[Ponyville] Sunday Diving [PM2join]

[holypony20]

Sir Knightly was sitting in a bench across from town hall cleaning his sword that he always had on his back. It wasn't used for awhile so it was getting dusty and rusty. He needed to sharpen it too. It may have been a sword that he doesn't intend to use unless necessary it was something of a item of the past that was precious to him. as he cleaned it he took care as much as a mother would to her baby. You could tell this in his smile as he cleaned it. "Well your coming out to be a lot better looking now." He held it down to the ground to look down the sword. His father that made the blade and was a blacksmith and told Knightly how to check for sharpness without using your hoof on it.

[Tempest Rime]

The glint of the sun off metal snapped Tempest painfully back to reality from her bleary-eyed daze. She squinted across the street at the pegasus with the sword. She had never actually seen a sword before, and she was perplexed trying to figure out what Knightly was actually doing. She stared at him curiously for a good minute before she finally decided she should just ask him about it.

She walked over to him and paused for a moment, gathering her thoughts as best she could with the hangover clouding her mind. "Uh... excuse me, sir, but... what are you doing? What is that thing? A gigantic knife? I, er, that is, if you don't mind me asking." She squinted at him to minimize the chance of the painful, painful light glinting into her eyes.

[holypony20]

"Well this is a sword not a lot of ponies carry one around anymore. I was checking for the sharpness of the blade. I dont use this anymore its just a memento to remember my dad and how this thing helped me out in my home town and when I was a knight. I just like keeping good care of it because it is so special to me." He takes out a whetstone and starts sharpening the blade. "I know all of this how to take care of the blade and stuff like that because of my dad."

[Tempest Rime]

"Oh..." Tempest vaguely recalled swords from the old mare's tales and fairy stories she'd heard when she was little, but she didn't really think about such nonsense anymore. "So... they actually used to use these? It seems terribly impractical. I mean, I suppose a unicorn could float it around with their magic, but for a pegasus..."

Suddenly she realized that she had no idea who this was. "Oh! I'm sorry, I should introduce myself. I'm Tempest. Tempest Rime, I'm, uh, I'm on the weather team. It's an honor to meet you mister...?" She paused, prompting him for his name.

[holypony20]

"It is a delight to meet you." Knightly bowed to Tempest. "And to answer you how I used this when I did I learned to use it with my mouth. I was in a situation that I needed to because I grew up in Roughrider Ridge. It wasn't a great neighborhood up there with the griffins and the mercenaries and everything. But my dad use to be a blacksmith and he made this sword especially for me. He was a great stallion he was a adventurer as well as a blacksmith. And he was the one that inspired me to travel. But enough about me what about you." He was smiling as he kept the sword in his lap.

[Tempest Rime]

"Wha- me?" Tempest was taken aback for a moment. She was surely not very interesting. "I'm nopony special, I'm just on the weather team. Mostly paperwork and filing and stuff, because I'm too small to handle a lot of the big stuff. I've never even been as far as Fillydelphia, and the only griffins I've seen are the ones that came through here on that airship. Oh, and I guess there was one Miss Dash was friends with, though I didn't actually meet her."

Normally she'd be making some excuse to leave around now, but she had none, and the hangover nagging at her thoughts was distracting her from making something up. "Um... I'm good at math, I guess. And at making frost..." She sighed. She was so boring.

[Dio]

Diomedes

Diomedes Ironwing was ordinarily not an early riser, but this past week had seen him running packages at the crack of dawn every day. By the time Sunday had rolled around, his biological clock was set and he was alert and awake by 7:00am. After cleaning his apartment, getting some paperwork squared away, and fixing himself breakfast, Diomedes found himself with literally nothing to do. Looking outside his window, he noted that clear weather was scheduled for the day.

Perhaps I should get a quick flight in before I leave for Canterlot tonight. He mused. With that, he stepped outside, unfurled his wings, and took flight. Ponyville fell away beneath him, the ponies on the ground shrinking to the size of dolls and the buildings looking like mere models on a toymaker's bench. Diomedes laughed as he continued to ascend, far into the sky where finally patches of Altocumulus clouds collected in sufficient size for him to land on.

