“You’re going to get in some flying practice today,” Daring Do declared as the four ate breakfast.

Cirrus paused lifting her spoon and blinked. “I am? I thought you intended to keep heading for Foaledo first thing?”

“We’re still going to do that, but once I get us up above the cloud deck, I’ll stop and you can come out and fly with me for a while.”

Cirrus’ eyes were as big as saucers by then. “But… but I’ve barely got the hang of staying up! I haven’t even mastered take-offs yet!”

“Which is why you’ll be starting up there. I’ll park on one of the higher clouds and you can dive off to get started. Then it’s just a matter of getting into the flying rhythm.”

“Squeak!” was all that Cirrus managed to say in response.

Blaze almost choked on his coffee from laughter and Trixie chuckled too.

Daring sipped her hot brew until things calmed down a bit before continuing. “Look, I know it seems drastic, but pegasi have been teaching their foals to fly in similar ways for all of history. The big difference here isn’t your age though. In just days, you’ve gone from knowing nothing about flying to actually doing it, if barely. Pegasi simply don’t learn that fast. We go to flight school for a reason. Yet here you are doing something that normally takes weeks to learn and months to be competent.”

Cirrus lifted an eyebrow. “Really? I thought it just came naturally?”

“Oh? Do you strange two-legged humans learn to walk upright in a couple of days?”

Cirrus shook her head.

“I thought not. Minotaur calves sure don’t, and I figured it would be the same for you. Anyway, the point is that you have gotten this far ridiculously quickly. Trix and I were discussing this and we have a hypothesis. We think your Equestrian bodies, including the brain by the way, know how to work. It’s just a matter of your human minds making the connections – you for your wings and Blaze for his horn.”

Blaze frowned. “If that’s true, why was Sky able to deal with her clothing immediately after the transformation while I struggled?”

Trixie replied, “Actually, Trixie believes that supports our theory. Humans are accustomed to using their hands while pegasi use their hooves in a similar manner. Relearning this was simple for your mate, whereas unicorns normally fall out of the habit once they master their horn’s telekinetic ability. You tried to do something unfamiliar to your new body. It took you longer to make that connection than your mate. However, once Trixie began teaching you to use your horn, you caught onto telekinesis quickly. And as with pegasi foals, unicorn foals take months to reach the level of competence that you have already achieved.”

Daring said, “Short version – you already know what to do, you just have to kind of remember it. So, that’s why you’ll be doing some flying. Besides, you need to exercise your wings more.”

Cirrus gulped. “I suppose so. You’ll be watching out for me, I hope?”

“Of course. Besides, we’ll stay above the clouds. Anything goes wrong, you can make a soft emergency landing.”

“I’ll be your cheer squad,” Blaze said with a grin.

“No, you won’t. Trixie intends to use the time to train you in more spells,” the unicorn mare declared.

Blaze blinked, then frowned. “What if the pony whose body this was never learned those spells? There’s nothing to reconnect to then.”

“The Great and Talented Trixie will not have an incompetent student! You will learn those spells! It’s not as if Trixie expects you to go to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns afterward.”

“Yes, ma’am!” Blaze replied with a grin.

Breakfast concluded soon after, and then they packed up to resume their journey. After a repeat of the previous day’s procedures, they were soon heading up into the sky. Blaze spent the time setting up the solar panels as best he could with Cirrus’ help in front of one of the wagon’s windows. It was not very efficient but it was the best they could do under the circumstances.

“Does that really give you enough power for all your needs?” Trixie asked curiously.

“Sadly, no,” Blaze replied. “It’s only big enough to either recharge our phones or top up the portable power pack. And that’s nearly dead from how much we’ve been using it to recharge the laptop. We probably don’t have enough power for a movie tonight.”

“That’s too bad. Trixie was looking forward to seeing the third and final Indiana Jones movie. Still, Trixie is impressed that your devices run on just sunlight.”

Blaze chuckled. “They don’t, or at least not directly. They run on electricity which these panels convert from light.”

“Electricity? Like what they run street lamps on?”

