An Adventures Tale In Equestria - Part 1: Thy Judgment Will Come

Chapter 10: In The Clouds - Part 3

“It’s been almost five minutes, Alex. What’s taking you so long?”

Hey, perfection takes time. Especially when dealing with 33 pegasi weather factory workers all charging you. And with most of them being in the air, it only made it more challenging for me to try and manipulate.

Thankfully, with the power of webbing, mathematical analysis, and some trigonometry, the scene was set to commence. I admired the hard work I had put in and returned to my original spot on the factory floor. The first pegasus remained still as I approached, his eyes filled with determination and wrongful intent.

When I looked at him this time, my head tilted to the right, and a smirk streaked across my face. I held my right hand up and brought my thumb and middle finger together.

“It’s showtime.”

snap!

Cue the carnage. The number of stallion bodies flying in altered directions wowed me. The way they tried to stop what was coming before crashing into one another and how they moved was almost like a dance.

A dance that ended with 20 or so pegasi factory workers lying on the ground in pain. The rest were either hanging over a covered crate or piece of machinery, and some were even buried halfway into the walls. I heard fragments of glass shattering, followed by all the groans and murmurs from the injured ponies.

Looking over my left shoulder, the first pegasus that got close to me was clenching his jaw. Blood dripped from his muzzle as I walked over to him, the creature gauging the chain of events. Once I got within a few feet of the stallion, his eyes wandered to notice mine.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” I muttered while shaking my head. “Shame on you for trying that.” The pegasus groaned while showing his teeth, my right hand grabbing his mane. Holding his head up to look into my eyes, I stared at him blankly and said nothing.

“Oww…whuh?” the pony worker muttered with a slight cough! “What even are you...?” Again, I shook my head and let go of the stallion, the pony crumpling to the cold factory floor.

growl! “I’m ‘The Game,’” I replied coldly before snarling. “And you just lost….”

“That’s cold, bro. Stone cold, as a matter of fact.”

sigh We have to stop listening to him, the left side of my mind frustratingly mentioned. How he’s trying to make this into a joke is getting on my nerves.

Lighten up. Damn, the right side defended. We’re doing it too. And if it weren’t for him, this whole story wouldn’t have been told in the first place.

“He’s got a point,” I concluded under my breath. I scanned the surrounding environment, looking for anything to help me escape or enclose me safely within.

There’s gotta be something here, my brain processed. Think, Alex, think! Where could we hide without being discovered? I kept looking, frantically running this way and that way. I paid no mind to the pegasus workers, seeing as they had been comatose and definitely weren’t getting back up to fight me.

I was at the end of the factory floor and neared the four large engines aligning with the wall. The engines were still running, puffing visible clouds of smoke and steam underneath them. They appeared to be powering something like a generator or power source….

A power source, my mind thought. After a few seconds of thought, a lightbulb silently flashed in my head.

That could work well for us! the right side exclaimed in excitement. However, to my dismay, the left side grumbled and voiced its opinion.

Yeah, but how would we get the power from it to the watch? it retorted. There’s no way to funnel it without electrocuting ourselves.

“...”

No. We are not doing that….

“I think it could work,” I nodded, agreeing with the ludicrously insane side of my mind. The righter half was always the more adventurous and wild one...unlike the left side. The left side of my mind was more emotionally driven to attempt stuff or not do things out of fear.

Absolutely not! We’d get hurt!

“Haven’t you already been hurt? And there was no response initially when it happened.”

Whu-he-hey! You stay out of this. This is between us two and Alexander’s mindless stupidity.

I took a step back and chewed on my finger for a bit. The idea was wild in theory, but now the question was if the concept of electrical energy translating into energy power for the watch was possible. My eyes darted to the watch’s screen, scanning the surface of it as it remained on.

“I mean,” I shrugged. “It is electrically powered by…something. And it is technologically more advanced than anything Equestria has ever seen before. Maybe it’d be worth a shot….”

fwoosh!

My ears picked up on a fast displacement of air, the sound seemingly taking hold of my instincts. I pivoted in place, only to witness a blur rapidly slam into my stomach’s right side. My body was sent flying through the air toward the power generators of the weather factory. The left side of my body made contact with the high-voltage grid beside the engines first, an-

ZAP!!

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[...]

Meanwhile, as the loud chorus of questions and concerning comments continued to flood the throne room, I looked from my spot and sighed heavily. With a shake of my head, I tried heavily to save face, but…it weighed on me severely.

