On a Whim

Chapter II

Departure

“Do you trust them?”

From his position, the brown stallion could see the entirety of Ponyville, along with much of the lands beyond. The sky was crystal clear, with the sun shining in all its glory down onto the earth below. From the rolling green hills of Sweet Apple Acres, to the opulent town hall, all the way to the dark edge of the Everfree forest, nothing was hidden from him. The pony wasn’t interested in any of this, however. His gaze was locked on a valley just behind the town, just above Sweet Apple Acres. The stallion had been looking at this gap between mountains for fifteen minutes now, pacing all the while. He stopped his frantic walking for a moment to look down into the hills below his elevated position. Empty.

Where the bloody hell are they? he thought impatiently. Tearing his gaze away from the rocks below, he resumed his pacing. I swear if they don’t get here in time I’m- He froze in place, listening. Rotating like radar dishes, his ears pinpointed the source of the sound below him. Hoof steps. They’re here. Sparing a final concerned glance towards the valley, the stallion turned and ran to meet the new arrivals.

Not far away, four ponies were locked in a dead sprint away from the small town of Ponyville. Leading them on was the green mare, closely flanked by West, both effortlessly evading rocks and fallen branches as they ran. A few body lengths behind them was Twilight, desperately trying to keep pace with the other two.

“Twilight! You need to stop!” Rainbow Dash yelled from above the unicorn. Rainbow Dash had been flying above her from the moment they left the library, all the while trying to get her friend to listen to her. Twilight, however, wasn’t having any of it.

“Drop it Rainbow, I’m going with them. You can’t change my mind,” Twilight said in exasperation.

Rainbow looked at her with disbelief. “You met them twenty minutes ago! You don’t know who they are, or what the rush is! What if they’re luring you into the woods to rob you, or worse! This could be a scam, or they could even be-“ Rainbow Dash was cut off abruptly as she slammed headfirst into a tree. Hard. Twilight rolled her eyes and continued running. Unknown to her, Rainbow Dash simply lay in the center of the trail behind her, unconscious.

Up ahead, West and the mare came to a stop in at the base of a steep hill. West turned around to address Twilight, who arrived a heartbeat later in a fit of panting. “You alright back there Twilight?” The unicorn simply nodded. She was not, and had never been, a particularly physical pony. The run from town had probably been the most exercise she had had in months. “Great, now where’s Sparky?”

Having regained enough breath to speak, Twilight held up a hoof. "If you don't mind my asking, why are we running? What's the hurry?"

West opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off as the pegasus beside him pointed towards the hill behind him. “I see him, up there. Come on, let’s meet him half way.” The mare began making her way up the hill without waiting for any replies. West, seemingly forgetting the unicorn's presence, began after the strange mare, bounding between boulders to catch up with her.

Only Twilight was left at the base, gasping for breath. “Wait!” she called weakly. “I don’t even know your name yet!” With a groan, she slowly began plodding up the hill to catch up with the others. “If we’re walking the whole way at this pace, I’ve made an enormous mistake.”

It took Twilight a good two minutes to reach them, at which point she was able to get a good look at the stallion West had called ‘Sparky’. He was a brown earth pony, about Twilight's height, and not as well built as the others. His unkempt mane was a chocolate brown, and a cutie mark depicting two copper gears adorned his flank. Like the others, he was dressed very strangely, wearing a tight fitting grey suit under a heavy brown duster that ran down past his knees. Unlike the others, he wore nothing over his back, wearing instead a pair of aviation goggles strapped tightly to his forehead. Despite the odd circumstances, Twilight thought he was a rather handsome stallion.

The moment she came into view, all three ponies turned to face the unicorn. “Ah, speak of the devil!” Sparky said cheerily. He spoke in a strange accent that Twilight couldn’t place. “And is this lovely unicorn the one you’ve hired?” He briskly walked over to Twilight and offered his hoof, smiling broadly. Twilight held her head low from exhaustion, barely managing to lift her hoof to shake his. “Name’s Sparky, pleasure to make your acquaintance,” he greeted, shaking her hoof violently.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the green pegasus said almost sarcastically, “but we still have a situation.  Remember where you parked?”

