Chapters The News
Fluttershy galloped through town, her heart pounding in her chest. The wind whipped through her mane as she sped past several towns folk. She had just received some exciting news from Thunderlane. News that, while she was excited to hear, she new Rainbow Dash would love even more. But hat was this important message she carried? Many ponies had to wonder, as very rarely did the towns folk see Fluttershy running with such urgency.
Well, technically this wasn't true. It wasn't uncommon to see the buttery pegasus fleeing in terror from something others found mundane. However, now she did lack the expression of fear she normally carried, and in it's place was a small glint of determination in her eyes. Her current target was the Golden Oaks Library, where a certain Twilight Sparkle was asking Rainbow Dash about weather manipulation.
While Fluttershy was good friends with the magically inclined unicorn, she knew how long winded she was. She could probably do some afternoon shopping, do her laundry, and make all of her animals food. At the end, she'd probably still have a few hours to catch Rainbow Dash before Twilight let her go.
That didn't matter though, as Fluttershy skidded to a stop directly in front of the Golden Oaks Library. She quickly and quietly tapped three times on the door. From the other side, she heard faint grumbling. Something along the lines of "this is a public library."
Its was then that the sound of magic, followed by the opening of the door, revealing Twilight right behind the door and Rainbow just beyond her. The slight look of annoyance on the unicorns face quickly faded, as Twilight greeted the timid pegasus.
"Fluttershy, what brings you here?" The unicorn stepped aside so that Fluttershy could enter.
"Rainbow Dash, I have exciting news that I know you're going to love." Fluttershy said as she clapped her hooves, with only small clop being heard.
"Is it another butterfly migration?" Rainbow rolled her eyes slightly.
"Even better!" Fluttershy said, as she got louder. At least that's what she thought.
"What is it, Fluttershy?" Twilight chimed in, intrigue as she had never seen the mare so excited over very many things.
"Whipper Wind is coming to town!" Fluttershy (thought) she shouted. Rainbow Dash's ears perked up, her head turning towards the pink maned mare.
"Wait... Are you telling me... That Whipper Wind the Storm Tamer... Is coming here?" Rainbow spoke rather slowly, which was a feat in and of itself, as she tried to process what she was being told. Fluttershy answered with a curt nod, leaving Twilight without an answer for the questions still in her head. Who was Whipper Wind and why was he important?
"Who's Whipper Wind?" She said, not willing to keep these questions of hers unanswered for long.
"YOU DON'T KNOW WHO WHIPPER WIND IS?!?!" Rainbow quickly shouted in Twilight's face, causing the mare to take a few steps back out of shock.
"He's-"
"HE'S ONLY THE GREATEST WEATHER COLT IN ALL OF FOREVER!!!!" Rainbow shouted, interrupting her timid friend.
"Weather? That's it? Rainbow, I thought you said your job was boring. Why is this Whipper Wind so important to you?" Twilight asked, recalling her first run in with Rainbow when she would rather take a nap than clear the skies.
"He isn't just any Weather Colt, Twilight." Flutteshy chimed. "He's Whipper Wind, the Storm Tamer, the Terror of Typhoons, the Bully of Blizzards-"
"The Monster of Monsoons, the Hell of Hailstorms, the-" A purple glow stopped both pegasi from speaking, holding their muzzles shut.
"I still don't see why your so interested in him anyway." Twilight said as she finally got a chance to speak. She released both of them from her magic grasp, only to be met with an instant response from the blue pegasus.
"Are you kidding me?! He's the one who gave me the idea of the Buccaneer Blaze! He's almost as awesome as the Wonderbolts!"
"And he's coming to Ponyville." Fluttershy piped up. Both pegasi let out cries of excitement, Fluttershy's being a small 'woohoo' while Rainbow Dash had a much louder 'Aw yeah!'
"Hey, what's with all the racket?" The trio looked up the stairs to see that Spike had woken up from his nap, the expression of annoyance ever present on his face.
"Haven't you heard?" Fluttershy questioned. "Whipper Wind's coming to town!"
"Whipper Wind? Like, the weather guy?" Spike asked, wiping sleep from his eyes.
"Hay Yeah!" Rainbow Dash Fluttered up off the ground in excitement.
"Why do we care?" Spike groaned.
"Yeah, why do we car-" Twilight was interrupted by Rainbow Dash in her face again.
"There's no time to explain!" Rainbow quickly turned to Fluttershy, jabbing a hoof towards her.
"Fluttershy, we need to track down every pegasus in town and tell them the news!"
"Yes captain, right away captain!" Fluttershy said uncharacteristically, before she bolted back out the open door. Rainbow Dash opted to take the window, as the two of the set out to spread the words. Twilight and Spike, however, were left in the tree, expressions of confusion on both of them. Spike quickly took the opportunity to go back to his nap, while Twilight looked down at her notes sadly, wishing Rainbow Dash was back so she could finish them.
