[Cloudsdale]To Where it All Began.(Blueblood)

[IceStorm]

 

 

 

 

If Wind Dancer said that she was looking forward to today, she would be telling... well a really big half-lie. Part of her really was looking forward to today as she was going to be seeing her parents again for the first time in forever. She was also going to be meeting Sky's family as well. It seemed only fitting for them to meet the families now since well, they were going to be part of it soon enough now that they were engaged. They would also eventually have to start planning the actual wedding. Golden Bit already told them that they could use one of the Grand Ball Rooms in the Mareage at no cost, and basically calling dibs on hosting the wedding, but that would have to be something that she and Sky have to determine together. After all, this was his wedding too. He had just as much say about the venue that she did, and honestly she wanted a venue that would work well for everypony. The Grand Ballroom would definitely have the space, but so would the reservoir, and the sky parks in Cloudsdale.

 

And there was the part where she would be lying... She'd been avoiding Cloudsdale for the longest time. She would send letters to her mom and dad frequently, but their jobs made it hard for them to get away for any length of time. She would tell them about her shows and they would always want to come see them, and they always asked her to come put one on in Cloudsdale, but she would always say something like there weren't any safe venues available that she wouldn't blow away. Which in her defense... wasn't entirely false. Not to mention, wind affected pegasi completely different than other ponies, Sky Sailing himself being a prime example of that. In a city full of only pegasi, it would make it really hard for her to go all out. She didn't want to be the reason somepony else had an accident.

 

The accident... that was actually the part that she was dreading the most. She knew that she had to go back there, and she already made Sky promise to not let her back out of it. She needed to go back to where everything started so she can get her final closure, and be able to say that she'd finally overcome that terrible day. She wondered how many ponies would actually remember her here. She landed on the edge of the clouds leading into the city of clouds. "Well, here we are... Good old Cloudsdale," she said to Sky. Her voice wasn't near as full or strong as is usually was as the apprehension could be heard clear as day. "Let's get in there before I get cold feathers... The longer we wait... the more I'll just want to head straight to our folks and not face the past..."

[Blueblood]

Sky would be a little ashamed to admit just how long it took for him to realize and remember why Wind Dancer would be reluctant to return.  Never having gone through any real traumatic experiences himself, it was hard to picture what that meant.  Art and music could communicate things to him, but the song that Wind wrote on the subject had as much to say about moving on as pain, and nothing at all about returning to the site of trauma.

 

His mind was mostly on just seeing his folks again, and meeting up with Windy's.  It had been a while since he'd been back himself; Sky really didn't feel comfortable returning to a working town until his musical career had some success to back it up.  It was hard to get respect for artists in a factory town, though coming back with a celebrity as a fiancee would probably help.

"Yup!"  He put on a brave smile for Windy, just in case she couldn't muster one of her own.  "We needn't stay long there, you know.  Don't bring on too much pain if you're not ready for it."

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~~~

 

 

 

"I know..." Wind Dancer said looking into Sky's face, seeing the smile that he wore. She knew that he was trying to help her through this and he wanted her to be comfortable, but this was something that she had to do, or she might never have the courage to try again. "But if I don't do this now, and I back out... I might not ever come back and try to face this again," she told him giving him a nuzzle. It was as much to reassure herself that he was with her than it was out of affection before she took off.

 

It was a few minutes of flying, but that few minutes felt like an eternity to Wind Dancer. She could feel the pit in her stomach building as they grew closer and closer to where everything happened. She wondered how different everything would be now. She knew that they wouldn't chance the entire layout of a city or how they made things because of a freak accident, but even Las Pegasus has change a lit in it's many years. Not everything always stayed the same either. In this case though, she landed on the cloud platforms right out side of the flight school. As soon as she did... she immediately felt a phantom pain in her wing before looking out and then up.

 

"Well," she said shakily, "This is where it all happened..." she said looking looking up to the pillar that she remembered. It still had the crack and the chip on it. "The storm came from over there," she said pointing towards the west with her wing. "And it blew it with such force, that it overwhelmed us. I had just gotten my cutie mark so I thought that maybe I could regain control of the storm. I learned that sometimes nature can be more powerful than we could possibly imagine. Right there is where I hit," she said through a shudder pointing to the cracked pillar. Her voice strained... She took a deep breath. She could do this... It's been forever since this happened... She could finally put this behind her. "I don't remember much about what happened after that until I woke up a couple weeks later in the hospital," she told him. She wasn't sure why... but she was expecitng this moment to be... a lot harder on her than it currently felt. Instead... it genuinely felt like a weight was being lifted off of her.

[Blueblood]

Sky had to give a little smile at Windy's bravery.  He didn't quite know how it felt, but he knew that it meant a lot to her, and he was there to support her.  "Let's go, then."  Taking wing, the pair close soared over the clouds.  The nebulous architecture still bore their old Roaman inspirations, likely drawn themselves from truly ancient pegasi society, pre-unification.  Sky vaguely remembered history lessons on the topic, held in the very school they were gliding over, but had to admit he'd retained little.  His mind had drifted so much in school it was a wonder he was never held back.  Sleepless nights spent on make-up work probably accounted for a part of it, plus a factory town didn't tend to put too much stress on non-weather related academic grades anyway.

 

Soon, they came to stop right by one of the pillars.  He could see the dent his fiancé pointed out from where they stood upon the clouds.  He sucked in a breath through his teeth as he felt a sympathetic twinge of pain in his own bones, and instinctually spread a wing over Wind Dancer in a hug.  "That... sounds terrifying."