“Hmm? Oh, that’s right,” Sparky said, as if suddenly remembering where he was. “Right then! Let’s get on board, shall we? This way Mr. West, Miss. Misty, Miss. Sparkle.” So her name is Misty thought Twilight. Sparky spun in place and happily trotted away from the group with a smile spread across his face, West and the mare named Misty in tow. Twilight was left behind again.

“On board? On board what?” she yelled after them before giving chase.

The group followed a small path tracing its way between two hills for a distance before turning off it and climbing a third hill. West, Misty, and Sparky stopped when they got to it's peak. Twilight slowly made her way up behind them, looking directly at the ground. “Don’t you guys ever get tired?” she panted. When no response came, Twilight lifted her head and couldn’t help but gasp at the view.

In front of the small hill they stood atop, a massive shape loomed above the ground. The majority of it was made up by an enormous grey and red balloon, easily 250 feet from end to end. It was long and sleek, and was pinched in some places by tie downs and ropes keeping it in place. Ornate fins jutted off of it, giving it a surprisingly elegant appearance. Beneath it hung what appeared to be a large wooden boat, dangling by thick cords wrapped around the balloon. At one point in time it might have been a two mast cutter, but now bore little resemblance to its seaworthy counterparts. Though it was almost 100 feet shorter than the balloon above, it looked like there was enough room for a pegasus race on the deck of the ship. It was incredibly sleek, with it's wheel house barely standing any higher than the rest of the deck,and the foremost beam extending a good fifty feet into thin air. Fabric pipes ran up the rigging at the rear of the ship, seamlessly entering the ballast above. Various brass and copper valves jutted out awkwardly from nooks and crannies on the rear deck, some leading towards the control board while others snaked below the floorboards.  Along the sides of the hull, wood and metal assemblies hung out, ending in lightweight wooden propellers. Behind those, delicate looking fins of the same color as the balloon acted as rudders. Large glass panes were placed underneath the bow and behind what Twilight assumed to be the captain’s quarters, giving her a glimpse of the inside even from this distance.  It was by no means a pretty ship, as it looked more like a boat with aspirations of flight as oppose to an actual aircraft, but it was an awesome sight none the less.

Turning around to face the others, Sparky rose to his hind legs and spread his fore-hooves wide. “Miss Sparkle, I give you the airship Volans.”

<<<<<>>>>>

Half a mile behind them, Rainbow Dash opened her eyes groggily. The world seamed hazy to her, and she felt like she was on the brink of vomiting. Rubbing her head tenderly, Rainbow looked down the trail. What the hay were you thinking Twilight? Mustering all of her strength, she unsteadily lifted up into the air and flew after them.

<<<<<>>>>>

West, Misty, and Sparky took off down the hill without hesitation. Misty took flight and rose towards the ship under her own power, while West and Sparky jumped onto a mooring rope to make their way up. Grabbing it with all four limbs, they swiftly began to climb. Twilight stood in wonder for another moment before making her way towards the base of the rope herself.

Once on the deck, Sparky made his way across the boat towards Misty as she landed. “Ello,” he said as he approached her, the smile he sported a earlier nowhere to be seen.

“Hey,” she responded frankly. There was a brief pause while the mare dropped her bags. “Did you see anything?”

Sparky looked over his shoulder to check the deck behind him. When he saw that Twilight was still on the ground, he turned back to the pegasus. “Not in the Ponyville basin, but they can’t be far behind us. I’d be surprised if they didn’t arrive in town by the end of the day, to be perfectly honest. Best tell West while I get us ready to go.” Misty simply nodded in response, her eyes locked on the valley across town.

There was a tremendous crack accompanied by a blinding violet flash as Twilight teleported onto the deck and began looking around excitedly. “I’ve never been on an airship before,” she said, smiling like a school filly. The faint worries of betrayal she had mere minutes ago where replaced by fillyhood amazement toward the vehicle she now stood atop. Spying Sparky, Twilight made her way over to him. “Is this your ship?”

