//------------------------------// // Red Carpet // Story: Broken Sky // by Fyn16 //------------------------------// Red Carpet A jolt bumped Nimbus out of his sleep. He’d been practically unconscious for most of the carriage ride now. He and the rest of his REAC classmates had departed San Palomino Air Base an hour ago, all in high spirits but also equally exhausted. It had taken Nimbus less than five minutes to pass out. Storm Runner had been counting. Nimbus stirred and pulled himself up as another jolt rocked the carriage. Turbulence, no doubt. His suspicions were confirmed when he glanced out the window. The carriage, pulled by two Pegasi, was beginning a slow climb between several mountains, and the mountain winds were buffeting it every so often. Nimbus took in the beautiful sight. White, snow-capped peaks glistened in the afternoon sun, and from here, he could even see wisps of snow, driven by the breeze. Finally, he peeled himself away from the sight to have a look around the carriage. Storm Runner was the only other pony awake. Go figure. “So you’ve rejoined the land of the living?” Storm Runner quipped, “I envy you. All of that ‘snooze you lose’ stuff is a pile of manure. I’d love to be able to sleep right now. I’m just way too excited.” Nimbus stretched out and reclined as much as he could on his bench. “Storm Runner, you’re excited about everything.” Storm Runner nodded. “This is true.” He struck a noble pose “for it is my blessing, and my curse.” Nimbus chuckled at his friend’s antics and turned his attention back to the window. Something caught his eye- a shape that didn’t belong in nature. It was a mountain with a flat-topped peak. Nimbus instantly became more alert. “I see the campus!” he said, “it’s on our left side! We’ll be there in no time at all!” Several ponies began to stir, mumbling grumpily for Nimbus to be quiet, and the Pegasus grinned sheepishly, turning his attention back out the window. Sure enough, the college was slowly coming into view, emerging from the clouds bit by bit. The main building was huge, with a roof made almost entirely out of glass panes. Smaller buildings dotted the mountaintop nearby, more than likely the living areas, and several bridges crisscrossed between the college and other, smaller peaks where still more buildings and spires were. Nimbus was in awe. He was interrupted from his daydreams by a voice from the front of the carriage. It was one of the Pegasi pulling them. “Cadets, secure yourselves. We will be passing over the campus at high speed, in accordance with college tradition. Enjoy your red carpet treatment while it lasts.” Nimbus didn’t know what was going on, but the voice didn’t appear to be joking. He sat back in his seat and fastened his seatbelt. Around him, others were waking up and doing the same, equally clueless. Nimbus craned his neck for a look outside. They were picking up speed now, and the two carriages that had followed them here had taken their places on their left and right. It was a good formation, made even more impressive by the size of the carriages. As a colt, Nimbus had seen formation flying done before, but only between individual Pegasi, not Pegasi pulling large, cumbersome carriages through the air. The best was yet to come, though. “Hang on!” the voice from before called back. Nimbus barely had time to react as his world turned upside-down. All carriages and carriage-pullers executed sharp high-speed rolls as they passed over the college. Nimbus could hear cheers below and his spirits rose. They were cheering for them! He tried not to take it too seriously- allowing such things to go to one’s head usually turned out to be a recipe for disaster- but he couldn’t help but feel pride swell in him all the same. When the Pegasi banked around, Nimbus started organizing his saddlebag. They’d be landing soon. A few moments later, a soft “thud” confirmed his suspicions. They were on the ground. When they were fully stopped, the carriage door opened and one of the carriage-pullers stuck his head in. “Follow me,” he said, “and keep quiet. You’ll have time to look around later, but for now there are formalities to attend to.” Nimbus stepped out after the Pegasus. From the ground, the college looked even more massive, and the landscape was simply dazzling. Green grass covered the grounds, dotted with patches of pure, white snow. Other ponies, whom Nimbus presumed to be students, began to gather around, applauding the cadets as they arrived. Nimbus picked his head up a little more, trying to look as confident and dashing as possible while maintaining an air of humility. Storm Runner, who trotted along beside him, was doing the exact opposite. The blue Pegasus , it appeared, had unleashed his inner rockstar and was pulling every trick in the book, from bowing to nodding, to waggling eyebrows at a few mares. The guy had only been here for