Other than Others

Sunburst has never been normal. Not that he wanted to, being normal would make him look like Mom and Dad. And that was the last thing he'd want.

Sunburst was a unicorn, and as you know, every unicorn has his own kind of magic.

He always thought his specialty was music. Without any effort, he could play piano, kazoo, drums, and many more things.

That was, until his twelfth birthday.

'Suuuuuuuuun! Don't you dare to forget your scarf!'

Sunburst sighed. 'No, mom. Don't worry.'

His mother had decided to take him to his grandparents in the clouds for the first time. She'd thought of everything. They would go with a hot-air balloon, and Sunburst could stay in the basket the whole time.

His grandparents had visited them many times before, but Sunburst wanted to know what it was like in Cloudsdale. He'd never been higher that the roof of their house, and that was only because he had to fetch his baseball.

His mother pinched his cheek. 'Aren't you excited?'

He had to admit he was eager to feel the air up there, to meet Pegasi - the only one he knew was that girl in his class, Fluttershy, and she never said anything - and to play with the clouds he was named after.

He still didn't really know why.

As he was wrapping his scarf around his neck, his mother walked in with a colourfully wrapped package between her wings. 'Take it,' she said. 'Happy birthday, sweetie.'

Sunburst eagerly unwrapped the present and found a heavy book, called "The Traveler's Guide to the Clouds".

The book was hard to carry. He grinned and turned the book around to read what the back said. There was only a print of large, friendly letters saying "Have Fun".

'I know how you love to read, and the trip to the clouds is a long one,' his mother said. 'You'll have something to read in the hot-air balloon!'

Her son folded the book open and read the first page. He smiled. 'This is just great! Thanks, mom!'

'Let's go,' his mother said, and walked out the door. Sunburst quickly levitated the book and ran after her.

Outside, there was an enormous hot-air balloon tied to a pole in the ground. The balloon itself was brightly yellow with blue ribbons all over it, and Sunburst found it a little girly.

His mother jumped in the basket and reached out for her son. 'Let's go,' she said, and untied the rope.

Sunburst was a little nervous, as this was his first time he'd actually fly. He sat down in a corner of the basket, not daring to look at the view as the balloon got higher and higher.

His mom bumped his shoulder. 'C'mon, enjoy the sight!'

The unicorn stood up and wrapped his arms around one of the ropes connecting the basket with the balloon. He slowly peeked over the straw edge and gasped.

The view was beautiful and breathtaking, indeed. When he looked down, he saw his house, and his father waving at him. Up was the silhouette of Cloudsdale, far far away.

He barely could wait.

He sat in the corner and folded the book open again. He was a quick reader and his vocabulary was extremely large for a pony his age, but after he ended the first chapter, he already lost what happened in the story.

It was about a colt living on his own, then they wanted to break down his house for a road from A to B and then his spaceponyfriend came to the rescue by saving him right before his planet was destroyed.

He scratched his head in confusion but decided to keep on reading, and by the time the book was telling him about the worst poetry in the universe, the balloon landed with a soft -poof-.

Excitedly his mother jumped out of the balloon and knocked on the door of the fluffy house they landed next to.

A very, very old-looking Pegasus pony answered the door. 'Oh, hello sweetie,' she said. 'C'mon in, where's the tiny little boy?'

Sunburst didn't hear it, he had kind of disappeared in his book.

His mother bucked against the basket to wake him up.

The young unicorn snapped out of his fantasy and looked over the edge of the basket. 'Hi grandma!' he said, and he waved.

His grandmother reached out for his hand. 'Oh, hello little Sunburst, happy birthday to you! Where is your brother?'

'Red Light is still at home,' the unicorn replied.

His mother smiled and explained that this was a trip for Sunburst's birthday, and that he wanted to visit the house of his grandparents alone with his mother.

'Oh, hi there, my grandson,' a cracky voice said, and Sunburst saw his grandfather walk out of the fluffy house.

'Isn't this a lovely place to have a picknick,' Sunburst's mom said.

Grandma replied with, 'Eat another sandwich, sweetie.'

Sunburst's mother wanted to say no, but her mother kept offering her a sandwich so she thought that accepting it would be the best way to make it stop.

She was wrong, because right after the sandwich followed another one, and then an apple and some of the banana cake she made for Sunburst's birthday and then she jumped up and opened her purse.

'I almost forgot to give your present!' she said, and grabbed a mid-sized, wrapped box. 'Here you go, sweetie.'

Sunburst carefully tore off the paper, because it was pretty and shiny and it'd be a shame if he would ruin it by tearing it apart.

There again appeared a book, this time it said, "Basic Unicorn Spells, Grade Two".

His grandmother pinched his cheek. 'Last year, gramps and I gave you grade one. Now you can practice even more things!'

Sunburst was excited, because he had learned about everything he knew from the frist part and now he'd learn more advanced spells.

'Thanks, grandma!' he said, as he sat on the side of the basket. They had flipped it over, so he could sit with the others without having to stand up all the time and being completely isolated. He got another sandwich of the plate and ate while reading the first few spells. 'Oh, but I can do this,' he said confidently, and his horn started shining. He closed his eyes and frowned.

He sighed. 'Nope, not yet,' he then said, and took a bite of his sandwich.

Suddenly, a small brown Pegasus came hopping by. He stopped in surprise. 'Wow, aww you a WEAL unicown?' he asked.

Sunburst nodded, slightly proud.

'Wat aww you doin' up hewe?' the filly then asked.

The unicorn smiled and said, 'I am currently celebrating my twelfth birthday,' he replied.

He heard the soft steps of somepony walking on a cloud and a mossy green pony with yellow hair appeared. 'C'mon, you little. We have to get you to daycare.'

She then looked at Sunburst. 'Hey, sorry for my brother. What's a unicorn doing up here?'

Sunburst sighed. 'I'm celebrating my twelfth birthday here with my family,' he said, and pointed at his mum and grandparents.

The mare squinted, thinking about what could bring a unicorn with clear Pegasus parents up high in Cloudsdale, but then shrugged and said, 'Cool, happy birthday. C'mon, little fella. Let's go.'

She lifted off and her brother followed her, his wings not flapping but buzzing since they were so small.

Sunburst's mother smiled. 'How nice of her to congratulate you, wasn't it?'

The unicorn nodded in silence and folded the book open again. The story was way too interesting. His mother dropped a glass of orange juice, and Sunburst's horn flared yellow for a moment as he put the glass back on the clouds.

'Thanks, sweetie,' his mother said surprised, for Sunburst was the only colt she knew who could more than one thing at the same time.

Suddenly, his attention was drawn by something way more interesting than the book. A small, bypassing cloud on touch-distance.

He quickly closed the book before it was too late and stretched his leg out to touch the very thing he was named after.

'Sunny, be care...' his mum tried to say, but then her son lost his balance. For a moment, time froze and he looked down at the cloud beneath the basket, knowing that only Pegasi could feel their solidness and that he'd fall right through them.

Then, he fell.

A small poof sounded as he landed face-first into the soft and fluffy cloud.