Autumn Race

Aero chuckled at the thought of himself donning a top hat and mingling with the Canterlot elite. Somehow he didn't think he'd fit in very well, nor would they welcome him with open hooves. No, he'd much rather be here, out in the fall weather of Whitetail Woods with Bright Eyes. His eyes looked to the horizon where Celestia's sun was beginning to disappear. The bright blue sky was tinted with a red haze as the transition from day to night had begun.

His ears suddenly perked on hearing Bright having a question, or request as she referred to it. He watched her as he listened, remembering her earlier mention of the cloud walking spell, as she stated her request. Having a pegasus with her was almost certainly a requirement. Not that it happened often, but sometimes visiting unicorns and earth ponies had trouble looking where they were going. Aside from that, Aero felt he would be happy to show her around Cloudsdale. He knew the city of clouds as well as any pony and was proud to show the city off to a newcomer. Plus, if today was anything to go by, it meant another fun day out.

"Sure. I'd be happy to," he agreed, smiling at her as she looked at him. If he didn't know any better, he could see a sense of nervousness on her features. He guessed it was probably the aspect of asking someone to help out in such a way. Admittedly, he wouldn't ordinary agree but the combination of revisiting Cloudsdale and enjoying it with his new friend tipped the odds in her favour.

The stallion smiled at her, in a genuine, unguarded way that made her heart flutter within her rib cage.  “Thank you,” she responded in a hushed voice, with a little less confidence than before as the mare was struck by a sudden timidness that had not existed as the day progressed, which didn’t make sense to the logical mind.  Friends visited with other friends.  That was a normal thing.  Thus, asking had been a very normal action.  But she still felt a little strange about being so forward, and her focus fixed upon the horizon as the sun seemed to hurry toward the far-off mountains toward the west.  The sky, with faint traces of clouds, was painted with shades of violet, gold, and warm hues of scarlet with the setting sun.  In the distance, the rooftops of Ponyville emerged through the bare trees as the pair walked along.


In truth, Bright Eyes didn’t want the afternoon to draw to a swift close, though she would be excited to clean up and climb into a comfortable bed at the tavern that night.  Somehow, the idea of sleeping under the stars, as she so often did, wasn’t so appealing as a nice warm bed.  The changing seasons weren’t always kind to a wanderer who camped out so often.  Clearing her throat, she offered absently a comment on the obvious, “It’s a beautiful view tonight. All day, really. Next year will be nice.”

Seeing Bright's response of muted joy made Aero warm on the inside. He sensed that she had been worried about asking him the question. To his mind, it was only logical. He was from Cloudsdale and had told her he knew the city, so it was only natural she would ask. Perhaps she was worried about straining their friendship, as new as it was. But she had nothing to fear if that was the case. Aero couldn't deny that he was delighted that she wanted to spend a day with him in Cloudsdale.

His mind drifted off once again as he considered how easily they had managed to get on. Aero hadn't gotten on so naturally with many ponies in his life due to his more stoic demeanour and usually blunt mannerisms. In the past, friends he'd made quickly had either been under pressing circumstances that forced them both to get on very well or came from an area of dependance. The friendship here was different, as he and Bright seemed to be inputting equally to their time together.

Her comments of the sky brought him back to reality. His cold eyes turned back to the horizon where the canvas of the changing sky was growing only more beautiful by the minute.

"Let's hope," stated Aero, marvelling at the scenic view. His thoughts went back to that first night, when they spotted the shooting star and he made a wish. "To better days and nights."

His words hung in their air as silence descended once again, and she repeated them in her mind.  To better days and nights.  In truth, Bright Eyes couldn't think of a better day in recent memory - having somepony who she felt she could trust, having fun as they had, the racing and the feigned war of the leaves.  The setting sun seemed a fitting end to a memorable day, though she hated to see it end at all.  After a second of quiet, she finally replied in her hushed voice, "I'm not certain days can get any better than this one was."

With the fading sun, her need for the glasses also diminished, and she found herself oddly grateful now that he had done that.  Wait... Had he really done that?  It hadn't phased her at the time that he had gotten closer like that - or that it was only registering now that she was feeling a sense of shyness, which was somehow even more strange.  Her instinct was to duck her head, to let her thoughts and the tangents and worries to pull her mind away from the present.  Instead, she kept her head high and her gaze on the western skies.

In their slow trot back, Aero concentrated only on Bright and the sky. Celestia's sun was trading places with the moon of her sister as the latter could now be seen raising into the sky. The great, cool blue orb contrasted the burning ball of brightness that accompanied it. Yet both seemed at harmony together in the sky.

Bright's words seemed to hit Aero hard. How did she mean that? Today was certainly memorable. The weather had been great, the race had been fun. But the one defining factor that made today stand out from others was the amazing time he'd had with Bright. All day had been a breeze with her around. Had she meant the same? If that was the case, he felt privileged that she considered him to be such great company. The feeling was definitely mutual.

He nodded his head in silent agreement. Yes, days like this were hard to come by.

"If you liked today, you're going to love Cloudsdale," he said simply, a knowing grin on his face. "When you get that spell to work, come find me at number seven on Rose lane."

The moon, full and bright, was rising, a signal to the end of the day that Bright Eyes would long hold dear in her memory - even if she would spend more than a little time wondering about all of the little things that had transpired so effortlessly between them.  

She resolved in that moment to master the spell for walking on clouds as soon as she could, both because she had waited a lifetime to see Cloudsdale for herself, and because she was now finding it was difficult to bid her pegasus companion goodbye.  She wouldn't admit that aloud, but there was a hint of a frown on her lips when she finally pulled her attention from the last crimson splotch as the sun finally disappeared for the evening.  Her tired limbs reminded her that she was indeed done for the day, and to return to her room before she collapsed.  Bright Eyes turned to the steely gray stallion with half of a bittersweet smile.  "I can't wait.  Thank you." Mentally, she made note of the address he offered. "Take care of yourself, Aero Dynamic, until we meet again."

She smiled in parting, though she was sad to go her own way, but even still, she felt a peculiar sense of contentment to have been lucky enough to have such a beautiful day to hold on to when she was back on the road again on her own.

"See you soon Bright."

Aero watched as the unicorn with a bright world view head off home. His smile faded as he watched her go. It seemed a little quiet and lonely in comparison now but he was used to his own company. If anything, he welcomed the time to think to himself.

With practiced ease, he launched into the air. His wings carried him towards home, but his mind wandered elsewhere. With today passed, and another day set, he was starting to see hanging out with Bright becoming a regular occurrence. That certainly wasn't a bad thing. Aero's lips curled into a smile before he thought about his plans for the next few days.

Time to answer that mysterious job offer left on my door...