It wasn’t because Alex decided to escape, nor was it because somepony knew this could have been prevented. It wasn’t because of the lack of available guardpony power or the future planning and preparation we would have to do if and when we found the human again….

That was the problem, I worried within my head. Finding Alex before ‘she’ did. That argument I had regarding Queen Novo’s confrontation with Alexander Walkerson did not end well. And once she found out Alex had indeed escaped our watchful eyes, I took the brunt of it from her.

It was a bitter contrast from the Queen Novo of late as if she was spiteful against…us.

`“We’re being sent back now? Before a verdict has even been ‘confirmed?’”

“Yes, and until then, you will need to keep your citizens safe and out of harm’s way,”` the flashback echoed. `“With Alex on the loose, we…we don’t know how he’ll react to certain situations. We’ll do our best to recapture him and put an end to this debacle.”

“Your diplomacy is waning in convincing me, Emperor Nacreous,” Queen Novo commented with hostility. “If you want me to believe you, answer this. I’ve already heard what occurred, so tell me…do YOU have ‘any idea’ where Alex could be right now?”

The question made me shake my head as I glared at the hippogriff queen. “We have a lead.”

“A lead isn’t good enough, and you know that,” Queen Novo spat back. “It doesn’t matter whether you have a lead or not or if you have a sighting of the human. If he isn’t in your claws…nocreature can call themselves safe.”

“Queen Novo,” I sighed with a hard stare. “With all due respect, Alex is NOT savage in nature. The human doesn’t intend on hurting anycreature, nor will he resort to inflicting physical harm unless he or another is threatened or being attacked. That’s…who he is.”

“‘Who he is,’” Queen Novo scoffed before delivering her piece on the matter. “‘Who Alex is?’ I’ll tell you who he is. Alex is irresponsible in his mannerisms and has conducted himself poorly in our presence, mine in particular. He has shown me that our so-called ‘peace treaty’ was nothing more than a lie. It was a ploy to keep my daughter, Skystar, in Canterlot longer.”

“That’s n-not why he did tha-”

“Did Alex really think, after that scene we stumbled onto…did he believe I wouldn’t notice it?” the hippogriff queen seethed. “I saw it, as did everycreature else! That feather was placed, and it clearly was secured behind his ear. Skystar DID give Alex one of her feathers, not realizing what she had done!”`

My head fell as the memory weighed on my mind. It wasn’t the young hippogriff’s fault, I thought as I looked over at the other three creatures. Princess Luna and Commander Shifting were nearly asleep, with only Celestia trying to keep her mask from shattering.

“I’ll say this, Emperor Nacreous,” Queen Novo’s haunting words reverberated. `“If you don’t secure Alex before I do, you won’t get him back. If that human steps within my territory’s borders, I will not hesitate to send my army to capture him. Oh, and if he thinks about trying to reunite with my daughter and attempts to convince her through his deceitful tactics and lies….”`

I closed my eyes and tightly clamped my beak shut, forcing a tear to brace itself. “Alex will be ‘dead’ before he gets a chance to realize what has happened. And trust me…nocreature will be seeing him in Equestria anymore. Not unless you get to him first….”

========================================<>========================================

“All creatures and ponies within the throne room are dismissed until further notice!” the head of the Canterlot Royal Guard shouted, waking me from the flashback. “Please leave at once, or you will be detained for aggravated solicitation!”

The noise in the room deafened immediately, the sound of hoofsteps exiting the hall echoing through the air. I sighed and kept myself upright, using every bit of strength to remain still.

Once all the nobles and reporters visiting Canterlot Castle had vacated the throne room, the door shut with a mighty slam! allowing me to exhale loudly. The Captain of the Guard saluted from her spot on the opposite end of the room, to which Commander Shifting reciprocated the action.

groan “Great,” Celestia sighed heavily, her shoulders sagging in defeat. “Just what we needed today….”

“You can say that again, Sunspots,” I grumbled while folding my arms. “A tough situation we find ourselves in, and I have the uncanny feeling this is about to drag on for a few months.”

“Don’t…don’t say that, please?” Celestia turned her head and pleaded. I looked back at my special somepony, her deep violet eyes begging me to take it back. Unfortunately for the alicorn ruler, I shook my head and looked toward the other two.

“How are you two holding up?” I asked out of concern, my head tilting to the side. Luna gave me a shaky sigh, her breathing slow as her eyes blinked slowly.

“Not so good,” Commander Shifting replied, clutching his head with his saluted hoof. “My head is starting to hurt from all of this, and it doesn’t help that Luna and I have been up since yesterday evening….”

