Stormy Skies

Chapters

Chapter 1: Wonderbolts, Assemble!
Chapter 2: First Weeks are Killer
Chapter 3: Lead Pony

Chapter 1: Wonderbolts, Assemble!

Stormy Skies

Chapter 1: Wonderbolts, Assemble!

One year. It's been one year since my life was turned upside down and inside out. One year since I met the love of my life. A lot's happened in a year, and now the biggest chapter of my life is about to begin. Things couldn't be better, right?

But I'm getting ahead of the cart again. So, let me explain a little bit. I'm Cloudchaser. And life for me a little topsy turvy. You see, one year ago I fell in love with the most awesome stallion ever. He's the one with the silver mane, and his name's Thunderlane. I have an awesome sister, the best one in the world. She's my twin, and her name's Flitter. She's got her own beau, by the name of Winter Storm.

Then of course we've got Blossomforth, Thunderlane's one-time ex marefriend. Now I know that at one time, Blossom and I didn't exactly see eye to eye. She even claimed she was pregnant to try and get back at me for dating Thunderlane! But guess what? Now we're close friends, and hang out all the time. She's really turned her life around for the better. Now we get together almost every other week, when Thunderlane and I aren't training that is.

To give you just a little background, Thunderlane and I met amidst the insanity known as “Tornado Day”. Crazy kind of falls everywhere in Ponyville, and Tornado Day was no different. Between dealing with Blossomforth, my own feelings for Thunderlane, and Rainbow Dash's insane training schedule, we somehow managed to pull of getting all that water up to Cloudsdale. After all was said and done, I got a card inviting me to apply for the Wonderbolts Academy by Spitfire! Spitfire, of all the ponies in the world!

Ever since then, we've been training our flanks off. Both Thunderlane and I decided that if the Wonderbolts Academy was going to be a goal, then we would do it together. And what do you know? We actually got in! Tomorrow... tomorrow we head off for the Academy, and I couldn't be happier.

******************************

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

I groaned, turning over in my bed and nearly falling off. Only the gentle tug of a dark gray wing stopped me from descending all the way to the floor. I opened my eyes, sighing. It was too early. Way too early. Even Thunderlane was still asleep. I grinned, feeling a little playful. Nuzzling the stallion a little bit, I pushed just enough to turn him over. Thanks to just how small my bed really was, he fell over and landed with a *thud* on the floor, his eyes opening widely as he yelped. I burst into laughter, rolling over to give him a cute little stare.

“Mornin, hot stuff,” I said, flaring my wings out to emphasize my point. Thunderlane chuckled.

“Morning,” he said, standing up and stretching. I almost burst into laughter again. Lane was cool, but sometimes he just didn't get the hint. “I can't believe tomorrow is the big day. Seems like it was just yesterday that we got our acceptance letters.”

“Yeah,” I said, rolling onto my back and giving Thunderlane another cute stare. “Yesterday...”

“Chase? You alright?” Thunderlane said. I rolled my eyes.

“Of course, you big goof,” I said. “I'm just being playful, that's all. Now come here and give me a kiss.” Thunderlane snickered and reached down, planting a kiss on my lips. I sighed, melting into the stallion's embrace. Thunderlane pulled away and smiled. Then his eyes widened.

“Oh. Oh... I almost forgot about tonight,” he said. I cocked an eyebrow.

“What about tonight?” I asked. Thunderlane grinned sheepishly.

“You know... the party,” he replied. “And your... your parents.” My eyes widened too. I had almost forgotten about it as well. In all of our preparation for leaving for the academy, Flitter had decided to put together a little party, renting out Sugarcube Corner for the evening to wish us off. And of course... she had invited our parents.

“Oh, right. That,” I said. I rolled back over, standing up next to my coltfriend. I placed a hoof on his shoulder. “Hey, it'll be okay. Trust me. They'll love you. I mean, they've technically met you once already.” Thunderlane chuckled.

“I know that, but still. I'm nervous, Chase,” the stallion said. “I just don't wanna look like a screwup in front of them.”

“And you won't,” I said reassuringly. “I mean, you're getting into the Academy with me! This is as much your party as it is mine. Besides, Rumble's gonna be there. He can win over anypony.”

“I suppose you're right,” Thunderlane said. “Well... do you want to get some breakfast? Last day and all before its mess hall food for quite a long while.” I nodded excitedly and followed my love out into the hallway. Despite what it looked like, Thunderlane and I had been spending a lot of time together training. Many evenings when Flitter was watching Rumble, we'd just be too exhausted to go anywhere else. Flitter didn't mind, really. Our once shared room now became mine, and Flitter herself moved over to the other bedroom. Rumble stayed over a lot too, usually sleeping on the couch bed downstairs. We tried to convince the colt to sleep in an actual bed, but he seemed to enjoy it so very much that we decided to not press the issue.

I stopped past Flitter's bedroom door. It was open and she was gone. A sizzling sound from down the stairs told me all I needed to know. My stomach rumbled loudly. Must be hungrier than I thought, I thought, giggling softly to myself. Emerging from the upstairs, a blue blur zipped past us and into the kitchen. I chuckled, entering behind Thunderlane. Flitter was at the stove, working her culinary magic on a skillet of hay bacon and a pot of yummy smelling oats. Rumble sat at the table, his mouth watering.

“Morning, you two. Was wondering when you'd get up,” Flitter said, grinning widely. I rolled my eyes. I'd had several discussions with my sister that neither Thunderlane or I had done... well, you know... that. Still, she took every opportunity to tease me about it.

“Sorry, Flits. Last night's training session was a bit exhausting,” I said. Flitter giggled. “Shut up. I'm still not awake. Food now. Teasing later.” Flitter laughed as I plopped down in between Rumble and Thunderlane. I reached out and toussled the colt's mane.

“Sis! Stoppit!” He cried out. I giggled.

“Lookin' good little bro,” I said. “You gonna miss me when I'm gone?” Rumble rolled his eyes.

“Of course I'm gonna miss you,” he said. Thunderlane smiled softly.

“Just remember to pay attention in Miss Cheerilee's,” he said. “And be good for Flitter. She's being very gracious in keeping you while we're going to be at the Academy.”

“I will, big bro,” Rumble said. “You gonna bring me back anything cool?” Thunderlane chuckled.

“We'll see, kiddo,” he said. “It's not exactly going to be a vacation after all.”

“Speaking of... I need to go down to the store today and get everything ready for the party tonight,” Flitter said. “You two need to be there by seven thirty sharp. Do not make me get after you.” She lifted her wooden kitchen spoon, pointing it at me. I grinned.

“Don't worry, Sis,” I said. “We're not doing any training today. Figured we might as well take a break, go out and take a walk or something. Thunderlane and Rumble are going out to do their own thing, I might stop by the park, see if Ditzy or Blossom are around or something.”

“Alright,” Flitter replied. “Seven thirty. I mean it.” I rolled my eyes. “And stop that! What's with all the eye rolling?!”

“Talk about eye candy,” Rumble blurted out. Thunderlane glanced down at his little brother. The colt sheepishly grinned and looked away. “Sorry, bro.”

“Ah, it's alright,” the stallion said, rubbing his little brother's mane with his forehoof as Flitter doled out our breakfast. I dug in ferociously, laughing and chuckling with my family. Family, I thought, stealing a side glance at Thunderlane. Yeah. That felt like the right word.

Breakfast ended just as quickly as it had begun, prompting us to get started on our day. Thunderlane and Rumble had their own plans, the two brothers had tickets to some studly sporting event. Rumble was super excited about it, and I chuckled as I watched my little brother and the stallion I loved fly off. I waved goodbye to my sister, and took off on my own for the park. Ponyville had already woken up, the street market in the town's tiny square bustling with activity. I waved to several friends as I flew overhead. Life in Ponyville had been completely crazy in the past year, but it was still the town I loved the most. The ponies who lived here made it worth all the insanity that seemed to follow the town.

Ponyville park was pretty busy, being a beautiful day and all. Plenty of ponies milled about, walking and talking and generally having a good day. I flew over, searching for a specific mare. I spotted her green and pink mane before she even saw me. She was sitting happily next to one of the lakes. Grinning, I turned into a dive that would have made even Rainbow Dash proud and landed behind the white pegasus with a resounding *thud*. Yelping in surprise, Blossomforth nearly fell over into the lake, saved at the last moment by a frantic wing flap.

“Cloudchaser!” The multi-hued maned mare shouted. I started giggling loudly as my friend lowered herself back onto the ground. “That wasn't funny!”

“Gotcha, Blossom,” I said. The mare gave me a flat look that told me she hadn't appreciated my joke. “Sorry. I couldn't quite resist.” Blossomforth started giggling herself.

“Well, I have to admit I didn't see you,” she said. “What are you up to? I thought you and Lane would be out training.”

“Break day. We're leaving tomorrow, remember?” I replied. Blossomforth nodded silently.

“I nearly forgot,” she said. “I can't believe you're going to the Wonderbolts Academy still. That's just... so cool.”

“I know, I can't wait to get there,” I said, sitting down next to the white mare. “So, are you coming to the party tonight?” Blossomforth's eyes shifted about nervously.

“I... I don't know, Chase. You really think I should?” Blossomforth said. “I mean... I don't know if I'd...”

“Blossom. You're like my best friend now, right?” I said softly. Blossom thought for a moment and then nodded. “Then that's settled. You're coming. You and I both know just how hard you've been working on being more sociable and nice to others.” Blossomforth sighed and hung her head.

“I know. I just don't want there to be any hard feelings between anypony,” she said. I smiled, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

“That just means you really care,” I said. “If you didn't you wouldn't be worrying about this so much. Besides... Flitter and Thunderlane both forgave you anyways.”

“You're... You're right, I suppose,” Blossomforth said. “So... are you doing anything else until later tonight?”

“I didn't have any real plans,” I said. “Just thought I'd come here and see who was out, and hang a little. Why?”

“No reason. I just thought maybe we could go do some shopping or something,” Blossom said. I grinned.

“That sounds like a great way to unwind,” I said. “Let's go for it.”

