Twilight loved to fly.
In fact, she would go through any means to soar above the clouds. Thus, she found herself floating high over Ponyville in a large purple and pink hot air balloon, courtesy of Princess Celestia's personal fleet. The clouds drifted lazily by under her as she leaned over the edge of the basket to take in the coming sunset. Twilight always made it a point to watch the sunset whenever she could, showing her appreciation for her mentor's duty to bring the light to Equestria.
"Isn't it beautiful?" Twilight glanced down at her young dragon assistant, Spike, and smiled, the glint of the Sun reflecting off her eyes.
"It'd be beautiful if I could see it!" The drake huffed, crossing his arms. "You always bring me on your hot air balloon flights, but you never bring something for me to stand on!" Spike turned away from Twilight, frowning. "Besides, it's not like there's anything to see anyway.." he trailed off, suddenly very interested in the basket's floor.
"Oh, Spike, you know that if we add any more weight, we'll go down faster than the maximum velocity of a Zebrican Swallow!" Twilight chided Spike, patting his head with a hoof. "Anyways, you'd be hard pressed to find a more beautiful night for a flight, Spike!" Twilight grinned. She adored the early evening hours, the first stars peeking through the fading blue and orange skies like little eyes, exploring their world and keeping watch over the ponies below.
"It's no fair though! You get to see the sunset, I get to see the sky and the inside of the balloon every time I have to refill its supply of hot air! That's not my idea of a fun time!" Spike crossed his arms, sitting in the corner and facing away from Twilight.
"Okay, Spike, I promise you can sit on a stool or something next time." Twilight was distracted by the sheer beauty of the setting before her. She was too distracted to notice the sudden shift in wind direction, changing their course towards the Everfree Forest.
"Uh, Twi'? We're moving the wrong way!" Spike tapped Twilight on her leg, startling her and causing the unicorn to jump in surprise. "I think we're headed toward the Everfree."
"Oh shoot! I got sidetracked by the sight of another of Celestia's sunsets, I didn't realize we changed course." Twilight removed the sandbag weights from the backside of the basket and placed them on the opposite side, facing away from the forest. "That should help change the direction back, Spike. We'll be just fine." Twilight smiled, staring out at the rapidly descending sun and the blanket of stars that followed in its wake.
Suddenly, the wind changed direction once again, the balloon having entered the Everfree air currents, which were as unpredictable as her friend Pinkie Pie. The weights caused the balloon to tip to the side and the hot air began to rush out of the sideways balloon. The pair dropped from the sky as the balloon deflated, Spike's continued fire breath only filling a small amount of the falling vessel. "Twilight! We're not gonna get back in the air this time! Use your brother's shield spell to keep us safe!" Spike yelled over the roar of the wind passing the basket as the balloon fell to the darkened canopy below them.
"Okay! Hold on tight!" Twilight lit her horn, a pink protective bubble forming around the two occupants as the basket smashed into a tree, splintering and breaking apart, sending shreds of the once-majestic balloon falling through the dense treetops. The pink bubble fell through the leaves, bouncing off the many branches as it slowly advanced on the forest floor. With a soft squelching noise, the pair found themselves sitting right in the middle of a huge mud pit, the forcefield dripping with stagnant water and dirt. The two were safe from their emergency landing, but the same could not be said of Celestia's prized hot air balloon. Shreds of plastic and wicker fell around them as the wind and branches made short work of the remains, the balloon disappearing into the canopy's darkness.
The only light came from Twilight's horn as the forcefield dropped, causing the stranded fliers to sink into the mud slightly. "Don't worry, Spike, I'll have us out of here in no time!" Twilight charged her horn again, the world disappearing and reappearing with the musty scent of the Library's main floor and candlelight in their peripherals. Spike spun in place and collapsed, rubbing his stomach.
"Don't do that without warning me first, Twilight! You know I get queasy when you teleport!" Spike leveled a glare at Twilight, but could not stay mad for too long. He sighed. "You know, it's okay. We're safe and that's all that matters." Spike smiled.
