Chapter VI: Over the horizon

Part I: White beach


Sun, let me go.

No.

..You drunk me with your emotions. - changeling resisted the hugging very lazily - Please. We are not working. We have to work.

No, we have to do something with you!

Companions sailed nobody knows where, and for nobody knows how long. Supplies drained, friends exhausted, but the land is yet to be seen. Above all else, Sunshine did not let her friend do anything. Because he did not get any better during those many days. The bug stayed unchanged.

My wings will not grow just like that.

No, they will!

Don't you have something more important than hugging me? It is pleasant, but-

And what do you propose? Abandon you, so that you'll get something else torn off? No way!

However, there was something, for the solar pony. Since the moment when Awry Providence involuntarily left the ship, Ommatidia almost stopped talking and reacting to anything. She did not even move with her antennas; simply existed and watched the sky. Which worried the friends.

About her troubles, she hinted only to Gambit, while he was still free from eternal care. But even he could not get through to the referent's mind - nobody knew, how and what would bring the insectoid to her senses. Everyone came to only one conclusion - to call Sunshine. But she could not be called. She hugged.

..Sunny. I repeat one more time - nothing will happen to me here. Please, talk with Ommatidia - something already happened to her.

But..! You..! - the horse snorted and tore herself between everything in her thoughts - Promise me you won't go anywhere!

Promise. Will be here, on the ship.

The conscience tortured the little one. Why did she not decide to talk with the insect right then and there? Care for the most injured creature is needed, true, but that care did not bear any fruit - it is a changeling, not a pony! They are different. Especially in perception.

Sunshine? - fanged bug still lied on the floor and looked at the sky - We-

Sorry, I.. You saw him. You know better than anyone what I feel.

Yes. No. Not exactly. - the shapeshifter spoke almost like Gambit - I don't understand. Don't know how to understand.

What don't you understand? Let's talk about it. You wanted that, right?

..You hate me for being myself, don't you? - purple insect stayed as calm as the lilac one - You want me to be different?

No! What is with you? - hug found this insect too - I don't hate you. Why do you think like this?

The insectoid, raised in society, did not know how to express her thoughts. She feared. Feared saying something wrong, danced around with thoughts and wasted precious time. She feared making a mistake, trusting someone's feelings at one moment, and not listening to them at another. She feared something else.

Is this also a one-sided choice? Like with mother?

You.. you are about that talk? - pony finally realised what she spoke about - No, you didn't un-

The bug suddenly showed emotions. She did not let the big-eared horse finish, continuing to speak up in even more confusing riddles. Maybe, the fanged one sensed something deeply hidden inside the sun pony? Or did she simply come up with something that made sense for her? How deeply it resembles the hooved beings..

..Or, not exactly. Whiskered bug suddenly interrupted her thoughts. Ponies totally do not behave like that - they usually scream, express at their best and get frightened by anything and everything, be it inconvenient opinion or some real horror. Here, it is neither that, nor this:

What.. is that? - big-eyed insect pointed at an object afar - Lots of wind at one spot.

Wind? - horse squinted her eyes and looked at the pointed space - ..That's not wind. That is a tornado!

What is a tornado?

It is.. wind, but not wind! - literate pony easily succumbed to panic - It circles, because the air pushes itself. Or someone else pushes it. But there's nobody here, it-

It moves! - whiskered bug's amazement stayed short - ..Right at us!

News about an impending whirlwind spread around the whole ship just as quickly, as free pastries were taken on the streets. The team swiftly and strongly thought about what they should and could do with this natural disaster. And also argued a bit.

..And if we stop? - proposed Empyrean - Like right now!

Won't do. No time for. - guaranteed Vice - And if we do, we'll still be scraped.

Why did nobody notice it earlier? - purple bug did not understand - I mean, I didn't even look, but-

Nobody looked. This was supposed to be Awry's job. And eyeful creatures'.

As it so appeared, no point in turning aside either. What to do now? Where to sail? Or is it really time to bail and come to terms, because nothing can be done? This is a silly death, especially after so many passed events! However, some did exactly that, not seeing any other option.

And then, the tornado decided to turn around! ..At the same time, pulling many clouds after it and releasing a reasonable amount of water. It already negatively impacted the ship and its crew - new waves flooded them from hair to legs. But the bugs did not stop observing the sky. They witnessed something more.