The big Pegasus alighted on the cotton-ball like cloud cluster, stomping around and fluttering his wings like a colt who had just discovered cloudwalking. It wasn't often that Diomedes got to exercise the Pegasus' unique ability to walk on clouds. He spent quite a bit of time on the ground; whenever he was airborne, it was always under wing and deadline, leaving little time for meddling around with clouds.

Dio pursed his lips as an idea came to him. Stomping down on the cloud patch, he broke away a small puffy ball that he was able to lay down on. The red Pegasus curled up on the little cloud, wings partly unfurled, mane and tail flowing in the breeze, slowly drifting back down to Ponyville. The slow, steady breeze and scintillating sunlight at altitude had a mildly hypnotic effect; before too long, Dio found himself drifting over town hall. He stood up and yawned.

The cloud continued to drift downwards until it slowed to a halt about 10 yards off the ground, incidentally over the square in front of town hall. Just below were two other Pegasus, one cream-colored stallion and the other a cool green filly. Dio had seen both around town before, but he couldn't remember for the life of him what their names were. The big Pegasus shrugged. What was the harm in reintroduction?

He leaned over the edge of the cloud. 'Hello down there!'

[holypony20]

Knightly slightly laughed. "Its fine that you dont do much i was just figuring out what kind of a pony you are your personality and what you do around her that's all. but I think theirs someone trying to get our attention." He looked up at the big Pegasus up on the cloud. He was sure he saw him somewhere but he couldn't remember where. "Hello I believe I have met you somewhere before I'm not quite sure where though.we must of talked because we both have one thing in common I noticed."

[Tempest Rime]

"Uh, hello." Tempest was not used to being suddenly greeted out of nowhere by strangers, but maybe the white pegasus new this red one. The people in Ponyville were a friendly lot, and she'd gotten that a lot when she first moved here, but by now she had faded into the background fairly well.

Her suspicious were half confirmed when Knightly recognized the newcomer. They still weren't making proper introductions, though. How could anypony converse without a proper introduction. She was having difficulty just thinking about them without names to put to their faces. "I'm Tempest Rime," she said, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

[Dio]

Hello I believe I have met you somewhere before I'm not quite sure where though. We must of talked because we both have one thing in common I noticed.

'Hey, I know you! You were at the café that one time. Knightly, right? What's up?'

Diomedes hopped off his cloud and flared his massive wings, floating him down to the square on a cushion of swirling air. The effects of a quick flight and a clear day were definitely apparent; Dio was in a much better mood than he was during the week. 'Pony Mail doesn't run on Sundays, so I figured it wouldn't hurt for me to get a quick flight in for kicks and giggles. It feels great not being on a deadline.'

"I'm Tempest Rime," she said, a hint of exasperation in her voice.

'Tempest… Tempest… ah, weather crew, right? I thought I'd heard that name tossed around. I'm Diomedes,' he said. Noting Tempest's apparent discomfort, Dio held a hoof to his face and made a show of breathing out. 'What? Does my breath stink? I hope not! I definitely brushed this morning; I can still taste the toothpaste!'

He cocked his head to the side as he noted the palpable chill around Tempest Rime. Was it just her current disposition? Or was there actually frost forming on those blue locks of hers? Either way, the filly was clearly not amused. At this, Dio softened his voice, adopting a less boisterous tone. 'Just, uh... just call me Dio. Pleased to meet you, Tempest.'

[holypony20]

"Its great to meet you again so whats going on with you. You have some time off today that's great. I would join you but I just met her and I dont want to leave her here on her own. So whats your plans for today then." He really liked talking with him he was a really cool Pegasus from the short time he met this pony.

[Tempest Rime]

Tempest blinked. "You've heard of me? Really?" She huffed, someone was talking about her behind her back, surely nothing nice. "Well, then, you seem to have me at a disadvantage, Mr. Diomedes. I don't believe I've heard of you."