The Greeting
The word of the Storm Tamer's arrival had spread like wild fire, perhaps even faster than the rainbow maned pegasus that was spreading the news. Pegasi all over town were excited to meet the famed weather colt, but many of the other ponies were confused. To them, weather was about as exciting as a screwdriver, as they perceived weather as only a tool to be used for their crops. It was only the pegasi who understood the difficulty of weather control.
As deceptively easy as such a skill may seem, weather was a very fickle thing. Walking on clouds was on thing, but for this Whipper Wind to control the cloud with such grace. He could be considered an artist among even the most physically inclined pegasi. Earth ponies and Unicorns however, did not share such sentiments. They didn't realize how uncontrollable weather actually was. If one were to handle a cloud poorly, they could easily find them self hit with lightning. If handled to roughly, a clouds rain supply would fall before reaching a important and dying orchard. If handled to carelessly, a cloud could become just as volatile as those that originated from the Everfree.
Many ponies didn't realize that pegasi didn't just let anyone join the weather team. They had to be specially trained or have a talent relating to weather to be able to perform their duties properly. If weather were to be left in the hands of untrained pegasi, even the windigos wouldn't be able to conjure up such a perfect storm.
"And that's why Whipper Wind is so famous!" Rainbow Dash explained. Twilight was sitting next to her, quill scraping furiously against the parchment. It had been three days since the news had arrived, and today was the day the Whipper Wind would finally visit Ponyville. Twilight knew naught of the struggles of cloud control, but she was certainly eager to learn.
"Oh this is so exciting, I can't wait to meet him." Fluttershy chirped. All the pegasus ponies in town had gathered in the skies, wanting to greet the pegasus colt to their little town. There were even a few ponies from Cloudsdale who wanted to greet the Storm Tamer as well. Rainbow looked out over the crowd, spotting a few that she recognized. Bulk Biceps, Thunderlane, The Wonderbolts, Strawberry Sun- wait...
"The Wonderbolts?!" Rainbow cried as she lept up from the ground, quickly flapping over to them. She only just stopped in time, right in the face of the leader of the famed flight crew.
"Spitfire, you're so awsome! I can't forget the time you did the Thunder Cracking Corkscrew at Fillydelphia! And then the Zig Zag Zapper over in Mineighapolis! So awesome!!!" Rainbow Dash spewed. Spitfire was taken aback before quickly regaining her composure.
"Gee, thanks kid." She said as she looked over her fan. As she pondered over it, she realized she recognized this mare.
"Hey, did you by any chance apply to the Wonderbolts Academy?" This caught the attention of one of the other Wonderbolts. A stallion with a navy blue mane and a much lighter blue coat turned towards the two. Upon seeing the alleged fan, he immediately recognized her.
"Oh yeah, your that Rainbow Dash chick!" He said, sticking his nose into the conversation as he trotted up beside his co-worker.
"You're the one who did the whole Buccaneer Blaze!"
"Oh yeah, I remember you!" Spitfire said, suddenly remembering Rainbow Dash and her awe inspiring act. It was very hard for anyone who was present at the time to forget.
"Y-You remember me?" Rainbow said as she began fangirling all over the place, but then she suddenly stopped.
"Wait, what are you guys doing here anyway?"
Soarin spoke up first. "We're here to meet Whipper Wind. We were thinking of adding a new branch to the Wonderbolts, and we wanted him to be in charge." Rainbow Dash's face suddenly went entirely blank, as a certain thought went through her mind. This caught Spitfire off guard, thinking she had done something to offend Rainbow. Slowly she waved a hoof in front of her muzzle, trying to get a reaction.
"Hello? Equus to..."
"Rainbow Dash." Soarin said helpfully.
"Equus to Rainbow Dash." Spitfire finished.
"I..." Rainbow started. "I'm... I'm talking to Spitfire... A-and I'm going... G-Going to meet Whipper... Whipper Wind..." Rainbow's face stayed totally blank, putting bot professional athletes on edge.
"Hey uh... Are you ok?" Soarin asked. Rainbow gave no response as she fell face first into the dirt path. The sheer awesomeness of meeting her two idols in one day being to much for her little pony body to take, and causing her to pass out.
"Well... that happened." Soarin said. It was then that cries from various ponies were heard, one that everyone had been waiting for.
"I think I see him!"
"Could it be?"
"Is it him?"
"I'm up!" Rainbow cried as she looked frantically around, hoping she hadn't missed Whipper Wind.
Whipper Wind was flying over green plains on his way to the next town. He heard Ponyville was having some problems with clouds coming in from the Everfree, so he decided to lend his support. Perhaps he could also do a a few airshows or take some odds jobs to rustle up a few more bits. Then again, an air show might seem kinda greedy... Screw it, I'll take some odd jobs.
