Into the Stratosphere
Sky Stinger flew above the white clouds, taking a quick sip of their cool liquid before it could evaporate into thin air. Following behind was his close friend Vapor Trail, who looped a perfect helix five times before she stood on one of the monuments that represented the former heroes and legends of Cloudsdale. Names of many that the two pegasi were not aware of until they noticed their statues, and wondered about as they flew around them.
"You must believe, that we always had predecessors watching over us and feeling proud. They were always here to encourage us as the next generation of Equestria's promising flyers."
"Yes Sky, I agree." Vapor Trail nodded with a smile.
They slowed down and descended onto the monuments’ large patch of clouds, tasting the fresh breeze of the heavens above them. Celestia's sun watched the world from the high noon, while never ceasing to exhale warm breaths of heat. Many patches of clouds piled together and shed a new skin of shallow magenta, while other parts of the clouds were enriched with deep crimson.
From her back, Vapor Trail took one last glance at the large, aerial city of Cloudsdale, before shutting her eyes and turned her head up at the infinite skies. She wanted to go higher, especially after those rigorous and gruesome training from Rainbow Dash and Coach Spitfire. It had been a month since she and Sky Stinger successfully qualified for the Wonderbolt Academy, and a lot had been put to trial between the two during their training.
'It only felt like yesterday...' She thought as her stallion friend raised a hoof, pointing to a higher patch of magenta clouds, and speaking in eagerness,
"Hey Vapor, you want to fly up there with me just for a bit?"
Vapor grinned with a small shrug, and up they ascended, into the new zone bursting with new interests, perhaps even amazing discoveries waiting to be unraveled. The dense, liquid cool, area of clouds painted their vibes. Cloudsdale was no longer visible from their lone vision as it was blocked out by the clouds that were colored in. Many miles away, was the ignited, fiery and spherical body beaming with orange and yellow onto the pegasi. From behind, the clouds grew into a deep shade of crimson once again, there was no longer the need to think on this natural process anymore.
Sky Stinger flapped his navy blue wings, forming a mini surge of wind to clear himself a path. He smiled proudly and gracefully, marching onward with his chest up high. Multicolored rays sent down from the blazing sun glistened in his turquoise eyes, while the other rays sank into the clouds and never rebounded.
His friend shortly followed from behind, taking note of her surroundings from side to side. It certainly felt safe, although the mare did feel more fluid as she took another step onto the clouds. The dew dripping from the crimson and magenta clouds beamed in tremendous ecstasy. Vapor Trail, of course, did not understand the idea, but she soon fell victim into the wonders of this undiscovered world, just another step closer to Celestia's premise.
"The air is much thinner up here, but as Wonderbolt trainees, this shouldn't be a problem."
The stallion flapped his wings again, and this time he transported himself to an edge of the cloud patch. He gazed about the vast world beneath his tiny hooves with the sun. They were quite high above ground, that is for sure, but because his natural borne vision can rival that of an eagle, it was no struggle for Sky to see how Equestria functions without his interference. Vapor Trail flew over by his side, wrapping her hooves below her body and lied down on the colorful clouds, only a significant distance away from Sky and the edge he is on. Noticing her arrival, Sky chuckled once he saw her timid face avoiding the immense altitude.
"I'm sorry, but I-I guess I still can't be brave as you, Sky."
"Vapor," the stallion laughed, "This doesn't need anything superficial. All you gotta do, is think on the bright side."
"How did you join the Wonderbolt if you haven't even found your courage yet?"
"I..." Her breath came short. "I did it because I wanted to help you, Sky, you and I both knew how much of a challenge the Wonderbolt Academy qualification would be."
A moment of awkward silence conquered the two friends, only spoken to by more waves of incoming breezes. Sky Stinger bit his lips as he thought of how much he had been through, and dared not to question how much had his best friend gone through, just to help him look good in front of his peers. It was too much to think about from the beginning, so why think now? His pupils trailed along with the cosmology beyond Equestria's sphere of influence. The grand stage performance urged him to clap and hungry for more, and more of the meteors whizzed above them, away into the vast hyperspace.
"You were not the only one who noticed that, silly." Sky turned his head back, and observed as Vapor Trail slowly trotting forward next to him. She sniffed the fresh breeze once more before sitting by the unsound edge of the clouds, dangling her hooves below, a rush of cold air collided into her snowy white fur. It tickled her, but nevertheless an amazing experience to have once in a lifetime.
"I'm sorry, Sky. I guess I should've just told you the truth from the start. If I was just a little braver to face the truth."
The stallion was appalled, for he was the one who is supposed to confess with guilt, it did not make sense at all. Forging fire is the clue to rain cry, as Sky battled with his repentant emotions inside. His inner conflict ended up with him having a dry marrow, maybe even a clean hole in his heart.
Nothing felt comfortable now, he wanted to leave Vapor alone, allowing her to spend some time alone and be cleansed of her remorse.
"No, Vapor, I—"
It was only when he noticed the sunlight burning out a patch of fluffy clouds fifty feet away from him, as they faded away into nothingness, like his egotistic pride he once had within himself. It was dangerous, so insanely dangerous, anything short on interest could have irked him into gambling over his life about it. He always had the desire to become a terrific flyer, and his friend knew that since they met. He never realized that he was incapable the whole time, because she was the one there to carry him above her wings, she sacrificed her own time just to help a nobody like him actually become something.
'Knowledge hurts, doesn't it?' Sky Stinger thought to himself as he opened his wing and brought Vapor Trail closer to him. Blushing, the mare's awkward posture immediately switched to a warmer and more comfortable one, resting her head onto his shoulder as they witnessed the nebulous sky perform what may be, the most fantastic show in the history of Equestria. The sunlight shifted from color to color, even brighter than a rainbow. Clouds formed shapes that the two friends had no clue on what was about. Some clouds around him even turned into ruby colored glaciers, solid and lustrous. As the two pegasi narrowed their gaze up into the boundless and mind sweeping skies once again, they see a universe of darkness beyond the planet's exosphere, populated with nothing but stars and planets of different sizes.
The cosmic space is a playground for the living spinning spheres to enjoy their consciousness of life, at least that was what Vapor Trail was thinking, she knew not about her friend's thoughts; but she certainly felt it and can taste it. The smooth rush of euphoria through their clear lungs, down into their hearts.
"I don't understand any of this at all, Vapor." Sky Stinger whispered to the mare's ear. "But something I can perceive, that's for sure: is our right to forgive ourselves and march onward like true pegasi should."
"And like true best friends should too." Sky nodded and nuzzled his friend on the nose. Vapor Trail soon fell asleep, peacefully and quietly. Sky took his final glance at his magical surroundings, before shutting his eyes without a trace of melancholy.
'The goodbye to the beautiful world will only be temporary... May the spirits always watch over our naked souls as we live our barren lives in the moment...'