City of Clouds
No words known by either of the Vikings could give justice to the floating impossibility that rested on the clouds before them, so neither Astrid nor Hiccup bothered to try, while the two rode their dragons down onto the clouds with Twilight leading the way. With a spread of her wings, the alicorn of Friendship slowed her descent to a dead stop, allowing her to place her hooves on the clouds to gain her balance.
"Okay, I think that does it," Hiccup muttered from the back of Toothless while Astrid stared at the pony with a gobsmacked expression. "Talking ponies I can handle. Magic and wings are within the realm of believability, though just barely. But an entire city made of clouds that can be walked on? That's where I draw the line."
"I drew the line the moment the first pony spoke to me. I just kept telling myself that it was all a bizarre dream," Astrid said very slowly with multiple shakes of her head. "Trying to cope...and failing at it."
"What are you two waiting for?" Twilight cheerfully called out to the pair with a wave, barely seeing the glance that Astrid and Hiccup shared. "It's okay, your dragons are...not from around here, right. So maybe having them walk on the clouds is a bad idea."
"Wait a moment, you wanted us to jump off onto clouds without testing to make sure we could walk on them?!" Astrid called down to Twilight while Toothless tried to place a foot on the cloud, only to pull his paw back with a hiss when it passed through. "Are you sure you're not being mind controlled to kill us?!"
"Please, my mind is far too strong to be mind controlled!" Twilight yelled back with indignation before a light bulb went off over her head. "And here's an idea." As she said this, a blast of magic erupted from her horn and quickly consumed both the humans and the dragons. The sudden surge of magic shattered Toothless' focus and with a roar the dragon and rider both plummeted into the clouds...only to bounce once when they landed on the comfiest street in all of Equestria.
"Okay...what just happened?" Hiccup muttered shakily as he slowly pushed himself up to his hands and knees, looking back at Toothless while the dragon shakily pushed himself to his feet.
"You alright?!" Astrid called down with a look of concern, which quickly changed into a nasty glare that she directed to Twilight when Hiccup nodded. "Care to explain what you just did, Twilight, or am I going to have to use you for target practice?!"
"Calm down, all I did was cast a cloud walking spell upon the both of you and your dragons," Twilight clarified as Hiccup wobbly rose to his feet, sticking his arms out while he rocked back and forth. "Whoa, careful there Hiccup, it'll take you a few minutes before you get your cloud legs."
"This is...incredible!" With a laugh Hiccup knelt down and waved his hand through the cloud below, scooping out a small chunk with wide eyes before holding it before him. Beside him, Toothless licked up a small cloud and smacked his lips twice before making a face with a shake of his head. "I've flown through clouds so many times, but to actually be standing on one...I never thought the day would come where I would experience something like this. Thanks, Twilight."
"Oh, it was nothing," Twilight said with a shrug of her shoulders and a smile.
"Make way!" Twilight and Hiccup both yelped and dove to the side as Stormfly barreled into the clouds beside them, kicking up a large amount of fluff as she skidded to a stop. The moment her dragon was stationary, Astrid swung her legs wide and kicked off her dragon...only to bounce as she touched down on the clouds and fell straight onto her rear.
"Wow! These are a lot softer than I would have thought," she observed while pushing herself back up, looking like Hiccup had looked as she struggled to stand on the soft surface. She tried to take a step forward, only to have her foot sink into the cloud slightly and should have fallen on her face, had Hiccup not staggered forward as well and grabbed her arm.
"This will definitely take some getting used to," Hiccup half-chuckled as he and Astrid leaned against each other for support, managing to stay upright as long as they supported the other. That was until Toothless and Stormfly sprinted past the two of them and bowled them both right over once more. "And of course, the two of you have already adjusted," Hiccup sighed when this time Twilight helped the pair to their feet.
"So, how does it feel to stand on a cloud?" Twilight asked with a smile while Hiccup and Astrid finally managed to stand without help.
"I've never experienced anything like it!" Hiccup laughed with enthusiasm as he started to bounce slightly, taking a few steps forward with confidence, and his smile grew larger when he didn't fall flat on his face.