The stallion frowned. “You ponies have electricity?”

“Trixie just said that, didn’t she?”

“Lighting was the first widespread commercial usage of electricity on Earth,” Cirrus pointed out.

“Do you know what voltage and cycles your electricity uses?” Blaze asked eagerly. “We might be able to recharge our power pack and devices.”

“Trixie has no idea what that means.”

“I suppose we’ll just have to figure it out,” the stallion said with disappointment.

“Better be absolutely sure about those before you try,” Cirrus warned. “We don’t want to blow our stuff up. It’s all irreplaceable.”

“Yeah, I know.”

There was a soft bump that everyone recognized as the wagon coming to a halt on a cloud. A glance out the free window confirmed it.

Cirrus took a deep breath and let it out. “Okay – wish me luck.” She headed through the door and stepped out onto the cloud. She walked up to where Daring was waiting by the edge. Looking down, she shivered. Yes, there were more clouds below, but they were a long way down and entirely too far apart for her liking.

“Go on,” Daring said with a grin. “There’s virtually no difference between flying up here and doing it down near the ground. Air’s a bit thinner but that shouldn’t be a problem. Just breathe as I’ve taught you and you’ll be fine.”

“Right. Yeah. Doing it.” Cirrus spread her wings and raised them for the initial thrust, then froze.

“Don’t make me push you over the edge,” Daring warned.

“Eep!” Cirrus flapped, and then it was too late to change her mind. She was over the edge and starting to fall. “Okay – you know what to do, Sky,” she told herself. “You know the wingbeat. You know the angle of attack. Now fly!”

Like all her take-offs so far, this was as graceful as a moose on skates, but she managed to get into the right rhythm and her flight steadied. Then she gasped as she had indeed forgotten to breathe. Daring soon pulled up alongside her, effortlessly matching her speed and trajectory.

“Looking good, Sky. Now, alter your course about ten degrees to the left and keep that up.”

Cirrus shot Daring a quick smile of confidence that she was just beginning to feel. The mare was right – she was reborn to do this!

Blaze turned away from the window with a smile. “She’s doing great.”

“Of course, she is. Daring said as much and Trixie had full confidence in her. Now sit down and we will review what you learned yesterday.” The mare placed several practice objects on the floor between them.

“Yes, teacher,” Blaze replied.

“Now – orthogonal transposition spell. Begin!”

After a couple of hours, Daring declared it was time for a break. The forest below had begun thinning out as it transitioned into prairie. The clouds had also started clearing and she knew that Cirrus would want to use one for landing, not to mention parking the wagon. Daring watched as her student made her best touchdown yet, crediting it to the mare getting more in tune with her body. Cirrus was panting a bit but she had a huge smile on her face.

“That was amazing! I felt I could fly forever!” Cirrus enthused.

Daring chuckled as she disengaged the harness. “I know that feeling well, but it’s time to rest and have refreshments. You can fly with me again afterward if you wish. Fair warning though – you’ll have to land on the ground next time.”

“I think I’ll be ready for it. Or at least, I won’t botch it too badly.”

“Don’t worry. Like I’ve said before, we pegasi can laugh off a crash landing that would put other ponies in the hospital.”

“Because we’re smaller and lighter?”

“And we have the right kind of magic. Now, let’s see what those ground-pounders have prepared for us.”

The prairie gradually transitioned into farmlands and then the suburbs preceding the city of Foaledo. Before they reached the central business district, Daring brought the wagon down into the staging area of a large railway station very close to the coast. While the tracks continued into the city, it was obvious that freight was handled here as well as passengers.

Cirrus landed beside Daring, nearly face-planting as she failed to kill enough momentum. Nevertheless, she recovered and was pleased to not crash for once. “So, this is where we catch the train? It’s bigger than I expected.”

“This is Foaledo Nexus,” Daring explained as she pulled the wagon into a parking bay. “Ships from places like Ornithia, Shire Lanka, and Abyssinia use Foaledo’s port to move freight all over Equestria. That’s why there are tracks going right into the port. It’s also the departure point for the Cross-Continental Express, not to mention the junction for many of the suburban passenger lines.” She came to a halt. “Tell Trixie to apply the parking brake.”

