Pegasi of a Feather

The clouds whizzed by as Skye flapped his wings. His dark blue fur was pressed firmly against his body as the wind forced itself upon him. The city of Cloudsdale wasn't much further now. His eyes squinted as the violent gusts smashed into his face. The higher he flew, the stronger the wind became. Skye's silver mane was a mess from the long flight from New Jockey. Not many pegasus ponies were thrilled to fly halfway across Equestria in a single day.

His eyes focused a bit as he jerked his body to the side and flew higher; narrowly avoiding an oncoming wind stream.

"I really need to start paying more attention up here. These gusts are getting stronger. This is nothing like the skies above home." A black hoof ruffled the silver hairs that were awkwardly slicked back on his head.

Skye's body was well built for a pegasus, but he lacked the aerodynamic qualities of a smaller mare of his race. As a resident of New Jockey, he spent many of his days on the ground. The relentless gusts and air pressure around Cloudsdale were certainly a huge leap from the relaxed atmosphere of his hometown on the coast of Eastern Equestria. Luckily, Skye was blessed with strong wings. His feathers were soft to the touch, but extremely rugged. Soaring through the open skies was something he was built for, which would explain why he was chosen as New Jockey's official weather pony.

"That's it! I can see Cloudsdale!" he exclaimed as he punched through a thick layer of clouds obstructing the skyline from his view.

The grandest city ever to be built by ponies: Cloudsdale. The pegasi capital of Equestria was a sight to behold. Gorgeously sculpted buildings rested atop the purest clouds with architecture that rivaled even the best minds of Canterlot. With a brilliant mixture of old and new designs the pegasus race was right to place their pride among this fortress of the skies. The best fliers and some of the mightiest athletes of Equestria called Cloudsdale their home.

Skye pushed through another cloud and soared even higher to get a better view of the city. Pegasi were flying everywhere. His eyes watered at the sheer beauty. Not only was this his first time so far away from home; this was his first time ever setting hoof in Cloudsdale. For Skye, this trip had become something of a pilgrimage. The lonely soul trapped in his body was beating against his chest as he watched each pony soar by.

Rays of the sun crashed down onto the cloudy paths traversed by the colts and fillies. Most pegasi were eagerly zig-zagging past each other in a somehow coordinated fashion. Above the city, pegasi were snoozing on their puffy white beds, while others preened their wings before taking off for another flight. Beneath the thick pillars and clouds, smaller homes and shops were carefully arranged.

The wind whistled between the buildings before pouring out into the world below. As if sculpted from one humongous cloud, the city was full of slopes, slides, and beautiful stairways connecting the different sections. Crystal clear water and vibrant rainbows cascaded from the riverbeds and flowed directly from the city into the sky below.

Skye wiped a forehoof over his eyes and sniffled. "I feel like I'm finally home…"

. . . . . .

Skye tapped a front hoof on the cloud and grinned like a colt. "I've stood on hundreds of clouds before, but somehow this feels… different." He spoke as if addressing somepony next to him.

"That's 'cuz you're standing on history!" shouted a friendly voice. "This here is the heart and soul of Equestria, young stallion. These clouds have been with us since before – well, it seems like they've always been here!"

Skye darted his head back and saw a rickety old pony hovering above the plush, white surface. "Sorry, I'm just a little awestruck I suppose." He said with a blush on his face.

"No need to be ashamed! Honestly, it's a beautiful sight when a stray pegasus comes home for the first time."

"Home…" Skye trailed off.

"Something the matter? This old mouth of mine does tend to ramble occasionally! Hope I didn't say something to get your feathers in a bunch!" he laughed while landing next to Skye.

"I've just… never really had a place to call 'home.' I have a town that I love dearly, friends, work… but I've never felt this warm inside when I flew the skies there."