***********************************

I trotted along the streets of Ponyville, feeling quite content about the day. Blossomforth and I had gone over to the market and ran into Ditzy while we were there. Being the tail end of summer, Ditzy was spending her days getting her daughter Dinky ready to go back to school. We spent most of our time helping her get everything situated and then went off to lunch. After lunch, I bid the two mares farewell and headed over to the spa for a bit of rest and relaxation, of which Aloe and Lotus were only too happy to oblige.

After heading back home to check on things, I started off towards Sugarcube Corner. As I walked I felt strangely nervous about all of this. Sure, it was Thunderlane's first time meeting my parents and all, and I wasn't overly worried about that, so what was I worried about? Did I think that maybe my parents wouldn't be proud of getting accepted into the Academy? Sure, in the letter they'd sent letting us know they'd be attending the party it sounded like they were happy, but I never could tell with them.

I sighed and continued forward. I was going to have to face them anyways. I mean, I couldn't exactly avoid them. Well, I could but it would be really really hard. Plus Flitter would probably just drag me to see them anyways.

The familiar form of Sugarcube Corner came into view as I rounded the corner. Thankfully I didn't spot Mom and Dad's skycoach anywhere yet. Maybe I'm early, I thought, grinning as I trotted up to the sugary door. Pushing it open, I stepped inside. It was dark inside. That gave me a very uneasy feeling as I started to walk forward.

“Hello...?” I said.

“SURPRISE!!!!” A thunderous roar erupted as the lights flared on, revealing a small crowd of my best friends, my sister, and of course at the back, my mother and father. I nearly fell back, startled by the sudden onset of light and sound. At the head of the throng of ponies sat Ponyville's premiere pink party pony planner extraordinaire, Pinkie Pie. She had a massive grin on her face as she literally bounced in front of me, while the rest of the partygoers mingled.

“Were you surprised? Huh, were ya? I bet you were, you sure looked surprised. Your sister tried to tell me it wasn't a surprise party, but where's the fun in that?! Surprise parties are so much better!” She chirped. I blinked.

“Pinkie, I knew this was going to be here,” I said flatly. The other mare continued grinning.

“But you were surprised! So it worked out!” She said loudly. A ring of the doorbell behind me indicated the door opening. Pinkie's eyes widened as she latched onto Thunderlane and Rumble, who had entered. “Surpri – awww, it's no fun when nopony else does it!”

“Pinkie, darling,” a voice wafted from the back room over the din of the small crowd. “I need your help in the kitchen!” Pinkie leaped into the air exuberantly.

“Right, Mrs. Cake, I'm coming!” She shouted back, speeding off in a pink blur towards the back room. I blinked again, feeling Thunderlane step up beside me. I sighed and looked up at him.

“You alright?” He said. I nodded.

“Better, now that you're here,” I replied, smiling softly. Flitter appeared out of nowhere at that moment. Winter Storm was right by her side, faithful as ever to my sister. He waved at Thunderlane, smiling.

“Hey you two,” Flitter said. “Come on in. Mom and Dad are here already.” I blinked.

“I... I noticed,” I said. I took a deep breath and motioned for Thunderlane and Rumble to follow. We made our way through the party crowd, waving and getting well wishes from the other attendees. I snickered a bit when I saw Blossomforth and Cloudkicker hanging out by the sweet table, chatting and laughing loudly. I knew she could make some friends, I thought to myself. At the back of the party beyond the dance floor, sitting at one of the tables set out was my parents.

Sky Chaser looked up and smiled as she saw us. Mom was an ice blue pegasus with a brilliant white mane. Her cutie mark was a symbol much like a weathervane, representing her talent for weather control. Her husband, and my father Stormy Winds, sat across the other side of the table. Dad was older than Mom, but still quite spry at his age. He was a jet black pegasus with a deep blue mane. His cutie mark was a symbol for wind like off a map superimposed by a lightning bolt. Dad's talent was in extreme weather, such as storms. I hoped that maybe he and Thunderlane would get along on their shared interests.

“Hi Mom... Hi Dad,” I said sheepishly as I stepped towards the table. Sky Chaser rose first, coming over and pulling me into a hug.

“Oh it is so good to see you, dear,” she said softly as we embraced. She pulled away and her eyes drifted past me to see Thunderlane. “And you must be Thunderlane. Come on over here.” Thunderlane grinned nervously as he made his way to my side.

“Ma'am,” he said.

“Oh, listen to that, honey. He's so polite,” Sky Chaser said. “Not like you were at his age.” She grinned at this. My father snorted and stood to meet us.

“Well, your parents weren't as nice as we are,” Stormy Winds joked, catching the glare from his wife's stare. “I mean... Hi there, Thunderlane. It's nice to meet you finally. We've heard a lot about you.” He extended a hoof to my love. Thunderlane lifted his own and hoof bumped my father.

“Ahh... hopefully good things,” he replied. My father chuckled.

“Don't worry, dear. She's been very kind to you in her letters,” Sky Chaser interjected. “It's nice to finally meet the stallion who's caught my daughter's heart so. Chaser, you didn't tell me he was a handsome one.”

“Heh, heh,” I said. “Yeah... I didn't did I?”

“Are you alright, kiddo?” Stormy Winds said. “Not coming down with anything, I hope? Big day tomorrow.”

“I'm... No I'm fine,” I said softly. “Just happy to see you two. I didn't see your skycoach out front. You two never go anywhere without that thing.”

“Hah, well you see we had to get rid of it, actually,” Stormy Winds said. “Your mother actually got into a bit of an accident and it was kind of totaled.”

“To be clear, I didn't feel that crosswind until it was too late,” Sky Chaser said, winking at me and Thunderlane. Something tugged at my mother's wing and she looked down, seeing Rumble. “Oh, and who are you my little darling?”

“This is Rumble,” Thunderlane said. “He's my little brother.”

“Oh? What a charming young colt he is, too,” my mother said. “And what about your parents? Are they here as well?” Thunderlane's face went a little red at this. I placed a hoof on his shoulder, smiling. The stallion's parents were always a point that made him a little angry. For several years, the stallion's parents had abused him and his brother to the point where Thunderlane removed Rumble as soon as he was legally able to.

“They're not here,” I answered. “Long story, Mom. We'll... we'll talk later about it, alright?” My mother nodded, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She opened them and smiled at my love, who was starting to calm back down.

“Sorry, my dear Thunderlane,” she said. “Let us never speak of it again. Now then... Cloudchaser tells me that you're going to be joining her at the Academy.”

“Yes, ma'am,” Thunderlane said. “We've been training hard for a whole year to get in.”

“That's incredible, darling. Don't you think so, dear?” My mother said, nudging my father with a hoof. My father grinned.

“Yeah, that's great. You guys are wanting to go be Wonderbolts and all!” He said. “Seriously... I'm happy for you two kids. You're gonna have a great time.”

“I uh... wow. Thanks, Dad,” I said, placing a hoof on his shoulder. “I was sort of worried you guys... I don't know...”

“Didn't think we would support our little girl in her ambitions?” Sky Chaser said, smiling wryly. “What kind of parents do you think we are, darling?”

“I'm... I'm sorry, Mom,” I said, hanging my head. My mother stepped up next to me, embracing me softly.

“It's quite alright, dear,” she said. I looked up and returned her embrace and smile. “Now... I think perhaps you'd better go enjoy your party. We have one more stallion to finally meet.” She shot a glance over at Flitter, who began to blush. “A certain white pegasus, I believe?”

“Hehe, yeah... that's right,” Flitter said. I giggled. Now she was in the hot seat! I motioned to Thunderlane, leaving my sister to fluster her way through introducing Winter Storm to the family as well. We made our way to a secluded corner of the party, where we could have a moment to ourselves.

“So... that's the parents,” I said nervously, smiling up at the stallion I loved.

“They're nice,” Thunderlane replied. “Really... I'm just glad I didn't like... make a complete fool out of myself back there.”

“You did fine,” I said, rolling my eyes. “I... was kind of worried though. About you. You're alright?” Thunderlane looked away and smiled.

“Yeah, I'm okay. Just... hard, you know,” he said. “To be doing something so awesome and they don't even care. I just... It hurts.” I sighed, reaching up and pulling the stallion close to me. I nuzzled his neck and nickered.

“I know,” I said softly. “But tomorrow we'll be off at the Academy! And on our own for a while. We'll make the most of it, I promise.”

“You're right,” Thunderlane replied softly. “It's gonna be awesome. We're training to be Wonderbolts after all! Fearless fliers in the face of danger!” I grinned. That's the spirit! I thought. Shouts were coming from the front of Sugarcube Corner, drawing my attention. The party had grown quiet all of a sudden, except for the noise.

“Please? Anypony, I'm looking for my son,” a mare said. Nopony answered her. My ears perked up. What in the world was going on? A glance up at Thunderlane told me all I needed to know. His eyes had grown dark at the sound of the mare's voice.

“Lane?” I said cautiously. “Lane, listen...”

“Chase, it's alright. It's okay,” he replied evenly. He stepped out from our corner into the party area. The mare was a pegasus, of course. I knew already who she was. Her son looked just like her, except for the fact that she was a lighter gray. Her eyes scanned the room frantically, falling finally on Thunderlane.

“Thunder?” She said, shaking at the sound of her son's own name. I hopped up into place next to Thunderlane.

“Perhaps we should go somewhere private,” I whispered. “Let the party get back on.” I motioned to the side room. Thunderlane nodded, walking past the frightened mare. I followed behind her, closing the door. Thunderlane sat down in the center of the room, glaring at the mare.

“You want to tell me why you're here?” He said, an edge to his voice. The mare looked up at me, shaking hard. Her eyes held sadness in them.

“I... I know you don't want to see me,” she started to say.

“Then why are you here?” Thunderlane replied, cutting her off. The mare winced at the sound of his voice. I glanced over at my love.

“Lane,” I said firmly. “You're scaring her.”

“Oh, what, you're on her side?” Thunderlane growled. I flared my wings, stepping up to the stallion.

“No, I am not. But look at her, you big goof. She's scared out of her mind to be here. At least listen to her,” I said. “She's your mother, after all.” Thunderlane glared down at me and finally softened. The mare at the other end of the room met his gaze.

