The Things We Take for Granted
Chapter 1: I am a Pegasus.
I am like the other ponies, but I have wings and no horn. I can leave the ground on a whim. I can burst into action, flying through the air with break-neck speed at a moment's notice. I can go high, I can go low. I am the textbook definition of agility. I can spiral towards the ground, only to pull up at the last second. I can stand on clouds. I can shape them, mold them. I can destroy them with a single powerful kick. Clouds are my building blocks. I can make grand structures from clouds that only a Pegasus can admire. I can control the weather. I can bend the conditions of the world to my liking by pushing clouds about. I command the rain. I can cause lightning to strike with instrumental precision. I can deliver a fierce, shocking bolt with a swift kick to a thundercloud.
I can think, I can dream, I can love, I can hate.
I am a Pegasus, and this is my story.
I wake up in my fluffy cloud bed and stretch my forelegs as the radiant sunlight, unbridled by the overcast sky below, pours in through the window. I yawn excessively, before groggily dragging myself out of bed. I stand in front of a mirror, straightening my disheveled rainbow mane. It was tough day of cloud busting yesterday, and I slept like a foal.
I trot over to the counter, on which there is a boiling teapot of water. I pour the scalding-hot water into a mug and begin mixing in a packet of hot chocolate flavoring that I picked up a week ago from Sugarcube Corner. After adding a few marshmallows, the sweet drink is ready. I bring the glass up to my mouth, ready to take a sip.
Suddenly, a couple of Pegasi jet past my house, emitting a shrill whistle as they slice through the air. Stunned, I spill my hot chocolate. I watch as the glob of liquid permeates the cloudy carpet of my house, leaving a small hole. The soggy, brown hunk of cloud plummets down towards the village directly below Cloudsdale known as Ponyville.
"I'd hate to be the pony who gets hit in the head by THAT," I joke to myself, picturing a poor pedestrian covered in cocoa and marshmallows. I carefully set what remains of my steaming drink on the counter. Without warning, I spread my wings and make a beeline for a nearby stray cloud. I tear off a small strip and carry it back with me into my house. I carefully insert the slice of cloud into the hole in the floor of my house. With a few pats on the floor, the seam between the existing cloud and the new cloud vanishes, and I'm satisfied with my repair job.
"That should do it! Good as new!" I proclaim to nopony in particular. I gulp down the remainder of my luke-warm chocolate, while silently admiring my work. When the last of my drink is gone, I set the mug down on the counter and fly out the window.
It's a Sunday, so I'm off cloud duty, and my schedule is bare. I soar past mountains and spires of cloud as I hash out my plan for the day. I finally decide that I'll start by going to Sugarcube Corner. After making that hot chocolate, I realized that my supply is running really low. I figure I'll drop by to get some more hot chocolate mix and possibly chat with Pinkie if she's around.
After finishing the thought, I careen downward and tunnel through the cloud layer. Breaching the other side of the cloud, it's like I just went through a portal into a whole other world. The sun is nowhere to be seen, and a torrential downpour bombards the defenseless town of Ponyville below.
I touch down in front of the unmistakable sweet shop and quickly move under the cover of the awning. As I open the door, a rope pulls, automatically triggering a service bell above the doorway. Entering the building, I see few customers. This is probably because of the weather and everypony's distaste for getting a little water on their coat. A muffled jumble of hoof sounds comes scrambling down the stairs before revealing a very excited, and very pink pony.
"Hi, there! Welcome to Sugarc- Oh! It's you, Dashie!" the pink pony exclaims.
I grin. "What, so I don't get the standard Sugarcube Corner greeting?"
Her face exhibits that of genuine worry. "Oh, I'm sorry! Did you want the standard Sugarcube Corner greeing? If you want it I can say it. Here goes-"
"Pinkie! That was a joke! You weren't supposed to take me seriously!" I clarify, stifling a laugh.
"Oh," she says with a giggle. "So, what brings you to Sugarcube Corner today?"
I smile and respond, "I just thought I'd drop by and chat. Also, I need to pick up some more hot chocolate. I'm running low."
Pinkie Pie giggles very girlishly and says, "You sure do like your hot chocolate, don't you?"
"Well, it does get pretty cold up there, what with the high altitudes and all," I explain.
"Well, in that case, one box of hot chocolate, comin' right up," Pinkie bellows, bouncing back into the kitchen. The sound of pots and pans clattering and cabinets squeaking can be heard. After a few moments, she returns with a blue cardboard box.
"Here ya' go!" she says, extending the box to me.
I accept the offer, and in return, I place two bits on the counter. Pinkie gasps at the gold coins as though they had just given her the worst insult known to pony kind.