Eventually he saw the small town on the horizon, a place that seemed so peaceful, yet was somehow the epicenter of chaos for all of Equestria. As he got closer, the clear outline of ponies were gathered around. They probably came out to greet me. Guess I should give them a show.
He looked across the sky, spotting a cloud right in his path. He snatched it out of the sky, giving it a once over as he approached the town. This should do just fine.
He held the cloud close to his barrel, as he began to descend close to the ground. He flapped his wings, gaining speed as he began to preform a barrel role. Just as he crossed the town limits, he squeezed the cloud, causing a small trail of mist to trail behind him. He could hear the pegasi give gasps, and awe in his talent. The trail of mist refracted the suns rays, leaving a trail of rainbows, not unlike a certain mare. The beauty of this simple trick was enough to empress all of the ponies, not just the pegasi.
Eventually he reach the town squared, where he suddenly pulled up. He was rapidly spinning over the fountain, until he squeezed the cloud with all his might, causing it to dissipate. The water that was trapped within exploded into more mist, painting the town square in a heavenly veil, with a rainbow cast over the center piece. The center piece was none other than Whipper Wind himself, who stood on the head of the fountain with his massive wings extended. The misty explosion had caused droplets to form on his coat, mane, and wings. His eyes were closed, since he knew that it would take a few moment for the crowd to break out of their stupor to cheer for him, and he was willing to wait.
That wing span... Fluttershy thought to herself, mesmerized by the very handsome stallion on top of the fountain. Easily taller than Luna, with huge wings to compensate for his lack of flight magic. The magic that would normally be reserved for flight in pegasi was mutated into more weather magic, which explained his special talent.
Look at how long and stiff those primaries are... Rainbow was also mesmerized, as the droplets on his coat seemed to accentuate all the best parts of him.
That was amazing! Twilight was absolutely unaffected by the sight before her, being a unicorn with no perception of what made pegasus stallions attractive. Eventually the clopping of hooves could be heard as Strawberry Sunrise stomped the ground in approval. Several others joined in, with only the blushing mares (and a few select stallions) left ram rod still.
"Thanks, thank you." Whipper Wind said as he waved to various ponies, breaking out of his pose. He shook himself dry before jumping off the statue and gliding down. "Please you're to kind. You'll make me blush." True to his word, his a light blue blush showed through his navy blue cheeks. As he touched down, many pegasi came up to meet him, each eager to get a word in with the celebrity. His display as he entered town was certainly enough for a few of the more suspicious ponies to give some respect to the well established pegasus.
There were so many ponies, that the Wonderbolt's couldn't get past the crowd. Try as they might, it seemed like the attempt to get Whipper Wind to join their ranks would have to wait for another day. Whipper Wind was no where near as fast as the acrobatic group of pegasus ponies, but they had heard of his amazing tricks and how weather played a major part in them. Having witnessed one of said tricks today, they were eager to present him their offer, yet the crowd still stood in their way, and would probably stay like that until tomorrow. Not wanting to waste their time, they soon flew off to find a place to stay, not willing to leave with out at least presenting their offer.
Whipper Wind was currently talking to the crowd, or at the very least, to the crowds leader. Thunderlane seemed to know the questions buzzing in everyone's mind as he fired them off one after the other. Eventually though, he brings up the most important question.
"Whipper Wind, why'd you decide to come here?" He asked, hoping to get first dibs on a ticket to a possible airshow.
"Well, I got a letter that said the weather team was having trouble with some clouds from the Everfree, so I decided to come over and help." He reached back and undid the tornado shaped clip on his saddle bag, which matched his own cutie mark. He pulled out a scroll and presented it to the ebony stallion who quickly took it and unrolled it. Several pegasi peeked over Thunderlane's shoulder as he read over the letter.
Dear Whipper Wind,
I've recently heard of your extreme talent with weather manipulation, and was hoping to make a request. You see, Ponyville is a small town on the edge of the Everfree forest, which can spawn truly unruly and volatile clouds. We've had to hold back many storms and it's becoming to taxing on our resident weather team. As the situation is dire, I would most appreciate it if you could visit for and extended time and help. I'm sure you can take care of the storms with minimal effort. I look forward to a response from you.
Signed,
The rest of the letter seemed to be damaged, leaving the name of the sender unknown, but Thunderlane couldn't help but notice a blatant lie in the letter.
"We haven't had any storms." He said as he rolled the parchment back up and gave it to Whipper Wind.
"What? Have there really not been any out of control storms?" He asked as he gave the letter a once over.
"Sorry, no storms"
Damn it, must've been another crazy obsessed fan. Whipper Wind thought. He had already gone through the trouble of clearing his schedule for the next few months with the purpose of helping the town, but now without a job he was promised, the bits he brought with him were sure to run out. Sure, he could simply turn back around and go home, but in all honesty, he was far to tired. Besides, he did want to take a vacation anyway, even if he would have to help out around town to make some bits. Guess I'll have to do some airshows after all. Wait, where am I going to stay? Maybe I could ask?"
