A Gentle Breeze of Change
Chapter 15 : Cloud Lane Academy
It was the morning after the arrival of Solar Bolt, the newest Pegasus. The cloud house, referred to by the occupants as One Cloud Lane, had held up over the night. One of the residents, Summer Breeze, a light-grey mare with a light blue green mane, awoke to the sound of birds chirping and the sun shining in her window. She stretched and rolled out of bed, seeing her sister Autumn was in her bed, asleep.
Summer, being considerate of her sister’s beauty rest, decided to go downstairs after her shower and fix something for the residents. After a shower, she peeked into the room where Cherry Cloud was asleep. The little filly looked so peaceful in her cloud bed. Summer quietly closed the door as to not awake the filly.
The next resident she checked in on was Solar Bolt. This mare had recently undergone her transformation in front of her and Autumn. Summer wanted to wake Solar Bolt up, but chose to let her rest. Perhaps some delicious breakfast would get the residents up and running!
As Summer starts to prepare breakfast, the scent of pancakes and orange juice, among other foods begins to stir the residents out of bed. The first resident to awaken was Solar Bolt.
Meanwhile, up in Solar Bolt’s room, her muzzle started to smell the waft of food. She began to stir in her sleep.
Mmm f-five more minutes m-mommy, Solar Bolt murmured, as she tried to block the fantastic aroma that was disturbing her sleep. Sadly, the aroma of breakfast was greater than the sleep that was holding the Pegasus in her bed. Solar Bolt groggily got up, stretched her wings, and went downstairs to see what her friend was up to.
As Solar Bolt neared the kitchen, she noticed Summer Breeze had just finished setting the dining room table for the residents of the cloud house.
“Morning, sleepy head! Sleep well?” Summer said to Solar Bolt as she placed a plate of pancakes covered in syrup and whipped cream where she wanted her friend to sit.
Solar trots over to her seat as she sits where her friend offered next to her. She smells the aroma of the pancakes that woke her up.
“Mmm, smells good and yeah, I did sleep good but... “ Solar Bolt paused in mid-sentence to collect her thoughts, “but it’s kinda hard to sleep when you have well...” Solar stretches out her wings and shows her friend what she means, as her head hangs. “I-it’s kinda hard to sleep with these wings in the way.”
Summer extended a hoof over to Solar Bolt and gave her a side hug, “I usually sleep on my back for the most part, with my wings extended, or on my side with my wings to their sides. I understand what you are going through.” She then turns to her breakfast.
“I-I mean how do you guys do it?” As Solar couldn’t believe that this wasn’t going to be easy than it seems. Her friend Summer wrapped her in a tight and embracing hug while she stroked her mane.
Summer had a confused look on her face as she pulled away gently, “What do you mean do what?” She asked.
“I mean, how do you guys manage to sleep with these- these things?” Solar started to tear up a little bit as she knows that she’ll have to get used to sleeping with her new wings.
Summer nods in understanding what Solar Bolt was trying to say, “Oh, you mean our wings? First of all, try not to sleep on them, or you’ll get wing cramps...trust me, I’ve cramped my wings when they first grew in. I usually lay on my back or my stomach.”
“O-ok I-I guess I could t-try that but... “ Solar Bolt trailed off again as she wasn’t sure if she would like doing it that way, but she had to try as well as get used to sleeping like that as she’s now a pegasus. She smiles weakly at her friend and hugs her while crying a little.
T-thanks f-for everything, Summer..” The Pegai sniffles” I-I-I don’t know what I would’ve done if you haven’t been so kind enough to take me in after what happened to me! I-I guess what I’m saying is that I’-I’m glad I met you and your family.” Solar cried into her friend’s chest, drenching it with her tears.
Summer hugs her back, “Hay, you’re my friend and fellow Pegasi. We look out for one another! My sisters, Winter, Spring, and Autumn would love to hang out with you. You already met Autumn, so, that’s at least one of my siblings you met.” Summer begins to hug the crying Pegasi. “You seem to be a bit emotional, but that’s understandable. It’s a big change for you.”
“I-I know i-it is, a-and I’m willing to accept this change just as long as I have you and the other Pegasi there to help me.” Solar stopped her crying and just continued to hug her friend.
Summer nods giving her friend a hug back, “Well, you know there are other ponies who are going through the same issues as us? There are two other pony groups, the unicorns and Earth ponies. Autumn and I met an Earth Pony stallion a while back. His name is Axel. He used to fix wagons in Ponyville and told me he was a friend of the Apple family.”
“Oh really?” Solar’s ears perked up at this interesting news a smile on her face.
“H-hey Summer? I-I was wondering if we could meet this Axel friend of yours as well as maybe the Apple family too, i-if you don’t mind me asking, that is?” The dark blue Pegasi asked politely.
Summer shook her head, “Well, not sure about meeting Applejack and her family, since I heard that Discord banished the Element Bearers as well as the other residents of Ponyville and Cloudsdale. But, I could arrange a meeting with Axel. He’s a friend of Big McIntosh. He’s the large red stallion that worked on the Apple farm in Ponyville. He’s Applejack’s brother.”
