Plebeian

by Sleep Sonata

Wild Blue Yonder

It may sound silly to hear from a grown mare, but I'd never flown anywhere, ever. I traveled sure, but very rarely, and always on the ground. White Lightning would always tell me about what wonderful flying sessions she'd had on any given day, but I couldn't actually atone what she was talking about, until I looked out from Polaris's balloon.

We were above the clouds then, and I have to admit, I didn't know what to feel. It was so surreal to see something so pristine. All that was visible was the cloud layer below us, with an occasional break through which we could see more clouds. They lay almost perfectly flat, in the sort of white you can only see with the sun above them. I never would have been able to see it from the ground. I said before that I had wanted to run away to a place where nothing existed and all was peaceful, while the rest of the world was embroiled in a storm below. For a little while during that balloon ride, I though I'd found that place.

I was leaning over the railing of the blimp, just staring into the ever expansive white sea in the sky. I had had to bundle up a bit due to the altitude, but the sun was keeping me warm. The air was thin, but pure. For once, I didn't feel stressed, even though I still remembered what had brought me there.

“You OK?" I turned to see that Gemini was standing next to me, also staring at the clouds. "I thought I'd take a break from piloting for a bit, check up on you. That was pretty crazy last night."

"You can say that again." I replied. "I have to admit this is a new experience for me. I've never been above the clouds before."

"Me neither. We usually only took the balloon to and from Ponyville. I don't think we ever had a reason to go to Cloudsdale."

"Have you ever tried flying up on your own?"

She seemed a bit puzzled by my question. "No," she responded semi-inquisitively. "we only ever went into town."

"I meant with your wings."

She looked over her shoulder to the leathery appendages on her back, then realized what I had originally meant. "Oh, um, no actually. I never tried. I just stayed in the forrest.”

I guess I should have expected an answer like that. She hadn't exactly had a lifetime to learn to fly. “Sorry. I should have known.”

“It’s alright. I’m just glad I have some pony else to talk to now. If I’d been stuck in the Everfree any longer, I probably would’ve tone crazy.”

“Would you say you would’ve gone batty?” I didn’t even think about what I was saying, it just sort of happened. I could’ve offended the pony that had helped me, but to my surprise, she busted out laughing. I guess she still had a sense of humor, even after a year of solitude.

It went on like that for quite a while, and during our conversation, I had no concept of time. We didn’t talk about anything in particular, although our schooling eventually piped up. We kept it to primary school though. Apparently, she was on the duel team too, although I’d never heard of her team. Out of politeness, I didn’t let her know her team was a dark horse.

The entire time it felt great, but at the same time, so strange. I never really had long conversations with ponies. The only one who I ever sat down and talked to was White Lightning, and I hadn’t done that since we both started working over the summer. I hadn’t realized it for a while, but being here, talking with Gemini, I realized that I had missed it.

It felt like only a few minutes, but then Polaris decided to join us. “You must be feeling better, Dusty. I’ve heard you two chatting for the past hour.” The number came as a shock to me. I must’ve been having a really good time.

Gemini spoke up when she noticed her sister. “Just chilling. Turns out, Stardust and I have a lot more in common than we realized.”

“Well you two may actually get chilly if you stay out here much longer. Why don’t you come back in the cabin? We still have another half hour or so until we reach Cloudsdale.” Gemini followed her back into the Cabin, but I stayed outside for a little while longer. The scenery still called out to me, and I wanted to listen.

When we were fillies in school, White Lightning and I would discuss almost anything, but the one thing Lightning wanted to talk about the most was Cloudsdale. She was born there, but her parents moved to Trottsdam when she was very young, so she never actually got to grow up there. Despite this, she always said she felt connected to the city in the sky, and wanted desperately to attend the Wonderbolt Academy. At the time, it just seemed like another item on the long list of things young ponies wanted, but would never get.

Years later, and neither of us had dreamed that we would actually get to live out our dreams. She was accepted to Wonderbolt Academy, and I to Canterlot Academy. We thought that this was the start of the rest of our lives. She would probably graduate into the Wonderbolts, and I would become a renowned scholar, but we would still keep in touch. That dream was just too good to come true for me.

As we approached Cloudsdale, I could understand why Lightning wanted to return as badly as she did. The city looked like no other I had ever been to, though admittedly that’s not a long list. Everything was made of brilliant white clouds, and in architecture not physically possible with materials available on the ground. Canopies hovered as pier-less pavilions, and archways held structures that seemed to stretch beyond the sky.

But we weren’t there as tourists; we had a mission. We needed to get to Wonderbolt Academy and warn White Lightning before my duplicate could get there first, and steal her wings. The storm still raged below us, so news of my duplicate’s ‘incident’ hadn’t reached Cloudsdale yet, so I ought to be able to show my face without worry, but only for a while.