"Surreal. That's all I can say about this," Astrid answered with a less-than-thrilled look while she kept her eyes glued to the white road beneath her, as if she were certain that any moment the clouds would part and she would plummet to the planet below. "I've flown and fallen through plenty of clouds to ever tease the idea of standing on one, so to actually be standing on one is...ugh."
"Don't worry, you get used to it quickly," Twilight assured the pair as she walked ahead of the both of them and waved for them to follow. "Come on, I want to show you how the weather is made here before the pegasi shut down the factory to visitors! This way!"
"Did she just say...make the weather?" Astrid asked with a face, while Twilight trotted on ahead before she looked up for any signs of lightning. "Think Thor will strike her down for offending him like that?"
"Maybe he just lets them think they control the weather," Hiccup put forward as he started to hop after Twilight, one foot after another. "Or maybe Thor doesn't come to this world and they have to make the weather. But there's only one way to find out! Astrid, Toothless; let's go!" The midnight dragon took off after Hiccup, knocking him over on his way into the cloud city, leaving Astrid to sigh as she looked up at the sky.
"You know, if you wanted to scare them with a bit of thunder, I wouldn't blame you," Astrid sighed with a shake of her head before whistling to Stormfly, both of them chasing after the others.
With eyes wide and jaw dropped, Hiccup nearly spun in place as he followed Twilight through the streets of the cloud city, his eyes unable to get enough of the majestic insanity that was built around him. "This is...incredible! Rainwater wells, ice used as glass--and are those rainbows I see decorating houses?!" Hiccup asked with childlike glee, his excitement infecting Twilight, and she couldn't help but smile as he gazed around with wide eyes.
"Yup. Pegasi have a unique magic that allows them to manipulate almost anything weather related," Twilight explained for Hiccup, who was moving his hand through a rainbow while Toothless walked around with an ice window stuck to his tongue. "Rainbows and clouds are just some of the things they can manipulate. They can even use the power of lightning and thunder."
"Now you're just asking for Thor to strike you down," Astrid interjected when she finally caught up to the group, panting heavily as she rested her arms on her legs and bent over slightly. "Ugh, those soft clouds are hard to walk through. Where's this darn factory and can we hurry up and go there already?!"
"Sure. Follow me." Twilight led the four through the streets, only occasionally losing her way or making a wrong turn. She also made sure to keep an eye on both the dragons and Hiccup to a degree, for every time he saw something incredible he would rush over to it and copy it down into his notebook. The dragons just either destroyed or messed up whatever grabbed their attention, which meant they were distracted every couple of seconds. And that just left Astrid...
"What's the matter, Astrid, walking on clouds not exciting?" Twilight asked the Viking warrior, who was walking in the center of the street with arms crossed and eyes glued to the road, though she did spare a second to give Twilight a look before glancing down again.
"Exciting...terrifying...close enough," she muttered, so that Twilight wouldn't hear before glancing at Hiccup--who was sketching a flying tortoise--with a disapproving glance. "We're literally standing on clouds far above solid ground, relying on pony magic to ensure that we don't fall to our deaths, and you aren't the least bit worried?"
"I trust Twilight's magic. She hasn't failed us yet," Hiccup replied with a nod towards the pony, who smiled with pride. "Besides, if Toothless and I do fall through the clouds, I know that you and Stromfly will be there to catch the both of us. So come on, relax a bit."
"That's what I tell you back on Berk. Is everything backwards here?"
"So Twilight, where are the rest of the pegasi?" Hiccup asked after finally noticing that the streets were practically deserted, with a single gray Pegasus representing the city.
"They're all off helping move in the clouds towards Ponyville and the surrounding area. I think that there's a massive storm scheduled for tomorrow. But after that, the fair comes here for..." Twilight cut off at the mention of the fair, but Hiccup's interest had already been peaked.
"What's a fair?"
