Tornado Disasterby NintendoGal55ChaptersThe Approaching StormWarningsBroken DownThe Approaching StormA storm was being scheduled for Ponyville today, an especially big one due to a much-needed downpour. But due to several delays and other instances that held back the need for even just a rainy day, it was no wonder that it was long overdue by now. Just as always, Rainbow Dash led the Weather Patrol pegasi of the town, keeping tabs with Cloudsdale, all the while getting all of the rain clouds needed to cover the town. It was a big job today, the Pegasi had been at it for a couple of hours now just to set up. The storm was scheduled to last until early the next morning, anyway, so there was a lot to be done to make sure that all was going to be heading along according to plan. "Clear!" Yelled Thunderlane. "Got it!" Cloud Kicker called back, nodding her head. She turned ot the leader of the Weather Patrol, Rainbow Dash. "We've got the clouds, Rainbow Dash! The rest of the team is already setting them around the rest of the areas of Ponyville!" "Excellent work, team!" Rainbow Dash called to her fellow Weather Patrol team members. "Cloud Chaser, make sure to cover everything west of Ponyville! Flitter, you're in charge of Canterlot!" "I'm on it, Dash!" Flitter nodded, flying off with a batch of clouds. Cloud Chaser saluted before heading off as well, heading west. "I just finished the clouds over Sweet Apple Acres!" Said Blossomforth. "All right, Blossomforth! Good job!" Rainbow Dash nodded. "Silverspeed! How's everything looking in Cloudsdale?" "Very good, Rainbow!" Silverspeed pointed her hoof toward the cloud city. "They've given us the go-ahead, and they're standing by if we need anymore clouds! We're set to start the storm whenever we're ready!" "Roger that! Thunderlane, how are we doing?" Rainbow Dash called to the black stallion Pegasus. "Still clear, Rainbow Dash!" Thunderlane flew back toward the cyan Pegasus after having spoken with a couple of Earth ponies down below, "I was just told that everypony has been getting prepared for the storm and that we can get to it when we're ready! The Mayor has given us the okay!" "You heard him, team! Let's get this storm going, on the double!" Rainbow Dash blew her whistle to signal the other Pegasi. "Roger that, Rainbow Dash!" Cloud Kicker nodded. "You heard her, guys! We've got it going!" "Let's go!" Thunderlane said, giving a once-over around the town briefly. "Let's move, everypony!" Rainbow Dash called, making sure the sky was completely covered. She frowned for a moment, as she noticed one patch of clear blue sky. "Ohhh...not again! Blossomforth, have you seen Derpy?!" "I think you sent her to work with the group headed to help out the team in Trottingham!" Cloud Kicker answered for her. "I'm pretty sure!" Blossomforth agreed, “That's what I recall, at least.” "Did I?" Rainbow Dash slapped her hoof to her forehead. "What was I thinking...Silverspeed! Go get Derpy and bring her back to Ponyville!" Silverspeed nodded. "You got it, Dash! I'm on it!" She flew off quickly. Just as the weather team were setting back to work, Rainbow was tapped on the shoulder by Thunderlane, who looked pretty worried. "Rainbow Dash, the storm clouds further out toward the fields look a little darker!" He pointed out toward the fields to the west end, "I know we have a big storm today, but.." "Huh?" Rainbow Dash turned to look where Thunderlane was pointing. Sure enough, the clouds out over the fields were darker than the clouds the weather team had brought in from Cloudsdale. "...That's weird. But those clouds are closer to the Everfree Forest, too. I wouldn't worry too much about it, Thunderlane." "Okay, Rainbow!" Thunderlane nodded. The Pegasi got to work on creating the rain within the gathered rain clouds set up all over the town. Going this way and the next, the storm was soon in progress over Ponyville! But the dark storm clouds bellowing overhead toward the fields and near the Everfree Forest were still looming in an unsettling manner... Rainbow Dash eyed the darker storm clouds anxiously, as the Pegasus' storm