“Well, might I suggest you both retire for the morning?” I half-heartedly teased with a warm smile. “Give yourself a good day’s rest and wake up refreshed for tonight.” The two immortal creatures nodded before a pony burst through the throne room doors. I nearly summoned my armor in response, but the pony looked recognizable.

“Princess Celestia?!” the unicorn called out. The pony trotting toward the thrones was Raven Inkwell, the solar alicorn’s top assistant. The mare’s glasses remained over her nose as she adjusted her red necktie.

“Ah, Miss Raven,” Celestia responded, her mane ever-flowing with warmth. “To what do we owe you the pleasure of being here?”

“Forgive me, Your Highness. But the matter requires an urgent response,” Raven announced after bowing her head. I looked on in curiosity as the unicorn cleared her throat. “Cloudsdale’s code warning went off about 15 minutes ago.”

“Cloudsdale? Who requeste-”

“I did,” I motioned, taking a step forward and raising a talon. “A ‘code’ warning?”

“Yes,” Raven replied, her eyes darting between all of us.

“By whom?” Celestia said with suspicion while attempting to remain calm.

“The Cloudsdale Weather Factory’s Security Department,” the mare replied. “Code ‘Triple Amber’ went off, followed by…umm. B-By the sight of Alexander Walkerson in the facility!”

The room remained quiet as I took a sharp, inhaled breath in. Then, seemingly on cue, a fiery blaze nearly lit itself to my left like a leaky faucet being turned on. I covered my left shoulder and stepped away.

“Alex is up in Cloudsdale?!” Celestia angrily questioned the mare. The alicorn’s top assistant gulped as she nodded, attempting to fix her glasses as she bowed again.

“Specialist Swift was right,” I whispered aloud. “Alex may have planned this from the start….”

The room’s temperature rose as I raised my left arm. Once I placed my claw upon the shoulders of my special mare, my gaze met hers briefly as I nodded my head reassuringly. Finally, after a few more tense seconds passed, Celestia’s mane died in ferocity, the magma-like color cooling off, as did her temper. When she had finally eased herself back into her throne, I peered at the other two royal creatures nearby.

“Time to go,” I answered. sigh “To Cloudsdale’s Weather Factory. Commander Shifting, I advise you to sit this one out….”

“Aww, dang it,” Commander Shifting answered, stomping his hoof against the ground. Shortly afterward, a nuzzle from his special alicorn mare prompted him to feel better. I chuckled in response while Celestia rolled her eyes, a noticeable blush creeping on her face.

The stalworth stallion bowed and made his way for the exit as I looked at Celestia beside me. I looked at both of the alicorn sisters beside me and nodded firmly. Finally, I activated a rune to open up a magic portal, the small window of space creating a rift for us to enter through. Motioning for the alicorns to follow me into the portal, I took a deep breath and jumped in.

Something told me, at that moment…this situation was about to get even more interesting.

========================================<>========================================

Boom!

The creature had sent me spiraling through the air toward the electrical power grid behind me. I had less than a second to realize what I was headed for before instinctively bracing for impact.

My arms slammed against the metallic boxes, effectively destroying the grid. The current of electrical energy traveled through my body and began shocking me. The pulsating energy that flowed through my veins, the increase in my heart rate, and the contraction of my muscles….

“AAAH!!” I screamed, spazzing out and flopping to the floor. The events transpiring flickered in my mind as I heard a collective of ponies approaching. I could only look up with a glazed look at what looked like a blue…uniformed pegasus trotting toward me.

“What happened next? Do you remember?”

Everything was a blur. My vision was dying away as I closed my eyes in exhaustion. Then, an accursed, faint ringing noise whistled in my ears. Everything was taunting me as I lay on the ground motionless, my arms above me in shock.

“...”

Come on, get up, Alex, my mind told me internally. We can’t give up….

groan! The voltage that ran through my cognitive systems had nearly incapacitated me. I felt as though my whole frame couldn’t move, with the last bit of my life force crawling on its knees.

thu-thump! thu-thump!

My mind registered something. A low and dull noise, barely hearable to anycreature else. The sound of something thumping had brought me to my senses….

thu-thump! thu-thump!

Wh-where…is it coming from? I asked my mind. I-Is it…nearby?

thu-thump! thu-thump!

thu-thump! thu-thump!

I half-heartedly opened my eyes and pinpointed the location as best as possible. The electrical current had frozen me in place, but it sounded like it was coming fro-

“Overload successful,” a robotic voice chirped. “Processing charge values.”

