Air Horse: Darkening Skies

Journey's End

When Cloudy opened her eyes again, she was laying in grass. The grass was taller than her sides, and somehow seemed too green, too fragrant and the air was warm. When she lifted her head, she saw stone beside, behind, and above her. Even the meadow that the cave opened into had a stone ceiling.

Was she dreaming? Then Cloudy remembered the snowstorm, and falling asleep. Her breath quickened. That was real. She had fallen asleep in the snow, then woken up in a green meadow. That could only mean one thing.

Before Cloudy could begin to properly freak out, she spotted a pair of horses in the meadow. It was Jupiter standing with an air stallion with a coat of shifting reds, yellows, and oranges.

Cloudy hauled herself to her hooves and walked unsteadily to the pair, who started when they saw Cloudy up and walking.

"Am I dead?" Cloudy asked before either could speak.

Jupiter's mouth opened and closed several times before she said, "No! Of course not! What made you think that?"

Cloudy spread her wings and raised her eyebrows. "The last thing I remember is falling asleep in the snow. What did I do, sleep through the winter?"

"Don't be silly," said the stallion, "Horses don't hibernate."

"Hibernate?"

Jupiter jumped in. "I can see where your concern comes from, but I assure you that you are very much alive."

"Okay...," Cloudy looked around. "So where am I?"

"Peak," the stallion said proudly. "It's on the edge of the Barrier. We stand on the between Equus Terra and the very cusp of the terrors of the outside world."

Cloudy blinked at the stallion. "Huh?"

"Solis is fond of large words," Jupiter said with a laugh.

Solis huffed. "I was resident to the finest-"

"Okay, okay. Let's not overwhelm her," Jupiter said.

Cloudy started as a thought suddenly occurred to her. Where was Tussock! She checked under her wings, then back at the cave, but didn't spot her.

"Where's Tussock?" Cloudy asked, terrified that she might have been left behind.

"The black whuff? I sent her home," Jupiter said.

"To Rocky Cliffs?! Everyone will be frantic when Tussock returns without me!" Cloudy said.

"Tussock knows you are okay," Jupiter said. "Aeolus can translate that everything is fine."

Cloudy started to protest again, then stopped. "How do you know about Aeolus? And as long as I'm asking, how is so much grass growing here?"

Jupiter hesitated. "Uh... long story."

"We have a while until Luna gets back."

Cloudy followed Solis' gaze to the left, and gasped. The meadow continued on for a couple lengths, then disappeared into thin air. In the distance was a glowing ball of white, that could only be one thing.

"Is that the moon-horse?"

Jupiter nodded.

"How...," Cloudy couldn't get anything else out.

"Well, that's part of the long story. Luna who you call the moon-horse, and Solis is the sun-horse. I control the weather," Jupiter paused to see how Cloudy would take it.

Cloudy wasn't sure what to think. Surely she was dreaming? Jupiter couldn't be a real horse, and Cloudy had never even thought that horses could fly up to the moon-horse.