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~~~

 

 

 

 

"It... Was at the time... But being here now and looking back on it... I don't know if it's because you're here with me, but it seems kinda silly to have been scared of this place for so long. I'll admit I was expecting the memories and everything to be a bit overwhelming. Instead... I just feel like a weight had been lifted off my wings," she told him as she is fact draped one of her wings over his back.

 

It was about this time she heard a bell and then a rush of Pegasus fillies and colts rushed by them. They must have arrived right at the end of the school day. She remembered herself being quite enthusiastic to get home after school herself. She barely had time to recollect herself before she heard a familiar, long overdue voice behind her. "W... Windy? Is that you?"

 

 

~~~Morning Dew~~~

 

 

Morning Dew would sign and smile as the rush of students left for the weekend. They were always so enthusiastic to leave, but she did her best to make sure that they were happy coming back to. Currently she herself was working with the younger generations of Pegasi that were just starting to learn to fly. It was hey job to get them ready and get them flying properly, and it was a job that she loved.

 

Today's lesson was one that she considered to be one of the most important lessons that a pegasus could learn. How to correct themselves if they lose their bearing in the sky and what they should do during a crash that can save them and cause the least amount of damage. It was one of the only lessons that she taught that she never allowed short cuts on, and how could she? The last thing she wanted was another parent going through what she did with Windy. 

 

She smiled as her thoughts went back to the letters that she had gotten from her recently. Her little filly had apparently made quite the name for herself in Las Pegasus. She would love to see one of her shows and just see hey again for a bit, but with the schooling the way it was here at the school, it was busy even when the students left. They spent most of their off time working to prepare for the next semester. She was a bit excited though, in one of her recent letters Windy said that she was coming back to Cloudsdale!

 

Morning Dew would believe it when she saw the mare in front of her though. As soon as she was old enough to leave Cloudsdale, she didn't look back after what happened to her. She knew her little girl was strong enough to overcome her part if she tried but she didn't want to push it. She knew that she would come back when she was ready. 

 

She gathered her things and started making her way out of the facility. When she got to the door though, what she saw caused her to drop her saddle bags. Could it be... she thought to herself until she saw the scar on her wing. "W... Windy? Is that you?" she asked preparing for the tightest hug she would ever give if the answer was yes.

[Blueblood]

Sky Sailing nodded, allowing a smile to grow across his face as he felt Wind Dancer relax beneath his wing.  "It's like facing a bad dream after you wake up.  You remember being scared, but the fear is only a memory.  That's not what you have to live through anymore."  He nuzzled her all the same, saying, "Still took real courage, though.  I'm proud of you.  Now, what do you say we go off and meet-"

 

"W... Windy? Is that you?"

 

Sky's head jerked up, coming to look at the mare which had just asked the question.  The jade green color of her coat, the teal mane and tail... this had to be Morning Dew; he recognized her from the pictures he saw in Windy's dressing room.  "Your Mother?"  He asked, pretty much already knowing the answer.

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~~~

 

 

 

Wind Dancer returned the nuzzle whens he felt it come in from Sky. She felt reassured when he told her that this was like facing a bad dream after you wake up. You remember feeling scare and you remember the emotions that came with it, but that the fear and feelings were only memories. Memories of something that she didn't have to go through any more and had made leaps and she knew herself that she had made leaps and bounds to get past. The voice made her turn around as she nodded to Sky as he asked if it was her mother and then responded to the voice.

 

"Hehe, Surp...." Wind Dancer started to say until she was cut off by a wind-pipe-crushing hug. She was pretty sure she felt some bits of her spine pop as well... She heard her mom talk about how happy she was to see her and couldn't wait to show her father who was in town. "It's... good... to see.... you too... *cough* But... it's.... easier to.... see you.... if I can breathe..." she said as she heard her mom giggle a bit and then lighten her hug a bit and then allowed Windy to do the same.

 

 

~~~Morning Dew~~~

 

 

 

Morning Dew saw the nod, but she also saw it being directed towards the colt that was with her. The smile that she saw on Windy's face though was all she needed to see, and with a speed that would make rainbow blush the older mare had Wind Dancer locked in a vice grip of a hug. "Oh my Celestia, Windy!" she said tears of happiness flowing. "Oh my little filly, it's so good to see you! Your father and I have missed you so much. We know you still send letters but it's not the same as coming home! Oh we must tell your father immediately! To Tartartus with the weather factory today, our baby girl is home!!!" she said with a smile noticing both the blue face and the blush of the mare that she was hugging. She also heard Windy's gaspy voice telling her it would be easier for her to see them if she could breathe. Dew couldn't help but laugh a bit before relenting only to find herself in a firm hug.

 

when she finally pulled away she wiped the few tears from her eyes with her wings as she looked Windy over. "Oh my, you've grown up into quite the beautiful mare, and I can tell you must have really made an impression on a few ponies. Your wing looks amazing! and it's so strong!" she said with a smile before popping over next to the stallion that was with here. "So who's this young lad? Oh!? IS this the colt-friend you mentioned a few letters ago!?" she asked with excitement.

[Blueblood]

Sky had to smile at Morning Dew's lavishing of maternal affection upon her daughter.  Loving Wind Dancer as he did, the stallion was just happy that she had the good family that she deserved.  "She is most definitely a real beauty; it's quite fair to say I was enchanted at first sight.  Did she tell you about how we first met?"  He was about to ramble further, before remembering more of how first-time greetings usually went.  "Oh, and yes, I'm Sky Sailing.  It's a pleasure to meet you!"  He put out a hoof to shake, though he suspected Mrs. Dew was the sort of mare to just straight-up hug future sons-in-law.  But that was the sort of thing one shouldn't presume.

