• Published 20th Apr 2016
  • 13,196 Views, 2,320 Comments

Gazing to the Ocean of the Sky - David Silver



She can swim far and wide across the waters of Equestria, but it's not enough. There are places above those waters, places she plans to reach. Where biology failed her, her mind would succeed. Equestria better be ready, because she plans to visit!

  • ...
54
 2,320
 13,196

PreviousChapters Next
31 - The Perfect Tree

Cloud spread her wings slowly before she lifted several inches into the air and hovered easily. "So we have to find a tree that doesn't already have squirrels, right? How hard could that be? We'll have this done in time for lunch."

Indigo glanced back into the field of metal and noise. "They must have been living in the one tree in the middle of all that..."

Cherry shrugged a little as she proceeded. "That's a bad place to make a den."

"It was working for them until now."

"Because they were lucky, until they weren't."

Indigo frowned a little, then thrust a hoof back at where Cherry's train was being prepared for transport. "I suppose they should have planned for a seapony to come asking for their huge... things... to be dragged across their field."

Cherry blinked at that and looked to her train, small as it was in the distance and at her friend, back and forth. "Wait, are you saying they knocked over the tree because of me?!"

Indigo nodded once firmly. "You owe them an apology, but first we should find them a nice new tree."

Cloud came back from where she had scouted. "I found a nice and big one, and I don't see any squirrels climbing it. It should be perfect for your little friends."

Indigo brightened at the news and soon all three were headed towards this potential new home. It was a bit taller than some of the trees around it, reaching tall into the sky. Its scales were also a little different than the trees around it. He approached some squirrels in a tree close by. "Excuse me, do you have a moment?"

Many of the squirrels fled, but one turned to address Indigo and chittered at him softly.

"Thank you. Does any family live there?" He pointed at the large tree. "We have a family that needs a home."

The squirrel gestured up at the other trees as it 'spoke' in words that only Indigo seemed to understand.

Indigo blinked and looked dismayed. "Why is that tree special? Can you point us to a better one?"

The squirrel shook its head with a final squeak, then dashed off.

Cloud tilted her head at the exchange. "That didn't sound good at all, darling. What did the little creature say?"

Indigo heaved a sigh. "The squirrels think that tree is very special and is not to be touched. Bringing the family here would just make all the other squirrels angry at them." He turned in place slowly. "He said there are a lot of squirrels around, and competition is fierce. He... doesn't want a new neighbor."

Cherry frowned at the news. "That's not very nice of them. Fine! We don't need them anyway. We'll just go farther, past these rude, um, whatever they ares."

"Squirrels," provided Cloud. "My, I never figured they had such a detailed little hierarchy. They always seemed like simple little tree rats."

Indigo blinked. "Rats?"

Cloud waved. "Just another, how do you say, 'Fish of 'The Dry'?'" She landed lightly on the ground beside them and they got to walking away from the concentration of squirrels. "Don't be discouraged dears. I'm certain we'll find something just right for them soon."

The sun drifted across the sky as they pushed further away from town. Cloud produced a sandwich with a little smile. "It's not much, but it's all I have." She split it in three and offered to the others. It was peanut butter and jelly, and both seaponies strongly approved of its mix of flavors, even if it left them licking at the inside of their mouths with its stickiness.

She smiled at their antics over even eating such a basic staple. "What do seaponies have for a snack?"

Cherry tilted her head. "Whatever mom packed for me, usually fish, but she likes to put in some seaweed in there when she thinks I'm not looking." She stuck out her tongue. "As if I don't notice."

Indigo nudged Cherry gently. "That's because she loves you, li--" He suddenly cut off, turning red. "My mother makes me these little things, like these sandwiches, but with vegetables instead of the bread and all kinds of things inside." He let out a soft mmm in memory of the delicious meals. "Are there other kinds of 'sandwich'? Why do you call it that anyway? I don't see any sand at all in it or tasted any."

Cloud waved it off. "There are more kinds of sandwiches than I could ever hope to name. Just put something scrumptious between two slices of bread and you're done." She stood up and did a slow turn in place. "Let's get a move on. We simply shouldn't spend the entire day on this task when we ha--"

"An entire yard of cool parts." Cherry grinned, energized by the memory of it. "Come on, Indie. Do you see any trees they might like around here?" She gestured about. "I don't see as many squirrels."

Indie began inspecting the trees with a grave energy. He picked up a nut from the ground and turned it around slowly before putting it back. "I think this is a good place. The fruits the squirrels eat are here, and not too many squirrels." He smiled with relief. "They'll be so happy here."

