6 o’clock. The chime of the closing bell rang through the Cloudsdale Weather Factory and production came to a halt. With a breath of relief, all the workers left their stations and began to leave the factory, the air buzzing with conversation.
“Hey, Silver Spark, wait!”
The middle aged stallion turned to see his friend galloping towards him, “Autumn Shift!” He laughed as his co-worked shook clumps of snow out of his mane, “Tough day?”
“I swear that machine has a mind of its own! You’re not exactly spotless!”
Silver Spark looked down at his oil soaked hooves and laughed, “Starlight Aura won’t be too pleased if I get any of this in the house!”
“I’ll bet! Listen, I wanted to give you a heads up. Something’s happened to one of the Upper Level mechanics; I overheard one of the Forecolts saying they were looking to give a promotion. Just thought I should tell you, now that you’ve got a filly under your hooves too! They grow up fast you know!”
“They sure do! Seems like yesterday she was just a foal, now she’s tearing around the house faster than I could when I was young! She’s got a real strong pair o’ wings! She’ll ace Flight School, and then hopefully she won’t end up in a dead end job at the Weather Factory!”
“They’ve got more opportunities these days! We were all just expected to work here, unless you were really something special! Anyway see you tomorrow Sil’!”
Silver Spark paused in front of the gates of the factory, looking up at the dark fog which hung in the air around the Upper Level of the factory. A sickly smelling smoke seemed to constantly rise from the chimneys, day and night. He had worked in the same job since he left Flight School, and yet he knew next to nothing about this mysterious part of the factory – only that it produced Spectra, the substance used to create rainbows. None of the workers knew more than that, nor did they ask.
Most pegasi were filled with groundless sense of pride; not just for the factory, but for all of Cloudsdale. To Silver Spark it was a fool’s paradise.
The regime was strict, and conformity was the only option. From the moment a foal is born, they are conditioned to not to think, but to follow. Every filly and colt must pass a flying test to prove that they are worthy of being a Cloudsdalian. Those who do not pass are never seen again.
Silver Spark sighed and looked up at the blackened towers. He got a bad feeling when ever he looked up at the Rainbow Factory, but he thought of his wife and daughter. He wanted a better life for them, something a humble mechanic’s wage couldn’t provide. He would do whatever it took to be able to send that filly to Flight School, equipped with everything she could ever need and more. In the thick dark smog he saw his daughter’s future.
He knew he would have to try for that promotion.
10 years later
“Come on!”
“Do I have to?”
“It’ll be fun!”
“We both know I’m faster than you, you lose every time!”
“Not this time!”
“You do know that you can only get into The Wonderbolts if you graduate from Flight School?”
“Well I’m going to be the exception!” Static turned and grinned confidently at her friend, “You might be fast, but you’re terrible when it comes to doing tricks!”
“Don’t get your hopes up!”
“Are you going to race me or not?” She nudged him gently with her hoof, “Please, Vesuvius, you know how much this means to me!”
His expression softened when she said this, and he nodded, “Fine, but I won’t go easy on you like the last few times!”
“Pfft!” Static laughed, “We’ll see!” She looked up at the sky, Princess Celestia was already beginning to lower the sun, but Static was competitive and she wouldn’t be satisfied until she had won this race, “How about we race to those dark clouds over there? First one to get to that big one in the middle wins!” She pointed up to where a group of heavy, black clouds were gathering.
“You mean the Weather Factory? That’s a pretty long way.” Vesuvius frowned.
“Ah, we can make it there and back in plenty of time!”
“I don’t like the look of those clouds!”
“It’ll be fine! Three . . . Two . . . One . . . GO!”
Static took off at a speed which surprised even her. She beat her wings relentlessly against the air, accelerating faster than she had ever done before. The wind pulled through her hair and her eyes watered, but she kept on pushing herself to go forward.
She heard Vesuvius’ wings beating furiously behind her, then caught a glimpse of his bright red mane from the corner of her eye. She couldn’t get distracted. Her wings heaved as she flew higher, trying to outmanoeuvre him.
They were halfway already. Static knew she had wasted her energy on a swift start, but she had wanted to prove that she could do it; more to herself than to Vesuvius.
Faster. She forced her wings to keep pushing against the evening air, despite how breathless she was becoming. She was more focussed than ever, and as she briefly glanced back, she realised that she was in the lead. The dark clouds were growing nearer as each second passed, and she was determined that this time she was going to beat him.
“Hey Static!”
She looked around as Vesuvius kicked a small cloud in her direction. There was no time to swerve, and although Static flew straight through the cloud, the cold shocked her and caused her to slow down, leaving enough time for Vesuvius to take the lead.
“Cheat!” She shouted, shaking off the water droplets and beginning to pick up speed again.
“You need to always be prepared for obstacles!” He shouted back with a chuckle.
“You’ll regret that!” She pounded her wings even harder than before, fuelled by her anger. She couldn’t let him win now. She felt the adrenaline rush through her as she caught up to him. They were now neck and neck, both with the same determined look on their face. However fast Static flew, Vesuvius matched her. She narrowed her eyes, the finishing point now only feet away. They were still side by side, and no matter how much Static tired, she couldn’t break into the lead.
They hit the cloud with incredible velocity, causing parts of it to break away.
