rabbitish things and left Thomas alone again.
I sure hope that wasn’t Angel Bunny. Because if it were then Fluttershy can’t be far behind.
Luckily it seemed the rabbit had just been a normal wild rabbit and Thomas was left thinking about his situation again. His mind wandered away from the danger he was in now and he started thinking about all the things he could do if he ever got out of the forest.
First things first. I make a very creepy visit to Diamond Twerp and Silver Spittoon. Give them something to think about next time they see the CMC’s. Then I could go see Derpy. She probably doesn’t fly much and I’ll probably be able to recognize the way she walks since her balance should be a little wonky. Oh! Maybe I could get to see the Doctor.
And as for that good for nothin’ Prince Prissy, I’ll give him a good sound whackin’…
Thomas had now been lying still for quite a while and he was sure it was probably sometime late in the morning, at least. The temperature had risen to what felt like a warm summer afternoon and he almost considered taking a nap. He had, in fact, drifted in and out of consciousness several times. But overall, lying still like this wasn’t really taking much of a toll on him.
No aches and pains, no cramps, no need to limber up. Ha, I’m sedentary… Like a rock.
Rock. I am a rock.
Gray. I am gray… like a rock. Which I am. Rock.
Thomas stopped mid laugh as someone or something sat down softly on his shoulder boulder.
“Hmm,” said a quiet, emotionless voice.
Uh-oh…
“What do you think Boulder? Yes. I don’t think this is a normal rock either…”
Forget Pinkie and Cupcakes, the ultimate rock-pulverizer is sitting right on top of me!
Should I run? Should I stay still and hope she didn’t hurt me too much?
All the while Maud’s scenes kept running through his mind.
She turned a giant rock into an atomic warhead, she chewed on quartz like it was candy, and she blenderized a boulder with her bare hooves.
OK, so the boulder had been moving towards her, and she was protecting her sister from it… Pinkie was nowhere around and if I moved very fast away from her maybe, just maybe… I could escape.
He arched his back suddenly and, keeping his focus dead ahead, bolted towards the river.
As he pushed off the ground and thundered across the forest floor, birds in the trees took flight in panic and small animals ran from the tremendous noise he was making.
He felt Maud land on the ground behind him and stand there. As he dashed off into the forest he felt her presence disappearing behind him. He couldn’t feel her heartbeat and he could barely make out where she stood as he crashed through some thick bushes and pushed aside a tree or two. Tripping on something he rolled into a ball and went careening over an embankment to land on his feet again and keep running for his life.
Only to come stone face to rock face with a sheer rock cliff extending upwards for several meters and curving around him on all sides like a bowl. He was trapped!
Stupid, stupid, stupid. Why didn’t I look ahead for things like this? Oh right, I’m not used to being able to see through trees and bushes…
Thomas turned around as he felt the strong impact against the ground from Maud’s hooves. Like the advance of some prehistoric creature she stepped towards him.
He couldn’t see the expression on her face. Not that that would have done him any good.
Glancing up the slope, Thomas made a last ditch attempt to get away. He slammed his fingertips into the stone and started scaling the rock.
There was one problem with is plan though. While he was much stronger than he used to be, and had the ability to dig his fingertips into solid stone, he also weighed about 5 to 10 times what he used to as a human.
After a couple of solid grips, the stone crumbled in his grasp and he toppled back down to earth.
He got up and directed his focus towards Maud.
I will not fight her. Violence won’t solve anything. Besides, she’s Pinkie’s sister. I’d never forgive myself if I hurt her.
Thomas stood there with his back against the wall and his two arms out in front of him in what he hoped (despite his formidable form) looked like a peaceful gesture.
They stood like that for a while before Maud spoke.
“My name’s Maud… Can you talk?”
He shook his head; stone grated against stone.
“You’re a rock.”
He nodded. He wanted to say, “Eeyup.”
“Never met a rock like you before. This is boulder. He’s also a rock.”
She held out her hoof and Thomas suspected that Boulder was sitting in the middle of it.
He nodded again.
So far so good. At least she hasn’t attacked me yet. Maybe I should try communicating.
Bending down slowly Thomas stretched out on hand and using his right index stone he wrote in the soil.
HARM?
He watched as Maud stepped a little bit closer and read the word silently to herself.
“Why would I want to harm you?” she asked.
Thomas wiped away the previous word and wrote another.
MONSTER.
“You’re not a monster,” said Maud, “You’re a rock.”
So Pinkie’s a chicken and I’m a rock… Pie logic.
After wandering the forest for a couple more hours Mira finally gave up and floated as close to the ground as she could without touching it. After all she couldn’t touch it no matter how hard she tried. She just found it comforting to feel as though she was lying on something.
As she lay there, unsure of exactly what time it was, she could feel herself losing cohesion. She was so tired. As she lay there her body (or whatever her consciousness was contained in) began to loosen up and drift away.
I’m falling asleep and falling apart, she said to herself, her mind hazy. If only there was some way to hold myself together.
She sat bolt upright in the air. An idea had just occurred to her.
If she could get to Ponyville maybe she could find some way to seal herself in somewhere until she woke up. Then she would be able to get the rest she needed.
I just have to get to Ponyville. It should be daylight pretty soon, then I just have to ask for directions to Twilight's castle, and as a friendly pony she's going to have to help me.
With that in mind she flew up out of the forest and took a look around.
Mira had been able to see relatively well on the ground when she first began her journey and all through the Everfree, even during the night. But up here with nothing for miles and miles, she found that everything in the distance seemed hazy.
Am I that tired or is it something else?
Mira hadn’t thought about it but whenever she looked around she had been able to see everything. Not just the tree in front of her but the entire tree, front and back. She could see around corners and behind bushes. Clouds looked like mountains to her, but for some reason anything particularly heavy or solid was very hazy to her. It was like her vision just slid over rocks and bodies of water. Not to mention some of the streams and ponds she’d gone by had been completely opaque.
It’s like I’m seeing through the air around me.
As she looked around though she thought she saw something in the distance, just beyond the forest fringe. They looked like houses.
Ponyville here I come…