One Way

by jroddie

37: of Clouds and Cities

Chapter 37

I ran through the halls. I didn’t know what I was supposed to be looking for. I passed door after door, trying to find out what to do. I really just wanted to have a normal week. Luna and I would go see a play. Luna and I would go to a restaurant. Luna and I would watch clouds in a park. Nothing spontaneous would happen. Nothing would pop out from behind a corner and try to kill me. Just an average week.

Damn. It would probably never happen.

I kept running. I had to do something. I saw an open window. I turned to it, skidding all across the carpet. As soon as I came to a stop, I ran towards the window. As soon as I was close enough, I jumped out.

The air. The wind. It was all so amazing, almost lucid. The hot afternoon air flew past me, quickly turning into cold wind. I fell for what seemed to be an infinite moment. It was amazing. I opened my eyes and started to fly. I had to move. I couldn’t be still. I had to move.

I was going so fast. I thought a silly thought as I flew. Maybe if I flew fast enough, all my worries and cares and troubles and obligations would just float away, like autumn leaves would float away if you brush them with a broom. I closed my eyes and let the searing wind fly past me. I thought about who I was.

Edwin Shell

My mind was happy with that. I was content for a moment. But Edwin Shell is what I was called, but not who I was. I thought harder.

Pony

My mind was a little bit happier. It wasn’t right, though. I let the flying wind fling my mane back, the ends of my hair snapping painfully against my neck. I clenched my teeth, held my eyes shut, and went even faster.

Numbered

A teensie bit better. I was indeed a part of a group that was extremely exclusive. I was a strong organism, with body crafted from the Threads of Power, mind summoned from my broken and weak human form. But, If I were to die, the highest Numbered could simply summon another Five. It made me frown against the raging wind. The thought of being replaceable was disconcerting. My mind was still not satisfied, like some ravenous beast. I used my supercharged mind to think harder.

Ghost

My mind was befuddled. My eyes nearly opened, but I kept them closed. I am a Ghost, yes. My species, Ghostkind, would see my death as a detriment. I would be sorely missed if I were to suddenly disappear. It was a good argument, but my mind was still not happy.

Five

I am called Five. In some senses, I am five. The name implies both originality and adherence to a group. I am the only one that could be called Five. But, there must have been others before me to make the name of Five necessary. I smiled a tiny bit, but I still was not happy.

Fighter

I do fight. The title of Fighter does not imply righteousness, though. In the human world, people could fight for themselves, or fight for something else. Weak people fought to defend themselves. Strong people fought to protect themselves and others. Stronger people still fought only for others. I was stronger. I could fly straight to the Doctor, kill him, take his Tardis and live the rest of my life in the lap of luxury without even having to hear mention of an Angelic ever again. But I could not. Equestria needed me. Without the conflict of Angelics, my strong body and my sharp mind were useless. I could only be at peace, truly, when the Angelics were dead.

Lover

I do Love, but I am not a Lover. I have never ‘been with’ a mare in the conventional sense of the term, but I might be considered to be a Lover by some. Luna and I could very easily be mistaken for having a consummated relationship, but that was not the case.

Loved

I am loved. But it isn’t right, it doesn’t feel right, for that to be what I am. I need something more concrete, more solid. Something that, if taken away from me, would make the rest of my life terribly hollow. I thought and thought, until a majestic title seemingly floated right towards me

Luna’s

Perfect. My mind rested, at ease. I was truly Luna’s. That part of me was irremovable. I would be Luna’s until my dying day. I flew on to the horizon, just letting myself soar.

I was almost sleeping by the time that I heard it. Sounds of other ponies. I slowed down substantially, flicking my ears around. It sounded like a town, or even a city. I stopped, slowing down to a moving hover. It was so strange, the sounds. Like a gigantic metropolis, suspended in the sky. It was strange, so I moved along. I didn't want to interact much with other ponies right now. I just wanted to escape my troubles. I flew on, going even faster.

A few hours passed. I was thinking about my promise to Luna, and how I should probably get back to her. I was about to turn when I heard it again. The ponies. It annoyed me, so I opened my eyes for the first time in hours.

