With her wings flared open, Rainbow Dash paced back and forth, occasionally scuffing the clouds with a hoof as she walked or idly batting at the red whistle around her neck. Under the brim of her Instructor cap, she wore a sour expression that only deepened when she saw two pegasi hurriedly flying her way.
She stopped pacing and simply watched as they landed in front of her, panting.
"Oh, good evening," she said sarcastically, as the sun still shone brightly, "Nice of you to show up. Hope your extra-long break was relaxing."
"S–Sorry, Rainbow Dash," said the male pegasus, breathlessly, "We didn't… didn't realise the time."
"Yeah, sorry," added the female.
Rainbow looked them up and down, wondering how she got stuck training these two.
The stallion, Spinner, was short for his age. He was as old as Dash, but she was still half a head taller than him. He looked up at her past the green bangs of his mane and tried to keep his white body from shaking as she glared at him.
Next to him was Sky Sweeper. She was shorter still, but only by a few inches. The sweat from her frantic flight made some of her bright yellow mane stick to her pink face. She brushed the strands away from her eyes and waited for the blue pegasus to speak.
Resuming her pacing, Rainbow took a breath, held it for a second, then spoke, "Newbies… do you know who gets into trouble if our schedule isn't met? Me!" she said, emphasising her point by stopping and placing a hoof on her chest before continuing to walk back and forth in front of the two pegasi, "And do you know who gets into trouble if I get into trouble?"
She stopped again and looked at the two.
"Us?" said Spinner, meekly.
"Very good. Now, do you two want to get into trouble?"
The two shook their heads.
"Then step it up!"
"Yes, ma'am!" they said in unison and stood up straighter.
"Now, you know we've got a storm scheduled over and around Ponyville today, right?"
"Yeah," said Spinner, with Sky Sweeper nodding in agreement.
"Alright. Spinner, you remember how to start the rain, yes?"
"Yeah. I turn the rain valve ‘til the needle points to… um… to Heavy Downpour, then pull the release lever."
"Right. Sky Sweeper; how do you begin the lightning?"
"I move a lightning cloud next to the rain clouds. Oh, then I buck it."
"Yes. That'll start a chain reaction and charge the others up. Easy as pie, right?"
"Uh… but, I don’t know how to make pie…" said Spinner.
With a large sigh, Rainbow smacked a hoof in her face.
"Whatever. Since we're clear on what we're doing — I hope — do you know what time to start at?"
"…Around six?" answered Sky Sweeper, uncertainly.
"No. At six. On the dot. That's in a couple hours. And there are clocks near your stations, so you can't say you didn't realise the time. Just remember that the lightning has to start at ten-past-six. And be careful. Respect the lightning clouds or they'll zap you."
"I know. I will."
"Alright, listen. I'm not gonna be there at six, because, Celestia help us, we have to see how you do unsupervised. I'll be finishing up some reports in the meantime."
"Unsupervised?" said Spinner, unease written on his face.
"It's easy. You can handle it. Until then, help Cloud Team Three move the clouds into position. Okay? I'm gonna go now. I'll be in the Instructor's Lounge until about five o'clock if you need me before then. If not, I'll check back with you tomorrow morning."
They nodded and then flew off.
"That's the wrong way!" Dash shouted after them, "These two are gonna drive me nuts…" she muttered before heading to the Instructor's Lounge.
With a loud groan, Rainbow stretched and flexed her wings. She had finished filling out two long and unnecessarily complicated forms as well as her report on her trainees' performance for the day.
She filed away her paperwork, feeling glad and relieved it was finally done. After closing the cabinet drawer, she checked the clock.
Just in time, too… she thought, noting it was almost five o'clock. She had promised Fluttershy she would spend a little time with her after her day's shift, considering Rainbow had been so busy with the trainees lately.
Stepping out of the lounge, Dash immediately spread her wings and flapped, eager to get back in the air. After a couple of aerial somersaults to alleviate some stress, she headed in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage.
Making occasional worried sounds, Fluttershy rushed around, holding one duster in her mouth and another with her tail.
Oh dear, I have to get this place cleaned up before Rainbow Dash arrives!
She dropped both dusters with a squeak when there was a knock at the door.