“Mother,” he said.

“Thunder... I... I wanted to... I don't even know how to say this...” she said, fumbling with her hooves. I trotted over, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

“It's alright, take your time,” I said, flashing a smile over at my coltfriend. He nodded. “What's your name?”

“Th-Th-Thunder Flash, dear,” the mare said. She looked up at the stallion. “Thunder... I'm...” She fell to her forehooves in front of the stallion. She began to cry profusely. “I'm so sorry!!! Please... please forgive me... please...” Thunderlane's eyes widened.

“Mom?” He said softly. The mare nodded, tears streaming from her eyes.

“It was... it was your father... I never... I never meant to... to hurt you...” she choked out. “I... I loved you. I love you. So much.”

“I... I don't... I don't know what to say, Mom,” Thunderlane said. I sat back, watching the two. “What happened to Dad?”

“I... I left him,” she said. “He was... he was getting bad, Thunder... I couldn't stay... not after you and Rumble left...” Thunderlane looked over at me, raising an eyebrow.

“I... I'm not sure what to say,” he said. “So why did you come here?”

“I saw the announcement in the paper about the new trainees for the Academy,” Thunder Flash said shakily pushing herself back onto her haunches. “Your name was listed. I did some asking around and found that you moved here to Ponyville. I thought maybe... that...”

“You thought I'd forgive you, and we'd be a happy family?” Thunderlane said. Thunder Flash looked away.

“I... I don't know what I thought,” she said. “I... I understand if you don't want to see me again. I just wanted to tell you congratulations on making it into the Academy. You'll be a fantastic Wonderbolt, I just know it.” She pushed into a standing position, making for the door. “I... I'll be going, then.”

“Wait,” Thunderlane said, before the mare could reach the door. She stopped cold in her tracks. She turned around. “I... I want to believe you, Mom. I really do. But I can't just ignore what you did. It's going to take some time.” Thunder Flash nodded mutely. “I... I would like for you to stay the night. We can talk.” My coltfriend smiled briefly at me. I winked back at him.

“I'd... I'd like that,” the stallion's mother replied. “Very, very much.”

“Good,” Thunderlane said. “There is only one condition though... Rumble. I... I have to protect him. He'll be spending the night over at Cloudchaser and Flitter's house. In the morning... well, we'll see.”

“I... I understand,” Thunder Flash said. She looked over at me. “I... I didn't get your name before, dear. I'm sorry you had to see me like this.” I waved a hoof frantically.

“Oh, that's alright,” I said. “I'm Cloudchaser. I'm sort of... well, I'm Thunderlane's marefriend.” Thunder Flash's eyes widened.

“A marefriend?” She said. Thunderlane nodded. His mother smiled softly. “I see. I'm very happy for you both. Love... love is never easy. I know that all too well. I have a lot to make up for. But... but I want to.” Thunderlane smiled, trotting up beside her. He reached out, pulling the mare into a short embrace. He turned, grabbing a pad of paper from off the nearby desk, scrawling something onto it. He handed the piece of paper to his mother.

“I live here. I'll meet you there soon, alright?” he said. Thunder Flash nodded.

“I... I'll get out of your mane then. I... I love you, Thunder,” she said, turning for the door. Thunderlane sighed.

“Love you too, Mom,” he said. The mare left the room, leaving us alone again. I stepped up next to my coltfriend and nuzzled his neck.

“You okay?” I said softly. Thunderlane nickered, nuzzling me back.

“I'm... I'm alright,” he said. “Thanks for talking me down.”

“Anytime, you big lug,” I replied. “Now come on. We'd better get back to the party before everypony thinks we've ran off.”

********************************

*BEEP BEEP BEEP*

My eyes fluttered open at the sound of the alarm and I sighed. I'd forgotten what it was like to not have Thunderlane there in the morning. I supposed I was going to have to get used to it at the Academy anyways. Not like we could bunk together. From what I remembered on the brochures it was mares in one section, stallions in another.

I reached up, clicking off the alarm. It was early, but then again I was supposed to be up. We had a long flight ahead of us to get to the Academy, and I wasn't planning on wasting any second. I stretched out, sitting up and rolling off the bed. I looked about, making sure I had all of my things in order to go into my saddlebags. Everything was nice and neatly packed at the foot of my bed like I had done the night before after I got home from the party. The events of the night before played back in my mind. Thunderlane's mother of all ponies! Just... a crazy night. I hoped that he had a chance to really talk to her before leaving today. She had seemed.... sad. Hopeful? I couldn't really tell.

Picking up my bags, my eye caught a picture on my nightstand. It was a picture of Thunderlane and I from one of our dates at the amusement park. The stallion had a thing of cotton candy stuck in his mane and I was trying to get it out with my teeth. The look on his face was that of pure annoyance, while I appeared like I was trying my very best to not burst into laughter. I sighed, grabbing the picture and sliding it into my saddlebag.

I trotted downstairs, hearing the sizzle of the kitchen song. Flitter was inside, working feverishly. She smiled brightly at me as I entered.

“Hey,” she said. I waved.

“You didn't have to get up this early just to make me breakfast, Flitter,” I said. Flitter grinned.

“Please... when is my only sister going to the Wonderbolts Academy again? Oh, right... today,” she said. “You're gonna be gone for quite a while, Sis. I just...” I smiled, trotting up to her and pulling her into a hug.

“It'll be fine,” I said. “I'm gonna miss you too. You've been so supportive of me.”

“I... I know it's gonna be an awesome time,” Flitter said. “You really deserve to do this, Chase.”

“Thanks, Sis. I love ya, you know that right?” I said, smiling. I felt Flitter nod in my hug.

“Love you too, Sis,” she replied. I pulled back and grinned.

“I'm sorry you had to get up so early. I wasn't really planning on eating much. Don't wanna weigh myself down on the trip,” I said. Flitter nodded.

“At least take a muffin,” she said, pointing at the table. I nodded and picked up one of the yummy looking treats. I set it gingerly inside my saddlebag and beamed at Flitter.

“I guess I'd better get going,” I said. I hugged my sister once more and then I was out the door. Ponyville was only just waking up. It was far too early for market, but not too early it seemed for Applejack to be on her way to Town Square. I waved as I passed her, heading towards Thunderlane's house. I flew up to the cloud structure, knocking on the door softly. I figured it was only polite if Thunderlane's mom was still around. The door opened, revealing the stallion. He looked tired, but had a smile on his face.

“Hey,” he said. “I was just about to come get you myself.”

“Oh? How'd it go last night? You know, with your mom?” I asked. Thunderlane sighed.

“It went... interesting. We can talk more about it on the way,” he said, grabbing his saddlebags. He closed his door and we spread our wings, taking to the sky.

“So what happened?” I called out after a few silent moments of flight. We were headed north towards where the Academy was. It was a long flight, and would take us a good portion of the day to get there.

“Well... I guess mom left dad about three months ago. When we left, he turned on her,” he said. I gave the stallion a concerned look.

“She's okay though, right?” I said. I couldn't even begin to imagine what she had gone through. Thankfully, Thunderlane nodded.

“She's fine now. Some friends of hers convinced her to seek help, and get out,” he said. “After she left, she started talking with some doctor up in Cloudsdale. He got her to come down and see me.”

“So where is she now?” I asked.

“She headed back to Cloudsdale last night. Said that she would try and send me a letter on how she's doing. This doctor fellow, he sounded pretty nice,” Thunderlane replied. “He's got her on a recovery program for ponies dealing with these kinds of situations.”

“So... everything is good then, right?” I asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Yeah... I suppose it is,” he said. “Not what I was expecting to have to deal with before our trip, though. I'm sorry that this happened.”

“Don't be,” I said. “If anything, this means you get your mom back, Lane. That's a good thing. Rumble gets his mom back, too.” Thunderlane nodded in the affirmative.

“I told her already that she can come visit me at the Academy once the first half of the term is up,” he said. “Flitter can come up too and bring Rumble.” I nodded and we continued on in silence. An hour passed as we flew.

“Lane?” I asked, breaking the silence. He looked over at me. “What do you think the Academy's going to be like?”

“Not getting cold hooves, are you?” Thunderlane said. I shook my head.

“No. I was just wondering what it's gonna be like,” I said. “I mean... it's the Wonderbolts! We're probably going to spend every day flying and training, and learning awesome new moves!” Thunderlane chuckled.

“You know there's more to being a Wonderbolt than just cool moves, right?” He said. My jaw dropped.

“You mean, that's not it?” I said. Thunderlane simply laughed.

“I think we're both going to have the time of our lives,” he said. “And we'll both become Wonderbolts. Together.” I grinned at that though. Together, I thought. Yeah, that sounds about right. “Besides, we get to stop wondering about it now, because there it is!” The stallion pointed out across from us. There it was, indeed. Sitting out in the middle of nowhere was a massive plateau. Across its top was a landing strip. Buildings dotted its landscape surrounding the strip. Cloud obstacles, rainbows, and other various instruments of training were all around the place. It was... intense. Pegasi of all colors, shapes, and sizes flew about, each of them garbed in the traditional blue and gold flight suits that all Academy students wore. Instructors roamed back and forth, watching their charges train. I grinned.

“Wonderbolt Academy, here we come!” I shouted.

Author's Note

Next Time!

Next time on “Stormy Skies”! Will Cloudchaser and Thunderlane survive the first week of training to be a Wonderbolt, or will they fail miserably? And just who is this Lightning Dust mare? And why in the world is Snowflake here?! Find out next time, on “Stormy Skies Chapter 2: First Weeks are Killer”

Author's Notes:

And there you have it. The first chapter of “Stormy Skies”! I said it was coming, and I did my best to get it done. I figured instead of jumping right into the episode, we'd have a bit of a setup chapter, show where Cloudchaser and Thunderlane are at now in their life, and then get down to business at the Academy.

Some things you can expect from this sequel: more music! I had a lot of sincere fun working on the musical chapter of “Flying Through the Storm” that I would definitely love to explore it more. So keep an eye out for more loving musical tributes to some of my favorite songs as well as maybe some more pony rewrites!