It was true, the pair had escaped fairly unscathed, aside from a few scratches here and there. Twilight frowned, what would Celestia say when she heard Twilight had wrecked her favorite balloon? She paused a moment to catch her rapidly flowing breath as irrational thoughts filled her head. She feared the worst, would she be banished for her carelessness? Would Celestia banish her from the place she banished her to, only to send her back to Magic Preschool? Twilight shuddered, if she thought Magic Kindergarten was bad, Magic Preschool would give her nightmares for weeks! She couldn't go back to that!
"Oh, Spike, what am I going to do? Celestia's going to banish me to another dimension! She'll send me back to Magic-" Twilight felt a claw over her mouth, silencing her.
"Kindergarten, yes, Twilight, we know what Celestia apparently does to ponies who make mistakes." Spike shook his head, he was tired of Twilight's constant belief that she would return to the preliminary levels of magic study for so much as blinking during a meeting with the Princess. He looked Twilight in the eyes and slowly took his hand away from her mouth. "All better?"
"No, Spike! Not Magic Kindergarten, Magic Preschool! I'll have to relearn the basics all over again! Maybe I am rusty in my skills, maybe I do need to go-" Twilight found her mouth covered once again by Spike's hand.
"Deep breaths, Twilight, remember your techniques. In through the nose, out the mouth. Good, like that." Spike patted Twilight's head as she slowed her breathing back to normal.
"Thanks, Spike. I can always count on you to set my mind in the right direction. I'm sure if I just write Princess Celestia and tell her about what happened, she'll understand and move on." Twilight pulled Spike into a tight embrace. "What would I do without you?" she asked.
"Well..." Spike began, but Twilight's stare made him rethink his choice of words. "I'm glad you're okay, Twilight. Isn't that all we can ask for?" he let go of Twilight, smiling up at her disheveled appearance. "You go straighten...this out" he waved a claw around her mane and face "while I go get that letter started for you, okay?" Spike ran off to grab the necessary materials for penning a letter, while Twilight fixed her mane with her magic.
"Thanks Spike." Twilight called out before Spike left the room. "You always know how to set me back on track." she smiled softly, and waited for him to return with parchment and a quill. Her number one assistant always had her best interests in mind and always seemed to know exactly what to do to get Twilight back to earth. She smiled, she was lucky to have somedragon like Spike around.
Soft footsteps echoed down the hall as the drake came running around the corner, letter writing tools in hand. "Okay, Twilight, I'm ready!" he said, placing the quill into the inkwell and hovering it over the page.
"Ahem. Dear Princess Celestia..." Twilight began, and continued to spout out her recollection of the events leading up to the destruction of Celestia's hot air balloon, apologizing every few lines for her mistakes, lines which Spike ignored mostly. A few short minutes later, and Twilight felt a weight lift off her chest. It always felt better to tell the truth rather than hold it inside; Applejack was a testament to that.
Spike puffed a green flame out of his mouth and the scroll disappeared into the inferno, already on its way to Princess Celestia's desk. "All set! Now we just have to wait an-urk!" he retched, belching up a scroll immediately after, the Royal Seal affixed to the top. "Well, that was-*cough*-fast!" Spike wheezed, still surprised from the rapid response. He unrolled the scroll and his features dropped as he scanned the length. "Um, Twi'? You might want to take a look at this..." Spike trailed off, offering the scroll to Twilight.
"Why, what'd she..." Twilight stopped, her train of thought derailing and exploding, the pieces exploding again shortly after. The scroll contained one line of words, and in those words was more foreboding than the night of Nightmare Moon's return.
You. Spike. Canterlot. NOW! -Celestia
Twilight gasped, she had really angered the Princess! Maybe she would get banished! Twilight began to panic as the room filled with a blinding light, the scroll igniting into flames, which surrounded the pair and whisked them away from the library.
Celestia sat in her study, tapping a hoof impatiently. 'She wants to wreck MY balloon? My only remaining gift from my thousandth birthday! I'll show her just who she's messing with.' Celestia seethed. That balloon was a gift from Starswirl the Bearded to her at her thousandth birthday! And now, its remains were littering the floor and trees of Everfree, slowly rotting away in the wild forest. She felt the sun burst with power despite sitting below the horizon. The sky ignited as she threw her head onto the desk in rage, covering her head with a pillow to muffle the sound of her screams. The pillow spontaneously combusted, the ash falling to her desk and in her mane. 'Great. Now I've got ash-head!' Celestia sighed. She would get her just desserts. Speaking of desserts...