"Oh no! She's here! Angel, could you put those away for me, please?"
The rabbit sighed and picked up the dusters, then hopped away with them.
Fluttershy took a couple of seconds to straighten out her mane, and then opened the door.
"Hey, Fluttershy," said Rainbow with a cocky grin.
"Hello, Rainbow. Come in. Um… s–sorry about the mess…" said Fluttershy, bowing her head, but keeping her gaze on her friend.
The blue pegasus' grin changed to mild confusion as she looked around the living room, "…What are ya talkin' about? This place is spotless."
"But I didn't get to dust over there. I'm sorry."
Rainbow peered at the spot on the floor Fluttershy had pointed at. She ran a hoof over it and looked at the small smudge of dust she had wiped up.
"Is that it? I didn't even notice."
"But we haven't seen each other in so long. I just wanted to welcome you into a clean house."
Dash chuckled at the timid pegasus' unnecessary worry, "Fluttershy, even Rarity wouldn't be bothered by that. What makes you think it's gonna bother me?"
"Well… if you're sure…"
Rainbow walked up and slung a hoof over the back of Fluttershy's neck, "Hey, I'm here to spend time with my best friend, not check how clean your house is," she stated, earning a smile from Fluttershy.
"I won't be able to stay too long, though," said Dash with a regretful frown, "See, we've got a storm scheduled in about an hour. Well, just under," she corrected with a glance at the clock, "So, I gotta get back before it starts, 'cause you know how dangerous it is to fly through a storm. Plus, I got some 'exciting' paperwork to do at home. Urgh…"
"Storm? Oh, I almost forgot about that…" mumbled Fluttershy, looking at the ground, "A storm means more than just rain, doesn't it?"
"Yeah…" said Rainbow almost apologetically. She remembered their sleepovers as fillies; if there was ever a storm, Fluttershy would hold onto Dash for comfort until it was over.
"Hey, you got all your animal friends here, don'tcha? Don't they make you feel safer?"
"A little…"
"Look, I'd stay here 'til it was over, you know I would, but I got loads to do and I don't want my work to pile up on me," said Rainbow, wishing she could spend more time with the nervous pegasus.
As soon as I got a day free, I'm spendin' it with my friends… she thought.
"I understand, Rainbow," said Fluttershy, "I know you're busy training the new weather ponies, and… I don't think they could get a better instructor than you."
Rainbow smirked and closed her eyes, "Yeah, true," she replied, nodding, "But hey, we're wastin' time here. Ya need help with anything?"
"Well, I do need to make sure the animals who stay outside will be safe from the… the storm."
Rainbow followed Fluttershy out to the garden. The skies overhead gradually darkened as pegasi moved the clouds in preparation for the storm. Rainbow looked up and waved to a pegasus she knew, then cantered over to Fluttershy.
"While I check that the chicken coops won't leak, could you make sure no animals are playing outside and take them into the cottage, please? I don't want them to be stuck out here when the rain and thunder starts."
"On it!" said Dash and slowly flew around the outside of the cottage a couple of times to see if there were any critters that needed ushering inside. Finding none, she landed next to Fluttershy, who had her head inside a coop. Her quiet voice was almost inaudible inside the wooden structure, but Rainbow could just make out her telling the chickens about the incoming storm.
Fluttershy pulled her head out and shut the door. She noticed the daredevil pony standing next to her and smiled.
"Was anyone outside?"
"Nope. All clear. How're these guys doing?" asked Dash, indicating the chickens.
"They're fine. They should be safe and warm inside the coops. I just need to warn the birds at the front and the river animals, and then we can go inside. I can make us something to eat, if you're hungry."
"Sure am! Let's take care of the animals, then grab some grub!"
The two ponies sat in Fluttershy's living room, eating daffodil sandwiches. The yellow pegasus listened attentively as Rainbow talked about the two trainee weather patrollers.
"…Then I left them to get on with it," said Dash and waved a hoof in the air, "So I'm gonna go and check up on them tomorrow morning."
"I really hope they pass," said Fluttershy, despite not knowing them.