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~~~

 

 

Wind Dancer couldn't help but blush a bit when she started hearing her mom talk about how she'd grown up and what a beautiful mare she'd become. She even went so far to tell her that her wing looked amazing and was proud of how strong it was. She heard Sky add his thoughts to how a real beauty she was, and that they were enchanted at first sight. "Yeah, Aside from the scars on it at the joint, you can't even really tell that anything was wrong at this point. Although it does get a tad bit achy in cold weather. but I just get under some covers and I'm fine," she replied as her mother mentioned that Windy didn't tell her how they'd met. "That's odd... I thought I sent a letter about that, but I sent a lot of letters, I might have forgotten that part," she said as Sky introduced himself. "Actually mom, it's fiance now," she said before she saw her mother's eyes go very wide and she took a quick step to the side for the impending rush...

 

~~~Morning Dew~~~

 

Morning Dew nodded as she listened to the two ponies talk, the stallion seeming to mimic her own words about Windy and saying that she was a true beauty. She always knew that her little filly would grow up to be a gem, but she would put her old mom to shame now! She was so excited for her and she nodded to Sky Sailing as he introduced himself. "I'm Morning Dew, but post ponies here just call me Dew," she told him with a smile. Then Windy started talking again, talking about the letters as Sky asked if she had told her how they met. "Now that is a story that I would love to hear!" she exclaimed before her face went slack and her eyes went wide with the words that she just heard Windy speak when she asked about him being her colt friend. "Fiance... FIANCE!?!?" she yelled before she zipped over to the stallion and forewent the hoofshake and went into a full pony bear hug.

 

She noticed the small side step from Windy. "Oh no you don't," she said pulling her in with her wing and locking them all together. "EEEheheh! My daughter is getting married!!!! Oh we must go find your father immediately! If they could have waited before they are going to wait now! My filly's home and she's getting married!" she yelled before getting a large number of looks from ponies that were passing by with raised eyebrows, but then a smile as they passed on. "Maaaaybeee we should go home first before we get arrested for disturbing the peace..." Morning said with a sheepish giggle.

[Blueblood]

Sky's intuition on Morning Dew being the hugging sort proved correct, which let him be at least somewhat prepared for the mare's sudden grappling off his torso.  He held his breath long enough for Windy's mother to sweep them all up into a group hug, which gave him some space for his lungs again.  "Yup, fiancé."  He chuckled, completely disregarding the crowds around him.  He'd been in Los Pegasus long enough to acclimate to a more crowded environment, and so had forgotten just how unusual it was for a small town.

 

"Ehe, well, I suppose you're right.  Though, if we stop by on the factory on the way home, we might catch my dad.  He'd likely be as excited, though I'm pretty sure he wouldn't show it quite so... loudly."  He pulled back at last, resetting a few feathers in his wings before getting ready to glide off again.  "We can tell you the story on the way there, too!  It all started when I decided to take a nap in one of the trees in a park.  I was a bit too tired to fly home after a day of searching out busking spots, and just so happened to alight on a branch just above where Windy had paused to rest..."

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~~~

 

 

Wind Dancer eeped a bit as she felt her mom pull her into the hug that she had surrounded Sky with, telling her that she wasn't getting away that easily. She could only took hey eyes and smile a bit before noticing all the ponies overhead as well. A few of them she recognized and after seeing a few faces of shock she saw a bunch of smiles and they continued on their way as her mom suggested heading to the factory to get her dad. Sky send to be for that idea as well since his dad also worked there.

 

On the way, her mom was more than willing to listen to the story to how they met, staying mostly silent whole Sky spoke and then she would continue. "Yeah, I had just finished a day full of meetings with some of the council members in LP and I was strolling through the park on the way home. One of the few green spots in the city. I just happened to be walking under the tree and a leaf fell on my nose. With a sneeze his head popped out of the branch and we started talking," she continued before letting Sky continue once more.

 

 

~~~Morning Dew~~~

 

 

After a few moments the mother relented hey hug against the two ponies in front of her. They had agreed that maybe home was the best place to continue the celebration of the union that was forthcoming rather than out here in the streets. Still, she was listening in earnest as she heard Sky and Windy start talking about how they met. Apparently all of this started with a leaf blowing in the wind. She smiled at the small irony of that and also how the names matched up.

 

Wind Dancer and Sky Sailing... Applewood couldn't have wrote that one better. And from the letters they were both performers! She knew that Windy had taken off and had made quite the name for herself, and Sky was an amazing singer of the letters were anything to go off of. They would have to make it a point to take some time away and actually go to one of their shows. To Tartarus with the school and the factory for one weekend. Hey little filly deserved to have her momma in the crowd at least once. She would remain silent as their story continued as she looked back to Sky. They weren't too far from the factory now.

[Blueblood]

Sky picked up the story like a relay baton, without missing a step or beat.  "It turned out we had pretty similar attitudes towards big city life, and the fact that we were both performers for a living gave us a lot to talk about.  Enough so that she was willing to let me crash at her place rather than spend the night in a tree."  He chuckled a bit at that.  "I wasn't about to say no to a more comfortable perch than hardwood!  She even showed me a small sample of her moves in her home practice studio, and I returned to sing some of my songs.  I visited her show, and she helped me set up mine.  We worked so well together, and got on so well, that really, falling in love was only a matter of time!  And not very much time, at that."