less than a minute and he was popular already. Nimbus could see the Pegasus escorting them getting somewhat perturbed at being unable to do anything. While Storm Runner was certainly taking things lightly, he technically hadn’t broken any rules. The stallion hadn’t uttered a single word. Nimbus laughed silently to himself and diverted his attention back towards the college. A snow-white Pegasus mare was headed in their direction, and she carried herself with authority. While he didn’t know who she was, Nimbus decided that she was rather important, and that behaving like Storm Runner at this point wouldn’t necessarily be wise. “Good afternoon, Captain,” the mare said to the escort Pegasus, who saluted in return. “Good afternoon, ma’am. I present you with this year’s cadets. They have excelled through the rigors of Field Training and are anxious to prove their dedication to Equestria through their studiousness here.” “So I can see,” the mare said, raising an eyebrow at Storm Runner, who was currently occupied with copying down the room address of a blue-eyed Unicorn. The white mare saluted the Pegasus, then turned to the cadets as the escort Pegasus walked away. “Cadets, welcome to the Royal Equestrian Air College. I am Winter Breeze, the college’s Primicerius.” Several eyebrows went up, and Winter Breeze smiled. “Understandably, many of you are probably confused. You’ll find that many of our customs here are quite old, and go back long before Equestria was even founded. As Primicerius, I am tasked with ensuring that your education prepares you to be beneficial citizens of Equestria, and in your case, some of our nation’s finest warriors. In short, you could say that I run things around here. If you’ll follow me, I’d like to explain the history behind this college.” Winter Breeze turned and headed towards the main building. The rest of the cadets followed, and Nimbus managed to drop in line next to Storm Runner, who was bidding his blue-eyed “marefriend” a cheery goodbye. “Did you catch any of what Winter Breeze said?” Nimbus asked as Storm Runner tucked the Unicorn’s room number into his saddlebag. “Nope,” Storm Runner admitted, “but I’m sure I’ll figure it out as we go along.” Winter Breeze led the ponies through two great double doors into the main hall. Nimbus’s breath was taken away by the sheer immensity of the place. The college had looked large from the outside; from the inside, it seemed impossibly big. Pillars carved out of what appeared to be the very mountain’s stone and marble trim covered the vast expanse of the interior. The place looked ancient, and yet it appeared as if it had never aged a day. “This is the Great Hall,” Winter Breeze said, stopping once all of the cadets had filed in. “When Equestria was founded, Commander Hurricane herself took its defense under her responsibility. This building was once a fortress. Towards the end of her days, Commander Hurricane realized that Equestria needed a college dedicated to educating ponies about the skies of her homeland, and training those who wished to defend them. The college was born as Equestria’s borders widened and forced this fortress farther from potential battlefields. It grew around the fortress, until it became what you see today. By now, of course, you’ve noticed that not all of the ponies here are cadets. The college specializes in providing education for those interested in seeking knowledge about our skies. We’ve trained weather specialists, farmers, even a few of Celestia’s own royal guard.” “Commander Hurricane?” Storm Runner whispered, “even I didn’t know that.” “You serious?” Nimbus joked, “I thought you knew everything about this place. You took the tour, right?” “Please refrain from interrupting me,” Winter Breeze called out over the cadets. Nimbus instantly shut his mouth. Though the Primicerius wasn’t looking at him directly, he felt she knew exactly who had spoken out of turn. “We’ll work our way towards the dormitories, where you will begin registration,” Winter Breeze continued, “keep up, and-“ she looked directly at Nimbus, “-try to avoid drawing too much attention to yourselves.” Nimbus gulped. She’d caught him after all. “To your right is the dining hall, like the main hall, it is completely unchanged structurally, and we have only added modern appliances for the benefit of our students. It is open three times a day, and you may check the schedule yourselves. We must move quickly; there is much more to see.” … Nimbus stopped in front of a white door marked “104,” consulting a sheet of paper he’d been carrying around in his saddlebag. He turned around. “This is it,” he said. Storm Runner, the pony who’d been following him, nodded. “Open ‘er up, then, Nimbus! Let’s see what we got!” Nimbus cracked open the door and stepped inside. Like the rest of the campus, the floor was marble. A bed was set next to both the left and the right walls, the frame of which was completely built out of stone. Nimbus winced. The architecture was incredible- the stonework seemed carved from the mountain- but the beds looked less than comfortable. Still, he decided to say nothing. Storm Runner, on the other hand, was considerably more vocal about the situation. “What is this? I have to sleep on a bunch of rocks for the next year?