"Me, too," said Rainbow, leaning back and gulping down the last of her tea, "It means less work for me, for one thing. But they're also good flyers. A little slow in the head, but good flyers, so I wanna see them pass. They just need to stop being so late. Seriously! Today, they were ten minutes late after one of their breaks! If they can't be more punctual, they're not gonna last long. Ah, speakin' of late, I gotta go, Fluttershy. The storm's due in about five minutes," she said, getting up and walking to the front door.
Fluttershy's ears flattened against her head, both at the fact that her friend had to leave, and that the storm was imminent.
"Oh, okay, Rainbow. Can you make it back to your house in time?" she asked as Dash opened the door. Both could already sense the clouds filling with rain.
"No problem. I'll be in the door just before the rain—" she was cut off by a sudden downpour, "—starts…"
"I thought you said it was supposed to start at six o'clock?"
"It was. Is that clock right?"
"Yes."
For the second time that day, Rainbow covered her face with her hoof, "Spinner…!"
"Maybe the clock at the weather station is wrong?"
"No, the clocks there are always at the correct time. We make sure of that. But if I fly above the clouds, I should be okay. Just as long as Sky Sweeper doesn't start the—" a flash stopped her words, "—lightning too early…" she finished, turning around as thunder rumbled through the hiss of the rain.
"Oh, come on! Are you serious?" she shouted to the sky, "Those featherbrains!"
She watched the rain lash down, grimacing in annoyance. She blinked as another flash of lightning lit up the dark clouds for a brief moment.
"Darn it! I can't fly through that!" she said half to herself, then turned around, "Well, I hope you don't mind me staying a bit longer, Fluttersh—"
Fluttershy was gone. Rainbow turned her head left and right, but couldn't see the timid pegasus. She spotted Angel sitting on the couch's legrest, looking at her. He shifted his gaze down to Rainbow's hooves.
The pegasus looked down and saw her friend lying on the floor.
"What're you doin' down there, Fluttershy?"
"C–Could you close the d–door, please?" stammered the yellow mare, her voice just above a whisper.
"Sure…" replied Rainbow, closing the door with a back hoof, just as another lightning bolt arced across the sky, "I guess I was lettin' some of the rain in. Sorry."
"N–No, it's not that, I just… I…"
She yelped when a thunderclap boomed through the air. Rainbow stared at her, open mouthed. She knew Fluttershy was afraid of thunder, but she had never seen it this bad. From what Dash remembered, the yellow pegasus would just squeeze her eyes shut and whimper, but she didn't ever cry out.
Rainbow held a hoof out to her lifelong friend. Fluttershy looked at it for a second, then reached out a shaking hoof in return. She was hoisted into a sitting position and sat looking at the floor. When thunder boomed again, she leapt towards Rainbow Dash with a squeak, wrapping her hooves around her and burying her face in her neck. She calmed when she felt strong, gentle wings envelop her.
"What happened, pal? You were never this scared, before…" said Rainbow in a tone as gentle as her wings; a tone she reserved mainly for the timid pegasus.
Fluttershy took a moment to collect herself, "I… after I moved out of my p–parents' house and got this cottage, I've always been… m–more scared of thunder."
"Why?"
Thunder rolled overhead, making Fluttershy press into her friend more until it passed, "Because I'm alone here," she said in a quiet voice.
"But you've got your animal friends," replied Rainbow just as quietly.
"I know, but… they're not ponies. They're just animals," she whispered the last part softly so as not to risk hurting her animals' feelings, "I always felt safer during a storm with my parents, or when I stayed over at your house. It's got–gotten worse since then."
"Maybe you're just thinking too much about it? Why don't we play a game to take your mind off it?"
"O–Okay. I know a good game for this weather."
"Yeah? What is it?" asked Dash, smiling, glad her friend was open to the idea.
"It's called Hide Under the Table. What you do is see who can hide under a table the longest."
"What?"
Lightning flashed outside.
"I'll go first!" said Fluttershy quickly with a nervous smile, then dived under a nearby table with a red tablecloth draped over it.
Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Fluttershy…" she said to the quaking pink tail poking out.
She walked closer, noticing Angel bouncing his way over. He crawled under the cloth and disappeared from view. Rainbow lifted up the fabric with a hoof. In the dim light, she saw Fluttershy lying on her side, hugging her bunny. Her anxious blue eyes drifted over to her braver friend's face.
