Let Byhooves be Byhooves

Chapters

1 - A Jam in the Sky
2 - Reporting for Duty
3 - Forecast: Awkward
4 - Beyond the Fog
5 - Raising the Cloud Curtain
6 - Pre-Flight Check
7 - The Eye of the Storm
8 - The Cloud Busters
9 - A New Dawn

1 - A Jam in the Sky

Author's Note

So, here it is. My first completed fan fiction that I've ever written but had never uploaded onto FIM, unedited for your enjoyment!

... okay, maybe not.

I thought that it was best to post this as I finished it two years ago (2011) as a reference point on how my writing has changed since that time.

Then I sped-read through the first chapter. My reaction? Let's just say that it was in the "Granny Smith in Equestria Girls" territory.

Not wanting to subject my loyal readers with ghastly writing, I literally performed emergency surgery on this fic in hopes that I could make this more tolerable. There are some portions that you might actually enjoy but those come later.

1 - A Jam in the Sky

Let Byhooves be Byhooves
By outlaw4rc

Disclaimer:

Twilight: Wait! Let me find a good book to help write a proper disclaimer.
Fluttershy: A... disclaimer? That sounds scary! *hides under table*
Pinkie: What's a disclaimer? Is that a tasty cake treat? Can I throw it a party?
Applejack: No, Pinkie! It's some fancy thang to put before a story but why in tarnation do we need one?
Rarity: A disclaimer? That was so yesterday! I may have some suggestions on something more appropriate like—
Rainbow: What’s the hold up? Hurry up with the story already!

The new orders from the Weather Committee had just come down: Rain to be cleared by noon today. Sunny skies scheduled for the next two weeks.

Somepony made a major mistake in calculating how much rain Ponyville needed for the last month. The cloud factory workers and the weather teams had worked their hooves off providing non-stop rain to the parched town for an entire week and their new orders were quite a welcome sight, especially for Rainbow Dash, the weather team leader. She got the orders at the weather team’s meeting room, a space with nothing more than endless rows of benches and a podium at the front.

“All right!” Rainbow Dash hoof-pumped in approval. “I am so taking a vacation after this! After all, I deserve it for working so hard!”

“Ahemmmmmmmmm!”

Memo to self. Speaking aloud when standing by an open microphone is a bad idea. All her subordinates grumbled their displeasure, mixed in with some hoof shaking. She needed something to save her hide, fast!

She laughed nervously, “I meant that we should get a vacation for working so hard! It’s not our fault somepony can’t do math. Right?”

The weather teams cheered in unison and then started chanting, “Time off! Time off! Time off!”

Rainbow swiped perspiration off her forehead. Now she can continue with her agenda. “All right. Listen up!”

The weather teams settled down, giving her their undivided attention.

“We all know our assignments. Split up to your respective teams. Team B, you guys have to deal with the special orders. Everypony else, clear those skies! Once you’re done, report back to me and then, you get the rest the day off!”

The weather teams hollered in unison.

“Darn right! Let’s do it!”

In seconds, the room cleared of all pegasi, the last being the team leader. She was in no hurry as her task for the day was the simplest; wait for her team at the rendezvous point above the Ponyville city limits. A boring job that required taking a nap on a cloud while waiting, but somepony had to do it.

Eventually, each group had performed their duties and had awakened Rainbow for approval to leave early, that is, all teams except Team B.

Their specific orders were to take most of the clouds all the way to the other side of the Everfree Mountain Range and then push them up to the Everfree Jet Stream, an air current that weaved its way all across Equestria. A group named the Equestrian Weather Agency needed them; they served as the weather team for areas outside of local jurisdictions, such as mountains and forests. While they had employees, they had no cloud factories. That’s why the organization placed constant requests to towns to send some up into the stream. Their agents had the capabilities in reaching the currents without much difficulty and fetch whatever they needed for their jobs.

Such a task was time consuming, but by Rainbow’s estimate, Team B should’ve been done by noon. Glinting at the sun, they were an hour late and counting.

“What’s taking them so long?” she muttered, hooves crossed. Then, her stomach muscles churned. “I’m so hungry! I should be at Pinkie’s Rain-B-Gone party by now!”

Suddenly, the Team B leader, a dark grey pegasus mare, came her way at speeds way too slow. When she was within Rainbow’s earshot, “Um, Rainbow? We may a problem.”

The leader’s mind heard something else. “Great, Misty! Your team can go home now! Bye!”

Rainbow blasted off toward Sugarcube Corner, only to slam the brakes seconds later. She came back at a more tepid pace, forelegs on hips.

“Wait. Problem?”

Misty nodded rapidly, “Yes, big problem!”

“Well?”

“You see—” The subordinate inhaled all the air around her for a fast-paced speech.

“—Foggy wasn’t here today because he had an appointment today with the barber and that got me thinking about dying my mane in a different color. I always wanted to do a dark purple but I saw my best friend do that once and it came out all wrong and she ended up crying for days and days and days and so my friends and I decided to throw a special dinner to cheer her up but I had forgotten what her favorite food was so I had to buy a little bit of everything and I was in luck because I got a good deal at—”

By now, Misty noticed that Rainbow’s pupils had shrunk to pinpricks, her brow slated downwards. One more wrong word and her leader would melt her with that look alone.

“Oh, sorry,” Misty spoke, tapping together her hooves. “How about if I show you what the problem is?”

Rainbow’s appetite disagreed with a hearty growl, but her head could take no more of Misty’s penchant for incessant rambling. Asking for a detailed description of this problem would guarantee a migraine of epic proportions. “Fine,” she relented. “Let’s see what you guys screwed up.”

The mares accelerated straight toward the tall and rugged mountains, aiming for the safe and short path that ran on the range’s south side. Rainbow enjoyed taking this route, for it had tight turns through narrow canyons and endless tree branches ready to slice pony hide if one flew too close too fast. This would’ve been a fun diversion except she not only had a slow ride along but one that decided to spend the trip yammering about nothing in particular.

“My head,” the weather leader whined, rubbing her forehead.

As Rainbow cleared the mountains, she had no need stopping Misty’s one-sided conversation for an explanation. She could literally see how big this problem was, a hovering white pancake stack in the sky, no syrup included. Team B was at the bottom, collectively pushing against the cloud pillar with relentless persistence. Once they noticed Rainbow and Misty’s arrival, the team gave it one last feeble attempt.

Those clouds refused to budge.

Resigned, the members faced Rainbow as a deer would a hungry wolf. Rather than run, they hovered in place, waiting for a tongue-lashing.

“I can’t believe this!” Rainbow snapped, raising her hooves. “How could you screw this up so badly?”

Everypony cowered in fear.

“I told you not to push them up too fast or you’ll clog up the Jet Stream!”

“Huh? Team B answered. After a brief consultation with one another, they all shook their heads, whispering a negative answer.

“Ughhh, what do you mean, no? Of course I told you!”

Misty interjected, “I’m pretty sure you didn’t. I remember you coming in late, then—”

Rainbow held her hoof like a stop sign, “Whatever! The details aren’t important!”

One of the other team members spoke, “So, what are we supposed to do? The jam’s right at the top. There’s no way we can reach that high.”

Rainbow waved them off. They can’t reach that high, what a silly thing to say! Well, maybe for them it would be true but she was Rainbow Dash. Her awesomeness alone would be enough for this task! All she had to do was make the ascent and for that, she focused her attention to her final destination, the top of the cloud stack. With a slow rotation, Rainbow drew an imaginary line to her best reference point, the tallest mountain in this region.

Huh? That can’t be right. That thing is way taller than that peak over there!

She repeated the exercise and reached the same conclusion; reaching the Jetstream was the same as climbing at least one and a half of that snow-covered peak. That would be no problem if Rainbow could claim that she had ever been in that relative altitude and she could, once, for a scant few minutes. Then she ran out of oxygen and spiraled out of the sky, her saving grace that Applejack lassoed Rainbow out of trouble from Twilight’s hot air balloon. Clearly, this was not a job for Rainbow Dash, much to her chagrin. She chose to hide that frustration and play it cool.

“We’ll just report this to the Weather Committee and we’ll let those eggheads handle it!” she announced, beaming.

Her stomach also had an important declaration, a loud one that everypony caught.

Rainbow blushed, “Heh, heh, heh. Yeah, does anyone have an extra lunch with them right now?”

Two days later, Rainbow Dash rested on a tree trunk on the top of a grassy hill, having enjoyed a nice-mid morning picnic with Twilight and Pinkie Pie. The former chose that some heavy reading on astrology was her best use of some down time while the latter had just jammed her head into a big cake, ready to eat it from the inside out. Rainbow already had dessert so naturally, a long nap was in order.

An arriving Derpy Hooves canceled her plans for a siesta. She had a letter to deliver, an important one if it required personal delivery.

“Oh, is that for me?” Rainbow mumbled, yawning. Grabbing the plain white envelope, “Thanks, I guess.” She gestured at the spread laid across the nearby checkerboard cloth. “Help yourself if you want.”

Without a word, Derpy sat right beside the batch of muffins and began munching ravenously. Crumbs showered right into Twilight’s tome, breaking its hold on the studious unicorn.

“Ugh!” Twilight slammed the book shut. Before she could teach Derpy about proper eating habits, she noticed Rainbow tearing open her mail. “Oh, what do you have there, Rainbow?”

Rainbow unfurled the letter. “It’s from the Weather Committee.”

“What does it say?”

She spent all of two seconds speed-reading the letter until reaching a key word. “An assignment?” Rainbow slapped the sheet, “Don’t these eggheads know I’m on vacation?”

Gears within the smart unicorn’s head clicked, triggering trepidation in her tone. “What’s this assignment, Rainbow? Please don’t tell me the weather’s changing again! I have a stargazing session planned a few days from now that I’m really looking forward to!”

“What a surprise,” Rainbow retorted with an eye roll. “Hold on. Let me read this out to you guys.”

Pinkie immediately pulled herself out of the cake. Dessert can wait for a story, no matter how dreary.

Rainbow coughed to clear her throat.

“Rainbow Dash, you are hereby assigned to provide assistance to an agent from the Equestrian Weather Agency. Please write a letter of introduction to the agent with instructions on an initial rendezvous point and give it to Derpy Hooves, ASAP, for immediate delivery. The agent will provide you with what you need in order to enter—”

The magenta in her eyes shimmered.

“—high altitude flight in order to clear the jam together.”

Rainbow lowered the now-shaking letter, her smile widening by the second.

“You all right?” Twilight asked, leaning away from Rainbow.

The brash mare grabbed onto Twilight’s shoulders. “Do you know what this means?” she said excitedly.

“Umm—”

“I’m going higher than any other pony has gone before!”

Rainbow suddenly somersaulted up into the air, her fanmare squeal broadcasting her exhilaration to the town below. The letter left Rainbow’s grasp, floating closer to a punch bowl; Pinkie intercepted it for the save.

Twilight scratched her noggin, befuddled that Rainbow would wriggle and twist in mid-air celebration. “I don’t get it. Since when do you get this excited about work?”

Communication proved pointless. Rainbow had entered into a daydream on how adding high-altitude flight to her already impressive resume would, in a series of confusing and convoluted events, lead into earning a spot into the Wonderbolts. Every daydream ended with her being a Wonderbolt.

Pinkie had dreams too, the same one that she fulfilled at every opportunity. This parchment on her hooves gave her the perfect opening. “We’re going to have a guest? We haven’t had one in town since… yesterday! Do you know what this calls for?”

Twilight’s eyes bulged. “Ummm, Pinkie, I don’t think we should—”

“A party!” Pinkie exclaimed with the obligatory and random confetti.

The unicorn groaned. As a good friend, she had an important duty to set things straight and what better way than a stern lecture. “Pinkie, the agent is coming to perform a job, not to have fun. Besides, I don’t think somepony from the”—Twilight air-quoted—“Equestrian Weather Agency would enjoy parties.”

Pinkie giggled. “Oh, silly! Everypony has a little party in them and I’m just the pony for the job! Oh, but it should be a surprise! Everyone just loves surprise parties!” Swiveling to Rainbow, she pleaded, “Please let me set everything up, Dashy! I’ll even write the letter for you! Huh, huh, huh, huh, huh? Please, please, please, please, pleaseeeeeeeeee?”

Rainbow snapped out of her fantasy. Less work was always a good decision. “Oh, yeah. Go for it.”

More random confetti rained down, “Yippie! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Oh, what to write? What to write?” At the flip of a switch, Pinkie’s fervent energy retracted like pushing a jack-in-the box back into its container. She sat down on the white and red cloth for some chin rubbing—party business was serious business.

Obviously, Twilight had lost this battle, just like with every other engagement in her crusade against unnecessary celebrations. “Okay, I guess we can throw a party but—”

“A party?” Rainbow blurted out, sparkles floating around her head. “That means I can do a splashy entrance! Oh, you’re such a genius, Rainbow! That will really wow the wings off the agent! Ok. I need an idea but… Fluttershy can help me! Yeah, maybe she can—”

“Rainbow,” Twilight snapped.

“—help me with an intro…” The pegasus faced Twilight, unaware of the unicorn’s tense face muscles. “You said something?”

Twilight calmed down, knowing that needed a motherly tone mixed in with her lesson of the day. “Please don’t. Remember what happened last time you tried to do a flashy entrance at a party? The big mess you made, all the ponies you—”

Rainbow scoffed, “Oh, you worry too much Twilight! I just need to practice some more, that’s all! Oh, I should do that now! Bye!” In a flash, she engaged the afterburners and escaped into the spring sky.

“Rainbow, wait! No flashy entrance!”

Twilight flailed her hooves, trying to get Rainbow’s attention but it was too late. She was gone.

“Ohhhhhhhh,” she moaned, covering her face in disappointment.

Pinkie bounced up from the grass. “Got it! I need to go home and start working on the letter, pronto! Oh, this surprise party will be so good and I can even do a song!” Setting course toward Sugarcube Corner, she bounced away from the picnic site, ignoring the two remaining mares.

The unicorn heard crunched grass, alarming her. “Pinkie, wait! No surprise! No song!”

Twilight flailed her hooves, trying to get Pinkie’s attention but it was too late. She was gone. Once was bad, but twice made her blood boil.

Stomping everything in her vicinity, “Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Meanwhile, Derpy finished devouring the last of her favorite treat. She may have kept quiet throughout the ordeal, but she did hear every syllable said. If Pinkie was leaving the picnic, so was she. After all, the party pony was writing that letter, not Rainbow Dash, so her important and time-sensitive duty began the moment Pinkie dotted the last period.

“Letter!” she remarked, fluttering in Pinkie’s direction.

Twilight had just squished a sandwich when she noticed a departing shadow. That would’ve been a nonissue except her rampage created a food and drink explosion on top of a hill.

“Derpy , wait! Help me clean this up!”

Twilight waved her hooves, trying to get Derpy attention but it was too late. She was gone.

Steam billowed out of the unicorn’s nostrils. Teeth gritted with impunity. Fiery sparks spat off Twilight’s horn, scorching the grass into a wilted brown. Twilight’s pent-up wrath was at the verge of igniting her hair and turning her eyes blood red but at the last second, logic and reason smoldered her temper into a smoky mist. No, she would not go through that again. It was unhealthy, counterproductive and required an extensive and expensive hair salon trip. Instead, she released her frustration like the other two times, with a drawn-out sigh.

“Why won’t anypony listen to me today?” Twilight lamented.

2 - Reporting for Duty

Off-limits.

A floating sign by the cloud stack warned any passers-by that approaching what was a cotton traffic jam in the sky was a bad idea. Then again, there was no real point. Its location was remote, far away from civilization and any established flying routes. No pony even came within five miles from the moment Rainbow’s team left until mid-day Friday morning when a heather gray pegasus stallion approached the site, carrying two lumpy saddlebags and a small pouch.

Noticing an open green field within a pine forest, he made haste dumping the two heaviest burdens on the ground. After wiping off some perspiration from his face, the stallion sped right up to the cloud obstruction and then moved up his leather goggles, revealing his dark olive eyes. He needed them for what became a ten-minute visual inspection from the bottom to a few thousand feet above sea level, making mental notes as he revolved around his item of interest.

Once he finished, the pony returned to retrieve his items but stopped just above his luggage. Everything appeared the same condition as he left it except something bugged him enough to check the contents just in case. First, he rummaged through the green bag; everything checked out fine. When he inspected the orange bag, however, a confused eyebrow raised.

“The letter’s not here,” the pony spoke with a young surfer’s tone.

He turned his attention to the pouch still on him by his cutie mark, a slanted up Pegasus wing with two small contrails behind it. Opening the flap, he discovered nothing more than a few hygiene products and a notepad, the items he expected in there, not including the one that had him rubbing his ruffled Smalt-colored mane.

“I don’t get it. C’mon, think! When did I last saw that letter?”

***Start Flashback***

The stallion stood in front of a faux wood door, the name plaque gracing the fascia reading EWA Regional Deputy Managing Agent, Glide Peak. Behind him was a short corridor leading to a large room divided into endless squares by mist gray partitions, the same hue as the walls and just about every other piece of random furniture. Such a drab décor was the custom for an Equestrian Weather Agency office, even by cloud building standards.

Pushing the door open, the grey pegasus entered an office where disorder reigned. Bookcases held no books for they were stacked all across the floor, a few on the top open to a random page. The inbox sitting on the plain white desk served as the spot for an empty coffee cup, while the papers that belonged had to make do lying all over the wide surface. Past the desk was Glide Peak, his coat a dust brown while his short, combed hair had a similar but fading tint, a sign that his best pegasi days were behind him. He sat in a petite office chair, rubbing the stubble on his chin as sunlight illuminated the room through the half-broken window blinds. There was nothing of interest past the hidden panes, though – just a few more floating structures like this one and down below, Coltalapolis, an earth pony city that had nothing unique about it except a larger population size than the typical village.

