Soaring Flight and Scenic Sights
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The cool afternoon breeze drifted lazily beneath a sea of clouds floating above Ponyville, the radiant sun casting its warmth over top of them like warm, fluffy cookies in an oven. Birds hidden among nearby trees sung music of delight and happiness, filling the air with a symphony of songs. The weather was blissful, calm and serene, and as such it was perfect day for cloud-napping.
Enveloped in the soft, fluffy material of the cloud, Rainbow Dash lay restfully with her eyes closed. Being the middle of the summertime, most of cloud duty for the pegasi was pretty laid back. Rainbow Dash was certainly known for her tendency to cloud-nap, but she would never consider it if she had any other obligations. She slid back and hung her head and hooves over one side of the cloud. From this perspective, the sky looked like it was below the ground. And for a brief moment, she felt as if she slid just a little further, she'd fall up into the sky. Her mane hung over the side of the cloud as well, dangling below her hooves. The light breeze through the air tossed it about ever so gently as she continued to be fascinated with this upside-down perspective. There was something about it that brought an idea to her subconscious, but she couldn't quite understand what it was.
She sighed and let herself relax and become enveloped even further by the cloud. She felt bad for the ponies tethered to the ground, never able to enjoy the absolute comfort that was cloud-napping. Being a pegasus, she practically lived in the sky. To not fly for any longer than a day or two almost made her feel uneasy at times. She remembered back to the times that she spent in the hospital for various wing injuries.
The feeling of returning to the skies after a long hiatus of flight was something she could always vividly remember. That first chance to spread her wings, feeling the rush of cool air beneath them as she rises further and further into the sky, reaching the apex of her flight. The cold wind beneath her wings and body contrasting with the radiating warmth that the sun provided on her back before she effortlessly rolls over, spiraling downwards into a nose-dive, rapidly picking up speed as the air rushes past and the ground draws nearer. Lifting upwards, feeling the air pushing upwards against her wings, ruffling her feathers as she pulls further just inches from the ground, the air rushing past her in all directions.
Rainbow Dash's thoughts came back to focus. She was still lazing about on top of the cloud, observing the landscape from an upside-down perspective. Ponies meandered about the town far below her. Oftentimes, she could spend hours just watching them during her frequent flights in the area. There was simply something about being up so high above everything that made her feel responsible to a certain degree. Not above them in a sense of empowerment, but as a sense of duty and pride. She felt an urge, not an obligation, to protect and care for everypony she cared for. Loyalty came naturally to her, and she felt that inner desire the most when she looked down from the skies above.
But there was also something about the way she was seeing things now, with her head upside-down and eyes wide open. The skies weren't above her anymore. The skies were below the ground, and so was she. It was like everypony up there was watching her down below as she lay there on her cloud. She was the one below as everypony watched from above. Her perspective had completely flipped, figuratively and literally. Suddenly, she felt dizzy and decided to go back to laying face-up, relaxing her hooves behind her head as she stared into the deep blue skies above her. Endless and pure, the skies extended in every direction.
She watched a few birds soar through the air before taking roost on the tops of a few nearby trees before closing her eyes and letting her thoughts drift idly by. Thoughts of boredom, thoughts of curiosity. Thoughts of joy and thoughts of sadness. Thoughts of herself and thoughts about her friends. Being up so high in the sky had a special way of clearing her mind, allowing every last thought to get the proper attention they deserved. Everything low to the ground was so complicated that it was hard to concentrate on one particular thing. But up above the clouds was the place she truly called home. The place where she felt she most belonged.
With that thought, she decided to take flight.
Bursting forth from the cloud she rested upon, instantly vaporizing it, Rainbow Dash rapidly climbed upwards towards the sky. With each powerful flap of her wings, she climbed higher into the air with her eyes closed and head tilted back. As she did so, the air became thinner and thinner until it became more difficult to ascend. She felt the intensity of the afternoon sun radiate across her whole body as she hovered in suspension for a brief moment at the apex of her flight. The town below was barely recognizable, and its citizens were too small to even make out. She felt small and insignificant, being a tiny speck in the vast open skies suspended above the ground far below. The skies were beautiful and a place she felt she belonged, but it was time to return to the ground and be with those she loved. They would always be there forever and ever, but the time with her friends would be finite. She hovered for a few moments to catch her breath before the surge of energy she had before every dive filled her heart and wings: the moment of thrill before she would begin the rapid descent towards the ground.
As she turned her wings slightly towards the right to begin her roll downwards, her perspective was briefly flipped once more. And in that moment, she realized why it resonated with her so much before. She felt protective and loyal to her friends and to her town and to everyone, but without them she wouldn't be who she was. She felt a sense of loyalty and devotion to her friends, but without them she wouldn't feel her purpose. Wind rushing past her, she soared through the air towards the ground, her wings tucked tightly inward and eyes narrowly focused on a particular destination.
The skies watched the ground from above, but it was the ground that held them up.
