Thunderspite

Flapping hard and fast in the rarified air, Thunderspite finally reached the highest cloud layer. He selected the largest of the nearby clouds, then landed near the edge of it. He stretched his aching wings, took off his helmet and pack, sat down on the cloud, and waited. It was several minutes more before he heard Rainbow Dash’s labored breathing coming up from below him.

“Ugh...gah!” Rainbow Dash gasped as she struggled to gain altitude. With one final push, she managed to grab onto the cloud with her front hooves. She dangled there for a moment, then with a good amount of grunting and groaning, finally managed to heave herself over the edge the cloud. She rolled over onto her back and panted as she struggled to catch her breath.

“Are you alright?” Thunderspite asked. Rainbow Dash only groaned loudly in response. It was another few moments before she could speak.

“What...” she gasped, “Was the point of that? Why the heck did we have to fly up so high?”

“Altitude is energy. Energy is speed.” Thunderspite said.

“...and speed is power, I know, I know,” Rainbow Dash finished. “This armor...weighs a ton!”

“It just feels that way, because the air is thinner.”

“Ughh.” Rainbow Dash collapsed back to the cloud again.

Thunderspite stood and put on his helmet. “It’s also a lot harder to think clearly when you’re out of breath. You’re more liable to make mistakes. The kind of thing that’ll get you killed in combat.” Thunderspite finished fastening his helmet, and drew his sword from the scabbard acroshis back. “But, with training, one can compensate for this tendency. Defend yourself.”

Rainbow Dash sat up and looked at him, still catching her breath. “What?! You have got to be kidding me! Can’t I at least...whoa!” She rolled and scrambled to her hooves as Thunderspite brought his sword down where she had been laying just a split second before.

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash hastily drew her own sword. “What gives!?”

Thunderspite was still advancing on her, his sword drawn. “Your enemy will rarely give you the courtesy of informing you when he’s going to attack, Rainbow Dash. You must always be ready.” He swung his sword again. She was ready for him this time, and deflected the sword harmlessly to the side. But rather than counter attack, she retreated, still gasping for air. Thunderspite immediately made it clear that he would afford her no time to rest, and advanced mercilessly.

After ten minutes or so of this, Thunderspite saw a kind of determination set in on Rainbow Dash’s face, and she took the offensive. After half an hour, Thunderspite held up a hoof. “That’s enough for now.”

“Finally!” Rainbow dash groaned, and collapsed onto the cloud.

“You did well, especially for your first time at this altitude,” said Thunderspite. “Nicely done.”

“You...are a monster,” she said between breaths.

A wave of emotion Rainbow Dash couldn’t identify crossed Thunderspite’s normally stoic face, and he turned away from her.

Still catching her breath, Rainbow Dash was confused by his reaction. She had hurled all manner of insults at him over the past several weeks as he pushed her endurance to the limit, but he had never reacted like that before. She was worried that she had actually hurt his feelings. “Oh, hey. I was just kidding, y’know? Just joshin’ you.”

Thunderspite waved her off. “I know. It’s alright.” They both had a seat on the edge of the cloud, their hooves dangling over the side, Rainbow Dash still panting hard.

“Hey, how come you’re not... out of breath?” she asked.

“Oh...I come up here a lot," he said.

Rainbow Dash soaked that in a few moments. “Why?” she asked, her face scrunched in confusion.

Thunderspite shrugged. “It’s quiet up here, you know? Nobody ever has a reason to fly up this high, so I’ve got it all to myself.”

“Don’t you ever get lonely?”

Rainbow Dash saw Thunderspite actually consider the question for a long moment, but eventually he just shrugged. “I think everypony needs to get away from it all sometimes, don’t you?”

“Yeah.” Rainbow Dash looked at him sidelong. “But I also think everypony should come back when they're done.”

The statement seemed to catch Thunderspite by surprise. Rainbow Dash saw him open and close his mouth a few times as if to speak, but eventually he just looked away.

They sat in silence for a moment, then Rainbow Dash changed the subject. “Wow, you can seriously see everything from up here, can’t you?” She squinted at the view. “There’s Canterlot, and that,” she pointed to a spot near the horizon. “Must be Appaloosa. See it there? Just along the river.”

“Yeah,” said Thunderspite. “I do.”

They spent an hour or so pointing out various landmarks all over Equestria. Eventually, they were treated to a glorious purple and orange sunset. They watched together in silence as the sun dipped down below mountains to the west, far below them.

“Not bad,” Thunderspite said when it was over.

“Ten out of ten, would watch again,” Rainbow Dash agreed.

Thunderspite stood and stretched. “Shall we get going then?” he asked, fastening his helmet and pack.

“Yup. Race you back to the farm?”

“Hmph!” Thunderspite said with a smirk. “You’re on, rookie.”

“Okayreadysetgo!” Rainbow Dash sprinted off the cloud, dove and was gone. Thunderspite shook his head, then dove after her.