 

The factory was now in sight.  Nopony who had ever seen the place forgot it.  Even its workaday nature couldn't hide the fundamental whimsy of its design, and it was only no in retrospect, when he saw the rainbow smoke coming from the great vats through the cloud smokestacks, that Sky realized just how much of an inspiration this place had been to his own aesthetic.  "Never thought I'd feel so nostalgic looking at this place."

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~~~

 

 

 

Wind Dancer would smile and nod along with the story that Sky was telling her mom. He told her about how after talking for a bit they found out that they had a lot of different things in common and that they were both performers. It gave them quite a lot to talk about that first night and she had invited him to come back to her place for the night rather that spend the night in the tree. A comment that made Windy's mom give her a small smirk. She could see the gears working in her mother's mind and she shook her head with a soft giggled as he continued. He said that he wasn't about to say no to a more comfortable place to sleep than hardwood. 

 

He further mentioned that she showed him some of her moves in her practice studio and mentioned that he had shown her some of the music that he had done. "Oh his music is great! Everything that we did lead us into a new chapter. Not too long after we met, I helped get him his first gig at the Bistro in the Mareage on the rooftop, and it turned out to be quite a hit. He had attracted the owners of not only the Mareage but the casino next door as well and from there things kind of taken off. I even discovered that I myself have at least a little bit of talent in singing, but I'm no where near as good as he is," Wind said with a smile as they approached the doors of the weather factory. They waited a few moments as her mom went into the factory before almost forcefully pulling her father out of the factory doors. She heard him giving in to mom and telling her to calm down before he saw her. He took a few steps up to her before asking if it was really her, making her heart twinge a bit as he did. Had it really been that long? She nodded with a smile and soon it was her father starting to shed the tears as he began to hug her, albeit nowhere near as tightly as her mom had.

 

 

~~~Morning Dew~~~

 

 

 

Morning Dew continued listening to the story of her daughter and soon to be son-in-law in how they met. It was quite exhilarating to hear and it was so nice to hear that even in such a place like Las Pegasus, where she heard more about the parties and the negative parts about the city than she had the positives, that such things could exist. She took comfort in the fact that her daughter was helping make it a better place too. If she had helped Sky jump-start his career she had probably played a hoof in doing more for others. In fact she vaguely recalled her trying to put on a festival or something for exactly that.

 

When she heard that Windy had invited Sky over to her place to stay the night that first night that they met, she gave her a sly look. It didn't take a rocket pony to piece two and two together. She giggled lightly as she saw Windy blush a bit as she heard her continue as well. So far it sounded like everything had gone, well, exactly as she hoped it would when her little filly finally found the somepony that was meant to be hers. It wasn't too much longer after that, that they found themselves in front of the doors of the weather factory and she smiled excitedly. "Alright you two wait here... I'll be right back!" she said blasting off to the area where her husband worked.

 

It only took her a few moments for her to find him in the part of the factory where he worked. She quickly found his boss that was on duty. "Hi, Water Wing is taking a personal day for the rest of the day, I'm not taking no for an answer. Bye!" she said before taking off not even giving him a chance to respond. She quickly flew to where he was and pretty much tackled him on the spot. "You're coming home, and your coming home now," she said in response to the crazed question that her husband asked about what she was doing here. When he asked her why and what was going on, she smiled. "Our filly is home, and she's waiting right outside," she told him. Naturally he didn't believe her cause it had been several years since Windy had come back to Cloudsdale but he came with her anyways to humor her. The look on his face when he actually saw Windy though, and realized that she was really there... was priceless, and so was the scene that unfolded shortly after.

 

 

~~~Water Wing~~~

 

 

Just another boring day at work, making sure all the water flowed properly from station to station within the factory. It paid the bills though and that's all that it needed to do. It wasn't fancy, but it was important otherwise the rains wouldn't' get delivered on time, and the snow wouldn't be ready to go by winter. He had to admit though that he was highly surprised to see his wife barge into the factory, stop by his bosses desk and then proceeded to almost tackle him. "Sweet Celestia ya crazy mare, what's gotten into you?" he asked her as she told him that he was coming home and that he was coming home right now. "Sweetie, what could possibly be more important than making sure that one, we can eat, and two making sure the rest of Equestria can grow food, so that we can continue to eat?" he asked her. Her response made him do a double take.

 

"Windy's home? But that's not possible. She hasn't been home in years, and she's made it very clear that she won't be coming back any time soon. AS far as she's come, I know there are things that still haunt her here," he told her. Still she didn't seem deterred and simply rolled his eyes. "Fine, but when we're short for food this month it's your fault," he told her as he followed her outside before stopping cold in his tracks. Standing there at the base of the steps, was in fact, his daughter... The crazy pony that was his wife was actually being honest. Not that he would ever call his wife a liar or thing that she was trying to deceive him, it was just that sometimes she would get her hopes up over little things only to get them crushed by something. He hated seeing her get all mopey for the weeks that followed afterwards.

 

Nothing could ever undo what happened, but at least it finally looked like the family would start to heal. He moved up to his filly, no... His young mare... boy she had sure blossomed into something quite spectacular. "Windy... Is it... actually you?" he asked her before seeing the nod, and the small pang of guilt that hit her didn't go unnoticed either as he wrapped his hooves tight around her, shedding a couple tears of his own, but they weren't anywhere near the water works that Morning Dew had shed, which was ironic in of itself cause of how the two ponies where named would have implied the opposite reactions. "Oh we've missed you so much... We thought you coming home was a pipe dream at this point," he said releasing her from his grasp. "So who's this young lad?" he asked.