Impossible, I thought, my mind racing as I tried to look at the watch on my left wrist. That voice…there’s no way i-

“Maximum charge successful,” the voice replied. I finally got the screen of my watch in full view, which displayed the power bar. My jaw opened as the charge meter registered a number.

“No shot,” I mouthed silently.

“1,000/500 energy points stored. Compensated energy will increase the storage to 1,000 energy points,” the watch’s voice reiterated. I looked on in astonishment as the display changed the denominator to replicate the numerator. A power-boost supplement slowly filled my veins, my mind shaping a new objective.

“Welcome back, Alexander Walkerson,” the watch happily said.

“Sweet.”

grab!

========================================<>========================================

“Awesome! You got your powers back! Sooo, what happened next?”

The following scenes I can only describe as disturbingly weird.

I felt my entire body being lifted off the ground and into the air. Before I knew it, I realized four pegasi were grabbing my limbs and hoisting me up, grunting from the weight differential. As that happened, another set of pegasi wedged underneath me and lifted my back into the air, supporting the other four.

Ain’t that cute, my mind mentally envisioned. After closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, I contracted my limbs toward me and spun off the two pegasi beneath me. I descended to the flo-

slam!

“Oof!” I exclaimed, my face and stomach slamming onto the factory floor. The wind was temporarily taken from my lungs as I remained on my stomach, trying to get it back.

“Hold it right there, fugitive!” a mare’s voice gruffly called out. That voice, my mind recognized. That was the mare over the intercom earlier. I looked up, my eyes half-lidded to see the creatures responsible for the attempted capture.

I instantly realized who they were, their blue uniforms streaked with a yellow thunderbolt on the sides. They stood in a line, wingtip to wingtip, staring into my tired and cold eyes.

The Wonderbolts, my left side reminded me.

Of course, THEY are here! the right side barked back in frustration. It’s Cloudsdale, dummy!

“You ain’t going nowhere!” the recognizable mare’s voice shouted. I tried to get up again, my hands fumbling to readjust my center of gravity. As I placed my palms on the floor and felt some semblance of balance, I shot up to my knees and looked ahead at the pack.

Holy shit, my right side cursed. That’s…hmmm…ten! Ten pegasi! All with mean mugs!

And they’re the experienced ones, the left side dismissively said to the other. We’re screwed.

“Don’t move another muscle,” the Wonderbolt captain ordered. She removed her facemask, revealing her yellow fur and fiery-orange mane. And once the name clicked to the known image, I smiled and closed my eyes, nodding in contentment.

chuckle “Nice…t-to see you too, Spiifiire,” I sighed, my mind acting dazed to catch the ponies off guard. Some of the Wonderbolt pegasi began moving at an angle, creating a perimeter.

“That’s Captain Spitfire to you, Alexander!” Spitfire shot back, her eyes glaring at mine. I had them open and locked onto hers, a slight smirk edging across my lips. Once I glanced to the right and saw two of them still moving, I returned my eyes to the captain and tilted my head.

“Really?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. “Entrapment strategy? That’s your best idea? What good will that do for you?” Captain Spitfire was stunned at first before snarling at me in response.

growl! “It’ll make sure you don’t escape without drawing back some blood,” the mare coldly answered. For once, I was genuinely afraid of her, those words reminding me of the horrific bloody injuries from earlier.

But, now, that did not matter to me. A 10 versus 1, my mind captured. Seems like we’re at a disadvantage.

“I mean, I would say so. 10 v 1? That’s impossible to beat.”

Yeah. Luckily for me, I had been in this exact scenario before. And it cultivated in one of the most clutch performances of all time, resulting in my old college winning its first-ever title for the esports program. Not bad…for a first-year program.

And as the Wonderbolt captain threw her mask down at her side, Spitfire flicked her wing forward and pointed it at me. I lifted my head up and smiled in response as the Wonderbolts shifted themselves and rocketed toward me.

I immediately jumped up and allowed a few of them to hit each other before planting my feet near their heads. Then, I ducked quickly and jumped to my left, avoiding another set of Wonderbolts from smacking into me hard. Landing on my back, I kicked my right leg out and nailed a pegasus square in the stomach.

Once the pegasus fell over and onto its back, I rolled over and away to my right before launching myself onto my feet again. As I ran toward the electrical grid with purpose, the sparks fizzled and sizzled, alerting me to the possibility of the power potentially failing soon.

One hit is all it tak-

slam! I felt my body tumble forward, resulting in a hard faceplant across the factory floor. I grimaced in pain as I ragdolled onto my back, lifting myself with what little core strength I had.