Sparky nodded proudly. “That it is, owned and operated”

Twilight shook her head in wonder “I’ve never been this close to one, let alone ridden one… what type of gasses keep the balloon buoyant?”

The brown stallion looked at Twilight in surprise for a second before answering. “Various noble gasses, mostly helium, piped up from tanks below deck into gas bladders above… why?”

“I’ve read about air travel, but I’ve never had a chance to examine a craft in person, so I’d like to know how this one works,” Twilight said simply. She was looking straight up, examining the grey form above her.

Sparky chuckled at the strange young unicorn before him. “Curious one, aren’t we? I like that. Tell ya what, once we’re under way and have our course locked in, I’ll tell ya everything there is to know about her. Sound good?” he asked, patting the railing for emphasis.

Twilight nodded enthusiastically. “That would be amazing, thank you!”

Sparky gave an exaggerated bow. “My pleasure. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to see us off.”

With that, Sparky turned to the wheel deck and climbed the staircase to the controls as Misty trotted towards West. “Welcome aboard,” she halfheartedly greeted as she passed Twilight, who was now admiring the view from the raised platform. West was reeling in the wheel of rope they had climbed when Misty reached him. “West, we ready to go?”

West nodded as he pulled in the last of the line. “I’m all set. Talk to Sparky about…” He glanced towards the purple unicorn for a moment before continuing in a softer voice “…what he saw yet?”

Misty nodded, looking out over the landscape. “He said that they’re a ways out still, but they’ll be in town soon. We should make it out on time, no problem. As long as there are no more setbacks, that is.” She turned back to West to see him squinting at something in the distance. “What is it?”

West shook his head, still scanning the horizon. “Don’t know, for a second I thought I saw a-“ He was cut short by a tremendous WHOMP that sounded across the ship as a cyan blur rolled violently across the deck. “…setback” West finished, massaging his temples as the pegasus’ crash landing came to an undignified end.

Twilight and Sparky immediately rushed towards the pony now lying on the deck, who was attempting-and failing-to stand up. “Rainbow Dash? What the were you thinking? You could have hurt yourself!” Twilight called to her friend, who had managed to prop herself into a sitting position across the deck from her. As they got nearer, it was clear that Rainbow Dash was not in prime condition. She was swaying from side to side as if intoxicated, and was now sporting a massive purple and red bruise above her eye, presumably from the impact with the tree.

“What am I thinking? What are you thinking? You’re the one who ran off with a pair of complete strangers!” Rainbow Dash accused in a slurred voice. She was obviously having more and more trouble staying upright.

Sparky stopped a ways away, seeing the tension between the two. Twilight stopped nearer to Rainbow Dash, more annoyed and angry than worried. “I know these ponies well enough. They’re an explorer and an archaeologist, looking for a lost runic matrix.” Twilight said confidently, motioning towards the three assembled ponies. “…And a pilot, apparently.”

West leaned over to Misty and whispered in her ear. “Did you tell her I was an archaeologist?"

Misty shook her head slightly, not taking her eyes off of the two mares. “She got pilot and explorer right. Loosely, but close enough.”

Rainbow Dash attempted to stand up, only to stumble to her side and fall over yet again. It might have been comical, had it not been such a pitiful sight. “No, that’s who they say they are. What in Equestria makes you think you can trust them?!” Rainbow Dash seemed to be getting more hysterical by the second. “You can’t just decide to leave home like that without telling anypony!”

Twilight walked up beside Rainbow Dash and leaned in close to her, her anger growing. “Listen, Rainbow. I know you’re just trying to protect me, but you don’t have to. I’m a grown mare. I’m going with them and that’s final. I want to go with them. I want to find these runes.”

Rainbow Dash looked her in the eye, suddenly calmed. “And even if they are who they say they are, what are they going to do when they find this super powerful rune, huh? Take pictures? Write a diary about it? How do you know they don’t want to… I don’t know, start a tsunami or something? Turn the sky green? Raise the dead? Who knows what?!”

This caused Twilight to falter for a moment. She looked away from Dash and scratched a hoof against the deck.