[Blueblood]

Sky floated along, his head halfway back into the happy memories.  It was perhaps a weakness of his that he wasn't always fully present, even in moments like these.  Windy would have to pull him down to cloudsurface just to keep him from drifting along into the factory behind Morning Dew!  "Whoops, hehe, thanks."  He said, shifting his hooves a little bit as they waited for the other mare to return with Windy's father.  "Your mom's nice, I like her.  I can kind of see where you get your positive attitudes towards life."

 

His eyes cast about for a clock, something he could use to tell the time.  "Huh, didn't think it was that early in the afternoon; we might not catch my dad, unless he got up early.  Does the way to your home pass by restaurant row?  We might catch him having his- what do you call breakfast that's too late to be called brunch?"

 

After this small exchange, her father emerged, took a moment to blink through his shock, and rushed to embrace his daughter.  Sky stepped aside, smiling, as the two had their reunion.  Once Water Wing was cognizant of his own presence, Sky stepped forward again.  "Good Afternoon, sir, I'm Sky Sailing.  You daughter decided she wanted to marry me, and I'm not fool enough to say no!"  He offered a hoof, hoping his vein of humor would be well taken.

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~~~

 

 

 

Wind Dancer was the first, and thankfully the only pony to notice that Sky had entered his head space for a bit. He did that a lot when he was thinking about things of the past. At least now he had happy thoughts to lose himself in. That did mean, however, that she did have to catch him before he accidentally followed her mom into the factory. So far he seemed to really like her mom. That was a good sign! He also said that he could see where she had gotten her positive outlook on live from. She nodded. "Yeah, she was my rock while I was still up here," she replied as he also said that it was a bit too early yet for them to find his father. She had remembered him saying before that he worked the evening shift. When he asked if the way to their home passed by restaurant row, they might catch him getting breakfast that was too late in the day to be called that. "I honestly don't know. It was on some of the outer clouds just past the restaurants before, but it's been several years since I've been home, they might have downsized," she replied.

 

Their conversation went by the way side though when both her parents came back out of the factory and the reunion started. "Yes daddy, it's me," she said wincing a bit more as he mentioned that he'd thought her coming home was a pipe dream. "Yeah... I'm sorry about that... I kept putting it off and putting it off cause I was honestly expecting that coming home would hurt a lot more than it actually had after everything I went through here. At it turned out... all I really needed was a gentle nudge and a steady rock. And now it... feels kinda silly that I," she started before feeling her father put a hoof to her mouth and telling her that none of why's mattered anymore, just that she was home now. That was when Sky had introduced himself, and her father had turned his attention to him. She could only giggle a bit and roll her eyes at the playful introduction and awaited her father's reaction.

 

 

~~~Morning Dew~~~

 

 

Morning Dew herself couldn't hold back a soft snicker after she heard Sky introduce himself to her husband like that. She liked this pony! He seemed kind and sweet, and just the perfect stallion that would be able to help Windy get through anything that might trouble them. She knew that after everything her little filly had been through herself, she wouldn't hesitate to help anypony else. Word of her Wind Dancer Insurance had made it's way back into Las Pegasus as ponies that had come back from their trips and talk about how sometimes ponies there would get a random donation while they were in the hospital there and all of their medical expenses disappeared. That and Windy talked about that a lot too in her letters that she'd been paying it forward giving others the same chance that Golden Bit gave their daughter. She would still need to go to Las Pegasus at some point and one, see her daughter's show, and secondly thank this Golden Bit in person for giving her daughter the second start that she couldn't afford to give her herself. 

 

The look on her husband's face though when he finally processed what Sky had said, and then replied in kind with a similar kind of remark. It must have been a stallion thing to try to come up with the most obscure over the top way to say just about anything. She never quite understood it herself, but it was apparent just about everywhere. Plus she knew that mares could get the same way with saddles and dresses. She giggled a bit before speaking. "We really should continue this at home before hearing Windy ask if it's still where it used to be. "Why of course dear! Home is home! why would we ever consider leaving it?" she replied. She understood a desire to explore and see other places, but she also was a mare that was firm to her roots and home was home.

 

 

~~~Water Wing~~~

 

 

Water Wind heard Windy starting to reply to why she had been gone for so long, but he simply put his hoof over her lips. She didn't need to explain anything to him. He may not have liked the decision that she had made to leave so many years ago when she did, but he could understand the decision, and he could understand why she would feel the way she did. Shoot, he can't say that he wouldn't have been any different. He almost said buck the factory himself and left Cloudsdale along with her, but he knew Morning Dew would never give up her students. She could always have other students in other schools, but this is what she knew, and this is what she loved doing. He couldn't pull her away from that. The Weather Factory? it was a job. He was good at it, but that's all it was.

 

Hearing Sky Sailing introduce himself, and then tell him that his daughter had decided that she wanted to marry him, and that he wasn't fool enough to say no. He couldn't help but give a hearty laugh. "What was that Sonny?" he asked pretending to clean his ear out. "You was foolish enough to say no? Well why would you do such a thing!?" he asked him hoping that the obvious hint of sarcasm would break through before laughing a bit more. "Na lad, the only pony that would be a fool would be one that would break my daughter's heart. She'd been through enough pain in her life, she doesn't need another pony to make things even more difficult for her. As long as you do right by her, and make her happy, who am I to judge," he said as he heard his wife say they should be heading to their home instead of just standing out here in front of the doors, and Windy asked if home was still home. "Yeah, home is still home. Just down past the restaurants. Speaking of which, we should probably grab some early dinner or late lunch on the way home."