"Um, I'm sorry, Thunderlane was it?" The stallion gave a curt nod. "Um, since I'll be here with a smaller budget than I thought, I was wondering if i could stay with you."
"OF COURSE YOU CAN!!!" Thunderlane grabbed Whipper Wind and flew off with him, or at least tried to considering the the stallion was twice his weight, resulting in him dragging Whipper Wind along the ground as he flew just above. The crowd tried to keep up, but in his excitement, he managed to reach speeds rivaling Rainbow Dash on his way home. Speaking of Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow and Fluttershy were still at the town square, trying to keep their wings down. Seeing such a tall powerful stallion had gotten them hot under the collar, and they were to mesmerized to try chasing after him and Thunderlane.
"Wow, you were right Rainbow, he was something else." Twilight said from beside the blue mare, completely unaware of her's and Fluttershy's plight.
98... 99... 100... Just enough for a week or so. Whipper Wind raked his mind over what he absolutely needed, trying to ration out his bits to last as long as possible.
What was with that damn letter anyway? The writing was to neat for a foal. Pretty professional to, no funny business, except for the fake storms of course. He looked at the clock beside him on the nightstand which read 7:00. Thunderlane gave him the guest bedroom which was rather modest. Just a bed, closet, some drawers, a desk, a nightstand and a lamp.
When Whipper Wind first came to the house, he was jumped by a small colt with a gray coat and darker mane. Apparently he wasn't there to greet you because of his schooling, and hadn't expected him to show up at his house. If Wind wasn't so large, he probably would've been knocked over from the force of the living cannonball.
The colts name was Rumble, and he could recall how the foal had gushed over him, not to dissimilar from his older brother.
Wait, I'm getting distracted. He glanced at the clock again. 7:03. Wind was always an early bird, but that didn't mean he was a morning pony. If he had a choice, he stay in bed most of the day, then spend the rest on his Neigh-tendo Entertainment System. Despite his wishes, he always had something he had to do in the morning. Back home, it was getting rid of the night weather to make way for the day weather, and here it would be to find a job.
The most obvious place would be the weather team, but he knew small towns like this would pay less to their workers. Not to say that they were greedy, things here did tend to be cheaper to balance things out, but he knew he'd have to return home sooner or later.
Jumping out of bed, he stretched out much like a dog, his forelegs flat on the ground as he reached as far as he could. He stood back up, smacking his lips as he left his room. Hope Thunderlane has some coffee or something.
The door swung open revealing the hallway beyond as Wind ducked below the door frame and made his way to the kitchen. Wind was a few inches taller than Luna, which meant he has to duck beneath doorways of some of the older building he went into, including this house. Luckily, he had heard mention of a certain Big Macintosh, which he assumed was also rather large. He could only hope Big Macintosh was able to pass through doors easily, because that would mean Wind could too.
Thunderlane was in the kitchen, preparing breakfast for Rumble and his guest, hoping to get it done before either of them woke up. He heard the clops of a large Pegasus, turning around to be met with the sight of said Pegasus ducking below the doorway. Wind was visibly tired, dragging his hooves and having small bags under his eyes.
"Not a morning person?" Thunderlane asked.
"No..." The Pegasus stifled a yawn with his wing as he looked over to the smaller stallion.
"You got coffee?" Wind asked. Thunderlane answered by taking a mug from the cupboards and swiftly pouring some of the heavenly brew he had made for himself.
"Sugar or cream?"
"Black."
Woah, that's bad ass. Thunderlane thought as he set the mug on the table.
"Careful, it's still ho-" Wind didn't even give a second thought as he grabbed the mug a downed at least three quarters before slamming the mug back down.
"Sorry if I was a bit blunt earlier, I've always hated mornings." He said as he trailed his hoof on the brim of the mug.
"Uh... Y-yeah it's fine." Thunderlane said as he shook off his shock. Never before had he ever seen anypony drink black coffee with such vigor, let alone scalding black coffee.
"Hey, do you know any jobs I could take?" Wind asked,quickly downing the remaining contents of the mug.
"Aren't you going to work for the weather team?"
"Well yeah, but I was planning on fighting storm which usually gives more bits than plain ol' weather duty. I only brought a hundred bits with me." Sure, Wind could probably set up some airshows, but he didn't want to seem like a showboat.
"Well the Apple's are usually welcome to some helping hooves, you could probably ask one of them."
"Where do they live?"
"Huge apple orchard on the edge of town, you can't miss it." Thunderlane looked over at the clock. 7:29.
3... 2... 1... Just as Thunderlane hit zero, Rumble trudged in with sleep still in his eyes. Knowing that Rumble wasn't one much for mornings either, he gave the breakfast he was making a once over. Haybacon made to perfection, scrambled eggs, buttered toast, all completed with a pitcher of fresh squeezed OJ. Apples be damned.