Cirrus trotted to the rear of the wagon and saw Blaze looking curiously out of the top half of the two-part door. “We’ve arrived. Tell Trixie to put on the brake, please.”

Blaze nodded and disappeared inside. Shortly, he returned and stepped down from the wagon, followed by the unicorn mare who locked the door with a spell. Daring joined them moments later.

Trixie said, “We made good time and arrived sooner than expected.”

“We had a fairly strong tailwind,” Daring explained.

“Trixie suggests that we make our arrangements with the train service immediately and then head into the city for lunch.”

Blaze said, “I like that idea. It’ll give Sky and me a chance to have a look around a pony city. Even here, I can see so much that’s both familiar and strange. So many colorful ponies and facilities made to suit us.” His eyes widened. “What the heck is that creature?”

They all looked at where the stallion was pointing.

Trixie replied, “That’s a hippogriff. They have a city much further south called Mount Aris. Naturally, they trade up the coast a lot. You’re likely to see many other races here because it’s a major shipping hub.”

Daring said, “Let’s get going. You can gawk along the way.”

They trotted off in the direction of the station while the Peregrines’ heads swiveled around, taking in the novel sights.

“Hey, I just realized something,” Cirrus said. “Those locomotives all look like steam engines, aren’t they?”

“Yep,” Daring confirmed.

“How come I can’t see or smell smoke?”

Daring raised an eyebrow. “Why would you?”

“Steam engines burn wood or coal to heat the water to make the steam, of course!”

Trixie wrinkled her snout in distaste. “Bleah! That sounds awful. Trixie can just imagine everything around here coated in smelly soot!”

Daring chuckled. “They may do that in the human world, but here, they use fire crystals.”

“How does that work?” Cirrus asked.

Daring looked at Trixie. “Have we time for a detour?”

“A quick one. Trixie is very hungry.”

“OK. Come this way.”

The pegasus mare led everypony toward the train yards where various freight carriages were being shunted around. The locomotives pushing or pulling them were belching steam but nothing else. They eventually reached a series of sheds where some of the steam engines were being serviced.

“Look there,” Daring said, pointing at one of them.

A crew was in the process of using a lifting device to remove a long and deep tray from underneath the boiler of the locomotive. An earth pony pulled the contraption and its load to one side where it was placed into a rack. The Peregrines could just see some dull red crystals inside the tray. The earth pony then went over to another rack and pulled out an identical tray. This one had crystals too, but they were glowing bright red. They watched as the tray was pushed under the boiler and locked into place. The whole process was very efficient, barely taking three minutes.

Trixie spoke up. “Those are enchanted fire crystals – special mana-charged gemstones that are designed to release heat when activated by the engineer. Depending on the size of the train and its usage, those crystals are enough to last up to eight hours before they will need to be recharged. Trixie can’t imagine trying to keep a roaring fire going that long!”

“Yeah, that’s really hard work,” Blaze agreed. “Humans have progressed beyond steam engines now, although diesel locomotives can be smelly still. The trains that run on electricity are clean and quiet though.”

“You can run a train on electricity? Trixie would like to know how, but not now. Tickets and food are more important! No more dallying!”

Daring grinned. “You heard the mare. Quick trot!”

They hastened toward the station where they booked two sleeper compartments for that evening’s service. They also arranged to have the wagon loaded onto a vehicle carriage that was also part of the Cross-Continental Express.

“I thought you would still sleep in your wagon,” Cirrus said.

“Not allowed,” Trixie replied. “Besides, who wants to be confined to the wagon for days?”

“Thanks for paying for a sleeping compartment for us,” Blaze said. “It would have been awkward for Sky and me to have to use economy seating.”

“Not a problem,” Daring replied. “Besides, we’ll claim it as a business expense.”

“You can do that?”

The Pegasus grinned. “You two are going to be such a hit, the Crown will be happy to pay up.”