[Blueblood]

There was an eternal kernel of truth in the old cliche about "Dad jokes"; fatherhood gave a pony a peculiar sense of humor, it seemed, in love with puns and pretended misunderstandings.  Sky was willing to humor his father-in-law in that, seeing as he wasn't getting too hard a time for marrying his only daughter.  "Well, I certainly don't plan on hurting her, sir!  So that's alright."  It seemed that the way back to their home would take them past the restaurants, so the party all gathered together to take wing down the row of clouds.

 

Since the whole town was literally above the rain, there was a lot of open-air design in Cloudsdale; most businesses having a large patio instead of a front window, and almost all restaurant seating was open air.  Thus, as they floated through the row of cafes, Sky kept an eye out, just in case he could see-  "There, I think that's my dad!  And mom's with him, too!"  Pointing forward, Windy and her family could see an older pegasus couple.  Water Wing might even recognize the stallion of the pair, Nor'Eastern.  Ironic for his stormy name, he was a quiet stallion of grey coat and brown made, talking in low tones to Scarlet Dawn, a mare of Jade green coat and scarlet mane.  She was known for running an informal housesitting and daycare service; Morning Dew had probably seen her pick up some foals while their parents were away.  Cloudsdale wasn't that large city, so ponies eventually all got to know each other.

 

"Could you stay quiet for a bit?  I want to give them a surprise."  He grinned at Windy and her family as he silently glided down to the cursory cloud railing around the tables, before asking, "Hey, mind if I join you?"

 

Nor'Eastern, answering even before he began turning, "Well, I was hooping to have a little time alone with my- SKY!"  The cups and silverware got rattled a bit as he realized who it was.  "You're back?  You didn't let us know?"  He looked a little flummoxed, though pleased.

"Welcome home."  His mother smiled warmly, pushing back from the table more calmly.  "Do you mind introducing us to- no wait, Morning?  Your daughter's home too?"  She looked from Sky to Windy, the gears already turning in her mind.  "Now Sky, be honest with me.  Did you really move hundreds of miles from home just to hook up with the mare next door?"  She smiled in a way that uncannily similar to how Sky had smiled at them just a little while ago.  These were his parents, alright!

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~~~

 

 

Wind Dancer could only roll her eyes at both the antics of her father and of Sky. Yup, those two were going to get along just fine. As it was lunch sounded good. She'd have to remind herself that she was at home now and the cooking here was a lot different than in LP. The restaurants here didn't have to compete with extraordinary cuisine that a lot of the casinos and hotels and other attractions offered. Still, it didn't mean they were bad, just different and more catered to the ponies that live here.

 

She smiled giddily though when she heard Sky say that he saw his parents and said that he wanted to surprise them. At first the stallion seemed a bit annoyed at his all approach before nearly jumping from the table. The grey stallion and the jade green mare both reacting afterwards. Sky's mother seemed to instantly catch on to what was going on and Wind nodded. "Pretty much, that's exactly what happened," she giggled. At that point her mom spoke up. When she talked about her to lovebirds meeting up hundreds of miles away, she figured now was as good a time as any. Everyone was around so... "Actually mom..." she started rubbing her tummy. "It's three," she said bracing herself for what was coming.

 

~~~Morning Dew~~~

 

 

Morning Dew followed with a bit more spring in her "step" than normal. Today had ended up being a better day than she could have ever imagined. When they approached the ponies that were Sky's parents, her eyes widened. No way! She was getting married to their neighbors son!? Seriously Applewood couldn't write this any better. When Scarlett asked about Sky moving hundreds of miles away just to hook up with they're neighbor, Windy nodded and then Morning spoke up. "Haha, isn't that just the best though? What are the chances that in a big bustling city like Las Pegasus, our two little love birds would fall for each other?" she asked before her daughter spoke up again.

 

What she said this time though, created a small bit of silenced as she processed it. Rubbing her tummy and correcting them to three... Wait... No... She wasn't... "Windy... Are you saying that you're..." She was cut off with a nod before squeeing like a little school filly and vice griping her daughter around her neck. "Heeeeheheheeee! Can this day get any better?" She asked to her husband. "Windy came home, she's getting married, and now we find out were gonna have a grand foal too!? Talk about spoiling you're parents," she said with a giggle. 

 

~~~Water Wing~~~

 

 

 

Water Wing was happy to see that Sky had a sensible sense of humor and was very down to earth. His little display for him was a test of his own to see if this stallion was going to be the stuck up type. Instead after recognizing the parents, he knew that he was more of the dreamy type. For somepony like his daughter, where dreams were just delayed reality, that could prove to be quite fortuitous. It was definitely a good match and the fact that they were both performers made things better because neither would have to leave each other to do performances. 

 

His own train of thought stopped though when he heard Windy correct her mom about the number that was present. He wasn't quite sure what she meant at first. Windy and Sky were only two ponies, so how could they're be three... Oh, he realized to himself as he heard Morning Dew clarify his own thoughts that he was having. Welp, that pretty much settled it. If Windy had made that decision to give that to this stallion, then he must be a winner. He say there with a smile as she watches his wife hug good daughter, Windy starting to turn a bit more blue than normal.

