Dreams of Silver

The sun beats down above the run down town of Griffonstone and a harsh cold wind can be felt on its mostly bare streets. On a street further in, a fledgling Griffon can be seen rather energetically kicking a crudely made leather ball. The fledgling Griffon looks as you'd expect a Griffon to, with an Eagle's head, talons and wings combined with the body and tail of a lion. However, this fledgling's feathers were a dull silver that gave it a unique glint in the sunlight and his fur was a dark crimson, but his talons and beak are light amber while his eyes are a more full silver compared to his wings. The fledgling kicks the ball around the messy street before looking up at the sky with a somewhat sad look and a frown. The fledgling sits down and begins to watch the clouds in their various forms float and dance about the sky.

"Silverwing, honey. It's time to come in." A female voice can be heard nearby.

Silverwing picks up the ball with his tail and begins to walk towards a run down sizeable house for Griffonstone standards. During his small walk to the front door he couldn't help but constantly look back at the clouds, something inside him yearning for more than just a mere flight around town every now and then. Silverwing opens the front door and walks inside, closing it behind him. He then puts the ball down to the side of the door and continues inside the house. The interior looks just as run down as the exterior with dust and cobwebs hanging all over the place. Turning a right through a doorway Silverwing can see two adult Griffons, the one sitting down at the kitchen table appears to be a male Griffon. While the other preparing something on the crudely put together counter, is a female Griffon. The female Griffon has the same dull silver feathers as Silverwing while her fur is a pale grey. Her talons, beak and eyes all share the same light amber colour. The male Griffon has crimson fur with brown feathers and light amber talons, his eyes are a light blue.

"Did you have fun outside, son?" Silverwing's father asks, lowering his newspaper.

"I guess..." Silverwing walks up to and sits down at the table.

"What's wrong honey? You seem more down than normal. Is everything all right with your friend, Gilda?" Silverwing's mother asks, concerned.

Silverwing shakes his head before sighing. "Gilda is fine, I just feel like something is missing..."

"Son, you are only a fledgling. You'll get somewhere when you are old enough." Silverwing's father states.

"But when will that be? Every time I look up at the clouds I feel something inside me begging, pleading to come out... Like I'm missing a crucial part of who I am..." Silverwing sighs as his mother places a bowl of assorted worms and berries onto the table.

"Darling... Are you also sad because Gilda told you she was going to attend flight school soon in Cloudsdale?" Silverwing's mother asks.

"A little... I'll have no one to play with, everyone else just seems so... Bitter? I don't know..." Silverwing sighs deeply.

Silverwing's father looks at his mother and she nods before they both turn back to Silverwing.

"Son, your mother and I have been thinking and perhaps we have been too constricting." Silverwing's father begins.

"You have wings, which means like all Griffon you belong in the sky and not constricted to the ground." Silverwing's mother adds.

"Thus, we thought about sending you on the same flight school boarding program as Gilda. At least that way you'd have a friend to watch over you." Silverwing's father concludes.

Silverwing sucks a worm out of the bowl before nearly choking on it. "Y-you mean it? You'd send me to flight school?!" Silverwing asks, before jumping off his seat and hugging his parents.

"Yes, it's only fair you learn how to spread your wings from an early age than be constricted due to your paranoid parents." Silverwing's mother comments.

"We expect you to behave though." Silverwing's father states.

"I will, thank you, thank you, thank you." Silverwing beams with happiness.

Silverwing looks around in awe at the flight camp as well as the amount of ponies who are flying around. His parents had to send him with Gilda as they had several things to sort out at home, but the pair made it with some degree of ease. However, before Silverwing could fully appreciate the construction made from clouds, it would seem Gilda was gone from his side and now flying around in the sky with a cyan blue filly that had the weirdest rainbow coloured mane and tail he'd ever seen. Looking around Silverwing felt slightly overwhelmed as he held onto his own duffel bag tightly.

"A little nervous?" A male voice came from the side of Silverwing.

Looking in the direction of the voice, Silverwing could see an Azure blue coated foal that had a dull grey mane and tail with white streaks, his eyes are cyan.

"Y-yeah, just a little. It's my first time really being able to fly without restrictions." Silverwing admits.

"Ah, protective parents right? Don't worry I had 'em as well. What say we give your wings a proper test flight?" The foal states before flying off into the sky.

Looking somewhat nervous, Silverwing leaves his duffel bag beside Gilda's and for whatever reason spreads his wings to eagerly follow the foal. After catching up with him the pair soar through the air above the camp, not following the general route set out by the cloud rings, but their own free route.

"You're not actually half bad at this. I'm Azure Skye." The foal introduces himself.

"Vincent Silverwing, but I'm mostly just called Silverwing." Silverwing gives his own introduction.

"'Silverwing', I like it. Suits you. Do you have any friends here?" Azure Skye asks as the pair circle around some clouds before coming to rest on a medium sized cloud by the flight camp.

"Umm well, I came here with Gilda, but..." Silverwing trails off as the pair see her and the filly from before having fun.

"Say no more." Azure Skye pulls Silverwing into him and waves his hoof out across the sky. "Stick with me, Silver. Together, I'm confident there isn't anything we can't accomplish together. My parents wanted me to come here in order for me to spread my wings a bit and make new friends. I'd qualify you as a friend." Azure Skye smiles.

Silverwing looks out across the sky filled with clouds and the energetic, optimistic foal beside him. Inside he felt something he hadn't before, a deep sense of belonging and purpose. That where he is at this very moment, on this cloud, with Azure Skye as his new friend. Everything about this moment felt right to Silverwing.

"Yeah... Together, as friends. Nothing we can't accomplish." Silverwing beams with a bigger smile then ever before.

"Come on, they'll take role call soon. We wouldn't want to miss that on our first day." Azure Skye leaves Silverwing's side and begins to fly back.

Silverwing can't help but stare at the sun in the distance and the clouds passing him by. He was finally where he had longed to be, free, flying in the sky.

"Hey, you coming or going to daydream?" Azure Skye pokes Silverwing with his hoof.

"Huh? Umm... Yeah, sorry." Silverwing tears himself away from the scenery and follows Azure Skye as they begin to fly back to camp.