Panting, Static got to her hooves, “You dirty cheat!”
Vesuvius laughed, “We still drew, didn’t we?”
“I would have won that time if you hadn’t kicked that stupid cloud in my face!”
“And then what?”
Static looked up, confused, “What do you mean?”
“Well what’s the goal then? Once you beat me? You’ll have nothing to aim for!”
“You’re the fastest flyer I know! Once I’m sure I can beat you, I know I’ll be able to ace The Wonderbolts’ tryouts!” She smiled just at the thought.
“Static . . . be serious.” He wasn’t laughing anymore, and he took a step closer to her. He looked concerned.
“I am being serious!”
“Nopony who hasn’t passed Flight School has ever made it into The Wonderbolts. In fact, I’ve heard that they get banished from Cloudsdale!” He put his hoof around her softly, “Static, you can’t try out for The Wonderbolts! If they see you haven’t been to Flight School, you’ll get kicked out of the city!”
“Says who? I have what it takes! I know I do! And when they see what I can offer, they’ll want me to join regardless of whether or not I have any stupid qualifications!” She pushed him away; hurt by what he said despite knowing deep down that it was the truth.
“Listen to yourself . . .”
“Is this because you don’t want me to leave? Because you’re happy living in this dump and so expect me to be? I don’t want to live on the underside of society all my life! Why shouldn’t I at least try to make something more of myself?”
“Static that’s not what I meant!”
“So what is it then? Are you scared that if I make it, you won’t have me all to yourself anymore?”
“I don’t want to see you get your dreams crushed. Ponies like us, we don’t get to be Wonderbolts . . . we don’t get to be anything!” Vesuvius sat down and gestured for her to do the same.
“I thought that-” Static stopped herself, feeling a tear roll down her cheek.
“What? . . . Static?”
“I thought that if I have enough money and influence, I might be able to find my father.” She wiped away her tears, ashamed that Vesuvius was seeing her like this.
“Static I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings; I just want to protect you from getting hurt.” He hugged her again, and this time she didn’t push him away.
“I know you’re right really, but I need to know what happened to him. Ponies don’t just disappear, and every time I ask my mother about it she just shouts at me. I have to find him!”
Vesuvius sighed; he wasn’t very good when it came to things like this. He tried so hard to think of something comforting to say, but he knew words were not likely to fix this.
He looked around, “The Weather Factory is pretty creepy at night!”
Static was relieved at the change of subject, “Yeah, I wonder what makes these clouds so black! They’re not like the other clouds . . . they kind of smell weird.” She inhaled deeply, “Can you smell that? Like . . . burning?”
“They come from the Upper Level, I think.”
“Upper Level?”
“Yeah, I think they make rainbows there . . . or something like that. Everything there is top secret. Nopony knows what they do in there!” Vesuvius lowered his voice to a hushed whisper, as if he was telling a ghost story.
“You’re right, it is creepy. We should leave!”
“Not scared are you?” He teased.
“No! How about you?” She grinned.
“. . . Maybe a little.”
“Race you home?”
“You have got to be kidding me!” He rolled his eyes, but Static was already flying back. Vesuvius smiled and took off after her.
“No! Absolutely not!” Starlight Aura stared at her husband, alarmed by his suggestion.
“But this could be a great opportunity! Think of what we can do for Static with the extra money!” Silver Spark sighed, “I want to do my best for you both.”
“I don’t want you going anywhere near that place! I’ve heard things, rumours – something isn’t right there!”
“Jobs at the Rainbow Factory are incredibly prestigious!”
“That doesn’t matter to me!” She took a step towards him and nuzzled him gently, “What matters is that you’re here for what’s important, like sitting by me after a long day, or reading to Static before she goes to sleep. Those things are worth more than money, Silver.”
He kissed his wife softly on the forehead, “Are you sure you don’t want me to go for this promotion?”
“I’m certain. You’ll do more good for Static by being here for her than you will away at some demanding job. I’ve heard that the people who work there don’t even leave the factory! That’s not the life I want for us, I want us all together as a family. Static needs a father, not a pile of money!”
Silver Spark always became apprehensive when money was mentioned. Cloudsdale appeared to be a gleaming, exemplary city, but all cities have their underprivileged areas. You couldn’t buy much on a factory worker’s wage, and Silver Spark had grown up knowing he was part of the underclass.
His father had also been a factory mechanic, and had always lived in this district – largely ignored by the pegasus elite. The working class life was all Silver Spark had known before he entered Flight School. There he had met his future love. Starlight Aura had come from quite an affluent family, and had mixed with the kinds of ponies who looked down on the lower classes. When she married him, she sacrificed a lot. She was cut out of the will by her own parents, disowned by friends and family alike.
No matter how many times she told him that she did it for love, he always felt guilty for taking that life away from her, and he wished that he could give her the opulent lifestyle she deserved.
Starlight knew that their finances bothered him, “I’m happy like this.” She whispered reassuringly, “We’ve always managed before.”
Silver Spark paused, his eyes suddenly filled with worry, “You know, I’m quite good at what I do, I wouldn’t be surprised if they came to me and offered me it . . .”
She smiled at her husband, “Then just politely decline, they can’t force you to work there!”
