February 21st, 2053
There was something to be said about being up to watch the sun rise. He’d chosen the house accordingly, to have a clear view of the river at dawn. It wasn’t too big a home, though with only him living in it, it seemed empty.
“Well, here’s to another sunny day,” Tyler Foster muttered as the first line of gold broke the horizon. The sky was a mix of reds and yellows, rapidly turning to blue as the sun continued its climb. He ran a finger through some of the snow that coated the railing and winced as a patch stung his skin. “Figures. Doesn’t matter if human or pony, kids’ll still do what they can to bend the rules.”
Rubbing his hands together to ward off the cold, Tyler turned and walked back inside, heading for the bathroom first. Some topical anesthetic and a bandage later, he was in the kitchen pouring himself some coffee. He rolled his eyes as a slight breeze wafted through the kitchen. “You know, there’s a reason houses have front doors,” he remarked without turning around.
“Oh, but what would be the fun in that?” Princess Celestia replied with a laugh as she entered from the living room. The curtains were still settling from the displaced air of her teleport. “I still remember when that little trick could surprise you. Good morning, Tyler.”
“Good morning, Princess,” Tyler replied as he put the mug in the microwave. “And I got used to it after the second time. Really, the Service were the ones who hated it. Think you’ll go down in history as the only reason an agent requested to be transferred out of the Detail.” His grin faded as he watched the timer count down. “So, today’s the beginning of the week, huh?”
Celestia didn’t need to look at the calendar to know what week he was referring to. “I’m afraid so.” Her eyebrow lifted as she saw the bandage on his finger. “What’d you do to yourself this time?”
“Forgot to remember that the DC weather patrol keeps hiring kids to help regulate the wild weather. Snow on the railing had a bit of a sting to it this morning. Not really worth reporting.”
She nodded. “Are you still having the headaches?”
Tyler didn’t respond as he took his first sip of the coffee. He gestured toward the table, where a bottle of painkillers sat unopened. “They’ve never been the problem. What bothered me most was the dreams…”
“I had a talk with Luna about entering human dreamscapes,” Celestia said, her tone mildly defensive.
“It’s not Luna. Well, not anymore.” Tyler stared at the steam rising from his cup. “I don’t even remember what the dreams are about, except for little bits and feelings. The sun on your skin, the smell of fresh food, laughter…” He trailed off and took another sip.
Celestia sat down, adjusting her wings idly. “Tyler… why haven’t you Converted yet?”
He frowned. “Not this talk again, Celestia.”
“Yes, this talk again,” she replied sternly. “You’ve done far more than could be expected of anyone. The only humans left are the ones who are unwilling to convert, or those born through Thesan—”
“There’s still more I can do, more that—”
Celestia snorted. “I know what you’re really trying to atone for, Tyler, and it is not your fault.”
He glared at her. “I’m not in the mood for this talk again, Celestia.”
"No one could have expected anything more of you, Tyler. To be honest, I did not expect as much of you." Celestia seemed almost embarrassed as she glanced out the window. "But, time and again, you rose to prove why your species was worth saving, why-"
"Oh, cut the dramatic crap, Celestia," Tyler grumbled as the coffee began to taste sour. He poured the rest down the drain, watching as it swirled away. "We both know my contribution was minimal at best, except in getting to deal with the worst of it. History's only going to remember me for the St Louis Massacre, the East Coast serum bombings, the economic meltdowns..." he sighed, and started to pour himself another mug.
Celestia was silent, eyes distant as she stared out the window. “I don’t know what you studied of Equestrian history, but I’ve had my share of things I wish I could change or take back. Discord’s near-annihilation of the world, Luna’s fall into corruption…” she paused, sighing wistfully. “Sunset…”
“Who?” Tyler asked.
Celestia shook her head. “It’s not important. But, there is something I want to show you. Just give me a minute to put on something less… noticeable.”
Tyler blinked. “Wait, at least give me—” He was cut off as Celestia became encased in a soft white light. A second later it flashed brilliantly, filling the air with the stink of ozone as it disappeared.
“So, what do you think?” the orange and yellow unicorn standing in Celestia’s place asked cheerfully.
“I think you ought to at least warn me before you do that. You’re lucky I’m not blind,” Tyler grumbled as he rubbed his eyes irritably. “So, what do you want to show me?”
“Well, it’s a little ways down the street, as they say,” Celestia replied with a small smile. “Do you mind driving?”
Traffic was light as Tyler turned onto the highway. The engine growled as he pushed down on the gas, and he couldn’t help the smirk as the pony driver passing him twitched in surprise. “So, you going to tell me where we’re going now?”