Cirrus grimaced. “Nice to know we’re not complete dead weight.”

Trixie said, “Hurry up! The next train into the city is due to depart in two minutes. Trixie will not wait any longer for a good sit-down meal!”

They hastened to Platform 3 where they boarded the service that took them into the heart of the city. Daring informed the Peregrines that it ran in a loop with several stops along the way. They got off at a station opposite the waterfront and headed for a restaurant that Daring knew and liked.

“They serve great seafood there,” she told the Peregrines.

“Ponies eat fish?” Cirrus asked in surprise. “You’ve only served us vegetarian meals so far.”

Trixie replied, “Pegasi are inordinately fond of them. Trixie is not a fan. Fortunately, there are much more palatable alternatives available.”

Daring grinned at the look on her companion’s face. “You never gave it much a chance. Your loss.” She back turned to Cirrus. “Do humans eat fish?”

“Fish, shellfish, calamari – if it’s edible, humans have probably eaten it. I don’t know how my pony taste buds will experience it, but I’m willing to try anything once.”

Blaze said, “I’m not a pegasus like Sky, but I wouldn’t mind trying it too. I used to love salmon.”

“We’ll see if it’s on the menu,” Daring said.

As the group walked down the street to their destination, the Peregrines looked about with great interest. They noticed that clothing seemed to be a matter of preference because just as many walked around nude as those who dressed fashionably. One other thing stood out – there were no automobiles. Everything was pulled by ponies, usually earth ponies on the streets, and pegasi above them. They noticed mana-powered steam-operated equipment being used on the wharves, but there were also unicorns levitating stuff into position there and on a building under construction. Magic obviously played a big part in a lot of the operations that kept a city running. One thing that amused Blaze was spotting a taxi. A pony pulling ponies in a cart seemed quite silly to him. Then he saw two bipedal cats in one.

“What are they?” he asked.

“Abyssinians,” Trixie replied. “Probably from one of the ships in port.”

“Cool!”

They soon arrived at the restaurant. The sign proclaimed it to be the Seapony Seafood Sensation.

“With a name like that, it better be good,” Cirrus said as they entered. “Are seaponies what you call sailors here?”

“Nope,” Daring replied. “They’re exactly what they sound like.”

Cirrus looked at Blaze with both eyebrows raised. “They have mermaids here!”

The stallion shrugged. “I’m beginning to think every mythical creature is real in this world.”

The restaurant was about three-quarters full and, as Trixie had predicted, most of the customers were pegasi. They did spot another Abyssinian dining there though. Other than the clientele, the place was not unlike many other sit-down restaurants that the Peregrines had dined at, right down to the perky waitress. The unicorn mare held her notepad and pencil in her magic as she took their orders. Daring ordered the seafood platter and Cirrus decided to follow her example. Blaze was not sure if unicorn taste buds were well suited to seafood, so he was more conservative and ordered battered fish and chips with a side salad. Trixie decided to get her protein with a deluxe egg salad.

Blaze decided that the fish was okay, but he enjoyed the salad and chips more. Cirrus convinced the waitress to “borrow” a bit of malt vinegar from the cooks and proceeded to devour her meal with gusto. Daring liked the addition so much that she talked some other patrons into giving it a try. Cirrus complimented Daring on her choice of restaurant while fielding compliments sent her way from the other diners. When not being social, the four discussed what to do with the rest of the afternoon before returning to the city Nexus.

Trixie said, “Foaledo is sometimes called Glass City because it’s famous for its glass products. Perhaps Trixie could take you to visit the glass museum? It would seem to Trixie that kind of thing would be of interest to you.”

Cirrus looked at Blaze with an arched eyebrow. He nodded. “Sounds good,” he said.

The four took their time to enjoy their meals with drinks to wash them all down. They got directions to the glass museum from the waitress when they paid the bill, then took a leisurely stroll to the venue. It turned out to be part of the larger museum, but with the difference that it had a full-time crew of artisans demonstrating their glassmaking skills. The finished products were available for sale later, but the Peregrines were more interested in the historical aspects of the oldest exhibited items. Objects both of beauty and practicality filled display cases with plaques describing where and when they were made, and by whom. Not every glass item was made by ponies, apparently.