"Order up." Thunderlane set the finished products on some plates before taking them over to the table. Rumble visibly perked up at the mention of food, quickly chowing down before he had to leave for school. Wind however was surprised.
"Oh Thunderlane, you really didn't have to."
"Nonsense, your my guest. It's the least I can do."
"The least you can do is nothing." Wind snatched up a piece of haybacon while Thunder prepared his own plate. Meanwhile Rumble was already half way through his plate, obviously trying to beat some sort of imaginary record.
The breakfast passed by quickly, ending with Thunderlane sending Rumble off to school while you set the dishes into the sink. Now that breakfast was out of the way, he first needed to land a steady job for the weather team, then he could worry about taking another.
"Thunderlane?" Wind called across the house.
"Yeah?"
"Who's the head of the weather team?"
"Rainbow Dash, blue coat with a rainbow mane and tail. She usually leaves a rainbow trail when she flies so you should be able to find her."
"Ok, thanks." And with that, Wind left the house and spread his massive wings as he prepared to take of into the sky.
"Ugh..." Rainbow Dash groaned as she rose from her bed. She's always hated morning cloud removal. It was 7:50 in the morning, too early for Rainbow Dash, but she knew that if she didn't go out and clear the clouds now, her weather team would give her hell. So she got out of bed and prepared for the day. Combed her mane, preened her feathers, and brushed her mane, all in the record time of two minutes.
Alright Rainbow, your target time is 9 seconds. Rainbow Dash pumped herself up as her wings beat behind. She looked out at the skies, picking the most efficient route to smash her target time.
Ready... set... go! Rainbow Dash quickly launched into the air, leaving only her signiture rainbow trail and the remnants of clouds that once were in her wake. As, each second ticked by, her hopes rose of finally being able to clear the skies faster than she ever had before.
I'm Gonna do it! I'm gonna do it! I'm gonna- WHAM!!! Her vision was suddenly devoured by a sea of navy blue, as she and her apparent obstacle plummet towards the ground. Unfortunately, her speed means that she and whatever she had collided with would reach the ground rather quickly. Which they did.
Luckily for Rainbow Dash, what ever she had hit had also broken her fall, as they slammed into the ground. In fact, she was actually in tip top shape, what ever she slammed into must've been bigger and softer than she thought. What did she hit anyway? She stood up and shook the dust off before looking down. Oh no...
"Ow..." Wind was completely disoriented. One moment he had been out and about looking for a mare named Rainbow Dash, the next he was hit by a rogue rainbow and crashing into the ground.
"Sorrysorrysorrysorry!!!" Rainbow Dash scrambled off the poor stallion. No wonder she hadn't been hurt, Whipper Wind was so much larger, he probably cocooned her as they fell and took the brunt of the damage. "Are you ok?"
"Yeah yeah, I'm just gonna... you know... sit here and die of internal bleeding." Wind said, making no motions to get back up.
"S-sorry, should I help you to the hospital?"
"No, I think I'll be fine. Could you help me up though?" He extended a hoof. Rainbow locked her hoof with his, having to flap her wings as quick as she could to get the large stallion standing up right. Wind flexed his wings, giving them a small flap before tucking them back against his body. Rainbow couldn't help but be enamored by the sight, she had never seen wings so large, but why were they so large in the first place?
"Hey." Wind turned toward Rainbow. "Why are your wings so big? Why are you so big?" Wind seemed actually surprised by the question, perhaps he was expecting one of the more frequent questions. He tapped his chin in thought, trying to remember what he was told when he asked his parents back when he was still a young colt.
"I remember my mom said that my great great grandfather was a diamond dog."
"A diamond dog?"
"Yeah, that's also why I have these." Wind opened his mouth, and sure enough, two pairs of canines were present. One pair in his upper set of teeth, and the other pair on his lower set.
"Wait, I didn't even think diamond dogs and ponies could... you know..." Rainbow said as her coat went from blue to pink.
"Well apparently they can. You should see the pictures of my great grandma, she had the whole under bite thing, paws instead of hooves, the whole nine. It's actually why I don't have any flying magic either."
"Wait really?" Rainbow had always wondered how such a thing could be possible. If Twilight was here, she'd probably have a nerd-gasm.
"Yeah. You see, diamond dogs have magic that lets them shape their natural environment to their will. It's why they don't need to make supports for any tunnels they make. Apparently that magic replaced what would usually be flying magic in most pegasi, and since pegasi's natural environment is the sky, the magic manifests itself as control over clouds and weather."
"Wait, but don't pegasi already have that kind of magic?" Rainbow asked confused.
"Yeah, which means that I'm two times better at controlling weather than any other pegasus in history." Wind stated proudly. "Since I don't have any flight magic, my body compensates by giving me huge wings."
