Sky Weaver's Day in Ponyville

Chapters

Introduction
Chapter 1: Learning Is Fun (Sometimes)
Chapter 2: The Sky's the Limit
Chapter 3: In a Bind
Chapter 4: Looming Fears and Mending Hooves

Introduction

Sky Weaver’s Day in Ponyville

Story by Ben Paddock

MLP belongs to Hasbro.

Introduction

In a quiet, secluded wood on the outskirts of the town of Ponyville, stood a small log cabin. It was by no means extravagant, but instead quaint and welcoming. Constructed by hoof from the nearby trees it sat, a humble sign of respect to Nature. Not far from the cabin was a crystal clear stream, dancing across the landscape from up a faraway mountain spring.

In the distance, a shape appeared from around the edge of the wood, ambling towards the cabin, slowed by the weight of what it was carrying. It was a stallion - of larger build than average and somewhat shaggy - just about managing to carry a considerable amount of bags, each one stuffed almost to bursting with food, lamp oil and other provisions. Still, the stallion resolutely pressed onward despite his burden, shambling towards the cabin on this familiar path, hooves moving slowly but with determination.

At last the equine had reached the front door of the cabin and slowed to a halt. He paused to catch his breath for a moment of respite, but now that he was stood still, it occurred to him how much the bags weighed him down. He set down the heaviest of the load on the ground beside him and arched his back downwards and tilted his head up, taking in a deep breath of fresh air as he stretched out. The trickling sound of the nearby stream and the scent of pine from the woods sent a tingling sensation down his back, followed by a feeling of sanctuary and tranquillity. He was home.

Moving to the door, he paused to ponder how he was going to shift the load of shopping into the house. He debated his options for a moment, eyeing the door handle and one of the heavier bags. He took another deep breath and lowered his head, concentrating hard. A series of sparks erupted from his horn as it became surrounded in crackling energy. The energy began to surge and spark until his horn was shining brightly in a pale saffron aura. He strained as he directed his horn to the bag, and a beam of white lightning gripped the bag. He raised his head, and the bag raised also, as if it had been rendered weightless. The Unicorn let out an audible grunt as he held the bag in mid-air, slowing but carefully turning himself back towards the door. Looping the remaining bags under one foreleg, he pushed the door open.

Inside, the cabin was compact - carefully designed to house a variety of appliances for living. Small rooms were walled off for bedrooms, a rug and chairs were placed in the center to act as a lounge, and in the corner was a fully working fireplace and stove.

He carefully lowered the shopping bag and released his magical grip, letting it sit against the wall in the kitchen area. He breathed a sigh of relief and put a hoof to his forehead, then set the rest of the bags down, opening several drawers and cupboards where everything would have to fit into.

“I’m back!” he called out cheerfully. He began taking out various cans and placing them on a high shelf, making sure that they were spaced evenly, categorised and that the labels faced straight forward, tilting and nudging the cans as he stacked them up. After a minute of this, the Unicorn turned back and paused to notice that the cabin was silent.

“Hey! Can I get a little help?” he called out, ensuring that his voice didn’t reach too loud a volume. The cabin remained silent. The Unicorn was left puzzled for a moment, and not wanting to do all of the work, made his way over towards another room.

The door to the room had been left ajar. The Unicorn peeked through as he slowly opened the door. The room had soothing cream-coloured wallpaper with little white patterns on it. A small but comfy bed, with a dresser next to it, was propped against the wall, on which the young Pegasus in his care was lying. A few years younger than him, she was a beige-coated Pegasus mare with a long, straight, raven black mane, sky blue eyes, and striking white feathers. She was lying on her back, staring up at the ceiling with a serene, yet distant expression, gently breathing and hooves occasionally twitching.

The Unicorn smiled as he pushed the door open and quietly walked over. The younger mare blinked, and her eyes, still wide, focused right on him. Her smile grew and she rolled over, carefully moved off the bed and onto her four hooves, and greeted him with a rub of her head on his chin.

“Heya,” the Unicorn greeted her softly. “Still daydreaming, huh? I was gone for almost an hour.”

“Yeah...” she replied, almost apologetically. “My story got pretty awesome.” She smiled, blushing slightly.

“Sometimes I’d love to know what goes on in that little head of yours.” The Unicorn replied warmly. “You’ve gotta give me some idea, one of these days.”

She hesitated. “I don’t know...” She sighed. “I’ve been doing this last story for about… a week now. So much has happened, I wouldn’t know how to explain it. I mean, where to start? Well, last week, Lord Arthur’s legacy was in dispute between his blood relatives and his closest friends, each of them claiming to be the true inheritor of Arthur’s will. It can only be decided by finding the Seven Artifacts of Truth. And in Victoria’s vision, it was said that they were hidden within the most spiritual places in Brantonia...”

“I... see,” he nodded hesitantly, though his expression read that he clearly didn’t.

“I know,” the Pegasus said, somewhat disheartened. “I just love making my stories so much. I don’t want to have to sit and write down everything that happens when I could be thinking up the next part. Who’s gonna want to read a whole book about the whole Brantonian royal family line?”

“You’d be surprised,” he replied reassuringly. “Now come on, I need some help putting the shopping away. I even got us some white chocolate muffins.”

The mare’s eyes lit up and she gave a delighted gasp. A smirk escaped the Unicorn.

“I thought you’d like that,” he smiled.

The two were sat at a wooden table. The Unicorn sat quietly deliberating his thoughts as the Pegasus happily and nonchalantly feasted on the tasty treat. She looked over to him – his expression was steely and distant and very intense, and her expression turned to one of timid concern. He looked up at her, and straightened up and cleared his throat, averting her gaze.

“You know, Sky, I’ve been thinking. A few years ago, I hardly had any reason just to get out of bed. If it weren’t for the ponies I’d met, I’d never know how lucky I was to be living in Equestria. I’m glad you’ve got your stories to get you through the day...” he looked at the plate his muffin had been on. He pushed it away slightly so that he could place his hooves on the table, and met with her eyes again, as the situation was important enough for it. “But... I dunno. Day in and day out, it’s just you and me in this little cabin of mine.”

“What... you don’t like it here anymore, Royal Blue? With me?” she guessed, eyebrows raising with worry.

“No, of course I do. That wasn’t what I meant. I’ve been thinking about your future, Sky.” Royal Blue stated firmly. “Is it really right of me to just keep you here, shutting you out from the world around you? I just really think it would do you a lot of good if you spent some time around other ponies.”

Sky Weaver’s eyes widened in response, and her expression sank. “Y-You’re... s-sending me away?” she barely squeaked with fear, her eyes welling up with tears as her mind filled with dread.

“No, come on, don’t be silly.” Royal Blue patted her hoof to comfort her. “Look, you’re a lovely young mare with a brilliant mind, Sky Weaver. I think a lot more ponies should recognise that.”

“I...I...” Sky whimpered. “I mean, s-sure, I guess, but... I-I wouldn’t even know where to go...”

“Don’t worry.” Royal gave her a pat on the back. “I have some friends in Ponyville, the town not far from here. They’re fantastic. They’ll be good to you. I bet you won’t even need me to be there with you for the day.”

“But, what about m-my thing with...”

“Oh yeah. Well, don’t forget to let them know about that.” Royal stated.

“I’ve never told anypony else before about it...” Sky wilted.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be able to trust them. Maybe it won’t even be an issue. Won’t know until you try, right?” He reasoned with her.

Sky nodded again.

“Hey, with all those stories you come up with, I bet you’ve always wanted to go on an adventure of your own, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.” She sniffed.

“Right. Now don’t cry. It's not till tomorrow.” Royal Blue embraced her, holding her closely to him, closing his eyes and letting out a happy sigh as she calmed down. “Good girl.” Royal eased her.

Celestia’s blazing sun smiled down upon the town of Ponyville. Amongst the bustle of market stools, fillies playing, and other happy residents going about their merry business, a group of six friends were making their way towards the central town square, exchanging banter in eager anticipation.

“Can you believe it?!” the pink Earth pony chirped, as she merrily bounced along. “We’re about to meet a brand new friend in just a few moments! I can’t contain my excitement!”

“Well THAT’S nothing new,” Rainbow Dash quipped.

“Meeting us will be new for her, Rainbow,” Princess Twilight asserted. “Apparently she’s never had many friends.”

“Well, she’s in fer a real treat!” Applejack declared. “We’ll give her a real good ‘n’ proper Ponyville welcome!”

“You said it, Applejack!” Pinkie Pie cheered. “And nothing says ‘welcome to Ponyville new best friend forever’ like a Welcome To Ponyville Best Friend Forever Party!!! I’ve already made a ton of preparations. I just need a couple more hours...”

“Wow. You sure work fast, Pinkie,” Fluttershy smiled.

“Um, girls? Aren’t we getting a little ahead of ourselves, here?” Twilight asked. “What this is difficult for her? Let’s try not to overwhelm her, okay? That goes for you too, Pinkie.”

Pinkie Pie giggled. “Well, of COURSE, Twilight! I’m not gonna spoil the surprise party! It’s a SURPRISE!” Twilight looked back at her, unamused. Pinkie leaned right into Twilight, causing her to flinch. “…Got that?” Pinkie said in a slightly darker and more threatening tone.

“That’s not what I meant...” Twilight stated, as Pinkie’s manic grin returned as she pulled back. “I mean that we don’t know a whole lot about her.”

“The way ah remember, Royal Blue didn’t say too much ’bout her.” Applejack recalled.

“Ooh! Ooh!” Pinkie interjected. “What is she is impossible to explain?” She said, voice wavering spookily as if telling a ghost story.

“Pinkie!” Twilight protested, miffed.

“Oh Twilight, dear, perhaps you’re over-thinking this a little as well.” Rarity soothed. “If there was anything to be concerned about, I’m sure we’d know about it. Nothing’s going to get out of hoof, surely.”

“Hm. Yeah, you’re right.” Twilight conceded. “Look! There they are now!”

Royal Blue and the mare came into view.

“How is everypony?” Royal smiled at them.

“Howdy, Roy!” Applejack greeted.

Royal nodded in reply, and indicated the little Pegasus beside him. “This is Sky Weaver. I’ve been looking after her for just over a year now. Sky, I’d like you to meet a very special group of friends.”

Sky Weaver simply looked towards the mares, eyes wide and grinning inquisitively.

“...Adventure?” she queried, tilting her head a little.