She realized he was being unsociable again, and attempted to tone it down. "Ahem, excuse me if I am a bit short, I'm not feeling all that well at the moment. I apologize in advance if I get a bit irritable. I for one don't have any plans, I... uh, if you don't mind, I wouldn't be adverse to joining you in a quick flight, though I'm hardly an athlete."

She stretched her wings and winced suddenly. "Ouch! Oooohhh, and I'm a bit sore from pulling double duty yesterday." She frowned. This probably wasn't the best idea, but she didn't want to go home yet, and she had nothing else to do. Besides, she could use the practice dealing with unfamiliar ponies.

[Dio]

Diomedes

'Ah, drop the formalities; it's just Dio, please!' The red Pegasus laughed. Sensing the note of hostility in her voice, he was quick to add, 'Relax. It was just somepony in the marketplace making small talk about how well the weather team was organized. As for me, I'd be surprised if you had actually heard of me. I do priority mail runs for Pony Mail so I'm only in Ponyville for a few days at a time. The rest of the time I'm running packages or documents to the ends of Equestria.'

'I normally take my flights alone, but having company would be great, especially on a day like today,' Dio said as he unfurled his wings to their full extent to demonstrate. 'As you can see I'm not exactly the lightest on my wingtips, so I don't think you'll have to worry about being left behind.'

Tempest was going to be a tough nut to crack. She definitely wasn't the outgoing type, but behind that tightwad attitude was something else, something... vulnerable? Dio wasn't about to push it, though. The last thing he needed was an angry weather chief breathing down his neck. She seemed agreeable enough for now, though, even stretching her wings in response. However, before she reached full extension, she seemed to crumple a little, the look on her face indicating she was in pain.

'You sure you're okay?' Dio asked, simultaneously concerned and curious. 'If it's gonna kill you, I'm not going to drag you into a flight.'

[Tempest Rime]

"I'm fine," snapped Tempest. "I'm just a little sore, it'll do me good to stretch my wings a bit. And I apologize, but I do prefer to retain a degree of formality. We have only just met, after all." She gave Dio a stern look and took wing. She hovered unsteadily a few feet off the ground.

She grimaced for a moment before managing to steady herself, at which point she gave a nod to the other two. "You see. Not a problem. Now, what sort of flight were you planning? Did you have somewhere in mind to fly by? Oh, you know, I think the fruit trees ought to be blossoming by now, there are a few orchards south of town that ought to be rather picturesque if you like that sort of thing."

Everyday flight was one of the few things that Tempest's small stature was actually an advantage in. Though she couldn't carry very much, or move large amounts of clouds as easily, she was still lighter than most pegasus ponies, and while she wasn't a particularly fast flier, she was fairly agile.

[Dio]

"Then that's your prerogative, Miss Tempest," he replied, a tiny hint of irritation creeping into his voice. He returned her disapproving glare with a steely-eyed gaze more typical of a soldier than a mail pony. Diomedes was a patient stallion, but Tempest's particular brand of inflection had a way of getting under his skin. It was that same attitude coming from another stallion athlete that had been the source of Dio's troubles at the academy.

He unfurled his great wings, each one easily the size of Tempest herself, and lifted off, launching past the pegasus filly and alighting on the cloud he had ridden down on. She wanted a flight? He'd give her a flight. Diomedes was no Wonderbolt, but he had flown enough long hauls to be conditioned for both straight-line speed and endurance.

"I usually head west over Everfree," he said, glancing down at Tempest Rime. "The emergent layer offers challenging aerial terrain, as do the rocks around Dragon Mountain."

"The ledge up top offers quite the view when you arrive," he continued, spreading his wings with a flourish. "Think you can handle it?"

[holypony20]

Knightly sighed that they where getting into a argument of sorts. It might not be a verbal argument but he could see it in there eyes that they where getting angry at each other. "Um can't we just get along here there's no need to give each other bad looks. I think we should just calm down here start over." He spread his wings they where pretty big themselves close to the size of Dios. Knightly got up in the air. "I dont think we should make this a competition I think that's healthy for making a friendship. And it seems that Miss Tempest is injured I wouldn't want to have her fly on an injured wing especially up to Dragon Mountain.

