Chapters "Your son's demonstrated some great flying potential," The Wonderbolts' Leutenant told her. "Especially for an eight-year-old pegasus."
"Thank you, Soarin." Silver Lining responded. She looked out at the midnight blue colt that was ducking his way through a small obstacle course. "Do you really think he could qualify for the Wonderbolts Academy Scholarship?"
"Only if he keeps up this rate of learning. But if he does, he may even achieve early admission. I haven't seen this much potential since Misty Fly."
"Attention, citizens of Cloudsdale, " The mayor called over a loudspeaker, across the whole city, "There has been an incident in the weather factory, and an uncontrollable storm is coming from the damaged equipment. Please remain indoors until we fix the problem. "
Soarin took this as his cue to regroup with the other Wonderbolts, saying a quick goodbye and taking off.
"Midnight, come on! A storm's coming." Silver called to her son. Her mane and coat, as per her name, were silver, though not as bright as they had once been. Her blue eyes locked onto her child, as she waited for a response.
"Okay, mom." He said back, diving through the last ring to go over to her.
Unfortunately, that was the exact moment the full force of the storm hit them. Silver Lining's view of the colt was completely blocked. His cry quickly faded as he was blown away, unable to fight the heavy winds. Silver tried to go after him, but she couldn't make any headway against the storm, finally going inside and falling to the floor, praying that her son could survive.
Midnight struggled against the winds desperately, his voice lost as he called for his mother. He started going down in his attempt to get to slower, more manageable winds. This was a mistake. The next thing he knew, he hit the side of a cliff, and everything went dark.
The pegasus woke with a sharp pain in his side, bruised from the crash. "Hello?" He called out, checking where he was. The trees looked darker that he'd seen in the pictures, with thorned vines among some of them. He looked up to the sky, seeing a cloud moving across above the area. "Hey! Can you help me?" He shouted to whoever was moving it, and galloped to catch up. There was nopony pushing the cloud. "Oh, no..." Midnight whimpered softly. "I'm in the Everfree Forest..."
Midnight Shadow looked frantically around, "Is anypony here?" He called, louder than he probably should have. He heard something growling from the forest behind him. The colt didn't even take the time to look, bolting from the area as fast as his hooves could carry him. He still had a dull ache in his side, preventing him from effectively spreading his wings.
He walked through the forest, hoping to find somepony who could help him, and eventually saw a hut, carved from a mangled tree, with masks around the door and jars hanging from the branches. The nervous pegasus approached and knocked softly on the door.
There was no answer for a few minutes, and Midnight was afraid to stay in the same place for long in this forest, so he turned around to leave. Then the door opened. Midnight turned around and gasped. The zebra he saw in front of him towered over the little colt, and she didn't look too friendly to him. She looked down at him, "I thought the danger of this forest was understood. What brings a colt like you into these woods?"
The gold bands on her right forleg jingled as she took a slight step towards Midnight, who turned and started galloping. The zebra's eyes widened and she tried to give chase, calling out to him, "Child, stop! I tell you, wait! Come back now before it's too late!"
Midnight was the faster and more manuverable even on land, and he got away from the zebra, only to find that he was even more hopelessly lost than before. There were some cliffs on his left, and at the top, unknown to him, were several loose stones that were less stable than before, due to the massive storm.
He finally stopped to rest, looking at the sky for any pegasus who might help him. Then the explosion happened. Some kind of rainbow spread across the sky and knocked the rocks out of place. Midnight ran to try and avoid the falling stones, but a large one landed on his right hind leg. He heard a crunch, and found himself trapped by the rocks. He screamed in pain, his voice echoing through the entire area.
"He's what?!" Soarin turned in surprise to Golden Ticket. The candymaker was looking down, the look of a father worried about his son, having decided to go for help.
"Midnight Shadow got caught in the storm. We think he may have ended up in the Everfree forest. Please, help us find him." Ticket said, looking up at the Wonderbolt in front of him, "Silver told me what happened and then left as soon as I got home from work."
Soarin nodded, "Of course I'll help you. Go to the same area with your wife." He turned around and went inside the headquarters. "Thundercloud, go get the others."
"Yes sir!" The black cadet saluted and flew through the building. Minutes later, there were several members of the team in front of Soarin. "Spitfire, go to the Southeast section of the forest and search there for a colt, midnight blue, still a blank flank, with a black mane and tail. Misty Fly, search the Southwest. Thundercloud, you're in charge of communications. I'll be taking the central area. The colt's parents are searching the Northwest, so all we need now is somepony to search the Northeast."