"Hey, come on out," said Dash in a soft voice.
After a few moments of hesitation, Fluttershy removed herself from the sanctuary of the table. With Rainbow's help, she stood on shaky legs.
"It's okay, buddy, thunder's just a sound."
"But why does it have to be so scary?"
"I don't know. But it can't hurt you. It's okay, I'm here for you."
Fluttershy gave a thankful smile.
"So," said Dash, "got any other games? Y'know, that don't involve hiding?"
"I guess that means Hide-and-Seek is out of the question?" the yellow pegasus asked rhetorically, not telling Rainbow that was her next choice, "How about… hmmm…" she had plenty of board games upstairs, and she sometimes played them with her friends when they all came to her cottage, but she wasn't sure what game would keep both her and Rainbow entertained. There were some games Dash wasn't too enthused about playing, but after exchanging playful jabs with Pinkie Pie and Applejack, she settled into it.
Her other friends weren't there, however and she knew Rainbow wouldn't ever think of teasing her, not even playfully, nor would Fluttershy do it back. Not without apologising and assuring she didn't mean it multiple times.
"Hey," piped up Rainbow, "How about Night Mare? You know, that cool new board game they came up with?"
"You mean that scary game with the scary voice on the vinyl record that tells you what to do?"
"Yeah! I've always wanted to play that!" said Rainbow excitedly, floating in the air, "This is just the night for it, too!"
"Oh, no, I don't have that one. It sounds too scary. Even the box art scares me," said Fluttershy, ears drooped.
"Oh…" said Rainbow, dropping to the ground, disappointed.
"Chess?"
"Ugh… I played that with Twilight one time… she takes forever to make a move!"
"I won't take long. I promise."
"…It wasn't my kinda game, anyway, to be honest."
Fluttershy's face brightened and she clapped her hooves together, "I know! What about Sinkship? You enjoyed that, didn't you?"
"Oh yeah! I forgot about that one! We haven't played it in forever!"
"Okay. I'll go get it."
As if it heard her, thunder roared outside, and, with a speed that impressed Rainbow, Fluttershy was under the table again in a flash.
Dash poked her head under the tablecloth.
"Want me to go with you?"
Held close under the rainbow pony's firm, yet soft wing, Fluttershy walked along the upstairs hallway towards her room. The unending torrent of rain thrummed on the roof, accompanied by the occasional rumble of thunder. Fluttershy shrank closer to her friend at every sharp crack or ominous rumble that sounded from the dark sky.
Shortly, they reached her bedroom, and Fluttershy meekly slipped out from under Rainbow's wing to search her cupboards for the game. It only took a few seconds, but she still felt vulnerable, even though she knew there was nothing to be afraid of.
Why am I such a scaredy-pony? It can't hurt me. Like Rainbow Dash said — it's just a sound. A really scary sound. Like a dragon growling… or… or some kind of horrible monster's stomach…! she took a quiet deep breath and berated herself, Oh, stop it, Fluttershy! Stop trying to scare yourself! You're a grown mare! Besides, Rainbow Dash is here. She won't let anything happen to you…
Holding the game box with a wing, she quickly trotted back to Rainbow's side.
Once downstairs, Fluttershy stayed under the strong blue wing while Rainbow set up the board in the living room.
"Alright, Fluttershy, go to the other side and set up your ships. Then we can get to blowing each other up!"
"O–Okay, Rainbow…"
She slunk out from beneath the protective limb and walked to the other side of the board with Angel joining her. No sooner had she sat down than the room was lit up for a brief second. Fluttershy used her hooves to press her ears against the side of her head in anticipation of the sound. She gritted her teeth and shook at the loud rumble.
When it passed, she looked at the blue pegasus with apologetic eyes, "I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash. You want to play this game with me, and I'm too scared of the thunder to—"
Rainbow held up a hoof and shook her head, "It's okay, pal. Maybe you'll not notice it once you get into the game."
Fluttershy gulped and nodded, then began putting her pieces on the board while Rainbow excitedly did the same on her side.
"You ready?" asked the rainbow pony after a few moments.
"Um, not yet…" replied Fluttershy, slowly and delicately placing her ships down.