"Wow, that's actually pretty cool!" Rainbow chimed. "Wait, I never really introduced myself. I'm Rainbow Dash, future Wonderbolt, and fastest flyer in all of Equestria!" She struck a heroic pose.
"Well Rainbow Dash, I'm Whipper Wind, the Storm Tamer." Wind tried to do a pose as well, but as he extended his right wing, he winced, letting out a sharp hiss. "Ow. Ok, I may not be in as good a shape as I thought. Maybe a hospital visit would be a good idea."
"O-Oh, alright. Just let me get a cloud or something, it'll be faster if I carry you there." Rainbow said as she took off, destroying all the other clouds but one.
"Well, I have good news and bad news." Dr. Horse said as he entered the room.
"What is it Doc?" Rainbow said from beside the examination table. Wind had also turned towards the door from his perch on said table.
"Well, let's start with the bad news. You see, since you fell at Celestia knows how fast, you sprained your wing. You'll be grounded for 2 to 6 weeks."
"Ugh!!!" Wind groaned as he flopped back against the paper covered cushion of the table. "Damn it, first the fake letter, now I won't even be able to make a proper income!"
"Well, the good news is that it could've been much worse. If your lucky, you'll be back on your hooves in two weeks time." As angry as Wind was, he knew the doctor was right. At the speed he crashed into the rocky hard ground, he was more than lucky not to be on life support. He let out a sigh as he sat back up.
"Yeah, thanks Doc."
"I'm just doing my job. Just make sure not to fly at all, and change your bandages everyday. I'll have Nurse Redheart come in and show you how to do it properly" And with that, Dr Horse left the room. Soon enough Wind and Rainbow left the building, one of Winds wings wrapped against his body while the other was free from bondage and had the extra bandages tucked underneath.
"Sorry for getting you grounded. I know how much flying means to some ponies." Rainbow said solemnly.
"It's ok, I know you didn't mean to hurt me. I was gonna take some odd jobs anyway." Despite Wind's reassurance, Rainbow Dash still felt guilty. That's when an idea flew into her head.
"Hey, I know what'll cheer you up. I could introduce you to my friends. They're great, I'm sure you'll love them."
"Really? I mean, won't that be kinda weird?"
"Naw, there great company. Why don't I introduce you to one of them right now? They're probably opening up Sugar Cube Corner right now!" Rainbow almost flew off and left Wind behind, but her memory told her that running would be a better option for her new friend.
Wind lightly trotted after her, one thought ringing in his head the whole way. This won't end well.
"This is Sugarcube Corner?" Wind said cautiously.
"Yeah, What were you expecting?" Rainbow asked.
"I think I'm getting diabetes from just looking at it." Rainbow opened the door for Wind as he thanked Celestia this building was newer and thus had higher and wider door ways. It wasn't even noon and he had already crashed into someone, got sent to the hospital, and almost got diabetes from a building. Today was certainly a strange one.
"Yo Pinkie!" Rainbow called from behind you as she closed the door. "You here?"
"Coming~" A sing song tone called from the back room. Wind look around the inside of the confectionery, noting that the inside look much more normal than the outside. Normal tables, normal chairs, the counter looked like candy though. Speaking of the counter, he looked over the food in the glass casing as he and Rainbow approached.
Most of it was sweets obviously, perhaps a bit to sweet for his taste. Wind had always preferred milder things when it came to sweets. Things like pumpkin pie or a simple hot coco. However, considering his budget, he wasn't going to turn down free food now, especially since his idea for a main source of income was kaput.
Pinkie Pie bounced into the room with a tray of cupcakes on her head and another tray balanced on her back. Not that Wind had noticed, to busy looking in the display case. Pinkie however, instantly took note of the new stallion. Somehow managing to wedge her face between Wind and the case as she let out a gasp and placed the trays on the counter.
"Oh my gosh, a new pony!" Pinkie moved her whole body between Wind and the case, causing him to take several steps back and Rainbow to laugh.
"Ican'tbelieveitanewponyIhavetogetallthedecorationandinvitesIcan'twaittointroduceyoutoever-"
"Stop!" Wind shoved a hoof into Pinkie's face effectively stopping her before she ran out of air. At least that's what he thought would happen, completely unaware of Pinkie's reality breaking antics. Pinkie just looked straight at him in the eyes, hoof still covering her mouth.
"Now, calm down and then talk, OK?" Pinkie nodded, prompting Wind to take his hoof away. Pinkie took one deep breath before starting over.
"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie! I'm Ponyville's premier party planning pony!" Wind thanked the gods that she actually listened to him. For as nice a mare as she seemed, he hated hyper, easily excited ponies. Something about them just grated on his nerves in the worst possible way.
"I throw parties for every new pony that comes to town as a way to introduce them to everypony, and since you're the new pony, I get to throw a party for you." Pinkie reached into her mane and pulled out a pop-out invitation, complete with a construction paper Whipper Wind with the word 'Welcome!' above it in an arch.