“Oh I-I see,” Solar’s smile faded replaced by a sad look as her ears drooped as well. “W-well s-so much for that.” She sighed,”a-and I was really hoping to meet Applejack too o-oh well.”
Summer nods, “I was wanting to meet Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy, since Spring Breeze is good friends with Fluttershy. Winter Breeze loves to paint winter scenes, and I am certain her painting of Canterlot in Winter would be spotlighted in an art show. Rarity would really enjoy that.”
“Well then I-I guess we’ll just have to find a way to get Rainbow and her friends back then won’t we?” Solar Bolt suggested.
Solar Bolt had a look of hope in her eyes as her smile returned. She broke the hug as Summer realised that this blue Pegasi would do anything to help get Rainbow and the Elements of Harmony back!
“Well Summer, what’s say that we start our search for the Element Bearers, huh?” Solar enthusiastically said, hoping to figure out which ponies to reach out to.
Summer nods, “Yeah, after we eat breakfast. I cannot focus on locating missing ponies on an empty stomach.” She digs into her stack of pancakes. “We also need to help you fly again. This house we built out of clouds was designed to help house, train, and guide our fellow ponies learn to use their special talents. That’s what your Cutie Mark’s telling you, right?”
“Y-yeah I-I guess you’re right?” Solar’s stomach then growled in response to the sound of food being mentioned as she laughs a little bit.
“ Hehe, guess I could eat before searching, I suppose? But ok, and I guess I could use a few flying lessons as well too but... Alright!” The hungry Pegasi starts to dig into her pile of food.
”Mmm delicious! I love these pancakes you made, Summer!” Solar continued to enjoy the delicious pancake breakfast.
Summer nods, and eats her pancakes, “You said it. What do want to drink? I have milk, orange juice, apple juice..oh, thanks. Having three siblings to cook for definetly helps. They helped me get through my changes. Charlie, the philosophy major in college, became Spring Breeze, and Jennifer, the artist, became Winter Breeze.”
“Really? T-that’s interesting could you tell me more about these friends of yours?” Solar smiled as she really would like to know everything she can about Summer’s friends.
“Also, I guess a glass of OJ would be good i suppose, thanks.” Solar stated politely.
Summer face-hoofs, “Charlie and Jennifer are my sisters. They ended up as Pegasi. They go by Spring and Winter Breeze, respectively.” She flies over to get some orange juice for the both of them. “Here you go.” Summer pours some orange juice for her and Solar Bolt to drink.
“Oh s-sorry I-I didn’t know but still I’d love to hear more about them if you don’t mind, Summer?” Solar blushed as she realised she made a mistake about Summer’s family.
Summer nods, “It’s okay, Solar Bolt. I’ll help you meet my sisters and Cherry Cloud. Cherry Cloud is a young Pegasi filly who still needs help in flying. Autumn and I found her on a cloud, scared of flying. She ended up falling off the cloud, and we had to work together to save her. She has a Cutie Mark, a cherry on top of a white cloud. I wonder that that means?”
“I’m sorry to hear that, and I can only imagine how scary it must’ve been for the little filly,” Solar trailed off as she asked a follow-up question.
“How exactly did she get up on the cloud? I mean she couldn’t have flown up there all by herself, could she?” Solar Bolt asked while she ate another piece of her pancakes, listening to Summer’s tale of heroics to save the young Pegasus filly.
Summer placed a hoof to her chin. “She told Autumn and I she got blown off course when a strong wind started up. She must have found a cloud and ended landing on it. By the time Autumn and I heard her cries for help, there she was, shivering in fear, huddled on this cloud no bigger than her.”
As the two mares were discussing Cherry Cloud, the young filly in question awoke to the smells of breakfast and came down to eat. The pale green filly Pegasus had a sky blue and lime green mane with one part falling over her right eye and grazed the top of the left. The young filly had freckles on her face and a white cumulus cloud with a cherry on top as a Cutie Mark, representing her love of cooking. Her bright blue eyes saw Summer and her new friend eating their breakfast.
“Morning!” The little filly said, climbing up to her place on the table. “What’s for breakfast?”
Summer smiled at the filly, “Cherry Cloud, we have pancakes for breakfast and oh, this is my new friend, Solar Bolt! Solar Bolt, this is Cherry Cloud.”
Cherry Cloud nods and waved a hoof to Solar Bolt. “Hi there! Can I have some pancakes, please?” The young filly asked politely.
Summer nods, and flies over to get a plate for her new friend, “Here you go, Cherry Cloud! Just ask if you need anything else!” The light grey Pegasi gives the younger pony a side hug.
The filly begins to eat her breakfast and looks over at the other Pegasi in the room.
Just then, a light-blue Pegasus with a blue-light blue- blue mane crashed into the residence, causing every pony to jump. When the shape got up again, it revealed yet another familiar figure, Aqua Splash-ex-supervisor of the Cloudsdale weather factory.