“She’s, um... very eager to meet new friends.” Royal grinned, feeling the awkwardness creeping in.

“Well, why don’t you introduce us then, silly?” Pinkie Pie beamed, who seemed to be the only one who wasn’t fazed. Royal wasn’t sure how surprising this was to him.

“Right.” He coughed. “Well, Sky, these are my friends. This is, to use her full title, Princess Twilight Sparkle, she’s--”

Sky cut him off with an awestruck gasp. “A PRINCESS?!?! Oh my gosh, I didn’t even notice you’re an Alicorn! This is an honor, forgive me, Your Majesty.” She bowed obsequiously.

“Oh, please, it’s no problem, really...” Twilight began. But Sky, unable to contain her excitement, cut her off.

“Please, Your Majesty, this one is yours to command! Whatever duties you have, I will gladly serve!”

“Geez,” Rainbow whispered. “This one’s quite the character, alright.”

“Okay, okay,” Twilight chuckled uneasily. “First, I’d like you to calm down.”

“AT ONCE!” Sky cried. She stood upright, heavily breathing, concentrating intensely on calming down. It seemed to have more of the opposite effect.

“Um, okay,” Twilight said. “Let’s try something else. Just relax.”

Sky slumped down, her last position clearly having taken quite a toll on her.

“Hee hee! This is just like Simon says!” Pinkie Pie gleefully giggled. “I wanna play! Twilight, try me!”

“Sky Weaver, please,” Twilight said. “It’s not a big deal, really. You don’t have to bow to me or take orders or anything just because I’m a Princess. I’ve only recently been made one as a result of my studies of magic and friendship - I don’t want to rule over or conquer anypony. We’re all just friends here, okay?”

Sky looked up at Twilight, her face still in awe. “Yes, Princess Twilight.” She sighed. “Your modesty and virtue is what makes you truly worthy to be a Princess!” She gave another overgenerous bow.

“Heheh, sure, okay,” Twilight chuckled, starting to become mildly irritated.

“Anyway...” Royal Blue interjected. “That’s Applejack. She’s the strongest pony around, and I’m not just talking physically. She’s got a big heart, too.”

Applejack tilted her hat and gave a smile. “A pleasure.”

“Oh!” Sky realised. “So she’s like Brianette, the courageous she-barbarian!”

Applejack paused in bafflement.

“It’s a compliment, I assure you.” Royal stated, raising a hoof in honesty.

“Oh,” Applejack said. “Uh... thanks!” She replied, trying to mask her confusion.

“Here’s Rainbow Dash. A phenomenal flier. Perhaps she can teach you a few extra things about flying.”

“Sup?” Rainbow grinned, landing in front of her. “You wanna pit your wings against mine, stop by anytime!” she boasted, flaring her wings. Sky shrunk back timidly a little, not wanting to seem overtly competitive.

“This is Rarity. She’s uh...” Royal Blue paused. He exhaled sharply, preparing himself for whatever was coming next. “...A dressmaker.”

“A WHAT?!” Sky shrieked, seemingly out of terror.

“What? It’s a noble profession,” Rarity huffed, defensively.

“Oh, no,” Royal reasoned. “She didn’t mean to sound insulting, did you Sky?” Sky frantically shook her head, apologetically.

“Hm,” said Rarity. She saw that Sky wore a troubled look. “Is something on your mind, dear?” she inquired softly. Sky's eyes were darting about to avert the gaze of the group. She looked to Royal Blue, who nodded to her, prompting her to speak. Sky looked at the ground by Rarity’s hooves.

“Um, no. Never mind. I’m fine.” Sky mumbled.

“Are you sure?” asked Fluttershy, stepping forward slightly. Sky looked up at her, pausing to recall if she had even noticed her standing there before. There was something about that mare’s gentle, tranquil eyes and soft appearance that eased Sky's anxiety, and putting her worries aside, nodded cheerfully.

“That’s Fluttershy. Isn’t she a sweetheart?” Royal smiled. Fluttershy blushed. “And finally, a mare who needs no introduction. Except this one. It’s Pinkie Pie!”

Pinkie Pie bounced forward.

“Hi!” she chirped.
“Um, hey!” Sky greeted her merrily.
“Do you like fun?”
“I like adventure.”
“So you think adventures are fun?”
“Yep!”
“YAY!!!” Pinkie gleefully hopped about on the spot.
“Yay!!!” Sky joined her in the cheerful bouncing.

“I just knew you two were gonna get on.” Royal sighed. “Well! You’ve got a whole lot of enjoyment AND adventure in store for you today!”

Sky beamed at him excitedly. “What are we going to do first, Roy?”

Royal scratched the back of his head a little sheepishly. “Actually, I was thinking of just leaving you to it. I mean, I know these mares already. I don’t want to get in the way.”

Sky paused. “Oh... well… okay.”

“You’re in good hooves.” Royal reassured her. She nodded.

“So, y’all won’t be stayin’, Roy?” Applejack asked.

“I’m afraid not,” Royal said. “Still, it’s all for the best, I think. Maybe I’ll drop by later when I get the chance. Anyway, I’ll see you mares around!”

“Bye, Roy!” Pinkie Pie called out. Royal Blue waved as he left the town square.

And so, Sky Weaver was left with the six other ponies. Lost for the right words, she simply looked up and beamed at them like she had done earlier.

“So...” she said cheerily, eying each of the mares in an almost predatory manner. “Um, where to begin?”

“Well... I’d be happy to show you around first,” Twilight volunteered, to break the tension. “You’re new to this place, after all. But don’t worry! I’ve got all the information on this place that you might need!”

“Oh, THANK you, Princess!” Sky bowed once again. “Please, bestow your great wisdom upon this humble servant! Teach me your ways of strength and resplendence!”

“Well, by having information, I meant that I run the library in town. Let’s make that your first stop! I can’t wait to show you my assortment of books!” Twilight squeaked.

“A... library?” Sky asked, disconcerted.

“I’d say that’s as good a place to start as any!” Rarity cheered. “What say you drop by each of us today? All of us can spare some time for you, I’m sure.”

“You bet!” Applejack said.

Rainbow yawned. “Well, I was gonna take a nap in a bit, but sure, okay.”

“Of course!” Fluttershy smiled. “You can stop by anytime! ...I mean, when you’re free. Not that you have to. Sorry to impose.” She meeped.

“Ooh! That reminds me!” Pinkie Pie cried. “Make sure you visit me last! Don’t ask! It’s a secret. Gotta go! Bye!” And with that, she sped off.

“Sounds good! Now come on, Sky!” Twilight beamed, taking her hoof. “It’s time to get you reading!”

“R...reading?!” Sky repeated, a little apprehensively. Still, not wanting to disobey a Princess, she reluctantly allowed herself to let the cheerful purple Alicorn lead her the way to the Library.

Chapter 1: Learning Is Fun (Sometimes)

Chapter 1: Twilight Sparkle

Sky Weaver silently sulked as she followed the purple Alicorn to the Library. She was not looking forward to how this day was unfolding. A huge, sprawling, infinite world of possibilities presented to her, and she was going to spend the next few hours cooped up in a library? That wasn’t what she had in mind at all. Royal Blue would disagree too, probably. She was always preferred to explore the unknown firsthoof, and he knew that. There was so much of this town to see, and so many ponies to meet. Sky didn’t want to go straight back into some closed off place away from it all. Where was the adventure in that? Besides, reading anything from a book would be nowhere near as interesting as jumping straight into a far more immersive tale from her imagination.

Sky looked up with some surprise at the appearance of the library as it came into view. She was expecting something meticulous and concrete, like she would see in her hometown of Manehatten. But the library blended in very much with the quaint atmosphere that Ponyville gave off. It even looked kind of cool. Some of Sky’s stories had involved houses built into trees, homes to mighty warriors, with keen attunement to the forces of Nature. Though it wasn’t how she’d imagine a treehouse to look like, it was nice to see one for real. Inspiring, even. Still, that wasn’t going to change the fact that it was just a boring old library inside, full of boring old books that she knew wouldn’t interest her in the slightest.

Twilight’s horn glowed, and a purple aura encircled the entire door. It obediently swung open, and the mares entered. “Spike! We have a visitor!” Twilight called out.

The little dragon came down the stairs. “Oh hey, Twilight! Is it the new mare in Ponyville you mentioned earlier today?” Spike asked.

Suddenly a huge gasp of excitement came from Sky, which for some reason reminded Twilight of Pinkie Pie. Spike froze in his tracks and his pupils shrank in shock as the Pegasus arched her back and pointed her whole body directly at him, leaning on the tips of her front hooves and fluttering her wings to balance, eyes wide and twinkling.

“WHAT. IS. THAT?!” she squeaked in awe.

“Um... that’s my assistant. Spike. He’s a baby dragon,” Twilight said blankly.

“I’ve never seen a baby dragon before...” Sky burbled, her voice distant, like she was in a trance. She slowly walked across the library towards the reptile, her awestruck gaze and huge open smile unfaltering.

“T-Twilight...” Spike shuddered. “W-What’s happening?”

Twilight struggled to find the words. “I’m... pretty sure she’s just being friendly. In her own way.”

“You don’t sound too sure...” Spike gulped. Then Sky leapt into the air, picking up the baby dragon in her hooves and nuzzling him affectionately as she stayed in midair.

“AWWWWW!!! HE’S SOOO ADOWABLE!!!” she gushed. Spike was still in shock – it had certainly been a while since a mare had given him so much attention, but it was really too much, too soon.

Twilight giggled a little. “Okay, Sky. Settle down. At least introduce yourself first,” she instructed.

Sky Weaver paused, then obediently lowered herself down, carefully setting Spike down.

“Aww, I’m sowwy, widdle guy,” she soothed, patting him on the head, just a little too hard. “My name is Sky Weaver! I’m new here and you’re the first dragon I’ve met EVER! Aren’t you a pwecious widdle thingy, huh?!”

“Y-yeah! Okay!” Spike said a little impatiently, grabbing Sky’s hoof and taking her by surprise. “I’m not little, though,” he stressed, taking a step back from the Pegasus, who was now slightly saddened.

“I guess he’s not so much a baby anymore,” Twilight in Spike's defense. “Spike, why don’t you go back to your afternoon chores?”

“Alright, Twilight. Uh, it was nice to meet you too, Sky,” he said, plodding back upstairs. “Ugh! Gee, that was awkward!” Sky heard him say, and her expression sank further.

“I know you meant well, but you do need to respect other ponies’ personal space,” Twilight explained.