While Wind questioned how she managed to make the paper version of him despite only meeting each other just a few seconds before hand, Rainbow Dash spoke up.
"I dunno Pinkie, Wind doesn't seem like much of a party pony."
"His name is Wind? Or is that a nickname? Is his name Chilly Wind? Howling Wind? Wind Whistle? Windy Skies?"
"My name is Whipper Wind, but you can just call me Wind." Wind said having set the invite on a nearby table to rejoin the conversation. "I work with weather, violent weather mostly"
"Oh, Rainbow told us bout you! Is it true you can make a full sized tornado by yourself? Is it true you can make lightning strike when it snows? Can you really make it rain fish? Can ya can ya can ya?" Pinkie asked excitedly, albeit in a much calmer manner than she would normally.
"Well yes, I can. Rainbow actually decided to introduced me to all of her friends." Again, Pinkie gasps and began pushing the two out of the shop.
"Then what are you doing here? You've got friends to meet and I have a surprise party to set up!" Wind's and Rainbow's hooves scratched and squeaked against the floorboards as Pinkie evacuated the shop.
"Isn't telling me about the party kind of defeat the purpose of a surprise party?" Wind asked.
"Just make sure to act surprised." Pinkie winked before shoving them both out the door and slamming it behind them. Both Rainbow Dash and Whipper Wind stood quietly before Wind spoke up.
"Well she's..."
"It's ok, you can be honest."
"She may be a bit much for me. She seems very sweet but I don't have much of a sweet tooth."
"But it was nice of her to calm down for you, right?"
"Yes, that was very nice. Now, I assume your not a loser with just one friend, right?" Rainbow's muzzle scrunched.
"Welcome to the Golden Oaks Library, home and business place of Twilight Sparkle and Spike the dragon." Rainbow said in a mock noble voice. Wind had thought that 'Golden Oaks' was reference to some outstanding wood working, but nope. The damn place was literally in a tree. He could only imagine the innocent books that lost their lives to the termite infestations that are sure to happen in a place like this. Rest in spaghetti, never forgetti.
"Wind, why do you look all sad all of a sudden?"
"I have no Idea what you're talking about. You said something about Twilight Sparkle the Dragon?" Wind said wiping a tear from his eye.
"Twilight and Spike live here." Rainbow said as she approached the door. "Twilight's kind of an egghead and Spike is surprisingly a push over, especially for a dragon." The door creaked open as Rainbow stepped inside while Wind was mentally cussing because the door was smaller than the one at the bakery.
"Twilight! Remember Whipper Wind?!" Rainbow called through the library. A door opened at the top of a flight of stair with a miffed purple unicorn coming out, followed by an equally miffed dragon.
"Rainbow, this is a library, you can't just go around shouting at the top of your lungs." Twilight grumbled.
"Sorry Twi, I was just showing Wind around."
"Who?" Spike asked.
"Whipper Wind, The pegasus we were talking about a few days ago." Twilight visible perked up as she finally turned towards Rainbow Dash and her guest.
"Oh, Hello. I'm Twilight Sparkle."
"The names Whipper Wind, but you can just call me Wind." He held out a hoof as she approached prompting Twilight to bump it with her own. Spike however, was still grumpy and trudged along just behind Twilight.
"Wind, I've recently been looking into the intricacies of weather control and cloud manipulation, and since you're so versed on the field, I was wondering if you could perhaps give a demonstration?" Twilight asked professionally.
"Oh, I would love to, really, but I had a bit of an accident this morning." Wind turned to reveal his bandaged wing.
"Oh goodness, I had no idea! What happened?"
"I wasn't paying attention to where I was flying and crashed into something." Wind covered for Rainbow as she sighed in relief.
"Why do you need this guy to demonstrate anyway, can't you just get any pegasus and be fine?" Spike butted in.
"Hey, weather control isn't as easy as everyone thinks it is! It takes a certain poise, you can't just go shoving clouds back and forth like some kind of demolition worker." Wind snapped. It wasn't the first time his line of work had been insulted by a non-pegasus, and it had always annoyed him how ponies (and apparently dragons now) could make such comments about something they knew nothing about.
"Y-You must forgive him, he gets that way without his morning snack." Twilight said nervously, trying to defuse the situation.
"Snack? Twilight, I haven't needed a snack since-" Spike was cut off by some peanut butter crackers floating in from the kitchen and being shoved into his mouth. As he tried to dislodge the salty sweet treats from his gullet, he soon found himself being levitated out of the room and into the kitchen with the door slamming behind him.
"So," Twilight started, pretending that she didn't just shut Spike up and throw him out. "Since you can't do a demonstration know, could we perhaps do it when your better?"
"Yeah sure." Wind said, still pretty ticked off with the young drake.
"Anyway Twilight, Me and Wind should go meet everyone else. We can all meet up later at Pinkie's surprise party for Wind." Rainbow said as she turned towards the door with Wind just behind her.