“Intern Agent Flying High, umm, right?” said Glide Peak in an elderly and gruff voice.

Flying beamed, “Finally got my name right, boss! Nice!”

“I just got the letter of introduction from Ponyville, so you can head out now. I… huh.” Glide scanned through all the sheets littering his desk. “I thought I put it here along with the calculations on the cloud jam from… the weather ponyologist, you know, um, whatshername?”

Fortunately, Flying was more than happy to fill in the memory lapse. “It’s Radar, boss.”

“Radar? Who’s that?”

“The weather ponyologist.”

A brief pause later, “Ohhhhhh, Radar, of course!” Glide got up from his chair and began searching the room, starting with the nearest bookcase holding random knick-knacks. “Why do I keep losing stuff?” he mumbled, knocking down a snow globe.

Flying slid onto the floor, saving the item from shattering into a million pieces. As he set the item on the desk, “Ummmm, boss?”

Moving on to a file cabinet, “Yeah?”

With a hint of concern, “Should we have Radar redo the math before I go? Remember what happened at Gemstone Canyon?”

“Gemstone Canyon?” He repeated saying the locale a few times while scratching his combed mane. “Doesn’t ring a bell.”

“You know, one of the unpopulated areas EWA’s responsible for?” Flying answered.

Glide shut the drawer with a click. “What about it?” he asked, turning to face his subordinate.

“Remember? Radar did the math and she said there was too much water in the river at the bottom of the canyon, so I punched out all the storm clouds?” Flying stopped, hoping that was enough information to jog Glide’s memory.

The elder shrugged, “And?”

Flying sighed to himself. “River dried up, boss. Had to get new clouds shipped from far away and everypony that lived downriver was mad at me?”

Ding! The light bulb came on but all that happened was Glide patting Flying on the shoulder before circling around his desk, scanning the dusty floor. “Oh, that was a long time ago, Fred.”

Flying quickly corrected, “Um, that was two weeks ago, boss. Oh, and my name’s—”

Glide stepped on two envelopes next to his chair. “Ah! Here they are.”

In seconds, the elder stallion was back on his small chair, sifting through the first envelope’s contents. Glide muttered a few noises of acknowledgement as his eyes skimmed across the parchment. After reading the last word, he reached for a stamper labeled Accepted and pressed it onto the sheet.

“Calculations look good to me, Finch.”

Flying glanced aside, “Flying, boss.”

“Sorry,” he remarked, opening the second envelope. “You look like a Finch. Anyways, let’s see what this introduction letter says.”

Glide cleared his throat:

Dear Mr. or Ms. EWA Pony,

Thank you so much for helping us with our little problem. I will meet you inside Sugarcube Corner at noon Saturday to help get you started. I look so forward to meeting you!

Yours truly,

Pinkie Pie

The old stallion folded the letter back into the envelope, “Huh. I guess this Pinkie Pie will be your partner.”

“Saturday?” Flying’s ears folded. “Bummer. Thought I was finally going to get some free time.”

Glide released a glum sigh. “Sorry, kid. I don’t have anypony else to send right now.”

“I know but it’s just that since I’ve started this internship five months ago, I haven’t had time to make any new friends. I thought this was a part-time gig but I’ve been working full-time hours. That’s why I transferred here.”

Again, another sigh. “It’s been a real busy month, even by our standards and we’re a little short-staffed right now. That’s just the way it is.”

Flying rubbed the floor, realizing he was stuck with this assignment. He tried his best keeping a positive demeanor. “No prob, boss! I’ll get the job done!”

Once he snatched the two envelopes, Flying opened the door to leave.

“Hold on,” Glide beckoned.

Flying faced his superior once more. “Yeah, boss?”

Glide’s mouth curled upwards. “Tell you what. This job should be a piece of cake. Rest up on Saturday, have some fun around this Ponyville and do the job on Sunday night. Then you can have the next week off. Don’t worry. We’ll find a way to manage without you.”

The young stallion’s pupils glistened with joy. “Ah, you’re cool, boss! Won’t let you down!”

Glide chuckled. “Oh, and one last thing, Frank.”

“Flying, boss,” he corrected.

Slapping his forehead, “Sorry, ummm, Flying. Job well done.”

“Huh?” He stared at Glide as though he had lost his mind. “But I haven’t started the job yet, boss.”

“I know. If you do a good job, I’ll say it to you again when you get back but for today it means—” Glide stood up, delivering an aviator’s salute –“good luck, kid!”

Flying repeated the gesture, “Thanks, boss!”

***End Flashback***

Flying moaned aloud. “That’s no help at all! Huh?”

A small white object lying at an angle by a pine tree’s trunk moved, catching the stallion’s attention. How peculiar, he thought. It was many feet away from the saddlebags and he couldn’t blame the wind; there was only a light southerly breeze. However, he had a hunch why that envelope was over there. All he had to do was head on over to its location and lift it for confirmation. Flying found his culprit, a small green turtle.

“Aha!” he exclaimed with a smirk. “Playing hide and seek again, Leo?”

The reptile nodded with a smile.

Flying wagged his foreleg at the turtle, “Way too obvious! You can do better than that!” He sighed. “Well, I guess you don’t wanna ride on the saddlebag anymore. I’ll let you ride on my head from now on, okay?”

He tried grabbing his turtle, but his pet sidestepped just enough to evade his grasp. This was another game the reptile loved playing and given his species’ overall reputation, he certainly defied expectations. Those gray hooves couldn’t touch him the second time, nor the third. Too bad his owner had plenty of practice doing this.

“I gotcha!” Flying held Leo toward the sun. “I hit my average that time!”

After securing his turtle between his ears, Flying returned to the lumpy saddlebags and strapped them back onto his sides. The combined weight had him grunting for more wing flaps, but eventually, he rose above the surrounding trees and aimed toward a crevice carved on the nearby mountainside. With a tug, his goggles shielded his eyes once more from the sun’s glare. His business in this region was over but rather than accelerate forwards, Flying turned his head for one last look at the floating cloud jam. From this distance, it was an ivory tower ascending to the heavens, impressive and yet, somewhat calming to a casual observer.

Yet, Flying felt some uneasiness, knowing that his obligatory tour told him that this gargantuan mass was shifting its thick mass around. Clouds usually did that except how the white ripples moved was unnatural, so much that he dared not touch the surface for an irrational fear that the cloud would somehow devour him.

No, Fly! Stop thinking silly things! Nothing to worry about!

Addressing his turtle sitting on his forelock, “Ready, Leo?”

Leo tapped his noggin.

“Ok! Hang on, buddy! Next stop, Ponyville!”

3 - Forecast: Awkward

High noon rang the brick clock tower situated near Ponyville’s Town Hall. Hovering above the structure was Flying and his traveling pet, taking in the vast scenery.

Huh. Looks a bit old school to me but not too shabby. It’s weird that I don’t see any ponies walking around, though. I was hoping I could ask one of them where this Sugarcube Corner is.

He identified all the major landmarks within sight: a tree house library, the train station, a schoolhouse and a few barns by some rolling hills. Affixing the location’s name to all of these made no logical sense. Then, a mile away, Flying noticed a gingerbread house near a deserted marketplace.

Hmmmm. Maybe I should start my search there. The place does sound like some type of bakery.

After landing by the closed door, he moved his goggles to his neck area; he wouldn’t need them for a while. Flying tapped the wooden façade a few times, expecting somepony to answer his knocks. After a few seconds without an answer, he checked the windows in case the owners had closed the shop for lunch. He did find a sign by the closest window, but it said Open. Therefore, he touched the knob and lo and behold, the door moved inwards. Past the threshold was darkness, save for faint outlines of furniture.

“Should I go in, Leo?” he asked his passenger.

The turtle tapped his head once.

Flying took baby steps into the structure as he scanned for something resembling a switch. The moment he walked a few feet on what felt like wooden floorboards, all the lights illuminated at once, temporarily blinding the stallion with piercing glare. Just as his eyes recovered, a deafening noise pierced his eardrums.

“Sur-priseeeeeeeeeeeeee!”

He stumbled onto the floor, the two large saddlebags unlatching from its straps. Somehow, his pet stayed over his now-frizzy hair and kept an indifferent face unlike his jaw-dropped owner. A few dozen ponies of every color stood around him wearing celebratory hats. Streamers hung from every rafter, balloons peppered the ceiling and a banner hung just above his head reading Welcome Equestrian Weather Agent Pony! No doubt about it. This surprise party was for him but why and who organized it?

As he got onto all fours, piano music began playing except there was no such instrument within the vicinity that could generate that noise. Then, Pinkie Pie slid in front of him wearing a messy black wig, microphone in hoof for a rock song.

Welcome to Ponyville
We’ve got fun and games
We would like to welcome you here
Do you want to meet some friends?
Twilight, Rarity, Spike, Applejack
Many more to meet
If you believe in friendship
We got what you need
Welcome, welcome to Ponyville
Just watch and seeeeeeeee
We’re going to have some funnnnnnnn!
Yeahhhhh!

Flying’s eyelids twitched, unable to comprehend what just happened. Should he run? Should he stay? Who is this nutty pink pony in costume?

“Ummmm, hi?” he stuttered.

The revelers stomped their hooves in approval before heading to the nearby food and punch tables. They all understood proper protocol—Pinkie had first dibs on introductions. After tossing away her get-up, she shook Flying’s hoof with vigor.

“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! I’m so excited to meet you! I’ve never met someone from the, uhmmm, the DOA? No wait! EPA, EPS, GPS?”

Now it made sense. This pony wrote the letter, so she must have set up the party! He felt more at ease, although the gesture was a little overboard. “Equestrian Weather Agency, but I just say EWA. Name’s Flying High.” He then pointed at the top of his head. “The little guy up here is Leo.”

She gazed at Leo with fascination, “Ooooooooooh! A turtle! When did you get him?”

“My dad gave him to me as a birthday gift. Said he would be good company for me, isn’t that right, Leo?”

The turtle nodded.

“Oh, oh, he should say hi to Gummy! He’s right over there and looks so excited to meet a new friend!”

She pointed to Gummy sitting a coffee table wearing little party hat, staring off into space with nary a blink.

“Here, I’ll let you introduce him, then.”

Flying reached for his pet, but the turtle rolled off his head and onto the ground. Pinkie reached down for a grab, unaware of Leo’s dodging skills.

“He’s a slippery turtle,” Pinkie remarked, adding a giggle at the end.

“Pink, here. Let me—”

Too late. Leo scurried into the crowds with Pinkie in hot pursuit. Based on where a few partygoers fell down, Pinkie had chased him through two-double doors marking the kitchen’s entrance.

In the meantime, Spike and Twilight walked toward the distracted stallion. The latter had her head buried in a book labeled Conversation Starters for Eggheads, Party Edition.

“Put it, away, Twilight,” Spike whispered. You don’t want him to see it, do ya?”

“One last page,” she murmured. With some levitation magic, she hid the tome below a table, making a mental note to pick it back up ASAP.

Twilight tapped the grey pony’s back.

“Huh?” Flying swiveled, facing his newcomers.

Flashing a welcoming smile, “Hello! My name is Twilight Sparkle and this is my assistant, Spike—”

“—The #1 Assistant to the smartest pony in Ponyville,” the dragon boasted.

“Spike!” Twilight reprimanded. “I already told you not to use that line!”

Spike shrugged. “What? I’m only saying the truth. There’s no harm in that, is there?”

Flying stifled a laugh, “Ah, let the little dude brag a bit. I’m Flying High. You mind if I call you Twi?”

She had to ponder on a witty comeback line – tip number sixty in that handy dandy guidebook. “You can call me Twi If I can call you Fly!”

Her assistant slapped his face; the impact painful as hearing Twilight’s stilted delivery.

The stallion didn’t seem to mind, though, accepting the arrangement with the unicorn mare via a hoof bump.

“Hey, big dude!” Spike raised his arm. “Don’t leave me hanging, bro!”

Flying easily obliged.

Twilight started at the ceiling, wondering if it was her turn in continuing the conversation. Then, she remembered a list of softball questions that any recipient could answer with ease. “So, where are from, Fly?”

“Born and raised in Cloudside,” Flying responded. “Kind of a dull place, really. All the happening stuff’s at the nearest earth pony beach but even that’s a few hours away by air.”

Good, good. Twilight already had a follow-up ready. “Cloudside? I know that’s the second largest cloud city in Equestria but isn’t that far away from here?”

He nodded. “Haven’t back there since my birthday four months ago. That’s when I got my turtle Leo.”

“A turtle?” Spike interjected, raising an eyebrow. “Seriously? You have a turtle as a pet?”

“Yeah, little dude. I bring him with me on every job. He’s—” Flying looked around the pony-crammed room “—Huh. Guess Pink’s is still chasing him around somewhere.”

Twilight went back to her list of questions, “So, is this your first time here?”

“Yeah, Twi. You see, my agency, EWA, has offices all over Equestria but I only transferred to this region about a month ago. I know I’ve been near here a few times but—” His stomach reminded him that he skipped breakfast this morning. “Oh, sorry. Um, think I can get a quick bite first?”

Standing a few feet away, Applejack overheard the conversation and immediately ran over to the group. She saw a potential new customer.

“Well, howdy, partner!” She squeezed his foreleg with a faint crunch. “Name’s Applejack! Pleasure to make your acquaintance!”

“Flying High,”, he answered with a slight falsetto. His tone returned once the mare released her grip. “Nice hoofshake, there. You’re a strong one, aren’t you?”

She tipped her Stetson, “Well, that’s mighty kind to say that, partner. You need a bit of work, though. You’re ain’t that strong for a stallion your size. No offense.”

He kept smiling, “None taken. You just took me by surprise.” His belly grumbled even louder for food.

Applejack had her opening for the sales pitch. “Say, I heard you were hungry and I have just what you need!” She wheeled in her apple cart that was standing flush against the nearby wall. “How ‘bout it? I gots myself apple fritter, apple twist, apple sauce, apple caramel, apple a la pony, apple surprise—”

“You don’t happen to have a simple apple pie, do you?” Flying hesitantly asked.

What a silly question. Does Applejack have apple pie? She pulled out the warmest one in her inventory, cuts already made through the crust. “Only the best apple pie in all of Equestria and dontcha let any other pony lead you astray! This one’s on the house!”

Flying grabbed a slice, gave it a sniff and then took a nibble.

Applejack waited for him to salivate over it, just like most of her customers. She even had a bucket ready just in case. Instead, he took a second bite sans any drama, then a larger third chomp. Nothing but munching sounds and the occasional lip smack, easily the tamest reaction ever witnessed.

“Oh.” The cowpony removed her hat, holding it over her chest. “I guess you don’t like it. Guess that’s a no sale.”

Flying swallowed the last bit of pie. “My bad, AJ. It’s pretty good, actually.”

Applejack placed back her Stetson. “No kiddin’, partner?” She then leaned closer with beady eyes. “Wait an apple-pickin’ minute! You ain’t just sayin’ that to make me feel betta, are ya?”

“No, no,” the grey pony stammered. “It’s the truth!”

The cowpony sighed, realizing she questioned his honesty. “Well, okay, then.”

He wiped his brow, no longer afraid of a possible bucking. “Yeah, it’s just that don’t usually eat this type of apple pie but you know who would get a kick out this, though? My big brother! He loves pies!”

“Oh, is he here by any chance?” Applejack checked the crowds like a watcher at sea for a pony that might be his larger sibling.

Flying shook his head. “His job requires a lot of travel.”

“Oh.” She then clasped her hooves together. “Well, how ‘bout tellin’ me where he lives? Least I could do is hook him up with—”

Applejack stopped, picking up a rustling sound to her left. Swiveling that direction, “What in the hay are you doing, Rarity?”

There she was, the fashionista unicorn levitating a dull green suit in front her. Rarity had noticed a sleeve hanging out from one of Flying’s large saddlebags, so naturally, curiosity brought her over for an unannounced wardrobe critique. She was swift with it too, beating the stallion’s inquiry on her purpose being here.

“Oh, Darling!” Rarity spoke, adding a tsk-tsk at the end. “Do you actually have to wear this… thing? This doesn’t fit you at all and it looks so tacky and dreary.”

“Huh?” Flying noticed the others examining the suit with curiosity. “That’s just a work suit and besides, that one’s not for me. Mine’s in the other bag.” He slapped his forehead for bad manners. “Oh, sorry!” Flying extended his foreleg. “Name’s Flying High.”

“Miss Rarity,” she replied with a delicate hoofshake. “My apologies, Mister High, but whoever made this is a sub-par tailor.” Rarity touched the seams inside the olive wardrobe, “I presume this is one of those suits that stretches and expands to the pony wearing it?”

“Yes, ma’am. It’s a one size fits all version in case we don’t know the pony’s exact body shape. The other one’s already been fitted for me.”

“I see.” An idea suddenly materialized, announced by Rarity’s gasp. “Say, I have a proposal for you if you’re willing to listen.”

Flying nodded.

“You see,” Rarity continued, “I just happen to be the proprietor of the local Boutique. If I can just figure out the particulars of the suit’s composition, I can make it a perfect fit for Rainbow Dash. It might be ghastly but the least I can do for her is to make it comfortable.”