Dash took this time to think over her ship placement. As it was mostly luck-based, there was no way for her to make it easier for her shy friend. Allowing her to win could help brighten her mood, and Rainbow wouldn't see it as losing if she let Fluttershy win.
"Done now?" she asked.
"Just a couple more ships…" said the cream coloured pony.
Suppressing the urge to tell her to just place them anywhere, Rainbow looked around the living room. She stiffened when she saw a flicker of movement outside one of the windows. Fluttershy sensed her tension and looked up from the board, still holding a ship in her mouth
"What ish it, Rai'bow?" she asked, the playing piece between her front teeth.
"Uh… n–nothing. Just my eyes playing tricks on me. Let's play!"
"Did you see something out the window?" she asked after gently placing the plastic ship on the floor, "Oh no! Maybe we missed an animal outside, and now it's cold and hungry and scared and feels abandoned and, oh! We have to go get it!"
The storm momentarily forgotten, Fluttershy made for the door when Rainbow stopped her, "Hey, I'm positive we didn't miss anyone. It's probably nothing, but I'll go check for ya, okay?"
"Please hurry," said Fluttershy. If there was an animal outside, she wanted it to be brought in quickly, but she also didn't want her rainbow protector to be gone too long.
She watched Dash through the windows as she zipped around. The cyan mare looked beneath bushes, inside the tool shed, under the bridge, on the roof, anywhere missing animals could be.
She re-entered the cottage, hunched over and dripping wet, "No animals," she said flatly, a puddle of rainwater forming beneath her.
"Oh, Rainbow, you're soaked!" said Fluttershy, "Let me get you a towel. Don't worry, I finished my laundry yesterday, so I've got some fresh dry towels in the kitchen."
"Thanks," muttered Dash, closing the door and running a hoof through her mane. She didn't want to get rainwater over Fluttershy's spotless living room floor, so she stayed at the door, resisting the compulsion to shake herself dry. Shortly, Fluttershy returned with a white, fluffy towel.
"Here you go, Rainbow," she said, covering her friend's wet body, "I just wonder what was outside…?"
"Like I said, probably nothin'," said Rainbow as she sat down and dried her hooves, "Must've been my eyes playing tricks on me."
After she finished drying off she draped the towel over her back and followed the shy pony back to the board game. Suddenly, thunder shook the house, making Fluttershy cry out and hug the cyan pegasus.
With a concerned frown, Rainbow put a hoof around her friend. An idea came into her head and she led the yellow pegasus to a window.
"Look out there," she said softly, "Look at the lightning."
With her hooves held closely to her chest, Fluttershy watched the dark skies and saw flashes of lighting in the distance. She heard their faint rumbles and cracks seconds later. A particularly bright flash of lightning struck and left a loud boom in its wake. The shy pony covered her eyes with her hooves, her cry downed out by nature's bellow.
Rainbow shook her gently, "You see those bolts in the distance?" she said, "That's all it is. We're safe inside."
"It sounds like a monster growling," whimpered Fluttershy, still hiding behind her hooves.
Rainbow eased them away, "Then growl back at it."
The shy pony gave her a confused look. Rainbow simply grinned back, "Try it."
When thunder growled again, Rainbow bared her teeth, "Grrr! Stupid thunder! Let's see how you like gettin' growled at!"
Fluttershy looked up at her friend and smiled slightly.
"We're not scared of thunder, are we Fluttershy?"
"Um… maybe?"
"No, we're not. We're ponies, thunder's just a big, mean sound. And sound can't hurt us, now can it?"
"…No."
"So give it a taste of its own medicine!"
As if accepting the challenge, the sky lit up again and a long rumble sounded, starting quietly, then building up in volume.
Fluttershy clung to Dash, but with a little persuasion, she turned to the window and gave a quiet 'grrr' to the sky. Trying to show she wasn't scared by growling back made her feel a little less afraid, especially since Rainbow Dash was with her.
The two kept 'arguing' with the thunder, when Rainbow stuck her tongue out, making Fluttershy laugh.
"This is silly," she remarked.
"That's the whole idea, pal!"
Then Fluttershy noticed something, "Oh, look. The rain's easing off."
