The day started like any other in Cloudsdale for White Knight. Waking up before dawn, showering, shaking out his bleach blond made and putting contact lenses on his blue eyes. Nothing special, just blue. He’d preen his wings quickly, grab a microwaveable bowl of mac & cheese and fly as fast as he could to the Cloudsdale Weather Factory. He worked the day shift for one of the most dangerous jobs there, testing the storm clouds to ensure they didn’t have too much lightning bottle up inside by bucking them.

Needless to say he was durable. He took a few shocks and put those clouds into the “rebottle” section to be looked over again or just kick out the excess lighting. He was told to leave those for the night shift to deal with and he mostly did if one came up just before his shift was over. He glided into the factory, flashed his ID to the security guard and jogged to the employee locker room. It was coed for some odd reason but since there wasn’t anything to really see, it didn’t bother him too much. Besides, they were only putting on white lab coats.

He had just opened his locker when the night shift pony walked in. A bat pony known as Hestaria. He wouldn’t have admitted it out loud, but he considered her a friend. She was usually sarcastic and liked playing jokes on him once in a while. At one point she had put confetti in one of the clouds. They didn’t talk much other than the few minutes they had in the locker room before she went home for the day. When she walked in he looked up from his locker and smiled at her.

“I left you the biggest one I could find.” the mare said jokingly.

White Knight chuckled. “Thanks Hestaria. I’ll be sure to leave you the most volatile for reassessment tonight.”

Hestaria giggled a bit and tossed her white lab coat into her locker. “Whatever Whitey, I’ll see you tonight.”

“See ya tonight.” he said as she trotted out of the locker room.

She wasn’t lying about the cloud either. White Knight knew it was the rainy season and all, but did they really make a cloud as big as the Storm District’s work floor or had Hestaria just shoved as many clouds together as possible. It didn’t matter, the application date was fast approaching and he just had to save up a few more bits to make the transition easier. His father had told him that if you’re happy doing what you’re doing then keep doing it. Well, he hated his job. White Knight had always felt like he had to do something more.

And when his cutie mark came in, he knew what it had to be. He was meant to be in the Guard. The light gray shield with two spears crossing behind it was more than enough to convince him that he was meant to be something more. Back in flight school, kids use to bully around anypony that couldn’t fly, wasn’t near average speed or that they just didn’t like. Knight went to his coach and started something of a hall monitor club that only Knight could let ponies into. When he denied one of the bullies entry, he went to his buddies and tried to take him down by force.

They told him either he disbanded the Sky Patrol, as it was known, or face being beaten. White Knight stood strong against them and told them either they stopped being bullies or he would personally take all four of them on. Needless to say he didn’t win the physical fight that day, but he won the war within that defeat. The coach took full notice of the problem and had them kicked from the school. After the fight, his cutie mark came in. His mother told him that it was a symbol of his unwavering morals and his will to fight for them. As a kid he accepted that and just rolled with it to this day.

Two weeks later Hestaria didn’t show up for work. White Knight figured she was just sick and gladly too her shift for her. But when she didn’t show up the day after that, their boss, Lightning Dust, had him go and check on her. Knight didn’t know her that well, but if she was sick she would have come in anyway. She had to either be going through something bad or she was dead. He hoped for the ladder.

White Knight stopped by the market on his way to see her after working her shift again that day and bought a case of her favorite beer. He knew that only because he saw an empty bottle of it in her locker once so he really only had that to go on. Like him, she lived on the ground. He landed in front of her mail box with the case of beer in his teeth and was about to walk up to the door when he noticed a white envelope laying in the dirt road. He took the letter in his hoof and saw the red letters stamped on it saying “return to sender”.

He opened the letter and read it to himself. It was an application with her photo paper clipped to it. Hestaria tried getting into the Cloudsdale Freedom Fliers. It’s not like the Cloudsdale military to just return a application… unless she had applied more than once. White Knight put the note back into the envelope and put it into her mailbox. White Knight walked up to her door and put the case down. Knight hesitated for a moment and then knocked on her door.

It took a minute before Hestaria shouted from the other side of the door. “Go away.”

‘Did she really just get up to say that?’ “It’s White Knight.”

“Don’t give a fuck.”

“I brought mango flavored beer.”

The door swung open quickly and Hestaria stood there wide eyed and her ears perked up. “You’re bluffing.”

“Am I?” White Knight said holding up the six pack of fruit flavored beer.

Hestaria downed the first one with gusto and held back on the second. The alcohol wasn’t too strong, but it helped her calm down a bit.

“So,” Knight started. “The boss sent me to find out why you haven’t shown up for work.”

“I quit, that’s why.” Hestaria replied taking a swig of the mango flavored beer.

“Why? Because some letter told you that you’re not qualified to serve?”

Hestaria knit her brow. “How’d you know that?”

“Wind and rain don’t always wash away things lying in the street.”

“Whatever, I don’t care anymore.”

“Last I checked, what somepony said to you didn’t matter to you.”

“It’s because I’m not normal. I know it is.”

“What do you mean?”

“I know you see the wings on my back just like everybody else. They require a photo and a full physical. I’m the most fit pony in that factory and they don’t think I’m physically inept to fly with Cloudsdale’s Air Force. It’s all because I’m not normal. They want somepony who looks like you, not some bat winged freak.”

“You’re not a freak. And there are still other things you can do.”

“Weather Patrol already denied me; Celestia knows the Wonder Bolts wouldn’t take me and more over I doubt that even the Celestian Guard would take me.”

“Look, I don’t like what they did any more than you do, but apply for something else. I’ve worked with you for four years now and I know you know you don’t give up.”

“Hope can only get you but so far Whitey.”

“Listen, I’m going to be trying out for the guard next month, they do the physicals there and train you. If you don’t meet expectations, they kick you. Full proof.”

“And if they say I’m not what they’re looking for?”

“Then you have my permission to quit. Come one this’ll be fun! If not physically painful.”

“You really have a way of being positive about the situation don’t you Whitey?”

“How about you come to work tonight and avoid getting fired?”

“Fine, only if you bring me a case of beer before I leave every week.”

“Deal.”

The two friends bumped hoofs and laughed, the first time she had laughed in a few days.