"Surprise party? But shouldn't Wind not know about the party then?" Twilight asked.
"She told me just to act surprised." And with that Wind shut the door behind him, leaving Twilight to chuckle and Pinkie's antics.
"So what did you think of her?" Rainbow asked.
"Kind of uptight but otherwise she seemed just fine." Wind said as the trotted off to Carousel Boutique.
"Applejack, please. Don't track dirt into the boutique. I cleaned the whole shop just yesterday." Rarity whined.
"Don' worry, Ah'll wipe it up soon." Applejack replied.
"I could help if you'd like." Fluttershy offered quietly. Rarity had invited Fluttershy over for tea when Applejack showed up with a tarp she need repaired. Applejack had dragged in dirt from outside as she brought it inside.
"No need Flutters, Ah got this." Applejack said as she plopped the tarp down against a wall and grabbed a nearby broom in her mouth. As Rarity took the now whistling teapot of the stove, Applejack began to sweep the dirt towards the door.
"So Rarity," Fluttershy chirped. "Why'd you invite me over?"
"Well, I would have taken you to the spa today but apparently a pipe burst and so they had to shut it down. I figured since you were already on your way, why not treat you to some tea and chat for a bit?"
"What, ya ain't gonna give me some tea too?" Applejack said, taking the broom out of her mouth for the moment.
"I'll give you some as soon as you're finished. Besides, I thought you hated Earl-gray." Rarity stated as she pulled two small cups from out of her cupboard and began filling them.
"Ah do, but still woulda been nice to be offered." Applejack said as she opened the door to sweep the dirt outside. As it swung open, the orange mare instantly recognized the rainbow maned mare standing just outside.
"Rainbow, what brings ya out here?" Applejack asked.
"Well I could ask you for same thing. Anyway, I brought along a new friend and I wanted to introduce him to everypony."
"Is that Rainbow Dash?" Rarity called from the kitchen.
"Yeah, she brought a new friend she wants us to meet."
"Well bring her over darling, we can all catch up on the latest gossip." Applejack groaned as she set the broom against a wall and lead Rainbow and her guest towards the kitchen. Rainbow signaled the pony to wait just outside the room before she entered and greeted everyone.
"Hey Rares, Flutters."
"Rainbow darling, it's so good to see you. Where's the new pony you brought?" Rarity asked intrigued.
"Wow Rarity, cuttin' pretty fast through your uppity lady ways, huh?" Apple jack teased, to which Rarity responded with a glare.
"Well, I want you guys to meet some one very important. Someone who is very well respected among all pegasi. And that some one is..." Rainbow stopped for dramatic effect. "Whipper Wind!" Wind stepped into the room with the slightest bit a flare, but not enough for Rainbow Dash who voiced her displeasure.
"Come on dude, you said you'd do the thing!"
"Well I would, but considering what happened this morning, it'd seem pretty stupid to just have one wing out." Wind turned towards the other in the room. "In any case, I'm Whipper Wind, but you can call me Wind."
"Well Wind, it's mighty nice to meetcha!" Applejack chimed.
"Yes, it's quite delightful whenever there's a new face around Ponyville." Rarity added.
"What happened to your wing?" Fluttershy asked, not bothering with a greeting as she tried to get a better look at the bandaged limb.
"Oh, It's nothing to serious. Just a sprain. I should be back in the air soon enough." Wind reassured her.
"Oh, Wind. Would you perhaps be interested in staying and having a chat with us. We could all get to know each other and you could tell us all the juicy gossip from where you're from. Oh this will be absolutely fabulous!" Rarity cheered as she clopped her hooves together. Wind wondered to himself how long this would take.
"Geez, that girl has some good pipes on her. Can't believe I didn't lose my hearing after that squeal." Wind said as he and Rainbow trotted away from the shop as he rubbed his ear in an attempt to stop the ringing.
"At least we got it all done sooner than I had planned. Now we can go get ready for the party. What did you think of the rest of my friends anyway?"
"Rarity seems a bit to invested in gossip for my taste, but other wise she seems fine. Buttershy-"
"Fluttershy." Rainbow corrected
"Right, Fluttershy needs a bit more confidence, and... Ugh, I've always been awful with names."
"Her names Applejack." Wind stopped in his tracks.
"Wait, is she an apple? Like, in the Apple family?"
"Yeah, what about it? You think she's in the Peach family?" Rainbow teased. Wind just slapped his hoof into his face, he should've realized it sooner.
"Ugh, I was gonna ask them if I could work there for some bits."
"Well she'll probably be at the party, so you don't really need to worry to much about that. In the mean time, why don't you go get ready? I'm sure that everyone will be there soon." Rainbow began to take to the skies. "You know how to get back to Thunderlane's right?"
"Yeah, thanks for showing me around." And with that, she left for her house, leaving Wind to trot through town alone.