"Hey, yeah. But there's something wrong, here. "
"Hm?"
"It was supposed last 'til just after midnight. Well, the rain, anyway. The lightning was supposed to last about another hour and a half. Somepony’s gonna be getting an earful tomorrow. But at least I can head home without risking getting soaked or zapped."
Fluttershy nodded, "I shouldn't keep you. I'll be okay, now that the storm's going away."
"Who said I was leaving now?" asked Rainbow with a grin.
"Don't you have a lot of work to do at home? You don't have to stay if you don't want to…"
"You trying to get rid of me?" joked the rainbow flyer.
Fluttershy's ears flattened against her head, "Oh, n–no, I was just… I–I meant… I… sorry…" she apologised
Dash pulled her into a wing hug, "Calm down, filly, I was kidding. Besides, we got a game to start, here," she said, indicating the board game with a hoof.
The bashful pony nuzzled her friend's neck, and then walked with her to their game.
Rainbow Dash flew through Cloudsdale with a frown on her face. She was going to have a stern talk with the two ponies she left alone yesterday. Any pegasi flying around when the lightning was striking could have gotten hurt. Thankfully, however, there had been no such accidents.
Not to mention, it scared Fluttershy — which isn't exactly their fault — but still… thought Rainbow.
Before flying to Cloudsdale, she had made a quick trip to Fluttershy's place to make sure she was doing okay after the previous night. The yellow mare was delighted to see her again and assured Dash that she was fine.
With a huff, Rainbow walked inside the Cloud Station and began scanning the room. She quickly spotted Spinner and Sky Sweeper talking with another pony. Without hesitation, she flew over to them.
"Well, well, look who's on time," she said as she neared.
"Rainbow! About the storm…" began Spinner.
"Yeah, I wanted to talk about that. Mind telling me why you started the rain early?"
"But I didn't!"
"Oh, well, I guess getting soaked last night was my imagination? And Sky Sweeper, what were you thinking, starting the lightning so soon? Somepony could've gotten hurt!"
"But I never!" she protested.
"Rainbow," said the mare next to them, an older pony who had been working there for a fair number of years, "What they're saying is true. Nopony was near the rain valve or the lightning clouds when it started."
"I was just on my way there when it happened," explained Spinner, "In fact, we couldn't even turn it off."
"Well, what about you, Sky Sweeper?" asked Rainbow.
"All the lightning clouds were still accounted for when we checked their storage area. I dunno how it started," said the pink pegasus.
"We swear we didn't do anything," said Spinner, "We're still trying to figure it out. It was chaos here last night."
Those words echoed in the rainbow pegasus's ears, "Chaos, huh?" said Dash, looking away thoughtfully.
"What's up?"
"Huh? Oh, no, nothin'. I'm just gonna go check something out. Uh, follow your timetable and if you find anything out, let me know when I get back, okay?"
"S–Sure, Dash," replied Sky Sweeper, looking at her fellow trainee uncertainly as the cyan pegasus flew out of the building.
Rainbow soared upwards until she was above the city. Pegasi rarely came up here during this time of the day, which would allow her to have a discussion with a certain someone.
She landed on a cloud and looked around to see if she was alone. She nodded, not another pegasus in sight.
"Alright, Discord, come on out," she called, frowning
Two yellow eyes materialised in front of her first, followed by a mismatched body.
"Well, hello, Rainbow Dash! How did you know I was in the area?" Discord asked, wearing an innocent smile.
The pegasus's eyes narrowed, "You were there the whole time, weren't you?" she said as he slithered around behind her.
"Maybe I was, maybe I wasn't," he said playfully, "But you seem upset about something."
The draconequus dove into the cloud and his face appeared in front of Dash's hooves, "Why don't you tell your good friend, Discord?"
"Yeah, right. Friend this," said Rainbow, and slammed a hoof onto Discord's cloudy face.
Discord's head — looking like its usual, chaotic self — popped up, "That was a little uncalled for, don't you think? Also, whew," his lion paw emerged from the cloud and fanned in front of his face, "you might want to consider washing those hooves of yours!"
Rainbow was taken aback, "Hey! I had a shower this morning!" she cried.
"Well, you missed a spot."
