I'm late posting this one, and for that I apologize. I slept in, things happened, I lost track of time, and I built a book case. And I had to read through the chapter to both make sure it was ready, and come up with a chapter title. I'm not getting a lot of reviews yet, but I'm going to keep working on this. For those of you that don't know, I only post on Fridays, or Saturdays if I miss posting on Friday for one reason or another, but rarely earlier or later.
But this story is different from most of the rest of my other stories. This isn't some grand love story, or a hero looking for justice. It's a story of a Pegasus in a circus with his friends. Things will happen and I'll try to stay faithful to the show as best I can, but I added a lot of new characters, so that'll change things up and add events that never happened, and they probably never will (Unless the current crew working on it ask to use the general idea, of which all I ask is that they let me know they're going to do so with an official email so I can thank them.).
Disclaimer: I, Lord Genesis Shadow, do hereby state that I do not own the rights to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. If I did, I'd just do that. I wouldn't mess with a winning formula.
…
I tossed my cloak onto a branch and stretched my wings for a few moments before taking off. I needed less of a jump from when I was a foal. I kept my wings in shape by flapping them for ten to twenty minutes each day, but I rarely flew unless I had a day off, and they were rare as of late. The sun had yet to come up, and it was unheard of that Princess Celestia wouldn't make it rise on time, as she had for so many years without fail. Then again, she had a lot to do. Maybe she was behind in her royal duties to the point she couldn't raise the sun as early as she did every year. Hopefully she would do so soon.
'Let's shake off the last of the cobwebs.' I thought. I flew high and spun slightly before doing a back flip. As I got close to the ground I pulled up and managed to skim the trees. I flew around for a few minutes, just going through my old tricks, and some I had seen Sky and the others do as of late. Some of my rolls and flips weren't easy, but they were my own. Subtle motions made them difficult compared to a standard roll, and they were just subtle enough that Sky couldn't pull one off. 'Okay, now, for a hard one'. I flew up and did a spiraling barrel roll to the right before doing a triple back flip, and as I got to the top of the climb, I moved into a double forward flip to the left. I kept it up for three seconds before stopping and spinning laterally for another two before I began flapping again, only slightly dizzy. I suddenly heard whistling and looked down to see Specs and Sky cheering, and I blushed as I flew down, landing like a bird of prey, on my hind hooves first before setting down. "H-hey. I thought I had a few more minutes to myself." They laughed as Specs smiled widely.
"Wow, your wings really are amazing." She said. I turned my head away slightly, partly to look at them, but mostly to look away.
"No, they're just, strange." I said quietly. Sky slugged my shoulder playfully.
"Come on, I think they're cool, dad thinks they're cool, and Specs thinks they're amazing." She said. "Face it, your wings are awesome." I laughed and looked at them. "And you did that roll again. How do you do that without passing out?"
"Practice." I said. "Like flying. You don't forget how to do it no matter how long you're grounded." Specs moved over and looked at my wings.
"Ace, you're awesome." She said.
"And you have to teach me how to do those rolls." Sky said. "I'm begging you. I'll give you the whole cheesecake." I looked at the sky for a moment. "Ace?"
"If I could, believe me, that cake would get you lessons for months." I said, sighing at the end. I looked at her. "But it's not something that can be taught. You're good enough that you can copy me, almost perfectly. If you can't do it on your own, then, it must be my wings…"
"Then you have to show off!" Specs said. "Come on, it'd be sweet to show the crowd how great a flier you are!" I sat down and sighed again.
"I, just can't." I said. "Yeah, I can fly, pretty good… But I just… I don't want anypony to see my wings. You think they look cool, Horatio thinks they look cool, but… I don't want ponies calling me a freak."
"You're not a freak." They said together.
"You're amazing!" Specs said.
"You're unique." Sky said. I sighed quietly before looking up.
"Let's, just drop the subject, for now." I said. They sighed. "Specs, you wanted to see my wings, so…" I opened one to the side and she smiled, walking over and looking at it on both sides before giggling.