Chapter 2: First Weeks are Killer

Stormy Skies

Chapter 2: First Weeks are Killer

“Everypony, up and at them!” A voice called from the darkness. Light flooded my eyes as the instructor flipped on the lights to our barracks. I groaned, pushing myself off of the tiny bed that was to be my home away from home for the next several months. I stretched out, cracking my wings slightly.

“Oh, that feels better,” I said, sighing. The instructor trotted up and down the lanes of beds, making sure that everypony was up. After she was done, she placed a clipboard at the front of the barracks and blew sharply on her whistle. Everypony stopped and looked right at her.

“Alright, everypony. Your assigned squads are listed on this here clipboard. You're expected to be on field immediately after breakfast. Breakfast starts at eight sharp, and ends at nine,” she barked. A hoof shot up in the air from one of the other mares, an ice blue pegasus with a white mane. The instructor looked a little perturbed at answering questions, but nodded anyways.

“Umm... what time is it now?” The mare asked sheepishly. A few of the others facehoofed.

“It's six-thirty. Set your clocks, ladies. You're gonna be getting up early from now on, so deal with it,” the instructor shouted. “Shower and get to breakfast, chop chop!” I blinked, grabbing my things as I filed in behind a few of the other mares headed to the bathroom. I managed to get lucky to snag an open stall, flipping on the water and sighing as I pulled all the tangles out of my mane. I yawned loudly. I hadn't exactly slept well on my first night after having been separated from Thunderlane.

My mind latched onto my coltfriend and I smiled. I wondered idly how his first night had been after we'd checked in too. We'd gotten in a bit late, but still had gotten plenty of time to eat in the mess hall and get the grand tour of the place that all new trainees get when they arrive.

I turned off the shower, grabbing my towel to dry myself off when I heard a few of the other mares in the shower room giggling and talking amongst themselves.

“Did you hear? I heard she showed up this morning, bright and early,” one of them said.

“Really? Wow... that's so cool,” another said. I stopped, smiling at them.

“Who you guys talking about?” I asked, breaking just slightly into their conversation. One of the mares, the one I presumed had been telling the rumor, looked up at me. She was a fiery red pegasus with a silvery mane.

“You didn't hear? Rainbow Dash joined the Wonderbolts Academy! She's here!” She said. I blinked.

“Rainbow Dash? Really? She never said she was applying for the Academy,” I said, trying hard to remember when my illustrious boss had ever mentioned such a thing. Then again, this was Dash we were talking about here. Despite how much I loved working for her, sometimes she could be abrasive enough to discourage socializing with. Apparently I must have said something the mare hadn't expected because she looked shocked.

“You... you know Rainbow Dash?” She said. I blinked again, before nodding.

“Yeah... I'm from Ponyville, she was my boss on the weather team,” I said. “Why? She's just Dash.”

“She isn't just Dash, silly filly. She's the greatest flier in all of Equestria!” One of the other mares said. “She's gonna blow us all out of the water and get to Wonderbolt status first.”

“Oh? Is she now?” A voice said from the next set of lockers down. The mare drying off there tossed the towel she had been using onto the bench. She had a light sea green color with a electrically charged light orange mane. She carried a fierce look on her face. The three groupie mares nodded at the same time, thus confirming their status as fan-girls of my erstwhile chromatic boss. The other pegasus snorted. “Well, just wait until this Academy gets a load of me.”

“And you are...?” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“Name's Lightning Dust. Remember it, you'll be seeing it in lights one day,” the sea green mare replied. “Now, if you'll excuse me... a champion must have her breakfast. It's the most important meal of the day after all.” She trotted off, leaving the four of us looking after her, dumbfounded. I sighed.

“She is right about one thing. Sorry girls, I'm off to breakfast myself,” I said, making my way out of the shower room. I dropped my things off at my bed and grabbed my flight suit, sliding into it with careful practice. As a recruit, we were instructed that any time that we were not in our barracks or in the shower to wear our flight suits. They were part of our official school uniforms, and not only that they represented something greater than just a piece of material. In order to be at the Wonderbolt Academy, you had to be a Wonderbolt, not just look like one.

I took a quick glance at the clipboard before leaving. I was scheduled to be at training field one, wherever that was.

I trotted out of the mare's barracks and headed towards the mess hall. Once I arrived at the bustling building, I quickly scanned the crowd for Thunderlane. The stallion was sitting at a table in the back, munching on a breakfast of oatmeal and apples. I grabbed my own tray and plopped down next to him.

“Hey there,” he said, giving me a quick nuzzle. I smiled. “How'd you sleep?”

“Terrible,” I confessed. “But I'll get used to it. Hey, did you hear the news?” The stallion took a gulp of his orange juice, nodding.

“Yeah... it's all anypony's talking about. Rainbow Dash finally getting into the organization. It's a big deal,” he said. I frowned.

“I wonder why she never said anything about it. She knew about us applying for here,” I said. Thunderlane shrugged.

“You know how Dash can be sometimes. Living too fast all the time does some funny things to a pony's brain,” he said. I chuckled.

“You're spot on there,” I said, taking a bite out of my apple. “Did you see where you're scheduled?”

“Yeah... training field one,” Thunderlane replied. “You?”

“Umm... I'm in the same field,” I said. “Hmmph. What are the odds of that?”

“I don't know, but I'm certainly happy. Sounds like we'll be on the same squad practically,” my coltfriend said. I grinned widely at him. My grin dropped when a shadow loomed over the table. I looked up, seeing the strangest looking pegasus I'd ever seen. He was massive, white, and bulging with muscle. His wings looked too small for his large frame. I nearly wondered how he could even fly. His cutie mark, clearly visible from where he was standing, was a dumbbell. His flight suit was extremely tight on him. He coughed, getting Thunderlane's attention as well.

“May I... May I sit?” He said, his soft voice catching me off guard. He also had a thick accent that didn't sound base Equestrian. Well... ponies do come from all over to train here, I thought. Still... he felt very familiar, like I'd seen him before somewhere. Thunderlane nodded and the oversized pegasus took a seat next to him. He looked down at his food, taking a bit out of his own apple, but otherwise stayed quiet.

“Hi there,” Thunderlane said, catching the white stallion's attention. “Name's Thunderlane. This your first day?” The other pegasus nodded. Thunderlane didn't press, but continued to speak. “This here's Cloudchaser, my marefriend. It's our first day too. What's your name?”

“Snowflake,” the large pegasus said quietly. “My name is Snowflake.”

“It's a pleasure to meet you, Snowflake. You look really familiar, like we know each other already. Where are you from?” I said, smiling softly. Snowflake regarded me for a few seconds.

“I am coming from Ponyville,” he said. I blinked, my mind kicking into overdrive as I realized where I knew the stallion from. He was the stallion who was there during the Tornado Duty who spent all his time going around and yelling “YEAHHH” all the time!

“I thought you looked familiar,” I said. “You're a lot quieter than I assumed.” Snowflake looked away for a moment.

“That was... not good time,” he said softly. “I was in... bad times. Did bad things. Trying for better now.”

“Well, you're on a good start, Snowflake,” Thunderlane said. “If you'd like, we can be your friends. Better to navigate this whole thing with friends, than without, am I right?” The monstrously large stallion nodded quietly.

“I would... I would like,” he said finally. My curiosity getting the better of me, I decided to ask about his accent.

“Your accent... it's very lovely. Where are you from originally?” I asked. Snowflake shifted in his seat.

“I am being from Stolno'grad,” he said, looking like he was having some trouble getting all the words out. “You know as Stall-ion-grad.”

“Oh, Stalliongrad. That's pretty cool,” I said. Admittedly, I knew next to nothing about the far off country, but I could at least hopefully make the large stallion feel a little more comfortable. I was about to say something further, but then a bell rang out. “That sounds like the end of breakfast. We should get to our fields. Snowflake, where are you at?”

“I am in Field number one,” the massive pegasus replied. I smiled.

“Well, you can walk with Lane and I then,” I said, as my coltfriend and I placed the uneaten contents of our trays in the trash and set them up for the dishwashers to take. We started trotting off towards field one, and I smiled. With Lane in my group, and a new friend in the form of Snowflake, things were never better. How could they possibly get worse?

**************************************

We arrived at the field first, lining up along the concrete 'field' that comprised of the center plateau of the Academy. A few of the other recruits joined us and I was pleasantly surprised to see Raindrops, another Ponyville acquaintance, show up. Our instructor was nowhere to be seen. As I wondered who it was going to be, I saw her.

Lightning Dust flew up, finding her place at the end of the line, a smug look on her face. She stood at attention much like a soldier. I rolled my eyes. Somepony was a little too determine, it seems. I mean, I wanted to be a Wonderbolt, but even I didn't have the kind of dedication. Just as I thought we were done and everypony accounted for, a blast of cyan and rainbows exploded in our vision. I blinked. Rainbow Dash?! I thought as the chromatic mare landed on the strip. She spotted me and waved, stopping over to take her place next to Lightning Dust. I waved back half-heartedly.

“Well, lookie what we got here,” a sharp voice cut across the silence. We snapped to attention immediately as our instructor walked up onto the strip. I nearly lost my breakfast when I realized that we were going to be trained by none other than Spitfire herself. The fiery mare wore a pair of shades and was dressed in her finest uniform, a fair change-up from her normal Wonderbolts attire. It had been Spitfire who'd recommended that I try out for the Academy in the first place after the whole Tornado Day debacle. She was flanked by two uniformed assistants who said nothing as their Captain made her way to the end of the line.

“Bet y'all think you're Wonderbolt material, don't ya?” Spitfire called out as she started up the line. I looked straight ahead and shouted along with the rest of the squad.

“Yes, ma'am!”

“Think you got what it takes to be an elite flier?” Spitfire challenged. She was getting closer to me.

“Yes, ma'am!”

Spitfire stopped right in front of me and scoffed.

“Well then, let me be the first to tell you... You don't! If you had what it took to be an elite flier, you'd already be a Wonderbolt!” She shouted. She glanced right over at me and trotted right up into my personal space. “Still think you're something special?”