"Shut up! We need to talk!"
"Of course we do," replied Discord, and vanished in a flash of light.
"What the…? Where'd you slither off to? I said we need to talk!"
"No, no, go ahead. I'm all ears," came the voice above her.
The cyan mare's eyes looked up and she snarled as she felt Discord doing the backstroke in her mane.
"Hey, get out of there!" cried Dash, trying unsuccessfully to sweep him out with her hooves.
She froze when he was suddenly hanging one-handed on one of her bangs. She shook her head vigorously, but the miniature draconequus was unmoved.
"Fine, fine, I'll get out of your hair. But only literally," said Discord, "Would you mind giving me a hoof down?"
"Why don't you just fly… oh, whatever."
With a sigh, she positioned a hoof below him.
"Promise to catch me?" he asked in mock concern.
"Yes! Hurry up so we can talk, already! Don't make me stomp you again!"
"You're so impatient. Okay, get ready in three, two, one…"
Rainbow was caught off-guard when a full-sized Discord landed on her hoof, making her fall on the cloud, groaning.
"I thought you said you were going to catch me?" said the draconequus as he sat on the pegasus's hoof with his hands on his hips.
"Enough of your stupid games, Dipcord!" snarled Dash, pulling her hoof out from under him.
"Well, what was it you wanted?" he asked, leaning back with his hands behind his head and floating in mid-air.
"The storm last night! You caused it, didn't you?"
"I thought that was the job your trainees had?"
"Don't play innocent with me! I know you did it! My trainees weren't even at their stations!"
"Shouldn't they have been?"
"Discord!" shouted the pegasus, warningly.
"Okay, fine. I did it. What's the problem?"
"'What's the problem?' Do you know how dangerous it is for pegasi when there's lightning? Somepony could've gotten hurt!" she cried, waving her hooves in the air.
"Don't worry, I made sure the lightning didn't strike anywhere near anypony."
"But why'd you do it in the first place?"
"Because of Fluttershy."
Rainbow was stunned, "She didn't… ask you to do that, did she?"
"No, no, of course not. I wanted you to see just how much more scared of thunder she's become."
"You knew?"
"She told me so a while ago, yes."
"How come she told you and not me?" asked Rainbow, half to herself, looking down.
"Probably because I asked what some of her biggest fears were."
"But I already knew how she was with storms."
"To that extent?"
"Well… no. I didn't think it had gotten worse. I only knew she was still scared. Why didn't you just tell me?"
"Would you have believed me?"
Rainbow was silent a moment.
"I dunno. I guess not."
"Hence why I accelerated the arrival of the storm. It was… nice seeing you two about to play a game together."
"Hold on. Was that you who I saw outside the window?"
"I thought you'd spotted me. I suppose that's why you came outside?"
"Yeah, it is. You hid yourself pretty well."
The pegasus took a breath as if she was about to say something, but remained quiet.
Discord studied her face, "You look like you have something else to say. Well, what is it?"
"Um…" Rainbow hesitated, not sure how to say what was else on her mind, "Hey, listen… uh… I… thanks for doing what ya did. I probably never would have known how bad it was for Fluttershy. Um… sorry for being a jerk."
"Quite alright," responded Discord, patting her on the head, making her frown, "Now, if you'll excuse me, Fluttershy invited me to a picnic with some of her animals."
He held out his paw with a warm smile on his face. Dash eyed the paw, then smiled back and reached out with her hoof. The instant her hoof connected, she felt a jolt through her foreleg.
She yanked her hoof away, "Hey!"
Discord flipped upside down laughing heartily and kicking his legs.
"Oh, I have to thank Pinkie Pie for this!" said the draconequus, and showed Dash the joy buzzer suddenly attached to his paw, "What a shock, hm? Ta-ta!"
Discord disappeared in a flash.
"I take back what I said about being a jerk, ya jerk!" the pegasus yelled after him, shaking a hoof at where he used to be — or probably still was, only invisible.
She bucked the cloud in frustration, dispersing it. She stopped and took a few deep breaths to calm herself.
"Still," she said quietly, "Thanks for letting me find that out about Fluttershy."
She sighed through her nose and then flew back to the Cloud Station.