“There’s nothing wrong with hugs,” Sky grumbled, almost to herself. “If I had a little dragon, I wouldn’t make him do chores. I would get him a little kennel, and cuddle him everyday, take him for walks and feed him... whatever it is dragons eat.”

“I’m sure you would – you seem a kind and loving pony. Anyway, welcome to the Golden Oaks! I’ll give you a guided tour if you like!” The alicorn smiled and trotted along the shelves with an eager spring in her step, failing to let Sky raise her hoof to object. “The non-fiction section is right here,” Twilight said, walking over to the shelves closest to the door. “All you ever need to know about Ponyville – or indeed, any other part of Equestria – is right here! So tell me – what would you like to know more about?” She grinned at Sky Weaver.

The pegasus was quiet for a moment. “...I don’t really wanna read,” she said plainly.

Twilight scratched an ear. “Come again?” she smiled politely, masking her confusion.

“I dunno. Like, if I wanted to know more about Ponyville, why don’t I go and see it for myself?”

“...I guess,” Twilight admitted, with great difficulty. “But it’s all here, specially collected, arranged and compiled for your convenience... does the idea of all this information being here in one spot just not captivate you?” Twilight questioned.

Sky put a hoof to her chin in thought for a beat. “Nope,” she eventually replied matter-of-factly.

Twilight’s bafflement did not abate. “...But why not?!” she whined, almost offended.

“I’m bored, now,” Sky said, ignoring the question. “What’s your little dragon doing now?” she asked, making her way upstairs, not allowing Twilight the time to reply.

“Sky! You can’t go up there!” Twilight remonstrated, causing Sky to halt.

“I thought you wanted to show me around,” Sky replied, indignantly.

“Yes, I did,” Twilight stated firmly. “Down here, where the books are? Please don’t wander off like that. Especially into another pony’s room.”

“But...” Sky began, but she didn’t want to cross the purple alicorn. “Alright, I’m sorry.” She bowed her head apologetically, morosely coming back down the stairs. “Royal Blue says I have a short attention span.”

Twilight let out a little sigh. “It’s alright, not to worry. Now, I’m sure there’s something here that’ll catch your eye. You’d like something more… adventurous, right?” Sky’s ears perked up, and she nodded, albeit hesitantly.

“Well, I’ve got something here that might suit you.” She used her magic to effortlessly levitate a large encyclopaedia from the top shelf and bringing it in front of Sky, who recoiled at the sheer size of it. “Completely factual accounts of the flora and fauna from all around Equestria, from real biologists, travellers, and legend seekers, all one hundred percent scientifically confirmed! Isn’t that wonderful?” Twilight beamed, eyes glimmering.

Sky merely stood with an awkward frown, eyes dancing between the book and Twilight.

“Oh, come on, I have to be getting warmer here,” Twilight sighed. “It’s all to do with the weird and wonderful.”

“Yeah… I guess,” Sky conceded. “You just didn’t make it sound very interesting.”

“So, you’d prefer something fictional and fantastical?” Twilight asked, with some exasperation in her voice.

“Yeah, that’s more what I like,” Sky smiled innocently.

Twilight took a moment to regain her composure. “Great! Well, I suppose you can still learn something from a fictional tale. The characters and events aren’t real, but underneath all that, very real ideas, emotions, and worldviews are conveyed.” She walked over to yet another bookshelf. “You know, one particular friend of mine wasn’t interested in books at all. She called me an egghead for the longest time. But this book really changed her way of thinking. Maybe you should give this one a chance, too.”

Sky looked at the book. It had a colorful cover for starters, and an action-packed scene with a very heroic-looking yellow mare as the centerpiece. Sky read out the title in big bold lettering. “’Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone?’ Eh, doesn’t look too bad...” she sighed, without even opening it.

“Oh, I highly recommend it!” Twilight grinned. “Go ahead, you can take that one out right now! If you like it, there’s plenty more where that came from. I own every book in the series.”

Sky Weaver took another look at the book, giving a frown. “That sounds like a lot of reading to get through.” She offered the book back to Twilight. “Nah. Not interested. I like my stories better.”

Twilight’s eye twitched. She wasn’t getting anywhere with this mare. She inhaled deeply, containing her frustration. “Alright, Sky Weaver. What books do you have? I can get you more – I’ve got books of every genre, romance, mystery, horror–”

“No! Not books! I mean my stories!” Sky repeated. “That... that I make.”

Twilight paused. “Ohhhhh! You’re a writer! I’m so very sorry about that, I... didn’t take you for one. Why didn’t you say sooner? Of course you don’t have time to read other ponies’ stories all day. How many do you have so far?”

“Oh, hundreds,” Sky said plainly.

Twilight’s eyes went wide in disbelief. “Really?! I’d love to read them!” she said enthusiastically.

“Oh, I don’t write them down. That’d take too long,” Sky dismissed.

Twilight stammered. “W...what? How do... how do you remember them all, then? And don’t you want to share them with somepony else at some point? Or keep a record of your best works to look back on?” Twilight asked with some concern.

“I can remember all my favourite stories just fine. And other ponies...” Sky fumbled. “...they wouldn’t be interested.”

“Nonsense,” Twilight reassured. “I bet there’s something you can share with me.”

Sky thought for a while. “Okay, okay,” she started excitedly. “I came up with this character, and it was the funniest thing ever. He was a goblin named Spindletrick, and he talked like the dumbest thing ever! Instead of saying hello, he’d be like ‘OH HAI, HOW YOU DO?’” She began laughing. “And one time... he started really annoying the main character, so she kicked him, and he went ‘OH NOES, JOU KEEKED MEH IN DA FACE!!!’” She burst out laughing. Her laughter awkwardly petered out when she looked back at Twilight, who was eyeing her with confusion.

“That’s not very funny. You’ve created a character that gets mocked for his lack of education? That’s kind of tragic.” Twilight stated.

“But... but it’s supposed to be funny...” Sky replied, disheartened.

“I just don’t think it is. Think about it. How are you supposed to convey his broken speech patterns in written prose? That would read HORRIBLY to anypony.” Twilight continued.

“But, I--”

“You’re basically deconstructing our beautiful spoken language into a gutteral, phonetic mess. That’s not fun for ANYpony.”

“I don’t even understand what you’re saying, but stop it!” Sky whined, stamping a hoof.

“Look, I’m just saying, there are things you have to consider...” Twilight was determined to make her point, but momentarily lapsed out of her lecture to notice that Sky Weaver had left the room.

Twilight let out an audible groan. This mare was unbelievable. Did she just wander off, again, and in the middle of her speaking? Who DOES that? Her behaviour was inconsiderate, confusing, and contradictory. If she had such a creative mind, why wasn’t it receptive? Why would she turn away so many sources of inspiration that the library had to offer? It angered Twilight. The least she could do is stay still for long enough to receive some honest criticism on the way she conducted herself. Was she just not interested in that? Was she living in her own little bubble where the thoughts and opinions of others meant nothing to her? Twilight sighed and tried to calm down – she was getting ahead of herself. Surely it couldn’t get much worse. All she needed was to give Sky one more chance to prove that she was a sensible, or at the very least, a reasonable pony, and a compromise could be reached.

Twilight looked in the kitchen, where she found Sky, admiring a toaster.

“Toaster.” Sky seemed to be conversing with it. “Toaster!” She repeated joyously, then started giggling. “Hehe, it’s such a funny word! It’s just one of those words that sounds funny.” She glanced around the kitchen, far more excitedly than she had been in the main room. “Ooh! Cupboard!” she squealed, pointing to one. “There’s another word!” She giggled gleefully while Twilight stood in the doorway looking completely bumfuzzled. “Wow. It’s WAY more interesting in here than it is back out there, with all those silly books!” She said to herself, completely unaware of Twilight’s presence.

At this point, Twilight had had enough. She glared at Sky Weaver, a fiery flash of frustration in her eyes, and she let it all out, her voice virtually reaching a scream. “WHAT? ARE YOU SERIOUS?!” she reprimanded. “YOU ARE ABSURD! Does hundreds of years of the combined knowledge of Equestria’s greatest minds mean so little to you? Do you think we got anywhere as a species by doing whatever the heck we wanted, living in our own little worlds separate from reality, and making up stories?! No! We sat, and we learned! We documented everything that we learned! Every idea, invention and innovation we had over the course of our history was preserved for future generations, and it’s what got us where we are today! You owe more to the knowledge of the past than you could ever imagine! So don’t come into my library with such flagrant disregard for the very foundation of our existence!!”

Twilight’s rage smouldered as she blew hot gusts of air from her nostrils. As the red began to subside, she suddenly took notice of Sky’s expression. Her eyes were wide and empty like black holes, void of all but a deep regret. Twilight could already see that tears were forming as Sky looked back at her, looking as though she felt she had committed the most heinous sin in Equestria. She started to give out a piercing, sorrowful whine that devolved into a bout of helpless sobbing.

“Oh. Oh, dear...” Twilight mumbled. A few moments passed as she desperately searched for a way to reassure the young mare in her kitchen who was now crying uncontrollably. Twilight thought she’d never find herself in this kind of situation – to have hurt another pony so deeply, and she suddenly felt horrible.

“Spike!” she called out urgently. “Please bring some tissues... and put on some tea... No! I’ll make the tea.” She looked to the emotionally distraught Pegasus, and her ears flopped back with guilt. “Hey... hey now, I-I’m sorry... just... come here. Please.”

Sky Weaver continued to bawl as she sat on one of Twilight’s kitchen chairs, holding Spike tightly as though he were a squeezy plush toy, no small amount of tears splashing onto his head and snaking down in-between his scales.

“Twilight!” he wheezed, as he was being constricted by the upset pegasus. “What did you do?!”

“I don’t need reminding, Spike,” Twilight muttered shamefully. “And neither does she. Just stay with her, okay?”

“I don’t know how much longer I can last!” he spluttered.

Twilight, ignoring him, placed two cups of herbal tea on the kitchen table, and took a seat. “Sky, I am so very, deeply sorry for what I said,” she apologised. “It was wrong for me to criticize you so harshly. Look, here’s some tea. Let’s talk this over like responsible ponies.”

Sky glanced towards the table. She caught a waft of soothing cinnamon, and it cast her mind back to the delicious baked goods that Royal Blue would bring home every so often. She felt herself easing through the reminiscence, and as a result, loosened her grip on Spike, who gasped for breath. She took a deep breath, and pulled her chair a little closer to the table, keeping her head down, but her eyes flashed up to nearly meet with Twilight’s. They were stained a harsh red from all the crying. Twilight smiled sympathetically to her, glad to finally see her face.

