I suppose I should introduce myself. My name is Russet, and I'm the only pegasus here on Sweet Apple Acres. I always wake up as early as all the others. I'm pretty sure the sun gets more shut-eye than we do. As we gather around for breakfast, Applejack usually gives me n' Apple Bloom our chores for the day. Big Mac is always so busy; I think he works himself too much sometimes. He usually already out working by the time we start eating. Most of the time I'm workin' the clouds to make sure our fields get just the right amount of water they need. Once I finish cleaning my plate, I hug Applejack before I take to the clouds. While I'm not as strong as the rest of my family, I learned to fly and work the clouds faster than most pegasi my age. The sky was a bit cloudy, but unfortunately, only one plot needed rain today, which meant I had some clearing to do. I speed up quickly and slam into the cloud hoofs first, forcing the clouds to disperse. Even though I can fly real well, this is tiring. It takes a lot of speed or power to disperse clouds. When I was learning, I tried dropping down onto them, but it takes more force to break it that way. It hurt something fierce. So now I do it like most pegasi, and once the sky is clear, I feel like I've plowed a field. I landed and took a breather, basking in the sun after my work. I spotted Applejack working in the apple orchard and trotted over to offer a hoof. I offered to help her carry them back.

She told me, "It would be too heavy for you; even Apple Bloom has trouble carrying them."

Now, even if she didn't mean to, it sure felt like an insult. I told her, "Colts are supposed to be stronger than fillies!"

She was about to say something, but it looked like she'd bitten her tongue. "If you want to try, by all means."

Once I started carrying them, I quickly realized I'd made a mistake. Every step felt like a mile. I barely made it to the storage barn, seeing as I had to flap my wings like my life depended on it to help carry the load. Once we arrived, she asked if I wanted to continue. I politely declined; my muscles were screaming for mercy. With a chuckle, she said, "You should relax some before school starts."

I flew up to the shower to clean up. On the way, I couldn't tell if my legs or wings were more tired. The warm shower sorted that out quickly, then lying in my bed, my eyes felt heavier than those apples. Before I knew it, my eyes shot open with a knocking on the door.

It was Applejack hollering at me, "Ya ready? You should be heading out here soon!"

I stumble out of my bed, grabbing a coat just in case it rains heavily, and my saddlebags for school. Opening up the window, I call back to Applejack, "Bye Applejack, n' tell Big Mac I said bye!" Flying out of my window off to school.

I really don't like school all that much. I've never been very good at talking to people. I have no idea how Apple Bloom does it so easily. I would probably keep to myself if it wasn't for the other pegasi in my class being so fascinated with my flight. One time, I showed them how I spin while flying. They asked me how I did it, and all I could manage was, "I... just kinda spin..." They just stared at me for a moment, some tilting their heads in confusion. Luckily, one of the smarter pegasi jumped in to explain it. After stumbling through a few more conversations, I finally reached my desk. Most of the time, they don't seem to mind how I speak. With the exception of Guiding Bolt. She strides up to my desk and slams her hoof on it, scaring the soul out of me. She hovers there next to my desk, looking down at me like I stole her dog. She's the only other pegasus in our class who can take to the air, but while she excels at hovering and can stay aloft for a good while, she struggles to progress beyond that. I complimented her on staying aloft for so long. If I tried to stay in the air that long, I'm sure my wings would fall off. Her face flushed red, and she yelled, her voice tight with anger, that I wasn't serious and was mocking her. Then she rushed off, leaving me really confused. The next day, her hostility remained unchanged, as if our previous interaction hadn't even happened. I much rather have my alone time, and even when everyone is nice to me, I don't know much how to respond to compliments. Most days at school feel more exhausting than my chores at home because of her.

When school was out, I flew into the sky resting on a nearby cloud. I usually spend a lot of time up here. There is something nice bout how soft the cloud is. Almost like you sink slightly into it. It takes a long time to sink more into it. To stop it you just have to move a bit. Sometimes I just let it surround me. It's oddly warm in a cloud. Maybe cause I'm a pegasus, but it feels like a big blanket. There have been many times I fell asleep in a cloud, and Applejack got really furious with me.

As I sit here thinking the cloud hugs me a little bit more. I let my mind wander. I couldn't help but think back on the day so far, and there was only one pony that came to mind. As much as I don't like Guiding Bolt, She ironically the pony I spend the most time with. If she doesn't like me, why does go out of her way to find me? I wish I could read her mind cause it's awfully confusing. Even more confusing is why doesn't she try flying proper? With how long she keeps herself hovering off the floor, her wings must be much stronger than mine.

My thoughts slowly faded, drifting away before I even noticed they were gone. My eyes closed, and I lost all sense of time. I feel myself sink a little more. I feel warm as the cool winds are blocked from my body. Before I knew it my hoofs touched the floor in a dream somewhere far away.

Author's Note

I had a idea for this story a little ago. Wrote this up, please give feedback and let me know how you like it. I'll start on the second chapter when I get a bit more free time.