There is something there! - Ommatidia pointed at a barely visible spot in the distance - Flies! Something flies!

Where? - nobody understood what she talked about.

Not birds. - confirmed Gambit - Something big. With something small.

..Gamby! - orange pony gritted her teeth while speaking - Why are-

I am still on the ship. I did not break my promise.

The find forced to drop the anchor. Does the discovered thing mean that there is land nearby? Did someone actually control this whirlwind? The tornado could very well turn around on its own, but the changelings did see something in the sky! Something certainly big, not meeting the usual expectations.

We need to fly and check! - insisted the solar mare - If not the birds, then something smart!

How do you imagine something smart, living in the sky? - the stallion barely held his laugh.

Look, cats in Zebrica pretend to be trees, what are you on about? - another orange horse did not see anything funny - And, their tricks work on some. We have a different problem - you seen our provisions? 'Tis empty in hold, and we stand here scratching our bollocks!

Oh, we can return back if anything, there is a way! - Sunshine still stayed confident - Even if there's nothing special out there, won't hurt to lo-

It is going away. - interrupted the white one - Think faster.

Luckily, there was enough time to make such an important decision. And since Sunshine suggested flying there, why should not she do it then; alone? Not that nobody else could follow or go with her, but the crew is very needed on the ship. Including her.

..But why? - the whole company puzzled.

Wood decays quickly. - reminded the long-eared pony - Need to dry the decks, if we can't dry ourselves. Vice-

I will go with her. - volunteered Gambit - Trust me. Morph in-

No, stay here! - ordered the orange one - I will manage! It's fair - I suggested, and I will fly. ..Now, listen to me, not my feelings!

The moment the long-eared mare spread her wings, the lilac insect tried to stop her. But he did not have enough time to jump at the winged pony - she pushed off of wood and rushed into the air as quick as ever before. Absence of wings did not at all stop the snowwhite bug.

The strength of all the crew was barely enough to hold him at one spot. As if the insectoid is drugged - wanted to drop into the water, only to get closer to his friend! He paid attention to her hidden uncertainty, he also sensed something wrong!

All this time, I wanted her to get busy. - insect seemed to cry in a moment - ..And now, I already miss her.

Not even a minute passed. - surprised Empyrean - You good?

..No. She burdens herself. It exhausts her, and any decisions take more strength. And I cannot even help.

She could use some rest, true, but what about you? I asked abo-

I am her friend. I was always near. I am her second half. - the bug finally unleashed his emotions - We have to stay together! This will turn out silly!

However, the pony already managed to hide from her friends' eyes, and only the changelings still noticed some vibrant spots in the sky. She did rightly point out that the ship needs others, but Sunshine completely forgot to care about herself. Which she did not understand immediately.

The horse spent too much energy climbing upwards - wet wings severely differed from the dry ones. And even though the Sun did warm and dry her, this was not at all enough. Even to simply hover in the air - an impossible task, especially for such a fragile pony!

"Won't make it. Totally won't make it." - understood the red-eyed horse, when even her eyes began to let her down. But she still tried, putting in her last efforts to achieve the goal. She promised she will manage it! And no hallucinations, no islands in the sky will stop her..

Since it cannot be, for the land to hover, especially so up high? Magic is magic, but that simply did not make any sense - just like this small expedition to the skies! "Nobody here!" - realised the pony, deciding to at least reach the possible illusion. Truth be told though, the horse could not even touch the island and the thickest clouds. Wings stopped listening!

The body did not want anything at all! It already did not care about this flying earth, about the hanging vegetation from it, about some weird and stranger sounds.. Changelings probably jumped into the water, seeing the falling mare from the sky. As well as someone who caught her.

And the little one also saw her saviour, but she realised it only when her head went back to normal. Was it indeed not a deceit? Then what does this sky-blue stallion do on a barely empty island? Why is his cutiemark - curled and twisted vines? Maybe, he actually lives here and collects those hanging plants?

Everything alright? - the young horse surely puzzled by the look of his guest.

Um.. sure? - the mare doubted herself and her interlocutor - Why does your hair burn?

One moment the stallion looked at himself, another - at the rescued pony. His hairs on mane and tail did seemingly burn in the sunlight. They curled, as if going to turn ablaze and vaporise this instant! But despite the expectations, he remained fine. Even though the stallion was even more skinny than the orange mare.

