Family of Misfits

"Jay, wait for me! Don't go running off by yourself. You might slip and fall through a cloud!" Flash Quake trotted to keep up with Jay Sky, carefully watching his surroundings.

"I'm fine dad, calm down" Jay Sky said with a giggle.

Flash Quake sighed. He is right Flash thought I need to calm down.

"Woah! Look dad, a new swing set!!" Jay Sky ran over to the swings and happily jumped onto one, swinging low to the ground.

Flash Quake sat in the swing beside him and smiles up at the sky. He enjoyed the moment of peace, the day was nice and warm. Birds were flying around and singing sweetly, ponies were playing, and couples were laying on clouds together.

"Hey dad...?" Jay asked, sounding a bit uneasy.

"Yeah Jay? What is it?" Flash looked at him with concern and realized that Jay was staring at a strange object that was lodged in a cloud. The object looked old and duel. "What in the hay is that....?"

Jay Sky's wings sprung open, even though he could only open them half way, and his eyes widened "An adventure...." he said this in a curious voice. Like he was going to travel to the corners of the world just to find out what was behind that object.

As Jay Sky jumped toward the object Flash Quake slid off his swing and glided to Jay's side. "Do you know what it is?" He asked him.

"I've seen something like this before, it was in my adventure dream! What did Heavy Beat call it again...?" Jay held the item in his hooves and sat down, thinking about the name. "Oh, I know! It's a compass!"

"That's right Jay, and what do compasses do?" He lightly brush his wings with

Jay's.

"THEY SEEK OUT PILLING HEAPS OF BOOTY!!!!" Jay shouted with a voice impersonation of a pirate.

Flash Quake laughed a bit "That's right Jay, but how do we find the booty?"

Jay looked up at him with a wide happy grin. "We go on an adventure of course!"

"Aye Aye Cap'n," Flash said "lead the way"

Jay studied the compass for a few moments, and then began to follow the direction of the red needle. He led them out of the park and throughout Cloudsdale. They went in circles, ovals, and just about every other shape. Sometimes they even back tracked because the compass suddenly changed direction. Going left and right.

We aren't getting anywhere Flash Quake thought I wonder if Jay is bored by now...

They walked around for a few more minutes. Jay looked up from the compass and saw that they were back in the park. Confusion suddenly flashed across his face as he looked back down at the compass.

"Hey dad, I think it's broken..." Jay said with a bit of sadness in his voice.

"Broken?" Flash Quake looked over Jay's shoulder to see what the problem was. "Huh... it seems like it is broken..."

The needle in the compass was rapidly spinning in circles, it would pause sometimes for a brief moment and then continue again.

Jay's wings fluttered a bit "Maybe that means that we're right over the treasure!" He set the compass aside and then began to dig in the clouds.

"Be careful Jay, there might be loose clouds under there." Flash stood beside Jay and watched him carefully, his wings ajar just in case he needed to grab Jay and save him from a long fall.

Jay didn't fall through the clouds, instead he stubbed his hoof on a solid object. Flash Quake tried to see what was in the hole that Jay dug but he couldn't see into it. Jay was cradling his hoof against his chest and had his face half buried in the hole.

"Woah!" He shouted into the hole "I found the booty!"

Wait, there's actually hidden treasure down there? Flash thought.

Jay carefully stood on his bad hoof and used his good hoof to dig around the object, making the hole wider. once he had dug a bigger hole he ducked his head in again and tried to grab the object in his mouth.

"Do you need help Jay?" Flash asked.

Jay stepped aside and let Flash take his place. Flash Quake carefully leaned into the hole and came back out with a cylinder in his mouth. Jay stared at the cylinder with wonder.

"What is it?" Jay asked.

Flash put the cylinder down in between them and said "I think its a time capsule..."

"What's a time capsule?" Jay sniffed the cylinder and then sneezed "ugh, cloud dust." he groaned.

Flash laughed a bit and then explained to Jay what a time capsule was. As Flash Quake explained what it was Jay looked up at him and down at the capsule with awe and curiosity.