"Neat." She said. "Like a big bat wing with a bigger web." Sky laughed as I closed the wing. "And it closes like a feathered Pegasus wing. Sweet." I laughed. That's why she was a friend. She always had that attitude around… Literally everypony she met.
"Hey, Ace, dad's got some fires started." Sky said. We looked at her. "Marshmallows, chocolate bars, graham crackers." She smiled. "S'mores!" We laughed and I walked over to my cloak, and I quickly pulled it on. "Come on, let's go. I'm hungry. Snack time!" She turned and jogged toward the camp, and I laughed as I followed, and Specs started running to catch up. I just walked, smiling.
'I guess this is alright.' I thought. 'I've got some friends, it's the longest day of the year with Princess Celestia raising the sun in some lucky town… And my best friend's father is making S'mores. I can't say that this day could go any better…'
"Ace, come on!" Sky called. "You know my dad doesn't do this often!" I laughed and started jogging, and she was looking at me from a spot above the ground, just below a few branches. "What are you hanging back for?"
"Just thinking about, how good today is going." I said. "I think today should be pretty good. I've just got a feeling that something amazing is going to happen." I laughed for a moment. "Not sure why I think that, but I do." She laughed and flew ahead, and I ran to keep up with her.
…
I stretched and looked up at the sky. The sun was still down, and I felt a little worried. We had actually gotten onto the wagons and started up again, a few Unicorns at the front of each one using 'Flashlight' spells to guide the drivers. We were a lot closer, but we were also worried because the sun still hadn't come up. I was starting to wonder if the princess wanted to do something new. A full day without light to help us truly appreciate a normal day. If that was her plan… Then she was definitely wiser than most would expect. It was still somewhat troubling, regardless.
"Hey Ace." Specs said. I just moved my wings slightly as she walked over. "Worried?"
"Bored." I said. She laughed. "Seriously though, Princess Celestia has only missed one Summer Sun Celebration in the past thousand years, and that was from being stricken with a cold that made her magic unstable."
"Maybe she caught it again." She said.
"We'll find out soon." I said. "This just means the longest day will be later… After a few days without the sun." She sighed as she sat down. "It's not all that bad. Night is a beautiful time. We just get to stay up even later than we normally would for the Summer Sun Celebration." She laughed as I sat down. "And the stars are perfect."
"You know, I see you stargazing all the time after your shows." She said. "Why is that? I know Pegasi have their heads in the clouds now and then, but you have your head all the way up there!"
"I don't know." I said. "I guess… I just like feeling free."
"But you have a job." She said. "If you really want to be free, you'd have to be a nomad, going from place to place with nothing holding you anywhere!"
"I do go from place to place." I said. "We're all nomads in that respect. And we stay with the circus, because we're like a big family, travelling together, everywhere. We don't have anything holding us back, because this is where we want to be." She laughed.
"Maybe your Cutie Mark will be a scroll, for philosophy." She said. I was silent. "N-not to say that, um… Nice weather today?" I stared up at the stars. "Sorry."
"What about?" I asked.
"Uh, saying, what I said." She said slowly. I pointed up.
"Sorry, I was looking at that shooting star, making a wish on it." I said. She was silent for a moment.
"I don't see a shooting star." She said.
"You missed it." I said. It was obviously a lie, and I was hoping she'd take the hint. I set my hoof down. "They're fast, you know?"
"Uh, yeah." She said. Sixteen years old, and I still didn't have my Cutie Mark. Some would ridicule me for it, if I didn't wear my cloak everywhere I went. "Really fast…" I got up and adjusted my glasses carefully as a town appeared on the horizon. "Ace?"
"Horatio asked me to let him know when we were close." I said. "Figure, half an hour, or so?"
"Yeah, give or take a few minutes." She said. "See you later then."
"Yup." I said. I turned and started walking, stretching my wings since she already knew. Keeping them rested against my sides all the time left them a little stiff. It was good to know that most of the others had gone to sleep. 'I hope Horatio's still up… If not, I'll have to wake him, somehow…' I turned into his room and saw him playing chess with Sky. "Half hour."
"How'd you know?" Sky asked.