The old pony smiled and trotted past the sturdily-built Skye. "Youngin, no matter where a pegasus comes from or where he's going; Cloudsdale will always be a place for you to call home. Nothing will ever bring more joy to me than seeing a son or daughter of Cloudsdale fly here for the first time. Welcome home." He strained his grey wings and took to the sky.

"Wait a sec, old timer! Where's the weather factory?" Skye shouted up.

"Oh? A weather pony, are ya? Wonderful! I should have known by that wingspan of yours. You must be one heckuva cloud-buster!"

"Uh, yeah, I guess I've busted my fair share of clouds. I was just chosen as the weather pony for New Jockey. I'm here for the -" he sighed "- meet-and-greet banquet."

"I hate those stuffy formal things, but cheer up, sonny! There are a lot of pretty mares there! I remember back when I was a…" His ramblings were ignored while Skye face-hoofed.

"Mares or not, I would rather see more of the city than be stared at by strangers in some cramped room all night." He tilted his head to the side and looked past the old pony, who was still recounting the majority of his life as a proud pegasus.

"… and then I saved Princess Celestia herself from a deadly tornado! She wanted to make me a prince, but I…"

Skye dropped onto his hindquarters and blinked a few times as he looked past the old pony and enjoyed the scenery. Large stone pillars were holding the clouds in place; almost as if the clouds were puffs of cotton candy on a stick. The ponies happily trotted and flew between the homes and structures. The wind was calmer in the city as well. Skye ruffled his mane once again to make sure he didn't have an old-fashioned wind swept look about his head.

"…that was after I single-handedly defeated the biggest griffon you would ever see! They called me 'The Scrambler' because they are like birds, you see, and I was smashing them all over…"

"Uh, look, I'm glad you're filling me in on every moment of your life, but I really need to get to that weather factory, sir.

"Oh, sorry! The ramblings of an old stallion never seem to end. Why, I remember when I was colt…"

Skye covered his ears with his hooves and launched himself into the air. With a few more flaps, he was away from the old historian and on a hunt for the weather factory.

. . . . . .

Skye's eyes squinted once more as the wind continued to whip him in the face. "I just can't get used to the wind up here!" he shouted in frustration. "But I am loving this freedom!"

Feathers fell from his wings as he forced himself higher and playfully weaved between clouds. His blue body darted from one cloud to the next. He looked over to his right and saw several fillies in the distance coasting with the wind. He veered closer.

"Excuse me! Can you tell me where the weather factory is?" he flipped himself over and pretended to backstroke through the air.

"Hey, you're a pretty good flier, mister!" exclaimed an excited filly.

"The weather factory isn't much further down this stretch of sky. It's a bit out of the way from the downtown, but worth the flight. You'll love it there! My daddy is making rainbows right now!" squeaked another young pony.

"Rainbows, huh? That's a little too frilly for me, but I'm glad to know I'm on the right trail." He twisted his body around and stretched his hooves forward. "You girls fly safe. The wind is pretty strong up here!"

She shook her head and giggled. "No it isn't."

Skye's grin was torn from his scruffy muzzle.

"It… isn't?" Skye bit his lip. He'd been struggling to stay on course for most of his stay in Cloudsdale so far. Now a pony half his age and a quarter his size was saying she had no problems handling the wind currents here?

Skye swallowed his confidence down his throat and sped away from the waving fillies. "The winds aren't strong up here? That just doesn't make sense… What's wrong with me then?" His head hung low and stared at the pastures and fields far below his reach. "Did I forget how to fly or something?"

. . . . . .

Skye's black hooves ripped across the top of the clouds as he skidded over the surface. He yelled out in excitement as his experimental landing turned out better than he expected. With a quick twist of his body, Skye came to a halt. Dust from the clouds entered his throat and caused a brief choking spell. His front hooves pressed against his throat as he gasped for air.

"Still worth it!" he wheezed. After his lungs filled with air once again, he padded along the bouncy surface of the clouds. "This place is definitely like a huge playground for us pegasi." He stopped and turned his gaze upward. Towering above him was none other than the Cloudsdale Weather Factory.