“Oh my God.” I said bluntly. There it was, defying logic, just floating there. I had no idea how something so huge could just be floating like that. I gaped, slowing down with my floating. Pegasi were flying all around it. I felt a strange excitement watching those ponies. It suddenly dawned on me that I was something that did not belong in the air. I had no wings, and I was fairly sure that Numbereds were not very well known in Equestria, so it would be hard to explain my lack. I just contented myself with just floating under the monolith, staring up at it with awe. I was doing this when a small blue blur flew straight into me. It drove the air out of my lungs, and I almost fell.The little blue thing soon revealed itself to be a tiny little pegasus.

“Oh hi!” It shouted. I flinched.

“Um...” I started to say, but it suddenly gawked at me.

“You don’t have any wings! How are you flyin’ like that? Huh? Huh?” He asked in a demanding tone.

“Well, I-”

“I have an uncle that doesn’t have any wings. He can’t fly like you, though. I go and see him every summer! But I don’t like walking on the big green cloud because it doesn’t move around like it’s supposed to. Do you have a friend? I have a friend. His name is Sparks. We build cloudcastles and have races and eat candy and go to school!”

“Oh, that’s-”

“Wait!”, The pegasus shouted, “I have to show you t’ him!” He zoomed off in a big flapping ball of feathers away from me. He stopped about twenty meters away.

“Come on!” He shouted, and flew off again. I sighed. Luna would have to wait for a little bit, because I was being kidnapped by a foal. I sighed miserably, wanting to go back home, and floated over to the foal.

“What’s your name?!” The little pony asked.

“Edwin.” I said. The pony gawked at me again.

“That’s a weird name! My name is Blue Bolt! I’m the third tallest colt in my class!” He said exuberantly. I smiled a little bit.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“To Spark’s house!” He shouted again, extremely happy. I suddenly thought of myself as a little bird or something. He was treating me like a talking pet. I litstened to him babble on as we reached the rim of the city.

“What is this place?” I asked Blue. He snorted a laugh.

“What kind of pony never heard of Cloudsdale?” He said petulantly. I was slightly confused for a moment. I mouthed the word.

“Cloudsdale.” I whispered as I set myself down on the ground. It was a wobbly, shifting thing; The city was literally built on clouds. It shifted; it moved and convulsed. Cloudsdale was the best metaphor for change that I had ever seen. Even the ground, which was actually made of clouds, was completely liquid. I could even see the buildings shifting slightly, slowly inching their way across the surface. I smiled, and took a step.My hoof landed on a roiling cloud. That hoof immediately slipped out from under me, carried by the current of the cloud. I fumbled and scrambled, trying to regain my footing. I tried to walk unsuccessfully. I fell down a final time, and just spayed myself across the rolling ground of Cloudsdale. I looked up at the blue foal, who was laughing at me from the slope of a roof.

“You’re funny. It’s like you’ve never walked before!” Blue bolt said. I growled. He laughed at that as I rolled across the clouds, trying to get up. I got stuck on my back, and Blue laughed even harder.

“Are you going to help me?” I asked angrily.

“Nope!” He said, spreading his wings. He shuffled a little bit on the cloud he was standing on, then jumped. He fell like a rock, screaming and laughing. I was mad. I rolled around on the ground, trying to rise to a standing position. I rolled and struggled for a few minutes before I managed to get on my hooves. I did so.

“Huh.” I said, slightly surprised. For being such a large city, Cloudsdale was rather... empty. The roads made of clouds spiraled around, weaving in and out, spiraling around waterfalls seemingly made out of rainbows. It was a fairly ornate and beautiful city. It was so sickeningly beautiful that it made me think of pamphlets that I would see in a travel office. I walked around Cloudsdale for a luxurious hour. It might have been inhabited by Pegasi, but the best way to get around Cloudsdale was to walk. It was breathtaking, the feel of clouds under my feet. ‘Walking on air’ came to mind, but I ejected that thought forcibly out of my mind because it was a terrible cliche. I smiled smugly, walking around the city.

I walked for so long. It was extremely relaxing. Therapeutic, almost. I looked at one of the many strange buildings of the city. The lights were on inside. I smiled. I really wanted to see other ponies, now that I had gotten over my fear of confrontation. I walked up to the door, and knocked on it. My first knock resounded, and the door slid open with a creak. I poked my head in. I immediately regretted it.