What luck! That same idea floated around his mind after hearing another agent doing something similar on a different assignment. “Oh, well, thanks, Rarity! I was hoping that I could find somepony to do an alteration around these parts. I’ll go tell Pink P to meet you—”

His mind sprung a gear. Why didn’t he notice from the onset that Pinkie Pie lacked wings? It was a simple brain lapse but what had activated his sweat glands was the other name Rarity mentioned, that pony.

“Wait.” His lips trembled, unable to parse. “R–R–Rainbow Dash?”

“Let me explain,” Twilight merrily interjected. “Pinkie Pie wrote the letter to set up the party but it’s actually Rainbow Dash who will be working for you. She’s—” The unicorn gritted her teeth. She knew what was coming but promised Rainbow that she wouldn’t spoil the surprise. “She’s… running a little bit late.”

It couldn’t be her, Flying thought. He just had to ask everyone around him to be certain. “So, Rainbow Dash. Purple eyes? Rainbow colored hair?”

Twilight said in confidence, “That would be correct.”

His heartbeat lost all rhythm. “A tomboy that wants everything to be cool? Blunt?”

“Oh, yes,” added Rarity in an almost critical tone. “While she is my friend and I truly care about her, she can be quite rude and simply lacks proper etiquette.”

A lump went down his neck. “Strong and competitive?”

“And how!” Applejack answered, finishing with a headshake. “Sometimes, that girl doesn’t know when to stop.”

In a squeaky voice, “You mean she lives around here now?”

“You got it!” Spike responded.

Flying covered his eyes, his head shaking while muttering whiny gibberish.

Those around him wondered what in Equestria was wrong with their guest. Twilight stepped forward, believing it her role to ask on behalf of the group. “What’s wrong, Fly? Have you met Rainbow before or something?”

He’d rather bang his head onto the nearby wall than answer that question but other choice did he have? While he kept this can of worms shut far longer than he thought possible, there was no point picking up the pieces when these ponies (and dragon) had already seen them. Then again, Flying could just stick to the basics and hope that placates them.

“My bad, every pony,” he said, his tone docile. “I should clear the sky for all of you. You see, Rainbow and I met someplace a long time ago, back when we were young. We were good friends but then—” Flying’s head went limp – “we had a big fight, so were, um, not… friends anymore.”

On cue, the gathered gasped as though they heard the worst possible thing.

“So… yeah,” Flying added, frowning. “I don’t think she would want to see me.”

Twilight placed a hoof on his back. “Fly, I know we’ve just met but if you want to talk it out, we’ll be happy to listen. You see, we’re all good friends with Rainbow, so maybe we could help. Right, guys?”

All her friends audibly agreed.

A generous offer, the stallion thought, except he just met these ponies. How could he simply trust them unequivocally, especially if they all knew Rainbow Dash? What would stop them from siding against him? “Well, Twi, I… well—”

Before he could continue, a polite cough gave him a welcome distraction. It came from a mare whose pink mane obscured some of her face. “Umm, excuse me. I’m so sorry to interrupt every pony but I need to find the agent.”

Twilight responded, “Oh, he’s right here. Fluttershy, this is Flying High.”

Flying hid is trepidation behind a smile, “Nice to meet you, ‘Shy.”

“Oh, nice to meet you. I–I need to tell you something.”

His eyebrow rose, curious on what this was and why she was being so soft-spoken. “Um, okay. Go for it.”

“Oh, thank you so much.” She cleared her throat. “I, Fluttershy, would like to announce, proudly, announce, the triumphant… triumphant arrival… oh, I’m so nervous! I wrote this down somewhere.”

Twilight’s eyes shrank to mere dots. Grabbing her friend, “No, wait! Fluttershy! Stop!”

Trembling, “Did I do something wrong, Twilight?”

“Yes! I mean, no!” Twilight bopped her head. “Ugh, look! No time to explain! You have to go outside and tell—”

Suddenly, screams erupted by the ponies closest to the exit. A few tripped as they moved away from the threshold while others pointed at a cyan bullet coming straight at them, its deafening wail unmistakable to the ear.

“Yahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”

Rainbow Dash zipped inside Sugarcube Corner, knocking down every pony in her path without losing momentum. Her wing then snagged onto the hanging banner, sending her into an uncontrollable spin. Now a moving saw of doom, she sliced clean through five support columns before destroying the double doors and entering the kitchen. The moment she left, parts of the ceiling rained down on the party and its guests, its aims set for maximum destruction. Tables upended, balloons popped, punch and food took flight and mixed in with the scattering decorations. Endless dust flooded the room, as did panicked yells but the latter ceased moments once their lungs could no longer tolerate all the air pollutants.

A few seconds later, the floating brown pathogens began dissipating, first around Fluttershy who cowered in the middle of the room. She allowed a peek through her hooves, realizing that other than some crumbs on her coat, fate had saved her from any real harm. Better yet, Fluttershy noticed a batter-covered turtle scurrying out of the kitchen with a similarly messy Pinkie leaping for him.

With her animal loving instincts kicking in, Fluttershy rushed for a hug, unaware of the turtle’s snappy movements. Leo spun around on its shell, avoiding her stretched out hooves once but not twice.
“You’re such a cute and happy little turtle,” Fluttershy cooed. “Oh, but look at all the grime on you!” Let me clean you up, my little friend!”

Fluttershy flew into the kitchen, bypassing a stunned Pinkie Pie with nary a hello. The party pony crossed her hooves but for different reasons.

“I missed the food fight!” she moaned. “You ponies had all the fun without me!”

Then, some nearby rubble shifted, its pinned victim identified by her orange coat and blonde tail. With a hefty tug, Pinkie pulled out Applejack with a baseball-sized lump on her head. Out of nowhere, she pulled out a small paper fan and began waving some fresh air.

“Whoooooo let the cows out, B–Big Mmm… mmaccccintosh?” the cowpony blubbered, stars revolving around her injury.

Meanwhile, the daredevil mare descended from one of the gaping holes on the roof. Other than a slightly bruised foreleg thanks to creating a secondary kitchen exit, the only other injury was her pride. That entrance wasn’t in her top five but she had to ask her adoring fans on their opinions, just in case.

Much to her alarm, she found no admirers within Sugarcube Corner. In fact, the ponies emerging from the rubble had their smiles going the wrong direction. A few of them even started shaking their hooves at her, muttering some choice words. Even so, she had to finish the routine by greeting the crowd. Rainbow was a future Wonderbolt, after all, albeit a nervous one.

Spreading wide her hooves bearing a sheepish grin, “Ummm, ta-daaaaaaaaahhhh?”

Instead of applause, squished fruit flew her way, with a banana hitting her face.

“Hey!” she snorted. “If anything, you should be thanking me I don’t charge for my performances!”

The crowds began moving toward the exit while continuing to hurl insults and food at the crash-prone mare. What none of them noticed was that some trapped partygoers struggled pushing off a table weighed down by an upstairs sofa. Then, a purplish glow enveloped both items and with a magic burst, Twilight pushed the items aside.

“Whew!” The bookworm wiped her brow. “There we go.” Checking behind her, “Are all of you… ahhhh!”

Nothing was wrong with Rarity, save for a few bits of plaster embedded within her lustrous mane. What startled Twilight appeared to be a blob monster but in reality, it was Flying High covered from head to hoof in spaghetti, chocolate fudge, and just above everything else on today’s menu. More so, a lumpy object protruded from his back, at least she thought that until it began moving on its own. Some of the gunk slid off, allowing dragon scales to appear.

“Spike?” Twilight spoke, her jaw stretching downwards.

Flying wriggled his behind and with a snap, Spike rolled onto the floor where he continued like a bowling bowl until he struck diamonds, Rarity’s front hoof.

Rarity yelped. “You’re dirty! Get off! Get off!” She tried shaking him off but Twilight’s assistant had stuck to her like glue, much to the dragon’s sheer delight. A violet aura then enveloped him, its caster straining for a tug.

“No good,” Twilight bemoaned. “He’s on too tight. Try shaking him off again later, Rarity.”

At the same time, Rainbow flapped their way, recognizing what she believed were a friendlier group, her friends and somepony impersonating a melting wax figure. Maybe they will shower her with praise instead of fruit. “Hey guys! So, what did you think of my newest entrance?”

Hair sprung out from Twilight’s hair. “What do we think?” Raising her voice, “You did something totally reckless, even after I told you it was a bad idea from the beginning and not only did you ruin the party for everypony, you’ve made a complete mess!” She pointed directly at Flying, who immediately shook his head. “That and you got our guest of honor completely dirty so you need to—”

“Blah, blah, blah”, Rainbow responded, bored by the scolding. “You don’t need to lecture me every time I do something like this. I’ve learned my lesson.” Under her breath, “I won’t tell you my plans next time.”

She landed next to Flying, still oblivious to his identity with all that liquid brown oozing all over him.

“So, you’re the agent, huh? Now, before you say anything, I was trying a brand new entrance. Just a few bugs to work out. Oh, I’m Rainbow Dash but I’m sure you already know who I am, being famous and all. And you are?”

Time to speak and based on how loose the sweet-scented material felt over Flying’s lips, he could do just that. He didn’t want to go that route; acting out a voice other than his surfer twang was not in his skill set. Running away sounded great except his gooey cover would shed off with any sudden movements.

“Ummm, you okay there?” asked Rainbow, puzzled by his silence.

Flying’s eyes darted in both directions, hoping that would signal Twilight and Rarity to intervene.

They never had a chance. Pinkie, still fanning Applejack, beat them to the punch.

“He’s probably just nervous to meet you!” she hollered in a cheerful voice. “He’s Flying High from… somewhere, but I’m going to call him Fly-Fly!”

The unicorn duo facehoofed. They should’ve know Pinkie would ruin everything and yet, they let it happen unimpeded.

As for Flying, that path leading outside beckoned, as the swaying door suddenly fell off its hinges. On the other hoof, he was here for the assignment and Rainbow Dash was her partner. He just had to say something at some point less he shirk his responsibilities and disappoint his superior. To his mild surprise, she spoke first.

“Oh, it’s ummm, you, Flying,” she stammered, avoiding direct eye contact at all costs. “Hi?”

A good start, no hostility in her tone. Flying rubbed some gunk off his mouth and then did the same to his hair. “Yeah, long time no see.” His nervousness increased with each word, “I, um, I–I guess we have to work with each other, I… I guess, huh?”

Twilight and Rarity winced at the awkwardness permeating from the two pegasi. Spike continued enjoying paradise clinging onto Rarity’s hoof. On the other side of the room, Pinkie munched on a bag of popcorn, eagerly awaiting the next sentence while Applejack had lost too many marbles to focus on anything.

Fifteen long seconds later, Rainbow broke the silence.

“Listen, I need to go… somewhere right now so how about telling me the plan.”

“The plan?” Flying parroted.

Rainbow moaned softly. “You know, what we have to do?”

“Oh. Oh!” He hadn’t thought that far ahead, so he’d have to make it up on the fly. “Yeah, well, um, let’s see. Hmmmm. Okay. Rarity was kind enough to properly fit you into the work suit you’ll wear for the job so—” Flying looked at Rarity’s direction, hoping for some guidance.

Rarity fought for a small smile, “Yes, um, Rainbow. I’ll need you to stop by the Boutique for some measurements. I think I can squeeze you in at sundown today if that’s okay, darling.”

Rainbow slowly nodded.

“Thanks, Rarity.” All this talk about work helped relax his nerves. “Ok, the job will start tomorrow two hours after sundown. We might be up for much of the night, so catch some z’s during the day. We can meet up at, um—”

“The Library!” Twilight interjected. “It’s the big tree in town, Fly.”

Flying delivered a quick aviator salute, the sudden motion leaving more chocolate-stained splatters on the floorboards.

Rainbow replied with a quiet, “Okay.”

He glanced at the closest, open saddlebag. Thankfully, not only were the contents inside clean, Rainbow’s suit lay over below a piece of ceiling, wrinkled but intact. Flying began reaching for it but stopped, realizing that his slimy foreleg wasn’t suited for the job.

Without a word, Rarity’s horn did all the work from a hearty shake of the suit to zipping up the bag and handing it over to Rainbow who spared no time strapping it onto her side.

Flying thanked Rarity again, and then focused again on his future partner. “There’s some instructions inside. It should explain all you need to know about using the suit.”

“Mhm.” She found comfort making circles on the floor with her front hoof. “So… we’re done? Can I go?”

They were, at least regarding the job itself. As for personal matters, they haven’t even scratched the surface. Based on how often Rainbow checked the exit, it would stay that way unless he mustered the courage to bring it up himself.

He had none, especially with spectators around him.

“Yeah,” he responded, sounding like a defeated opponent. “I’ll leave after the job is done. Can you fly with that?”

Flying expected his former friend to disappear in a flash and yet, she continued standing there as though some mysterious force held her in place. More so, she even made eye contact for a brief second and yet, it seemed an eternity to him. Something in those magenta pearls defied his expectations, a twinge of sadness rather than deep-rooted ire about his very presence. They were calling out to him, a sign that maybe, just maybe there was hope.

“Rainbow?” he started, taking a step her way. “I—”

“Sounds like a plan,” she answered, maneuvering around the stallion in haste. “I gotta go.”

He reached out to her but it was no good. Rainbow ran over the fallen door, sparing no time in spreading her wings and leaving the area at maximum speed. Much like her multi-hued contrails, his short-lived optimism faded into nothingness.

At the same time, Fluttershy entered the large room with a sparkly clean Leo on hoof. Whatever delight she had helping a small animal evaporated when she sensed the somber vibes. Directly ahead, her two unicorn friends kept their heads down as though something terrible had happened while closer to the main exit, a pony-shaped goo blob stared into the horizon. To her left, Pinkie Pie fanned a semi-conscious Applejack with a popcorn bag, seemingly unaware or uncaring of the building’s overall condition. Fruit punch rivers trickled across the floor, picking up torn party decorations along the way. What had been support beams stretching from floor to ceiling were now half their size, its missing portions lost among the scattered tables and splintered wood.

“Oh my,” whispered Fluttershy, cupping her mouth. “Oh, the Cakes will be so unhappy when they come back from vacation.”

Unaware of Fluttershy’s arrival, Flying turned back around to address Twilight and Rarity. For all the disappointment he just suffered, the last thing he wanted was showing that out in the open. With all his might, he pushed his problems into a dark corner and put on an unconvincing smile.

“Don’t worry about that. We’ll get the job done—” His voice lowered a few octaves —“somehow.” At that moment, some sludge his hindquarters slid off, landing on the floor with a distinct plop. Blood rushed to his cheeks, prompting a nervous chuckle. “Oops. Guess I need to clean myself up first.”

Rarity nodded in agreement. “I can take you to the Spa, dear. I need to go there myself so I can—” She rattled her foreleg once and finally, Spike wobbled onto the floor like a football —“get my hoof cleaned.”

“That will work. Now I just need to find my turtle, Leo.”

Instantly, Fluttershy’s ears folded for she realized that this small reptile had an owner. She fluttered his way, saying, “I’m so sorry. I didn’t know he was your pet. I just found him all dirty and I just had to give him a wash.”

“That’s okay,” the stallion calmly replied. “I’d take him back but um…” He stuck out his dripping foreleg. “Yeah, I’d rather not.”

“Um, if it’s all right with you, I can take care of him. You see, I’m really good with animals.”

Flying raised an eyebrow. “Um, are you sure? Not that I’m grateful but Leo can be a bit of a troublemaker.”

Fluttershy held up the smiling turtle, “Aw, he doesn’t look a troublemaker to me. Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of him and he’ll have so much fun with all my other animal friends. Pretty please?”

The stallion had no good reason to decline. After all, it was better than the alternative, leaving him by a nearby pond and then spending hours trying to find him. “He’s all yours, then.”

She hugged Leo onto her chest, her mind already conjuring fun activities.

With a brief sigh, Flying turned his focus back to the two unicorns. “Sorry if I caused a scene. I wasn’t expecting for Rainbow to be here, you know?”

“It’s all right,” Twilight responded. “We just don’t understand what’s going on. Like I said, we want to help you.”

His eyelids fell halfway down in contemplation. “Well, I… Twi? Let me sit on that for a bit, okay?”

“I understand.”

Twilight stood silent as Rarity escorted Flying through the threshold and outside Sugarcube Corner. Once out of sight, she rubbed her chin, her mind deep in thought.

Friends that aren’t friends anymore? What in the world happened between those two? Should we even try to find out? We really need to be careful about this one or we’ll just make things worse.

After a huff, she began issuing orders to the remaining individuals in the building, “Fluttershy, take really good care of Leo. He’ll be one less thing for Fly to worry about.”

Fluttershy nodded in approval.

“Spike, go to the Spa and keep Fly company. Spike?” Twilight found him flat on the floor with heart bubbles floating over his head. With a stomp, “Spike! Did you hear one word I said?”

He stood onto his small feet, unfazed by the unicorn’s outburst. “Oh, what did you say, Twilight?” he mumbled with a wide smile.

“Ugh! Hang out with Fly while he’s in Ponyville!” Pointing at the exit, “Go and catch up to him! You need a bath too!”

Spike giggled. “Um, okay.” He staggered through the doorway, leaving behind mushy brown paw prints.

Twilight shook her head. “What a mess! All right. Applejack, Pinkie, let’s start by wiping down the… huh?”

There was no point asking for their help. Pinkie now had her Stetson on hoof as a makeshift fan for Applejack. At least the cowpony was breathing but based on that large bump on her head, she needed somepony to check that.

“Pinkie, take her to Nurse Redheart. Guess I’m stuck cleaning up all by myself, again.”

Twilight scanned what was left of the room that had hosted a party before bedlam erupted. While she had a few spells that could repair the mess here, no magic could fix what she believed was a broken friendship.

