Laughing...
It was the first thing you heard as you tried to get your head out of the clouds, like, literally, you were head first into the cloudy ground, trying to wiggle your muzzle out of it while muffled laughing came from around you. "I will never go against my better judgment ever again. When it comes to showing off at least..." you mentally promised yourself, something that you'll most probably forget by next week.
You felt something grabbing your flank and your hind legs, "I appreciate the help... but could you maybe 'not' grab my 'flank'?" you thought in slight awkwardness, thinking at the sight the others must be seeing right now, 'head in the clouds, flank proudly up in the air.' Yeah, you were already going to be the talk of the week.
Suddenly, you felt a powerful tug on your hind legs and you shot out of the clouds, flying a bit back, and most probably falling onto your rescuers. As you groaned from the fall, you wobbly stood up and opened your eyes and was surprised to see that you had flattened three stallions and one mare to the ground. "REALLY!? four ponies were needed to get my head unstuck!? Bucking hay..."
Your four rescuers groaned lightly as they all got to their hooves, best of all, you knew them. "He he... thanks guys." The closest to you was, surprisingly, the mare. Her mane and tail were a cherry red with a white streak going through them, her coat a leaf green and yellow eyes. You recalled her name to be 'Lucky'.
The three stallions also crawled to their hooves. The one next to Lucky you remembered to be, Thunderlane, he had dark yellow eyes, a dark grey coat while his mane and tail were white. The one behind Lucky had a fiery red mane and tail, his coat was orange and his eyes were sky blue, he wore a black MB headphones on his neck. You remembered him as Blazing Beats. The last stallion, the one next to Blaze and behind Tunderlane, came finally to his hooves as well. His mane and tail were both an ivory white, his coat was a dark shade of blue and his eyes were violet. His name was, Sky Edge, if you remembered correctly.
Lucky jumped to her hooves, smiling at you with her never fading happy attitude, "No problem, Static!" Lucky chirped while giving her wings a few flaps.
"By Celestia, Static. You really need to exercise more... or ask Lightning to wack your head smaller so it doesn't get stuck," Thunderlane commented as he was inspecting his right wing, which had a few ruffled feathers. "Now I need to preen... again."
"Stop complaining, 'Mockinglane'. Be glad that you were able to help somepony for a change, instead of sitting on your flank," came the voice of Sky Edge behind Thunderlane. Thunderlane gave him a slight glare before returning to inspect his wings.
"You should watch out, Static. Remember, always fall with your flank down," Blazing Beats advised as he looked his headphones over for damage.
"Yeah! If you fall on your flank, you've a softer landing! Right!?" Lucky said glancing excitedly around to the others, Blazing nodded while putting his right ear pad on his right ear while his left pad leaned onto the back of his head. Thunderlane shrugged while correcting a feather in his right wing. Sky Edge simply chuckled at Lucky.
"Anyway. Thanks again, guys. If you hadn't helped me, I would still be wiggling my flank," you said with a small but relieved sigh. "How have your summers been going?" you asked them in general.
No surprise to you, Lucky was the first one to speak up, "It was just great, Static! I've been to Canterlot, Fillydelphia and Baltimare! You should see those cities!! The buildings that are there are HUGE!" she said while standing on her hind hooves and throwing her hooves into the air. "If you put one of those, skyscrapers is what they call them there, under Cloudsdale, the tip of the building would be piercing through the clouds!" Lucky twisted around on her hooves in joy at the recollecting memories of her visit.
You grinned at the enthusiastic mare. "Now that you mention it, Lucky," you said as you brought your right hoof to your chin and rubbed it lightly in thought. "My parents wanted to go on vacation for a week in the winter, leaving me alone at home and my sisters' at my uncle, aunt and nephew in Canterlot. Maybe we can plan a trip through Equestria, visit different places as we go," you thought out loud.
Lucky got a massive smile on her face and jumped into the air and hovered for a few seconds, "That sounds awesome!!" Lucky looked to the others, "Are you guys in on this?" she asked as she landed on the clouds again.