Twilight felt the world disappear around her, the room's furnishings slowly replacing themselves with those of Celestia's private study. Twilight's vision stopped spinning as she and Spike fell to the floor, shaking the stars from their peripherals. She glanced up to see a red-eyed Celestia staring down at the intruding pair with murderous intent. "You...wanted to see me, Princess?" Twilight rubbed the back of her head with a hoof, shaking where she sat.
"Yes. It has come to my attention that the very special hot air balloon that I told you specifically to be careful with, has been destroyed. Do you know why that upsets me, Twilight?" Celestia held a firm tone, anger boiling just below the surface.
"Uh...because I messed up and crashed it?" Twilight shook with fear. She had never seen the Princess so angry before in her life.
"That. And the fact that it was a gift. Can you guess who I received it from, Twilight?" Celestia looked ready to explode into flames, not unlike her scroll.
"L...Luna?" Twilight offered, her thoughts jumbling as her body filled with adrenaline and her heart raced.
"Good try, but no. You may have heard of him. Starswirl gave that balloon to me when he completed the first hot air spell for unicorns to fly. It was his first true invention..." Celestia let a single tear slide down her cheek. "He gave it to me in honor of the advancement of flight for ponies without wings. That balloon was over a thousand years old, Twilight." Celestia paused, letting Twilight soak in the information.
Twilight blanched, her face losing all color. Spike seemed to be frozen in time, his jaw slightly ajar. Both guests felt their hearts stop at the mention of Starswirl and gift. "Y...You mean...I ruined a...a..." Twilight was unable to complete her sentence, her words failing her.
"Yes. A National historical artifact. Irreplaceable, but I believe we can work something out." Celestia smirked, taking a bite of the cake sitting on her desk. Twilight would get her desserts, while she engorged on this dessert. "I have figured out a way for you to pay me back for the incredible loss of such a grand memento of mine. Come, we will discuss this outside." Celestia rose, beckoning for Twilight and Spike to follow. Their limbs moved slowly, their fear apparent.
The trio made their way out to Celestia's balcony, the cool night breeze flowing past them, bringing the scent of midnight dewdrops to their noses. Twilight wondered what Celestia had planned. Would she lose her job as Ponyville Librarian? Would she be returned to Magic Kindergarten? Twilight shook as she considered Celestia's coming judgment. Spike followed blindly, still in shock at Celestia's reaction.
"Come, my faithful and destructive student. Let me show you the error of your ways." Celestia's horn lit up and she floated Spike and Twilight over to her. Holding the two midair, she spoke calmer. "You will know what it is like to be used and disregarded. You will know the pain of losing a part of yourself, or rather, all of yourself." She chuckled softly. "I had hoped I would never need to use this spell, but the time comes for everything to take the spotlight eventually." Celestia lit her horn again, and Spike felt a gurgling in his stomach.
"Twilight...I don't feel so good..." Spike began, before his face began to stretch out, his features becoming twisted and warping as Celestia's spell took hold of the dragon.
"SPIKE!" Twilight called to him, but it was too late. The spell had begun, and Twilight was forced to watch.
Spike's arms folded into his sides, disappearing into his body as his face enlarged, stretching to a rectangle larger than Twilight's body. His legs shrunk into his torso, which was quickly losing its form and stretching into what appeared to be an open box. Spike could feel his insides spreading out with each passing moment, his sight stretching impossibly far as his body twisted into a basket-shaped blob of purple and green. His head flattened out completely, forming one wall of the basket, his features slowly fading and being replaced by wicker patterns. His sides erupted up and outward, forming two more wicker walls. His backside stretched to become the final wall as his torso flattened into a wicker floor. Sandbags and rope morphed out of the basket's sides, attaching to the inside of the basket. Spike was now a hot air balloon basket!