began to kick into high gear. Lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and the wind whistled as the rain came down in sheets. It was just the kind of downpour Ponyville needed. Still, the cyan Pegasus couldn't help but keep a wary eye on the ever-darkening storm clouds over the western fields and the Everfree Forest... "It's all going good, Rainbow Dash!" Cloud Kicker flew back into view. "Uh-huh! It's been reported to be raining consecutively all over Ponyville!" Thunderlane said. "Good work, team!" Rainbow Dash praised her fellow Weather Pegasi. "Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash, I'm here!" Derpy's voice called as she and Silverspeed returned. "I was headed to Trottingham, like you told me to do, and Silverspeed said you wanted me back here! Did I do something wrong?" "Doi!" Rainbow said, sighing. "Look, you left a clear spot over there! And you know we're not supposed to do that!" "Oops! My bad! I'll go fix it!" Derpy smiled sheepishly before flying off to get some clouds to cover the clear patch. "Okay, good," Rainbow Dash said with relief. "Anything else, Rainbow Dash?" Asked Cloud Kicker. "Nope, we're looking good here!" Rainbow Dash said. Suddenly, a brilliant flash of lightning tore through the clouds, followed by a tremendous roar of thunder. The rain suddenly began to fall faster and heavier, and the wind began to howl! "What the--?! Thunderlane, what's going on?!" "I don't know, Rainbow Dash! But it's coming from the dark storm clouds!" "What's going on?!" Cloud Kicker yelled. "Feathers! It looks like those dark storm clouds have merged with our clouds!" Rainbow Dash yelled back. "That's going to make this storm more powerful than we intended!" "What should we do?" Cloud Kicker wanted to know, trying to hold fast against the raging wind. "I don't know! I don't think there's anything that we can do!" "All finished, Rainbow Dash...whoooaaa!!!" Derpy flew back over to the cyan Pegasus, only to get blown back by the fierce winds! Thunderlane caught her, securing her. "Careful, Derpy! We're getting some raging winds from over there!" "Guys, I don't know where those storm clouds came from, but I don't like the looks of them at all!" Rainbow Dash yelled over the howling winds. "Um...Rainbow Dash, clouds don't normally start swirling into the shape of a funnel on their own!" Cloud Kicker yelled out. "Look!" "What?!" Rainbow Dash turned in alarm. To her horror, she saw that Cloud Kicker was right. From the base of the dark storm clouds, a swirling funnel was beginning to take shape. Right then, it dawned on her as she could now see exactly what they were dealing with. A strong sense of dread coursed through her, the situation was far more serious than she realized. "Oh, buck!!! Thunderlane, go sound the alarm!!! Cloudchaser, round up every Pegasus in Cloudsdale! Blossomforth, go with Thunderlane! Go!!! Now!!!" Rainbow ordered, not once tearing her eyes from the funnel-shaped cloud. "Right! Let's go, Blossomforth!" Thunderlane said. "Okay! We're on it!" Blossomforth said, flying off after the stallion Pegasus. "I'm heading there now!" Cloud Chaser flew toward Cloudsdale as quick as she could. "Cloud Kicker, hurry! We have to tell the Mayor to sound the sirens!" Rainbow Dash yelled to the remaining Pegasus. "Let's go, now!!!" "I'll go tell the Mayor!" Cloud Kicker said. "You go warn your friends!" "I'm on it!" Rainbow Dash saluted before flying away. As she did, her eyes never left the swirling funnel, which was now beginning to descend toward the ground. 