[Blueblood]

Scarlet Dawn couldn't help but chuckle warmly, as her husband and son got up to push a few tables together for them all to sit together.  "You know, I always thought I ought to write that really sappy book that's always been knocking around my head.  But I guess now I'll have to make it a biopic rather than a novel.  You alright with that, son?" 

 

"Sure, mama."  Sky replied, lifting and placing a chair beside her, finally close enough to give her a welcoming hug.  "I suppose it's only fair, after all.  Kind of funny how we grew up so close, and yet I don't think we ever met while we still lived here."

 

"Well, you were a very quiet and almost nocturnal colt.  Always just a bit too sleepy to speak up in class."  His father came up beside him with the table, placing it down with the last chairs before gesturing over to Water Wing and the others to take their seats.  "I honestly kind of worried that you'd just drift through life without doing anything much, but I guess there's some wisdom in trusting the winds.  They'll always take you somewhere, whether or not you want to go there.  And if you just want to see where they take you, well!  There's an adventure in that.  I'm just glad you made it home."  He smiled over at Windy.  "And brought quite the treasure with you, it seems!"

 

Indeed, quite a bit of treasure, to judge from everyone's reactions to the news of Windy's pregnancy.  Scarlet was laughing with even more joy, even as she joined in the hug, ostensibly, though Windy would notice her future mother-in-law working to allow her to breathe again.  "Easy Morning!  Don't squeeze your daughter to death so soon after the news, you gotta at least let my son promise to make her an honest mare."

"Mom!  I already did.  That's kind of what led to this."  Sky protested, blushing.

 

"She's just giving you a hard time for not writing us about this beforehoof, don't worry."  Nor'Easter patted his son's back with his wing as he poured out some orange juice and coffee for the table.

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~Morning Dew~Water Wing~~~

 

 

Morning Dew's hold on her daughter after she heard Scarlett mentioned that she was squeezing her to death. She noticed the blue face and giggled as she released her a bit before speaking. "Hehe, sorry about that... Sometimes when I get excited I can't help myself," she smiled. 

 

Water Wing just shook his head. "That's my wife for ya. Wouldn't have her any other way. That said, I am rather happy that your decided to come home to give us this news. I think your mother would have had a stroke of you had sent that in a letter. She probably would have had us at your doorstep in minutes."

 

"You say that like that's a bad thing. You know you can come to LP to visit to right?" Wind said with a laugh before looking over to Sky's parents. "Honestly I feel Sky was more the treasure here. He was the first pony that actually treated me like a pony and didn't just want to use his status with me for his own gain. One of the only genuine ponies in Las Pegasus if you ask me," she told them with a smile.

 

When she heard Sky talk about how it was funny that they had lived so close to each other but had never met and his father mentioned him being something off a shut in and nocturnal colt. She smiled. "That actually makes a lot of sense then because after my accident so many years ago I was kind of a shut in myself. Not being able to fly properly in a city in the clouds kind of does that to you though. Thankfully I can safely say I am one hundred percent past that now."

 

"Yay!!! Does that mean you'll come visit more!?" she heard her mom ask. 

 

"Yes I'll come visit more... So as long as you come visit to," she said with poking her tongue out with a smile as she and her parents sat down at the now joined table. She heard Sky's mom talking about making her and honest made and heard him say that they had already done that. She nodded. "Indeed. We actually proposed to each other on Hearth's Warming Eve for the finishing move of our show. Later that night, I drank a potion that I had been saving and well, now we're engaged and expecting," she smiled. 

[Blueblood]

Nor'Eastern chuckled softly at Windy's characterization of Sky as the one genuine pony in a city full of simulacra.  "That's my boy!"  He ruffled Sky's main with pride.  "Not one dishonest bone in his body.  Frankly, I think we would have made the visit sooner ourselves, just that kind of place never sat well with me, you know?  All those bright lights and gambling.  But I guess there must be more beneath the surface, if you two are living there."

 

"For now.  It's a good place to get a performance career started, but I'm not sure its so good a place to raise a foal.  Something we'll have to think about pretty soon, Windy."  He looked over to his fiancée, wondering if she had any thoughts on the matter.

 

Scarlet, meanwhile, was just sqeeing softly at the story of their proposal.  "Aw, that's so adorable!  You really are the sweetest thing; I'm glad you found each other after all."

 

The waitress came by around that point, amusement on her lips and chewing gum beneath her teeth, "Well, ain't you one big happy family!  Got any orders to place today?"

[IceStorm]

Wind Dancer laughed at the reaction of Sky's father when he said that it didn't surprise him that there wasn't one dishonest bone in his body. She could definitely believe that. It was her mom that spoke up though. 

 

"I can believed that. Windy has always had a knack for finding good ponies. I'm just happy that she picked an amazing one to settle down with," she smiled still excited before heading how they proposed to each other. "Oh my Celestia! I wish I would have been about to go to that show now! That would have been adorable to see!!" 

 

Water Wing just smiled as the others spoke. He wore his happiness on his face but over all he was more of the quieter type and didn't get as worked up as his wife did. She got worked up plenty for the both of them. Nor'eastern talked about the lights and the gambling and Water nodded. "Yeah, part of the reason I haven't been there myself. I have better things to spend bits on than gambling," he said before looking to his daughter. "Of course, being there to support the ones you love... We should have really made time to come see you..." He said to Windy.