Out of earshot of the two mares, West leaned over to Sparky and muttered in his ear. “Think she’s second guessing us?”

The brown stallion looked intently at the pair for a moment, his smile long gone. “I’d guess so. Nothing much we can do about it though. Shall I start up the engines?”

Misty joined their huddle and nodded. “Oh, there’s plenty we can do about it."

West shot Misty a look before answering. "Don’t start us off yet, just get ready to depart. We’ll let them settle this first.” Sparky nodded and walked off, leaving West and Misty to watch the two ‘talk’.

Twilight stepped back from Rainbow Dash with a stern look on her face. “Starswirl the Bearded wouldn’t have built a doomsday device, he was a scientist. And even if they’re not in this with flawless intentions, I’m still going, because if not me, somepony else will end up doing it.”

Rainbow shook her head in disbelief. “You actually trust them then?”

Twilight glanced back at West for a moment before sighing. “Well, I... No.  Not yet, at least. I haven’t known them long enough.” When she looked back at her, Rainbow Dash was unsteadily standing.

She regarded Twilight with a determined expression. “Then I’m coming too.”

Twilight shook her head, eyes widening. “Rainbow Dash, I don’t think that’s a good idea. This is a scientific exploration into the unknown, not the Running of the Leaves here. It could be dangerous, life threatening even.”

Rainbow simply stared at her flatly. “So you think you, being the librarian, should go instead?”

Twilight scratched the back of her head sheepishly. “…Right. Poor choice of argument.”

“I’m coming, that’s final. You’re not the only one that can be stubborn.” Rainbow tried to push past Twilight in defiance, only to stumble in the effort and fall heavily to the deck with an undignified grunt.

Twilight gave her a worried look and knelt over her friend, having finally noticed her inability to stand. “Rainbow, are you feeling okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine, just a little dizzy is all. I think I hit that tree harder than I thought.” Rainbow replied. When she tried to stand back up, Dash found herself being hoisted up by Twilights magic. Twilight gave her a small smile.

“Thank you Rainbow.” Rainbow Dash only nodded back, avoiding eye contact. Twilight propped the pony up against her, swinging one hoof over her shoulder to support her. Once Rainbow was on her hooves, the crew approached the two.

“So what’s the verdict, ladies?” West asked sternly, eying the injured pegasus.

“She would like to tag along, if you will allow it,” Twilight answered for her friend, who seemed to be on the cusp of consciousness.

West turned to Misty, who gave both a hard stare. She shrugged and turned away. “Might as well take on two incompetent civilians in one step. As long as you watch them, what do I care?” There was a trace of spite in her voice.

West turned back towards the two and winked at them. “Believe it or not, that means you’re all set. Glad to have you aboard Miss.” Rainbow opened her mouth to answer, but opted to nod when no words left her mouth. “We have a small medical facility downstairs where we can get this poor filly looked after.” West chuckled.

“Right then, Ready-o?” Sparky yelled from the wheel deck, smile once again plastered on his face.

Walking to the front of the ship by Misty, West grabbed onto one of the rigging lines attaching the ship to the balloon and swung himself out over open space, hanging comfortably off of the bow. “Take us out Sparky.”

“Yes sir!” Sparky answered happily, his goofy smile once again spread across his muzzle. He eagerly obliged, kicking two metal levers into position with his back legs before grabbing a third in his mouth and yanking it down onto the deck. There was a deep shudder as the engine rumbled to life. The Ponyville natives looked to the floor as a muffled, irregular popping sound began to emanate from below deck. The sound grew in speed and regularity, eventually becoming a soft idle.

Twilight and Rainbow Dash limped to the side of the airship to look over the landscape for the last time before they left. A cold gust of wind met them as they reached the edge, causing the unicorn to flinch and cover her face for a moment. Looking back onto their small town, Twilight held her breath. This was it. No turning back. She looked over at Rainbow Dash propped against her. Dash was biting her lower lip in what might have been fear, anxiety, both, or something else entirely. “Here we go,” she whispered to herself.

Sparky approached the wheel and bit down on the throttle, jamming it forward. The journey began.