The mare stepped into the clouds. She wasn’t in heaven, but she was as close as any living pony could possibly be. Though The Sky could peer into one’s past and show an individual who they used to be, that tourist attraction of an ability was not what she was here for. The mare was here for a form of relief that only the Elemental of Air could provide; Purification.

She’d heard stories of what it could do to a mare. “Like a scrubbing brush to the brain, you’ll be wiped clean!” said the old stallion who liked to disturb the kids with his horrid stories. “There is no greater honour in this life or the next. Let her into your heart of hearts and you will forever be reborn!” said the lunatic who lived alone in his caravan at the end of the street.

She’d been hesitant at first, but she knew that, in the end, she couldn’t go without this. Anything would be better than the life she was currently being dragged through. If ridding herself of her anguish meant ridding herself of her Mind or her Soul, too, then so be it. She would be happier.

“Are you ready?” the giant face before her asked in a polite, if expectant tone.

The mare nodded and winced, the spots of pain in the sides of her neck making themselves known again. She felt the hoof of one of The Sky’s attendants on her shoulder, seeing if she was ok. She quickly shook them off, instinctively putting a little distance between them. Nonetheless, the attendant motioned to her destination; a circle of “ground”, more solid than the cloud around it.

“Will this hurt?” the mare asked. She had asked the same thing of the attendants and those few she’d met who had gone through the ritual as well.

The giant pair of eyes peered down at her, pausing for a moment. “Are you sensitive to magic?” The Sky asked.

“I’m an Earth-pony.” Had the mare been talking to anyone else, she would have added an annoyed sneer to her tone for having to point out the obvious.

“Oh. That’s fine,” The Sky responded. “It will hurt emotionally, but it will not affect your Body. Please relax.”

Still feeling slightly anxious in the face of such a powerful being, the mare allowed herself to be lowered onto her stomach. The attendants began using a brush to comb her messy mane, and another, softer one to brush along her back. It felt nice. One of the attendants made the mistake of placing his hoof in front of her face in preparation for another pass across her head, and the mare knelt her head down in an attempt to avoid it. A moment of absolute silence passed as she felt the clouds that made up the massive room quiver in response. Just as quickly as they stopped, the attendants continued their work.

Twenty minutes passed. The mare was laying on her side, a rare smile on her face. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt this relaxed. Little did she know, the “scary, intimate purification ritual” was little more than a round of pampering in the presence of one of the most powerful beings on Epona. The mare hadn’t noticed that the attendants had long left the room, allowing clumps of cloud to take over their various duties. She opened her eyes to find that the wonderful feeling that covered her legs was not some form of bubble-filled cream, but the cloud itself. For a moment she thought she might be sinking through, despite making it up here in the first place.

“I’m about to begin the ritual. Please relax,” said The Sky.

Begin? the mare thought. She shifted her hooves and found that they weren’t being locked in place, but somehow, she didn’t feel like getting up yet. She had no idea what was about to happen, but she didn’t feel scared. She wasn’t looking forward to it either, because of the things she had heard and what The Sky had told her itself, but that didn’t matter. Her eyes suddenly went half-lidded and she felt a gentle rush of energy flow through her body, like a soft, calming breeze on the crest of a hill. The cloud advanced over her body and within moments she fell asleep…

The creases of her brow slowly faded.

The creaking of her bones fell silent.

The flow of her blood went still.

And finally, the heart stopped, and all was quiet.

And then, just as quickly as it ended, the mare moved once more as her life came rushing back into her corpse. Confused and sleepy, she awoke to find her face streaked with tears. No longer could she feel breath down the back of her neck, or feel the memory of being alien in her own home. As she stared down at the ground, she realized that she felt happy. Truly happy, with no weights on her shoulders or bruises to her stomach. Like a child ready to discover the world all over again.

“I hope you enjoyed it,” The Sky said as her latest charge was lain down upon the plate of cloudstone. The mare didn’t respond, too busy falling back to sleep. The Sky smiled in satisfaction and swiftly moved her attention to the next individual who needed her help…