Sky Edge was the first to react, "Hay, yeah! I'm always in for traveling!" he said while sticking out his right hoof to Lucky which she bumped happily with her left hoof.
"Why not? Sightseeing Equestria is something that everypony would be able to enjoy. Maybe we can go to a few clubs if we come across them, they probably have good music." Blazing Beats said while bopping his head to the music he was without a doubt listening to through his one ear pad.
You nodded to the three with a smile. Everypony turned their attention to Thunderlane, who was still busy with his feathers, probably not even listening to anything that just had been said. Lucky walked next to Thunderlane and brought her muzzle close to his left ear. She pouted her lips and, you didn't exactly knew what Lucky did, but it managed to get Thunderlane's attention, as he suddenly jumped a few feet into the air, a small yelp escaping him, "AAhh!"
Thunderlane landed on the clouds again, panting lightly. You and the others chuckled at the antic of Lucky. "Never do that, Lucky! By Celestia, that felt odd as hay..." Thunderlane said as he rubbed his right ear with his hoof.
Lucky stuck her tongue out at him and winked, "That's what you get for paying to much attention to your feathers."
"But that was not necessary!" Thunderlane said annoyed. He sighed before continuing, "Anyhoof, I heard what you guys were talking about, and, no, I'm not coming along. My parents and I are going to Saddle Arabia. If you couldn't tell, we are not so fond of the snow."
You snorted at Thunderlane, "Oh come on Thunder, it is only a bit of snow. It is not like you're going to be living in an igloo during the winter."
"Shut up, Static. If we would be living in an igloo, your feather brain would still get stuck at the front door." Thunderlane retorted.
Sky Edge gave his wings a few flaps before turning to Thunderlane, "Snow is cool," Lucky threw one her hooves in the air and her mouth opened. "No lucky, not cool as in 'cold cool'," Lucky's foreleg dangled back to the ground, the slightest hint of disappointment on her muzzle. You chuckled lightly.
"Hey, Edge?" Sky Edge turned to you. "How is your mother doing? I heard from my parents that you are expecting a sibling?"
Sky Edge began to beam at your question, "She's doing great, thanks for asking. Yes, I'm expecting a little brother, I cannot wait to see him."
You nodded at Edge with a smile of your own, recalling the excitement you had when you were told that you would become a big brother. "I know how it feels, only, you'll get a little brother, while I have two sisters."
Sky Edge chuckled, "Heh, I still don't know how you can tell them apart." His ears drooped to the side, but his smile didn't fade in the slightest, "Say, Static? Is it though?"
You raised an eyebrow in question at Edge, "What is though?"
"You know... being a big brother? Is it though?"
You perked up, "Ooohh, if it is though? Not in the slightest," you said while shaking your head from side to side. "Well, sometimes it is a bit though, but nothing bad. I say, it is one of the best things that can happen to you," you finished with a genuine smile.
Sky Edge seemed more at ease as he let out a small sigh. "Do you got any tips for me? You know, about being a big brother?" he asked while leaning his head a bit to the right.
You chuckled lightly at him, "I'm sorry, Edge. I think my advice would only help if you would have a little sister. I don't know if the same helps with a little brother."
Edge's face fell a bit, "Okay, but how do you know that they like you? I mean, what if he sees me, and he doesn't like me?"
You walked closer to Edge and brought your right hoof to his left shoulder, "He will. And if you're still not certain by my words, you will see it when you hold him for the first time." You said gently.
Edge looked to you, "How can I tell if he likes me when I hold him for the first time?"
"Simple, if he cries, he doesn't know you yet. If he doesn't do anything, except for looking at you, he's curious about you."
"And how can I tell if he likes me?" he asked, a bit saddened.
"He does from the beginning. It is purely because you and everything is new to him. The only thing he knows, is his mother. But you'll see, that after a while, he will love you." You said in sincere.
Edge's ears perked up at your words and he began to smile again. "You had the same with your sisters, no?"
