White Streak rolled out of his bed, grinning as he slammed his hoof down on his alarm clock. 'Time to train!' He thought gleefully. It was five thirty in the morning on a Saturday. He always got up early, regardless of the day, for the sole purpose of training. He grabbed a bottle of water and dashed out the door, his white coat standing out in the darkness while his black and gray mane remained hidden in the shadows.

Outside, he could feel the cool, autumn morning pierce his thin fur, chilling him. He shook it off. 'I'll be warm soon,' He told himself, 'If I just keep running.'

He loved running. It was his life. He had loved it since he was a tiny colt, hurrying around on awkward, uncertain legs. The earth pony's short mane shot straight out behind him, and his water bottle jolted around in his saddle bag. His hooves strummed the crisp soil, breaking through the thin layer of frost.

'I'll keep it short this morning,' he told himself, 'I've still got to make it back to Lilac Breeze's place by seven.'

Lilac Breeze was his best and only friend. She was the only pony in Equestria who White Streak really cared about. They'd met on their first day of school. She'd been sitting alone on the corner of the playground before school, staring out across the grass. White Streak had decided to take a break from his run and get some water at the fountain when he noticed her. "Hey!" He'd greeted, trotting up. "You look lonely. Wanna come run with me?" He hoped she'd say yes. Perhaps they could even play tag, and then others could join in as they arrived!

Lilac Breeze had shaken her head. "Sorry," She told him quietly, "I can't." She gazed out over the field again. White Streak, being the stupid young colt he was, had challenged her. "Why not? Are you too busy watching grass grow alone to hang out with anyone?" Lilac Breeze had shied away, shrinking back as far as her tiny frame would allow as he leaned in to glare at her. "It's not that," she'd whimpered, "I mean I really can't. It's impossible for me to come run with you!" At this point, he snorted and kicked at the ground. "Oh, really? How can it be impossible for you to run? You've got four legs, haven't you?!" The next words she uttered would haunt him forever. "Well, yes, but...I can't use them. Ever." Her expression twisted with sorrow and longing. "My legs don't work, and they never will."

Lilac Breeze had been born with legs that she couldn't move. Fortunately, she was a pegasus, so she could still move about, but she would never experience the joy of running. Still, White Streak had always envied her. Sure, running was great, but only because it was as close as he could get to flying. Lilac Breeze had been born with the most gorgeous wings he'd ever seen. They were long and elegant, with perfect rows of soft, pale-purple feathers running along their length, matching her soft coat. Flying was the best exercise she could get, and she flew nearly everywhere, so she got plenty of it. She was never bitter about her disability- she'd just accepted it as part of her life. There was nothing to be done about it, so there was no reason to worry about it. It wasn't in her nature to brood over things.

White Streak's flanks heaved as he flopped down on top of the hill he'd just made it up. It was a beautiful place, overlooking Ponyville, where he watched the sun rise when he took the trail. The sun climbed above the town, gently casting its light.

"Thank you, Celestia, for this beautiful view, and for the warmth of your sun."

He stood, shaking out his pelt. It was time to go. He took a deep breath, inhaling the sweet, familiar scent of dry grass. He'd have to take Lilac Breeze up here one morning to show her the view.

Soon, he was standing on Lilac Breeze's doorstep, ringing the bell.

"Coming!" Her quiet voice called. "One moment, please!"

She fluttered down the stairs and grabbed the rope she used to open the door in her teeth. She hauled t open and greeted White Streak with a smile. "Good morning!" She chimed, moving aside to let him in, "I'm so glad you could come. I really appreciate your help!"

Lilac Breeze had been working on her weather pattern assignment. It was up to her to figure out what kinds of weather Ponyville needed in order to keep in balance.

"I'm so sorry to burden you like this so often," She apologized as White Streak picked up a pencil and took a look at the chart she'd been given to fill in. "I'd do it myself if I could, but..." She glanced at her legs. Writing had always been difficult for her. It took a lot of effort to prop herself up correctly so that she could write, and when she tried she usually wound up falling over. She really needed to get some sort of assistant to help her- perhaps she'd visit Fluttershy later to see if any of her animals could aide her.

White Streak shrugged. "It's no problem, really. I'm happy to help." He held the chart and grasped the pencil. "So, what's on the agenda for the week?"

"We'll need a light drizzle tomorrow, followed by a cloudy day Monday to allow the water to soak in. Then things can start to clear up on Tuesday, with light clouds and patches of sunlight, followed by a milder weather on Wednesday and Thursday, then a cool down on Friday and Saturday. It's time for cold to start setting in more often. Winter's on its way."

White Streak scribbled down the weather on the chart. "I'll go with you to turn this in." He told her. She nodded gratefully, and led him out the door.

Her beautiful wings didn't make a sound as they cut through the still air. White Streak found himself staring at them as they talked.

"You know, White Streak, your birthday is coming up. Is there anything in particular you might look forward to?" Lilac Breeze's smile betrayed her. She'd tried to make the remark passive, so that she could get an idea what he wanted as a gift, but she was too excited to keep a straight face. She'd already talked to Pinkie Pie about throwing a party.

White Streak grinned. "A new stopwatch would be nice," He told her after a moment. "I accidentally broke mine last week when I dropped it. Or, I should say that the puddle broke it." He chuckled. "The only other thing I could want would be a pair of wings, and we both know that's not gonna happen!" He looked longingly at the sky. "I'd give just about anything to be able to fly." Lilac Breeze looked away guiltily. He remembered too late how upset she got when he said things like that. "Not that I'm jealous or anything!" He added quickly, "I was just thinking. Sorry, Lilac Breeze." He shuffled his hooves awkwardly. 'I really would give just about anything to fly, though,' He thought. 'Anything but Lilac Breeze, anyway.'