The onslaught of attacks did not stop as a couple of pegasi landed three separate kicks to my back. I was sent flying forward, my eyes widening as the grid rapidly appro-no. I was rapidly approaching the power grid. I raised my arms to protect my face, a thought repeating itself.

Not again! my mind screamed in terr-

ZAP!!

Boom! The lights went out as soon as the explosion happened, and my body tumbled into a heap on the ground. A fire began immediately, giving the Wonderbolts a glimpse of my limp body and a new problem.

“Heh,” I chuckled under my breath as I brought my left wrist to my face. “Let’s see who’s afraid of the dark?” sigh “Mikey?”

“Yes, Alex? How can I help?” the watch politely replied.

“Activate the ‘Nighty-Night Mode’ goggles.”

“Request acknowledged. Standby….”

========================================<>========================================

My vision immediately switched to a nightshade green as the goggles appeared over my eyes. The field of sight came into full view, and I watched as a few of the Wonderbolts also adjusted their goggles.

They must have them, too, I thought painfully. Well, let’s make this quick. I sprinted toward the first one, who managed to get its goggles secured across its eyes before looking up.

I delivered a vicious clothesline with my right arm to the neck, shoving the pegasus to the ground. A loud whump! sounded into the dark, causing most of the Wonderbolts to visibly flinch. But that didn’t stop me from exacting a little vengeance.

I continued the onslaught of attacks, picking the pegasus show-fliers off one by one. They didn’t know what exactly hit them, only knowing the pain that ensued. After a couple minutes of wrestling them to a pulp, the once-decorated team of performance fliers was laid to waste. All by a single human creature…with no magic to his name.

scoff! “Yeah, no magic…no magic, my ass,” I mocked. Finally, I walked over to the last remaining pegasus, trying to get back to her hooves. Captain Spitfire slightly wobbled right before I grabbed the suit and her mane, ripping her mask and goggles off just as the lights relit.

“See? That’s why you don’t mess with me,” I pointed out, allowing the Wonderbolt captain to see the battlefield within the factory room. She was initially shocked by the destruction, responding with a light chuckle. Spitfire then tried to look at me as I glared back at her hard.

“Heh heh…and what sick satisfaction do you ge-” cough-cough! “...erg, get from doing this?” Spitfire croaked. I shook my head and dismissed her question, replying by raising her off the ground. Then, the mare’s wings flared, flapping with intensity as I held on tightly.

“You can’t get away from justice,” I bitterly answered. I brought the mare toward me and growled before violently throwing the Wonderbolt captain to the floor. What followed was a loud crack! coming from her back.

gasp! “Gah! Ah hah!” Spitfire loudly cried as the sound of some of her wing appendages snapping made me wince in disgust. That was the problem with having wings, the thoughtful idea inside my brain acknowledged. The chance of you landing upon the bone structure and snapping them is a high-risk injury, especially for a Wonderbolt.

And as the pegasus rived in pain, I had an…epiphany.

“An epiphany? What kind of an epiphany?”

Is this…is this side of ME the monster they…fear?

========================================<>========================================

We are not a monster! the left side of my mind immediately argued. If anything, they are the monsters for incentivizing us to retaliate! They instigated these fights!

So, if we aren’t the ‘monster,’ my right side implied, then why are we leaving them with that memory of us? Shouldn’t we, you know, help-

You’re seriously joki-wait, the left side of me stopped mid-sentence. Are you insinuating that after beating up all of these pegasi workers and the Wonderbolts…we should ‘heal’ the captain?

“I-I…I can’t leave ‘her’ like this,” I stammered. “Captain Spitfire needs to do her job, and if she were out of action because she suffered a brutal injury? One that I caused?...I-I don’t want that burden held over my head for the rest of my life. She’s too important to be ‘missing-in-action.’”

I kneeled down and flipped the mare over, allowing her body to freely roll onto its stomach. Spitfire lightly groaned, acknowledging she was still conscious. After a few tense seconds, I looked at my shaky hand and reached over her, running my fingers across her wing blade.

sob! “Ahh!” Spitfire cried. I noticed her rough voice was replaced with this soft yet sincere tone.

“Fucking hell,” I muttered, bringing my left wrist back to me. “Mikey, assess the damage.”

“Request acknowledged. Standby for scan,” the watch replied. I didn’t say anything as a blue light shone down on the pegasus leader, her eyes wincing from the exposure. A quick sweep over her frame, and the watch’s screen began to process the information collected. ping! “Damage report complete. Evaluation shows the pain is coming from her wings, around the crease area.”

“So, where the wing’s main appendage and back meet?” I asked to confirm.