You brought your hoof back to the ground, "With Summer and Gloom, it was a bit different. You asked me before how I could tell them apart, well, I could already from the beginning," you chuckled lightly. "See, when they were born, I got to hold them for only a few seconds, but in that time, I noticed straight away who was who. When I first held Summer, and I got to admit, I was scared to hold them, but when I held her in my hooves, clothed in a soft layer of towels, she was, let's say, energetic. She flailed her hooves around while she was crying, so I gave her rather quick to my mother, to which Summer seemed to calm down.
"Gloom, However, was different. My dad held her before he gave her to me, in my father's hooves, she cried a little, but when she was given to me, she became calm. she stopped crying and looked at me, simply looking at me. I cannot fully describe the feeling, but I felt happy. I brought my hoof down to gently rub her belly, and she grabbed it while smiling and began to make bubbles with her muzzle. From that point, I knew that Gloom liked me. When my dad tried to separate her from me, and give Gloom to my mother, that is when she began to cry a little again."
"D'aaawww... I wish I could have a little brother or sister." Lucky coed in from your left while rapidly tapping her hooves on the clouds in excitement.
You nodded to Lucky in understanding before turning your muzzle back to Edge. Edge extended his right hoof to you, and you bumped it with your own. "Thanks, Static. I hope it goes with my brother as good as it went with Gloom and you."
"Don't worry, Edge. Even of he doesn't like you straight away, he will over time. You're his big brother after all." You said with a grin.
Sky Edge nodded as he putted his hoof back to the ground, his mood now seemingly much better. "What has further happened to you in the summer, Edge?" you asked as you brought your own hoof back to the ground as well.
"Mostly helping my mother with household. As well as helping my dad with forming the new room for my little brother, it is almost finished, my mother only needs to decide what kind of decoration she wants on the walls and what the crib needs to look like. Knowing her, that will take a while, just like every mare." You, Sky Edge, Thunderlane and Blazing Beats chuckled.
"Hey!" Lucky yelped, giving all 4 of you a fierce punch to the shoulder to which you all rubbed the soft spot with your hooves and letted out a synchronized 'ow'.
"Sheeze, Lucky. Don't get all heated on us," you said with a light grin as you took a few steps back from her.
"You all should watch out with what you guys say to mares," she said looking around the four of you. "Especially your 'heated-joke', Static," Lucky said as she fixed her slightly narrowed eyes on you. "You know that this school year, almost every mare will reach 'maturity', and you know what
comes to them two times a year, with the first one coming in the middle of Autumn," she grinned while looking at you.
You glanced around and noted that the other 3 had the same look of incoming 'horror' on their muzzle, as well as the same thought, "'The Heat' ..."
"Okay, okay, forget that I said anything." Wanting to change the subject, you turned to Blazing beats, "Hey, Blaze? What have you been up to this summer?" you asked him as he stood next to Lucky and Sky Edge.
Blazing removed his ear pad from his ear and placed his headphones gently around his neck, "Nothing special, really. I've not been out of Cloudsdale this summer. I've been mostly listening to music or hanging around with the other stallions. I tried to get a new mix table to work with at home, but I didn't have enough bits to buy one. It sucks, but yeah, life goes on," Blaze finished with tilting his head a bit to the right and doing a casual shrug.
"Say, Static," Lucky said from your left. "How has your summer been?" she asked, back to her happy attitude.
"What can I say," you said with a slight shrug. "I have mostly spend my time around the house, playing with Summer and Gloom, helping my parents a bit, and mostly, napped. Like, seriously, I'm pretty sure I napped through most of the vacation."
"Oh, for Celestia's sake, Static."
"Goddammit, Static..."
"You never change..."
"Lazy colt!"
They all commented after one another, while rolling their eyes or shaking their heads. "Thank you all for your ever-so loving support in my daily endeavors," you said while dipping your head in a small bow.
You felt a bit of weight land closely behind you as the clouds you were standing on shifted a bit. Looking to your left and over your shoulder, you noticed a mare was folding her wings to her side and began to make her way to your group. She had a pink coat, her mane and tail consisting of multiple tints of blue with a strand of her mane covering her left green eye.
