Wind

Hours passed.

Measure felt an invisible weight lifted from his shoulders as he realized it was the end of the workday.

As he performed the evening ritual of putting his pens back in the cup perfectly straight, the heavy-with-ink documents in the "Out" box in the filing room, and locking his office, his thoughts drifted to what he had discussed with Redheart.

Did he really need help? Her help? Or somepony else's? For that matter, what did he need help with? He was fine, he told himself for the umpteenth time that day; all he was doing was worrying, and he was very tired of it too. He didn't need somepony interpreting his "vision", because it was nothing more than that. A silly dream. Still...

The earth pony clip-clopped out to the lobby. Half the lights were already off, throwing shadows everywhere but the reception counter. Nurse Redheart was just finishing tidying it of stray tissues and antibiotics spills.

Measure opened his mouth to say something, but instead decided he was too tired to talk. "Night" he said, without turning. He knew it was rude, but he needed to clear his head. Again.

"G'night, Mes" came the friendly reply. Measure pushed open the door and didn't bother to correct her as he cut across the stunted grass to the street.

Ponyville wasn't much for nightlife. There was only one club in town and it seemed to switch between a lounge and a disco on a regular basis. Tonight the latter seemed to be in action, as multicolored lights and half-drunk ponies drifted from the half open door, accompanied by muffled electro. It made Measure's head hurt just thinking about it. He wrinkled his nose, tightened his scarf, and hurried on.

He turned onto his street, where the only streetlight made the pony's shadow 30 feet long. Measure walked slower, savoring the cool, savory night air and the cozy lights and silhouettes visible through the curtains of houses. This made his thoughts drift to family, something he hadn't thought about in a long time.

He climbed the steps to his flat and tripped through the door, flipped the lights on, and made friends with the couch.

"Right. Family."

Measure hadn't grown up with much. He still knew every street in Trottingham, and remembered the flamboyant yellow house on the corner. He could almost hear his mother's voice: "Clockwork Measure, clean your room this moment!"

His family had been working class, both his parents musicians; it had never caught on with him. He'd had a few friends here and there, but nothing real. He had only one sibling, a sister, Honey Sprinkles. They used to be quite close, but lost touch a few months ago, when the dreams had started.

Measure had thought of calling her or visiting her at her home in New Hayshire. Last he had heard she was getting married.

He still felt dreadful for not going to the wedding, but he wasn't comfortable in groups.

"It's your own sister, for Celestia's sake!" he had thought. Shortly afterwards, he had stopped talking to her, too ashamed. It seemed now she was only a fictional character in a foal's storybook, or the kind of pony that is always talked about but never seen.

And so he had moved to Ponyville, to get away from the city, to find work, and, (he thought), find peace of mind. Perhaps he had, in a sense.

Sometimes, on slow nights, Measure would walk a mile or so out of town up a hill and tall ridge known as Starswirl's Peak, which was rumored enchanted by the legendary magician so that he would be able to pick magical herbs for new brews. Now, it was nothing but stubby grass and and a few white irises. At the edge was a long and yawning drop, with some large rocks barely visible below.

Measure would stand there, staring at the stars, drinking in the sky and thinking of the light that had waited so long just to touch his eyes at this very moment. It made him feel small. Tiny. Inconceivably unimportant.

But it also made his troubles feel the same way; tiny, temporary, and tethered only to here and now. He thoughtfully recalled something his mother had once said to him: "See those lights up there? They're far, ever so far away, and ponies are only now figuring out how big they are too. But when you think about what's out there, and how big it all is, you realize how small everything down here is, and how your problems can never last." Measure admitted to himself that he really missed his parents more than he remembered.

He hadn't quite understood it at the time, being only a young foal, but those last few words had glued themselves to his skull, and they had gotten him through some rough times too.

Measure would allow himself a small smile, as he would recline on the comforting bed of grass, undisturbed, staring and contemplating for hours on end. It made him feel like a geek, but he hardly cared.

As Measure sat there on his sagging couch, he remembered that he hadn't been up to the peak in a few weeks. Why not, he figured.

His eyes jerked to the clock. 21:48. Enough time, he reasoned as he counted to 10 and heaved himself up.

He quickly made a pot of cocoa and put some cookies out for later, when he knew he'd want them before bed.

The earth pony moved outside and shut the door behind him, not bothering to lock it this time.

He just needed to relax for a bit, he told himself as he set off at a leisurely pace. He'd not push himself down by worrying about silly things like work and what other ponies thought of him.

It reminded him of a certain mare at the local bakery, which he'd only visted once. He recalled her as being... "noticeable", he decided.

As he walked along the gravel trail, leaving the lights behind, Measure remembered his pact to Nurse Redheart, and immediately felt guilty about his exit from the clinic. He didn't have any friends here yet; he didn't want to mess that up... "Just like bucking grade school" he muttered glumly.

An alarm went off in his head; he decided not to dwell.

Come to think of it, he didn't really know anypony; they all knew him for some inexplicable reason. They all said hello like one would, but he hated having to give them a confused look and then quickly decide whether to return the favor or not.

Why couldn't friendships be natural, created and maintained by him?

Did everypony really just have to do this out of pity?

Was there nopony that liked him for who he was and didn't just feel sorry for him?

Were they all against him?

What if they were?

"why...why...why...whywhyWHYWHYWHY!" screamed his mind. The thoughts swirled around rabidly, growling, repeating and contradicting and making a vicious circle.

Measure calmly brought them to a halt, as he was used to this happening. Everything kept raising more and more questions, until nothing made sense. He knew it was foolish, and so he decided to focus on the goal ahead.

He walked solemnly in silence, and tried to wonder about something normal for a change. "What do other ponies worry about?" "What's for dinner? If it's going to rain next Tuesday? If my spouse is still next to me in the morning?"

He snickered lightly and pushed the obvious thought out of his mind, perhaps a bit too violently.

"I'm perfect by myself." "Besides, somepony else in that tiny can known as a flat would be too much."

"Much.... too.... much" he convinced himself firmly.

Hadn't he?

Measure had reached the base of Starswirl's peak. It looked steeper than he remembered, reaching up like a blade of prairie grass toward the moon hanging in the sky, seemingly just beyond the lip.

He smiled, just a bit, and slowly began the walk up. He took his time with each step, reminding himself that he was inches closer to the winking blips above him.

Without taking his eyes off them, he lay on his side and stared.

Just stared.

He let his eyes and mind get lost in the colorful ocean above him.

It was all there.

After a while they seemed to come together as a collective light, shooting from the heavens right into his eyes and filling him with their fiery stamina.

It made the pony feel lighter, and his mind began playing tricks on him by making him feel as if he was slowly tilting to one side. He closed his eyes, and savored the silence.

He felt as if absolutely nothing was, or could go wrong. The townsponies didn't matter... he'd figure it out.

Later.

So much later.

*********************

After a time, Measure opened his eyes, and checked the position of the moon. A full one.

Midnight.

The magic hour, some ponies said.

Measure slowly rose and walked to the lip of the peak. He peered down at the inky ocean of night for a moment, then turned around and looked towards the town, a few miles away. It seemed it was nothing more than a cluster of lights and rectangles.

Artificial.

The town faded from his view until there was nothing in it's place but the waving spring grasses.

Measure moved; a quick, easy motion.

And he was flying, flying faster than he ever had or ever believed he could.

It was so real.

And as he zoomed through the night air, he closed his eyes, and smiled.