"On your left!"
A colorful blur shot past Waterwing and through the ring of clouds in front of her. Sweat beading on her forehead, she put on a burst of speed and banked to one side, taking her through the ring and lining her up with the next one. For a moment, it seemed as though she might actually begin closing the gap between her and her opponent, but just as she passed through the next ring...
"On your left!"
Waterwing beat her wings forward, slowing to a stop and flailing her legs in frustration as the same blur blew past her almost effortlessly.
The blur, none other than Rainbow Dash, spotted her racing partner giving up and quickly made her way over. "Hey, come on! I think you got a little closer that time!"
At this, Waterwing only scowled and wiped the sweat from her face.
Rainbow offered an apologetic grin. "Or... maybe we could take a break instead?" She pointed a hoof at something over Waterwing's shoulder. "That looks like a good spot to chill for a bit."
Waterwing's eyes darted around as she attempted to decipher what Rainbow meant; there was nothing in the direction she'd pointed aside from the same partly cloudy sky all around them. Rainbow Dash gave her a knowing smirk and flew over to a nearby cloud, landing atop it gently and taking a seat before beckoning her friend over. Waterwing gave a silent sigh as she plopped down on the cloud herself.
Rainbow smiled eagerly at Waterwing's fatigued expression. "Hey now, don't sell yourself short! I'm the best flier in Ponyville, that's all. You're actually really good for somepony who's only been flying for a few days!"
Waterwing shook her head dismissively, staring down at the cloud on which they sat. As Rainbow Dash watched, tears slowly began welling up in her eyes.
"Oh no, not again..." Rainbow quickly scanned the skies around them for something to use as a distraction. "He-hey, look over there! Doesn't that cloud look like Pinkie Pie's hair?"
Blinking the tears out of her eyes, Waterwing's gaze locked onto the cloud in question.
"And there!" Rainbow continued. "It's drifting toward that one that looks like a cupcake. I bet you she's gonna eat it!"
Waterwing quickly found herself stifling a silent giggle with her hoof, taking a moment to wipe her eyes before looking back over at Rainbow.
Rainbow took a few tentative steps closer and sat next to Waterwing, gesturing out at the skies around them. "I never get bored of hanging out up here. You can practically see all of Equestria! Look over there; you see that shape on the side of the mountain?"
Waterwing's eyes scanned the mountains in question, and she nodded as she spotted a very large structure covered in tall spires jutting out of the mountainside.
"That's Canterlot, the capital," Rainbow explained. "It's a few hours by train, but we could totally fly there in like twenty minutes if we wanted. The ponies there are mostly stuck-up unicorns though, so I only go when I have to."
Waterwing nodded once again, her jaw stretching slowly as she let out a yawn.
Rainbow smirked. "I guess that race kinda took it out of you, didn't it? If you're tired, we can totally take a nap up here."
Waterwing blinked, the idea taking a moment to register in her head. As it did so, she briefly glanced over her shoulder in apparent confusion, scratching her head and pointing down at their cloudy perch for clarification.
"Yeah!" Rainbow stretched and let herself fall backward with a gentle poof.
After a moment of hesitation, Waterwing curled up on the cloud and gently laid her head down.
"The warm sun, the cool breeze, the soft cloud..." Rainbow casually folded her forelegs behind her head. "After this, I bet you'll never wanna nap anywhere else. What do you think?"
A quick glance was all it took to reveal that Waterwing was already asleep.
With a quiet sigh, Rainbow Dash sat up and gave Waterwing a gentle pat on the head. "I guess flying isn't the only thing wearing you out here, huh...?"