Misty Fly rose a hoof, "I think I know somepony, Captain."
"Who is it?" Soarin asked.
"His name is Rainbow Star."
"Then go ask him before going to your section of the forest, Misty Fly."
"Yes sir!"
"Move out!" Soarin said, "Come back here with him if you find him, and let Thundercloud know so that he can tell the rest of us."
They all saluted, "Yes sir!"
As all the pegasi took off, none heard the crashing of the rocks beneath them.
Midnight looked around frantically, as he heard howling in the forest not far from himself. The trees seemed almost like they were slowly closing in on him. The pegasus tried to push the rock off of his leg, but stopped when it started hurting even worse. He looked at where his leg went under, and tried not to be sick as he saw a dark red liquid slowly spreading around it. "I-is somepony there?" He called out, to which the only response was more howling.
Soarin dove into the forest as he started searching for the missing colt, ignoring both creatures and plants, as his single determination was to find Midnight.
He came into a clearing with a strange hut, adorned with a couple of masks from the Shaman Lands. The Wonderbolt captain landed and approached the door, tapping his hoof against it in hopes that the resident would have seen Midnight Shadow.
The zebra was coming back from the South, out of breath. She saw the pegasus before he saw her, "I see that uniform over your coat. If I am right, a Wonderbolt?"
Soarin turned to look at her, "Yes. I'm looking for somepony."
The zebra looked back where she came from, "A small blue pegasus ran that way. Where he is now, I cannot say."
"Thank you, ma'am," Soarin responded, "Do you know what he was running from?"
"I did not mean him harm, you see," She told him, "But I fear that he was running from me."
Just then, the timberwolves howled in the same direction, and Soarin took off, afraid for the colt's life.
Midnight's eyes widened as he stared at the glowing amber eyes in front of him. The smell of a timberwolf's breath was nauseating. The wooden creature stepped out, growling hungrily at its easy prey.
Midnight frantically struggled to get away from under the rocks, ignoring the pain and the sight of his blood. He looked back towards the timberwolf in fear. He saw the sap dripping from its fangs as it lunged at him. Midnight screamed as the creature started to bite into his neck, before it was shattered into pieces. The pony now standing in front of him was the Wonderbolts' captain, Soarin.
The colt started to cry, looking up at his rescuer. Soarin started trying to comfort him, "You're safe now, Midnight. I'll get these rocks off of you."
Then the blood loss caught up, and Midnight's vision faded. The last thing he heard was Soarin trying to keep him awake.
Soarin turned around and kicked the rock off of the colt. As he turned back to Midnight, he was nearly frozen in place by the sight of his leg. The dark red liquid did nothing to hide the shattered bones, or the torn flesh. The pink muscles contrasted harshly with the blue coat of the unconscious pegasus. Shaking off the urge to vomit, Soarin picked him up and took off, leaving the forest behind as he rushed upwards to Cloudsdale.
Thundercloud flew to catch up with Soarin, "Sir! What's happening?"
Soarin didn't look at the cadet, but he responded, "I found him, but he's hurt. Go get the others and tell them!"
"Yes sir!" The cadet turned and flew off to regroup the others.
"He's coming around..."
"Get Mr. Ticket!"
"Midnight, are you okay?"
The first two voices didn't really register with Midnight's memory, but the stupid, yet obligatory, question clearly came from his mother. His eyes opened one at a time, with a "derped" expression, before he shook his head a bit, "Mom, I was in an avalanche... Could somepony stop that bell?"
"The ringing in his ears will subside momentarily, Miss Lining." The nurse standing by his bed told her, as Golden Ticket rushed in, along with Soarin himself.
Ticket was the next pony to ask the obvious: "Is he alright?"
Midnight looked at his father, "Hi, Dad..."
Doctor Syringe Point shook his head a little bit, "Now that everypony is in here, I'm going to say this now. We've done the best we can regarding Midnight's injured leg, but he'll never be able to walk properly again." He looked at the colt, "It's only fortunate that you're a pegasus. If it weren't for your wings, you'd be fully crippled for the rest of your life."
Midnight's face fell, and he looked to the ground. "S-so... I can't walk anymore..?" He looked like he was beginning to cry.