"Ha! A cloud house! It reminds me of home!" She exclaimed, looking around. " I see Summer and her sisters have been busy saving other ponies from what was our ex-species."
"Aqua!" Summer exclaimed, hugging her friend. "Where have you been?"
"Well, after you and your sisters managed to stop me from drinking like crazy, I decided to travel around the world!" She replied, causing several "oohs" and "ahhs".
"Long story, but since you asked, here's why. Its a little bit crazy though. Reason being that it took me so long was that I met an Unicorn called Twinkle Shine somewhere in Canada. I tried to make her teleport me to Dubai, but then she screwed up and teleported us 1000 years into the past or something. So yeah, we had some Doctor Who like adventures trying to get back into the present. Finally, she managed to get her teleportation spell right and teleported us back. By then, I had lost interest in Dubai, so I decided to check out your house, which by the way is a bit too obvious." She finished, grabbing a few pancakes and started to munch on them.
"Anyway, as Summer already introduced me, I'm Aqua Splash. Oh, and mien parents are well, dead. Don't ask how, unless you want to see me drunk again. So Summer, who are the fillies? And who's your new mare friend?" She asked, pointing to Solar Bolt.
Summer rolled her eyes, “The filly’s name is Cherry Cloud, and this is Solar Bolt. Solar Bolt, this is Aqua Splash, or Aqua. My sisters and I have been helping Aqua with adjusting to being a Pegasus.” She hoofs over a plate of pancakes, “You are just in time for breakfast, Aqua, and you are welcome to stay here at Cloud Lane.”
"Thanks! I am getting tired of running from angry Romans anyway. I mean, they see a Pegasus and Unicorn, they get this instant urge to capture us and build us a shrine to stay in or something." The light-blue pegasus replied, lazily stretching her wings.
"Oh and another thing, Summer. There's this van parked right at the bottom of the cloud house, with some scientist guy who's armed with some syringe gun thingy. If you want to get rid of him, can I be the one?" She asked, pulling a scattergun from seemingly nowhere.
Summer thinks about having Aqua get rid of their unwanted visitor, tapping a hoof to her chin, “Sure, why not. Just try not to draw too much attention to yourself or us, okay?”
"Before I leave though, here's another question: why is everypony else so quiet?" Aqua asked the room, looking rather amused. "Anyway, I'll be back in a minute!"
Summer blinked, “Uh, it’s because it is morning and not every pony is up yet?” She replied, looking over at Cherry Cloud and Solar Bolt. “There’s plenty of pancakes left, if you get hungry.” The light grey Pegasi hovers over to see what Aqua Splash was up to.
To her surprise, she was greeted by a loud explosion, followed by Aqua shouting something in German. “Oh hi, Summer. I took care of the van.” She said happily, waving a detonator of some sort. “He kinda refused to move, and tried to shoot me, so I blew up his car! Ha!”
Summer’s eyes widened in shock, “You did what now? How did you get your hooves on a detonator device?”
“Well, I kinda pulled one from my back, after you know, he refused to move and started flinging needles at me. So, I got C4 and blew up his car. Well, not really. It’s this really fancy inter-dimensional teleportation device that doesn't work really well, hence the boom. But don’t worry, he’s safe...I think.” She replied, grinning madly. “I get it. You’re going to kill me aren't you?”
Summer shrugs, “I’m not going to kill you, Aqua. You were just defending yourself and us. No pony knows we are out here, except for those in the Cloud house and Mr. Axel, an Earth pony stallion who is our wagon fixer. He specializes in wagon replacement and repairs.”
"Okay then!" The light blue mare replied, happily making her way back towards the cloud house. "But anyway, I would still suggest that you move your house to a higher altitude. What if Dr. Evil has friends?"
Summer nods, “Very well, Aqua. I think that would be a great work project. After all, we are Pegasi, and we can move the cloud house to wherever we want. There’s a cloud elevator that takes you to the front porch and down to the ground floor.”
"I don't get it. Why do we even need an elevator anyway?" Aqua asked, matter-of-factly. "Ah well, see you later then. I'm gonna try to move this house!"
Summer nodded, “Need any help out there? I mean, we are Pegasi. I think a group of Pegasi would be able to handle moving a cloud house, right?”
"I don't know actually. I mean, if you can remember, I think some pony once moved a storm the size of Canterlot single hoofed. But if you want, you can help."
Summer remembered that it was Aqua who accomplished the feat she just boasted about. "That was you who moved that Storm cloud when we needed to fill the Horseshoe Reservoir; the same reservoir we get the water for the cloud factory's normal day-to-day operations?"
“You sure that was me? I thought that it was Rainbow Dash who did that?” Aqua responded, thinking back to who would be capable of the feat she and Summer were trying to recollect.
It took both of the Pegasi a few more heaves before they finally managed to get it out of sight.
Summer wiped the sweat off her brow, “Whew! You were right, Aqua. I think Rainbow Dash was the pony who set that record. Man, I’m tired. There’s plenty of drinks and food in the fridge if you want to take a break and rest."
"Yeah! That's a good idea indeed!" She replied, heading inside the house.