Sorry for everyone for taking so long to update. Been busy with a lot of things lately. Anyhow, I hope you enjoy ^_^
The wind was brisk and the sky was clear of the Great Paradise Desert. Far above its foreboding rocks and endless sand a great mass of canvas and steel majestically floated over the scenery below; its mighty wings fluttering in a cool, northern breeze. Aboard the machine, four ponies busily peddled on, propelling them ever closer to their destination.
"Will we get to Canterlot soon?" Octavia asked.
The clean-shaven pony at the rudder looked down at the gauges that littered a control panel mounted on the stem of his handle-bars. "Well, let me see...four ponies times…" He trailed into a systematic mumbling of equations and measurements, tediously working the numbers within his head while not neglecting to continue peddling. "…considering a wind speed of 16 knots…pretty soon!"
"Gee, that sure is helpful." Octavia replied, rolling her eyes.
"Don't sweat it Tavi," Vinyl said waving her hoof, "we'll get there in time. Then we can look through that museum all we want."
"It's not that," Octavia replied, "I'm more concerned about him." She pointed to the unconscious Santa-pony strapped to the wing brace of the flying-machine.
"No worries my dear," Flam said, "When we get to Canterlot, we'll take him straight to the hospital." The mustachioed pony leaned close to his brother and whispered, "But not before we make an exhibition the city will never forget." Flim nodded his approval as they continued speedily on.
"Uh...Vinyl," Octavia said nudging her friend.
"Yeah?"
"I'm...sorry for how I behaved back there. I don't know what came over me. It was just...I can't describe it. It was as if everything was gone."
"It's okay," Vinyl said smiling, "If something like that happened to me, I'd probably do the same thing. Besides, you always got me, right? And I promise, I'll never leave."
Octavia smiled, "You truly are one my best friends."
"What are friends for, right? Speaking of which, do you have something to eat? I'm starving..."
"What does food have to do with friendship?" Octavia asked perplexed.
"Fries of a feather, fly together." Vinyl said with a huge grin on her face.
"Hardy-har-har. You're so punny."
All of a sudden, from the midst of the clouds, strange shapes started to take shape. First, they started of as specks, mere dots on the horizon of an endless sea, but soon they started to materialize – bigger and bigger, their shapes slowly transformed into crisp objects. "There it is!" Flam cried excitedly, "Canterlot!"
"You sure?" asked Vinyl. "I can't hardly see anything."
"Are you blind, my good woman? There! I can see it plain as daylight! The parapets upon the high walls of the castle! Their stone is as lustrous as ebony! The high-waving banners caught in a crisp wind, hanging from those poles so ornately crafted! Of course its Canterlot!"
"Calm yourself, Brother." Flim said.
"Oh, I'm just so excited!" Flam replied.
"Yeah, me too," chimed Octavia.
"Let's bring her in for a landing then brother."
"Yes brother, let's."
Suddenly the mighty wings twisted and the machine dipped below the clouds to reveal the capital. The city lay shining in magnificent glory upon its mountainside perch, its glorious polished stone gleaming in the bright rays of the sun which lay over it. For a brief-moment, the entire company stood in wide amazement as they stared at the entrancing sight before them, their eyes filled with wonderment and delight.
"Steady as she goes Flam."
"Easy as she comes Flim."
Not once did the great machine fly around the capital, but three times, in total. With each revolution the flying-machine glorified itself upon the Canterlot skies, with each revolution it dazzled all the citizens therein. After the third time, the mighty veil of canvas descended upon an empty court-yard, where it made its final bow, to a thunderous applause by the spectators who had gathered there to see it.
"You hear that Flam!" Flim said grabbing his brother, "They love us!"
"We're a hit brother!'
"Yes, brother, a smash!"
"Ahem." Octavia motioned to the still unconscious lump of holiday cheer still strapped to the wing.
"Oh yes...right." Flam ascended to the top of the platform and stood as far as his hind-legs would let him, so that he towered over the cheering mass of ponies. "Good People of Canterlot!" he announced with all the faculty of his showmanship "We have with us a fellow who needs medical attention! We ask that you clear the way so we may get him to the nearest doctor!"
"I'm a doctor!" a voice from the crowd announced over the screaming mob.
"Who said that?" Flam said peering out.
"I did!" A tan, slender forced his way through the throng, his medical bag in tow.
"And who might you be, my good sir?"
"Allow me to introduce myself: I am Doctor Thaddeus Pleasant, I work at the Royal Medical Hospital. I recognized the pony in your custody immediately. He's an escapee from the insane asylum. A pony who believes he has a gambling problem and that people are out to kill him. He was a new transfer, and we lost him while we were logging him into the system."
"Where did he transfer from?"
"From prison."
"What was he transferred for?"
"Because the judge declared that all ponies who had gambling problems were insane."
"But...wouldn't that mean...?"
"It's best that you don't ask too many questions. I'll take him from here." With that, the good doctor got several burly orderlies to heave the pony up, and they carried him off into the crowd. It was also at that time, that both Vinyl and Octavia had finished unloading their things from the flying-machine.
"Well...lots of comings and goings in life, I suppose." said Flim.
"Ladies, its been an honor and a pleasure. Farewell. Perhaps, we'll see each other again soon." He bowed and kissed Vinyl's hoof again.
They trotted away slowly until they were far down one of the cobbled streets of the capital, far out of distance of the two brothers. "Well, those guys were pretty awesome." Vinyl said.
"Yeah...we're taking the train home." Octavia replied, and both laughed as they strode toward the Royal Palace, where Octavia had been given accommodation.