 

"It's fine dad. If there were hard feelings about it, we wouldn't be here now. Besides Sky is right. We probably won't be in the City too much longer. I'm already thinking about some places around the city that aren't as populated. Like Whinnison, Or out by Hooves Dam, or on the reservoir. I want to start close to LP because that's where my contact is with Golden. I would like to start doing more shows outside of Las Pegasus thought. The show in Ponyville was fun and will be one I will never forget for multiple reasons," she smiled.

 

It was about them that the waitress came over and looked every bit the part of an after school job to earn a few extra bits. When she asked what they were having she smiled. "I'll have the cucumber salad with a side of basil tomatoes," Wind smiled.

 

"I'll have the hay burger and fries," her dad spoke before hey mom chimed in. 

 

"I'll have what Windy's having. That sounds really good!" Dew said with a smile. 

[Blueblood]

Since it was, for Ner'Eastern, breakfast time, his order was a little different from the others.  "I'll have the French Toast, with the banana and hazelnut cream toppings, and a side of hay bacon."

"I'll take what my Dad's having."  Sky chimed in, while his mother was still thinking.

"You know, I think I'll be having what my new daughter-in-law is having."  She smiled over at Windy.

 

The waitress raised her brow at that, but smiled as well.  "Heh, 'Grats to y'all.  Always nice to have a couple of lovebirds in this place."  Looking over the full seated party, she had to giggle a bit.  "Looks like we got three pairs of 'em too!  I'll put your orders in, and be right back with a refill of the coffee and juice!"

 

Now that the orders were done, Sky returned to the conversation at large.  "I'm kind of regretting not trying to arrange for a photographer for the Ponyville show; I was worried at the time preparing too much would give away the surprise!"

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~~~Morning Dew~~~Water Wing~~~

 

 

Wind Dancer had remembered once before that Sky had told her that his father had worked the late shift, and she also remembered him saying it not that long ago either. So hearing his father order something more traditionally breakfast-y made sense. It honestly sounded pretty good, and if it wasn't for the fact that she was home and didn't need the extra calories like she did at home... in addition to the very contrasting dishes, she would have ordered that in addition to her own meal. She heard Sky order the same and she couldn't help but giggle. She returned the smile to Scarlet as she said that she would have what her new daughter-in-law was having. The waitress smiled and said that it was nice to have a couple of lovebirds in this place and that it looked like we had three pairs of them too.

 

"Well you know what they say, the more the merrier," Morning Dew replied as the waitress left and she heard Sky talk about how he should have gotten a photographer to capture the moment, but he was afraid it would ruin the surprise.

 

It was Windy's turn to respond. "Honestly, I'm not entirely sure how we managed to pull that off without tipping the other one off at some point. Buuut, I'm glad things worked out the way they did. Ponyville is going to remember that show for a while," she smiled.

 

"Speaking of shows," her father started. "Are you still doing weekly shows? I may have to convince your mother to let us go see one, this week not withstanding."

 

"Convince me?" Morning said with faux agast. "I've been trying to get you to take a weekend off now for several months!"

 

"Really, mom and dad, it's fine! but to answer your question I'm going to continue doing them until I can't. I don't know when that will be, but I know the further along that I get in my term, the less I'll be able to focus or keep the precision that's required for a lot of the sharper move sets to work. Plus all that shaking and the like can't be good on the foal once it gets past the embryonic stage. I imagine I'll be good for a few weeks yet. That said," she said looking to Sky. "I think we should plan the wedding so that it will be sometime after we have the foal, that way we don't ruin some poor fashionista's life having to alter the dress a billion times so that it will fit my growing tummy," she giggled.

[Blueblood]

Sky had to agree with Windy's plans, all things considered.  There were a lot of considerations that had to go into having foals.  Thankfully, at least Windy's place in the city had plenty of room for a little pegasus foal just finding their wings, as it were.  "I'll still be performing throughout, though, though I'll probably break off in the last trimester, and for the first few months after, just so I'm around the house when the little one comes along."  He smiled over towards his mate, before turning back to his parents.  "So, if you were planning to see us both perform, you'll probably want to book that vacation pretty soon."

 

"Well, I'm free to go whenever.  I could probably fly back with you two, if you don't mind."  Scarlet, who did mostly oddjob work around the neighborhood, didn't have to ask permission from anypony to take time off.  Nor'Eastern was a different matter, however.  "I'll have to talk to my boss first, dear.  I don't think it should be a problem, but we won't be able to fly back with them unless they're willing to stay for a few days."

"Oh, that should be fine.  I wasn't planning to just pop in and pop out.  I don't live life at that pace."  Sky's parents both laughed, knowing full well that was true.

[IceStorm]

~~~Wind Dancer~~~Morning Dew~~~Water Wing~~~

 

 

"Oh, that's a great idea! You can totally come back with us. I can when arrange it with Golden Bit to grant us one of the penthouse suites whole the whole family is there! And like Sky said, we're planning on staying a few days, so everyone has plenty of time to make all the arrangements that they need to," Wind Dancer smiled.

 

"Well, then it's settled. Water, team your boss you can't make it this weekend, or the weekend that they leave, cause we're going back to LP with our daughter," Morning started.

 

"Honey, we can't survive that long out of work. How are we going to pay out bills?"

 

"Oh, of you and mom are hurting for bits you should have just said something. Shoot, it you both wanted to come live where we're settling down at, you'll never want for anything again. That goes for you too as well Mr. and Mrs. Sailing. I make more bits than I can spend in a lifetime from one show, and is been almost double that since I've been performing with Sky. You could come stay with us and never have to work again and just enjoy life," Windy said with a smile.