This was probably the most famous structure in all of Cloudsdale. Ponies worked tirelessly around the clock making weather to spread throughout Equestria. Not only was weather produced here, but ponies also studied new advancements for weather control and distribution. Without the hard work of the pegasi here, Equestria would not have the seasons or any organized weather for that matter!

Skye noticed a sign that pointed to a banquet hall entrance. "Wow, they have the banquet hall right here on site. Not like I should be surprised. This place is probably bigger than all of New Jockey…" He stopped and looked at two archways that separated paths into the banquet hall.

Between the archways sat a middle-aged mare with a greying curly blonde mane. Her eyes were protected behind thick slabs of glass. She squinted at her clipboard and lifted the heavy glasses to focus her eyes on the scribbles. Skye happily came to a stop and sat on the ground in front of her table.

"Name." She asked. Her unenthusiastic voice did nothing to promote the excitement of a banquet.

"Skye Shot. Weather po-"

"Just the name is fine." She hummed to herself and inspected the paper carefully. "Says here you're from New Jockey?" She flipped a page over on the clipboard.

"Right. I just-"

"You're here for the banquet then. New weather ponies go in through the right cloud arch. You'll be sitting with – oh, you'll be sitting alone." She licked her hoof before turning the page again.

"W-what?" Skye's face dropped as he registered the new information. "Alone? That can't-"

"Sorry, no other new weather ponies for this banquet. Looks like you're the lucky one. Probably won't be too many bigwigs here tonight. No sense having a big crowd just for one new weather pony."

"Oh… yeah, that makes sense." Skye lowered his head in embarrassment. "Um, so will I-"

"Through the right arch please." She grumbled while adjusting her glasses.

"Yeah… my bad…"

Skye narrowed his eyes at the old mare studying her clipboard. He waved a hoof in front of her face. No reaction. He flew away slowly and looked up between the top of the archway. A large sign was hanging underneath and read Welcome New Weather Ponies. His eyes dodged the promising words and fell upon the edge of the clouds. He gazed to the world below and sighed.

"Guess I won't be sending a letter to Chase and Role after all… 'Hey guys, I'm finally here in Cloudsdale and nopony cares about my new job!'" His mumblings were interrupted by shouting behind him.

"Rainbow Dash!" shouted the light-blue coated pegasus mare. Her mane was streaked just like the rainbows trickling off the edges of Cloudsdale.

"You're here for the banquet?" The older mare's words were muffled as she used the quill in her mouth to place a check next to Dash's name.

"Uh, duh! I'm not turning down-"

"Cloud arch on the left." She stated abruptly.

"Did you just interrupt me?" Rainbow's voice squeaked, as she tilted her head slightly.

"Listen, Miss-" The older mare coughed and adjusted her glasses to read "- Cranebow Smash, please move through the arch to your left and find your seat."

"Ugh! Rainbow Dash! R-A-I-N-" Dash hovered off the ground and flailed her hooves wildly.

"Please calm down. I don't want your outbursts holding up the line any further." The old mare interrupted again, keeping her eyes locked on the clipboard.

Dash turned around and watched a gust of wind swirl by. "Nopony else is even here yet! I am the entire line! And stop interrupting me!" she shouted while extending her legs in all directions.

A smile crept onto Skye's face as he watched the rainbow-maned mare throw a tantrum.

"I'm just saying; it's pretty rude of you to keep cutting ponies off like that." Rainbow continued.

"Ma'am, please go through the arch on the left. I'm not in the mood for you spunky fillies today."

"Spunky? Spunky?! Why I oughtta-"

"I'm going to call security, Miss Smash…" The old mare's voice was barely audible let alone threatening, but it was obvious she was the kind of pony who always got her way in the end.

"I'm going, I'm going!" Rainbow huffed and zipped under the left arch into the building.