Celestia's horn dimmed as she set basket-Spike down on the balcony in front of Twilight. Thin ropes extended from its rim, landing haphazardly on the balcony around the remaining ponies. Twilight was frozen in shock.
"Y...Y...Spi...WHAT?" Twilight stuttered, unable to process the fact that her number one assistant was nothing more than a large wicker basket. "W..Why?" she stammered, unsure of what to do.
"You broke my balloon, I need a replacement. You just happened to owe me one balloon. I'm taking you up on that offer, whether you want to or not!" Celestia barked at her, rage flowing behind her irises. Her horn ignited again, lifting Twilight in her grip.
"No! Princess! Anything but that! I don't want to be a hot air balloon!" Twilight cried, tears running down her face.
"Oh, my dear Twilight, it is not a matter of what you want. It's a matter of what I need, and I need a new balloon. Goodbye, Twilight." With that, Celestia raised Twilight's shaking form above her and wrapped her spell around the mare.
Twilight felt her head getting fuzzy and light, as though she was dropping into weightlessness. Her thoughts turned to her horrible twist of fate and to her once-assistant, the wicker basket below her. Her body began to stretch out, inflating with what felt like helium. Her limbs filled and puffed up, stretching well beyond what normal anatomy would allow. Her torso expanded outward, becoming more and more round, her mane and tail receding into her ballooning body. "Please...stop!" She burped out, each word allowing the air to escape. Celestia sealed her mouth shut with a seam, silencing the mare for good. Twilight's limbs began to sink into her ever-rounding torso, disappearing with a quiet pop as each limb met its latex fate. Her head was sinking below her body's growing size, her sight marred by her fur and skin as she expanded to the shape of a hot air balloon. She felt her head receding as well, her sight going blank as her body stretched to a smooth circular form. The last thing she felt was her underside opening up and her body deflating quickly as the air rushed out of her.
Celestia powered down her horn, allowing the hot air balloon to float to the ground beside the basket. She lifted the balloon, stretching its rubbery form as she attached the ropes on the basket to its underside opening. She affixed a phoenix flame engine to the bottom of the balloon, and flipped it to on, the warm glow of phoenix fire filling the latex balloon with warm air, causing it to rise into the sky. Celestia jumped into the basket, releasing the sandbags from it and watching as she rose into the night sky above Canterlot. She sighed. She didn't want to lose her student's trust, nor the trust of any of her subjects, but punishment was necessary for lesson teaching, especially when one destroys a family and national heirloom. Celestia rose into the cloud cover, the basket swaying slightly in the breeze, the balloon drifting lazily under the stars. Celestia glanced up to see her sister, Luna, laying on a cloud above her, napping softly.
Bringing the balloon up to her sister's height, she tapped Luna on the head softly. "Lulu, wake up. I've got a present for you!" Celestia smiled. The only way to teach Twilight and Spike a lesson would be to let them feel used like the object they treated her as. Luna's eyes lit up.
"For...For me?" she asked softly. "It's perfect! I've always wanted my own hot air balloon! Riding above the clouds, a glass of champagne, a nice stallion to-" Luna stopped, blushing slightly. "Er...I mean, thank you, dear sister! May I ride in it?" Celestia smiled. Luna had been improving her Modern Equestrian in the last year, she deserved a little gift for her efforts.
"Of course. Come, Luna, ride the clouds with me tonight." Celestia smiled as Luna climbed into the basket to join her.
She may have lost a national treasure, her Faithful Student and her assistant, and Starswirl's first invention, but she gained a more lasting gift, the love of her sister. The moon glowed softly as the balloon floated along the tops of the clouds, eventually dipping below the cloud cover, and out of sight.
It would be a night to remember for all involved.
Author's Note
Well, I saw someone comment on making ponies into hot air balloons, and dangit, I wanted to write this. Here you go. It's a slice of life fic, I believe, something kinda new for me, even though I began with a comedic direction. I guess even comedy writers can't escape the feels. I hope y'all enjoy it. And check out the Balloon Ponies group!: http://www.fimfiction.net/group/201734/balloon-ponies