“No ma'am!” I called out, gulping loudly and trying not to faint. Spitfire grinned, stepping up next to Snowflake. The Wonderbolts Captain looked up the Stalliongrad born pegasus up and down without even a hint of fear. Snowflake looked like he was ready to fall over himself, a squeamish expression all over his muscular face.

“Ya think you're hot stuff?” She said. The burly pegasus sunk to the ground underneath Spitfire's terrifying glare. Seemingly content, she made her way forward and stopped at Rainbow Dash. Grinning, she started in on her. “You look like you're the worst flier in the whole academy! You're probably quit after the first day!” Rainbow kept looking forward, a determined expression on her face.

“No ma'am! I'll never quit, ma'am!” Rainbow replied, puffing out her chest for extra effect. I had to hoof it to her, she was pretty impressive when she wanted to be. Spitfire nodded, making her way to Lightning Dust.

“Ha,” she said. “What about you? Bet you couldn't fly past the first flagpole without getting winded?” Lightning Dust puffed her chest out too and grinned wryly.

“Try me, ma'am,” she replied. Spitfire's eyes widened a bit.

“What's that?” She asked. Lightning Dust grinned even more.

“Let me show you what I've got, ma'am,” she said. Spitfire nodded, mulling over her words for a second.

“Ah, you want a chance to prove yourself, huh?” The Captain said.

“Yes, ma'am!” Lightning Dust called back. Spitfire stepped back and grinned.

“Well then, now's your chance. Give me five hundred laps,” she said. “All of you!” I blinked as the others in the squad began to moan. Spitfire snarled under her breath. “NOW!”

I spread my wings and began pumping hard along with the others around the sky track laid out above the field. I definitely knew now that I did not want to be on the receiving end of Spitfire's aggression. I pushed along hard, but not too hard so that I didn't wind myself. No matter how much I'd trained in the past year, five hundred laps was still pretty hard. Thunderlane soared alongside me, while Snowflake trailed behind. Despite his mass, he was a fair flier, and I was impressed.

Of course, Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust took up the front of the pack. Somehow I saw them either becoming rivals, or friends, or both. It was hard to tell. Dash was a good pony, and I had already seen enough of Dust to know that she wasn't somepony I actually wanted to associate with. Unfortunately, seeing as she was on my squad, that was inevitable.

I flew hard until I heard Spitfire yell out that we were finally at four hundred and ninety nine laps. I looked ahead, seeing Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust kicking it into high gear and zooming far ahead to come in for a relatively safe landing in front of Spitfire and her two assistant instructors.

“Five hundred!!!” Spitfire called out. “Not bad... for a couple of newbies.”

I landed myself with a screech, sighing. I certainly wasn't breaking any records, but I did fairly well. Not as well as Dash, but nopony could pull that off, except maybe this Lightning Dust mare. Thunderlane landed right next to me as we watched the two lead mares saunter off towards the mess hall. I guessed that when you finished five hundred laps like they did, you earned yourself a break. Spitfire glanced at the rest of us.

“Alright, newbies. You want to be like the best, then you've gotta train like the best! I want you all to give me twenty wing-ups, and then trot around the track for forty laps!” Spitfire roared. I groaned, causing the fiery mare to glare right at me. “Cadet Cloudchaser, I'd like to speak with you. Follow me.” I cringed, resigning myself to following after her. She was the Captain after all. We made our way across the field and into her office, which was in the farthest building from the barracks. Spitfire motioned to the seat in front of her desk. She sat down, pulling off her shades. I took a seat, hanging my flight goggles around my neck.

“You wanted to speak to me, ma'am?” I asked softly.

“Cadet, I have to say, I'm not sure how both you and your coltfriend ended up in the same squad, but I need to have your full cooperation that you won't let that compromise your commitment to the team,” she said. I gulped loudly.

“Ma'am... With all due respect I didn't even know we would be in the same squad until this morning,” I said.

“Point taken, I'm going to have to talk to the schedulers about that little mishap,” Spitfire said. “Does that mean we're not going to have a problem?”

“No ma'am. I'll... I'll do my best to keep my commitment to the Wonderbolts, ma'am,” I said. Spitfire nodded.

“Excellent. Now... get out there and finish up your laps. It's nearly lunch time, you don't want to be late for the mess hall,” she said. I saluted and took my leave, heading back towards the field. It was going to be a long couple months.

**************************************

I groaned, feeling utterly sore as I climbed into my bed. My wings howled in pain and I sighed. The week had been completely insane, and I hadn't had much time to do more than crawl into a comfortable sleep every night. Everypony was feeling the same, other than Dash and Lightning Dust, of course. The monochromatic mare and her rival were topping records all over the Academy.

I'd been doing okay at most of the exercises, but wasn't breaking the kinds of records that Rainbow had managed. The chromatic mare was nowhere to be seen. I guessed that her lodging was elsewhere, given her status as an Element of Harmony.

I sighed, laying back in my bed, noticing Lightning Dust strutting up the line on the other side of the barracks, finding her way to her own bed. Raindrops plopped down in her bed next to mine. After finding out we were on the same squad, the yellow mare had managed to get her accommodations relocated. She groaned loudly as well.

“You too, Dropsy?” I said, smiling.

“Yeah... I feel like I've been run through the ringer and then back out again,” she said, rubbing one of her wings gently. “Spitfire's been really riding us hard. I've heard from a few of the other recruits... none of the other instructors are as strict as her.”

“I know,” I said quietly. “It's almost like having Rainbow and Lightning Dust in our squad is making her go crazy on us.”

“You got that right,” Raindrops replied. “So... you and Thunderlane, huh? I mean, I'd heard around town, but that was only rumor.” I blushed fiercely.

“Yeah. For over a year now, actually,” I said, wondering just why Raindrops hadn't heard about it. I mean, she'd been on the same weather team as I had. I shrugged, sighing. “Although, since we started here... I haven't had much time to really hang out with him.”

“That stinks,” Raindrops said. “Well, I'm gonna hit the hay I guess. Night.”

“Yeah, night,” I said, turning over in my own bed and allowing my eyes to close. Sleep came momentarily, carrying me away to the land of my dreams.

I was flying, flapping my wings harder and harder as I tried to outpace the storm. Thunder clouds rumbled all around me, and I glanced up to see bolts of lightning arcing out of them. I panicked, heading up, hoping to get above the torrent of rain and wind. Every time I tried, my wings locked up and I dove further downwards.

I was lost. There was no two ways about it. I was going to lose myself in the storm. It raged on, getting closer and closer. And this time there was no Thunderlane to save me. Another bolt of fiery lightning flew past my right side, and I nearly lost it right then. My flight suit felt tight against my coat as the surging waters threatened to soak me to the very core.

Where was everypony? I couldn't even see the Academy. I couldn't see anypony. My squad had disappeared, and so had Thunderlane. He was gone. And I had been the one who'd caused it.

I was about to let the storm take me, to remove me from this world when a glimmer of light appeared in the darkness. I put my hoof up, wondering what it was. The glimmer disappeared just as the storm caught up with me, sending me hurtling to the depths below...

I awoke with a start to the instructor's cries and fell to the ground next to my bed. I sighed as I pulled myself up and started getting my morning routine together. The dream, no the nightmare, I'd had was so vivid, so real. What did it mean? I didn't know, but I knew that it scared me.

I took my shower in relative peace and made my way down to the mess hall. Thunderlane and Snowflake were sitting in our usual table. They waved me down, and I trotted over to them, trying to put on a happy smile.

“Morning,” I said, taking my seat. Thunderlane placed a hoof on the table, which I gratefully accepted.

“Hey. You feelin' alright? You look like you didn't sleep too well,” he said. I nodded.

“I'll be fine, it's nothing,” I said. “So... what do you think Spitfire has planned up for us today?”

“I hope nothing too crazy,” my coltfriend said, chuckling. “You sure you're alright?” I rolled my eyes.

“Of course, I've gotta get used to this if I want to be a Wonderbolt,” I said. I glanced over at Snowflake, who was busy milling through his oatmeal quietly. “How about you, Snowflake? You look pretty tired yourself.” The muscular pegasus smiled briefly.

“I am doing fine,” he said softly. I flashed a smile back at him. Over the course of the week, while I'd like to say that we'd become better friends, in reality we'd just noticed how generally quiet the overtly large pegasus was. It was a very sharp contrast from how I remembered him during Tornado Duty.

“That's great,” I said. To be fair, I really liked Snowflake. He was a fair flier, and he was serious about wanting to be a Wonderbolt, just... quiet. We continued to eat in relative silence until the end of breakfast bell rang. We filed out towards our assigned field, wondering what insanity Spitfire was going to unleash on us that day.

Insanity, thy name is Dizzitron. I'd heard rumors abounds from other recruits about it, but I'd never actually seen the thing... until now. Spitfire was waiting for us on the strip. Behind her was the most un-Celestia thing I'd ever seen. It was a giant wheel attached to a spinning device, with a chair/harness sitting off of it. Spitfire grinned as we filed into line.“The Wonderbolts are the fastest, best precision flyers in the world,” Spitfire called out. “But spin-outs can still happen. And when they do, a Wonderbolt must be able to recover quickly.” She pointed at the giant wheel. “This... is the Dizzitron. It's gonna make you very – I repeat – very dizzy. Your task is to try and recover and fly straight again, as soon as possible. Once you have recovered you must come in for a smooth landing. Now, who's first?”

One of the cadets in our group gulped loudly. Spitfire turned.

“You, you're up,” she said.

“Me?” The cadet replied shakily.

“Now!” Spitfire shouted. The cadet squeaked and made her way up to the harness chair and strapped herself in. Spitfire grinned. “Ready?”“Yes, ma'am!” The cadet said. Spitfire nodded at the instructor working the controls of the device.

“Go!” She called. The instructor flipped a switch and the giant wheel began to spin around, the hapless cadet attached to it looking like she was ready to lose her lunch. “Release!” The cadet spun out of the harness, flying through the air towards a bank of clouds. As she reached them, she came to her senses and flew lazily back to land on the strip, her eyes rolling around but otherwise safe. Spitfire looked down at her stopwatch.