'Oh no...no no no...this can't be happening...it just CAN'T be a rogue tornado...!!!' WarningsInside the library, Twilight peered out one of the windows while lounging on her bed with a book, planning to wait the storm out while reading. However, something off caught her eye. Further out, almost out of sight due to the angle she was at, she could see a strange, dark, funnel-shaped cloud in the distance. It was unlike the rest of the storm clouds, given how much darker it was and the funnel-shape it seemed to be taking. "That's weird...why are they creating a tornado? It isn't even Perfect Storm season!" Twilight frowned. "Uhhh...Twilight?" Spike looked out the window anxiously. "I don't think the Pegasi created that tornado...it's a LOT bigger, and a LOT darker, and a LOT scarier than the one they made for the water..." "I think you're right, Spike..." Twilight looked over at the little dragon. She got off her bed, heading toward the stairs, feeling Spike come closer to her in nervousness. "I don't like the looks of this, Twilight..." Spike shivered against the Unicorn in fear, clutching onto her neck as he clambered onto her back. Twilight mumbled in agreement, turnign her attention back out the window. Something was wrong, especially with the tornado. Something about it seemed very wrong. It didn't fit with the rest of the storm, and she couldn't see any sight of the Pegasi creating it. Much to her horror and even confusion, it looked to be as if it were operating on its own. Outside, the town's warning siren began to wail, alerting them both. "W-what's th-that?! Why's the siren going off?!" "Oh no, it might be about that tornado!" Twilight hurried downstairs, opening the library door, but it slammed open due to the force of the wind as she did so. "If they're setting off the siren, it has to be bad...!" "I knew it! The Pegasi didn't make that tornado!" Spike cried over the wailing siren. "Twilight, what do we do?!" "We'll have to hurry down to the basement, Spike!" Twilight yelled, about to try to close the door. But she then saw Rainbow Dash flying by overhead. "Oh! Rainbow Dash!! Rainbow!!" Rainbow Dash stopped in front of the library, flapping her wings hard to keep from being blown away by the strong winds. "Twilight, get inside and go to the basement, right now!!! A rogue tornado formed over the western fields, and it's headed this way! You're in serious danger, here!" "What?! A rogue tornado?!" Twilight yelled, though they suspected this. She had never seen one, let alone ever since she'd moved to Ponyville. "But you might need some help!" "Not from you, I don't!" Rainbow Dash shook her head. "It's too dangerous out here, especially for a non-Pegasus! Get in the basement, right now!!!" "But-" A thought occurred to Twilight then. "What about Fluttershy? Her house is further out, closer to the Everfree Forest! Will she even hear the siren?" "The siren's loud enough, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash yelled over the wailing siren and howling winds. "She'll hear it! Besides, I'm on my way to warn her, AJ, Rarity and Pinkie Pie! Now get to the basement! I'm not kidding!" Twilight watched her Pegasus friend fly off, biting her lip. This was not good at all. Logically, she knew what she and Spike had to do, right now, before it was too late. But everything in between was clouding her mind like a dense fog, overtaking her being. "I still think I should do something..." Spike nodded, pointing out towards the west. "Yeah, follow Rainbow's advice! It's coming this way, Twilight!!!" "...Okay..." Twilight shut the door with her magic, making sure it was locked. "You go down and turn the lights on, I'll grab a book on rogue weather." "Okay..." Spike frowned and headed for the basement door. "Just hurry, Twilight...a rogue tornado's probably a LOT more dangerous than a Pegasus-made tornado!" "I'm coming Spike!" Twilight promised, quickly searching the bookshelves. She only hoped her decision wouldn't affect too much. But it was then she remembered Princess Celestia's wise words from when she was young. “You cannot do everything, Twilight. Nopony can. Even I myself cannot be everywhere at once. All you can do, even in a dire situation, is the right thing. Helping others is a wonderful virtue that I have stood by ever since I myself was a filly. However, there comes a time that we must take care of ourselves first. It is not selfish to care for yourself. You can only help when you are able to. There are times in which we can't help others. Do not shame yourself in those moments. They are not your fault, my faithful student.” Looking out the window again, Twilight felt her resolve