"So that's the one and only Rainbow Dash we always read about, eh?" Skye looked back to his saddlepack and smiled. "Maybe I will have something to tell you guys after all. 'Hey guys, I watched two mares beat each other senseless with clouds today.'" Skye snickered at his own joke and trotted along through the clouds. He entered the archway on the right and was consumed by the darkness inside the small room.

. . . . . .

The banquet hall was smaller than Skye expected, though it was still bustling with more activity than he was used to seeing back home. His head slowly scanned the crowd. Red. Green. White. Green with blue. Brown. Black. No ponies with a rainbow colored mane.

"I wonder if she decided to leave?" he questioned while rubbing the silver stubble on his chin. "She was definitely a breath of fresh air; seems like I won't get a chance to talk with her after all."

Overhead, a team of pegasi pushed dark clouds over the open ceiling. Some holes were poked in the clouds to allow the fading daytime light to fall onto the crowd below. Skye uneasily watched as the weather ponies from other districts and cities mingled with one another. It was a show of cocky cloud-pushers and rain making braggarts.

"Is this what I'm going to be like a few years from now?" His eyes focused on the dining table. "Food!"

A basket of apples was neatly arranged in the center of the table. Not a single bruise, scuff, or imperfection could be seen. Next to the apple basket, a card could be read: From your friends at Sweet Apple Acres. Skye looked beyond the apples and saw a crystal pony sculpture holding two punch bowls in her out-stretched hooves. Carrots. Hay fries. Some sort of sandwich wrap with flower petals inside. He rubbed his hooves together excitedly when he spotted the large cake on the table furthest from the encroaching Rainbow Dash.

"Rainbow Dash! That's her!" he exclaimed to himself as his head whipped from the cake back to Dash.

The rainbow-maned pony slammed her back against the puffy cloud wall and innocently waved a hoof at Skye. She had been caught trying to tip-toe to the cake table. Almost the perfect crime; if the room had not been filled with so many watchful eyes.

The tapping of a hoof against a wooden table startled Skye. His head snapped around as he studied a well-dressed stallion.

"Skye Shot, I presume? Nice to meet you; my name is Forecast. I'm the weather foreman in charge of the factory here in Cloudsdale. I've heard wonderful things about you! I'm overjoyed to have some young blood joining our family." His pencil-thin mustache didn't seem to move when he spoke.

"Thank you, sir. To be honest, I'm a little down that I'm the only new weather pony here today. I guess I thought there would be a lot of us." His eyes moved from Forecast's neatly pressed blazer to the ground. "I feel a bit ridiculous being here all by myself."

"Nonsense!" he spouted. "This is your night. Frankly, I'm glad that we are able to offer you an evening all to yourself. Weather ponies are hard-working and truly dedicated to Equestria. After tonight, nopony will praise you; nopony will even give second thought to your duties. Well, other than us here at the factory. It's rather easy to brush off tonight as simply a formality, but please try to enjoy yourself. Remember, young Skye Shot; you are here because we wanted you to be responsible for the lives of an entire town. Bring them sunshine. Shower their crops when needed. Give them the peace of mind that only a weather pony can provide."

Skye nodded slowly and smiled in agreement. "Wow… I never thought about it like that."

"It can be a tall order for some. We make the weather here, but it's up to ponies like you to regulate everything in Equestria. Who knows, we may even need your help in other cities someday! Can you imagine cloud-busting over Canterlot?"

"This is all so overwhelming. I-I barely ever left my hometown before; even when I did I was with my friends." Skye wiped his brow and exhaled. "Sorry, I'm not used to all the attention being on me. Even my mouth is starting to dry out!"

"You'll feel much better once you start your work with us. Just enjoy tonight as much as possible. I did see some pretty important ponies out there." Forecast removed a pocket watch from his blazer and quickly shoved it back inside. "I better hurry! It's almost time!"

/) To be continued (\