“Huh. Fifteen seconds. Decent, but I wouldn't go writing home about it! Who's next?” She said. Rainbow Dash lifted a hoof, acknowledging her willingness to take on the Dizzitron. Spitfire grinned. “Alright, Rainbow Dash. Let's see what you got.”

“Yes, ma'am!” Rainbow said as she loaded herself into the harness.

“Okay, go!” Spitfire shouted. The Dizzitron went into its motions again, hitting a critical point of speed before the captain shouted for its release. Rainbow shot off like a rocket, turning out of her spinout immediately before zipping back onto the strip. She landed with a screech and a grin on her face. Spitfire's glasses nearly dropped off her face as she looked at her stopwatch.

“Six seconds? That's an academy record,” she said. Rainbow Dash strutted proudly to the end of the line where the first cadet was laying.

“You made it look so easy,” the cadet said. Rainbow grinned, puffing her chest out.

“I make everything look easy,” she said. I rolled my eyes. Typical Rainbow, I thought as I watched Lightning Dust take her turn at the monster.

“Ma'am, can you put the Dizzitron at maximum speed? I wanna push my limits,” Lightning Dust said.

“You sure about that?” Spitfire said, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes, ma'am,” the seagreen mare said. Spitfire nodded at the instructor.

“You asked for it,” she said as the instructor cranked up the speed on the Dizzitron. The device started, spinning even faster and faster. Soon we couldn't even see the mare, only a greenish blur that zoomed away from the Dizzitron. Lightning Dust sped out of the spinout with practiced ease, landing on the strip. Spitfire certainly looked impressed at the display of athleticism.

“Six point five seconds! Not bad,” Spitfire said. Lightning Dust and Rainbow Dash gave each other a wing slap.

“Oh yeah!” They said. Spitfire glared, the two mares catching her eye and stepping back into line. She looked up and down the line, finally resting on me.

“Cloudchaser! You're up,” she said. I grimaced determinedly, sliding my flight goggles on as I strode towards the Dizzitron. I slipped into the harness, getting myself internally pumped for the coming trial. Spitfire grinned and I gave a nod, indicating that I was ready. The machine started, beginning its vicious spin around and around. I tried my best to keep my focus, finding it increasingly difficult as the wheel got faster and faster.

I didn't even hear Spitfire shout for the wheel's release. All I felt was my body lurching out of the harness and zooming through the sky. I breathed deeply, counting the seconds until I could feel myself regaining some measure of control over my wings. Spreading them, I let the wind currents carry me all the way down to the landing strip.

“Twelve seconds! Pretty decent, Cloudchaser,” Spitfire said. “Take your place at the end of the line. Snowflake, you're up!” I grinned, giving Thunderlane a wing slap of my own before I took my place behind Lightning Dust. The seagreen mare glared at me for some reason.

“Not bad, newbie,” she said. “Not bad at all.”

“Umm... thanks?” I said, feeling very confused. Was she actually trying to compliment me? Lightning Dust glanced over at Spitfire, making sure she was occupied with the several attempts it took to get Snowflake into the Dizzitron's harness.

“Just watch yourself, newbie. I'm going to rule this squad, so you follow my lead,” she said under her breath. “Cross me, and you'll feel the thunder.” I narrowed my eyes at her.

“That so?” I said. “Well, we'll see about that.” Dust snorted.

“Try me, newbie,” she said before turning her attention back to Rainbow Dash, who was watching with rapt attention as Snowflake soared back down to the landing strip with a respectable fifteen seconds. The massive pegasus made his way over to the line next to me, and I smiled, trying to take my mind off the fact that Lightning Dust had just threatened me.

“Good job,” I whispered. The stallion nodded silently. I sighed. This was going to be a long week. After the last few of the cadets had taken their turn, Spitfire called out to the group.

“Listen up!” She shouted. “For the rest of the camp, you'll be working in pairs.” She pointed at each and everypony in the squad. “'Morrow morning, I'll post the teams, including who'll be lead pony and who'll be wingpony. Good luck.” She strode off, leaving us to make our way to the mess hall for lunch. As I trotted alongside Thunderlane and Snowflake, I noticed Lightning Dust grinning at me. I suddenly had a very bad feeling about all of this.

************************************

The storm raged on all around me once more. I flew hard, trying to outrun stray bolts of lightning that kept nipping at my back hooves. My wings were burning from the stress, and several times a bolt nearly caught my tail. The thunder rumbled loudly, and I saw the glimmer in the void again. What was it? What did it mean?

Again, before I could get a glimpse of whatever was off in the distance, the storm rumbled and surrounded me completely. The torrential waters poured out of the clouds, sending me soaring to the murky depths below...

I awoke again, breaking out in a cold sweat. I looked around the dark barracks, sighing. It was the second time this week I'd had the nightmare. I didn't know what to make of it. I laid my head back on my bed, groaning and trying not to wake anypony else up. I don't know how long I sat there awake, but soon enough the instructor showed up to perform morning wake-up. I got up, trying not to think about the dreams as I showered.

Throwing on my flight suit, I trotted along with Raindrops towards the main hall where the postings were going up for the squad pairings.

“Who do you think you're gonna get paired up with?” Raindrops said as we walked.

“I dunno, as long as its not Lightning Dust,” I said. Raindrops chuckled.

“Yeah... I don't think I could handle that either. Besides, you know they'll probably just end up sticking her and Dash together,” she said. “Maybe you and Thunderlane will get paired up.” I snorted.

“I doubt that. Spitfire's pretty keen on us not being paired together. You know that. No romance junk threatening the overall squad, after all,” I said. Drops shrugged.

“Guess we'll just have to see,” she said. I smiled as we found ourselves at the clipboard, surrounded by the others on our squad. Thunderlane waved at us from the side.

“Looks like it's you and me, Dropsy,” he said. Raindrops grinned.

“Right on,” she said. “So which of us is which?”

“Umm... I'm lead pony, and you're the wing pony,” Thunderlane said. Raindrops nodded, glancing at me. “Umm... Chase? You alright there.”

I had stopped in front of the clipboard, scanning until I found my name in the listing. It looked like I had been made a lead pony, and my partner was...

“Snowflake?!”

Author's Note

Next Time!

Next Time, on “Stormy Skies”! Will Cloudchaser and Snowflake make it through their first training exercise together? Will our intrepid mare let her bad dreams keep her down? And what in the heck is Blossomforth doing, showing up? Stay tuned, for an extra special next time on “Stormy Skies, Chapter 3: Lead Pony”

Author's Notes:

Well, I promised I'd bang out a chapter of this, and here it is! We jump right into the thick of the Wonderbolts Academy episode, and set up a bit with meeting Lightning Dust, Raindrops, and of course Snowflake.

Snowflake being from Stalliongrad is a little nod/homage to the “Loyaltyverse”, notably the awesome character of Red Ink from “From Stalliongrad with Love”. If you haven't checked out any of these fics, do so! I had a lot of fun writing Snowflake, and can't wait to play around with him some more!

Chapter 3: Lead Pony

Stormy Skies

Chapter 3: Lead Pony

I trotted away from the clipboard with my pin, feeling somewhat stunned. I'd been paired with Snowflake, of all the ponies on the team. It's not that I didn't like the giant pegasus, I just hadn't expected to be paired with him. At the very least I'd been made a lead pony. I silently vowed that I would do what I could to make our team the best of the best, no matter the odds. Raindrops waved a hoof in front of my face, interrupting my train of thought.

“Equestria to Cloudchaser, Equestria to Cloudchaser. Equestria, we have a problem,” she said. I blinked, shaking my head to clear my thoughts.

“Sorry,” I said, grinning sheepishly. “I'm alright. Just a bit of a shock is all.” Raindrops chuckled.

“Not as much of a shock as Rainbow is gonna have,” she said as we started back towards our barracks. I nodded. Rainbow was indeed in for a bit of a shock. The chromatic mare herself was strutting down the hall right at that very moment. She stopped and swaggered a bit front of us.

“So... which of you lucky gals gets to be my wing pony?” She said. I rolled my eyes and chuckled. Rainbow looked indignant. “What's so funny?”

“Oh, just look,” I said, motioning to the crowd around the clipboard. Raindrops and I kept trotting back to the barracks as we heard Rainbow's cries of doom and gloom.

“She'll never learn,” Raindrops said. I snickered.

“Nope, that's Rainbow for you,” I said. “Boy this is going to be a little weird. I mean, I barely know Snowflake. He's nice and all, but I don't really know what to do.”

“He's here for a reason, just like we are,” Raindrops said. “I'm guessing he's got some strength or he wouldn't have been accepted into the Academy.” I sighed in response.

“I guess you're right,” I said. “Maybe I'm just over thinking this.”

“Maybe. Give him a shot, Cloud. Maybe he'll surprise you,” Raindrops replied as we finally entered the barracks.

“I know... I'll do my best,” I said, sighing. I caught a glance of somepony else that I really didn't want to see. Lightning Dust. The light blue mare was grinning widely, her new lead pony pin already clipped to her uniform. She had been polishing it until it shone brightly. She locked eyes with me and narrowed her gaze.

“Newbie, I heard you got yourself a lead pony position,” she said as we walked past her. I merely nodded. I did not want to get into it with her. “Good for you. Just stay out of my way like we talked about, and you'll do just fine.” I grimaced and sat down and attached the lead pony pin to my uniform. For some reason, it felt strangely right. I just hoped that my wing pony was going to pan out.

I slipped my uniform on and made my way out of the barracks, refusing to even look at Lightning Dust as I did. I walked down to the mess hall for breakfast and grabbed my tray before taking my place at the table next to Thunderlane. He smiled.

“Hey there,” he said. When I didn't respond, he frowned. “You okay?”

“Yeah... stupid Lightning Dust getting to me,” I said. “Can't get my mind off this whole lead pony and wing pony thing, either.”

“I hear ya,” Thunderlane replied. “I mean, I've got Drops, but still. It's weird, isn't it?”

“Extremely. I wonder if Snowflake's seen the list yet,” I said as I dug into my food. Thunderlane shrugged.

“Not sure. I haven't seen him all morning,” he said. I frowned.