4 - Beyond the Fog

Steam, warm and soothing steam.

With a massive wooden tub inside the Spa, Flying floated on the edge, keeping his eyes above the soapy water. All the grime covering his body had washed away and after some fervent rubbing, the lenses on his goggles stretched over his head had nary a crumb. He had a guest in his midst, Spike waddling across his sights but he small dragon paid him no attention. His brief entanglement with Rarity had placed him under a spell and he had yet to recover from its effects. Flying didn’t mind; he needed some peace and quiet. Too many hidden memories had floated into his consciousness, so he had to sort them in order.

Closing his eyelids, a movie began playing in faded color. Flying wanted it turned off but he couldn’t find the switch. In an instant, he travelled back to when he was a colt holding onto a spinning cloud. Yes, of course! This was back when he attended Weather Camp and unfortunately, he was in a bit of a pickle. A few ponies dared him to a challenge—the one that held on the longest won. By sheer willpower, he maintained his grip but alas, the centrifugal force eventually overcame his resolve and at the worst possible time. The cloud wobbled right when he let go, the momentum throwing him at a downward angle. Just as his appendages spread for an emergency ascent, he struck the unflinching cloud surface sideways. Immediately, searing hot pain shot up his left wing.

Grimacing, he cried out, “My wing! I hurt my wing!”

Flying did have pegasi spectators to hear his yells, all of them young and frightened but not just because of a possibly serious injury. They were holding this game away from the campgrounds where no counselors would end this impermissible activity and subsequently punish all involved. No pony dared to speak except for a rainbow-mane filly standing among the crowds.

“We have to tell the nurse,” said a young, scratchy-sounding Rainbow Dash.

A faded blue colt standing next to her shook his head vigorously. “We can’t! Then they’ll know we were playing here and we’ll all get in trouble!”

Rainbow crowded the colt’s face, “So? Who cares about that? We have to get some help!”

He turned around, his wings unfurled. “Fine! You tell the nurse, then! C’mon, everypony! Let’s get out of here!”

She growled, bearing witness to cowards flying off toward some faraway cabins. Flying expected she would chase them down but instead, Rainbow landed next to him, her expression similar to that of a worried mother.

“Can you move?” she asked.

Flying moved his left wing an inch, an act that triggered more tears down his face. “No.”

Rainbow patted his head. “It’s okay, Fly-Fly. Just wait here. I’ll get the nurse out here for you.”

He held onto her hoof, stopping her from moving. “But then they’ll know what happened,” he blubbered. “You’re in enough trouble, already.”

“It doesn’t matter,” she answered firmly. “I'm not leaving my friend hangin' like this!"

“No, Dashy. I’ll just take myself in.” He started pushing off the cloud but the constant throbbing had him hissing in pain.

“Sit down!” Rainbow held him in place.

“But—”

“No buts Fly-Fly! I’ll be back!” Then, her voice became tender. “I promise.”

She hovered into the air where he believed she would then head toward the nurse’s office at lightning speed. Instead, she scratched her mane, her face hidden from view. “Before I forget, you… you beat my time. Congrats, I guess.”

Even with his injury, that flooded him with enough pride that he rid of his frown through his tears. He never expected somepony like her to make such a statement. “I won? You mean I finally beat you in something?”

Wagging her foreleg at him, “Heh! Don’t get used to it, Fly-Fly! I’m still better than you!”

As she left behind a trail of rainbows, he continued smiling until a voice jarred him out of his daydream. With eyes wide open, he noticed Spike had swum right up next to him. Whatever infliction had him silent for the last hour had taken its course and now had him yearning for conversation. The stallion muttered to himself for interrupting him at a bad time but he tried putting on a good face.

“So, you said you’ve been to an earth pony beach, right?” Spike inquired.

He moved his head up so that he could talk without ingesting bath water. “Yeah, I loved going there. My big bro and I used to surf there all the time. He was way better at it than I was, though. You really need to check it out sometime. Awesome water, palm trees, food, girls, great weather—”

“Awesome girls, you said?” the dragon remarked, his eyebrows moving up and down. “Well, since you’ve been to the beach a lot, I’m sure you learned a quite a lot. You know, like, oh, I don’t know, I’m just throwing this out there, hooking up with mares?”

“Huh?” It took the stallion a few seconds before he realized where the dragon was leading him. With a suave chuckle, “I see. Eyeing somepony in mind?”

Spike gestured for Flying to come closer. Whispering, “You see—“He looked around to make sure the coast was clear “—there’s a certain pony you saw today that I have a major crush on. Can you guess who it is?” He started giggling uncontrollably, believing there was no way in Equestria this stallion could resolve this mystery.

Flying rubbed his hoof on his chin for a few seconds. “Hmmm.” His mind then provided a match. “Aha! It’s gotta be Rari—”

The dragon clamped down his snout, his face on fire. “Not so loud, big dude.”

“Got it,” the stallion mumbled.

Spike released his grip on the pony’s nose. “So, what can you tell me, big stud?”

“Big stud?’ he repeated with less emphasis.

“You know?” He poked him with an elbow. “Some tips from a pro. What to say, how you act, what you buy her, get my drift?”

Oh dear. This short dragon made a wrong assumption about him. His older, better-looking brother drew all the attention from the mares. He was just the bystander or the one answering questions about his sibling’s whereabouts. Standing by somepony better was bad and embarrassing advice. What could he say, though?

“How about this?” A beat later, I’ll put a really good list together and give it to you before I go. Can you fly with that?”

Spike looked at him suspiciously. “Hmmm. A list, huh?” Then, he raised his hand. “Deal!” he answered, giving him a high-five.

Flying glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. The time, approaching three, had him wincing. “Oops. C’mon, little dude. We promised Rarity to stay in the lobby until she was finished. She’s probably waiting on us, now.”

Both pony and dragon pulled themselves out of the water tub, their wrinkled coats drenched with foamy liquid. Fresh towels awaited them on a table and they made haste using each one. Satisfied that a few drips constituted being dry, they went through a door and into another room where a receptionist simply looked at them a moment with feigned interest before resuming reading a magazine. Sitting on the lone green sofa was Rarity, immersed in conversation with Twilight, Pinkie and Applejack, the last holding an ice bag on top of her head. Any hopes that Flying could sneak by them and through the exit vanished thanks to Spike greeting them with a wave.

“There you are, you two,” said Rarity, stroking her hair. “Impeccable timing, Flying. We just finished discussing about giving you a proper tour of the town.”

“That’s right,” added Twilight, winking. “It may seem small and quaint but there’s a lot to see around Ponyville.”

Applejack tossed the ice bag into a nearby trash can. “We can even stop by the farm and have an early dinner.” Grabbing her hat hanging from a rack, she placed it in its usual spot. “It’s all up to you, partner. Just say the word.”

Walking in fresh air wasn’t the most exciting activity in the world, but it was better than being by himself in a hotel room the rest of the afternoon. “I can fly with that.”

Pinkie bounced around the room, “We’re going on a tour! We’re going on a tour!” In a flash, she had a short, round hat and a headset. “Thank you for choosing Ponyville Tours. This is your tour guide, Pinkie Pie.” She giggled, her voice amplified by the Spa’s PA system. “Remember, no flash photography is allowed, please. Items can be bought at the Gift Shop at the conclusion of the tour.”

“What in the…” Flying muttered.

Spike whispered, “You get used to it, eventually.”

“We are now exiting the Spa. Follow me, please.”

They all followed the self-designated tour guide through the door and into the sun’s afternoon glare. The few clouds that floated in the sky disappeared one-by-one by three distant pegasi, none of them with a cyan coat. Flying wondered where Rainbow Dash was right now as cloud busting was something she loved to do back at Weather Camp. The more he dwelled on this, the more recollections of the past that became clear as the Ponyville skies. Like at the Spa, the stallion’s mouth curled upwards reminiscing about old times, something Twilight noticed as they all walked down a dirt road.

The unicorn craned her neck his way, “You’re smiling about something.”

“Huh?” He turned his eyes toward some cottages lining the path. “Just thinking about… things.”

“A bit for your thoughts, Fly?”

He had a feeling what was going on, this whole taking a trip around Ponyville. This was another attempt to extract information from him but he couldn’t figure out their true intent, nor did he figure out if he wanted to tell this group anything. If he said nothing, maybe Rainbow would tell them later. Maybe she already did while he cleaned himself inside the water tub. In any case, he had nothing to lose by opening his mouth. At the minimum, he could try controlling the narrative of what was his friendship with Rainbow.

“Ok, Twi,” he answered with a nod. I guess I should start at the beginning.”

Rainbow Dash loved sleeping on tree branches, her second favorite spot next to soft and fluffy clouds.

The forecast called for clear skies until the evening.

For convenience’s sake, she chose the tree closest to Carousel Boutique as today’s napping place. She needed a respite to clear her mind from what happened at the party, from her disastrous entrance to meeting a pony from her past, bringing up a cocktail of emotions that made her head throb in pain and utter confusion.

After leaving her heavy bag down on the ground, Rainbow rested her head on a pillow lying against the tree trunk. She wished for a good dream, ideally involving Wonderbolts, Sonic Rainbooms or an exciting race ending with her triumphantly holding up a trophy. Rainbow got none of those three as her imaginary world filled with floating clouds and white cabins surrounding multiple rectangular courts. She, now a filly, had just come through a set of doors when she noticed a cluster of colts huddled around the court’s boundary line.

With a smirk, she strutted right up to them. “Hey, guys!” she spoke, voice cracks aplenty.

An orange colt turned around, his eyebrows slanted downwards the moment he saw her. “Who are you?”

“The one and only Rainbow Dash!” she proclaimed, chest protruding with pride.

“Never heard of you,” he answered with an eye roll. “What do you want?”

Rainbow snorted a laugh. “What else? I wanna play!”

“You? Pffft! No way!” You’re a girl! Cloud ball is a boys game!”

“Nuh-uh! I know how to play and I know how to win!”

Pointing toward the cabins, “Go away and knit some clouds, you loser!”

Raising her voice, “I’m not a loser!” She stuck her tongue out.

“Loser!” the colt rebuked. Raising his hooves, he got the others to begin a derisive chant.

“You’re the losers!” she shrieked. She stomped the floor, “Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!”

The group continued calling her a loser.

Her jaw shuddered. “You better stop it or I’m gonna… I’m gonna—”

They wouldn’t stop, the constant jeers becoming louder and faster by the second. Her hooves trembled, wanting nothing more than stopping them with a hoof of the face but she was just one compared to at least seven other colts. Even worse, Rainbow was already in trouble for disruptive behavior in the mess hall on the first day of camp. Another reprimand might get her kicked off entirely. If she only had a friend to back her up in this moment but she made none her first week here. No pony would defend her from an emotional barrage far worse than the worst sucker punch.

Trickles ran down her cheeks. All she could do was retreat, hoping to hold back her weeping until she returned to her room and find the closest pillow. Two steps into her gallop, a new voice behind her stopped her in her tracks.

“Are you boys afraid of losing to a girl?”

Clearly, the speaker was provoking the group rather than her. With a covert head check, she noticed all the others facing a grey colt with scrabbly blue hair. Rainbow didn’t’ recall seeing anypony with the game ball in their possession, nor did that voice match all the ones she had heard. He must’ve been in the rear all this time, staying quiet.

The orange colt gently prodded her newfound defender, “Hey, stay out of this, Flying! We almost didn’t invite you to this game!”

Flying rolled his eyes. “Cool your jets, Light Beam. I think all of you just don’t want her to play because you’re scared.”

“What?” Light Beam retorted.

“That’s right. You’re all just scared little ponies! Scared of losing to a girl!”

Rainbow peeked once again, seeing Flying waggle his hindquarters at the group chanting Scared little ponies. A bite of the lips stifled her giggles but she feared he was pushing this too far. If the colts turned on him, she already decided to help him, regardless of the consequences.

There was no need to play hero.

“Fine!” Light Beam barked, adding a snort. “I’m not scared. You’ll see! Hey! Loser!”

She hated responding to that, but did so by turning her head ever so slightly.

“If you’re really that good, you can join Flying,” the orange pony said, his tone dripping with malevolence. “You two losers can lose together. Six against two. ”

Those were lousy odds but that was beside the point. She had a chance and that’s all she needed for her confidence to swell. After rubbing all the evidence of her weakness, she faced them, sneering, “You guys just lost the game!”

The colts cackled at her proclamation before leaving one-by-one past the boundary line and into the court proper. Eventually, the one pony that saved her from utter humiliation remained, ball secured by his side with a warm smile.

Rainbow fluttered right next to him and for a moment, parroted his welcoming expression before flying past him with her trademark smugness. “C’mon! Don’t drag me down out there, Fly-Fly!”

“Huh?” he responded, chasing after her. "Fly-Fly? No, my name’s Flying High.”

“No,” she casually dismissed. “I’m going to call you Fly-Fly.”

She heard his despondent sigh. “Ok, whatever. But if you’re gonna call me that, I’ll call you… um, Dashy.”

“Yuck,” Rainbow answer, her face muscles contorting. “You know, be lucky I’m in a good mood today. I’ll let that one slide… this time.”

Cheep! Cheep! Cheep!

“What the—”

Rainbow suddenly rose up from the tree branch, discovering that a bird had landed near the canopy and disrupted her dream with its cheerful song. She couldn’t be mad with the creature for the sun had all but called it a day, an ideal time for her to rise from her slumber. Rarity should be arriving any moment and off in the distance, there she was along with three of her friends.

They’re always there for me. Rainbow flashed a smile. I just wish I could tell them how I feel but I’m not good at that kind of stuff. Me and Fly-Fly, would they even understand what happened between us? I’m not even sure I do anymore, not after all this time.

She returned to a napping position on a branch, willing to wait for them a while longer while she sorted out the millions of thoughts bouncing around her head.

Meanwhile, rounding the road’s last bend, Applejack noticed her friend on the tree. “Hmmmm.” Leaning toward Twilight, “Are you sure this is gonna work, Twi? You know how stubborn Rainbow Dash can be. Something tells me she may not spill the hay.”

“We have to try!” the bookworm answered with grit. “We have to hear her side of the story, somehow.”

Pinkie skipped alongside the group, “She’ll talk to me! I’m going to make her frown upside down! I bet a song will do it!”

“Pinkie, please,” Rarity snapped. “This is serious, dear. Just try to keep her spirits up, okay?”

“Okey dokey lokey,” the party pony responded, reverting to a simple walk.

Twilight exhaled relief. “Well, I’m just glad Spike convinced Fly to go with him to Fluttershy’s so they could check up on Leo. At least Fly won’t know what we’re doing.”

“Should we mention anything he said to us?” Rarity asked. “He never mentioned that we couldn’t.”

Twilight shook her head. “But he didn’t say we could. Besides—” She briefly levitated a tome from her attached saddlebag—“this book may be able to help us but we need every bit of information from Rainbow for my plan to work. Just remember, Rarity, please take your time in fitting the suit for Rainbow. We don’t know how long this may take.”

“I understand, dear. I have my standards but in this situation, I’m willing to make an exception, even if it pains me to do so.”

Twilight turned to Applejack. “You’re Rainbow’s best friend so she may be willing to talk to you the most. Just don’t upset her too much.”

Applejack nodded. “Gotcha, Twi. I know we butt heads sometimes but I ain’t gonna make her mad and shut the barn door on me.”

By now, Rainbow had hopped off the tree and made her way to the Boutique’s front entrance with her luggage.

“Good luck, everypony,” Twilight whispered to her friends.

Moments later, Rainbow greeted them in a downtrodden tone.

“Hey, Rainbow,” they all replied in return.

Rainbow rubbed her mane, “So, how long this is going to take, Rarity?”

Rarity stumbled on her words, “Oh, umm, I’m not exactly sure, dear. It could take… a while.”

A while sounded like an eternity for Rainbow Dash. Knowing her friends, that meant plenty of time to converse about just about anything, including the subject about her situation with Flying High. The more she dwelled on it, the more she wanted to spill it out into the open so she could get rid of all these contradictory emotions and be at peace.

Rainbow fought for a smile. “Ok! Ummmm, do you girls have to go somewhere right now? You see, I’m, um, just wanted to know we can talk about… stuff.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. This was the opening she was hoping for but it seemed too easy and convenient. Maybe Rainbow overheard their conversation and she had planned something in response. No, the unicorn thought. If that were true, then she’d do anything to hurry this visit. Whatever the case may be, the plan would go on as planned.

“Sure!” Twilight answered, beaming. “Stuff it is!”

Rarity unlocked the door to her Boutique. “Well, then. We shouldn’t keep the client waiting. Let’s get the magic started, shall we?"

5 - Raising the Cloud Curtain

As the radiant moon rose higher into the sparkling skies, the dim lights inside Carousel Boutique persisted against the enveloping darkness. What kept the ponies within awake was not stitching dresses but weaving together the stories told by both Rainbow Dash and Flying High.

Sitting on the bed within Rarity’s room, a hat-less Applejack stretched her limbs, trying to keep her yawn silent. “Are you done yet, Twi? I’m gettin’ a little tired.” The farm pony caressed her forehead, “That and I still have a bit of a headache.”

Twilight, flat on the floor next to Pinkie, worked her quill on a large parchment. “Sorry, Applejack. I know it’s late but I wanted to do this now before we forget what Rainbow and Fly told us.” As she dinked her utensil onto an inkwell, “Oh, and thanks again, Rarity for letting us stay here.”