Sky’s expression still wore a measure of pain. “I’m really sorry, too...” she mumbled. “I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings.”

“It’s okay,” Twilight consoled her. “It’s my fault for overreacting. Look, Sky, it’s very clear that we have our differences.”

“Yeah. You’re smart, and I’m just a nuisance. You said it – I do live in my own little world. That’s the whole reason Royal Blue sent me here. I guess I’m not welcome here either...” she sobbed.

“Don’t be silly,” Twilight said. “Royal Blue cares deeply about you, that’s obvious. It was a great idea of his to send you here to meet us. I mean, I know we didn’t kick things off in the best way... but, you’ve still got the whole day ahead of you. I don’t want to have spoilt it for you.”

“So...” Sky sniffed. “Do you forgive me?”

Twilight nodded. “Of course I do.” She went to take a sip of tea.

Sky Weaver smiled. “I forgive you, too.” Twilight was jolted by Sky giving her a joyous hug, which caused her mug of tea to spill. “Thank you, Twilight!” the Pegasus squeaked, nuzzling her. She then noticed Twilight’s drink, and her expression sank back into one of deep apology, but Twilight calmly patted her on the shoulder.

“Never mind...” she sighed.

“You know, you really don’t have to,” Twilight said as they came back into the library.

“No, I have to repay you somehow for the way I acted,” Sky insisted, her cheerfulness returned. “I’m gonna read one of these books if it takes me a year!”

“Not a fast reader, then?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah... I can never stay focused long enough to get through a whole book. I mean, it’s not that I don’t like books, but... it’s so difficult for me,” Sky explained with a little shame.

“Ohh. Well, it’s never too late to start. Pick something easy,” Twilight soothed.

“What’s this?” Sky Weaver said suddenly, having picked out a book from a lower shelf. It had an amusing comic book-like cover. “AquaPony! Saving the world with his mighty command over fish?” She laughed heartily from the title of the book. “Fish! Now that is a really funny sounding word! That sounds like a blast! Ooh! Here’s another one! The 5000-Year Eternal War of the Frigid Realm of Terror? Best. Title. EVER!!!”

Twilight saw that Sky had found her way to the Young Readers section, and thought not to comment.

“Ooh, they have PICTURES! And not even that much to read!” Sky exclaimed excitedly.

“They’re comic books!” the Alicorn explained.

“Oh, wow! This one looks really cool!” she giggled. She looked back at Twilight with a frown. “This isn’t a grown-up’s book, though. I guess you hoped I’d like something more mature.”

“Oh, Sky, don’t worry,” Twilight said. “You don’t have to like grown-up books. Hey... you don’t even have to like books at all – but it’s good that you’re giving them a chance. Just do what makes you happy.”

“R...r-really?!” Sky’s expression lit up. Before Twilight could respond, she was caught in a surprisingly powerful hug.

“Yay! We CAN be friends!” Sky cried in delight. Twilight was caught offguard, but didn’t resist the cuddle.

“Of course,” Twilight sighed, placing a hoof on Sky Weaver’s shoulder to gently return the gesture. “Well, Sky, if there’s anything you need to ask about in future, I’ll be here. So drop by again soon, okay?”

“I will!” Sky beamed. “Thank you again!”

“Also, I bet Spike will be happy to help you if you ever want one of your stories written out. He writes all my letters for me, and he’s always eager to make himself useful.”

“Aww, that’d be sho shweet of him!” Sky blushed. “I mean... sure. And I’ll treat him nice next time.”

“So, we’re good?” Twilight smiled.

“We’re great! Thanks, Twilight!” Sky Weaver called as she made her way towards the door.

She stepped out into the big outside world – the center of Ponyville. She noted how it was far from what she had expected, and was very different from all of her fantasy worlds. All the thousands of characters that she had created in her mind all talked and interacted with one another, but actually talking and interacting with other real ponies was honestly a stranger experience than any kind of bizarre thing she could invent. She wasn’t worried, however. She had laughed, she had cried – today had already shown itself to be just the beginning of a truly fantastic adventure.

Chapter 2: The Sky's the Limit

Chapter 2: Rainbow Dash

Sky Weaver skipped merrily through Ponyville. The stinging sensation of guilt from facing Twilight Sparkle’s wrath was already behind her, and instead she greatly anticipated the delights still in store for her. As she trotted, she took in the scenery around her - at the picturesque houses and market stools, and other ponies going about their daily business, all seeming happy and content to do so. She took a deep breath, and upon releasing it, found herself in a state of blissful wonder - the strongest she’d ever felt. She pondered how this simple place evoked such strong feeling, despite being nothing like the fantastical worlds of whimsey and wonder she spent all of her life devising. While living with Royal Blue was calm and quiet, Ponyville seemed to be far more alive, brimming and bustling with activity. It was an all new kind of adventure - one that she could experience for real.

She looked up into the clear, cerulean sky, and she started to think about just how big it was. Big enough to hold Celestia’s shining sun, and every single one of Luna’s stars, each one having its own place. She knew that there was a place in this life for her, as well.

Then another thing struck her. For all of its vastness, the sky was completely empty.

“That’s weird,” she thought to herself. Then she realised that she had just noticed there were no clouds. Noticing something that wasn’t there? That was even weirder. It was like looking at a table and specifically noticing there wasn’t a sandwich on it.

“Table...” she mused to herself, out loud. “Sandwich...” She let out a giggle. “There are some even more funny sounding words!”

Then a small, lone cloud caught her eye. Floating lazily by, just out of the corner of her vision. Upon closer inspection, the cloud seemed to have something dangling down from it. Some kind of floppy, brightly rainbow-coloured thing, rippling in the gentle breeze - as if inviting her to investigate.

Sky stood and craned her neck upward, squinting in utter bafflement as her mind tried to make sense of the curious sight. Ponies walked past the stationary pegasus with looks of confusion. One stallion walked past. “Oh, I see. ‘What’s up there’, right? Very funny. Not gonna work, filly,” he scoffed, and walked on.

Sky remained frozen. “...What?” she replied vacantly, several seconds after he had passed by.

“Awww - you lost, dearie?” came a croaky but gentle voice from beside Sky. This time she looked - to see an elderly lime-green Earth pony smiling up at her, the wisened but eccentric Granny Smith.

“Oh! N-no, ma’am,” Sky explained awkwardly. “I just saw that one little cloud, right up there, and it’s the only one in the sky, and it’s got this dangly thing coming down from it...”

Granny chuckled. “Goodness me, don’t be frettin’, sugarcube, the sky ain’t falling,” she reassured her. “That there’s just our resident top flyer havin’ a good old laze after a hard day’s clearin’ of the sky!”

“Ohhh...” Sky realised. “That makes sense. Wow, pegasi clearing the sky? That’s like, so new to me.” She pondered to herself. “I grew up in Manehatten, you see.”

“Ohh, Ah see. Yeah, I thought you looked new here,” the old mare said. “Name’s Granny Smith!”

“Sky Weaver,” Sky introduced herself, smiling brightly.

“And what a right pretty name that is!” Granny replied. Sky blushed and grinned wider.

“Well, you come stop by Sweet Apple Acres sometime, ya hear? T’aint far from town, just head on, eh...” she stopped to recall the exact directions to the orchard. “...That way!” she pointed with a rickety hoof. “...Ah think, anyway. Or was it th’ other way? Aw, forget it!” she blustered. “Well, don’t be lettin’ these old bones slow ya down, if y’all have business with Rainbow Dash up there.”

“Oh! Well, I guess I wanted to go talk to her today. But how am I supposed to reach her?” She asked.

Granny Smith couldn’t help but chuckle. “What, are ya ditzy? Just use yer wings, sweetie!”

“Oh, yeah!” Sky realised, extending out her soft, white wings. She giggled nervously. “Eheh... silly me...” she went a little red at her own forgetfulness.

“Gosh, what Ah would give to have wings as pretty as yours, dearie,” Granny soothed. Sky Weaver blushed more deeply, and retracted them a little out of shyness. “Now now, you should be mighty proud of them! You take good care of ‘em, ya hear?”

Sky nodded firmly. “I will. Thanks!”

“Just wait till you get to mah age,” Granny Smith chuckled. “You’ll find yerself fergettin’ all sorts o’ things! You appreciate what you’ve still got, ya hear?”

“I will!” Sky nodded again, beaming to Granny in acknowledgement. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around!”

“Sure hope so! Take care, y’all!” Granny Smith smiled as she slowly went about her way.

Sky waved goodbye, then turned her attention back to the cloud. With a look of determination, she bravely extended her wings out and lowered her head, harkening back to Royal Blue’s advice:

“Now look, sweetie, I’m no flying expert, but if I had a pair of wings on me, here’s what I’d do. Take a deep breath and root yourself to the ground. Flying, like any task, begins in the mind. You have to believe you can fly. Start flapping your wings, get them warmed up. Feel yourself getting lighter and loosen up, let your hooves off the ground. Keep flapping, don’t be afraid, and you’ll be airborne before you know it!”

“But... what do I do when I’m in the air then? What do I do when I want to land?”

“Sky, I told you I wasn’t an expert.”

“I never thought I’d ever HAVE to fly...” Sky thought to herself. “Well... here we go.” She shut her eyes tight and started flapping as Royal Blue had instructed before. Flying was something that came naturally to Pegasi, surely, she thought to herself. There must be no reason that she wouldn’t be able to fly as well as any other. She felt silly, having to clear her head and get into this deep state of concentration even before taking off – why couldn’t she just do it? Well, it had been rather a long time since she’d actually used her wings for anything. And that cloud was so high up, so far away. It wasn’t just a shelf a couple of hooves off the ground that she only needed a small boost from her wings to reach. Sky Weaver groaned a little in frustration, but flapped harder to try to force herself into the air. But to no avail. She was rooted to the spot.

“Agh... POOPIE!” she squeaked, unwittingly catching the attention of several ponies walking past her. But she was too annoyed to care. “Forget it. Walking’s easier, I can just do that,” she sighed, shutting her wings tightly and stomped off in the direction of the cloud.