“Nope,” Celestia replied with a grin. “Just keep going straight, I’ll tell you when we’re coming up on the exit.” She relaxed into the seat, looking out the window at the sun. “It’s going to feel strange taking control of it again. I actually got used to sleeping in every so often.”
“How’s that going to work, anyway?” Tyler asked.
“Twilight’s taking the lead on the spellcrafting, she says that the matrix will be ready in time. Luna’s assured me that the moon will not be a problem either, and I’ll take direct control of the Earth’s transition. We’re recruiting every unicorn we can find with enough magical power to contribute to the spell, so we should be ready.”
“Is that a note of uncertainty I hear?” Tyler asked jokingly, though as he glanced over at Celestia he saw the hint of a shadow cross her face. “This is going to work, right?”
“I have every confidence it will…” Celestia trailed off, staring out the windshield, “Just that nothing of this scale has ever been attempted before. So really, I suppose I can’t say for sure…” She sighed.
“Well, my old man had a saying: ‘Without faith, a man is nothing.’ And with as many ponies working on this as there are, it’ll work out,” Tyler reached over to clap Celestia on the shoulder. “Besides, you always told me friendship is magic. So don’t worry so much, you’ll get wrinkles.”
Celestia snorted and rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help the smile that formed. “Thank you, Tyler.” She tilted her head, idly scraping at the armrest with a hoof. “Think we can put the window down? Nothing quite beats feeling the wind in your mane.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” Tyler replied as he lowered the window.
“Also, take the next exit,” Celestia said, beaming as she leaned out the window. Her eyes were closed, mane whipping back and forth.
“I swear if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were channeling my old dog. Or one of the diamond dog converts,” Tyler remarked wryly as he turned the wheel.
Celestia winked as she relaxed back into the chair. “Woof woof.”
Tyler rolled his eyes as they rolled down the off-ramp. As he slowed down for the light, a sign jumped out of the clutter. “Wait, seriously? You’re taking us there, of all places?”
She rolled her eyes. “Can you really say that you’re surprised? I always liked visiting, and if you’ve not been recently, I think you’ll be happy to see how it’s changed.”
Tyler settled for a grunt as he turned to the left, following the signs until he drew to a stop in front of a large gate. An earth pony stallion trotted out of the guard station, lifting his head to peer in the window. “Good afternoon sir, welcome to the National Arboretum. Would you like to donate to help with the park?”
“Uhh, sure. One second.” Tyler pulled out his wallet and rummaged inside it. “Well, I don’t have a lot, just a five.” He handed the bill to the stallion, who tucked it into his saddlebag.
“That’s okay, every little bit helps!” he replied, smiling as he trotted back to the station. A second later the gate lifted and he leaned back outside. “Have a nice day!”
Tyler waved a hand as he drove through, and soon pulled into a parking space. “Alright, so we’re here. Now where to?”
“Oh no, not yet.” Celestia replied with a grin as she hopped to the pavement, shutting the door behind her. “Just follow me.”
Tyler sighed in resignation and walked after her, around the main building to where a large field spread out. He could see a group of children playing, their parents off to the side. Celestia led him to one of the benches at the edge, and sat down beside it. Taking a seat himself, Tyler watched the scene for a few minutes before glancing down at Celestia.
“Do you see the little filly there, Tyler? The one with the fuschia mane?” She asked, pointing with a hoof.
“Yeah. So, she’s why you brought me out here?”
“Well, yes and no,” she replied enigmatically. “You said earlier you feel like you need to do more, to make a bigger difference while you have time. But you’ve already impacted so many,” she turned to indicate the group of parents. “The mare over there with the turquoise coat is who I brought you here for. Her name is Roxanne Carmichael, and truth be told a more unremarkable pony you’d be hard pressed to find. Now, as you recall, the original plans for the Bureaus called for them to be sited in major cities. But you negotiated for more to be opened for the people who lived too far away. Roxanne was working in a diner as a waitress, barely making ends meet, and certainly unable to reach a major city.”
She smiled as Roxanne noticed her staring and waved, returning the gesture. “But, her town was chosen for one of the Bureau expansions, and two years after it opened, she decided to convert. During her time there, she met a boy, and I’m sure you can figure out how it went from there. They dated for the next two years, and then decided to have a foal.”
Tyler was silent, watching the children continue their game, until he felt a hoof touch his side.
“You want an example of the impact you’ve had? You’ve never met Roxanne, or even directly done anything for her. But because of something you did, she got the chance to meet the stallion she loves. And without their meeting, that foal would not exist today, Tyler. So don’t ever discount the effect one being has on the world.” She lowered her hoof and stood. “I do hope to see you again before week’s end.”
Tyler blinked, and found himself alone on the bench. Maybe Celestia had a point, that he’d done what he could. Maybe it was time for him to take that last step, instead of helping others to do so. But, he decided, there was time enough for that. It wasn’t often you got to sit and watch the sun rise on Earth’s last week. He leaned back, the sunlight banishing the February chill as he watched the kids play.