“Not a problem, darling,” she replied, standing by a pony mannequin which wore a green rubberized suit. “I know you didn’t want to wake up Spike at the Tree House or run into Flying just in case he’s wandering about outside.” Her horn lit up, its target a pair of metallic instruments which she then moved to inside the suit. “Besides, this alteration is taking much longer than I thought. I have the proper measurements but this material isn’t easy to work with.”

Pinkie leaned toward the sheet of paper, eyes set to scan.

“It’s not ready yet!” she snapped, shifting her workspace a few inches to the left. “Read this while I finish!” Twilight placed a book next to her peeping friend.

Pinkie poked the cover. “What’s this?”

The bookworm groaned. “That’s the book where I got my idea, Pinkie. It’s called Conflicts in Friendships – A Repair Guide.”

Flipping open the tome, she mumbled a few words from the blocks of text before falling chin-first onto the page. “This is boring,” she bemoaned. “Can’t you give me the Hoof Notes version, instead?”

“I’d like that too,” added Applejack, raising her hoof.

“Never mind that,” Rarity chirped. “How about just telling us exactly how that book’s fits into our plan, Twilight.”

She was going to explain right when she finished but with a few more strokes remaining, there was no harm filling them in now while she finished. In fact, she had to restrain her nerdy glee before talking.

“You see, I asked all of you to remember as much as you could about the stories Rainbow and Fly told us. I then jotted every single detail in my notes here.” She padded the yellow sheets stacked next to her. “Then, I used a blueprint in the book to diagram their stories in a way so that we can see the root cause of the conflict. From that point, we can figure out how to resolve it with screwing it up. The book did say there was a fifteen percent degree of error but in this case, what both of them told us lined up pretty well, so I don’t think that we’ll have a problem. Now, I did have to leave out a lot of the non-essentials out in order to get a clearer picture but I still think that with—”

Twilight’s brow furrowed, hearing snoring, lots of it. On her right, Pinkie used the book as makeshift pillow. Behind, Applejack’s head hung by the bed’s edge, her drool dripping onto a rug. Rarity’s horn fizzled out, leaving her instruments at the mercy of gravity. Even the immediate clanks only brought her back into consciousness for a second before she leaned against the mannequin.

“A-hem,” Twilight barked.

The other girls woke up, muttering that they heard every single word.

“Uh, huh,” she responded flatly. After one final scribble, she rolled up the wide sheet. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to show you what I have, then. Ta-da!”

With magic, she unfurled the parchment above her head as wide as her grin. “So, what do you think? Isn’t this great?”

Applejack squinted as her foreleg followed the plethora of lines and symbols. “What in tarnation is that? What does that little doo-hickey mean? Is this one of ‘em eye chart things?”

“Look at all the pretty shapes,” Pinkie remarked as she pulled out a camera. “I didn’t know you were an artist!” With a click, her device spat out a permanent color image. “That should go in a museum and I know just who I can reach!”

“You have absolutely no taste, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity spoke, yanking the photo away so she could rip it into two. “I’m sorry, Twilight, but I would not submit that. The color scheme is all wrong and it simply lacks inspiration.”

Twilight snorted. “It’s not a work of art.”

Rarity nodded, “Yes, I know that but don’t let that deter you from trying again.”

“Never mind,” she growled, tossing the scroll into the nearest trashcan. Guess I’ll just have to tell you girls the key points to my analysis.”

Pinkie gasped, startling those around her. “Story time!”

In seconds, Pinkie grabbed everyone into a circle in the middle of the room. Then, she clapped her hooves together and like magic, the room ceded to the darkness, save for a solitary bulb flickering over everypony’s heads. Once Pinkie sat on her haunches, she placed on both her forelegs knitted socks. The one on her left was gray with short, blue yarn glued on the rear, two buttons plastered in the front and a mouth drawn by a marker. Pinkie’s other sock had similar treatment, save that it was cyan cotton with six colors for the longer and messier string.

“Oh-kay,” said Twilight, raising a twitching eyebrow. “So, let’s go over the facts. Rainbow and Flying first met in Weather Camp many years ago.”

Pinkie moved the sock puppets closer together.

“One day, Flying helped Rainbow join a colts game. Because of that, they soon became friends, doing everything together.”

The puppets bumped together once and then moved in random directions, with sounds of joy coming from the puppeteer.

“Before camp ended, they had one last project together so Rainbow and Flying chose to perform a really cool weather technique called the Cloud Burst. Outdoors, the teacher would create a small but resilient cloud. Then, two little ponies would fly inside and perform certain maneuvers inside. If done correctly, they will wipe out the cloud in one fell swoop.

Pinkie scratched her head; translating technical mumbo-jumbo to sock puppets was beyond her capabilities. After a shrug, she moved the puppets around in a circle.

“The problem is the Cloud Burst is such a difficult thing to do. Even though practiced so hard for it, when it was time to do it for real, they crashed out in spectacular fashion.” Twilight shook her head, “Everypony laughed at them.”

Slam! The puppets hit the floor and a moment later, the yellow hue within the semi-circle vanished, replaced by ribbons of light crashing down right outside the window. Standing on her hind hooves, Pinkie bellowed a sinister cackle, its echo matching the thunder’s rumble.

“Nice touch,” Applejack whispered to Rarity.

“I agree,” Rarity responded in kind.

Twilight tapped on the floor until Pinkie ceased the dramatics. “Anyways, the moment was so humiliating, they started to blame each other for what happened. Rainbow called Flying an egghead because he was the smarter of the two and Flying came back with Rainbow Crash since she knocked over half the spectators.”

“And that’s where Rainbow Crash came from,” Pinkie interjected, addressing nopony in particular.

Ignoring the interruption, “They did not speak to each other after that. Once Camp ended, they went their separate ways back to their respective hometowns.”

Pinkie moved the puppets apart, her tear ducts leaking water.

Her voice downcast, “From then on, the never wrote or saw each other again.” After a long pause, she beamed, “At least, that was the case until by—”

Tears sprinkled onto the orator’s face. She rushed to place a hoof on her wailing friend. “Oh, Pinkie. Please don’t cry. It’ll be all right.”

Like a faucet, the waterworks stopped. “Oh, you silly. I wasn’t really crying. I was just—” She slid into the center of the circle, hooves extended –“acting!”

Suddenly, light flooded the room, as did fervent stomping from Rarity. Then, out of nowhere, the fashionista levitated a golden statue toward Pinkie. “Bravo! Bravo! Encore! Encore!”

Pinkie bowed to her admirer. “Oh, thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” She grabbed onto the statue, holding it close to her chest. “Wow. You know, I just have so many ponies to thank.” Pinkie wiped a tear. “First, there’s my acting instruct—”

“Pinkie! Rarity!” Twilight and Applejack shouted, teeth clenched.

Rarity’s face turned tomato red; she wasn’t one to be drawn into Pinkie’s antics. Meanwhile, Pinkie peeled off the golden wrapping and with one bite, brown mush splattered onto her lips.

Twilight sat back down, and with a quick exhale, released hot steam. “Okay, girls. Based on my diagraming, what we have here is a situation where two friends allowed their emotions to say hurtful things to one another. The book outlines several solutions but it did say we, as friends, should come up with some of our own first. That way, we can narrow down our choices.”

Her magic brought over an hourglass between the mares. “All right. Let’s think!”

She flipped over the timekeeper, its sand starting its slow downwards trickle. Right away, Twilight rubbed her chin while Rarity found it best to ponder while fluffing her mane. Meanwhile, Applejack drew circles on the floor, hoping that an idea would magically pop into her head. Pinkie nibbled on her chocolate statue, her eyes focused on Twilight’s stack of notes.

Twilight cleared her throat just loud enough to draw attention. “You know, maybe what we should do is—”

“Waiiitttttttttttt!” the party pony shouted, reaching toward Twilight.

Her eyelids dropped halfway. “What, Pinkie?”

“I know exactly what to do!” Pinkie held her dessert close to her mouth. “Nothing!” She bit off half her edible statue.

“Nothing?” Twilight fell onto her back. “Nothing,” she muttered to herself. “All this planning and your answer is nothing.”

Applejack clasped her forehead, “What in tarnation are you sayin’, Pinkie? Why’d you think we’re stayin’ up for?” We’re trying to fix a friendship here!”

Rarity nodded. “I know I always respect your opinion, Pinkie, but in this situation… well, actually, most situations, I fail to see what you are getting at.”

Without a word, she grabbed onto Twilight’s notes and spread them out across the floor. “Well, do you remember all the good stories Dashy and Fly-Fly told us about their time together while in Weather Camp?”

Still staring at the ceiling, Twilight pulled over one of the pages and began skimming through it. “Hey, girls?” She returned to a seated position, stifling a giggle. “I have here the first hoof match between Fly and Rainbow. Poor Fly went straight through the cloud and it took him a while to reach back up to her. Rainbow was laughing it up when she told us and Fly said he wasn’t mad about that day at all. He was impressed at how strong a filly she was.”

Applejack scanned over the closest yellow page to her. “And right here. Gots me the story when Rainbow was gettin’ homesick and some bad little pony was givin’ her grief about it so Flying snuck in a rain cloud and drenched that bad pony away! That Rainbow sounded so darn grateful he did that and that Flyin’ fella told us it was worth being punished for.”

“Oh,” Rarity added, holding up a sheet with some red on her cheeks. “The comedy skit they did together on… wind. Rainbow wrote most of the jokes but she had some stage fright. Flying calmed her down before their performance. Based on what they told us, they had fun with that project, so I suppose that’s what really matters.”

“There’s so many great moments here,” Twilight remarked as she skimmed through the scattered documents. “And you know something? They seemed so happy when they told us those stories.”

“Except when they talked about their fight,” Rarity added, ears drooping. “I was a little surprised that neither Flying nor Rainbow sounded angry about the whole incident. Actually, I think they were a little sad.”

Twilight rose up, “That’s it!” She paced around her friends, “Don’t you see? There’s so many positives and even with the one negative, they regret it! That means if they simply apologize, then they’ll be friends again! We just have to tell them that!”

“There’s still time,” said Applejack, glancing through the closest window. “If we hurry, we can catch—”

“We can’t!” Pinkie grabbed hold of the cowpony’s tail as she tried getting on all fours, causing her to trip.

“Ow!” Applejack gripped the top of her head. “Consarn it, Pinkie! Let me go!”

Shaking her head, “But we can’t tell Fly-Fly or Dashy anything!”

“And why not?”

“Why did you think I said we don’t have to do anything? Our job is done!”

Steam escaped Twilight’s nostrils. “What?”

Pinkie placed a hoof on the unicorn’s shoulder. “Don’t be so frowny-wowny. Think what we’ve already done. We were there for Fly-Fly and Dashy when they wanted somepony to talk to and we all heard their wonderful stories. If we’re so sure they want to be friends again, then they’ll realize that too. Besides, don’t you think it would mean so much more if they tell each other without hearing it from us first?”

Twilight’s lips mouthed a wow. All this time, she expected Pinkie’s logic to make no sense and yet, she understood her message. “Well, I suppose but what if they end up not saying anything at all?”

“And both of them would have to say sorry first,” Applejack added, sighing. “Flying strikes me as a fellow that would but Rainbow Dash—” The cowpony tsked—“she sure can be stubborn with that kind of stuff.”

Rarity nodded, “That’s very true. Also, let’s not forget that the next time they’ll see each other is tomorrow night and they’ll be working on that assignment. I worry that Rainbow and Flying will keep it strictly business.”

Pinkie brought the girls into a group hug. “Oh, don’t you worry, girls! Just believe in the magic of friendship! They’ll be best of friends again! You’ll see!”

Applejack and Rarity looked at each other, wanting to believe that credo could apply in a situation like this. They turned to Twilight for answers but even the element of magic had none to say. When she stared at Pinkie’s indomitable smile, the unicorn made her final decision.

“Okay, Pinkie. We’ll let them handle it.”

6 - Pre-Flight Check

Flying landed in front of the Library Treehouse donning an olive rubbery suit. Other than the head portion, it covered his body with such tightness that the occasional wisps of evening air cooled off the boiling sweat dripping from his forehead. He tugged on a strand wrapped around his waist, ensuring that the attached small pouch hadn’t shifted during flight.

Good deal. Now, I just hope Spike isn’t here right now or I’m totally cooked!

He tapped on the wood three times and waited a few seconds for an answer.

Is anypony home? This better not be another surprise Pinkie party.

As his foreleg reached for the door, it swung just wide enough for a unicorn’s head to pop through the crack.

“Oh, hi,” said Twilight, scratching her bangs. “I wasn’t expecting you this early.”

“Yeah, I’m here for something but, um—” His face muscles tensed up —“is Spike’s here by any chance?”

“Spike? No, he’s away at the moment but I can tell him you were looking for him when he—”

Waving his hooves, “No, no! No need to do that! I was just asking. Besides, that’s not why I’m here.”

“Oh?”

The stallion bit his lip. “I… need to find a certain book. Um, you think I can find one here?”

Twilight cusped her mouth, muffling her giggles. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I mean, this is only a library, Fly.”

“Oh, that’s right,” the pink-cheek stallion responded.

She swung the door wide open. “Well, come on in! It might be a bit messy in here.”

Flying stepped inside the towering and hollow tree. Endless books filled every open space, even the flat surface by the windows. His mouth hung open at how every tome faced the right direction and in some logical order that even he could figure it out with a few glances. What had him lost was the librarian’s definition of ‘messy’; maybe there were specks of dust hidden at a random corner or a few tomes out of place.

“What exactly are you looking for?” Twilight asked, closing the entrance. “I can lend you a hoof.”

Flying tugged on his suit. “Yeah, um, little dude was asking me yesterday about tips on talking to girls so I thought a book would help me put a list together?”

Twilight nodded, “Oh, okay then! You can start over there and look for books on dating and I’ll go look by these stairs for romance books.”

The stallion exhaled relief.

“Hold on a minute.” She began rubbing her chin, “Why would you need a book for this? Couldn’t you just tell him your experiences, Fly?”

Blood rushed to his head. “Experiences? Um, I kinda, well—”

“Never mind,” the unicorn replied, smiling. “I completely understand. Besides, I can’t wait to see if you can pull this off. Spike can be pretty gullible, you know.”

In a flash, his color returned to its usual pale gray. “Really? That totally awesome to hear!” His head swiveled all over the room, “So, where did he run off to, anyways?”

Twilight glanced at a nearby clock, its dials indicating eight o’clock. With a blink of the eye, the ornate hands suddenly moved back to a quarter past seven. Within her magical control was a feather duster that she used to swipe at the timekeeper, removing a pesky cobweb from the gold-tinted edge.

“Don’t forget to wash down the little round windows, Spike,” she remarked as she jogged toward one of the many bookshelves. “We haven’t washed those in quite a while.”

“But it’s been only two weeks since I scrubbed,” he whined as he stepped off a ladder with a damp squeegee in his possession.

The unicorn huffed. “A week too long, Spike. What if somepony comes in wanting to check out a book and notices how dirty they are?”

“We’ve had zero ponies come in here since we last cleaned,” Spike deadpanned while using his apron as a washcloth for his hands.

Suddenly, somepony pounded at the door.

“Until now,” Twilight chirped. “Can you get that, Spike?”

He marched to the entrance, grumbling that she was closer to the door. After turning the knob, Twilight looked his direction as she swept the top of a few encyclopedias.

“Hey, Fluttershy,” Spike spoke. “What brings you here at this hour?”

The pegasus fluttered into the room, “I’m just looking around.”

The assistant tapped his chin, “Ah. Let me guess. Those two again, huh?”

“What are you two talking about?” the unicorn asked, levitating some heavy books to reach the dust underneath them. “What exactly are you searching for, Fluttershy?”

“Just Leo and Angel,” she answered, lifting a stallion head statue sitting on a round table.

In an instant, Twilight’s magic fizzled out, the heavy tomes landing onto the shelf with a dull thump. “Leo?” she stammered. “Missing?”

Fluttershy opened her mouth, only to find Twilight shaking her like a saltshaker.

“What do you mean he’s missing?” The librarian pranced in place. “No, no, no! This can’t be happening! How in Equestria could you lose a turtle, Fluttershy?”

She raised her limp hoof, “But he’s not really missing. Leo’s just playing hide-and-seek with Angel, that’s all.”

“For how long, Fluttershy?” Spike interjected.

“Only for about… maybe two hours?” the yellow mare responded nonchalantly.

“Two hours?” Twilight shrieked, yanking on her own hair. “Fluttershy, why didn’t you tell me this earlier? We need to form a search party, now!”

Spike handed her a paper bag. “Geez! Relax, Twilight! Fly said Leo’s a pretty good hide and seeker. Took us thirty minutes last night.”

“And he even got Angel to play along today,” added Fluttershy as she floated about the cavernous room. “Hmmm. My instincts told me they were in here just now but I guess not. Maybe I should try the schoolhouse next.”

Twilight pointed at the door, “Spike? Take Owlowiscious and help out Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy clasped together her hooves, “Oh, please! I can do this on my own! I’m sure that—”

“No,” the bookworm sternly answered. “We can’t waste any more time with these silly games! Now, go! Hurry!”

Hanging her head, Fluttershy drifted through the exit. From upstairs, the pet owl joined up with Spike and headed in the same direction.

“Way to ruin her fun, Twilight,” Spike retorted as he stood at the doorway.

She softened her stance, “I’m not trying to, Spike. We just can’t take any unnecessary risks with Fly’s turtle. You understand, right?”

The dragon shrugged. “Whatever.”

As the door clicked shut, the unicorn checked the current time. An eye blink later, she was back in the present, confirmed by a stallion’s subtle but deliberate cough.

“You okay?” Flying asked, leaning in toward her.