[Tempest Rime]

"Thank you," said Tempest, mollified at Dio's formal use of her name. She completely failed to catch the irritation in his voice until Knightly pointed it out. "Er, what looks? I am perfectly calm, and for the last time, I am NOT injured! I'm perfectly able to--wait, did you say Everfree? As in the Everfree Forest!? Are you mad!? There are all kinds of awful things in there! And don't think just because you're flying they can't get you! There's a reason Dragon Mountain is called Dragon Mountain, after all."

Tempest sighed. It seemed she'd already managed to get on Diomedes' bad side somehow. She seemed to do that a lot. Especially with the stallions...

[Dio]

Diomedes

"Don't worry, Knightly," Dio said coolly. "You heard the lady; she's not injured."

This was proving to be a bit of a conundrum for Diomedes. On the one hoof, he was more than willing to shoot down a stuck-up, self-righteous, self-important pony. However, the last time he'd done that, the subject of his ire had ended up with a broken nose and a black eye. Dio had no intention of ever beating up Tempest; it just wasn't proper.

On the other hoof, the little green filly had an oddly charming naiveté about her; he saw it in the way she demanded to be addressed formally and her sputtering reaction to his mere mention of the Everfree Forest. She was one of those; overwhelmingly book smart but socially challenged. It made him almost want to forgive her right then and there…

'You heard me right the first time,' the red Pegasus said, easing off a bit. 'Since Twilight Sparkle and company chased the dragon out of his lair, the mountain has been safe. Trust me; I fly the path regularly during my training flights on my days off.'

He was quick to add, 'If it makes you feel any better, we can increase our cruising altitude, staying away from the canopy. There should be some good thermals around the deep forest glades and some altocumulus clouds to perch on closer to the mountain.'

'And Knightly? You're welcome to come, too. What's it gonna be, Miss Tempest?'

[Tempest Rime]

"Well... I suppose if you fly there regularly it's probably not too dangerous..." Tempest frowned, sounding more like she was trying to convince herself than make any sort of argument with Diomedes. "And if we watch out for one another, it shouldn't be too bad, I guess." She vaguely remembered the dragon incident, it had been Rainbow Dash's little group that had dealt with it.

Tempest sighed. "Well alright, but we should stick together and keep it safe." She tensed up, psyching herself up for this. She'd never even considered going into the forest before. That's what Dash and her little band of heroes were around for. Stopping Nightmare Moon, driving away dragons, confronting that spooky zebra, those were things that other people did. How on earth did a normal pony like her get talked into this?

She shook her head, no time for second thoughts, she wasn't going to let herself drive this new pony away like she so often did. She'd show him she wasn't just a bureaucrat. Even if she was...

[holypony20]

He sat there listening to them. It seemed like this flight could be dangerous but he hasn't been up dragon mountain before. It seemed that Tempest wasn't very found of the idea. It seemed that she was thinking about it more then a normal Pegasus would. "Tempest its fine if you dont want to go up Dragon Mountain at least I wouldn't hold it against you." He noticed the Diomedes was kind of egging Tempest onto it which wasn't good since she was so worried about it. He didn't want anyone to get hurt either he heard that the mountain could be unstable. It was pretty unstable when Twilight Sparkle and her group went up there to ask the dragon to move from the mountain.

[Dio]

Diomedes

'Great to finally have some company!' Diomedes said with a grin. The big Pegasus leaped from his cloud and began to slowly circle the square. 'Now form up on me. Over the forest it's not so bad, but if you slip over to the lee side of the mountain, there are some ugly rotor winds that can get you. But that's not a problem as long as you stay close. Now let's go!'

Dio mentally reviewed his flight plan as he did before all long-haul flights. West over Everfree, turning north at the glade, drift northwest before making a slow orbit around the great tree, and a final dash to the summit. He gave his mighty wings a few flaps, leveling out and climbing to a better cruise altitude before they left town. He glanced behind him to ensure that his companions were in tow.

