The Clouds in the Sky

The main street of Canterlot was an upbeat place. Fancy shops lined the cobblestone walkway full of exuberant rich and famous ponies looking for a bite to eat at a café or a new dress in the many clothing stores along the way. Some were even looking for engagement or wedding rings. The ponies here were generally happy, which is why it was odd to see a sad pony sitting at a little table in front of one of the aforementioned cafes. Cloud Dancer sipped at her tea, trying to keep an upbeat approach, but her wings and curls drooped noticeably when a royal guard passed by.

She wiped a stray tear from her face and stirred more sugar into the soothing cup of tea. It was Spirit's duty to defend Equestria, and she knew that. It didn't make it any less hard to think that she was probably to never see him again. It still hurt when he broke off their relationship in lieu of his career, though. Busy as she was, Cloud found a way to spend every moment of her free time with him, and those moments were sparing when she had practices and/or shows every day of the week.

She knew this was different, though, and she realized she had taken him for granted when he finally said his last goodbye. She felt utterly alone, even with her dancers to keep her company, and it was so hard to wake up every day knowing that her special somepony had a different mistress on his mind; Equestria.

Sighing, she finished her tea and ordered a tray of biscuits When they arrived, she daintily nibbled on the edge of one and continued watching the happy Canterlotians go by.

(Did I say Sunny? I MEANT SEA SALT.)

Sea Salt had heard of this city of Canterlot. He had no intentions of traveling to it, as he would much rather roam the streets of some uncharted island. But, for one reason or another, he found himself walking the streets of this beautiful city.

He had to admit, the architecture was gorgeous. Out of all the cities he has seen (and believe me, that's a lot), Canterlot genuinely takes the cake, as they say.

He did feel a little out of place, though. Most of the ponies walking down the street looked like they were billionaires, with their fancy manes and poofy getup. Then, smack dab in the middle of them, was Sea Salt, a slender stallion with a matted mane, an old, worn scarf, and a lute that served as a makeshift back leg for Celestia's sake. It was pitiful.

Another thing he noticed was that ponies were so cheery. He hadn't come across a sad face yet. That was, until, he saw a lone, depressed looking mare sitting at a table in front of Canterlot's many cafe's.

"Miss, why the troubling face?" he asked politely, approaching the mare.

Torna had been in Canterlot for a day or two, she was on vacation. This did not stop her usual antics of playing with her botanic friend, however. Her eyes struggled, they were dry and in pain. She blinked.
"Again!" She said, "You are too good at this..." she mumbled as she looked around. She spotted a sad mare not too far away. Torna was, of course, afraid to ask, but she had met friendly ponies before. Torna decided to take the chance and hope that this pony would be nice, like the others she had met. It was becoming sort of a goal of hers to meet new people, to be more gregarious. The cyan mare walked over somewhat slowly, trying to avoid being touched by the crowd on her way, and watched from a few feet away until a good opportunity to talk would come.

Cloud looked up to see a rather good-looking, albeit scruffy, stallion standing there.

"Oh, it's a bit personal," she answered quietly. "I'm just recovering from a harsh emotional blow."

She gestured to one of the two chairs beside her.

"If it's no trouble, though, I'd like a bit of company. It's okay if you can't stay, but I'm feeling rather lonely these days."

She watched the mare slowly approach, and she smiled wanly, gesturing to the other chair.

Sea Salt politely helped himself to a seat. This mare didn't seem like the typical Canterlot hoity toity types.

"Well, I can relate to that," he said, with a bit of a chuckle. Sometimes it was hard, traveling alone, never having any real friends because the next day you'd be leaving their town, off on another adventure. Sometimes, he heard a little voice inside of his head reminding him about how much of a loner he was on long journeys, which wasn't all that pleasant.

"So, is Can-TER-lot your hometown? Or are you just staying here for a vacation of sorts?" he asked her, failing at pronouncing the name of the city.

Torna sat down and stayed quiet. She still hadn't quite the nerve to actually speak up at this point, and was questioning herself for even looking at this, much less joining. Alas, the nervous mare just smiled and nodded.

Ah. The relief of not having a pony know who she was. Cloud nodded.

"Yes, I do live here in Canterlot. I have a few homes in other towns though, including Cloudsdale and Ponyville. They're my two favorite places to be, but Canterlot is where I spend most of my time."

She continued nibbling at the cookie, waving her hoof at the tray.

"You two can have some. It's on me. Where are you from? You, sir, are obviously not from around here, which is not a bad thing, but I don't know about you, miss."

"Ah, you caught me," Sea Salt said, chuckling.

"I am from the sea. Or, the S.S Rowena, to be exact. I don't really live anywhere in particular. I travel Equestria, you see, and never found the need to settle down in one place or another," he said, taking his worn scarf off and wrapping it around the chair so it won't get lost.

"And you, miss?" he said, gesturing over to the silent pegasus.

Torna seemed to get really nervous. She took a deep (but inaudible) breath and started talking, "I am from here, or I was. A few complications led to my family and I leaving for Ponyville." She states, talking a little fast. She cared not for details, nor did she like being here anymore. Who were these ponies? Why was she here? She kept in her fears and hoped that these two would be as friendly as the few others.

Cloud immediately felt empathy for the Pegasus. She herself knew what it was to have family troubles, as it had driven her to fly away from home in Manehatten as a filly. Luck had seemed to turn her way, however, once she had found her wings. Look where she was now.

"Hey, I'm always here to lend an ear, if you need it," she said kindly. "You might recognize me. I'm cloud Dancer, Prima Ballerina of the Royal Canterlot Ballet. I'm glad I could meet you both, and I know exactly how it feels. Normally, I wouldn't have time to spare like this, but lately, it just seems that I have too much of it on my hooves."

She sighed and looked out at the street before returning her gaze to the ponies before her.

"A boat? I've never been on a boat. Never needed to, when my friends here can carry me far."

She ruffled her wings as she spoke.

"Too bad that kind of adventure doesn't fit in with my schedule.