Why are they not curling for you? - he asked a counter question, immediately finding an answer to it - They are not thin - like you. Why are you so fat? Why do you need so much reserves? - blue-eyed stallion did not even notice his tactlessness - If the island is outweighed, it's not my fault.

..What?! - resented the solar pony - How dare you-

..Cloudcomber! - someone screamed from the clouds - You are late for six minutes and twenty three seconds. Something happened? - the owner of the voice finally showed himself - You- ..I see.

This blue and white stallion looked exactly like the first one! Just as skinny, but healthy; precise, smart and weary look, but not an earling; majestic wings, but not a dragon. Presence of a cutiemark also said a lot, but what does a wing wrapping into wind mean?

Pa-paramount! - gatherer visibly tensed up and stretched out before the chief - This pony - she falling into water, from the skies. I-

I'll take it from here, don't worry. Plans are changing, continue gathering skyweed.

..So, who are you? - red-eyed pony tilted her head - Why are you so.. so..

Let us not disturb the workers. We need to fly away.

Behind a small cloud mound, hid a whole celestial city. Even though the homes, in usual understanding of those words, were not exactly seen, many of those strange hooved beings were able to settle in there. Everyone did something; like one unified mechanism. Like changelings.

Those occupations also differed in many ways from the ground ones, even though they were quite similar in reasons: everyone needs food and water, but it is not that easy to get them in the sky. But the sky ponies somehow found their ways! And nobody distracted from their work. Even at the sight of a guest.

However, the winged mare could not understand the principles of upper miracles in full - she was led to some clouded elevation, where the pony was left in private with, as it so seems, the most important pony - this very same Paramount. Who, much to her surprise, already knew too much about what happened.

Your ship disturbed our plans.

So it is our ship that disturbed?! - solar mare immediately raised her voice - Are you even aware that-

We almost crushed you. We know. I gave the order to change the course and disperse the whirlwind, so you would not be splattered. ..This manoeuvre will cost us all very much.

..So it is you who did this! - little pony's mood changed between resentment and amusement - You..! But how? Pegasi can't control disasters like that!

Pegasi - no. Winglings - yes. We are in Cloudsdale - one of many few cloud cities..

Curious horse already bombarded this stallion with questions, and he answered all of them very quickly. As if he thought in some different way, which only so many tried to use. Moonrise, for example - the horse instantly remembered about him, in an attempt to talk with the pegasus.

Wingling kept his eyes closed most of the time. He seemingly focused only on particular things - the most important ones in a certain moment, not to mention so similar to the unicorn speech. Every wingling had it just as short. And no less informative.

..So, we don't encounter your kind, because you are self-sufficient and trade rarely? And you live only in these very-very dense clouds?

Correct. We need not much. Ropes, for example - so the floaties won't fly away from home.

— "Floaties"? What are you talking about?

Floating islands. Cloudcomber lifted you to one of those.

But why are they flying? What doesn't let them fall? You don't have unicorns, after all!

Plants. Air. Hard to explain..

As it so appeared, these plants wanted to breathe so hard, that they raised the water-floating islands into the air! This wonderful flora grown up the same unusual way, that the higher pegasi did - everyone simply wanted to survive. And they managed to do so together.

So that is why you are small! Oh, I mean thin!

We are not eating often. We are used to living minimally, looking more over our surroundings. Cut too much - the island will fall. And never get up.

Then, the huge cost is the energy you spent on that tornado?

..Not often that you meet smart ground beings. You guessed it.

Paramount's tone had softened thanks to his interlocutor's thoughtfulness! Winged horse even smiled while he listened to his guest. However, in one moment, the chief obsessed over something of his own again. He suddenly thought about something important once more.

..You alright? - orange pony could not miss such sudden change of environment.

Yes. I beg your pardon, must think. Must think a lot.

About what?

The city must survive. We flew towards kind ponies, but now we fly.. - he quickly calculated the path in his mind, without tools - To Canterlot. We will not have the supplies and strength to change our path. Will not gather enough before approaching the capital. Too many unfed mouths. Too much water will grab from our clouds.

So it isn't bright on our end either.. - the mare imagined their situation in her head.