“Correct, Alex,” it replied before showing an image sample. “The pulsating circle represents where the exact spot is. And the affected areas are all in orange. It also looks like a nerve damage injury to her spine area where that circle is, which isn’t good.”

I covered the top of my head with my hands. “Oh, no….”

“Yeah,” the watch’s voice exhaled. “This may affect Captain Spitfire’s career significantly.”

sigh “Mikey, is there any way we can donate some of our healing power to her?” I thoughtfully prodded. “That way, she can make a full recovery and keep her career intact?”

“How fast do you want the recovery to be?” the watch inquired.

chuckle “You tell me,” I half-heartedly answered. “How long should an injury like this last?”

“Well, compared to our ‘Earth,’ this will take three to four weeks to heal,” the watch calculated. “But, you’re trying to compare a tiny bird to a full-grown pegasus. For a mare of her stature and caliber, who is also a show performer…it may be half a year before she is fully healthy. And that’s without acknowledging the potential nerve damage she sustained.”

groan! “Fuck,” I hissed quietly before pinching the bridge of my nose.

“That wasn’t a particularly good situation for you to put that pony in.”

I know that, but what was even more insane for me to consider was helping her. After bringing her entire squadron to a fight, just to get beat to a pulp…what am I doing? “Mikey, if I do this, is there a way to…‘almost’ heal it?”

“Whatever do you mean by that, Alex?” the watch asked with concern.

========================================<>========================================

“I’m saying, what if we heal her, but not fully?” I reworded it differently. “Like, we give her the boost she needs to heal and save her career but still require her to take time off to recover?”

“Oh, absolutely! Let me adjust the power of the ‘health-regen’ down a couple notches,” the watch adjusted, giving a satisfactory ding! moments later. “Ready when you are, Alex.”

I cracked my neck and floated my hand above the center of her back. “Hold still, Captain,” I advised the injured Spitfire. Her soft brown eyes looked back at mine in pain as I smiled warmly. shudder “Th-This may sting a bit, b-but…y-you can th-thank me later….”

I shuddered loudly as the memories of that horrific night began to play. “From one creature to another,” I commented in sadness. “Please. Let me save your career from ending today….”

The green ambiance of the power-up glowed in the palms of my left hand, to which I applied the pressure over her broken shoulder wing. The Wonderbolt captain groaned loudly, the loud sizz! steaming through and across her wing’s muscle area. I continued to sweep and wrap my palm over and around it, applying the healing power to all the affected areas I could.

Please don’t suffer nerve damage, please don’t suffer nerve damage, my mind repeated to itself. Once I was done, I stood up and didn’t acknowledge the Wonderbolt captain or the injury further. I simply sighed and turned around, walking away from the pegasus lying on the factory room’s ground. Finally, I dusted my hands off and located the only escape hatch within the facility.

The large lettering across the steel plating confirmed it as such. I saw the bar handle to lift it up, approaching to grab onto it. With a hardy grunt! the hatch opened and creaked loudly, the rust scattering into the wind. I propped the rarely used emergency exit open with the large metal pole beside it and stared in awe at the sight.

The clouds looked like a warm blanket, with how fluffy they appeared to me. It made my mouth open in amazement at how the vast whiteness completely covered the view of the land of Equestria. It was...a blanket of fluffy clouds to snuggle upon.

And yet…something didn’t sit right with me. It was as if there was going to be an old, familiar acquaintance of mine approaching from nowhere. I waited in silence, waiting for it to happen.

“...”

“...”

fwoosh

And as I had correctly predicted, my ears picked up a soft rush of displaced air.

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“Paws up, ‘hyu-man!’”

Oh, fuck, my thoughts groaned. sighNot this creature again….

“I will not hesitate to stun you!” The mare’s voice shouted out through the midst of the wind rushing beneath my feet. I turned to face her, taking note of the security guard and smiling.

chuckle “Oh! Thank goodness,” I chuckled before deadpanning. “It’s only you.”

The security mare raised her gun at me and scoffed, motioning for me to put my hands above my head. “Yeah, it’s only ‘me,’” the guard spat. “Now, put your paws up where I can see them!”

I kept my attention trained on the security officer, observing her close the gap between us. The taser gun in her hoof was pointed at my chest, ready to activate. She was about ten feet away from me when I let go of the emergency exit hatch, the pole keeping it in place. As I raised my arms, the mare smirked.

“Good,” the security mare commented. “Now, tur-”

“I’m sorry, but who are you again?” I interrupted. The mare’s confident smile bore confusion by my interjection, seeing as we had just met a little under fifteen minutes ago.