“Um—” She went back a wobbly step—“Yeah. I, um, Spike is… he’s running an errand with Fluttershy?”

His head tilted slightly. “Hmmm. Ah! I bet they’re searching for Leo, aren’t they?”

Twilight’s lips quivered, her thoughts turned into incomprehensible mush. Twilight waited for an erupting volcano of emotions to engulf her in searing heat.

“Don’t worry about it,” he reassured, waving his foreleg. “I saw this coming a mile away. They’ll find him.” Flying snorted a chuckle. “Eventually.”

Twilight patted her beating chest. “Whew. All right, then. If you’re not worried, I won’t be either. So, how about we start searching for a good book?”

They split off to opposite sides of the room, with the stallion scanning each spine for a title that screamed a key word such as ‘talking to mares’ or ‘casual conversation’. Meanwhile, Twilight found herself opening every other book and speed-reading through a few pages; it mattered not if she had already delved into the text in the past. The unicorn always found new meaning in the paragraphs but on this night, she shut the covers with a frown. For all the material on Equestrian history, magic and adventure within this Library, she couldn’t find this pony’s topic. Making it worse was the perpetual silence, understandable given their task involved intense concentration. Still, she wanted to start some type of dialogue between them, so she began with a joke.

If only what she had weren’t so high-brow.

“—and you carry the one,” she finished. “Get it?” she chortled.

Flying blinked a few times. “Um, I guess that one went over my head,” he replied, opening a beige tome.

“I’m sorry,” she lamented, rubbing the floor. “I suppose jokes aren’t my strong suit.”

“That’s okay. My fault, anyways. I bet a smarter pony would’ve gotten it.”

“But I thought you were smart.”

“Compared to Rainbow, I was,” he neighed with a wry smile. The moment he realized his lips spoke that name, Flying gently placed the book he held back onto the shelf. “Yeah, I sure was the egghead back then.”

Twilight fidgeted in place; she had the perfect open to pry more into this whole Flying and Rainbow dilemma! That would’ve been wrong, however, so she was helpless to do anything other than keep her ears open and hope the stallion volunteered information.

The stallion’s snout twitched, his sights set at the staircase. “Mind if I go to the porch for a second, Twi? I need some fresh air.”

“Oh sure! Go ahead.”

Once he left her presence, she resumed going through each shelf but lacking the gusto to open every single book within her magical control. She’d rather check on him upstairs in case he was wallowing in self-pity or staring off into the skies waiting for his former friend to arrive.

To her surprise, he zipped down the staircase a minute after he left, bearing a small smile.

“Huh? Back so soon?” Twilight inquired.

Rubbing his mane, “Yep. Just what I needed. Let’s keep going.”

He returned to his section but as his eyes focused on more spines, Twilight called out to him.

“What’s up?” he beckoned, shifting to the left.

“I’m just curious,” she stated, skimming through a thick burgundy book. “Any particular reason why you joined EWA instead of working for a local weather team?”

Flying paused in mid-air. “I guess because I felt,” He shrugged, “lost.”

“Lost? I don’t quite follow you.”

Flying peeked at his flank, covered in full by rubber. “I always thought that when some pony got their cutie mark, that was it. You know what your talent is and it tells you to what you’re supposed to do with your life. Not for me, Twi. It only made me more… confused.”

“Confused?” Twilight returned the red book onto the shelf but stopped short of levitating another one. “Why?”

“Long story short. I kinda stumbled onto my talent.”

“How?”

The stallion turned and faced the unicorn, his forelag tapping his muzzle. “Hmm. You see, it was a few months after Weather Camp. I was travelling with my folks across Equestria to visit some relatives when I saw this burst of light shining through the clouds. I wanted to know what it was so I started going higher for a better look. Before I realized it, I climbed much higher than I should’ve. My folks couldn’t reach me. The air was too thin for them but I was handling it okay. Once I went over the last cloud, I caught a glimpse of, um, it was… I think, um—”

“Did you forget what you saw, Fly?”

Flying shook his head. “The sun was in my eyes and whatever shone was all but gone. I wanna say —a wave of multiple colors. No, more like an explosion of colors.”

Twilight cusped her mouth. Oh my gosh! Could that have been the Sonic Rainboom? Maybe I should… no. I should let Rainbow tell him, that is if they ever talk to each other again.

“Anyways, my folks pointed out my mark once I got down. I was pretty stoked at first but once I understood what it really meant, I wasn’t sure what to do with it. I mean, there’s not that many reasons to fly so high in the sky in the first place. At least, not when you’re on a plain old weather team like I was.”

“So you decided to join EWA?”

Nodding, “You got it, Twi.”

“Do you still feel lost, Fly?”

“Sometimes,” he answered, gazing at the floorboards.

Frowning, “Fly, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to—”

“Mellow out, Twi!” he responded, smiling. “No need to say sorry. It’s good to get that off my mind. Besides, there was a time when I couldn’t even look at my cutie mark. I thought it was such a useless talent. At least it’s coming in handy with this internship. Even if working for EWA doesn’t pan out, I’m sure I’ll find a use for it doing something else. After all, finding your talent isn’t the end of the adventure, it’s just the beginning, isn’t it?”

Twilight giggled. “You’re so right. I wished you had met the Cutie Mark Crusaders yesterday and told them that.”

“The who now?”

“Never mind. I’ll explain some other time. In the meantime, how’s your search going over there? Anything good?”

He pulled out a hardcover and waved it around, “You would think a good book on dating tips would be here but they’re all out of style. Seriously, some of this stuff is older than my grandpa! How about you, Twi?”

“Nothing so far, I’m afraid. Everything I see is on friendships, not romance.”

Above his head, a book hanged halfway off the shelf caught the pegasus’ attention. Before he pushed it back, Flying scanned the title.

Hold on. I Can’t Believe Intraspecies Relationships is Possible! A Dating Guide! He grabbed it to examine the pages. Wow. This whole thing’s kinda worn as though… I wonder if little dude has read this already. Shoot! I bet he did! Can I really rewrite this so he doesn’t know where I got my tips from?

“Oh, did you find something, Fly?”

“It’ll have to do.” He slid the book into his pouch. “I’ll drop it off at the Inn on my way out.”

Twilight checked the clock. “Hmm. We still have a few minutes before Rainbow’s supposed to arrive. Can I ask you something else, if you don’t mind?”

“Go ahead,” he said, landing on the floor.

“How exactly does that suit work? I read that it somehow uses magic but how is that possible?”

“Sure does!” He took out an amber pendant from his bag. “EWA employs specialized unicorns that can infuse a spell onto this crystal.”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Really? That makes total sense! So, what type of spell?”

“One that bumps up our body heat and gives us more air to breathe.” Pointing at a notch at the suit’s front, “Once we’re climbing, you just place the crystal here to activate it. Oh, and there’s another bonus. With the spell, I can talk to Rainbow from a distance and vice-versa.”

The unicorn grinned, “Oh, wow! EWA really goes all out, don’t they?”

Flying shrugged. “Eh, I suppose but tonight’s job is nothing special. Just gotta reach the Jet Stream and unclog the jam.”

“If it sounds that easy, then why do we need EWA?”

“Too many accidents in the past,” he responded plainly.

Drips of sweat trickled down her forehead. “Umm, accidents?”

Flying stifled a snicker. “Mellow out, Twi! Nothing too serious but even with the spell, flying so high is really tough for a pegasus so EWA has strict qualifications on who can do this type of work regularly. Thanks to my talent, I can handle the thin air and cold air better than most other ponies.”

“Will Rainbow be okay?”

“Knowing her, she’s gotten much faster and stronger since Camp. Besides, she’s with me and I know we’ve had our problems in the past but that doesn’t matter. I’ll watch over her and make sure nothing happens to her, no matter what.”

Twilight beamed, hearing something more than just window dressing to calm down her nerves. “I’m really glad to hear that, Fly. I’m sure that—”

The Library’s door creaked inwards. From the crack emerged Rainbow’s head fully covered by latex save for openings for her eyes and mouth. She motioned her head outwards before walking back outside.

Flying tousled his mane, “Guess I better jet, huh?”

She had so many things to say, all forbidden by the pact she made with her friends last night. “Good luck,” she finally answered. A pregnant pause later, “With the job, I mean!”

After an aviator salute, he headed for the exit. As he touched the door handle, he stopped and turned his head back to the librarian. “Hey, Twi?”

“Yeah, Fly?”

His eyes wandered between her and the floor. “Thanks, to you and all the girls for hearing me out on stuff.”

“No problem. You’re our friend, Fly.” The unicorn winked, “That’s what we’re here for.”

The stallion returned the wink and then shut the door behind him.

Twilight remained in the middle of the room for a few seconds, hearing a brief but muffled conversation past the door followed by the sound of two pegasi taking off into parts unknown. Then, all she had for company was the ticking clock and her thoughts while she levitated the nearby duster for some more evening cleaning.

Guess it’s up to those two now. I sure hope everything turns out all right. Just think good thoughts, Twilight. They’ll patch things up! Friendship is Magic!

A minute into her chore, a long creak had her turn toward the entrance. She guessed it was the pegasi duo coming inside but instead, the dragon assistant had returned along with the other element bearers.

“What’s going on here?” the unicorn barked, putting away the duster. She then rubbed her eyes. “I know I said a search party but are all of you looking for Angel and Leo now?”

“And Winona,” Applejack snarled, adding a stomp. “The second I find her, that dog’s gonna git it!”

Twilight’s head tilted, “Huh? You’re telling me Winona’s part of this hide and seek game too?”

“Gummy too! Gummy too!” Pinkie Pie bounced around the group. “His first time too! This is so much fun!”

“It’s anything but fun,” Rarity whined, wiping her brow with a handkerchief. “How could Opalescence do this without telling me? What if something’s happened to her? She could be hurt or lost or maybe even… catnapped!” She threw herself onto Fluttershy and began sobbing.

Suddenly, a hooting Owlowiscious flapped into the treehouse and past the group.

Spike pounded his hands together, “Aha! He’s finally found them!”

The bookworm’s eyes followed the owl ascending toward the second floor. “Wait a minute. You meant they’re all in here? But how?”

She chased her pet up the stairs, followed by everyone else to the second floor and out into the dim-light porch. By the railing was a picnic cloth spread across the surface with small lumps protruding through the quilt. Grabbing it with his claws, the owl raised the sheet for the big reveal: a turtle, dog, cat, rabbit and a lizard.

“Winona!” Applejack stared down her dog with beady pupils. “Do you know how much work I gotta catch up on because you ran off and I looked for ya all around town? Bad dog! You’re sleeping outside tonight, you hear?”

The dog cowered in guilt.

Meanwhile, Pinkie held up her small alligator with a gleeful smile. “I found you! I found you! Do you want to try again?”

Gummy’s stoic expression broke with a quick eye blink.

Besides the party pony, Rarity patted off her joyous tears. “Opal! You… you—” Her face turned red, “You naughty feline! I was all worried about you and you know that stress causes wrinkles!”

Opal turned away, holding up her chin while delivering a curt meow.

“Don’t you dare give me that tone! Hey! Look at me when I’m addressing you!”

“You’re being too harsh on her,” Fluttershy replied, grinning at the rabbit and turtle team. “They were just having a little fun, isn’t that right you two?”

Angel high-fived Leo.

Twilight groaned. “All right, all right. Everything turned out okay but I still want to know how they ended up here with me knowing. I mean, even Fly was here at the Treehouse for a few minutes and—”

That’s when her memory retrieved the moment the grey stallion ventured upstairs for ‘some fresh air’.

“He must’ve—” Twilight giggled to herself. “Just as sneaky as his turtle, I see.”

“What so funny, Twilight?” Spike asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, nothing! Just remembering a joke Fly told me earlier.”

7 - The Eye of the Storm

“You took too long.”

“Huh?”

Rainbow hovered by a hanging sign that read Super Hay Inn, her hooves crossed and narrowed eyes on the suited-up pegasus stallion that was exiting the three-story structure.

“But it was only three minutes,” Flying answered, adjusted the goggles over his eyes.

“Three minutes too long,” she stated, landing next to him with a smirk. “You’ve always been a slowpoke, you know?”

“Right,” he retorted with an amused eye roll. “From what I remember, you’ve always kept me waiting outside the cabins.”

“You’ve been flying at high altitude too long. I think you’ve lost some of them marbles up there,” she said, poking her head.

He guffawed, clutching his chest while Rainbow did the same. For these few precious seconds, their old scuffle was but a distant memory; they could be themselves and engage in banter without any uncomfortable awkwardness.

At least until the laughter stopped. Their memories sapped them of their smiles, replaced by staring at the cobbled road beneath their hooves.

Rainbow politely coughed. “Okay, we should probably get going. We got a job to do.”

“Let’s get started, then.”

Both ponies took out their pendants and then jammed it into the notch on their suits. The crystal glowed amber as it emitted a sound that pierced their eardrums of everypony within one hundred feet. In a flash, a paling encompassed their bodies that quickly faded. Once they could hear the crickets from the nearby park, Flying flapped toward the Inn’s roof.

“Can you hear me, Rainbow?” the stallion spoke in a hushed tone.

Rainbow nodded approvingly, “Oh, yeah. There’s some static but this is kinda neat.” Raising her voice, “You can hear me too, right?”

“Not so loud,” said Flying, clutching his cranium.

“Heh, heh. Sorry.”

Flying looked toward the closest mountain range, its outline the only visible feature. “All right. Follow me, then.”

They blasted upwards into the purple sea where the moon guided them its abundant radiance. Yet, its light did nothing to warm their bodies as the two ponies ascended well past the tree line and toward the stars. Soon, mist materialized after every exhale while ice crystals hardened on their snouts. Before the trailing Rainbow could complain about the amulet’s effectiveness, the pendant’s inner magic swirled, accompanied by what felt like a hot towel wrapped around her body.

She signed contently. “Ah. Much better.”

“You say something, Rainbow,” her partner asked.

Rainbow looked his way. She had herself an opening but unlike by the inn, no line popped into her head. “Well, I… nothing. It’s nothing.”

“Oh. Okay,” he mumbled, ears folded.

After more minutes of hearing only the occasional breeze, Flying and Rainbow rose above the highest mountains in the region, an area where no pegasi had ventured into before. Their bodies clued them in on why – every flap proved harder than the last and each swallow of air was like chugging down ice cubes. Rainbow’s teeth clashed into each other, making noise that rivaled her constant shivering. Her pace dropped to that of a freight train climbing a steep hill while her partner ahead had to apply the brakes.

“C—cold,” the cracked lip mare blabbered. “Why… why isn’t the amulet… brrrrrr—”

“Gotta let your body acclimate,” Flying answered in a hoarse voice. “We’ll need to take a five pretty soon, though.”

“N–now would be—” Her nose then wriggled “—Achoo!”

“Gesundheit.” He then surveyed the purple sphere with white dots sprawled across his vision for a cloud. At this height, they floated free of weather pony interference although finding one was a luck of the draw. To his surprise, he found a small cluster floating nearby. Once he pointed it out to her freezing friend, they landed on the widest one and then retracted their wings.

“No rush,” said Flying, his tail flicking off small ice shards. “Let me know when you’re ready.”

She responded with an approving mumble, all that she could manage given that the world around her was a massive cool box. Trying to find a distraction from the incessant cold, Rainbow peered at the curved horizon, finding Ponyville reduced to blinking dots of civilization surrounded by green patches of variable shades. The jagged rocks that dominated the town’s eastern borders were mere ripples traversing the landscape. Angling her head more to the left, there was a distant glow, its source hidden by specks of shrubbery.

“What’s that over there, Flying?” the mare spoke, rubbing her hooves together.

“Huh?” He rubbed off condensation from his goggles. “Must be the next town over but I thought you would’ve know that by now.”

She did; it was a lie Rainbow hoped would spark a conversation. “I, um, oh.” Time for another falsehood to save face. “See, I’m usually asleep by now so I’m not used to seeing everything like this.”

“Oh, okay.”

Reputation saved, for a few seconds.

“Wait. Since when do you sleep in so early?”

“Huh?”

A chuckle escaped his mouth. “You used to tell me I was a wimp if I went to bed before midnight. Oh. And how about all those times we snuck out to that nearby town? Don’t tell me you’ve gone soft after all this time.”

Wings flaring, “Hey! I’m not soft! It’s just that I have a job that needs me to be up early, that’s all. Besides, that just means I gotta fill my weekends with even more awesomeness. You know, like that first time we hung out on Saturday night?” With a smug smirk, “I still remember everything that happened.”

“Hey, now,” Flying leaned in, hyperventilating. “You haven’t told anypony what I did that night, did you?”

She placed her hoof over her mouth. “Between you and me, Fly-Fly. You know that I’ll always keep—”

Rainbow’s vocal chords seized up. She used that nickname and based on his dilating pupils, it caught him by surprise much like with her.

“Yeah, um—” Rainbow squeezed her chest. Something wanted to escape and she was willing to swing open the gate except she was missing what would undo the lock. Courage, that was the key and for all the times she had that at her disposal, she couldn’t find it tonight.

Flying believed he found his, but he rubbed his neck anyways. “Rainbow, I—”

“We should get going,” she blurted out.

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to push—”

“It’s okay. I can handle the thin air but the cold, not so much. I’d rather be moving than sitting here.”

Before he could answer, she was hovering a few feet above his head. Reluctantly, he powered up his wings and then searched for the constellation to get his bearings. Once he did, the stallion accelerated higher into the skies with Rainbow falling behind him. Out of his sights, he turned the key but it crumbled into dust.

C’mon, Flying! Can’t you see she’s giving you a sign? I mean, she called me Fly-Fly! Did I just imagine that… could I be sleeping?