We can help. We have no use for this little few. Will not gather enough fast.

Big-eared horse forgot how to speak. The poor and deprived were seriously going to help revolutionaries? But why? Is it not better to take the words back and care about their own, reward them for their efforts? And what good will that help be, if the crew does not know where to sail? Will go to waste. But information..

Land is not far from us. There is food. But there are not the ponies living. - Paramount calculated the way again, at lightning speed - Sail west, forty eight degrees from the ship's nose. This is the fastest way for you.

Thank you! ..And still, why are you helping us? You already had e-

Justice is achieved with suddenness. Ambassadors before me thought only about the city. I think about its surroundings.

Then you can't go to Canterlot! Evil ponies live there!

We know. Will endure. No other way.

And then, the emotional pony noticed something wrong. The chief spoke the last words with barely noticeable shivering. He feared what awaits him - what awaits Cloudsdale. And the pegasus explained, why he, and why others, will certainly fear such future.

Ponies are afraid of the unknown and confusing. We are also ponies, but we are different. We are scary for them, we are not accepted as their own. They already tried to disperse Cloudsdale, long ago, before my birth.

Then stand up for yourself, give a fight if they get too brazen!

Too many of them. Too, many. You don't know-

No, I know! I was there, they tried to kill me, I was tortured in the Canterlot castle! We have to defend our right to live, we have to do this together! - little pony opened her wings and stood on her hind legs - Nobody should hide just because of a different fur colour or another wing shape! You roam around the world, but if everything was fine - you could have settled and lived, not survived! This way you'll forget how to speak - become like zebras! You'll just stop understanding each other!

Paramount kept his silence for long. He did not know at all, how to answer the words of truth. But he did not disgust at them - he accepted every point, not like other ponies! Winglings actually proved to be smart, albeit weaker in some ways. They knew about their fears and flaws.

Not a problem. If one occupies themselves with one thing, this one thing will master. If one is occupied with several things, it is easy to become a master of several things. If one endlessly talks, occupied or not, nothing will happen. Better turn mute, than stupid.

..And Sunshine continued, she resented all other worldly injustice. Pony did not disdain from telling about her ancestry, and her dream - about a goal of everyone on the ship, about a wish of all Fillydelphia and small places of the world! Higher pegasus caught a new ray of hope..

..We have a chance to take Canterlot. But we need more of us. Sail to volcano - forty eight degrees to the west. Persuade the locals. Then we will have a chance, but only then. The whole world is not enough, but it may be enough with them.

But who will await us there, so strong for all that?

I promised not to tell. Cannot. Promises are more important than coin. - clever stallion continued to hint - We cannot stand against princesses. They can. Enough for two wingl-

What if you get there faster than us? How can we talk then, how to give everyone a signal? ..You don't have two voxvisirs, right?

..Don't want to think about it. - but the winged creature still thought - Have to try. There is a chance. There are hundred and thirty seven cycles - a month and forty seven days. There is hope.

Alas, but the planning and deciding ended up on not the sweetest note. And not even because of thinking about the dreamy battle for the capital and bright future, but because of trivial and small misunderstanding. But it was going so well - hooved creatures found a common tongue so quickly..

And in the end, the sun pony was not even given the promised food! Even though the little one was shown where the ship was waving, explained how to descend without hurting oneself, the red-eyed mare's mood already broke into little pieces. Maybe, the situation on a ship would be better?

You said yerself that she's been snatched! - yelled Empyrean - And now you sayin' to sit still? I'm not buying it!

And I am not selling. - the bug did not understand anything yet again.

You managed to fight each other already?! - long-eared pony screamed even louder than another orange one - Leave you alone for a minute, and you..!

You weren't eaten! Oh, thank the Shireland..!

Companions helped their friend get up on board and hastily headed towards the direction, that the big-winged ambassador pointed at. The horse was questioned non-stop about what she saw, but the pony could barely catch her breath. And set her thoughts with emotions straight.

There, there..! Pegasi with fiery hair, wings like princesses have..!

Now tell us the land is also flying.

..Yes! - discontent pony reacted only after a while - Settled on the clouds and drank right from them, tied floating islands with ropes! Grow food themselves!

No way, that's malarkey! ..Sun, you sure you haven't got that direction from your mind? Your head's unsqueezed from that sky pressure?