Blown Away

With their errands finished, Twilight and Rainbow Dash left the academy, heading towards Rainbow’s house. As she watched the clouds drift past her, Twilight’s thoughts drifted back to her childhood.

“Bunnies,” she whispered, causing Rainbow Dash to turn.

“Huh?” Rainbow asked.

“My brother and I… we used to sit down on a large, grassy hill and stare into the sky. They always looked so small so far away, like bunnies. Later I learned they were just dust and water…” Twilight said. “It’s kind of silly, I know. The world just seems so magical when you’re young, and then…”

“You’re still young. And the world is very magical,” Rainbow replied. “It doesn’t matter what you know about it, the world still hasn’t changed. Just the way you look at it.”

“That’s… actually pretty insightful, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said, smiling.

“What? Is that a tone of surprise? I’m not an airhead you know,” Rainbow said, coasting further ahead. Twilight sighed, trailing behind in silence for the rest of the flight.

They reached Rainbow Dash’s home, landing gently on the roof. “Alright,” Rainbow said, “now that you’re no longer with my group, you’ll be getting a lot of easier workouts. This might make you think that it’s a good time to relax, but you’ll actually want to work even harder now, or your body will get used to being soft. I know your side hurts, but hang in there, it’s only for one month more.”

“One month until what?” Twilight asked, puzzled.

“One month until the Wondershow, the annual Wonderbolts performance that includes every one of their students performing their best tricks!” Rainbow Dash said.

“Like a piano recital,” Twilight nodded. Rainbow Dash gave her a weird look.

“Uh, yeah, whatever. Normally, they kick off the show with a brand new stunt, but this year, they’re letting their best student be the opening act!” she said. “And we all know who that is.”

“Congratulations then,” Twilight said. “So all I need to do is learn an impressive trick? There’s nothing else to it?”

“Well, I don’t think you’ll be able to pull off anything as cool as a sonic rainboom, but we’ll work on something so you can wow the audience and look good,” Rainbow said. “which is why we’re here.” She pointed to the clouds around the roof of her home. “You have something no other pegasus has. A horn.”

“Umm, yeah. I think I’d know that, considering I was born with it,” Twilight said.

“You’re the only one of us who can move clouds without touching or blowing on them,” Rainbow said. “We’re going to work on that. I’m not too used to magic, though, so I don’t think I can be of much help in that. I do know a thing or two about clouds, though. These clouds over here” –she flew over and pulled a big puffy cloud towards Twilight- “are very soft, have almost no rain in them, but are still very damp. This makes them very good for shaping.”

Twilight flew over, sticking her hoof into the sticky wet material. “It’s kind of like clay, but really light,” she said. “I’m not much of the artistic type, but…” she poked and prodded the cloud, sculpting it into an animal shape.

“Is that Spitfire? No, it’s me? Fluttershy? You got the wings wrong, there… wait, those aren’t wings. Applejack?” Rainbow guessed as Twilight worked.

“It’s supposed to be a bunny rabbit,” she said, embarrassed. The finished result was in the crude shape of a bear with very large ears.

“Oh, you could just straighten the ears then… they’re not supposed to be pointed. And the tail is more fluffly… just a little…” Rainbow said, taking her turn at the cloud.

“That looks perfect!” Twilight beamed. “Much better than my attempt.”

“Well, I’ve been working with clouds for longer,” Rainbow said. “Anyway, let’s start with basics. Move the cloud sideways with your magic.” Twilight nodded as the bunny shape slid forward slowly, encased in a purple aura.

“Hey, that’s unicorn magic!” Rainbow said. “I know you can do that. What happened to cloud magic?”

“I… guess it only works sometimes,” Twilight said. Rainbow sighed and took off, returning with a storm cloud. “Rainbow, what are you doing? Oh no…” A flash of lightning shot out, leaving a scorch mark near Twilight’s tail.

Twilight squeaked as her wings opened up and flapped instinctively, raising her into the air. “No more, please… I think I can do it. Let me try again…” she whispered, closing her eyes and willing the bunny cloud to move. The same purple aura began to cover the cloud.

Rainbow Dash groaned. “This isn’t that kind of magic, Twilight!” she said, stomping on the storm cloud again. Another jolt of lightning caused Twilight to yelp.

“Please, stop. I can’t focus when you’re doing that!” Twilight said.

“You didn’t have to focus the last time you used it, it just happened when you got scared of lightning!” Rainbow said. “I’m just helping you be scared again!”

“Just wait! It’s different this time, I just don’t know… wait. Please just wait…” Twilight pleaded. Rainbow Dash kicked away the storm cloud.

“Fine…” she said, rolling her eyes. “But if I see your unicorn magic on that cloud again…”

Twilight breathed in the warm afternoon air, taking note of her surroundings. The sun was not yet close to setting and beat down on her mane as a cold breeze coursed through her coat. “I am a pegasus, not a unicorn right now. I just want to use pegasus magic. I need to move that cloud,” she said to herself softly, staring at the bunny. It didn’t budge. “Why won’t you just move?” Twilight asked the cloud. “Please? Just move a tiny bit?”

As if it understood her, the cloud teetered in the air. “Rainbow! Did you see that! I moved it this time, without magic!” Twilight said. “And without being startled!”

“Might’ve been the wind. You didn’t move it very much…” Rainbow said, yawning.

“No wait, I think I get it now!” Twilight exclaimed, turning the bunny cloud so that it faced her and staring into its blank eyes. In a matter of seconds, the bunny cloud extended its hindlegs and bounded across Rainbow Dash’s roof.

“Whoa!” Rainbow said. “So what’s the secret?”

“All this time I was trying to move the clouds. I was used to the unicorn spells that took an object and placed it somewhere else. This time… it’s different. These clouds are… kind of alive, at least, that’s how I imagine them. I just talked to this one like it was a bunny and hoped for it to move, and it did. With a little help from my magic, of course,” Twilight said. “I felt it all, too… the bunny’s powerful hindlegs, the feeling of a free spirit in the wind…”

“You’re starting to creep me out, Twilight. It’s just a cloud. And yeah, you do move them,” Rainbow said.

“No! I mean it's like what you said before... nothing's really changed, I just see it in a different point of view. Look!” Twilight flew behind Rainbow Dash and took the storm cloud, staring at it intently. The cloud formed itself to the shape of a unicorn filly, landing on Rainbow Dash’s roof and reading a book.

“A book? Is that you, Egghead?” Rainbow asked.

“It… might be. So far the only two clouds I’ve controlled were related to my memories, actually. They’re just so much a part of me that they’re the easiest to recreate,” Twilight said. She relaxed her wings, landing on the roof. Cloud Twilight and the cloud bunny returned to their original unhindered forms. “That does get a little tiring though.”

“Well, we’ve made progress today. By the end of this week, we’ll have a small family of bunnies hopping across the sky,” Rainbow said. “And I think you’ll have your act for the Wondershow.