Lucky noticed that you were looking over your shoulder and glanced into the same direction, she squeed and shot straight towards the upcoming mare, who's ears drooped down at noticing the incoming threat. You heard a shriek coming from the pink mare as Lucky dived to her while loudly outing, "Berry Petal!"
You chuckled as Berry Petal became flattened by Lucky, her wings outstretched and her head turned away from you in a failed attempt to get away from Lucky, who was laying on top of her and hugged her around her torso. "Hey, Petal. How are you doing?" Sky Edge asked a bit teasingly from his spot.
"Well, I have been worse, thanks for asking though. Lucky, it is good to see you too, but please, get off of me. My wing is still not completely recovered." Berry Petal said with a bit struggle in her voice.
"Hihi, sorry Petty. I'm just so happy to see you again!" Lucky said as she got off from Petal and helped her up to her hooves. "Your wing is still recovering from last year?" Lucky asked as she tilted her head to the side.
Berry Petal gave her pink wings a few gentle flaps and looked her left wing over quickly before folding them slowly back to her sides. Glancing to Lucky, Berry Petal gave a nod, "Yeah, although my doctor said that my wing is fine, he advised me to not put them both through to much physical stress. Anyhoof, how have you been Lucky?" Petal asked as she gave Lucky a hug.
"I've been doing good!" Lucky chirped as the mares released each other. "Static has come up with the idea to make a trip through Equestria in winter break! We are all planning to go, except for 'Mockinglane' over there," Lucky said as she made her way back to the group with Petal in tow and pointed to Thunderlane.
"Why do you all keep calling me 'Mockinglane'? I don't mock that much!" Thunderlane said annoyed.
You and everypony in the group turned to him, "YES, YOU DO!"
Thunderlane's ears flattened to the side of his head by the sudden volume, "Okay, okay. Featherbrains."
Although you heard the last, you decide to ignore him. Turning your muzzle back to Petal, she greeted you with a hug which you returned. "How have you been, Static? And how was your summer?" Petal asked as she released you.
Smiling to her, you began with, "Good actually, most of the vacation I have..."
"NAPPED!"
Now it was your turn to flatten your ears at the sudden volume. You noticed Petal was a bit surprised at the sudden outburst, but began to chuckle as she saw your unamused expression. "Yeah, pretty much that," you said as you glanced to the others.
Petal shook her head gently and walked over to Tunderlane, "I didn't expect much else to be honest."
Petal gave Thunderlane a hug as well, asking how he has been, before doing the same to everypony in the group. She ended at your side again, and began over how she needed to ask her parents first if she could come along before deciding anything. You gave her a nod, it was a long way until winter, so there was enough time for changes and decisions.
You thought back on what Lucky and Petal were talking about before, "Petal has had a wing injury?" You didn't exactly want to ask about it, but you were curious as to what it was about, "Hey, Petal?"
Berry Petal turned her attention to you, "Yeah? What is it, Static?"
"Well, it may sound a bit rude, but... what happened to your wing?" you asked with a bit uneasiness. Your question got the attention from the others as well, especially Lucky's.
Berry Petal looked a bit uneasy as well at your question, she letted out a small sigh. Lucky grabbed her shoulder gently, "You don't have to tell it yet if you don't want to, you know that right?"
"I know, Lucky." Petal letted out another sigh, "You all know my coltfriend?"
"I know him." Blazing Beats began. "Not the nicest stallion around from how I know him."
Petal gave a nod and turned to you and the rest again, "Well, he was nice. But that was in the beginning."
You were still confused as to who this stallion was, "So... who is he?"
Petal faced you, "His name, I don't want to speak off. But he is a pegasus from a school in Trotingham. He... well... he is the reason why my wing needed to recover." Petal cast her eyes to the clouds you stood on and letted out a sigh before continuing, "I met him last spring, he was visiting Cloudsdale in his vacation. I was working at the 'Slammed Pegasus' during that time."