After they had their fill of glass, they spent an hour checking out the rest of the museum. They still had not seen everything before they had to head back to the Nexus. Not only did everyone need to take a bag of personal items that they would need on the trip, but Trixie also had to be present for the loading of the wagon. She turned off the anti-theft spells and released the brakes long enough for the train yard workers to load it onto the freight carriage.

As the group headed to the station platform, Cirrus grumbled, “I have to get myself some proper saddlebags if I remain stuck as a pony. Carrying this backpack doesn’t sit right.”

Blaze just grinned at her as he levitated his own backpack in the glow of his magic.

“Showoff,” Cirrus snarked.

Unfortunately, there was still over an hour before the Cross-Continental Express was scheduled to depart. Its timing was for the benefit of anyone who worked in the city during the day but needed to travel afterward. They had plenty of time to get to the platform for their pre-booked journey. However, there was little to do until boarding started. Daring and Trixie were engrossed in their own conversation, but the Peregrines spent the time watching the activities of the ponies preparing the train for its journey. Loaded freight cars were shunted into place and connected to the final passenger section. Carts of supplies were moved up to the entrances of each passenger car and several to the dining car in the middle. Curiously, no one went to load them inside yet. Cirrus asked Trixie if she knew why.

The unicorn mare pointed to a group of unicorns in station uniform spreading out to cover all the carriages. “Watch them,” she instructed.

At a signal from the last unicorn to get into place at the far end of the train, each of them lit up their horns simultaneously, and a glow enveloped the train for several seconds. Then, their work completed, the unicorns began walking back to the station office.

Trixie said, “Remember the spell Trixie cast on the wagon to dampen its inertia? Those unicorns just performed a similar enchantment. Note that the locomotive hasn’t been attached. It needed to remain unaffected by the spell. The same thing for the goods that they’ve started loading onto the train. You don’t want things such as food to be in that state. It’s why Trixie had to dispel the enchantment on our in-flight meals. Anyway, by reducing the train’s inertia, a single locomotive is all that’s needed to haul it.”

Blaze asked, “But doesn’t reducing inertia mean that the passengers could topple over a carriage with injudicious movements or… ah … a gust of wind?”

“This specific spell prevents the imparting of momentum from undesired forces. Trixie understands the earliest versions of the spell yielded quite… comical results.”

Cirrus noticed the steam engine that was now backing up to the lead carriage. With a clunk, it coupled to the train. She recalled seeing many freight trains of similar size requiring at least two big locomotives, while this train was obviously fine with just the one. Magic was truly remarkable.

There was more waiting as preparations were completed on the train. After a while, Blaze’s attention was grabbed by a fellow passenger who came onto the platform and squatted down to wait for the boarding call. Eventually the being noticed his gaze and frowned at him.

“Who do you think you’re staring at?” she demanded.

“Sorry,” Blaze replied. “It’s just that I’ve never seen a griffon before. You look awesome!”

The griffoness blinked, taken aback by the enthusiastic compliment. “Oh. Uh… thanks… I guess. You’ve really never seen a griffon before? We’re not that uncommon in Equestria.”

“I’m not from Equestria. In fact, I only came here a few days ago.”

“Where in the world did you come from then?”

The stallion figured there was no point in telling the full truth. “I’m from America.”

“A-mare-eek-ah? Never heard of it. Oh well, welcome to Equestria, I guess.”

“Thanks. The name’s Blaze Peregrine, by the way.” He smiled and held out a hoof.

The griffoness took it in her talons and shook it. “Gizelle Goldwing. So, what brings you to this part of the country?”

“We’re headed to Canterlot to consult with… some magic experts about a problem my wife and I have.” He indicated Cirrus who rolled her eyes at the gross understatement.

Gizelle did not notice because she suddenly realized who was also there. “Hey, you’re Daring Do, aren’t you?”

The pegasus mare grinned. “Yep, that’s me.”