On the outskirts of town, the scenery of cottages, cobblestone and lampposts were replaced with a landscape of open meadows and a few clusters of trees. The gentle breeze seemed to be carrying Rainbow Dash’s cloud along at quite a fast rate, and Sky quickened her pace, trying to let the wind carry her too, in order to catch up with it. Her frustration from earlier had boiled over, leaving her despondent. She trotted up a large incline with a lone tree sitting upon it and gazed up at the cloud. At the top of this hill, she was about as close to the cloud as she was going to get. The breeze was gone, and the cloud was only slowly drifting. Still, it was just out of reach. If only she could just fly up there and talk to her. She sat, and wistfully watched the cloud continue to float on its way. Was it too late already? If only she could think of something...

Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash yawned as she stirred back into consciousness. Bleary-eyed, she raised a hoof to block the sun’s intense glare as she sat up on her cloud. As her vision came back into focus, she took a moment to scan the expanse of the clear blue sky – a sign of her good work, for all ponies to see and enjoy. She gave a happy sigh, then gently lay on her back and stretched her hooves out.

Back on the ground, Sky Weaver caught a glimpse of the movement and her head shot up in surprise to see newly visible limbs poking out of the sides of the cloud. She snapped out of her trance - she felt that she had hesitated enough, and that it was time to act while she still had the chance.

Wait… what was her name again…? ”RAINBOW!” Sky called up to her, as if her little life depended on it. “RAAAINBOOOW!!!”

Rainbow jolted at the sudden commotion, undoing what the stretching had done. She gave a light groan as she rolled onto her hooves, rubbed her eyes, and peered over the edge of the cloud to find the source of the commotion. She squinted to see the younger beige Pegasus staring up towards her, pure white wings outstretched. Sky shrunk back apologetically when Rainbow’s gaze met with hers.

“Huh,” Rainbow Dash contemplated, before giving her wings a brief stretch, then effortlessly launching herself off the cloud, flapping lightly and letting gravity do the work as she descended gracefully towards the hill. Sky regarded the multicoloured trail that Rainbow left in her wake.

“Ooh...” Sky cooed in wonder.

“Uh, yeah, hi,” Rainbow replied awkwardly. “Say, you’re... Sky Weaver, aren’t ya?”

“Oh! Yeah,” Sky nodded. “And you are...?” she added hastily.

Rainbow blinked. “Rainbow Dash. I thought you knew. Weren’t you just calling me?”

“Agh! Sorry, I did know that!” Sky stammered. “I’m a little bad with talking to ponies, sorry. I’ve... never known that many, to be honest. When I met you all in town – it was the most ponies I’ve ever met in one day...” she murmured, and she bowed her head.

“Hey now...” Rainbow Dash landed on the ground, and reassured her. “Don’t you wanna count yourself lucky you got to meet the fastest flier in Equestria?!” she asked proudly, extending her wings out.

“Oh. Well, when you put it that way...”

“Come on, kid! I thought you’d look a little happier to see me! So anyway, those wings of yours. Whyn’t you show me how you can use ‘em?” she challenged, pointing at them with a hoof.

Sky shrunk back. “I... I can’t fly. Not really. I never learned how,” she said resentfully.

Rainbow blinked. “Whoa whoa whoa, hold up! You serious?!” she blurted, incredulously. “But... you’re a fully-grown PEGASUS!”

“I spent my whole life on the ground. I was born in Manehatten,” Sky explained morosely.

“...Oh.”

“My parents were an Earth pony and a unicorn. They planned for a daughter, but... they didn’t expect... me.” She half-opened her wings, presenting her point. “So they just brought me up as what they wanted me to be. Royal Blue tried to teach me, but...” Sky sniffed, tears welling up in her eyes. Rainbow didn’t know how to respond. “I’m sorry. You don’t want to hear all this. I… I think I’ll just go now…” Sky whimpered, as she began to turn and walk back towards town. Rainbow Dash watched her, somewhat confused as to what had just transpired.

“Now, hold on a second!” she called out to Sky apprehensively. “Just where the hay do you think you’re going?” Sky’s head turned back to her with a sorrowful expression.

Rainbow Dash exhaled. “I only asked if you wanted to fly with me!” she blustered. Sky looked back at her with droopy ears. Rainbow sighed. “Look... I wanna help you, alright?” she explained. “I want you to show me what you’re made of. So how about you stop crying... and start flying!” she finished, taking pride in the snappy finish of her impromptu pep talk.

Sky Weaver cracked a small smile, and wiped the tears from her eyes. “Th...thank you, Miss Dash.”

“That’s more like it!” Rainbow cheered. “But please, can the formalities. Let’s get you off the ground! Follow my lead!” She extended her wings out, and launched herself several metres up into the air.

“How do you do that so quickly? And easily?” Sky spluttered.

“What do you mean?” Rainbow replied. “It’s not hard. You just do it!”

Sky gave pause to the remark. She ran it through her head. ‘Just do it’, huh? Maybe that was just the ticket. She closed her eyes and she jumped and flapped her wings wildly, shooting straight up. Sky yelped, having surprised herself with the suddenness and speed at which she ascended. She shut her eyes again in panic.

“Yeah! That’s it!” She heard Rainbow’s voice. “You’re a fast learner, Sky Weaver!”

Sky opened her eyes, and saw that the frantic motion of her wings were holding her a good few metres off the ground. She gasped with delighted surprise. “I-I’m doing it!” Then her expression flashed with worry. “What do I do now?!” she panicked.

“What do you mean ‘what do I do now’?! You’re up! Just... fly around!” Rainbow shouted.

Sky was taken aback, but she collected her thoughts. She stopped worrying and just focused on her wingbeats, steadying their pace to keep herself aloft without going overboard on her upward acceleration. Then, she slowly leaned forward, letting her wings carry her along. She found herself sailing along at a good, steady pace. It wasn’t effortless, but... it was taking far less effort to do than she thought it would. She gasped with delight again. She was flying! And she saw no reason to stop. Then Rainbow Dash whizzed past, almost knocking her off trajectory. She dropped in altitude, but swiftly regained control.

“Hey, looks like you’re getting into it!” Rainbow Dash smiled, flying over. “You feelin’ ready to start flying for real? How about trying to keep up with me?”

Sky frowned, and went to protest, but Rainbow soared past her in the opposite direction. Sky’s eyes followed her, and she tried to swing herself around. She turned a little too far and flailed her hooves clumsily to try to get her balance back. Then she found herself sinking groundwards, and before she could correct herself, she plummeted, crashing unceremoniously to the earth below.

“Owww...” Sky grumbled. She hadn’t fallen far, but had landed rather painfully on her behind. She tried to rise, but winced from the dull pain that shot through her. She sighed sadly. She’d messed up.

...No! She hadn’t! Being airborne had exhilarated her. She wasn’t just going to give up after one mistake – not when things had started off so well! She looked up at Rainbow Dash off in the distance, hovering expectantly, waiting for her.

She quickly rose back onto her hooves, and tried to jump into the air again. She landed straight back on her hooves, and the effort caused another twinge of pain to shoot through her. She grunted with frustration. It would have to take a bit more effort to get off the ground again. Or, perhaps not as much. A more elegant motion, she pondered. She took a deep breath, and readied herself once again. She slowly lowered her body, then launched herself upward like a spring, and let her wings do the rest. She flapped to fight back against gravity, and just like that, she was climbing back into the air. She was getting the hang of this now. It was a balance between hard effort and gentle motion. She fluttered over towards Rainbow Dash, trying to maintain her altitude more carefully than before. Rainbow Dash gracefully met her halfway.

“I see you had your first tumble. How you feelin’ now?” Rainbow asked.

Sky giggled merrily. “I feel like one in a million!”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “And you should, since you’re flying with Number One!” she winked. “You ready to step it up? Meet me up by that cloud! Think you can do it?” Once again, without pause, she shot straight up towards it.

Sky’s eyes followed Rainbow’s upward path towards the cloud. She had travelled a fair way up. It felt like it would be quite a stretch to get up there. Okay, come on, she reassured herself. It wasn’t that high up. She had to stop kidding herself – she could handle that. A challenge? An adventure? What was the difference? She nodded courageously.

Leaving no time for second thoughts, she gritted her teeth and launched herself even higher. However, her nerves crept in and she felt her head spinning as she tried to steer herself closer to the cloud. She shut her eyes and took a deep breath to relax, and felt herself climbing more steadily.

“Alright, that’s it! Not bad, kid,” came Rainbow’s voice. “Uh... you can stop climbing now.”

Sky Weaver’s eyes snapped open, and saw that the cloud and Rainbow were retreating downward from her.

“Huh?!” she called out in confusion. “Wh... what do I do now?”

“JUST COME DOWN!” Rainbow Dash shouted up at her.

Down? Sky thought. Her head turned downward. Her pupils shrank to pinheads when she saw how high up she was.

“Aaagh!” she squealed, flailing her hooves. This caused her to lose balance and her wings soon followed, spiralling her out of control.

Rainbow Dash looked up with shock as she saw her plummet. In an instant, she zipped around the cloud and swiftly repositioned it. Sky Weaver’s wailing descent ended as she landed smack dab in the middle of it.

“That... wasn’t what I meant. Geez, Sky, you can be a hoofful,” Rainbow sighed. She waited for a response, but none came. She looked at Sky, and she seemed to be in a trance, lying still on the surface of the cloud.

“Huuuhhhh...” she burbled. “What...IS this...?”

“You don’t know? This is one of the perks of bein’ a Pegasus,” Dash explained. “Don’t worry, it’ll hold ya.”

“It’s sooo comfy...” Sky murmured, a smile slowly emerging on her face.

“Heheh, you’re telling me. Clouds are my go-to place for napping. Count yourself lucky, Sky. Who needs hooves when you’ve got wings?” Rainbow smirked.

Sky turned on to her side and felt the softness of the cloud nursing her side. She let out a sigh as the sensation soothed her from her previous panic, and her fall from earlier. She was reminded of the comfort of her bed, on those particular nights where there was enough of a chill in the air that she would be warm and snug without feeling all hot and stuffy. She stretched out her wings in front of her, smiling gratefully at them, and let them gently settle onto the surface of the cloud. She relaxed her entire body and closed her eyes, shutting out everything but the feeling of the cloud, her breath, and the beating of her heart, settling to a slow and hypnotic rhythm.

“Uhm... Sky?” Rainbow Dash called her. But the young mare was already fast asleep.

“Huh...” she muttered with a mix of surprise and puzzlement. “Well... guessed you earned it.” She chuckled to herself.