[Tempest Rime]

Tempest nearly fell back down to the ground from the short wind created by Dio's massive wings. She frowned and pumped her wings, ignoring their aches. She had to flap her small wings several times for each beat of his, but her stubbornness provided her with the motivation to ignore her body's protests.

Once she was actually up in the air, things got much easier. It was a lot less straining to maintain altitude than to increase it. High altitudes were easy for her, she often flew far higher than this when she was chilling water to create ice. In fact, the higher she was, the more comfortable she'd be when they got near the forest, in case monsters were waiting under the canopy to swoop into the air after them.

"Uh... I've heard that the wild weather over the forest can be really unpredictable. But I guess you're the expert, since you've been here before..." As they got closer and closer to the forest, Tempest's anxiety grew rapidly. She glanced back at Knightly nervously, hoping he might be able to lighten the mood.

[holypony20]

He saw that Tempest was nervous and she looked back at him. He was pretty sure she wanted him to lighten the mood a little. He smiled at her. "Hey Dio I hear above the forest there's a air path that's safe to fly and high enough so the monsters in the forest can't reach us. I just thought we should take that path so no one gets hurt." He really did want no one to get hurt while they where supposed to be having a casual fly in the sky. He wasn't sure how Dio would respond since he got pretty heated at Tempest earlier. Kinghtly flew right up next to Tempest and gave her a comforting smile.

[Dio]

Diomedes

Diomedes smiled as he ascended, the warmth of the sun's rays enveloping him in ribbons of radiance that flowed through his mane and over his body like gentle rain. He loved the feeling of high altitude flight, the joy of sailing far above and beyond everything on the ground, the rush of wind over his wings, the excitement of diving down to the deck from above. After all, it was what gave him his cutie mark in the first place.

Laughing as he went, the red pegasus banked hard and swooped down, zooming past Knightly in a steep dive before flaring his wings and looping back around. Dio steered toward a cloud bank on his way back up, puncturing it as he continued to ascend. He rolled a full rotation as he tunneled through the cloud, dragging it out behind him in the vortex he created and leaving a trail of white cloud on which rings were strung-- "donuts on a string." Dio completed his run by rising up and matching speed and altitude with his companions, coming up between Tempest and Knightly while flashing a goofy grin.

"I'm no Wonderbolt or weather captain, Miss Tempest, but I know how to manipulate my clouds," he said with a wink. "Mind putting a word in for me with the weather team?"

Diomedes turned to Knightly. "Relax, chief. If we stay high enough there's no worries."

Turning his head to face straight forward, he addressed both of them. "Like I said, stay in formation and follow my lead and we'll be fine."

[Tempest Rime]

Tempest managed a wan smile back at Knightly as he mentioned a safe current. Hopefully that would keep this from turning into a disaster. She watched impassively as Dio did his little tricks. He wasn't bad, she had to admit, but it was hard to be impressed by most tricks when she was used to Rainbow Dash constantly showing off.

"Hmm... not bad, not bad, but can you do this?" She soared forward into a particularly wet cloud, and circled for a few moments, letting her mane and tail soak up the water. She then pumped her wings and headed up, climbing higher and higher until she hit the altitude she needed. She coasted for a moment and let the water chill before diving back down towards the others, a trail of frost glittering after her in the sunlight.

The key to freezing water was actually making sure you didn't fly too fast, as that would just blow the water away or evaporate it, but you also had to hit the right temperature of high-altitude winds and properly adjust your speed based on theirs. Tempest was a specialist at it, and was quite proud of her ability to pull it off perfectly, every time. Even if she wasn't great at other weather tricks, this was where she shined.

She soared down and did a lazy circle around the boys, trailing snowflakes after her. "Let's see if you can pull that off." She smiled coolly, forgetting about where she was for the time being. She glanced back at the white pegasus. "How about you, Mr. Knightly? You have any tricks to show off?"