"I'm sorry." The doctor said, "But it looks that way. It would have been best if this never occured. Even if you'd have been brought in sooner, it wouldn't have made a difference."
Only Midnight himself noticed the shimmer underneath the cast and the bandages around Midnight's flanks.
His eyes lit up. "You know what?" He started, "I'll just have to become a better flyer to make up for it! I'll be the best flyer around! Just you wait! Mom, Dad, I'll make you the proudest parents ever! Mr. Soarin, I'll be a better flyer than any other Wonderbolt! I'll even--Ow!" He recoiled as his leg shifted, "I..I'm hurt up kinda bad, aren't I, Doctor?"
The doctor smiled a bit, "The pain'll stop in a few days, Midnight."
Doctor Point pushed away Ticket's hoof, "The bill's been taken care of, Mr. Ticket. Fortunately, Midnight was the only pony who was hurt as a result of that storm. The storm was apparently caused when the maintanence pegasus missed a valve in the wind generator, and the whole factory started malfunctioning. That pegasus has paid for the hospital bill."
Ticket nodded, "Thank you, Doctor Point. What's the maintanence pony's name?"
"He said he wasn't ready to face you." The physician responded.
"I see..." Ticket said with a slow nod, "In that case, I'll wait for him to approach."
Soarin stopped in his tracks at Midnight's statement.
"I'm gonna grow up to be like you!" He said excitedly, bright lights in his eyes.
"Why me, Midnight?" He asked, out of curiosity.
The colt grinned at him, "You're the captain of the Wonderbolts, and you came to find me after the avalanche."
"What else was I going to do?" Soarin asked, "I wasn't going to leave you alone in the Everfree Forest."
"You're still a hero," Midnight said.
Soarin smiled and left, knowing that he was a hero in a colt's eyes. There was a loud noise and Everypony looked out the nearest windows as an unexplained rainbow formed nearby.
Midnight stared at his ceiling, straight at the projected image of a clock. "Ten minutes before I go. Mother knocks on the door in three...two...one..."
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
"Come on in, Mom." He said before the pony on the other side could speak.
"How is it that you always know who's knocking?" Silver Lining asked as she opened the door.
Midnight chuckled, "Because you always knock at 6:52AM, Dad always knocks at 7:23PM, and Ditzy always delivers the mail at 4:37PM."
Silver stared for a moment, before shaking off her amazement, "You keep track that much, huh? It's a wonder you--Aah!" She stepped forward, and had to quickly start flapping her wings.
"Forgot that there's no floor at 6:54 and twenty-three seconds," Midnight said, "Happens on Tuesdays and the occasional Friday."
Silver flew over to him, "You keep track of that as well, huh? Why don't you want a floor, anyway?
"I don't need one, it gives me more flying practice, and it means we don't have to manipulate a cloud into the needed shape." Midnight responded, rolling out of bed and hovering next to his mother, "Also, I can't walk too well anyway. But yeah, I'm off to work. I'll see you when I get back."
Silver nodded ever so slightly, "Do you have a lunch?"
"I've got ten bits for it."
"Coat?"
Midnight deadpanned, "It's summer."
"Right.. Sunscreen?"
"Yes."
"Toothbrush?"
"I work at a candy factory, mom!"
"Sorry. Saddlebags?"
"They're at work, as always."
"Okay. Gogg--"
"Yes, mother, I have my aviators. I'll be late if you keep up the checklists."
Silver sighed, "Okay, Midnight. Just don't get hurt."
He laughed it off, "Me? Hurt? On a delivery route? Please, mom, don't be silly." He did this to keep his mother relaxed before he stopped flapping his wings for a couple of seconds in order to drop under the cloud, and flew straight for work.
Golden ticket waited at his desk, watching the factory through his office window. Work wasn't much different from normal, aside from Cloudsdale Elementary having their annual tour that day.
His train of thought was interrupted when Midnight came into the office, "Any deliveries for me to make today?"
"We've had one order placed already, although it is a rather large one," Ticket responded, pointing towards an aerial carriage loaded with different confections, "Your saddlebags won't hold it all."
"Woah," Midnight stared at the carriage for a moment, "How far am I taking it?"
"Ponyville," His father told him, "The town hall."
Midnight picked up the invoice, "Alright, I'll deliver it to this--" He snorted for a moment, stifling a laugh, "Pinkamena Dianne Pie."