“Shards! I fucking love your adventures! I have all your books. When’s your next one coming out?”

“Well, since we just came back from the field, it’ll be a while yet. But at least you’ll be able to say you met a couple of the protagonists.” Her eyes looked toward the Peregrines.

Gizelle’s beak dropped as her gaze shifted back to Blaze and Cirrus. “Really? Oh, wow! Do you mind if we talk about it on the train? It’s a very long trip and I’d love to hear about your adventures to pass the time.”

Blaze looked at Daring with a raised eyebrow. The pegasus shrugged. “It’s your business. Tell as much or as little as you like.”

Blaze turned back to the griffoness, but before he could speak, an announcement blared out over the loudspeakers.

“Boarding for the Cross-Continental Express has now started. Present your tickets to the station attendant at each carriage entrance. Please remain in your designated carriage until after commencement of the journey. The diner car will not open until the train is underway. Please board promptly for an on-time departure.”

The message started to repeat and Blaze turned his attention back to Gizelle. “I’m cool with having a chat. I’d like to find out a little about you and other griffon stuff in return, if you don’t mind?”

“Sure! We could do that tomorrow. I gotta turn in early tonight, but we’ll have plenty of other opportunities to talk, I’m sure. Anyway, if we don’t run into each other in the diner, you can find me in compartment B7. Gotta go now – I have a mountain of luggage to see safely on board.”

The griffoness dashed off and Daring smirked at Blaze. “You just got your first fanfilly. How does it feel?”

“Weird. I just wanted to have a little chat with her while we were waiting.”

Cirrus said, “I don’t know if I want to laugh or be jealous.”

“Neither,” Trixie interjected. “We have to board the train now. Move your plots!”

“Yes, boss!” Blaze said, levitating his backpack up from the platform.

They joined the queue at the doorway to their carriage and, after their tickets were checked, they proceeded inside and found their sleeper compartments. Daring and Trixie’s room was adjacent to the Peregrine’s. Each was sized for a couple and was fairly luxurious. They even had a compact toilet and shower, although a sign warned that the amount of water available for bathing was strictly limited.

“This is pretty nice,” Cirrus commented as she packed away the last of their belongings.

“Considering how long we’ll be living out of this room, it really needs to be,” Blaze replied.

There was a knock on the compartment’s door and Blaze let Trixie inside.

“Daring is taking a nap. She hasn’t had a proper rest since arriving here.”

Cirrus said, “I flew with her all the way today, but I wasn’t towing a wagon at the same time, so I’m not as tired. I was wondering when we’ll have dinner though.”

“Trixie recommends waiting until an hour after departure. The initial rush to the diner car will be over by then and the service will be better.”

“Sounds good. We can work on our site report meanwhile.”

“Are you certain we can’t watch a movie tonight?”

Cirrus shook her head. “I reckon the laptop will die halfway through. We’ll set up the solar panel tomorrow and that will charge it up enough, hopefully. Oh, wait. Which side of the train faces the sun?”

Trixie thought about it for a moment, then smiled. “We’re in luck – you should get plenty of sunlight tomorrow. Later in the journey when the tracks turn north, you’ll have to make sure to have the panel in place to catch the morning sun.”

Blaze said, “I’d set it up now but the train is in the shadow of the platform’s roof, and I think sunset won’t be too much later after departure. I’d rather watch the view before then.”

“You two can join us in our compartment on most days. You’ll get to see a lot more than in here.”

“Thanks, Trixie,” Cirrus said. “I’d better get to work since I spent the day either flying or playing tourist.”

“Trixie will call you when Daring is ready to go to dinner.” The unicorn mare then let herself out.

Blaze and Cirrus set to work until they heard the departure warning. Then, when the train pulled out of the station, they watched in silence as the sights of their first pony city passed by. Eventually, as the train moved out of the suburbs and into farmland, the stallion spoke up.

“So – what do you think of our journey so far?”

Cirrus took a deep breath and let it out. “Different. Strange. But definitely not boring.”

“Amen, Love. You can say that again.”

# # # # # # #