“Whu-what…what do you mean ‘who are you?’” The security mare stuttered. “We just met a short while ago, idiot.”

snort! My mouth closed as I cracked up lightly, the mare’s face brightening. I sensed she was embarrassed to be in this conversation, with enough red to make bulls mad. Nevertheless, I pressed my luck further.

“Yeah, and I’m Princess Celestia,” I mocked, waving my arms around.

The officer was confused by my behavior as my eyes darted momentarily to the right. It was now, or never, my mind thought with pride. We have to turn the tables on her. The mare’s gun came down slightly, the opportunity clearly presenting itself to me.

========================================<>========================================

I sprung into action, lunging for the security guard. It was easier than expected, as I had covered that distance within two steps and a leap in the air. The mare faltered as she shakily tried to deploy the taser’s electric prongs, but it was too late for the guard. I bulldozed through her stomach region, slamming her vehemently to the factory room floor.

The security mare instantly recoiled, groaning from the concussion of hitting her head hard. She dropped the gun and covered the back of it, grimacing in pain while rolling over. Then, I one-handed flipped back over my right shoulder and crouched, waiting for the guard’s next move.

Once she flipped over, the security guard kicked her right hindleg out, anticipating I wouldn’t have seen it coming. But, believe me, I did. I grabbed it with my right hand and yanked her toward me, eliciting a sharp gasp! from the mare. Then, in one fell swoop, I reached over her back, grabbed her by the waist, and delivered a solid suplex to the security guard.

“WhoaAA-”

Slam!!

The loud noise from her body hitting the floor echoed across the facility. I lay there and caught my breath briefly as I turned over to ensure she was okay. The mare was clutching her side and heaving, unaware of what she was up against.

After I got to my feet, I brushed off my shoulders and walked over to her. The mare didn’t move from her spot as I crouched over her, bringing my face close to her ear. “Next time I tell you not to mess with me,” I grimly warned with a deep voice, “I suggest you liste-”

pow!

“Ooh!” I wheezed. The security officer delivered a swinging elbow to my groin, causing me to drop my weight upon her legs. The mare tried to free herself, but my mind alternated from subsidizing the painful shot to keeping the mare trapped and within striking distance.

“Let me…GO!!” the security mare shouted. The guard wrestled herself free and quickly got onto her four hooves, displaying her fierce battle skills. I breathed to collect my bearings, but the guard grew impatient with my uncooperative actions.

The security officer unfurled her wings and stampeded toward me, tackling me violently to the factory floor. Holding me down with her mid-sized body weight, I locked my hands with her hooves and pushed back with everything I had. The mare had a ton of fight in her, seeing as she matched my brute strength and stamina pound for pound.

Finally, my mind thought jokingly. A worthy opponent…let’s see what you do next! The mare did not disappoint as she rolled over, tumbling to the side and delivering a nasty side kick to my stomach’s left side. It was a wounding hit, but it at least allowed me to roll over and prop myself on my left elbow.

I kept my eyes on the security guard and looked at the ground momentarily. The walkway was closer to the shouldering edge on my side, my mind noting the distance. I stared at her and grinned while getting up, taunting her to tackle me with both my hands up. She took the bait, galloping forward and leaping toward my chest area with her wings open.

Dropping my right leg, I pushed my forearms into her frame as she flew by, catapulting her momentum past me. The security guard was stunned before her eyes widened, crashing head-first into the side of a giant weather factory machine.

BAM!!

I turned around just in time to see the security mare abruptly flop to the ground in a heap. The pegasus remained motionless as I observed her from a few feet away, nodding in contentment as I saw her chest heave to regain some lost air.

“Tch tch tch,” I expressed. “So uncivilized you pegasi are. But, I do have to admit…you fought well! Good for you, Officer Ivy Swirl…you impressed me.” I smirked before turning for the exit hatch, the blows to my stomach areas and lower region beginning to hurt like a truck.

As I did so, my foot stumbled over her gun, sitting in the middle of the walking path. Out of sheer curiosity, I picked it up and examined the weapon, envisioning how she used it.

Hmph, my mind smiled in admiration. Crazy how we came full circle, huh? From taking her gun to her getting it back to hold it in our grip again. Wow….

I peered over my shoulder and tipped my cap imaginarily to the guard, tossing the weapon toward her.

clack-clack!