Just then, she felt the breeze picking up, and noticed the cloud beginning to drift away. Rainbow jolted, and swifty swooped to the other side of the cloud, raising her forehooves against the side to keep it in place. Her eyes looked to the sleeping Sky Weaver on top of it, sound asleep, and blissfully unaware of what was happening.

Rainbow Dash tapped her chin with one hoof while debating what to do. She couldn’t just leave it, or Celestia knows where it might drift off to. Rainbow Dash had never seen Sky attempt a proper landing, especially from this height. Chances were she’d be stuck there if she woke up. But she couldn’t just hang around waiting for her. Her eyes fell back towards town.

“Ah!” she cried, struck with inspiration. The breeze had slowed and she released her grip on the cloud. Carefully moving off so as not to wake Sky, she zipped towards town to find the one pony who she knew could lend a hoof.

And so, there Sky lay, now curled up, quitely and peacefully snoozing in blissful comfort. Her subconscious mind conjured images of flying freely and effortlessly through bright skies, soaring in delight and catching wayward gusts of wind to carry her, twirling about and getting giddy from the sheer joy of it all. She was joined by a school of dolphins, flying along with her with wings as majestic as Princess Celestia’s, their smooth shining coats sparkling when they caught the sun’s rays at the right angle. Sky laughed right along with their merry chattering as they engaged in freeform aerial displays, using the sky as their very own playground. When the aerobatics ended, the sky dolphins gathered around Sky Weaver, each giving her a heartful hug to signify their fond farewell. The touching display bringing tears to her eyes, she bade them all farewell, and vowed that she would never forget this moment that they had shared together as they disappeared in a prismatic flash of light.

Chapter 3: In a Bind

Rainbow Dash scanned Ponyville intently as she flew over, circling like a kite, taking in as much information as she could. She had seen Ponyville from up above many times, from her regularly scheduled cloud clearings, and she had an excellent mental map of the town – she could easily pick out every nook and cranny, back alley and hotspot. She could even recognise some ponies who walked the same familiar routes every day. Looking over all of this information was neither a great effort nor a present concern for Rainbow – she was quickly scanning each spot for where one particular pony would be. The one that she knew that she could count on and lend a hoof, for the complicated operation to save Sky Weaver from being whisked away to who knows where by an errant breeze as she slept on her cloud.

After a minute or two passed, Rainbow Dash stopped her patrol and brought her wings to a steady hover. Trying to focus her efforts to spot the particular pony, she glared down into the centre of Ponyville with intensity, as if she could somehow will the pony in question into view. Rainbow grumbled as her efforts proved, unsurprisingly, utterly useless.

“I could have sworn I could find her around here… selling apples or something!” Rainbow groaned. “I guess I’ll have to check the whole Apple orchard then. I don’t have time for this...” And with that, she hastily zoomed over towards Sweet Apple Acres.

As she soared, Rainbow Dash took notice of the wind. With each swell of the breeze, she cast her mind back to Sky Weaver on the cloud, being pushed further away from Ponyville towards the flat meadows further on the outskirts. There were no trees around there, which at a pinch, a Pegasus that lost control of their wings could use for a softer and overall less painful landing than hitting the ground. Rainbow gulped at the image her mind had just conjured up, but swiftly shifted her focus to flying to her destination. Sure enough, in less than a minute, she had arrived at Sweet Apple Acres. Dash quickly spotted Applejack heading from the barn towards the orchard; however, Rainbow didn’t take comfort in this - rather, frustration took hold, as her searching Ponyville had proved to be nothing but a waste of time. And time was critical.

Applejack heard a familiar swooping and a rush of air and she looked up to see a disgruntled Rainbow Dash flying into view. Applejack took note of her slumped posture and groggy expression. Applejack assumed that she had just woken up from a nap, so some grumpiness from her was to be expected. Applejack opted to be polite.

“Howdy Rainbow,” Applejack smiled up at her. “Thought you’d be taking a nap. What brings ya ‘round these parts?”

“Sorry Applejack!” Rainbow asserted. “Don’t have time to make conversation right now. I need your help. Well… Sky needs your help.”

“The sky?” Applejack asked. “Ah… kinda thought the sky was your duty. Looks pretty clear to me.”

“No! I talked to that new pony who arrived today! The one that Royal Blue introduced us to!” Rainbow Dash explained hastily.

“Ohhhh… Skah Weaver, was it? Well she seemed like a real sweetheart. How was she?” Applejack asked.

“She’s stuck on a cloud!” Rainbow shouted impatiently, not wanting to delay the news any further. “I need your help getting her down!”

“Okay…” Applejack nodded, uneasily. “Would ya… care to explain exactly how you plan fer me ta do that?”

Rainbow Dash gave an exasperated groan. ”Look Applejack, I just so happened to take a rookie flier on her first flight, introduced her to her first cloud, and she FELL ASLEEP on it before I could teach her how to get down! Now she’s stuck up there and the wind is picking up! And I really would have preferred to take a nap rather than have to deal with all this today, but I also don’t like the idea of having to explain to Royal Blue that his little pony was carried away on the wind, or that something even worse happened! So why don’t you stop with the Twenty Questions and pull one of your lassos out of your—“

“Okay, Rainbow,” Applejack replied sternly, stopping Rainbow in her tirade. Rainbow gave pause to see that the workhorse had lifted her Stetson to reveal a neatly coiled length of rope sitting on her head.

“…hat… and… come with me so you can tie the cloud down before it drifts away,” Dash’s voice trailed off, somewhat sobered.

“Sure, Rainbow. All ya had to do was say so,” Applejack stated firmly.

Rainbow gave pause. “You… always keep a piece of rope with you?” she felt the need to ask.

“Sure do,” Applejack said proudly.

“Under your hat. All the time.”

“Eeyup.”

There was a pause between the two mares.

“…Why?” Rainbow blurted out.

“Practical reasons, Dash,” Applejack replied simply.

“Right…” Rainbow Dash replied. She looked over her shoulder, to quickly regain her bearings and retraced her steps, of the whereabouts of the cloud when this all started, and where the wind would have taken it since then. She did some quick calculations in her head.

“Okay. I know where we need to go. Let’s hurry!” she pointed a hoof in the direction that she had come from, and zipped away, with Applejack sprinting close behind.

Sky Weaver giggled with glee as she glided effortlessly through a vast expanse of clouds, gentle winds blowing through her, calming and soothing her while her wings flapped in a natural rhythm. She had finally done it. Her wings were the key to her freedom, and with Rainbow Dash’s teaching, she had finally broken the lock. She could go wherever she pleased. She was so looking forward to telling Royal Blue all about her adventures when she got home. Then again, she promised those nice ponies that she’d make time to spend with all of them. At least, that was what she thought the agreement was. She didn’t want to disappoint any of them. She sighed. She would have to come down.

Down.

She looked below her and her heart lurched in shock as she saw what looked like a bottomless chasm beneath her. There was no ground to be seen. No place to land. And how even would she land?

Sky forcefully jerked her head upward into the sky, and looked for the Sun, and it was strangely absent. Furthermore, the big, puffy clouds had all seemed to have evaporated – what was once a bright and beautiful sky was now an endless deep blue void.

She felt her wings begin to slow, and she began to drop, almost as if some invisible forces were pulling her towards the black depths below.

Sky almost cried out in terror, but her voice had been stolen. She flailed her hooves but they were seized up, like she was wading through cement.

The blackness swelled beneath her, swallowing what light remained.

She squinted to find some kind of escape, then she began to see shadows moving past her. She felt their presence as they swam past and her blood froze in fright.

She felt a particularly strong current behind her, and with no other option, dared to turn her head to see the source of the disturbance.

From the blackness came a great, gaping maw, with rows of teeth like long steel spikes. The enormous beast seemed to consume whatever light remained as its mouth was as black as the coldest, cruellest night.

Then from the mouth shot two ghastly tendrils as quick as lighting, which latched onto Sky, stealing her last breath.

It was then that Sky screamed awake. Sitting up on her haunches and gasping for breath, the afternoon light filled her eyes, disorienting her further. Not wanting to close her eyes to make the blackness return, she put her hooves up over her face and lowered her head, staring downward at the cloud. Her heart was pounding, and her mind still racing with afterimages of that awful, shadowy all-devouring beast. Steeling herself, she slowly lowered her hooves and peered outward, her eyes squinting at the brightness of the afternoon sky. She was no longer in that frightful place. She was on her cloud, still. Sky sighed, and slowly lowered herself until she was lying flat on her cloud. Reacquainting herself with the soft, pillowy surface of the cloud, she nuzzled its surface and it soothed her greatly. Then she tilted her head upward and gave another, exasperated sigh.

Another nightmare, she thought. Why did her imagination have to run wild? Why did it have to be so ambiguous about what was real and what wasn’t? Why couldn’t she control it, so that it wouldn’t conjure up such awful, spine-chillingly horrifying images? And did she have to have a nightmare now, of all times, when things were going so well? Why couldn’t she just stop being so afraid?

“I’m not going to let that spoil today,” Sky murmured to herself. “No way. I’m in a good place now. I have this lovely, comfy cloud,” she grinned as she rubbed her head against it.

Eventually Sky felt the need to get up and stretch. She slowly and carefully clambered onto her hooves and stood up as straight as she could, arching her back, gave a grunt, relaxed, then stretched out her forelegs and her wings. Her eyes drifted open and she immediately recoiled at how the ground was so far beneath her. Her wings snapped shut and she instinctively curled up into a ball, then she lay back down on the cloud. The thought occurred to her that she had no idea how she was going to get airborne, or how to get safely down on the ground. Her previous jubilation to be nestled on the cloud turned to a wave of despair. It was now her prison. She was stuck there, without any other options. What if the cloud suddenly gave out, and she’d fall right through it? Did that happen with clouds? Did they just evaporate into thin air as suddenly and unexpectedly as they did in her horrible nightmare? Sky curled in tighter and gave a whimper, trying to quell the worrying pangs of thought. She decided to calmly wait for Rainbow Dash to come back. Surely she would. She was one of the most dependable ponies around. Just as devoted to her friends as she was to herself. Sky sat silently, and waited.

“Looks like she’s still asleep. Boy, is she a heavy sleeper.” Rainbow Dash commented, swooping down to meet with Applejack.

“Y’all sure about that? Did ya actually check to see if she was asleep?” Applejack inquired.

“Pfft! What’s it matter? We’ve gotta act quickly before the wind picks up and carries her off!” Rainbow instructed.