"Know what?" I asked. "We're half an hour until we get to the town… What are you talking about?"
"Dad's been thinking about his next move for half an hour." She said. I looked at Horatio as he sat silently, moving his hoof. "It's been checkmate the whole time, but he won't give up. I've got him blocked for every single move he can make. I had this set up ten turns ago." He sighed and put his hoof down.
"Fine, you win." He said, laughing. "I thought I could at least get one more turn in." They both laughed as I sighed.
"You two and chess." I said. "I don't get your fascination with it."
"That's because you always beat us and only lose one or two pieces each time." Sky said. "You're like some, über-chess master or something." I laughed quietly.
"The moves just come to me." I said. "Must be from, my mom's side of the family… Dad wasn't all that smart, in my opinion." She laughed as Horatio pushed the pieces back, setting the taken ones back with his teeth without licking them. "So, we'll be there in, twenty, seven minutes?" They both laughed and Horatio looked at me. "You just lost to Sky, Sky can't beat me, and you want to try."
"I got a few new tricks." He said. "Let's rock." She got up and I walked over, calmly, before sitting down. "This time, I plan to win. I'll be eight moves ahead of you."
"We'll see." I said. I pushed a pawn forward and he looked at it before pushing one as well.
"Twenty five minutes dad." Sky said. "Think you can take him by twenty?"
"Easily." He said. "I've planned out every possible move he can…" I moved my knight and he seemed stuck in thought. "Okay…" He moved his knight and I moved a pawn. He took it, and I used my knight to take his. "Hmmm…"
"Hey Ace, what do you want to do after we set up?" She asked. "Specs told me that she's been to Ponyville before, and there's a place called Sugarcube Corner. They've got some of the best baked goods outside of Canterlot." I looked at her as I pushed a bishop into place.
"I wonder how their cheesecakes taste compared to the one you've got." I said.
"I've got you this time." Horatio said. "Check."
"Specs said that they can make anything, and it's always amazing." Sky said. I pushed a piece and took Horatio's other knight.
"Blast." He said quietly.
"I guess I'm up for it." I said.
"Good, because you pretty much live off of what we have to sell." She said. "And there's a place called Sweet Apple Acres, where they grow the biggest, juiciest, and most delicious apples in Equestria! Remember that one time we had those huge Golden Delicious apples? The ones as big as dad's top-hat?"
"Check." He said. I moved a piece and took his bishop. "Oh, you're lucky."
"Yeah, I remember those." I said. "They were, fantastic."
"Well, we can buy them cheap, like, fifty bits for a bushel!" She said. "The ones we sell, three bits per apple for us to buy. That's why we sell them with homemade caramel." I looked at the ceiling as Horatio moved a piece, but before he could say check I took his queen.
"Seriously?" He asked. "You're not even looking!"
"How many fit into a bushel?" I asked.
"That's the best part, they consider a bushel no less, than forty." She said. I looked at her. "That's just barely over one bit per apple, they're bigger, taste better, and they sell all kinds of apple products!" I looked at the chessboard for a moment and moved my bishop.
"Checkmate." I said.
"Hold on for…" Horatio started. "Uh… A, a s-second… Just… Rats."
"Twenty minutes to go." Sky said.
"Sweet Apple Acres, Sugarcube Corner…" I said. "Is there, a chance they have a library? I could use some new books."
"Yeah, there's one in the middle of town…" She said. "I don't know if they found a librarian yet… Oh, and Cloudsdale isn't too far. Dad, doesn't aunt Siri live there?"
"Yes, she does…" He said. "And she's always got a few great stories to tell. I haven't seen her in a couple of years, what with the time we've spent on the road, and how far it is out of the way for both of us… We should really visit her."
"Have fun." I said. "A whole cheesecake won't get me in the clouds anytime soon."
"Come on, you have to meet her." Sky said. "She's really friendly… And, she cooks a nice cheesecake." I moved the pieces back as Horatio nodded.
"Best I've ever had." He said. "She actually has most of the ingredients special ordered, freshly made."
"You'll have to tell me about how that goes." I said.