"Rainbow! I couldn't possibly charge a good friend like you!"
"I know, Pinkie. It's least I can do for all the hot chocolate you've given me. Besides, I'm going to run Sugarcube Corner out of business if I don't start paying for it..."
Pinkie shakes her head. "No can do, Dashie. We at Sugarcube Corner have a strict no-friends-pay system, and I intend to honor our arrangement."
I chuckle. "Pinkie, don't make me force those bits into the cash register."
"Oh, Rainbow, with you around, who needs an element of generosity?"
I am touched by Pinkie's kind words, but before I can respond, she's off on another tangent.
"Wait! No! That's not what I meant! I didn't mean we should abandon Rarity! We need an element of generosity! No! I'm sorry!" She falls to the floor pleading to nopony in particular, then looks back at me. "I have to go talk to Rarity. Sorrygottagobye!!!"
She then proceeds to dart out the door, leaving a Pinkie-shaped cloud of dust in her former location. I smile and shake my head at the pink pony's antics, before flying out of the sweet shop and heading for my next destination -- Fluttershy's house.
I arrive at the remote cottage just off the edge of the Everfree forest and touch down in front of the door. I knock on the door, anticipating the appearance of the kind yellow pony. I am not, however, anticipating what is to happen next in the slightest. The door slowly creaks open to reveal Fluttershy, tons of rabbits clinging to her. Her face is covered with cake batter, and she appears to be on the verge of tears. She seems to shrink back after seeing my expression, probably fearing my judgement of her appearance.
"Umm... Fluttershy? Are you alright? What happened?" I inquire.
Fluttershy snaps out of her daze and glances around. She commands the rabbits to let go of her, then proceeds to explain.
"Umm... well, you know how Mr. and Mrs. Cake are out this week on that cake-show-thing?"
"Yeah."
"And you know how Pinkie is having to run the store on her own?"
"...yeah?"
"Well, I... may have offered to have some of my animals help her out at Sugarcube Corner."
"Er... Okay? But... that doesn't explain why you're covered in dough and rabbits," I say, attempting to piece together the spectacle before me.
"Well, I've been trying to train my rabbits to cook, but it always ends in disaster. Their little paws are just too small to hold a whisk properly!" she explains, motioning towards the pile of exhausted rabbits.
I glance incredulously between Fluttershy and the rabbits. "Yeah... So, do you want me to help you clean this up?" I offer.
"That would be wonderful," she responds and quickly retreats to her messy, batter-covered kitchen. And begins retrieving pots and pans from the floor. I walk inside and take in my surroundings. The interior of Fluttershy's house is clean and pristine as always, but that status plummets dramatically when you pan to the kitchen. The walls are splattered with cake batter and egg shells. Various cooking implements are strewn about the floor, and on the counter lie the shattered remains of a yellow mixing bowl. Although I struggle to believe that a couple of rabbits holding a whisk "improperly" could lead to this kind of destruction, I decide to let it pass.
After flying up to a cabinet and replacing the last bowl, I gracefully return to the ground, admiring a job well done. Fluttershy smiles graciously and thanks me for my help.
"Any time," I reply with a nonchalant air. "But seriously... don't take that as an invitation to wreck you kitchen all the time..."
She chuckles softly at my joke. Suddenly, and idea strikes me. "Hey, Fluttershy! Since your rabbits look exhausted, what do you say we take them down to the rainbow falls and give 'em a little time to relax?"
Fluttershy's face lights up. "What a wonderful idea, Rainbow! Let's go!"
We both carefully cradle about five rabbits each in our forehooves and start the trek to the rainbow falls.
"Look, Rainbow! There it is!" Fluttershy calls, pointing a hoof ahead. I take a break from swooping in spirals with the rabbits to look. Sure enough, ahead lie the majestic rainbow falls. Streams of liquid rainbow pour from clouds at varying heights. The rainbow falls pool and collect at into lakes on the rocky terrain below.
We bank towards the falls and begin to descend. After landing softly on the ground, we release the rabbits and watch them as they disperse. They frolic and play, basking in the sun and splashing one another with liquid rainbows. Fluttershy gallops over to join them, while I take off to do some flying practice above. As I jet about, I spiral around the vertical ribbons of rainbow, leaving corkscrew trails around the falls. The feeling of freedom is unparalleled, as I shoot straight up towards the blue sky. I close my eyes and feel the wind in my mane. I listen to my rapid heartbeat and the sound of my wings gently beating against the wind as I continue my indefinite ascension into great unknown. This is what it means to be a Pegasus. It's who I am.
I am a Pegasus.