Gemini piloted the blimp into a public dock, while Polaris and I gathered a few bits and a map. It was all we would need, and we needed to travel light to move fast. Seconds counted now.

As we were docking, I was waiting by the exit door, eager to get moving as soon as possible, but all of a sudden, Polaris pulled me away, quite violently. “What are you doing?” She didn’t say a word, and just continued leading me inside, until we came to a stingy old hoof locker.

“Get in, and don’t make a sound. Trust me.”

I had no reason to doubt her. She hadn’t steered me wrong before. I stuffed myself inside, and Polaris laid a heavy quilt over top of me. Once she shut the case, It was completely black, darker than when Chi Chi teleported me to that underground room. I had no idea what Polaris could’ve been so frightened of, but at least she was worried for me.

I could only hear lower sounds, but I could kind of get a sense of what was happening outside. I could make out Polaris’s voice, but not what she was saying. I heard another voice too, a male one. I didn’t know who he could have been, but judging by Polaris’s reaction, she wasn’t expecting him, whoever he was.

Eventually, I could hear their hoof steps on the floor, moving closer to the hoof locker. I could make out their voices then.

“Oh yes, it was quite an ordeal. If I hadn’t lived with her my entire life, I don’t think I could’ve flown her through.”

I heard the stallion then. His was low and gravely, but kindly. “The Princess must’ve been watching over you then. The weather team really whipped up a doozie this time.”

“It was nice until I went outside, but business is business. I’d weather any storm for my clients, if you’ll pardon the pun.” They shared a chuckle, but I was so confused as to what was going on. Who was this stallion? Polaris didn’t mention meeting any pony.

I felt the hoof locker rising, almost eliciting a yelp from me. But I held it back, remembering Polaris’s instructions.

“Are you sure you have it miss? Seems like quite a hefty thing.”

“Oh it’s no trouble,” she grunted out. “although I would appreciate any suggestions you may have about where to stay. This trip came at such short notice, I didn’t have time to make a reservation.”

“Let me think. There’s a the Crown Inn not far from here. It ought to be perfect for you.”

“Splendid. Thank you so much.”

“Not a problem. You have a good stay!” I could hear his voice get farther away, but I wasn’t sure if Polaris was alone yet, so I kept quiet.

“I am so sorry, Startdust.” I heard her whisper to me. I could barely hear her through the case. “I’ll fill you in when we get to the hotel. Taxi!”

Within a few seconds, I felt the hoof locker get set down, presumably in the taxi she had just hailed. I’d been in taxis before, but never in one that flew. I could feel my stomach churn, and I struggled to keep my lunch. Hopefully, this ride would be a short one.

The entire time I was in the hoof locker, I was anxious. It wasn’t like taking a test. Failure here must’ve meant something awful, judging by the way Polaris was acting. My heart was pounding, but there was nothing I could do to alleviate it. All I had to accompany me was the sound of my own breathing, which became progressively quicker and more shallow as my anxiety escalated.

I tried to think about what I would do once I could get out, but the more I thought, the more I ran into a fundamental problem; I may have to hide like this for the duration of our trip. Gemini probably already ran off to avoid being seen, for obvious reasons. But why was I hiding? As far as anypony else knew, I was just a unicorn traveling with a friend. What did I have to be scared of?

After being jostled and jolted, I finally felt the hoof locker get placed on something solid, I guess whatever the cloud equivalent of a floor is. With the closing of a door, I heard hoof steps approaching the chest. I could only hope they were Polaris’s. When she opened the lid and I saw her face, I felt a wave of relief wash over me, greater than any I’d felt before.

“I am so, so sorry dear. I had to think on my hooves. I didn’t know where else to put you.” She was extremely apologetic, for which I was grateful, but it didn’t answer the one question I wanted answered most.

“I’m alright, but why did I have to hide anyway? Who was that stallion you were talking to on the balloon?”

Polaris didn’t seem to quite know what to say. She kept pulling at her mane, put she couldn’t get words out. It wasn’t like her to be so scared. She almost jumped out of her skin when Gemini landed on the outside balcony.

“Yeah, don’t expect your own sister to stay with you or anything. It ain’t exactly easy being a freak.”

“Gemini, what’s going on? Why did I have to…” Before I could even finish my sentence, she pulled out a piece of paper from her saddlebag, and tossed it over to me, unfurling as it landed. What I saw made my heart sink.

WANTED
Mare Unicorn
Coat: White
Mane: Silver
May be traveling with another unicorn, headed for Cloudsdale. The Equestria Royal Investigators encourage you to be vigilant for this pony. If you have any leads as to this pony’s whereabouts, alert the proper authorities immediately.

“Guess the bat’s not the only one who needs to be careful now, huh?”