//------------------------------//
// Chapter 3 
// Story: The Sky is Always Green in Cloudsdale 
// by Basmati 
//------------------------------//

Skylar flew behind the building, and saw Rainbow slip into one of the side doors. Skylar followed, carefully shutting the door behind her, and turned around. She was standing in a darkish room - the windows were all blacked out, and the lamps weren't very strong. In front of her were the stallions she and Rainbow had bumped into this morning - the brown pegasus with a pale tan mane and a dumb-bell for a cutie mark, an orange stallion with a brown mane and 3 basketballs as his cutie mark, and finally a grey coated almost black maned pony with american footballs as a cutie mark.

"Thanks guys," Rainbow said, walking into the middle of the room. She turned around and saw Skylar standing there.

"Oh, Sky. Let me introduce you - these guys used to go to Flight School with me. This is Dumb-Bell, Hoops, and Score," she said, gesturing to each of them as she said their name.

Skylar waved at them, looking at Dumb-Bell in particular. He seemed to have the same expression as this morning. But Skylar wasn't put off by this and said, "I'm Skylar."

"Skylar lives with me back in Ponyville," Rainbow said, standing next to her friend. Immediately, Dumb-Bell started smiling at the both of them and said, "Well, it's always nice to meet a friend of Rainbow Cr-Dash's."

"So...err...what happened anyway? Why were you guys running away?" Hoops asked.

Rainbow explained about Skylar's first visit, and how they were going to the factory, and immediately were ambushed by the worker ponies.

"Yeah. You haven't been here since your Sonic Rainboom at the contest. It was what everypony was talking about for months. They're still talking about it really," Dumb-Bell said, leaning back against one of the walls.

Skylar watched him carefully; not once had he even acknowledged her existance - all his questions had been for Rainbow - and she couldn't help but wonder if he hated her, and if so, why.

Rainbow and Dumb-Bell starting chatting - meaning that Dumb-Bell was talking and Rainbow was looking bored and not wanting to talk back to him. Skylar couldn't blame her. If they did everything that Rainbow had told her about, she was surprised that Rainbow could even stay in the same room as them.

"Hey, Bell," Hoops called over to his mate. Everyone turned towards the orange pegasus, standing by the door. "It looks like the coast is clear."

"Great. Let's go back to our room, Sky," Rainbow said walking towards the door. Skylar immediately took to the air and started flying towards the door.

As soon as they got outside, Rainbow immediately looked around to check for any straying fans.

"Hey, Sky!" She turned around and saw Dumb-Bell gesturing to her. 

"I follow you - you go on," she said to Rainbow. Rainbow nodded at her and flew off. Skylar immediately flew back down towards Dumb-Bell.

"What's-"

"Look," he said, quietly. "I don't know who you are, or why you're even friends with Rainbow, but if you know what's good for you, you'd stay away from Rainbow. She's cool - you're not. No-one's gonna want to hang around a blank flank like you."
Skylar stood there, her mouth open. What the hell is he talking about, she thought.

"Well, it's none of your business if I'm friends with Rainbow or not. She certainly isn't one of your friends, I can tell you that," she retorted.

Dumb-Bell laughed. "Look, Losar or whatever your name is, Rainbow won't want to hang around with you anymore, not that she's got us now. She's hung out with the Wonderbolts - why would she want to hang out with you?"

"Losar. That's the best you could come up with. That's pathetic."

"Shut up, Losar! Just stay away from Rainbow, ok?"

Skylar took to the air once more. "And what if I don't?"

Dumb-Bell flew up so he was head to head with Skylar. "Once we're done with you, you'll never fly again. You won't be doing anything else either. Understand?"

Skylar gluped and nodded. She understood perfectly well.