Three different Pegasi were sitting hunched over a dead green pony. The dead pegasus was mutilated in the extreme; their rib cage was ripped open and all of the internal organs were missing. Not only that, but it looked as if the other pegasi had suffered what seemed to be mortal wounds. One of them had a long gash down their left spine, revealing ribs and a confusing, underlying blackness. I gulped.

All three of the Pegasi turned to me. Their faces were clearly not normal. They had the fangs of an Angelic, but their eyes were different. Spitfire, Slim, and all of the other Angelics that I had met only had red irises, but these ponies... These ponies had no whites in their eyes. These ponies had blacks rimmed with red. It was as if their eyes were just one big pupil rimmed with the slightest bit of bloody iris. One of them, a white one with pale blue hair, clacked her teeth together once and growled. The other ponies, a pink one with blue hair and a plain green pony, growled as well. I began to shake. These weren’t Angelics. These were animals. I backed away from the door, afraid for my life. I shut the door with magic with a slam and sighed, slumping against the door. My legs shuddered with useless adrenaline as I remembered Lieutenant Pix. She once commented about how the Pegasi in Cloudsdale were suffering strange symptoms. If the massacre on the other side of this door held any weight, Cloudsdale was the Equestrian city suffering the most from Angelics. I shivered, cold and nervous, while my mind thought about what to do. The Angelics in Cloudsdale must be eradicated. I shook as I leaned against the door.

A bloodstained white hoof smashed through the door, splintering wood and gouging flesh. It swung wildly, trying to get at something. I jumped up, skittering away from the door as fast as I could. I watched in horror as the white pony with the powder blue mane ripped open the wooden door. I was paralyzed for a deadly moment while the white Pegasus dismantled the door violently. I gulped. She stuck her head through the door and made eye contact with me. She growled at me again, but then she sniffed the air. Her face spread into puzzlement, and then she sniffed again. Her mouth spread into a wide grin, displaying the blood-mottled ivory.

“Five.” She said triumphantly in a deep male voice. It made me shudder, the way she spoke. It was actually that voice that saved my life, because it shocked my out of my fear and made me run. I ran and ran, my hoofbeats silent on the cloudy streets. I ran through houses, down alleyways, all the while the nearly silent flapping and grunting behind me alerted me to the deadly chase. I ran until my lungs heaved. Then I ran some more. I galloped around almost all of Cloudsdale, until I found myself in some kind of clearing. It was like a town square, but circular; There were storefronts centered around a fountain that was shooting up liquid rainbows instead of water. I stopped in the clearing, due to the fact that I had not heard the flapping or growls that accompanied the chase for a few hundred feet. I hunkered my head down low, gasping for breath, thinking. Cloudsdale needed to be purged. I felt sorry for the dead, but I felt even sorrier for the survivors, who would never again be able to sleep peacefully their entire lives. The past few days in Cloudsdale must have been a struggle to survive. Each day going by, trying to not get noticed. Consoling foals who wondered where siblings and parents have gone.

I bent over and retched into a nearby trashcan. Angelics were disgusting, perverse, and an affront to nature. Unnatural beings, not fit to live in Equestria. I hacked again, trying to get vomit out of my mouth. I finally recovered, and I walked up to the fountain. I laid my head down against the railing, looking down an unobstructed alleyway to the horizon. Dusk. A beautiful orange smear across the horizon, A stroke from some mystical and godly brush, fading into darkest blue.and purple. A distracted and worried part of my brain was disappointed that I would not be able to keep my promise to Luna. I looked down at the fountain, and the pool of rainbows. I waved my hoof through it, smearing all of the colors. It was strange; the colors did not mix together, but stayed rigidly separated in their separate hues. I lifted my hoof out, and stared at the dripping color on my hoof. How strange. Something so vibrant, so colorful, existing in such a depraved and sickening world. What contrast this beautiful substance exists in. Something so vibrant, existing in a world so dark. Something symbolic of hope, only to be brushed aside to reveal the twisted confines of reality. Morbid. I flicked my hoof, getting the excess rainbows off of it. I sighed, and turned from the fountain. I stiffened as I saw the white and blue Angelic, her fangs clenched. The two other Angelics that accompanied her rose out of the cloud ground, with equally grotesque expressions. I froze, unsure of what to do. The white pony rose a hoof, turned upwards, as if offering something

“Sit.” She said in a very commanding tone.

