//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: The Sky is Always Green in Cloudsdale // by Basmati //------------------------------// "This room rocks!" Skylar said, jumping on the bed. They were now in their room in the hotel - the owner had insisted that they take the penthouse suite on the top floor, free of charge. Skylar was starting to realise why Rainbow was getting so much attention. The last time she was here, she pulled off the Sonic Rainboom for, not the first, but the second time. Of course that would make her popular amongst the Cloudsdale pegasi, who are sports mad and would definately be impressed by something like that. "Rainbow?" Skylar started, jumping down from the bed and landing on the floor. "You're gonna ask me about the attention we've been getting," Rainbow said, without looking at the green mare. She turned and explained. "They are impressed with the Sonic Rainboom - simple as that. I am the pony who pulled it off not once but twice. Never before in all of Equestria history has anyone ever done that. I've broken history." "Wow. Hence all this attention." "Hence?" Rainbow gave Skylar a questioning look. Both the mares burst into laughter and collapsed on the floor. The next few days were sure to be great. *** "Come on, Skylar! I want to show you great spots of the town, and if we don't leave now, we'll miss them!" Rainbow shouted from the doorway. "I'm coming!" the green pegasus ran from her room towards the door. "And please, call me Sky." "Well, Sky, we need to go." The two pegasi mares left their room, and walked into the lift. Two other ponies were in there - a stallion and a mare. They stood petrified as Rainbow Dash walked in, and throughout the lift journey, would not stop staring at her. As soon as the lift doors opened, Skylar and Rainbow ran out of the lift, as quickly as their legs could carry them. This was starting to get a bit weird. Rainbow walked down the street with Skylar, trying to keep her head down. She always wanted nad hoped for attention and fame, but this - this was something else. When she was Ponyville's resident superhero, she was arrogant and always demanded more attention. After Twilight told her that Mysterious Mare Do Well was actually Twilight, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and even Fluttershy, she learnt her lesson about being humble, and knew that she didn't want that kind of fame again. This was worse though, and Rainbow hated it. She knew what fame did to her - it could turn her from being the Element of Loyality to abandoning her friends to hang out with cooler ponies. "So, where are we going first?" Skylar asked, breaking Rainbow out of her trance. "Well, first I thought we should go to the Cloudsdale Weather Factory - I took the others there when I entered the Best Young Fliers Competition. It's loads of fun and-" "Oh my God! Let's go!" Skylar said, then she sped off towards the factory. Rainbow laughed shook her head then sped ff after her. *** The two pegasi stopped flying as soon as the Weather Factory was in sight, and landed gently on the clouds next to each other. "You know, you are really good at flying. I mean, for someone who has only been flying for a couple of days," Rainbow said, as the two of them started walking towards the doors of the factory. Skylar beamed - it had been her dream to hear Rainbow say this. "Thank you, Rainbow. You don't know how much that meant to me." Rainbow smiled at her as she opened the doors and stepped inside. "OH MY GOD!! IT'S RAINBOW DASH!!!!!!!" they heard a voice yell. Skylar put head around the door to see a huge crowd of the factory worker ponies charging directly at Rainbow. Instantly, they swarmed around her, taking pictures and muttering to her about all sorts of things - the Sonic Rainbooms, how great her mane was today, even the fact that they once stood next to each other in Flight School. Skylar stood next to this crowd, her mouth wide open. Eventually, she was broken out of her trance when she heard Rainbow shout, "Skylar! Help!" "I'm coming, Rainbow!" The green pegasus immediately took into the air, trying to get a glimpse of her rainbow maned friend. She saw a flash of red, orange, and green, and immediately swooped down to grab her friend. Rainbow grabbed on to her flying friend, and Skylar pulled her out of the sea of ponies, and started flying towards out of the door. But Skylar wasn't used to flying and carrying weight, so as soon as they were through the doors, Skylar started losing height and eventually collapsed in a heap with Rainbow on the clouds. The two mares lay confused for a bit, but then hearing the crowd behind them, they jumped into the air and sped off. "Rainbow, I'm so sorry!" Skylar said, flying next to her. "Don't worry about it. You got me out there, and for that I'm grateful," Rainbow replied. They started to slow down, and they turned around to see if anypony was still following them. "Pssst! Rainbow! Over here!" they both heard below them. Skylar looked down to see the same brown pegasus that they saw earlier today whispering at them, "Follow me!" He flew behind some buildings and out of sight. Skylar looked at Rainbow, who shrugged then looked around her to see if anyone was watching them. She then dived behind the building and Skylar, seeing no other alternative, followed her.