"I bet she'd make one special if we wrote her and said you were coming with us." Horatio said.
"Sorry, but cloud cities don't sit well with me." I said. "I prefer solid ground. Lived on it my whole life."
"I bet she'd even try a new recipe for a visitor." Sky said.
"Yeah, you'll have to see if you can't get one of the others to go with you." I said.
"I'll give you a raise." Horatio said.
"I hardly spend any money as it is." I said. "I've got over ten years pay saved up. Thanks, but I don't think I've earned another one, compared to what earned me the last one."
"I'll let you have the whole cheesecake, and I'll buy you one from Sugarcube Corner." Sky said. I moved the last piece back and stood up.
"I think I'll go outside for some fresh air." I said. "See you."
"Fifty bits, right now." Horatio said. He put down a bag of coins, but I just walked.
"Like I said, I have a lot saved up." I said. "I've got a whole pirate chest style trunk… Three of them." They were silent for a moment.
"I'll give you all I said I'd give you, and a kiss on the cheek." Sky said. I stopped for a moment, weighing the thought for a minute or so.
"That, is, actually tempting." I said. Horatio laughed quietly. After a few moments I shook my head. "No, I, I just can't. If the trip didn't get to me, landing would. We'd have to land really early in the morning. If we had a spell that changed my wings that Specs could use, maybe."
"Then we'll look for a spell at the library!" Horatio said.
"In addition to the cheesecakes, the fifty bits, and a kiss on the cheek." I said. They were silent. "That's the deal."
"Done." They said.
…
"Hey, Ace." Sky said. I looked at her. "Do you think I'm ready to join the aerobatics troupe?"
"Yeah." I said. "Why would you think otherwise?"
"Well, I still can't do most of the stunts you did." She said. "I either get too dizzy, or I can't pull a tight enough turn or… So many things you do, I can't do half as good. By the time you get dizzy, you do like, twice as many spins as I managed, you bank a turn twice as sharp as I can, and you can… You can do backflips while blindfolded, and still even out perfectly!" I turned to her.
"Sky, you're ready." I said. "The stuff you do, the others admitted that they can barely do half of what you can do." She was silent, looking away slightly. "Yeah, I can pull a turn you can't, but think of how they must feel when you tell them what I can do. How do you think they feel when you say I'm twice as good as you? If they're half as good as you, and you say I'm twice as good as you, then they're only a fourth as good as me." She nodded slowly as she looked at me. "Now, I wouldn't say I'm twice as good… I'd barely say I'm just as good as you are, but only because you keep telling me how good I am." She sighed.
"It's just, I want to be the best." She said. "Dad was the best for years. I mean, he started his own travelling show just so he could make my grandfather proud of him. I want, I want dad to be proud of me."
"He is." I said. "He's also worried that you're going to push yourself too hard and wind up getting hurt, bad. I'm a little worried, too." She smiled a little. "You're my friend, his daughter, and a lot of the others would be worried, believe me. But, you're ready. Don't push your limits too far, and you'll show the others that you're not here just because you're Horatio's daughter. Show them that you've earned the top spot in the aerobatics troupe." She moved over and hugged me, surprising me to the point that I was frozen, at first, but I moved my front leg around her shoulders to return the hug.
"Thanks Ace." She said. "It means a lot, from you." I smiled a little.
"I'm just being honest." I said. "You're great. You know it, I know it, your dad knows it… Now show the others and make sure they know it." She moved back and nodded.
"Trust me, they'll know that I've earned it." She said. "They'll know I'm going to earn my spot as the head of the flying troupe." She turned and walked toward the tent where they were having tryouts for new fliers.
"Go get 'em." I said quietly. I turned and walked toward my tent, one thought in mind. A little book I'd bought from a Unicorn that no longer needed it. He just wanted somepony to have it, so I made an offer of thirty bits, and he gave it to me. He was the only pony in a crowd that actually looked at me directly, and gave it to me at the first offer, no haggling. It was about time to read what I'd bought. "Okay, my brilliant purchase of a thick, hardcover book, with shapes that I don't understand on the cover."