“I’m not going to-” I started to say.

“Sit.” The Angelic said again, turning her hoof so that it was facing down. I immediately fell to my belly, as if something was pushing me down. The Angelic I faced grimaced, baring his teeth.

“You will be delicious.” The pink angelic with the blue hair said, “I’ve heard that Numbered flesh is as sweet as candy.” She said hungrily in a horrifyingly female voice. The white Angelic with the blue hair snarled at her and she flattened her ears, hissing.

“And how would you know, Ka’aal? Rumors. Hearsay. None of us were permitted to consume the First. Do not speak if your words will be so dense.” He said, snarling his words out. The pink pony, Ka’aal, whimpered.

“Forgive me, Elkai.” She whispered. Elkai, the white Angelic with the blue hair, grumbled.

“Careless.” He muttered, turning to me. I suddenly felt myself become very afraid. Elkai cleared his throat, and started to gag. He choked on something in his throat, something that I could not see. He leaned down and retched, and a pointed bone fell out of his mouth. I felt my stomach roil. The Angelic wiped his maw with one of his bloody hooves, leaving a smear of gore on his face.

“Your kind is not welcome in Clouldsdale.” The Angelic said. I did nothing but shake. I was afraid of this deadly creature. An Angelic who could use magic against me was nothing to be trifled with. I waited for him to say something else, knowing that his words could change my life.

“I do not have the authority to order your death. I can. I would. But I want to spend the rest of my life eating, not being eaten. My death would be drawn out and painful if I were to so much as touch you with my fangs.” The Angelic said, dropping down to a whisper and leaning down to my face.

“Let me give you a warning. Mortals are not permitted in Cloudsdale unaccompanied by their host. Any mortal not accompanied will be eaten on sight. Spread the word. Cloudsdale is not a safe haven for Ponies.” He threatened. Elkai drew up to his full height, and started to walk away.

“I won’t let you get away with this!” I shouted, slumped against the rail of the fountain, trying to get up to a standing position. Elkai laughed.

“If it was possible for you to use offensive magic in Cloudsdale, you would have destroyed this city by now. And even if you could? Cloudsdale is a venerable fortress, and impregnable when properly defended. You could not take this City from Angelics even if it was given to you on a silver platter.” He said, walking away from me. He passed between the other two Angelics, who were openly lolling their tounges and salivating during the exchange. They fell in and followed him away from me.

“Cloudsdale will fall! Even if I must tear it down from the sky, using my own bare hooves! CLOUDSDALE WILL FALL!” I screamed in rage, hurling my threat like a stone. Elkai and the other Angelics laughed. Elkai turned to face me over his shoulder.

“What’s stopping you?” He asked amusedly.

“Nothing!” I shouted, screaming at the dusky sky.

“Then come and get it while it’s still hot.” Elkai concluded, and trotted off into the city.

Comments

[UnintentionalMishap]

Deep...

[Frerichs0]

I haven't read this yet...but you may want to put a 37 on that last chapter.

[Sonicbrony66]

*in sweet, high-pitched, slightly creepy voice* The Angelics will pay. With their lives, minds, and SOULS.

[My Little Dashie]

I've been reading this story for a very long time, but up until now have been holding my tongue.

I love this story, but that isnt what I came to say.

...The beginning of this story...is extremely painful for me to read.

Author, I am not sure what kind of things you have gone through, what you are going through right now...

But in your writing...I sense years of pain, and anguish, not all that different from my own.

The thoughts of existence... the thoughts of questioning one's existence, are not something attained through mere boredom.

The thoughts of questioning one's existence... the thoughts of questioning existence itself, is something that comes from years of trying to make sense of the world, of your place in the world.

Edwin's thought pattern throughout the beginning of this chapter is...disturbingly similar to many of the though process which have crossed mine own mind countless times.

I can only assume that you must have also had thoughts like these, Author...

Questions of life. Questions of worth. Questions of value.

...If I am wrong, then you are a fantastic writer, as I already know to be true.

...If I am right, then I only say, Author, that my heart goes out to you.

[jroddie]

211744 I honestly didn't think that Edwin's speculation of his own life would be so... tangible to someone.
I've gone through some stuff like that, too. I feel for you.

[adrenalinrush]

236029 of course! mwahahahahaahahah