Then his ears picked up Fly-Fly again. There she was too, pulling right next to him, her lips mouthing the name once more; this was no dream.

“I’m listening… Dashy.”

Her voice cracked, whatever words she wanted to say slippery as soap. Rainbow paused a moment to regain composure. “Do you happen to remember the day we first met at Weather Camp?”

“Of course I do,” he answered, nodding. “How in the world could I forget that? Why do you ask?”

Rainbow rubbed her hair, compressed by the suit’s slits, “You see, I really, really wanted to find a way to thank you for what you did for me.”

“Thank me?” he asked, stopping in mid-air. “But you already did, I think.”

Her head shook, “Not the way I wanted to. In fact, there were a lot of things I needed to thank you for but honestly, the one that mattered the most was being the best friend I had at Camp. I wanted to pay you back with something real special, something big, something that you would always remember. That’s why I, um—” She looked down toward the black abyss “—that’s the reason I wanted to do the Cloud Buster with you.”

“The Cloud Buster?” he parroted. “Hold on. Hold on. I thought you said it was to make you look cool.”

Her head slumped, “I know I did but it was really more for you than me. I knew that defending me that day made you a target to all the other colts. You never could hang out with them the whole time and… I just wanted you to go off on a bang. I would’ve told everypony it was your idea and stuff. Maybe they would’ve changed their minds and you could’ve at least made a few friends after Camp. It was the least I could do but—”

She slapped her forehead, keeping her hoof in place.

“Darnit! I should’ve known it wasn’t going to work!” Her body became limp, “All that practice and we still had trouble pulling the move. I wanted to call it off but you were trying so hard, Fly-Fly. How could I ask you to stop? I thought you’d be upset at me if I did.”

Flying shook his head slowly. “Dashy, I was really trying because of you.”

She stared at him, a gasp escaping her mouth.

“When you asked me about the Cloud Burst, I told you no but you kept asking and asking until I finally said yes. I–I never saw you so happy right after that. There was no way I was going to let you down, Dashy. You were a great friend at Camp and even though I had my doubts, I didn’t want to say anything.” He raised both hooves and then let them fall. “I know I should’ve but because I didn’t, we screwed up on presentation day and ended up—”

“—fighting in front of everypony,” Rainbow finished in a downcast tone. Then, she inhaled and released cold air. “You know, I totally wasn’t using my head there and the moment I flew off, I’ve never felt so awful. How could I be so mean to you after everything you’ve done for me? I wanted nothing more than to make up but I… I just couldn’t. That was the first time you were that angry with me and I really thought we were through right then and there. The few times I saw you after that, I thought you were avoiding me.”

The stallion grunted his confusion. “But I thought the same thing! Do you know how badly I wanted to talk to you after that fight—” He rubbed up and down his foreleg “—or yesterday? “

“Same here and what did I do? I chickened out but I won’t make that mistake again. I’ll do what I should’ve done all this time.”

“Huh?”

Rainbow closed her eyelids, finding what was lost. “I’m sorry, Fly-Fly. I’m sorry I screwed everything up.”

His wings all but stopped flapping in the air. He knew what he heard but what did it mean? This could mean a return to how it had been but after all this time, was than even possible? Forgiveness alone was hard enough.

“I’m sorry, too, Dashie,” he replied in a whisper. “I really am. I just wish we could’ve stayed friends after Camp. I know that—”

Rainbow struck him on the shoulder.

“Ow! What did you do that for?”

“Darnit, Fly-Fly” she barked. “You’re still my friend, knucklehead! Why did you think I said sorry for? Geez!”

Flying’s eyes glimmered, “You mean it?”

Rainbow wanted to hit him a second time but that didn’t feel appropriate. No, another idea came to mind, a simple but effective one that would reassure him. In one fell swoop, she wrapped her hooves around his body and squeezed gently.

“Of course I do,” she said in a docile tone. “Thanks for sticking up for me.”

“What? I, I don’t underst—” Suddenly, it all made sense. He placed his hooves on her back, “Anytime, Dashy. Anytime.”

Then she shoved him in midsection. “All right. That’s enough. I don’t want you to get the wrong idea.”

His eyebrows raised, “Wrong idea?” Oh. Oh!” He stuck out his tongue. “Eww! No way! I might’ve grown since Camp but you’re not my type.”

“That’s good to hear. I… hey!” She poked him, “What do you mean I’m not your type? I’m only good enough to be your friend? Is that what you’re trying to tell me? Wait.” Blood rushed to her head. “Wait. What the heck am I saying?”

Flying started snickering, cupping his mouth so that she wouldn’t hear.

She struck him again anyways. “Yeah, yeah. Laugh it up, Fly-Fly. But seriously, glad to have you back.”

Delivering a hoof bump, “Ah, yeah! Dashy and Fly-Fly together again! Nothing can stop us now!”

A flash brighter than the moon suddenly shone above their heads but only for an eye blink. Crack! The rumble rang hollow as their hearts, now pumping in overdrive.

“What is that?” Rainbow’s eyes focused on a lumpy mass floating in high altitude. “Is that supposed to be our cloud jam, Fly-Fly?”

Whatever floated in high altitude blocked all his known constellations; nothing below proved recognizable either. “I–I don’t know. I mean… it can’t be. We still had aways to go before getting there and besides, that looks more like a thunderstorm. Jams are supposed to be inert! I’m getting a really bad vibe here.”

“Well, what should we do then?”

“I’ll head off to the jam site and see what I find. Meanwhile, you figure out what that thing is.”

“Got it!” She bolted away at lightning speed.

Flying flew in a general direction away from Ponyville’s night aura until he discovered a familiar string of lights. The stallion added even more power while increasing climb rate, not having to worry about maintaining a slower pace for a flying partner. Even with the frigid air biting at every inch of exposed skin, he pondered about the evening so far without a shiver.

Just my luck. I’m patching things up with Rainbow and now I gotta deal with this! Well, I guess I can’t complain. I’m sure it’s nothing we can’t handle. Then we’ll have the rest of the night to catch up. Now where’s that Jet Stream?

After a few minutes, his ears detected a howl above and to his left. Soon, an invisible hoof tugged on his whole body and tugged him in the noise’s direction.

There’s the contrails! Sweet!

Among the wispy white zooming across his vision were cloud fragments tumbling toward the horizon.

Hold up. That’s not right. Why are they moving freely?

Keeping his distance from the stream, the stallion followed its snake path for a few miles, with one eye constantly checking for anything on ground level resembling a green circle surrounded by triangles.

That looks like a pine forest! And there’s the field I landed at! I must be close!

His head weaved left and right; he took a moment to rub the lenses on his goggles just in case.

I should be able to see something by now! Something’s definitely wrong. The Jet Stream’s definitely not jammed anymore but how? There’s no way it would jar itself loose unless—

A distant flash appeared miles away, the expected thunder arriving after a short delay.

Darnit! I better check on Dashy, pronto!

Flying raced toward the ominous object, its features coming into focus the closer he approached it. The shifting lumps definitely resembled clouds and the size of it all was no larger than the Cloudiseum, but that was smaller than his missing cloud jam. That and this floating cotton ball was moving on its own, not just laterally but as though it was a hot air balloon saddled with anvils inside the basket. Every time lightning jumped within the behemoth, it displayed its putrid green and gray surface to him but nothing more. His jaw dropped wide open when he noticed Rainbow taking a swing.

“C’mon, you cloud!” She went with a straight jab. “Go!” Rainbow delivered a haymaker. “Away!” She bucked the cloud, knocking off a small chunk, only for the missing piece to regenerate.

“That’s not going to work,” the approaching stallion bellowed. “It must be self-sustaining!”

Rainbow wiped her brow. “It was… worth a shot, dontcha think?” She stopped to extract extra oxygen. “Well, did you find our jam?”

He pointed straight ahead, “This, somehow.”

“Then why is it all the way out here in the middle of nowhere?”

“Guess I’ll have to figure this out by going inside and take some measurements. Rainbow, take a five in the meantime, okay?”

Rainbow grabbed onto his tail, “Hold it!”

“Ow!”

“Take a five? Oh, no way. I’m coming with you.”

He turned around, ready for a rebuttal. Then he remembered who was with him, the daredevil mare that had the strength of a colt back at Camp. In today’s terms, holding her back, even if she was gulping for air every ten seconds, would be a waste of energy. Besides, he wouldn’t deny help from a friend.

With a smile, “You’re right. We’ll go in, together.”

8 - The Cloud Busters

Swimming in the air, Rainbow wasn’t planning for that tonight.

Even so, what lay behind the thick cloud layer was thick as Pinkie Pie’s cake batter with a salty, almost bitter taste. Rain came and went at whim while the constant flashes of light provided enough illumination to navigate as she held a round instrument. She could’ve done without the thunder – yelling was the only way to communicate with Flying.

He was outside, waiting for her up-to-date measurements. Using cloud bits, he had built himself a chalkboard and then pulled out a book from his saddlebag, the EWA Reference Guide. He had a few bookmarks between the pages but nowhere around the chapter the stallion was reading. Once he memorized enough information, he plastered onto his temporary board the notes from the ponyologist.

Glad I brought this along.

Then came the hardest part, number crunching. It was bad enough that he needed to bolster his chest so that the amulet can provide a meager light source. Every other minute, the stallion rubbed off a mistake or gave his makeshift board a light shove. The massive marshmallow cloud never ceased with its constant movement through the night sky. An expert could’ve completed his task within an hour; he was taking twice as long.

Rainbow emerged from the bubbling cotton. “It’s the same as before! Are you done yet?”

“I believe so.” Tapping on some scribbles by the board’s edge, “Have some hoof-notes right here. I know this is all technical junk here, so let me see if I can explain it to—”

Rainbow pushed Flying aside for a look-see. She kept nodding and mumbling to herself, ignoring the stallion’s attempts to get in a word.

Pounding her hooves together, “I got it! I totally got it!”

“You got it?” His head tilted sideways. “That quickly?”

“Well, duh! I’ve always understood your notes. One of the benefits of having you as a friend at Camp when I needed to cram for a class.”

“Uh, huh” he replied, his forelegs crossed. “I remember that. Well, then. Do tell me what’s going on, Professor Dash.”

She cleared her throat. “What we have in front of us is indeed our missing cloud jam. It compressed and rotated on its axis contrary to the Jet Stream’s flow until it finally freed itself. Based on the distance from the original site, this must have happened sometime within the last twenty four hours.”

Flying clapped slowly, “Bravo, Rainbow. Good so far. What else?”

“Based on the numbers, this formation is the seed to what we in the weather business call a Super Cloud. It’s a superdupermega storm that has everything in big doses: rain, wind, hail, lightning, tornados, you name it! You can have an entire weather team fight it but all they can do is to limit the damage until the storm breaks apart on its own.”

Rainbow glanced at the bubbling formation and then faced Flying, her pupils shrinking.

“Hey, do you know where this thing is headed, Fly-Fly? You didn’t mention that on the board.”

He already knew the answer; even factoring in his questionable math skills made little difference. Flying panted, something other than the altitude robbing him of air. “It–it… sunrise, it becomes a Super Cloud at sunrise.”

“That’s not what I asked!” She shook him. “This thing is extremely dangerous if it goes over a—”

His eyes, a momentary glance away from her said it all. She turned around, her body shuddering at the thought of things to come. “No. No, it can’t be.”

“Ponyville in the morning,” the stallion spoke in a raspy voice. “After that, most likely Cloudsdale, Hoofington, and then at least three more towns could be in danger. That’s if we, if… this is all my fault.”

“Huh?”

Both his hooves crashed onto the board, then his head. “Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! I should’ve seen this coming! The ponyologist’s wonky numbers, the way it looked when I saw it, that doubt I felt, the signs were there and I missed them all! If I just knew earlier, I could’ve—”

“Fly-Fly!”

Rainbow yanked him off the surface and then slapped him on the cheek.

He rubbed on the strike zone, staring at a mare whose eyebrows slanted downwards. Any second now, he would get a verbal lashing.

Instead, her face softened to that of a consoling mother. “Don’t beat yourself up, okay? You can’t predict these things and besides, at least we know now when we still have time to do something, right?”

Slowly, his frown faded and then his mouth curled in the other direction. “Look at me. I’m the one losing it and you’re the one cooling me down.”

“Hey, it’s the least I could do. So, what options do we have?”

Eyes closing shut, “Just two. Complete evacuation—”

“All those towns and at this hour of the night? There’s just no way. What’s the other?”

“Pop this cloud while it’s still a seed.” His ears folded. “Guess. What’s the only way we can do it lickety-split?”

She facehoofed. “The Cloud Burst? Are you serious?”

He rolled his eyes at the stars as though a deity was watching from one of them. “Very. This is nothing like what we tried to do back in Camp, either. That was small scale experiment. This has to be big and even then, there’s a chance this won’t work.”

“But it is gonna work.” She shook her hoof at the cloud, “You’ve got nothing on us! We’re faster, stronger and smarter than before! We’ll show you whose boss around here!”

Flying beamed at how his friend carried utter and complete confidence; he missed that part about her the most. With a nervous laugh, though, that bravado vanished.

“We only get one shot, don’t we? I mean, I’m not even sure I can push at this height.”

“Actually, if you press here”—Flying tapped at the middle of the amulet—“it will go to the max setting. We can go all out but only for a few minutes before the magic runs out. No matter what happens, we gotta head back down right away or… well, you know.”

Rainbow wiggled her right foreleg toward the ground.

Flying gulped. “Yeah. Something like that. Do you need me to go over the move?”

She sighed, hooves on her sides. “That Cloud Buster’s been bugging since Weather Camp. I’ve gone over it so many times, I know it inside and out. Just tell me the starting point.”

“Directly across and three quarters of the way up. Call for me when you get there, okay?”

The mare leaned forward to take off, only to stop, her head turning back his way.

“What’s wrong, Dashy?”

She pounded her chest, “We’ll get it right, this time.”

Flying watched her speed off around the massive cloud kernel until she disappeared behind its shifting mass. Then, he added more wing flaps and ascended at least one hundred feet when a crackling sound seeped into his earlobe.

“Rainbow One in position! Come in Flying Two!”

Humor in a tense situation, he welcomed it with a chuckle. “Okay, Rainbow One. Push on the amulet.”

With a click, the amulet receded further into the socket, its glow changing color to an icy blue. In moments, his body believed it was a cool autumn day at ground level despite being well above the highest mountain peak. He leaned toward the gigantic cloud, ready to pounce.

“Ready, Rainbow?”

“Ready!”

A dramatic pause later, “Now!”

From opposite ends, the two ponies wriggled their way into the green and gray behemoth and then began moving around in an elongated circle. Their wings flapped in a pattern: upstroke, vibration, down flap, quick flutter and repeat. At first, the motions proved like pulling on a rusty level; their swimming motions proved a more reliable method of forward propulsion. Then, the cloud material began vibrating and crumbling ever so slightly. Their speeds ticked upward but so did the never-ending storm intense all about them. Even with a skin-tight suit, the constant rain seeped into every nook and crevice.

Suddenly, Flying picked up a distressed yell.

“Rainbow!” The stallion’s eyes grew wide. “Come in! Dashy! Say something!”

“It’s okay,” she answered between labored breaths. “A lightning bolt all but hit me just now. Staying on course.”

They continued traversing the ever-shifting mass, their odd wing flaps earning them faster velocity. Just as expected but as Flying kept his eyes glued on the constant cloud shifts, his initial optimism wavered. Something was wrong with this picture.

“Nothing’s happening!” Rainbow blurted out. “This isn’t working!”

Flying bit his lip, pondering on the problem. “Remember we had to work hard on adjustments back in Camp? Our moves have to be in perfect synch at all times. At least we have an advantage now with two-way communications. I’ll call out adjustments and we’ll correct in real time, all right?”

“Got it!”

First, Flying worked on matching their speeds. She was too fast, not a shocker but he had to bump his game up, grunting and groaning for that extra bit of wingpower. As for the flapping pattern, his precision was that of an expensive watch compared to Rainbow’s. She had to find that rhythm naturally rather than thinking before each action. When she did find that harmony, the cloud suddenly developed fissures, a few long enough to peek through to the night sky.

“We’re getting there, Dashy!”

He heard a mare speaking but a rumble drowned it out, as did what sounded like bullets pelting metal.

“Repeat that, Rainbow!”

“It’s working but the storm’s getting even worse on this side of the cloud!”

Moments later, he came under a water barrage. The goggles did nothing except provide him a view of a waterfall. “Ugh! All right! We’ve weakened it enough in the outer area! Move in closer to the center!”

Their circular path narrowed in width, and as such, Rainbow and Flying created more fissures within the super cloud seed. Every time their progress stopped, Flying called for more adjustments, which Rainbow readily complied. That was an easy fix; the strain on their bodies was another matter entirely. Even with the amulet in full gleam, flying within this cloud was like an earth pony trying to run through inches of mud.

Rainbow opened communications, only to deliver labored breathing.

Flying responded with a winced groan; his appendages throbbed with a searing burn. “C’mon, now! I know it’s hard but we gotta tough it out!”

Then, both their amulets flickered once.

“What does that mean?” she asked hurriedly.

He audibly gulped. “The magic’s beginning to run out.”

With a stutter, “Already? But we haven’t finished yet!”

He could see that for himself. All the cracks they had created measured inches wide when they needed to be at least a foot. The raging storm should’ve deteriorated but kept up pelting them with water and ear splitting noise. Time was not on their side for either the amulet would lose its potency or the fissures would begin healing itself. In fact, he noticed the furthest ones away filling up with fresh cloud material.