"It's a place filled with games, rides and attractions that ponies go to in order to have fun, alone or with others," Twilight responded after a minute, shaking her head while she regained focus. "But that doesn't matter right now, what matters is that we're here!" She spun around and spread both her wings wide as she said this, but the two humans and even both of the dragons' eyes looked straight up at the massive structure constructed of clouds that towered over them. Off to the side, Hiccup and Astrid could see dark clouds flashing with light exiting from the side of the building, where pegasi scooped them up and flew off with them.
"Okay, even I can't say anything to that," Astrid muttered while Twilight turned and opened the white doors with her magic, motioning them to follow her inside. As the dragons and humans followed the princess into the factory, any amazement they had felt towards its outward appearance was immediately replaced by the majesty that was the interior. Columns of the whitest clouds were stacked high and wide, each of them shining in the sun as they supported the sculpted ceiling. Pools and fountains that sprayed rainbows gave the whole place a multicolored lighting, while the hum of electricity and lightning ran through the walls and floor.
"I've never seen anything like this," Hiccup whispered as both he and Toothless were struck dumb by the sheer scope of where they were. Stormfly stuck close to Astrid, her eyes widening slightly every time she heard the distant roar of thunder from the clouds outside, but Astrid looked around at all the signs saying, "No Access" before narrowing her eyes and glancing at Twilight.
"So, how come you're allowed in here? Do you work here or is it because you're a princess?" Astrid asked in a far more hostile voice than she intended. Twilight picked up on the tone, but a look back at the slightly sorry face of Astrid convinced her not to call the human out.
"Well, as a princess of the land, I need to understand how everything works so I can fix anything if things go wrong. I actually know how most of this factory works, but I will admit that I am still learning something new everyday," Twilight explained with a slight chuckle, before walking up to a large pair of doors that made her smile grow. "Hey, either of you want to see how they make the clouds?"
Hiccup's face answered for the pair, and a moment later they found themselves in an incredibly large room with tables that held pieces of clouds, cabinets that held all sorts of jars, and items and a massive tanker in the back filled to the brim with water.
"This is where the pegasi craft all the clouds in Equestria, from those that float gently on the breeze to those that hold the strongest of lightning bolts," Twilight explained like a tour guide while she led the group past numerous items and machines. She also occasionally glanced back at the dragons and kept them in line with her magic, making sure that they didn't touch anything, though Toothless was the real problem. Stormfly stuck close to Astrid.
"Even hail? Even snowstorms?" Hiccup asked while he looked into a machine that was absolutely frigid and had the words "ICE" written on bags within. Hiccup reached out to grab one of the bags, but his hand pressed against a cold, nearly invisible surface, and he retracted it almost immediately. "Whoa, that's weird."
"Over here Hiccup! This is what I wanted to show you!" Hiccup broke away from the frigid machine and raced over to Twilight, only to be once again struck dumb by the mighty machine before him. Hundreds of gears clanked and turned while a single exit constantly churned out different clouds, each of which were conveyed to an exit. Without a word, Hiccup knelt down next to the machine and began to examine each gear, lever and part, while Twilight watched with a smile the entire time, giggling to herself every time Hiccup either figured something out or got frustrtated.
"This is incredible. Walking on clouds was amazing, but this...this could change everything," he whispered as he stood up and backed away to take the machine in as a whole, the gears in his own mind spinning like crazy as he thought. "If I could figure out how some of these mechanics worked, along with what allows them to move independently from a person or dragon, this could change everything on Berk." Twilight looked at the machine with him before an idea came to her and with a smile she looked up at the human.
"Well if you like, I could explain how some of these mechanics work...while maybe showing you around the fair as well?" Both Astrid and Hiccup looked down at the pony, who was holding a pair of tickets with a smile. "You guys have only seen the serious side of Equestria since you've been here, but I want you both to get the full experience. Come on, give it a try."
"Sure, after showing me this, I'd love to see what a fair's like," Hiccup agreed as he took one of the tickets and read the words upon it, his eyebrows furrowing when he read what was written. "Wait, do these only allow one person in the fair at a time? So how will Astrid get in then?"
"No problem," Twilight said as she levitated the second ticket over to Astrid, who looked at it for a moment before finally taking it.
"Thanks, but how will YOU get in," Astrid asked.