“Well Ah’d sure hate to toss up the rope and hogtie the poor thing,” Applejack protested.

“Just throw it so that it latches onto the cloud! Then we can drag it to a tree or something and tie the rope to it. No problem. She won’t even have to wake up,” Rainbow said.

“Y’all sure are intent on not disturbin’ her. Funny. Ah thought you’d be upset that she’d taken a prime nappin’ spot from ya,” Applejack quipped.

“It was her first time flying, AND her first time on a cloud. She gets a free pass this time,” Rainbow stated.

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Sure. Well Ah reckon we’ve dilly-dallied for long enough,” she said. She took the piece of rope in her mouth and stared up at the cloud.

“Not sure if ah can reach it from here, but ah’ll try mah darndest.” Applejack craned her neck backwards, and began twirling the lasso in the air.

“Remember! Try to only hit the cloud!” Rainbow felt the need to repeat herself.

Applejack was somewhat irked by this comment, and with a little more aggression than was needed, she launched her head in an arc, tossing the lasso high up into the air, straight towards the centre of the cloud.

Sky Weaver violently jolted awake for the second time that afternoon as she suddenly felt something constricting around her waist. She tried to sit up but couldn’t. For a moment she was confused, her eyes fearfully drifted down towards the offending object, and her pupils shrank to pinheads. Her worst fear was confirmed. She was tied to the cloud. Unable to move. Unable to free herself. Trapped.

The next few moments dragged on into a cold eternity. Sky lay frozen in shock and awe, unable to move, her breath short and frantic, only giving out tiny, silent pants of breath. Her eyes darted this way and that, hoping that one of her limbs had enough room to wriggle out. But even if she had, it was no use. She was paralysed just from the shock. The mere thought of escape seemed unimaginable. She was left to struggle in vain for ever. She could swear she could feel the rope slowly tightening, maliciously. Then at last the fear inside her exploded, and she released the panic.

A shrill, piercing shriek penetrated the afternoon air. Applejack lost grip of the rope and Rainbow Dash practically froze in mid-air.

“Land sakes!” Applejack exclaimed.

“Applejack! You were supposed to lasso the cloud! You just gave her the fright of her life!” Rainbow shouted. Her eyes darted up towards the commotion on the cloud. “Uh oh… looks like she’s in a bad way…”

Sky was violently thrashing in order to dislodge herself from the rope’s grip. Now that Applejack was no longer holding onto it, it was starting to give way, but nowhere near as quickly or easily as Sky would have liked.

“GET IT OFF!!!” She screamed helplessly. “GET IT OFF GET IT OFF GET IT OFF, I HATE IT I HATE IT I HATE IT!!!!” Her hooves flailed madly and her wings flapped erratically. Eventually one of her hooves punched clean through the cloud, and the air currents that her wings had kicked up started to twist the cloud apart, and it started to evaporate. Sky watched the hole in the cloud expand until she could see the ground beneath her again. Her heart lurched once again and her wings snapped shut. Then she felt herself quickly losing her footing as the cloud disappeared beneath her, sending her screaming towards the ground.

“Holy Celestia!” Rainbow Dash sputtered. Her eyes flashed to the end of the rope. She grabbed it in her mouth and started bunching it up as she darted upward, looping it around her hooves to making sure that they could take the strain, and the rope wouldn’t pull too violently on Sky. Sure enough, with a mighty tug, Rainbow halted Sky’s descent. Rainbow kept a strong grip on the rope, holding Sky aloft and letting her sway just a few meters of the ground, relatively unharmed. However, she was still having a severe panic attack.

Applejack approached the struggling young mare. “Now, don’t you worry none, she’s got ya,” Applejack assured her. “Ah’m mighty sorry if ah caused ya a scare, but--”

“GET IT OFF!!!” Sky screamed, continuing to battle with the rope. “LET ME GO! LET ME GO!!!”

Applejack gave pause to this, but didn’t let up. “Now, hold on there! Easy! You’ll cause yerself a mischief! Now you just gotta hold still for me and I’ll let ya out of there,” Applejack called out over her frantic crying.

But Sky would not hold still. She couldn’t remain calm while she was ensnared, dangling in the air, without her bearings, and having to co-operate with some weird-talking pony who had apparently tied her up in the first place. She couldn’t trust a pony like that.

However, she did stop her hectic thrashing. Instead, another instinct took over, and she let loose a frenzied growl, grabbed hold of the rope above her and started viciously biting and gnawing at it like a rabid Timber Wolf. Seeing this little pony’s beastly display had even Applejack backing off. Rainbow, who was holding onto the rope above her was especially freaked out. Finally, Sky ripped the rope in two and fell ungraciously to the ground.

Applejack gasped and went over to check her over for injuries. She was glad to see that nothing looked broken, except her left wing was looking bruised and its feathers somewhat dishevelled. Applejack went to raise a hoof to help her up when Sky briefly resumed her flailing to remove the remains of the rope that was still clinging to her. Applejack jumped back in surprise.

“Skah Weaver! Come on now, Ah just wanna help. What’s got ya all up in a tizzy like this?” Applejack asked Sky just as she had freed herself from the last bit of rope.

Sky clambered to her hooves, still shaky from the struggling and slightly bruised from her fall. Her eyes angrily flashed up to meet with the monster who thoughtlessly bound her up. She was surprised to see that it was just another pony - one that she had seen earlier that day. Applejack. Not even with a stern look in her eyes, but one of gentle concern. Sky's defensiveness doubled back on itself and she was immediately filled with shame as she realised the trouble her actions had caused this good and honest pony, and how much of an embarrassment she had just made of herself. However, she still wasn’t over the initial shock of the incident, and her emotional defences gave out before she could apologise, and she burst into tears on the spot. Rainbow Dash descended, hovering next to Applejack with the remainder of the rope, still somewhat shaken up by the current sequence of events. Rainbow craned her neck towards Applejack’s ear.

“Uh… she okay?” Rainbow whispered.

While Applejack searched for an answer, Sky’s eyes drifted to the two mares. Suddenly things looked more confrontational. She saw the length of rope that Rainbow Dash was still holding, and gave out a cry of pain, then she quickly turned on her hooves and ran as fast as she could.

“Hey… Skah, wait!” Applejack called out. But the young Pegasus was sprinting away from them, still crying.

Rainbow Dash landed next to Applejack and dropped the rope. The two mares exchanged worried and concerned looks.

Author's Note

I make a triumphant return! I have been meaning to do this chapter for WELL OVER A YEAR, and it's been holding up Chapter 4 which I started ages ago.

Oddly enough, I was inspired to write this after watching reviews of several bad animated cartoons and movies, which filled me with the desire to prove myself to not be so awful as some of the poorly-written skits I had seen peeled apart, every inch of its awfulness for everyone to see.

Anyway, things take more of a dark and tragic direction for Sky, but I wanted to make her more than just a thing that exists to be cute, and there's yet more to be revealed about her. Also don't worry, she'll have an easier time in the next chapter. Sort of, anyway.

-Ben

Chapter 4: Looming Fears and Mending Hooves

Sky Weaver rushed through Ponyville in a panic, scrambling past other ponies, not stopping for a second. She didn’t know where she was even going – all she knew was that she had to get away. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. And so soon. Today had started off so promisingly, then it had gone and turned into the worst day of her life for a long time. Royal Blue had been so kind and understanding to her, making sure to keep her fears under control, doing all the things for her that may have otherwise caused her to have a panic attack. But he wasn’t here this time. She was in a new place now – unwelcoming, uncaring, unforgiving. Merciless, even. When this all had begun, she had been intrigued and captivated by Ponyville. She thought that it would be a fun, an adventure. She was willing to travel as far out from all familiarity as she possibly could, if it meant not having to venture back into the pain of her past. Yet, there she was...

Sky Weaver eventually came to a stop. The adrenaline had worn off and left her exhausted, and the ugly thoughts that had been reverberating through her head had put her on the edge of tears. As she panted for breath, she looked around for some semblance of a familiar-looking landmark. But alas, she saw nothing of the sort. The cottage-houses were too tall for her to see the library in any direction, and she was too exhausted to fly up to a height where she could see it. She was stuck, right here, in a confusing part of town, with not a familiar face to turn to. She’d spent so much time ogling at the wonder of this place, she’d never properly taken in any of the scenery for herself. She could have taken the time to have a proper tour of the place, or even borrow a guidebook from the library. She shut her eyes as the crushing realisation of her own foolishness wracked her.

With her remaining but dwindling willpower, she decided to take in her immediate surroundings. Just on the other side of the street was a resplendent, velvety tower of a building. She looked at the sign above the door, which read:

“Carousel Boutique, Where Every Dress Is Chic, Unique, and MAGNIFIQUE!”

A dressmaker’s?! Of all the places to be stranded next to. Her eyes fell onto the sign above the door, an illustration of a needle and thread. A jolt of panic shot through her again. She let out a scream, just to try to expel the fright, and the sheer frustration. But her emotional defenses had fallen from the outburst, and with nothing left to hold back the tears, and she just sat there, quietly weeping as the boutique silently mocked her with its grand presence, manifesting itself as a black tower – all the pain and regret that she had pushed into a dark corner of her mind now lay right in front of her, ready to swallow her whole, and claim her back as its rightful puppet after all this time of illusory hope and cheer.

Just in that moment, in an almost poetic fashion, the door of the tower opened. Out stepped the elegant unicorn she’d seen earlier that day, wearing an expression of concern.

"Oh, my stars!" Rarity cried. "You’re the one from earlier today, aren’t you? Oh, you poor thing, what's happened to you?"

Sky was too traumatized to form words. She gave a grief-stricken moan at the unicorn in protest, and tried to shoo her away with an outstretched hoof.

"Dear me," Rarity fussed, instead taking her hoof and attempting to help her up. "You're in a simply dreadful state! S... Sky Weaver, was it? Look, let's get you inside, shall we?"

Sky's panic resurfaced with all strength, like she was being dragged across the river Styx into Tartarus itself. "NnnOOOOoo!" She howled.

"Oh please, darling, you're getting hysterical," Rarity soothed. "Not to mention you're making a scene. I'll get you some fine herbal tea, it'll do you a world of good. You have my word on it!" Rarity insisted, leading Sky towards the boutique as she continued to fight. Eventually the pegasus realised that her resisting was useless, and she accepted her fate, and grabbed Rarity's hoof tightly, taking what few moments she believed that she had left to appreciate the company of another pony.