February 22nd, 2053
Star Dancer felt his wings burning as he steadily flew upward, the rain sheeting around him. Finally he broke through the stormclouds and into the sunlight. Shaking his head, he opened his eyes to get his bearings and just stared. The hurricane spun serenely below, only the flickers of lightning visible in the funnel giving away how violent it was.
“What’s the call, Star?” Thunderdrift shouted as he led the others up “Storm’s not gonna give us much more of a window. Freddy’s crew fired their flare on our way up, so we’re past the ten mile mark.”
Star thought frantically, muttering to himself as he watched the clouds spin. “Alright… need to control the rotation, and direction… but this hard a spin….” He whirled about to face Thunder. “If the rotation was slower, could you lead a control team and get this thing clear of the islands?”
“Yeah, but I don’t think it’s going to slack off as it hits shallower water…” Thunder’s eyes widened as he realized what Star meant. “Star, that’s insane-”
“We’re out of time, Thunder! That’s the only way we’re going to break this thing open. I want you to take the others and get in position. I’ll make the opening,” he shouted, turning to get into position.
“Then you’re not going in solo,” Thunder retorted as he turned to the pegasi behind him. “Cloud, Blitz, Greg, Sara, and Ice. I want you to follow Star in, stick to his tail.”
“But-” Star fell silent as Thunder snorted.
“No buts. You know damn well charging into a storm like this alone is suicide, and you won’t make a dent. Now, you’re taking these five with you, and use the corkscrew formation. That should at least give you a shot of staying together.”
Star nodded. Once Thunder made up his mind, it wasn’t worth trying to change it. “Okay. Just be careful, okay?”
Thunder snorted again. “Please, we’ll be back before you are. Just bring your bits, you’ll be buying the drinks.”
“Fine, fine. But only if you’re back first.” Star turned to his five ‘volunteers’ as Thunder gathered the rest of the pegasi and dove through the clouds. “Okay everypony, gonna make this short. You all know what’s ahead of this storm. We’ve kept Hawaii clear of wild weather so far, and we’re not going to let anything change that. Not even a hurricane. Just stay close, keep the formation, and we’ll be fine.” He sized up the storm again. “Our entry point’s going to be there, at a fifty degree angle. Remember, don’t force it, just ride the wind I spin back to you.” He took a deep breath. “Everypony ready?”
“Sir, yes sir!” the others shouted.
“Good, glad to know someone around here is,” Star muttered half-seriously as he turned about. He heard the others taking up positions behind him as his wings tensed. He felt his heart racing, even as everything else seemed to slow down. “Okay, on my mark! Three! Two! One! Ma-!”
Star screamed, hooves flailing at the suffocating stuff surrounding him. A moment later, he realized that they were sheets and stopped, though he felt his lungs hiking in his chest.
“Doctor, he’s awake!” a voice called from the doorway. He blinked and saw an earth pony stallion looking down the hallway. A second later, the clatter of hooves on tile rang out and a unicorn stallion entered the room.
“Good morning, Star,” he said as he levitated a clipboard from the bed. “My name’s Deft Touch, and I’ve been taking care of you the past few days. I admit, we were starting to think you planned to sleep all week.”
“Wh-” Star coughed, his throat aching, “Where am I?”
“You’re at the Straub hospital, Star. We’ve been taking care of you since the storm.” He consulted the chart. “Can you tell me anything about what happened?”
Star squirmed to sit more upright, eyes closing as he thought. “Well, I led the corkscrew in, the rain was like a wall as we punched through-” his lungs started to hurt again, wings quivering.
“I need you to breathe, Star. Nice and easy, can you do that for me?” Deft asked, his magic wrapping around Star’s chest, helping his breathing slow. “There we go. If this is too much for you, we can take a break. You did get a nasty bump on the head, and those aren’t something we take lightly.”
“What… what hit me? There wasn’t anything else up there…” Star trailed off, pupils shrinking. “Oh no… how is everypony else? Did anypony get hurt?”
Deft shifted uncomfortably. “I shouldn’t say…”
“Please, you have to tell me!” Star half-shouted, breaking into another round of coughing as he sat up all the way. He wavered a little and Deft’s magic caught him, carefully easing him back against the pillows.
“Please, stay calm, there’s time to talk about that later. We need to make sure you don’t have any lasting symptoms from the concussion-” Deft repeated urgently.
“There were six, Star,” Thunderdrift interrupted as he hobbled into the doorway. His wings were completely bandaged, and a splint was attached to his foreleg. “It was Ice Kicker who whacked your noggin. “ He chuckled with a slight wheeze. “With her forehead, no less.”