“Well, I hope he's alright. We've got a long day of practice ahead of us,” I said. I took a drink of my orange juice and stood. “I'm going to go see if I can find him.”

“But what about breakfast?” Thunderlane asked. I smiled.

“Always thinkin' with your stomach, eh Lane?” I said. Thunderlane grumbled. “Yeah yeah, grumble it up. I'm fine, really. I'll be back in a split second.” I reached down and quietly pecked him on the cheek before leaving. I made it four feet out of the mess hall before I heard her voice.

“Cloudchaser!” Spitfire barked. I stopped cold and turned. She stood behind me. Just her, no other instructors.

“Yes, ma'am!” I said, saluting. “What is it that you require, ma'am?” Spitfire grinned.

“At ease,” she said. “But don't think that excuses you. What did I just see out there in the mess hall?” My eyes widened. Of course she did. Of course she saw me kiss him.

“I... I gave my coltfriend a kiss, ma'am,” I uttered shakily. Spitfire sighed and removed her glasses. Her eyes were warmer than I expected.

“Look, Cloud. I'm giving you a pretty big chance to be here. The other instructors aren't as lenient about this kind of stuff like I am. You can't be doing stuff like that in public. It interferes with the training,” she said. “Get going. I don't want to have to write you up for this. Just don't let it happen again, alright?”

“Yes... yes ma'am,” I replied, snapping my wings back to my sides and turning tail. Once I was out of her sight, I stopped and took a deep breath. What in the world did she mean 'giving me a big chance to be here'? Wasn't I supposed to be here? I shrugged it off and kept going. I had to find Snowflake.

I turned down the next corner, asking everypony I saw if they'd seen the big pegasus. Nopony had. Finally one of the drill instructors mentioned seeing him near the practice fields. I thanked them and took to the sky, making my way in that direction. I looked all over the area, but there was nothing around. I was about to leave when I heard crying coming from somewhere nearby. I pushed aside a bush, revealing the massive white pegasus.

“Snowflake? Is that you?” I said softly. His head turned, his eyes puffy from crying so hard. “What's wrong?”

“I... I am bad pony,” he said softly. I sat down next to him.

“What do you mean? Did you do something wrong?” I asked. Snowflake sniffled.

“I not get lead pony posi... posi... job,” the stallion stammered. “I not worthy of Wonderbolts.” I grimaced. It was clear that the giant pegasus had been really hoping to be a leader here. Being a wing pony for him... it was a much better let down than Rainbow Dash being a wing pony. Sighing, I place my hoof on his shoulder.

“Listen, Snowflake... you're not a bad pony just because you're a wing pony. You do know what a wing pony does, right?” I said.

“Wing pony follow lead pony,” Snowflake said. I blinked. That did very surprisingly sum it up. I shook my head though, determined to keep on track.

“That may be, but that's not all they do. The wing pony's most important job is to help keep the lead pony on track. We're a team. They pair us up like this to learn how to work together. We can't function without each other,” I said. “What I'm trying to say is... I need you. As much as you need me. I need you to be there to make sure I do my job right, and to make sure we both do it right the first time.” I looked down at the pin on my flight suit. Pulling it off with my teeth, I laid it on the ground in front of him. “Besides... if you really wanted to be the lead pony... I'd gladly give it up... for a friend.”

“I...” Snowflake's eyes widened. He pushed the pin back towards me. “No. You are better pony. Not better because lead pony... you are better friend. You would give up job for me.”

“That's what friends do, Snowflake. They give to each other,” I said, smiling. “But if I'm going to be a lead pony, then I need my wing pony. I need you. You and me, we're a team until this Academy is through. So what do you say? Be my wing pony?” Snowflake looked down at his own flight suit. He quietly pulled out the wing pony pin and attached it to the front of the suit. He smiled.

“I will,” He said, extending his hoof. I bumped it gently.

“Let's get to it then, we've got a practice to get to,” I said. Snowflake nodded. We stood, spread our wings, and took to the skies.

****************************************

Within a few minutes we arrived on the practice field. Unfortunately, it appeared that we were late. The others merely watched as we lined up next to them. Spitfire's expression couldn't even be read underneath her trademark glasses and smirk. I was certain she was chuckling inside at us.

“Cloudchaser, Snowflake!” She called out. We snapped to attention immediately. “Where exactly were you two?”

“We were working on lead and wing pony strategy, ma'am! Lost track of time, ma'am!” I shouted. Spitfire grinned.

“Well then. Let's see what you two strategists got then. You're up first!” She replied. I blinked.

“Umm... ma'am? What are we doing, ma'am?” I said. Spitfire grinned again. I was starting to really hate that grin.

“For the late party, I'll explain again,” the fiery mare said. “Each of you will fly through a small obstacle course. In order to complete the course, you will need both your lead pony and your wing pony to work together. Wing ponies will look out for their lead ponies by providing vector data and keeping watch for unexpected obstacles. Lead ponies, it's your job to stay on point and listen to what your wing pony is telling you. You have to cross the finish line together, or else I'll make you do it again until you do. Do I make myself clear?!”

“Ma'am, yes ma'am!” We all shouted.

Snowflake and I took a step forward. Spitfire motioned to the course above us. It looked reasonably simple. Wind gusts shot back and forth through the first part, intending to knock anypony who flew into them off course. Past that, a cloud maze stretched forward. The walls appeared to shift. It was clear that we had to be able to navigate properly based on changing conditions and adapt to the situation. Once out of the maze, a field of dark storm clouds was the final obstacle and perhaps the most deadly. I gulped loudly, but didn't let Snowflake see me sweat. I was the lead pony here. I had to be the leader.

“Cloudchaser, Snowflake. Whenever you two are ready,” Spitfire crooned. I could feel the heat on my cheeks as everypony else watched on to see how we'd handle the course. I looked over at Snowflake.

“Alright, you ready big guy?” I said. Snowflake nodded. “Alright, here's what we're going to do. You're going to fly on my six and help with the air currents. If I'm going to fly into one, tell me which way to go, alright?”

“I... I will try... I am not good at... well, the vectors,” he said. I smiled.

“Don't worry. Just follow my lead, and we'll be through this in no time,” I said. Snapping my goggles on, I stretched my wings out and took off. Snowflake hung just behind me, his eyes darting back and forth as we made our way up to the first obstacle. The wind whipped through the air, making a howling sound that really unnerved me. We made our way inside and I nearly went soaring to my left from the strength of the wind alone. Riding the current, I dove below it and let Snowflake catch up to me.

Surging forward, we made our way into the tunnel. Snowflake shouted something but it was deathly impossible for me to hear him with the wind. I realized pretty quickly what Spitfire meant about the wing pony's job. Wing ponies weren't supposed to be vocal, they were supposed to communicate non verbally. I grimaced. I tried to shout back, but I knew he couldn't hear me either. I was beginning to have a very bad feeling about this training session.

I flew forward, getting hit with another blast of wind that sent me up higher, separating me from Snowflake. A second blast hit me as I tried to correct my course, pushing me back down. I felt like a pinball in one of those blasted machines as I spread my wings out to attempt to slow my descent. I landed hard against Snowflake, who happened to be just below me. I grunted as he caught me on his back.

“Are you okay?!” He yelled loudly in my ear. I nodded, jumping off next to him and flapping my wings to stay aloft. I frowned. We were only halfway through the first part and if this was the kind of performance we were giving, then Spitfire would have us redo this thing for sure. I motioned at Snowflake to follow me. We pushed forward, dodging each gust of wind as best as we could. It seemed like we were heading towards the second part of the course with relative ease.

At least that's what I thought. As we were getting closer, a massive blast of wind struck us in the back, sending both of us flying forward into the cloud maze. We hit a cloud wall hard, grunting. I stood, shaking my head. I looked over at Snowflake. The large pegasus groaned loudly as he rolled over.

“Come on big guy,” I said, nudging him. “We've gotta get going.” Snowflake grunted again, pushing himself to his hooves.

“I'm alright. What happened?” He said softly.

“We got blasted by a big gust of wind, but we're alright. Let's make it through this maze and get out of this stupid course,” I said. Snowflake nodded. I spread my wings and took off down the first hall, Snowflake hovering close behind me.

“Cloud,” he whispered as we stopped at the first intersection. “I'm sorry about...” I shook my head.

“Not your fault,” I said. “It's my fault for not remembering our jobs to remind you.” I shook my head again. “Look, let's get through this and then we can work on learning this stuff more. Right now though, we need to focus.” My wing pony nodded and pointed to the right.

“I believe we should go this way,” he said.

“What makes you say that?” I asked. Snowflake grimaced. I frowned. “Come on, Snowflake. I gotta know.”

“The... the wind current,” he said, his accent thick but still understandable. “It smell heavier that way. Closer to storm.” I blinked, sniffing the air. Snowflake was right. I wasn't sure why I'd missed it before, being a weather pony and all, but there it was. The storm was our guide through the maze! We could do this! We started into the maze proper, soaring past all of the obstacles like it was nothing. Occasionally a new wall would spring up to try and block us, but Snowflake's massive body muscled through them as if it were nothing.

We finally made it to the very end of the maze, looking out upon the final phase of the course: the storm. I gulped at the sight of it up close. The trainers had really outdone themselves. Heavy, black storm clouds peppered the final run, spewing forth torrential rain and lightning. I could only assume that the goal here was to make it through as fast as possible. I shut my eyes for a moment, trying to drown out the sound of the rain. I'd flown through a very similar storm before, and had nearly died. I shook my head. I had to face my fears, and rise above them. That was why I was here!

I leaped off into the torrent, Snowflake right behind me. The rain pounded at us as we made our way into the storm. This is a training exercise?! I thought frantically as I tried to get my bearings. This is insane! I shot forward, weaving back and forth while I tried to keep my eyes on the goal ahead. I couldn't do it. A bolt of lightning struck to my immediate left. I yelped loudly, panicking as I tucked away from the booming thunder that followed. I was thrown off course, struggling to flap my wings and make it back to Snowflake.