“We have to finish the Cloud Burst, now!” the stallion commanded. “We won’t get a better shot!”

A long delay later, “Ten four! I’m ready!”

“On three! One! Two! Three!”

Right when the last word escaped Flying’s lips, the two weather ponies shrunk their paths even further while tilting their bodies toward the cloud’s core. The wing motions changed to something much faster and more erratic as their velocity approached their absolute limits. Soon, they finally saw each other through the thick mist but other than an acknowledging salute, they continued with their respective jobs. The biting chill in the air, the aching muscles twisting and pulling and the feeling their hearts would seize up at any moment, Rainbow and Flying ignored it all.

“Hold your speed,” Flying ordered. “Increase wing vibration a little, Rainbow!”

“I’ll try but I can barely hold this path!”

Suddenly, a small whirlwind of light and wind erupted between the two ponies.

Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “Oh my gosh! There it is! There it is!”

He shook his head “It’s too small! We gotta expand it!”

The stallion and mare increased the width of their paths, making their newfound creation grow in girth. The thunder then came crashing down upon them at the same pace as their hearts; communicating a complete audible sentence proved impossible.

“Bigger?” the mare bellowed.

“Yes!”

The energy sphere expanded to the size of a house when it started wobbling on its axis. That sudden movement caused their whole world to stop to conjure memories, bad ones. Similar scenario, different location and much younger– it ended with the orb popping prematurely, flinging them in opposite directions, stopped only by nearby equipment and unfortunate observers standing in their path. Their collective failure brought forth laughter, embarrassment and worst of all, a shouting matching between friends. It was the lowest of lows but why did it all go wrong? Maybe they just weren’t ready. Not enough experience, not enough strength and enough confidence in themselves or their fellow partner.

Whatever it was, fate had brought them together on this night, high up in the sky where the stakes were much higher than cool points. They had to succeed- they must succeed. Both Rainbow and Flying closed their eyes, their determination coming to a bubbling boil. They had something to shout at their common nemesis, this maneuver that eluded them all this time.

“I’m not letting my friend down again!”

The energy globe suddenly emitted a high-pitched whine while spinning at immeasurable speeds. There was no more wobble but more of a slight judder from deep within the artificial sphere like an alarm clock waiting to ring. Flying waited until the second to make the call.

“Pull away, now!”

Rainbow and Flying zoomed off in opposite directions, straight through the massive cloud lump and back out into the open skies. As they swiveled back around, their creation ruptured with a light rivaling that of the sun in the middle of summer. Visible ripples expanded outwards like a balloon, finding every nook and cranky on the cloud and tearing it apart with a sudden gust of wind. Cloud chunks disintegrated as they tumbled violently from the epicenter, converting into a hazy mist that quickly consumed its surroundings.

Flying shielded his goggles from the explosion as the whooshing swells swept him like a massive ocean wave. Fifteen seconds of tumbling later, he flapped back into a stable hovering position but in a region consumed by heavy fog. Then, his amulet started to pulse its light non-stop.

“Rainbow,” he wheezed aloud. “Where are you? We… it’s gonna run out!”

He floated straight ahead, searching for a silhouette or at least a break where he could escape this murky sea and search from a better vantage point. Then, a fizzling blue stuck out far off in the distance, the figure in a slouched position, one hoof raised halfway up. Flying approached it at his best speed possible, noticing her flaps barely held her airborne, let alone toward him.

“Go down! Before—”

The shining beacon finally gave out and with it, the mare whose body finally quit and went limp like a potato sack.

“Noooooooo!”

Flying swooped downwards, clasping one of her forelegs with both of his just as his amulet dimmed to black.

Not good! I… I can’t—

His wings sputtered and his grip on Rainbow loosened. Even without visual references, he sensed the world beginning to spin around him.

There’s no… can’t hang on! Gotta find… cloud!

No such thing existed around him but below, salvation in the form of a few floating remnants at the fog’s edge. Past that, however, the only other landing spot was hard unforgiving ground, their final resting place if he couldn’t hit his moving target. He had trouble enough staying conscious, let alone controlling his jerky descent.

I promised Twi… have to save her!

He flapped his wings harder, instantly adding barbells to his eyelids.

Can’t lose it! Little longer!

Flying rocked his body closer to his only hope, the grip on Rainbow slipping with every heartbeat. Biting his tongue, he tried pulling her in closer but the suit’s material proved too slippery.

No! Won’t… make… have to try!

With the last of his strength, the grey stallion placed himself ahead of the drifting cloud while going max power toward the heavens.

Please! A little—

Then, all systems shut down and the two ponies came under gravity’s control. It proved calming to him, hearing nothing, sensing nothing and barely making out the small lump that would catch them both if everything went their way.

If I… wake up—

9 - A New Dawn

The wee hours of the night, a time when the only Ponyville residents out and about were those that couldn’t sleep and needed to tire themselves with a short walk.

Then there was Twilight, who had more than a million reasons to be standing on top the tallest hill with the town’s limits, the blinking dots that had the same effect on her as a warm cup of roasted coffee.

Not so much for her yawning dragon assistant, who was assembling a gray telescope decorated with oversized stars. “Why must we do this so early today?” He mashed two pieces together repeatedly. “And why out here? What’s wrong with the balcony?”

“I’m sorry about all this, Spike.” Twilight powered up her horn and assisted Spike with proper alignment, “There’s few constellations that only come around this time of the night and this is one of the best days of the year to observe them. The angle from the balcony won’t let me see them from there. I’ll find a way to make it up to you. I promise.”

Patting his wide-open mouth, “Oh, all right. I would only do this for somepony special like you, Twilight.”

She beamed with pink cheeks, “Ah. That’s really sweet of you to—”

“And Rarity.”

Her face scrunched. “Never mind. Anyways, we’re all set up here. Spike, can you get me the… huh? What’s that?”

Well above the nearest mountain range was a distant flash of light, then a few more that illuminated what looked like a lumpy moving mass.

“Do you see that, Spike? I think that’s lightning flashes but it’s usually not that far up high.”

Spike flinched, “Oh, I’m awake, I’m awake. I, um, what did you say, Twilight?”

“There’s something peculiar up there.” She peered through her telescope while rotating one of the many knobs. “No, no, maybe, hmmmm. Looks like some type of cloud formation but—” She turned a second dial “—is it actually growing? I can’t really tell what that is. Spike, did you happen to bring any weather books? Spike? Spike?”

Her assistant had his head down with eyes shut.

Stomping the ground, “Spike!”

He stumbled down onto the grass. “Oh, sorry! Sorry!” Spike crawled to a nearby book pile. “Ummm, something about weather, huh?” As he reorganized the stacks, all he saw was covers with celestial objects. “I don’t see one here but I think Rainbow and Flying were going in that direction tonight. For all we know, they’re taking a look at it right now. You could ask them about it when they come back.”

Twilight sighed as she refocused the telescope. “I suppose. I wonder how those two are doing, though.”

“Don’t worry about it, Twilight. They’ll be fine. I’m sure—”

Suddenly, their mysterious object shone a burning light right into Twilight’s retina.

“Gah!” She rubbed her eye socket with a hiss. “Owwwwwwwww! What in Equestria?”

Spike mouthed a wow. “Look at that glow! The whole sky’s lit up! You’re totally missing it, Twilight!”

Once her vision cleared, the unicorn went right back to her instrument, only to find haze on her scope. She struck the telescope, sending it spinning.

“Oh, darn it! I missed it! I can’t believe… wait a minute.”

Moving the telescope back into position, “Ok. Now this is really strange. The lightning’s completely gone, and so is whatever was floating up there. But why? Was that light responsible for that? What could’ve caused it?”

“Let Rainbow and Fly figure it out,” he mumbled as he rested on a pile of books. “If they didn’t know about that thing before, they sure know now.”

“But—”

In between yawns, “Besides, you wanted to look at stars, remember?”

That was true but she loved solving mysteries, even at this late hour. Unfortunately, all she had at her disposal was a telescope and weather knowledge in her head or at the Treehouse. Without wings, she had no chance of investigating the scene and collecting the requisite evidence; she’d have to leave this to those better equipped.

“All right, Spike, but I will be asking Flying and Rainbow about this first thing in the morning. In the meantime, can you get me the… huh?”

Her assistant had drool coming out of his mouth along with an occasional snore. Watching her assistant in such a peaceful state warmed her heart just enough to avoid waking him with a few terse words. Instead, Twilight levitated the book she wanted her way.

“I got this one, my number one assistant,” she whispered.

Soft.

Whatever material Rainbow laid on top of in a flattened position, it contorted to her body. Her eyelids slowly opened to a dim blur, with no discernable landmarks coming into focus. With every breath, she recouped more energy so she tried sitting on her haunches.

“Don’t get up too fast,” a hushed voice said to her right.

Turning her head, Rainbow found her friend, his head uncovered and with goggles parked on his forehead. “Is it… is it—”

“We’re at a safe altitude. Go ahead.”

Rainbow yanked the latex off her head, immediately exposing her flesh to the elements. A light breeze slapped her cheek with bitter cold but it was exactly what she needed.

“How are you feeling, Dashy?”

“Like I’ve been asleep for days,” she mumbled, rubbing her eyes. “What happened to me?”

With his hoof, Flying mimicked the ‘pegasi falling out of the sky’ motion. “I caught you but I was gonna lose it too. I aimed for this floating cloud and well—” He patted their savior —“we made it.” Patting his chest, “Dang. I don’t wanna go through that again.”

Rainbow shook her head a little, “I passed out before you did? Not cool.”

He snorted a chuckle. “Really? We could’ve bit the dust and that’s what you have to say?”

She flashed a grin. “What? I can’t worry about my reputation here?”

“If you say so but just remember that Iam the one and only Flying High.” The stallion smirked, “Gotta live up to my reputation too, you know.”

She popped him on his side. “Whatever, Fly-Fly. So, did we actually pop that cloud?”

“Just look around you.”

Slowly but surely, the world’s features became brighter as the sun’s glow peeked over the horizon. Ponyville’s Town Hall was a miniature object on the ground, but stood proudly amongst its even smaller structures surrounding it. Above her head, a film of haze blanketed the upper atmosphere with a few cloud fragments in the mix. No rain, no lightning, no lumpy mass making a beeline toward town. She had no reason to panic, only to gape in awe as the orange celestial body said hello to its two early morning observers. Its rays reflected off the cloud seed’s remains, making them appear as though the sky was burning.

“What a way to start over, huh?” said the stallion, securing his goggles back over his eyes.

“Huh?”

“We made up and we saved the day with the Cloud Burst of all things. Totally awesome.”

“Mhm. Too bad nopony got to see it, though.”

Flying gave her a subtle glare.

“What,” she replied with a shrug. “I mean, it’s great and all but try explaining all this to our bosses. They won’t buy it.”

He started up his wings. “We’ll find out soon enough, won’t we?”

She followed alongside him on the journey back to Ponyville, content about everything that unfolded throughout the night. However, there was one thing bugging her.

“Hey, Fly-Fly?”

“Yeah?”

“Tapping her hooves together, “Do you really have to leave today?”

Winking, “Nah! When I told you that during the party, I was just pulling your mane.”

They laughed aloud, just as two good friends would.

Cloud Buster Extraordinaires.

Over one of the many bridges leading to Town Hall was a sign indicating the reason for the festivities unfolding there. Many of the residents were already present, either speaking to one another by some picnic tables or milling about the open area by a temporary raised platform.

All of Rainbow’s friends stood below the banner patiently waiting for Flying and Rainbow’s arrival. None of them has seen them around, knowing only through an announcement from the mayor that their actions late night yesterday had saved everypony from a dangerous storm.

“I still can’t believe such a terrible thing was coming here,” Twilight spoke, head shaking. “I should’ve been able to identify it and at least begin evacuations.”

Applejack patted her dejected friend, “That’s okay, sugar plum. Them two ponies took care of it and it ain’t no problem no more.”

Twilight sighed. “You’re right but I just wonder if they are friends again. You’d think Rainbow would’ve told us by now.”

“I reckon they are. They had to really work together to do that Cloud Burst thang, at least, that’s what somepony told me. I couldn’t understand all that fancy talk.”

“They’ll be here to ask them,” Rarity interjected. “They are the guests of honor after all and I’m certain Rainbow wouldn’t miss that for the world.”

Pinkie Pie pointed skywards, “They’re here! They’re here!”

From afar was a grey and cyan dot coming in at a rather slow pace. The ponies were in no hurry as they were in the middle of conversation.

“Cloud surfing, huh?” said Rainbow, rubbing her chin.

“Not an easy thing to pull off,” Flying remarked, “but I can show you what I know.”

With a hoof pump, “Yes! Just watch. I’ll pick it up so fast, I’ll be better than you in no time.”

He gave her a raspberry. “You got your head in the clouds, Dashy.”

She cackled without restraint. “Oh, that’s so rich! Are you trying to challenge me?”

“Dashy, if I told you I was better than you in basket weaving, you’d challenge me to that too.”

“Of course I’d challenge you to… basket weaving?”

Flying snorted amusedly, “I’ll get the needles.”

They touched down right in front of Rainbow’s friends, expecting a bombardment of questions. Instead, Pinkie glomped them both before anypony else could get in a word.

“Oh my gosh! You two were so great in beating that bad, bad cloud and I’m so happy you two are friends again! I never doubted it, not even for a teensy weensy itty-bitty second! I knew it would work out when…” her mouth then continued with a ramble about friendship, cupcakes and clouds.

Flying tried wriggling away from Pinkie’s ironclad grasp, “Is she always like this, Rainbow?”

“You get used to it,” she groaned. “Now let us go, Pinkie!”

The pink pony squeezed even harder before ending the embrace.

“Ummm,” Twilight tiptoed toward the pair, “hi, I guess. So, you two are… um, how are you two getting along?”

Flying smiled, “Hmmm. Do you want to answer that, Dashy, or should I?”

“Well, let’s see. After we did the Cloud Buster together, we pretty much hung out all day yesterday, you know, watching a few movies, playing some Cloud Ball in Cloudsdale, had a few races in between. Big enough clue for ya?”

“Big as a barn,” Applejack answered, tipping her hat. “You could’ve told us a lot sooner, though.”

Rarity’s eyelashes fluttered. “Oh, I see. Maybe there’s a different reason for spending all that time yesterday by themselves.”

Both pegasi stuck out their tongue. “Ewwwww! Gross!”

Fluttershy approached Flying with Leo on her head. “I brought your turtle, Flying. He said he really wanted to see you.”

“Oh, you miss me already, Leo?” He reached out to him. “Ok, come here buddy.”

As expected, the turtle leaped away from his grasp and landed on the ground.

Flying rolled his eyes, “So much for missing me.”

Before he could try again, Rainbow bent down for her attempt.

“Gotcha!” She put him on top of her head. “Heh! I think he likes… heyy, that tickles!”

“Le-oooo?” Flying watched him with great suspicion. “What are you trying to do?”

The whole group shared a laugh, as did the young grey stallion. At that moment, he believed the ponies (and dragon) were more than just Rainbow’s friends– they were his as well.

“Before I forget, thanks, to all of you. Talking things out really cleared up everything for me.”

“Yeah, same here!” Rainbow added. “That was kinda sneaky what you guys did but I’ll let it slide,” prodding Twilight, “this time.”

Twilight nodded, “Glad we could be of service. If anything, we should be thanking you,” said Twilight.

“You’re absolutely right, my faithful student,” a royal voice called out.

The whole group turned around and bowed to the approaching Princess Celestia.

“Rainbow Dash? Flying High?” She beamed at the two subjects. “I cannot tell you how appreciative I am for your heroic actions. I’m also thrilled to hear that you’ve learned an important lesson about friendship during your adventure.”

Rainbow took a step forward. “That’s right! You see, even great friends will sometimes say or do thing to one another that hurts them, even if they don’t mean it. That doesn’t mean that the friendship is over. You just need to have the courage to reach out to them and try to patch things up , that’s all.”

“And that may take time—”

“Too much time for us, Fly-Fly,” Rainbow added.

“—but that’s okay. Sometimes, you end up with a friendship that’s stronger than ever.”

“Well done,” the princess complimented with a wink. “I won’t keep you all waiting anymore. Let’s go and celebrate!”

Everypony crossed over the bridge toward Town Hall. Before reaching the tables, Spike pulled Flying aside for a private conversation. Twilight stayed a few feet away, well aware of what would unfold.

Spike whispered into the stallion’s ear, “You got the goods yet?”

He pulled out a rolled-up sheet. “Goods delivered, little dude.”

Spike unfurled the parchment. “Lady Pony Conversation Starters – Hoof-Notes Edition, hmmm.”

“What do you think?”

“You know—” Spike waved around the scroll “—these aren’t too bad but I wonder… why do these tips look familiar to me?”

Flying yanked on an invisible shirt. “Oh, really? Um, well—”

“I can’t wait to try these out!” Spike pranced away in glee.

Twilight sneaked over for a hoof bump. “Nice job, Fly-Fly. We probably should keep an eye on him, though.”

“What’s the hold-up?” Rainbow called from afar. “They’re about to give us really cool medals!”

“Cool your jets, Dashy! We’re coming!”

As Flying followed Twilight, he wondered on how this assignment had unfolded from start to finish. What should’ve been just another routine job in an ordinary town turned out to be a jack-in-a-box. Somehow, he ended up here, ready to accept an award from Princess Celestia in front of an adoring crowd alongside his rediscovered friend.

Hey, boss! Job well done, huh?

Author's Note

So there you go, the quality of my writing circa 2011 with some patchwork editing. It looks rather rough now which I guess is a good thing.