"Oh, that's easy. I can always get another one. Princess Celestia told me that most ticket salesponies always keep another ticket in case a princess wants to go," Twilight explained before hearing a whistle sound off in the distance. "Oops, seems that the pegasi are done for the day. We should probably get out of here before this place gets crowded. Come on, maybe we'll have enough time to see where they're setting up the fair before the storms hit."
Twilight and Hiccup headed towards the exit with both dragons following them, but a flash off to the side caught Astrid's eye and she looked down to see a bottle with streaks of golden light bouncing around within. She gently picked up the bottle, immediately feeling a tingling sensation run through her fingers.
"Careful Astrid, that's bottled lightning!" Twilight called out, her scream nearly getting Astrid to drop the bottle. Astrid nodded to Twilight and placed it back on the table before turning to see Twilight sigh, as she, Hiccup and the dragons left the room. Astrid took a step to follow them before something within her, deep within her soul, caused her to turn and look down at the bottle of lightning once again. For a long moment she pondered her next course of action before she grabbed the bottle and stashed it in her hood.
"Sorry Twilight, but something tells me that I'm going to be needing Thor's power soon," she apologized in a whisper before running off to join the others once again.
Stats
Page generated in 0.028 seconds
Total duration
1,042 users online
1,742,827 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Neat.
City of Clouds?
Cloud City?
You know, between the title of this chapter and your mentioning that the Silver Mare trained with Yoda, I wonder if a Star Wars crossover is in the works.
That being said, nice slice of life chapter that undoubtedly advances the plot if Astrid getting her hands on that Chekhov's gun is any indication.
Looks like Astrid's trying to plan ahead. Neat.
My guess will be for either... Rarity, Twilight herself, or the villain (who's name I've forgotten)...
great chapter
keep it up
I do hope this doesn't backfire.
6332863
Wijida. The blind, mind-controlling, future-seeing earth pony.
6332984 oh yeah... thanks
Astrid got a bottle 'o lightning!
I can only imagine the following:
Rarity: but Hiccup would be a perfect match for you, Twilight!
*Astrid overhears, and uses lightning on Rarity*
Astrid: (insert declaration for boyfriend or epic one liner here)
*in case of one liner, add random explosions, and a deal with it sunglasses suddenly appears on Astrid*
Bottled lightning eh? I prefer black fire bombs myself.
I foresee a shocking use with bottled lighting, and I like it!
What's "20% Gigavolts by Volume" mean?
Heh! Take the bottled lightning back to Berk and talk Snoutlout into trying to drink from it
6332992
No worries bro.
Good day.
Chapters like these I enjoy more than anything and always make me feel good.
Wait... so Astrid is just going to carry a glass bottle full of lightning in her hood and not think about what happens if it get broken??? Oh dear.... But then I imagine Rarity getting zapped for her behavior and want to see it happen.
I do know if I ever went to Equestria I'd love to tour the weather factory.
6333330 Oh man, that would be awesome!
That wouldn't happen to rate at 1.21 gigawatts, would it?
Ah what a nice and chill chapter
Hmmm i wonder if there will be a skrill in this...
Stole lightning in a bottle... good move Astrid, this won't end horribly at all. XD
Hahahaha! Clouds... silly vikings.
Nice job man!
Hiccup is really openminded with all of this while Astrid......Eeeeh, not so much.
Lightning in a bottle? Hmmm...mischief shall be managed.
-ThePortalPonies
I didn't know that Berkians knew about Thor.
What Loki would do to get his mitts on that...
6342027 omg your icon is adorable
6342027 ...you know viking gods and all...
6342027 Thor is a Viking god...
Well, it seems as if Hiccup turned back to when he was a child, because he's acting like it. It's a bit funny though. However, Astrid seems to be suspicious and bored, as if she just wanted to get out of the place. Her dragon on the other hand seems to like the place and so does Toothless.
This chapter was a lot of fun to read. Hiccup's child-like wonder coupled with silly dragon antics makes for good times.
Oh no, Astrid, put back the magical pony lightning right now; this has nothing to do with Thor or any god of lightning right now
Be glad the twins aren't there