"Please don’t leave me alone in there," she whispered. Rarity frowned awkwardly at this display, but at least she was co-operating now. She led Sky into the boutique in as lady-like a manner as she could manage.

Rarity slowly guided Sky towards the boutique proper as she twitched violently and raised a hoof to avert her gaze from the various things within the boutique, breathing heavily and whimpering. Rarity looked at her with utter confusion, then turned, leading her towards the kitchen. Sky Weaver peeked out at where they were going, and eying the various appliances within, seemed to calm down. Rarity sat her down in a chair facing away from the rest of the boutique, turned on the stove and placed the kettle on it, then took a seat opposite her.

“So tell me, dear,” Rarity asked, once Sky had calmed down enough. “What in the world’s got you so shaken up?”

Sky Weaver’s tear-stained eyes met with Rarity’s, then her head bowed shamefully. “Y...you’re not really the sort of pony I’d talk to about it...” she sighed.

“Oh, stuff and nonsense!” Rarity dismissed. “No problem is too small or embarrassing to share with somepony, especially when it’s got you in such a dither. Just tell me what’s wrong, dear.”

Sky looked up at Rarity, and tried to maintain eye contact. “I’ve... never told anypony else about this. Except Royal Blue, of course. But... I suppose I should tell you.” She sniffed. “Okay... you know when I first met you? I probably acted like I had a problem... with what you do.”

“Mhm...” Rarity nodded as she listened attentively.

“Well, I kind of do have a problem. I mean, not with you, though, but... I just have some unhappy memories. Back when I lived with my parents, in Manehatten, they wanted me to be a weaver. I didn’t want to be, but they didn’t give me a choice. I wasn’t even any good.”

“Ohh, that’s no reason to feel bad, dear,” Rarity soothed.

“I know they put me up to it so they could keep me quiet... and wouldn’t have to keep an eye on me all the time. I'm remembering now... how little I obviously meant to them... how they’d never let me have my way, and I was never very happy living with them... all I had were my stories. But they’d call them silly, and a distraction, and they’d just make me work harder... in the end, it all became a terrible nightmare... about dancing mannequins... they were... controlling me, laughing at me, and there was this huge monster, on strings, made of wood... now... I just can’t bear to look at anything that reminds me of the past... of that nightmare. String. Thread. Wire. Needles. Wooden... things...” She gulped. “Especially rope.” Her eyes shut tight as she tried to suppress the shame she felt from her confession. Rarity took a hefty pause to take all of this in.

The sound of the kettle boiling broke the uneasy silence in the room. Rarity promptly rescued the kettle from the stove, turned it off, and used her magic to bring two china cups out of an overhead cupboard. Pouring out the tea, she carefully placed them on the table, then sat down.

“Well...” she responded at last, awkwardly. “...Yes, I... I can see how this may not have been the best place to talk about it,” she muttered. She took in the aroma of the tea while she collected her thoughts. “Still, perhaps it’s best that you’ve told somepony like me first. I’d hate to have caused you any stress,” she reassured.

“I’m sorry...” Sky sniffed. “I’m the one who’s causing you trouble...” she whimpered, as the corners of her eyes began to shimmer as fresh new tears formed.

“Oh, darling...” Rarity consoled, bringing a hoof around her affectionately. Sky took comfort in the gesture and dabbed her eyes with a hoof. “You can’t help it, I understand. So... you don’t like anything made with string, is that right? Like... drapes and... dresses?” she asked, seemingly a little reluctantly.

“No, I’m fine with those.” Sky replied. Rarity internally breathed a little sigh of relief. “I don’t have a problem with... fabric, silk, ribbons and stuff, they’re... pretty things. They're nice.” Rarity patiently sat, listening and nodding. “But, you know, just... loose threads, like string, and rope, just there, by itself... I feel like it’s going to... wrap around my hooves, and I won’t be able to--” She inhaled sharply to ward off the dread, then gave an apologetic sigh. “I know, it’s so stupid...”

“Not another word,” Rarity cut in. “I see. So, you’re fine with clothing, right?”

Sky Weaver slowly nodded. “Mostly.”

“Well then, I think I have something to take your mind off all that! You’re as good a pony as any to try on some of my new dresses! What say you to that?” Rarity smiled.

“Wow... really?” Sky was somewhat overcome. Rarity nodded insistantly. “Well sure, okay. But um... nothing too heavy. Something with a little space, for my wings. My parents... would just put me in these silly outfits to cover them up. And they’d be so uncomfortable...”

“How thoughtless of them!” Rarity declared. “Well, don’t you worry about that, dear, I can assure you these dresses will be nothing less than a sheer delight for you to wear!”

Sky continued to gaze in the mirror, eyes wide with wonder. She was dressed in a gorgeous robe of purest white, with flashes of regal purple and golden seams. By her right ear was a golden brooch with a small red gem in the center – a gilded cherry on the delicious cake of the whole ensemble. Sky felt like a goddess. She squealed with joy, her hooves clippety-clopping in their tanned orange sandals.

“I love it!” she cried.

Rarity couldn’t help but feel immense pride. “Well, it’s definitely one of my finer works. I decided to try something a little different from what I’m used to, and before I knew it, I’d broken all new ground!” Before she could continue, Sky cut her off with a joyous burst of her own.

“Ooh! This is TOTALLY like, the PERFECT outfit for Lady Rosalina the Grand Battle Mage Warrior to wear!” she gushed, hopping on her back hooves with glee.

“Er... I beg your pardon, who?” Rarity asked.

But Sky was already far away, immersed within her own mind, which was firing on all cylinders. She began brainstorming out loud. “When she is personally invited to New Antioch’s Greatest Magic Users Convention! And encounters all of her former rivals, who have become stronger than ever, and they challenge her to a magic contest of EPIC proportions! YES! THAT IS AMAZING! Oh, I’m gonna make that story right now!” she burbled ecstatically.

“Well, I suppose it’s all well and good that my work can inspire others so... fervently,” Rarity mused. She looked over to Sky Weaver - she was frozen, her eyes twinkling like galaxies, her face fixed in a full, blissful beam. Rarity could only stand there and watch, bewildered. Was this... normal for her? In any case, she was definitely looking much better than before. So, Rarity went into the kitchen for another cup of tea.

Ten minutes later, the eerie silence in the boutique was pierced by a delighted squeal from Sky Weaver. Rarity nearly spilled her tea. “Hum. Well, sounds like she’s out of her... reverie.” She muttered, going out of the kitchen to check on her, in case she was about to trip over a ball of yarn, and have it send her back into a panic, or something. But sure enough, she was back in the real world, and still as bright and cheerful as ever.

“That was my best story yet! Oh, Miss Rarity, I can’t thank you enough!” Sky cried.

Rarity chuckled. “Oh no, dear, thank you for the, uh... feedback. Tell you what, I’ll be hard at work all this week making more of these. How would you like to place an order for one yourself?”

Sky perked up, but her expression immediately sank. “Oh... well, I’d love to... but... I don’t have the bits for anything like that. Um... sorry for wasting your time. I... I guess I’ll just leave now.” She hung her head and began to head for the door.

“Oh, darling, don’t be ridiculous!” Rarity comforted her. “It’ll be my treat, since you’ve such been a delight. Tell you what – as soon as I can, I’ll make of these specially for you! And in whatever color you like!”

Sky Weaver lit up once again. “You’d do that?!” Rarity simply nodded. Sky raised her forehooves close to her mouth in order to contain her excitement. “Um... y...yellow is my favorite colour. Can I have one in yellow, please?” she managed, in an nervous whisper.

“Consider it done,” Rarity said.

Sky’s enthusiasm exploded as she squeaked and giggled with joy and hugged Rarity tightly. Rarity shot backwards, but quickly regained her composure and calmly placed a hoof against her. “Much obliged, darling, but please... a lady needs her personal space. And you might crease the dress.”

Sky released her. “Oh. Sorry.” She blushed.

The pegasus stepped out of Carousel Boutique. She was feeling much better having talked things over with Rarity. She was surprised with how kindly she responded to it. She always thought her fear to be ridiculous, that nopony would ever take her seriously because of it. She sighed happily – Royal Blue was right all along when he said she was in good hooves.

Furthermore, she had thoroughly enjoyed creating a new chapter of one of her many stories, although on reflection, it perhaps seemed a little rude of her to not share it with Miss Rarity as a token of her gratitude. Looking back to her time spent with Twilight, she pondered. Maybe she should start writing out her stories. Having just been through yet another adventure, she was a little burned out. Perhaps this was the best time to sit down and somehow articulate her thoughts to share with the rest of the world. Or, perhaps Twilight’s adorable little dragon companion could help write with her! It was sounding like a delightful plan already!

Her train of thought was interrupted by a sudden relapse of panic as she caught a glance of the infernal orange pony approaching, Rainbow Dash with her. Sky couldn’t help but feel threatened, and every instinct told her to run away. But this time, she hesitated to do so. Being open and honest with Rarity had turned out well, and so maybe it would serve her just as well to stand her ground here and be truthful again. The earth pony surely had good intentions, just as Rainbow Dash had demonstrated to her earlier that day. It was time to resolve this whole mess.

“There she is!” Rainbow cried.

“Thank Celestia!” Applejack sighed as they both approached Sky. “Are you okay? Ah'm sorry for what happened there. You, uh... wanna tell me why ya bit through mah rope and started flyin’ all weird?” she asked, presenting the ruined piece of rope in question.

Sky Weaver took a sharp intake of breath as her heart lurched. “PUT IT AWAY!” she screamed, covering her eyes with one hoof. She just HAD to bring it here, didn’t she?

Rainbow Dash and Applejack froze on the spot in surprise. Sky summoned up all her mental resolve and tried to calm herself. “Put it away...” she implored, with much less panic in her voice, her eyes still shut tight.

“The rope!” Rainbow Dash realised after a moment, and indicated to Applejack. “Hide it!”

“Oh... um... okay,” she replied, a tad confused.

Sky heard her drop the rope, and some scuffling noises as she kicked dirt over it.

“Right. Ah don’t have it anymore. Okay? Ah hid it.”

Mustering all the courage she could, Sky placed her foreleg back on the ground, turned her head to the orange pony, and, trying to not left her vision drift to where the rope had been only just barely concealed, looked her in the eyes. She saw that Applejack had a look of genuine concern, and sighed.

“I’m sorry... I think I owe you both an explanation.”