Cloudchaser glided through the open skies, taking in the sights around her. There was seldom a white, fluffy cloud, thus exposing the bright yellow sun hanging in the sky. A warm breeze brushed across her face, filling her soul with a sense of aimless exploration. To her, it was the perfect day for a nice, relaxing flight, an appropriate contrast to the enjoyable, albeit stressful nature of the Wonderbolts Academy from which she flew from.
After some flying around, more white fluff hovered in the sky, surrounding a much bigger cloud in her line of sight, with this cloud having an almost mystical sky paradise of marble structures and rainbows atop it. This place was her hometown, Cloudsdale, and Cloudchaser had the sudden urge to relax for once and felt eager to let her twin sister, Flitter, know about everything she learned at the academy.
Gently landing on one of the flat marble platforms, the cold, smooth texture nice on the hooves, Cloudchaser looked around for any street signs and found one marked West Platform-14th Street. Trotting over to a map below the sign, Cloudchaser searched for where her home was. Pointing at 21st Street on the map, she moved out of the way before pausing and closing her eyes as calculations and lines consumed her mind.
Feeling ready to venture on, Cloudchaser opened her eyes and turned around to the direction she wanted to fly in, but as she bent down to take off, she heard the familiar sound of a small child crying. She froze for a moment and turned to where the source of the noise pulled at her heartstrings. Cloudchaser found a familiar, grey colt with a upset visage as he tried to get off the ground, and while he was able to remain hovering in the air, he couldn't change his altitude, resulting in groans after landing or hitting the ground.
"Rumble," muttered Cloudchaser to herself.
Rumble, the younger brother of one of Cloudchaser's closest friends, Thunderlane, was also the colt she babysat with Flitter from time to time. Cloudchaser felt a tingly sensation in her eyes, but after quickly wiping them, she approached Rumble and knelt down next to the colt.
"Are you okay?" Cloudchaser said, even though she already knew the answer.
"No," Rumble sobbed, his wings flapping as hard as they could. "I wanna visit my big bro, but I'll never be able to if I can't fly right." Plopping back onto the ground, Rumble sighed and noticed that Cloudchaser was wearing her Wonderbolts Trainee Uniform and her goggles. "Say, why are you here? Shouldn't you be over at the academy?"
"The captain agreed to give us an extended break. We've been working really hard most of the time."
Rumble's eyes dilated, his body hovering closer to Cloudchaser. "Is the captain nice?"
"Well, whenever we're on break, she's incredibly nice, but when we're at work, she's strict. One time, she was comforting one of the cadets, who was on the verge of tears and afraid of failure, and the moment we went back to work afterwards, she yelled us into shape. I never knew a pony could switch personalities like that."
"Maybe she's an actor, or something like that."
Cloudchaser covered her lips with her hoof as she giggled softly. She imagined the captain in a top hat and tuxedo as she danced and sung on the stage. "That's a neat thought." She placed her hoof back onto the ground gently. "By the way, how's school going?"
"It's going great. I'm getting good grades on my work, and I'm getting along with everybody."
"That's good to hear. You know, since you've been so good, how about I give you a treat?"
Rumble bounced up and down as his eyes shot wide open, and his mouth opened up into a smile. "Oh boy. I love treats. What do ya have?"
Cloudchaser's heart warmed up as she formed a faint smile. "How about I take you for a flight to the academy, and we can meet up with Thunderlane?"
Rumble gasped and froze in place before his jaw dropped. "Y-you really mean it?"
"I do. Come on, let's go."
Rumble climbed on Cloudchaser's back, and once he grabbed on tightly, she gracefully took to the skies. Rumble felt the surprisingly smooth texture of Cloudchaser's wild, white mane against his face as he looked ahead. Once the two were in the air for some time, Rumble looked to his left and saw everything below him look like tiny specks on a bright green sheet.
"This is amazing," shouted Rumble at the top of his lungs as a tingling awe ran through his body. "Wow! Everything is so different up here."