change. She couldn't do anything right now, it was far too dangerous. But tomorrow, once the storm was blown over, maybe she could do something then. "Ya cain't be serious! A rogue tornado?!" Applejack exclaimed in shock, holding her hat against her head with her hoof to prevent it from flying off. "That ain't happened in this here town fer nearly twenty years, last Ah heard!" "I'm not kidding, Applejack! I saw it with my own eyes!" Rainbow Dash replied, flapping hard to stay airborne. "It formed out west, from some darker clouds over the Everfree Forest! The wind from our storm and that storm must've created it!" "Well shoot!" Applejack frowned. "Ah was wonderin' why them sirens were goin' off! Awright, thanks fer tellin' me!" "No problem, now get the buck in the cellar!" Rainbow Dash ordered. "It was headed for Ponyville, so it'll be headed this way, too!" "Gotcha!" Applejack nodded. "But what 'bout you? Ya got a cloud home an' no basement!" "I've gotta stay out and warn everypony!" Rainbow Dash told her. "If I have any time left, I'll take shelter with Fluttershy!" Applejack looked alarmed, about to protest further, but bit her lip. She nodded, placing her hat back inside the house. "Awright, but if ya cain't make it, y'all can come hide here if ya need ta!" Rainbow Dash nodded, flapping her wings harder as the wind seemed to pick up again. "I'll keep that in mind, AJ! Just get yourself and the rest of your family into the cellar!" "Ah will, RD! Y'all be careful out there!" Applejack said, above the wind, knocking their hooves together in a hoof bump. "Now go!" "I'm on it!" Rainbow Dash flew away, headed back towards Ponyville to warn Pinkie Pie and Rarity of the imminent danger. To begin with, over at Sugarcube Corner, the Cakes were already sheltered in the basement with their foals, while Pinkie was manning the upstairs to make sure nothing would get too damaged or thrown around. This was going on when Rainbow Dash arrived at Sugarcube Corner to warn them about this. "Good timing, Dashie! My Pinkie Sense was telling me there was a big, doozy storm coming! So I told Mr. and Mrs. Cake to get downstairs pronto monto!" "Good work, Pinkie Pie! But I wouldn't linger upstairs too much longer! The tornado's headed this way, and a rogue tornado is MUCH more dangerous than a Pegasus-made one!" "Okey-dokey-lokie!" Pinkie saluted, grinning widely. "But I'm okay! My Pinkie Sense is-" she paused as her tail began twitching. "Uh-oh! Twitch-a-twitch!" "Oh no!!!" Rainbow Dash ducked inside, knowing full well what Pinkie's twitchy tail meant. SPLAT! A cake fell to the floor from a shelf, which made Pinkie laugh. "Oh, it was just a cake! Yummy!" Pinkie immediately devoured it off the floor, giggling. Rainbow Dash peered outside. She could see the swirling funnel approaching the town, though it was still a fair distance away. "Listen, Pinkie. Get to the basement as soon as possible! I've still got to warn Rarity and Fluttershy about the tornado!" "I will, Dashie! I'm going!" Pinkie hugged her tight. "You better tell Flutters! She must be so scared! She's going to need your biiig strooong hooves around her while you wait the storm out!" "If I have time..." Rainbow Dash hugged the pink party mare in return. "I've gotta go now, you get to shelter as quick as possible!" Pinkie Pie nodded, looking serious for a moment, and then dashed over to the basement door. "Good luck, Dashie!" Rainbow Dash stepped back out into the raging storm. "Thanks, Pinkie Pie! Be safe!" "Will do!" Pinkie closed the basement door behind her. Next was Rarity, who was looking after the Cutie Mark Crusaders for the weekend. The fillies were already in the basement by the time Rainbow Dash arrived, but the fashionista unicorn was frantically searching for Opalesence, who was nowhere to be found. "Ohhhh, I simply cannot go down there knowing she is lost somewhere!" Rarity cried dramatically, “The utmost of DIRE consequences could befall her if I do not find her!” "Rarity, there's no time to worry about Opal!" Rainbow Dash argued. "You have to get to shelter, right now! The tornado's not