========================================<>========================================

I dusted off my palms and wiped the sweat from my forehead as I looked at the factory room in its entirety. The place was quiet and lonely, littered with the bodies of pegasus weather factory workers, the Wonderbolts show squad and their leader, and the security officer tasked with keeping this place safe. I shook my head and finally went to the exit hatch again.

“So, where were we?”

You and your transitioning material. About a few seconds passed once I reached the emergency exit hatch. I stared down, the prospect of me jumping from the factory and off the mobile cloud city remaining at the forefront of my mind’s ideas.

It’s viable, the right side spoke up.

There is absolutely nothing viable about jumping off and skydiving through the air toward the world below without a parachute! the left side snidely remarked.

What do you know about viability? the right side questioned with a bit of anger. Last I checked, you didn’t think our escape plan was viable, but look at us now!

We’re only here because Alex decided to be stupid, the left side snapped. And now, you want to jump off a city in the sky, plummeting farther than anything we have experienced? How do you plan on surviving this fall?

I shrugged to myself, eliciting an audible groan! from the left hemisphere of my brain.

We have to try, the right side convincingly said. It’s do or die now, and ‘The Crown’ is on thei-

Slam!!

grumble “Oh, for the love of God,” I groaned. My eyes narrowed in frustration as I didn’t bother turning around, pinching the bridge of my nose tightly. “What now?!”

“ALEX!!”

========================================<>========================================

After we had appeared inside one of the main lobbies of the Cloudsdale Weather Factory, there was this loud bang! that rocked the walls. I listened for where it could have come from, the two alicorns hopping through as I moved forward slowly.

“Which way, Nacreous?” Celestia asked, sensing I somehow knew. I shushed her briefly and listened for any additional sounds.

“...”

clack-clack The sound of something lightly hitting the floor alerted my attention sensors, as it sounded like it was coming from a room nearby. I walked down the hall and turned to my left, immediately seeing a set of double doors to the first room cracked open slightly.

“This way,” I motioned softly with a talon. “I have a feeling he’s in there.” The three of us crept close together, reaching the doors within the minute. As I assured them to remain silent, I pried the door open with a claw and peeked my head into the room.

To my eyes, the scene was shocking. There were a few dozen pegasi scattered inside, all groaning in pain. Most of them were sprawled across the facility floor, while others were hanging off machinery and dangling from holes in the wall. Then, my eyes widened upon seeing the Wonderbolts, as was the sight of Captain Spitfire lying on the ground and out of breath.

Finally, my eyes looked beyond the cluster of ponies and across to the other side of the facility. And there, standing by what appeared to be an emergency exit hatch, was the human creature we were looking for. I returned my head and peered at the two sisters with a concerned look.

“Alex, h-he’s…i-in there,” I stammered. Celestia’s eyes bulged from her eye sockets, her head looking toward the room’s doors and taking a decisive step forward.

“Tia, wait,” Luna whispered, trying to grab her sister. “We don’t know how Alex will reac-”

SLAM!!

I covered my ears as Celestia blasted the doors down and to the side. They ripped off their hinges and collapsed to the floor, the room’s lighting flooding the hallway’s airspace. The solar alicorn’s mane flowed like magma, a low snarl! coming from Celestia’s mouth.

“ALEX!!” Princess Celestia’s Royal Canterlot Voice rang out across the entire factory room, causing them to quake and tremble in fear. Luna kept her hooves over her ears as I took the brunt of standing behind my special somepony, a soft ringing beginning to resonate in my eardrums.

As my eyes befell upon the human creature, I saw him smirk momentarily while raising his right arm. Alex flashed two fingers at us, delivering a defiant peace sign before leaving with one line.

“Catch you later, alligator! Haha!” I heard him yell back defiantly. Alex’s tone had changed since the trial, but the words didn’t matter anymore as he did something I should’ve expected. But not from a species that hadn’t developed the ability to fly without technology.

Luna, Celestia, and I gasped in horror and surprise at the human’s next move. Alex decided that, in order to get away from us and not be caught, he leaped through the exit hatch and out of sight.

We ran over immediately and made it to the exit hatch just in time to see Alexander falling through the puff-white clouds. His arms and legs were spread out as he fell, the image of his figure getting smaller by the passing second. I looked over and saw Celestia prepping herself, unfurling her beautiful wings, and looking at Luna.

“Luna! Let’s go!” Celestia announced, diving through the hole and down into the clouds. Luna stared with her mouth open before looking at me. I promptly shrugged and waved goodbye, backing away from the hatch and turning around.

“Emperor Nacreous, wai-”

“I got new patients to attend to,” I hastily remarked over my shoulder. “They are my priority now. Good luck to you two, Luna!”