"The 'Slammed Pegasus'? You mean that café near the weather factory? With that quite ugly architecture?" Sky Edge questioned as he scratched his neck.
Petal nodded to Edge, "Yeah. It was only a vacation job, but I met him there. He came to the café when I was serving costumers, when I came to him to ask what he would like, he... well... he looked at me and, somehow, I liked him straight away."
"You liked him just like that? How does that work?" Thunderlane asked.
Before Petal could answer, Lucky spoke up, "It was during spring, mares go in heat during that time. Petal was in heat when she worked, not so bad that it was noticeable for stallions, but during heat, mares are... lets say, more 'driven' to find a mate. And because of that, some mares that haven't experienced heat that good, don't know the difference between love, and the 'need' for a mate."
Petal pawed the cloud with her left hoof, "Yeah... it was stupid of me that I didn't know the difference."
Lucky hugged Petal with her right wing, "You couldn't have know, Petal."
Petal smiled gently at Lucky, "Thanks, Lucky. " Lucky removed her wing from Petal, allowing her to continue with her explanation, "As I said, I liked him from the moment I saw him, back then I did't know it was my heat that caused it. So I began to talk with him when I got my break at the café, he was really nice, funny, open. He was very welcoming, which made me feel like I really loved him," Petal sighed. "We talked for quite a while, after that, he said to me that he was staying the whole week in Cloudsdale, and that, if I wanted to, we could hang out together. And so I did that, I kept seeing him everyday for the whole week, doing different things with him. Hanging about, flying, sightseeing, me showing him Cloudsdale..."
"To make a long story short," Lucky began. "When Petal's heat was over, she lost interest in him. And when she realized what happened and why, she wanted to explain it to him and break up. But 'he' was not happy with that." Lucky said with an audible voice of disgust. "They got in a fight, which ended in him stomping on the base of her wing, and she almost broke it because of that."
"Because of that tiny misunderstanding, that bucker almost broke your wing!?" you said out loud towards Petal. Petal seemed to take a few steps back from you with her head a bit lowered and ears to the side of her head. You realized how you made it sound, "No... I'm sorry, Petal. I didn't mean to scare you." Petal looked up to you, a bit of the fear still visible. You took a step towards her with your own ears to the side of your head, "I'm just angry at that stallion. That he could break your wing because of a misunderstanding... it is something I just don't understand."
"It is okay, Static. I appreciate that you worry for me, but it is not necessary." Petal said with her mood seemingly lifted.
You sighed gently. "Don't worry, Petal. We are all here for you. We'll make sure that that bucket of gryphon feathers doesn't hurt you again, right guys?" Sky Edge said as he looked determined to you and the rest of the group. You and your friends all nodded in agreement.
"You guys are amazing." Petal aid with a small twinkle in her eye.
You perked up at the sudden sound of chiming bells. "I guess break time is over, already..." Thunderlane said with a deep sigh.
Sighing yourself, you looked around the schoolyard, and noticed that most students began to make their way back into the school. Turning back to the group, you asked," Do you guys know what we have?"
Blazing Beats craned his head to his saddlebags and buried his muzzle in it. After a few seconds, Blaze turned back to you with a paper between his teeth. Grabbing the paper in his right hoof, he began to look over it, "Eeuuhhmm... We have... Okay, does anypony know, what the hay, 'P.E.T.' means?"
"Yeah, they changed the name. To put it simply, it's gymnastics." Sky Edge elaborated.
"What does it stand for then?" Blazing asked, turning his head to Edge.
"I don't know... something like, 'Pegasus-Excersise-Term'. Something along those lines."
"Why the sudden 'expensive' word play?" Thunderlane asked.
"Who gives a dwindling feather about that? We know what it is. Let's go, before we must do thirty laps around the field." Sky Edge said as turned towards the entrance.
You decide that it was better to go with them, you didn't want to angry coach 'Iron Wing', who was famous around the school to put every student through enough exercise to make them an instant Wonderbolt.