* Field Training I could understand, but this is ridiculous!” “Well they did provide mattresses,” Nimbus pointed out helpfully. “It’s not like you’ll be sleeping on bare stone. Besides- we’re actually quite lucky. This is the oldest living hall on campus. It’s possible some legendary warrior Pegasus slept on that same bed. Heck, maybe Commander Hurricane herself did!” Storm Runner turned his gaze solemnly out the window towards the sky. “In that case, dear Commander Hurricane, I must say that I fully respect you, but your choice of beds is laughable.” “Oh come on, it’s not so bad,” Nimbus said, “here, I’ll show you.” Nimbus flared his wings and launched himself into the air in a perfect belly flop, landing on his bed with a sound somewhere between a comfortable “poof” and a somewhat less comfortable-sounding “splat.” “Ow,” Nimbus said, his voice muffled by the mattress, “that actually kind of hurt. Remind me not to question your judgment when it comes to furniture quality.” Storm Runner laughed and started going through his saddlebag, pulling out odds and ends. “You know what, Nimbus? You and me are gonna get along just fine as roommates for the year.” “You mean if we don’t destroy half the school first,” Nimbus pointed out, pulling himself up and remaking his bed. Storm Runner shrugged. “If it’s the half with these terrible beds, I think we’ll have done the sleeping community a favor. I don’t have a problem with that.” Smiling, Nimbus sat down on his newly-made bed, taking out a few pictures his family had sent with him- reminders of the support he had back home. Storm Runner took note of this and sat back in a study chair, taking a brief break from his unpacking. “So Nimbus,” he said finally, “what made you join up? I mean going Aviator isn’t easy, that’s for sure.” Nimbus sighed, feeling his hear sink. He’d hoped to avoid this subject for as long as possible. Still, he couldn’t just lie. Storm Runner had to know the truth. “I came here from the Wonderbolt Academy, actually,” he said at last, “I was disenrolled.” Storm Runner’s eyes went wide. “What are you talking about? Is this some kind of joke? Dude, you were kicking flank left and right during Field Training! Why would the Wonderbolts want to kick you out?” “Because I made some big mistakes, and I got arrogant,” Nimbus admitted. “I thought the moment I walked in I had everything in the bag. Failing my first Dizzitron exam? I figured I was just having a bad day. Never occurred to me the second and third time I failed that if I’d just cracked the books open and done some reading I’d have passed easily. When Spitfire shut away my Wonderbolt pin, it was just…” Nimbus felt a tear slide down his cheek and he looked up. Storm Runner seemed positively devastated. “What about you?” Nimbus sniffed, trying to change the subject. “What drew you to the service?” Shaking his head and clearing his thoughts, Storm Runner stood proudly, gazed about the room dramatically, then fixed Nimbus with a steely gaze. “Mares,” he said, not blinking or breaking his serious expression even once. Despite his recent recollections, Nimbus lost himself again and started laughing. Storm Runner joined in as well. The two laughed for at least a minute straight before Storm Runner stopped. “Okay,” he said, “jokes aside, I did it for my family. You know my dad fought in the Griffon War a few years ago- came back home, and I was born a year later. When I learned that the Royal Equestrian Air Force was our country’s biggest deterrent against those damn Griffons, I had to be a part of it. I can’t see Equestria fall into war again, and I can’t see my family come under fire. That’s the truth, plain and simple.” “That’s noble,” Nimbus said, nodding, “not many ponies have the kind of motivation you do, it seems.” “Nor do they share your determination,” Storm Runner countered, then shook his head. “Aw, look what you’ve done. You’re getting me all sentimental. Let’s get some chow before my condition gets any worse.” “Lead the way,” Nimbus laughed. “Classes start tomorrow; maybe we can figure out where those are on the way.” “We’ll do that after we eat,” Storm Runner said, closing the door behind Nimbus as the orange Pegasus exited the room, “I’m so hungry right now I’d probably be willing to eat a few rocks if it’d fill me up.” Sighing, Nimbus gave his roommate a friendly shove and led the way out of the dorm. “Of course,” Storm Runner added under his breath, “eating rocks is probably still better than sleeping on ‘em.”