Prologue: Friendship Everlasting
“Take it Brimstone!”
Brimstone flutters a bit in the air, catching the hoofball in his small hooves. “I caught it!” yelled Brimstone in elation. He lands passed the line marking the goal for the other team.
“Game!” shouted one of the by standing colts.
Tailwind gallops towards Brimstone, “Hoofbump!” They bump their hooves in the air, smiling and laughing. The other team stomp their hooves in frustration, angrily swishing their tails and flitting their wings. “Yeh, well we couldn’t win cause the sun was in our eyes,” snorted one of the pegasi. His chubby grey blue body and black messy mane was already becoming shaggy and ragged, despite only being a few years old. “You tell the blank flanks Score!” sneered one of the other players. His body was more built his wings, fatter but powerful. His orange-brown coat hung thick around his limbs but became thinner around his main body. The brown mane hung from a point, covering his eyes as well. His tail was longer than his friends and flowed downward. Three orange bucketballs* sit on his flank.
“Come on Hoops, leave the colts to their kid games. Let’s go eat lunch.” The two walk back to their homes, trying to not show their embarrassment at being beaten by colts younger than them.
The other two pegasi remain in the field of packed cloud. Brimstone closed his eyes tight and was holding his breath. Tailwind looked over worried, “Are you okay?” Brimstone nods slightly and then proceeds to fall on the ground laughing. Tailwind chuckles slightly, his curvy light blonde mane bouncing to his voice. He was smaller than other pegasi, with tiny wings that looked like they could snap like twigs from just the attempt at flying. He had thin sky blue fur with a short bubbly tail that completely straightened at the last few inches. His eyes shone with a light yellow. The other stallion was much lither than his companion, with longer legs and a sleeker body. His fur was a dark grey with thin hair that grew longer around his hooves. His deepwater blue eyes are mesmerizing with a friendly smile never far from his mouth. Short hair branched out from his head, a light pastel gray with red tips, with the same red matching his short curvy and spiky tail. What was most impressive was his wing span, spanning 5 more inches than the average pegasus his age.
Brimstone heaved and caught his breath, “Ok ok I’m good. Phew we sure showed them!”
“Yea we did!” Tailwinds little frame bounced about in elation.
“We should head home. My mom made something special for my good grades this year. My favorite, Hayburgers with Homemade Hay Fries! Come on let’s go!” The two friends began galloping home.
The Tornado Field was left behind them, as other fillies played the day away. It was the closest field to their school, Cumul Nimbus Elementary which was only a 5 minute walk from their homes in the Vortex District. Cloudsdale was brimming as ever, with pegasi flying about and doing the daily tasks of everyday life. Walking up the cloud path to the Main Square, an intersection bustling with ponies, Brimstone waved Tailwind over. Tailwind bounced lightly on top of Brimstone, causing a huff of escaped breath to be released. “Gain anymore weight and I won’t be able to fly you around anymore.”
Tailwind kicked with his hind hooves, fluttering his wings, “Onward!” Brimstone rolls his eyes and stretches his wings out before pumping them to gain lift. A bit wobbly at first, Brimstone quickly regained his balance and glided over the townfolk. Merchants are barking out prices of their products while by standers simply look around the stalls, thinking about what they should invest in next, a sofa or a new dining table? After the ruckus of the Main Square, Brimstone continued his flight to Vortex Path, the main road of the Vortex District. A few more fillies milled about some of the few shops and businesses with their parents, buying Celestia knows what.
A few more minutes of flying opened the street to smaller streets, revealing the Residential area. In the center of this zone lay Cumul Nimbus Elementary. Brimstone flapped his wings and flew past the school, taking his time to reach their destination, letting the wind be the propulsion and his feathers the guide. A right turn on a smaller street named Gilded Way revealed different sized and designed cloud houses, each one unique from the time it was built. Brimstone touched down softly and craned his head to find a snoozing Tailwind, mouth open and eyes drawn shut. Brimstone smiled softly then proceeded to the house designated 107 and knocked softly on the door.
His mother Auroris opened the door with her green tinted magic and smiled warmly at the two young colts. Her auburn eyes brimmed with a happiness and weariness that is expected of a mother of two. Her coat a pine green, the maroon hair around her eyes flowed like a water fall, ending in a soft roundness that made you want to snuggle with it(which Brimstone did a lot). Her horn was simple but her cutie mark was complex, with a cloud that in the center swirled in seemingly two directions. Her voice but a soft whisper, “How was the match today?”
“We won by a touchdown. Showed them bullies not to mess with us!” Brimstone expression suddenly switched to smug satisfaction to downright sleepiness. He yawned, lifting a hoof to his mouth. “Can we head to bed early? And can Tailwind just stay with us? I’m sure his parents would be okay with it.”
“Of course I’ll let them know that he’ll be staying with us,” spoke Auroris, and she silently closed the door and walked down the corridor into the kitchen.
Brimstone picked his way carefully up to his room. He closed the door with his wing and looked upon his simple bedroom. A simple bed rested on the right side with a small desk next to it. A nice sleek office desk sat across from the bed on the other wall. At the foot of his bed stood a bookcase, filled with a few a dozen books and athletic trophies dedicated to best teamwork, best team, or MVP. On his immediate right was his closet, with Wonderbolt posters covering the door.
Brimstone fluttered up to his bed which had the uniform colors and emblem of the Wonderbolts and set down the sleeping colt. He grasped the curtains in his wings and delicately opened them to reveal the window over the bed. The setting sun was always beautiful but to Brimstone it was extra special, filling him with warmth that he hadn’t felt since Dad passed away. He stroked the hairs out of Tailwind’s eyes using his wings then leapt lightly off the bed, using his wings to soften his descent. He held the door open with his wings then began tugging the smaller cloud mattress into the center of the room, ignoring his coats and comics stuffed in the corners of his closet. Once that was in place, he crawled under his bed to retrieve the spare blankets and pillow.
“Brimstone.”
It wasn’t a question, but rather a statement. Brimstone perked his ears and stood still, his mouth holding a pillow.
“Thank you for everything. I know I wasn’t the greatest pony to be around with when your D-“ Brimstone had his fore hooves on the bed, shaking his head at the small pegasus.
“We are best friends. We hold on together no matter what is in front of us. We will protect each other till the end. Remember the saying? ‘No matter the danger!’”
“’We will never be strangers!’” chirped Tailwind, his smile soft and wide. “Good night Brim.” His head turned and his small body settled into the bed, sighing contentedly.
Brimstone sat on the cloud mattress for a few minutes before lying down on his pillow.
Neither noticed the tears streaming down their faces, the water shining like crystal in the sinking sun.