This was way too much like my dream. I looked around frantically, my goggles fogging up. I tried to wipe them, but it wasn't doing any good. I still couldn't see where I was going! I flailed, the rain buffeting me from every direction. Growling, I shot upward as best as I could. A massive white blur shot up directly in front of my eyes. Snowflake! I was going to hit him!

I tried to stop, but it was no use. I slammed into the giant pegasus, a grunt of pain forcing from my lips when I realized one crucial detail. Snowflake was a heck of a lot bigger than I was, which meant he was also a lot more massive in terms of raw body mass. I fell backwards, dizzy from the impact, spiraling down into the storm.

I groaned as I looked upwards, seeing Snowflake try to reach for me, but a stray bolt of lightning forced us apart. I passed out as I was falling.

**************************************

“She's awake!” I heard a shout. My eyes opened into one of the most wonderful things I've ever seen. Thunderlane sat over me, concern etched in his expression.

“L-L-Lane...?” I stuttered, trying to sit up. He held me firm, keeping me down.

“Whoah there, you almost took a nasty tumble,” he said. I groaned, reaching up for the side of my head.

“My head hurts,” I said. “Where am I?”

“Still on the training field,” Thunderlane replied. He grinned slyly. “I saved you, you know.” I rolled my eyes.

“My hero,” I said, before giving a little chuckle. My head pounded in response. “We really gotta stop doing this.”

“Coming through! Officer coming through!” I heard Spitfire's voice. My heart sank. What was going to happen to me? Was I going to get kicked out? I knew I'd messed up pretty badly by not sticking with Snowflake. Snowflake! Where was he? Was he alright? Am I alright?

“Trainee Thunderlane!” Spitfire barked. Thunderlane turned and I could see the fiery mare standing above him. He gulped loudly.

“Yes, ma'am!” He said, his voice shaky. Spitfire narrowed her gaze at both of us.

“My office, all three of you, now,” she said. Thunderlane looked back down at me. I nodded, indicating that I at least felt alright enough to get up and walk. Wait... all three of us? I stood, glancing to the side. Snowflake stood quietly, his eyes fearful. We followed in silence, feeling the stares on us. I could hear Lighting Dust grinning all the way across the training field.

Despite how long it actually took, it felt like forever when we reached Spitfire's office. I wanted to say something badly to Snowflake, but I wasn't sure what to say. Spitfire sat down at her desk, sighing. She motioned to the seats in front of her.

“Alright, here's the deal,” she said. “Normally this kind of incident would have to go on some sort of official paperwork, but since I make the paperwork around here... I'm willing to forget this ever happened.” I blinked. Wait, what? Did I miss something?

“I'm sorry, ma'am,” Thunderlane said. “I just did what I thought was right.”

“You did what a Wonderbolt should do,” Spitfire replied. “You interfered with a training operation to save a life. It wasn't your responsibility, but you did it anyways. That's what we do here?” I looked to Thunderlane, my expression confused. He smiled.

“When you started falling, I took off and caught you,” he said. “I couldn't let you fall.” Spitfire nodded.

“Trainee Cloudchaser, Trainee Snowflake. It seems that our problem was due to a mix-up in the course. The course was originally set for light training, but somepony went in and changed the meters on the storm portion,” she said. “We're investigating who it could have been now.” My eyes widened.

“You mean... it wasn't my...” I started to say. Spitfire grimaced.

“That being said,” she interrupted. “I'm still not pleased with what I saw up there. You two are supposed to be a team, and you just fell apart up there. You both need to learn what that means, or you will not succeed here at the Academy.” Snowflake only nodded. Thunderlane grimaced.

“What does that mean, then?” He asked. Spitfire sighed.

“For now, it means you're both on mess hall duty, and out of the air until Cloud here is feeling better. I'd say a solid week of you both working together in the mess hall should give you a fair lesson on teamwork, am I right?” She said. I blinked, realizing that this was Spitfire letting us off easy. I mean, sure... working in the mess hall was bound to be difficult work, but it was better than being expelled.

“Thank.... thank you, ma'am,” I said. My head pounded still. “If it's all the same to you, ma'am. I'd like to go lay down now.”

“Absolutely. Go to the infirmary, let the medical squad look at you, then you'll be free to return to your barracks,” Spitfire said. “Dismissed.” We stood, leaving the office quietly. Snowflake was still deathly quiet. He started to trot away. I looked at Thunderlane and scowled.

“One second,” I said. I had to nip this in the bud now before it became a problem later. I charged at the giant pegasus, stopping in front of him. “Snowflake!” He regarded me carefully and sighed.

“Go to medical pony, Cloud,” he said. “Leave me be. I am not fit to wear uniform.” I scowled again.

“That's not true and you know it,” I said. My head pounded again. “You tried to save me.”

“I failed to save you,” he replied. I stepped right up to the massive stallion, and reached out, wrapping his frame in a hug that surprised him. His eyes widened.

“You tried, though. And that's all that matters. If you weren't fit to wear that uniform, you wouldn't have even tried,” I said softly.

“I... I...” Snowflake said, his head craning back to look at Thunderlane briefly. The grey pegasus smiled back.

“I'm sorry for all of this,” I said. “I promise I'll be a better lead pony. We'll be better together, too. We can do this, Snowflake! We can't let one little slip-up end this!”

“I...” Snowflake said. I pulled back from the hug, cocking my head at him.

“Well go on, say what you were going to say,” I said. Snowflake coughed.

“I was going to say, you were cutting off my breath,” he replied. My eyes widened, and I giggled.

“Oh... sorry,” I said. “I just...” The stallion placed a hoof on my shoulder.

“I know, I am not bad pony. As you keep telling me,” he said. “I promise I will be better Wonderbolt.”

“Together?” I asked, grinning. Snowflake nodded.

“Together.” I gave him a hoof bump. “Now, you need to go see medical pony. Fix you up.” I chuckled, rubbing my head. It still hurt, but not so much now.

“I agree with Snowflake,” Thunderlane said.

“Alright, alright! I'm going!” I said, trotting over next to my coltfriend. “I will see you tomorrow at the mess hall, Snowflake!” The stallion waved as he trotted off, leaving Thunderlane and I alone. I looked up at Lane. “You think he'll be alright?”

“I think he'll be fine. He's got a heart of gold, that one,” he said. “You should have seen how much he was fretting over whether you were alright or not.”

“About as much as you?” I replied, smiling. We started walking towards the infirmary, where two medical ponies were waiting for me. Thunderlane chuckled.

“Well... yeah,” he said. “Chase, just... feel better, alright? I'll come by in the morning and check on you.” I nodded and trotted after the two medical ponies inside.

**********************************

I was having it again. The dream. The storm dream. Why was I still having this messed up dream?! The storm raged all around me. Water poured from the clouds. And then I saw it, the glimmer in the void. It gleamed brightly. Too bright for me to see what it was. I tried to reach it, flapping my wings hard, but I couldn't get there. The rain was too much. The storm raged on, carrying me downward until I hit the ground.

I awoke, nearly hitting my head as I sat up in the medical barracks. The bunk above me was empty, of course, but it still would have given me a nasty headache if I'd have struck it. I sighed. I'd personally thought I'd been rid of the nightmare, but yet I was still having it.

The medical ponies had thought that I might have had a slight concussion from my collision with Snowflake, so they opted to keep me overnight for observation. It was a nice change from the normal barracks, and I didn't have to worry about hearing Lighting Dust go on about how bad I was. Apparently, she was already spreading rumors about Thunderlane, Snowflake, and I to everypony who would listen according to Raindrops. Except for when Rainbow Dash was around.

I chuckled to myself. Ponies would do well to not insult anypony that Rainbow was friends with. It was a death wish.

I sighed, laying back on my bunk. I sat there, wishing I knew why I kept having that crazy dream. I couldn't piece it together. I looked over at the clock, noting that it was only two in the morning. I rolled over, trying to get back to sleep.

*scrape*

My eyes jolted open. What was that? One of the nurses checking in? They were pretty vigilant, so I was sure that was all it was. I sighed, closing my eyes once more.

*scrape*

I sat up. That wasn't the sound of hoofsteps. That was somepony scraping on a window! I looked over at the only window in the room, seeing a form behind it scraping their hoof on the surface. Rolling out of bed, I made my way over to it and carefully unlatched the window.

“Wha – aaghh!” I shouted as another pegasus tumbled into the room on top of me. I fell backwards, grunting. The other pegasus yelped and rolled off.

“Sorry! Sorry!” She squeaked. I blinked. Wait a second... I know that voice. I sat up, looking directly into the eyes of the cream-colored pegasus. Her pink and green mane bounced off of her head perfectly, and her eyes were filled with concern.

“Blossomforth? What the heck are you doing here?” I asked. Blossomforth took one look at me, and broke out into sobs. She latched onto my shoulder, crying hard. I blinked. “Umm... there, there?”

“Cloud!!!” Blossomforth managed in between sobs. “You have to help me! I don't know what to do!”

Author's Note

Next Time!

Next time, on “Stormy Skies”! Will Cloud be able to help Blossomforth with her little problem? Will she be able to solve her own problems? And what is Mess Hall Duty like, anyways? Find out next time on “Stormy Skies Chapter 4: What a Mess!”

Better late than never, I suppose! This is a bit of a shorter chapter, but considering how long it took for it to come out, I feel kind of bad. You see, I put this thing on hold to finish up my FoE sidefic. But that finished back in May... so I really have no excuse.

I struggled with this for a while, mostly because S4 took Snowflake, and turned him into Bulk Biceps. Which I hate, vehemently. I hate the name, and I hate how dumb they made his character feel. Rest assured, I'm not going to let that infect this fic. Snowflake is the same lovable lug he's been so far.

Expect to see this get updated more and eventually finished up (probably in the same rough amount of chapters as the first fic did), and of course expect some more Lightning Dust coming up!

Also, I started a thing! I've got a Patreon account now, so if you like what you see here, and would like to donate to help my writing out, head over there to check it out! I will be posting a lot more content with the one-shot pledges, which will be awesome and fun for me to stretch my legs on a bit. Even if you only pledge a small amount like $2 a month, I'd love you forever. It will help me out immensely.

See you kids on the flip side!