"When I fly, I like to look where I'm going," Cloudchaser mentioned. "However, on the rare instances when I do get to see the world below, it is quite the sight. Is my mane getting in your way?"
"Not at all. It feels kind of nice."
"Huh," Cloudchaser chuckled a bit and blushed. "That's interesting to hear. Maybe the hair product Flitter recommended really does work."
The two came upon a floating island with a straight runoff for pegasi to get a running start. Flagpoles stood erect as they carried flags of different colors, though they never really meant anything as far as Cloudchaser knew. A row of buildings ran along the edge of the runway. Hoops of various heights formed what looked like an obstacle course, and at the far end was a flat grassland where a few ponies were standing as they mingled.
"What's that?" asked Rumble.
"That's Wonderbolts Academy," replied Cloudchaser as she began her steady descent. "That's where Thunderlane is. He'll be so excited to see you."
Cloudchaser landed on the runway and after Rumble hopped off of her back, she struck a triumphant pose, her mane blowing against the warm breeze.
"That's a pretty cool pose," Rumble commented. "Did you learn that here?"
"I didn't, it's just that I wanted to look cool after landing."
"Hey, I think I know you," a voice interrupted, calling out in the distance. Approaching Cloudchaser and Rumble was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow colored mane. She was wearing the same gear as Cloudchaser, and upon reaching the two, she knelt down to Rumble and extended her hoof towards him with a warm smile.
"Wait, you're Rainbow Dash, aren't you?" inquired Rumble.
"The one and only. I remember seeing you when Ponyville was trying to lift the water up. What's your name?"
"I'm Rumble. Cloudchaser, who's over here," Rumble pointed over to Cloudchaser, who instinctively waved at Rainbow, "helped me get here so I could see my big bro. His name is Thunderlane, and he's a dark grey pegasus. Do you know where he is?"
"Hmm, I think he's at the mess hall, so let's try going there first. Let's not waste any time."
Rainbow Dash led the way as Cloudchaser and Rumble followed closely by. Rumble's head spun like a top as he trotted, his eyes shining. He then looked over to Cloudchaser, who could feel a wonderful sensation inside her heart as she looked like she had been given a great present. The three entered the mess hall, which consisted of a kitchen off to the side and rows of tables with benches next to them. Sitting at one of these tables, as predicted, was none other than Thunderlane, who happened to be with the captain, a yellow pegasus with an orange, fire-like mane and aviator shades.
"Thunderlane," Rumble yelled out. "I'm here."
Thunderlane turned his head and gasped joyously. "Rumble, you made it," he replied. "Come on over."
Rumble, with Rainbow Dash and Cloudchaser next to him, galloped over to his big brother, pausing the moment he was next to him before embracing him with a tight hug, which prompted noises of "aww" from the three mares beside the two siblings.
"Your little brother is adorable," remarked the captain. "Rumble, I should mention that Thunderlane is doing a terrific job. I'm also flattered that you had the time to come by and visit."
"Thanks. By the way what's your—" Rumble paused before noticing on the mare's jacket was a name tag with Spitfire clearly written on it. "Oh, your name is on your jacket. My bad. It's nice to meet you."
"It's always a relief to see you as a nice pony," teased Thunderlane, barely able to contain his laughter.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" replied Spitfire, and the five ponies all laughed together, the captain and the cadets with her feeling a weight off of their shoulders thanks to Rumble's timely appearance. "Rumble, our break ends in an hour, so to pass the time, how about I give you a tour of the academy? You three can join in too, if you want."
"That sounds awesome," said Rumble, hopping quickly in place. "Can I, Thunderlane? Please?"
"Of course. Can we come along too?"
"I'd love that."
The five ponies departed the mess hall and began the tour. To Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane, it was a nice change of pace from the rigorous training they did. To Spitfire, it was a chance for her to break free from her drill sergeant persona for once. For Cloudchaser, it was a heartwarming feeling of being helpful. And to Rumble, it was an experience he'd cherish for eternity.