“Then… who were the… the six?” Star asked quietly.
Thunder’s expression fell. “The rest of your team, and two from mine. They thought they could handle the crosswind and deviated from the path. By the time I realized it, was too late. As for your crew, a patch of wild lightning sprouted up right ahead of you.” His voice grew rough. “Least it was quick.”
Deft half-closed his eyes as he swept his magic over Star. “I’m going to go check on some other patients. The nurse will be by with some food for you later, then we’ll see how you feel, alright?” He trotted out of the room, gently closing the door behind him.
Star slumped, turning to look out the window. “This is all my fault, Thunder. Ever since the rift I’ve been jumping into things without thinking. I should have thought our formation through better, should have had a plan in place-”
Thunder slammed a hoof against the side of the bed, cutting Star off. “If I had a wing that weren’t broke I’d be breaking it over your head, you know that? Look, I’d have loved to see those ponies come home safe, but fact is sometimes you can’t know how it’s gonna play it. You got stuck with the short end, and made your call. It wasn’t a pretty call, and maybe it wasn’t the best. But if we’d waited any more, then the hurricane would have made landfall. And we’d be burying a hell of a lot more than six by now.”
Scowling, he jabbed a hoof at Star. “Now I’ve been workin’ with you for six years. You’ve always done right by your crews, and now more than ever they’re gonna need their chief to lead them forward. So don’t go all ‘woe is me’ now, alright?”
Star stared back, eyes hollow as he shuddered. Lowering his gaze to the sheets, he felt the tears coming on as he remembered all of the times he’d spent leading and having fun with ponies he’d never see again, who’d put their trust in him to keep them safe. Finally, he took a ragged breath and looked back to Thunder, nodding once.
“Good lad. Now, take it easy. There’s one last thing we got to do,” Thunder said, somber as he turned to leave. He paused at the door and his ear flicked. “Oh, and don’t eat the green stuff they call jello. Trust me.”
*****
Star flexed his hooves, extending his senses through the cloudstand as he firmed it up a bit more. He glanced to the left, where the six caskets rested on their enchanted stands. The turnout was impressive, clouds dragged in from across the island to give the pegasi seats. They’d even brought in one of the bigger airships to allow those without wings a chance to attend. Star sighed, closing his eyes as the breeze started to pick up. “I don’t know what to tell them, Thunder,” he whispered.
“So tell em straight,” Thunder replied. “Best way to tell it, far as I see it.” He nudged him, angling his head toward the horizon. “Sun’s almost on the horizon, let’s get this thing going.”
Star nodded and took a few steps forward, clearing his throat. He took one more look across the audience; his mom and dad, Princess Celestia with her old eyes, several Canterlot nobles and ambassadors all meeting his eyes. But his gaze lingered longest on his weather team, many of them still bandaged.
“I wanted to thank you all for coming. This… really means a lot to us. You all know the responsibility weatherponies have, and the long hours it brings, especially in a wild weather zone.” He could see many of the ponies nodding, and took a deep breath. “The tough part of a job like ours is that so many ponies think of it as simply pushing clouds around. Not to say a lot of the time the job isn’t exactly that, but anypony who’s had to wrangle a thundercloud knows the real risk.”
“It takes dedication to do this job, and the ponies who volunteer for this are some of the strongest ponies I know. The hurricane last week would have been enough to make anypony with sense run, but not one of our teams faltered. Not one of them took a step back, and we got the job done.” He felt his eyes burning, but forced through it. There was one last thing to do first.
“I know many of you here are newfoals, and there’s things about your heritage as pegasi that you’re still learning. Today, we honor those who fell against the weather through what is called a sky funeral.” He nodded to Thunderdrift, who came forward with a box on his back. “The sky funeral is something that’s been carried down from Old Pegasopolis, where the pegasi of the time often never set hoof on the ground.”
Thunderdrift opened the box as Star continued. “Tradition called for a single pinion to be taken from each of the fallen, to be sent on the wind to the Summerlands.” He turned and helped Thunder take out the six feathers. “I’d like for any of the Hawaiian Weather Team able to fly to come forward. We’ll provide the last wind to guide them home.”
Thunder took hold of the feathers as Star trotted forward, taking a position at the edge of the cloud. The sixty-two members of the team with working wings took off, moving into an impromptu formation behind him. He felt their reassurance behind him, and raised a hoof in signal. As one, the rest of the team began to beat their wings in unison as they coaxed the wind into motion. It swirled and tugged at the feathers in Thunder’s grip before yanking them free, spiraling them up and out toward the setting sun.
“Goodbye, those taken by the storm. May you ease the weather for those of us who come after, now and for all time hence,” Star whispered, finally letting his tears fall.