"Wanna open it?" Flash asked jay with a smile, he to was beginning to get curious.

"Yes! Lets open it!" Jay's wings fluttered happily and a wide smile danced across his face.

Flash Quake chuckled and studied the cylinder for an opening.

This thing is really odd... What are these symbols? Flash thought and then said to Jay with a bit of sadness in his voice "Sorry Jay, but I don't know how to open it..."

Jay's wings folded back up and his ears drooped a bit. He looked at the capsule and then up at Flash with curiosity still flaring in his eyes. "Who can open it?"

Flash Quake thought for a bit and Jay Sky waited for an answer. Jay's hooves began to shuffle with impatience, he really wanted to open that time capsule. Flash Quake remembered somepony who might be able to help them. He ten picked up the time capsule and gave it to Jay.

"Can you hold onto that for me?" Flash asked and spread his wings "It would be kind of hard for me to fly and hold that at the same time."

"Well sure i can hold it, but where are you going?" Jay asked as he took the time capsule into his front hooves, hugging it close to him.

"We are going to fly down to Ponyville and look for a friend of mine" Flash said and stretched his wings again.

"But i can't fly yet" Jay said with a bit of disappointment in his voice.

"That's why you're gonna get a Piggie-Back ride" Flash Quake smiled and knelt down for Jay to climb onto his back.

Jay smiled again and jumped onto his back. Flash Quake stumbled forward a bit and then stood up.

"Don't drop that capsule," Flash said to Jay over his shoulder "and don't fall off, your mother would kill me."

Jay nodded and wrapped his arms around Flash Quake's neck, the capsule was tucked under one of his arms. Flash trotted to the nearest fall off point of Cloudsdale and spread his wings wide, feeling the air flow through his feathers.

"You ready Jay?" Flash asked with a smile.

Jay braced himself "Ready!"

After that, Flash Quake jumped into the air and glided smoothly. He kept himself balanced out so Jay wouldn't fall off.

"Do you like the view?" Flash said over the rushing wind.

Jay looked around and smiled "It's amazing!" He saw some birds fly by and giggled.

Flash laughed and looked back in front of him. Jay was taking all the scenery above him, but he never once took in the scenery below him. Flash Quake began to descend and tilted at a bit of an angle.

"Hold on Jay, we're gonna speed up a bit!" He shouted back a Jay.

Almost instantly Jay's arms tightened around Flash's neck. Flash looked back at Jay and saw that his eyes were tightly closed.

"Don't worry Jay, we aren't that high up from the ground. Just a few more seconds and we'll be in Ponyville" He folded his wings slightly and sped up even more. The wind was now whistling past them and little trails of air streaked from the tips of Flash's wings.

After two minutes of diving down Flash carefully spread his wings and landed on a grassy hill. He then laid down so Jay could climb off his back.

"We're here bud" he said "you can open your eyes now."

Jay rolled off his back and laid on his back, his eyes slowly opened and he sighed with relief.

"Back on the ground... Sweet..." Jay said and then twisted onto his belly. "So who are we looking for?"

Flash sat beside him and looked at the town in front of him. "We're looking for an old friend of mine."

"Where is your friend?" Jay asked

"She's around here somewhere, last time i saw her she was here in Ponyville and i was in my old house with a pretty bad infection. She helped with with a potion and cured the infection. After that i offered to help here with gathering supplies and shortly after we became friends." Flash said and smiled "She saved my life"

Jay listened with curiosity. "What's a 'potion'?"

"My friend'll show you, come on Jay. we've got a lot of walking ahead of us" Flash Quake ruffled his hair and smiled down at him. He then stood up and began to walk down the hill toward Ponyville with Jay at his side. The capsule was tucked under Flash's wing and Jay was looking around with curiosity.

"Another adventure?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, an adventure." Flash nodded "The adventure for the friend"

Jay happily walked beside him, thinking about where this adventure would take them. As they entered Ponyville, Jay looked around with wonder.

"Welcome to Ponyville Jay" Flash smiled and looked at the horizon. "We got a full day's adventure ahead of us."