Cherry stuck out her tongue. "Those aren't fruits; they're drift seeds."

Cloud nodded at that. "They are seeds, dear, but I doubt they'll be drifting anywhere anytime soon. Do you think they'll come with me if I go pick them up?"

Indie nodded quickly. "They aren't stupid. They saw you with me, so they should come along if you don't scare them."

"Good." Cloud nodded. "I'll pick them up and carry them here quickly." She clopped her forehooves. "Just like that. Then we can head back to the yard. I want to see what Miss Cherry can do with those parts." She lifted up with sudden speed, then darted back in the direction they had come, leaving the two seaponies to themselves.

Cherry glanced across at Indie, who was looking back at her. "Why've you been staring at me so much lately?"

Indie went red and looked away. "S-sorry, didn't mean to bother."

Cherry blinked at that and shook her head. "You're a silly colt, Indie." She sat down and pulled out her wrench, taking the time to tinker with her legs while they waited.

Cloud came rushing back with the family of squirrels clinging to her tenaciously for their little furry lives. She came in for a smooth landing and they hopped free instantly. "Here you are dears."

Indie wheeled up to the family with a big grin. "There's food and you can pick almost any tree here."

The entire family seemed dumbfounded, circling and staring at their surroundings. The father of the family squeaked at Indie before giving off a chitter.

"I know it's a lot of trees, and seeds. Isn't it great?"

The squirrel picked up a nut from the ground and gnawed at it suddenly, getting to its meat and tasting its inside. He made a little noise of approval and his family rushed to claim their own nuts, acorns and anything else they could get their little paws on. They warmed to their new environment quickly, and soon vanished up a tree.

Momma squirrel chittered at Indigo before she went, joining the others.

Cherry glanced between the parting squirrels and Indigo. "What'd it say? Don't leave us drifting."

Indigo, bearing a big happy smile, turned to Cherry. "She said 'Thank you'. I think they'll be fine here."

"Marvelous." Cloud pointed back towards the yard, hidden as it was behind the portion of the forest they had passed. "Shall we?"

Together they strode through the forest, a little lighter on their hooves for getting their task completed. Cherry looked up, seeing the sun still moving. "How much time did we spend on that?"

Cloud shrugged. "There's still time left to get some work done. I simply must see how you work with metal, dear. Do you have any talent with smithing?"

Cherry quickly shook her head. "I like putting metal together, but I don't know how to make metal. Besides, you need a dry power source for that, and a big one."

Cloud blinked at the curious phrase. "Dry power source? Come again?"

Indie spread his hooves quickly before he could tip. "A fire!"

"Yeah, that." Cherry bobbed her head. "You need a big, um, fire to make metal. I don't really know how to work with fire... I mean, all that dry power, it, um, dries me, and then I get uncomfortable and chapped." She frowned at the very idea. "I'll let dry ponies master The Dry."

Indie tilted his head. "You're getting a huge thing powered by The Dry. You're going to have to learn to use it, or what are you going to do with it?"

Cherry paled a bit at the idea. Her beloved train would become a source of heat and, well, dryness. What would she do indeed? "I'll... figure it out. If we can get all that dry power to stay inside the dry engine and not come out, then it won't be a problem." She smiled as they re-entered the yard proper and her eyes swept over the field of metal, looking for interesting parts.

It didn't take long for her to find one. What did it do? She had no idea, no wait. She perked right up as it came to her. It was a part that attached to the great wheels of a train. If one followed that part there...

Cloud sat down close by. "What are you doing, dear?"

"I'm trying to figure out how this would have worked, when it worked." She trailed a hoof along the rusted metal. "I think this was attached to the dry power. Not directly, I don't think? It made the wheels move. Without this, the train wouldn't have gone anywhere." She tipped the part over so it fell with a loud clang and she began pulling and pushing at it, making it flex at her will and show her just how far it could bend. "I wonder if it fell off the train?"

Cloud nodded. "That happens more often than they like to admit. They aren't too gentle on trains they're ripping apart like uncultured brutes to melt down back into metal. What would you do with that part, if it was yours to keep?"

Cherry gave a little smile. "I'd compare it to the one my train should have. I can't say for sure if mine uses the same one or not. If it does, having a backup isn't bad. Maybe it still works..."

Indigo wrinkled his nose. "Did you forget? You have to make all the parts from nothing at all."

"Not nothing!" Cherry stomped a hoof. "I get to copy all the parts that are already there." A grin spread over her face. "That'll be fun."

Author's Note:

Project Squirrel complete with only a minimum of typos, yay!

PreviousChapters Next