going to wait for you to find your cat!" "But I cannot leave her alone! She may get hurt! Or worse!!" Rarity protested. "I simply can't bear the thought!" "Arrrgh!!!" Rainbow Dash growled in frustration, zooming into the Carousel Boutique. "Opalescence! Where are you?!" "Meow!" "Ooh! Under the desk! There!" Rarity pointed, looking relieved. "Worry not, Opal! Mommy's coming!" "I'll get her!" Rainbow Dash zipped over to the desk, seeing Opal cowering underneath it. "Come here, Opal!" "Rrowr!" Opal uttered, frightened. She shivered a bit, her fur standing on end. "Rainbow Dash, be careful! She'll scratch!" "Ugh! Rarity, come here and help me!" "I have an idea!" Rarity came over, holding out some fabric with her magic. "You can use this to wrap her up in!" "All right!" Rainbow Dash took the fabric in her hooves and reached under the desk for the frightened cat. "Come on, Opal...come here...it's okay..." "Rrowr..." Opal cowered a bit more, but touched her paw toward the fabric in curiosity. "That's it...come on..." Rainbow Dash coaxed, taking a page from Fluttershy. "Come here..." Nervously, Opal manage to take a few steps toward her, nestling into the fabric. "Atta girl..." Rather than quickly trapping her in the fabric, Rainbow Dash gently wrapped her up, giving her over to Rarity once she emerged from under the desk. "Oh, Opal! My darling!" Rarity held the fabric that now housed her cat. "You're going to be all right after all! What a relief! Oh, thank you dearly, darling! I appreciate the help!" "Don't mention it!" Rainbow Dash nodded. Her ears pricked up as thunder roared outside, shaking the boutique. "Now, you'd better get to shelter! The tornado was coming this way!" "Of course, dear!" Rarity nodded, carrying the fabric in her magic and heading toward the basement door. "I must make sure Sweetie Belle and her friends are all right! You had better go, Rainbow Dash, dear! ...And do make sure Fluttershy is all right..." "Don't worry, I'll take care of her!" Rainbow Dash promised. "You just take care of yourself and the Cutie Mark squirts!" The unicorn nodded, then opened the basement door with her magic and began to descend. "Do hurry then, darling! And lock up behind you!" "Got it!" The Pegasus nodded, flying out the door and turning the latch as it shut behind her. She had one more place left to go... "Oh goodness...why were the sirens wailing?" Fluttershy wondered to herself, looking out the window. "I don't understand...this is just a storm...they normally don't ring the siren when there is one..." A rainbow streak came tearing through the sky in the wake of a brilliant lightning flash, as Rainbow Dash flew as fast as she could to beat the tornado to Fluttershy's cottage. Inside the said cottage, with all of her animals having been gathered up, at least those who didn't flee earlier in the day, Fluttershy was organizing her belongings. While the storm scared her, muchly, she managed to relax herself. It was best not to panic, especially when storms were needed on a day like this. "Oh, I just hope Rainbow will be all right..." the golden mare said softly. "Angel Bunny? Angel, where are you?" The strong winds whipped Rainbow Dash's brilliant mane around, obscuring her vision, but she flew as hard and as fast as she could to reach Fluttershy's cottage in time. Thunder roared and rain lashed her body, but she had to make it in time. She just had to... From one of the open windows, Fluttershy could hear rushing wind. What was that about? The winds weren't supposed to be that strong during today's storm, were they? Fluttershy hovered over to the window, trying to push it closed. "Goodness...it won't...the winds are strong!! Oooh, come on, close!!" The siren was still wailing, striking her ears all the more. What was going on? Outside, Rainbow Dash fought hard against the fierce winds and sheets of rain, determined to warn the creamy yellow Pegasus before it was too late. ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAR!!!!!!!!!! The cyan Pegasus froze in terror as the deafening roar reached her ears. "No...it can't be...!!!" Turning around, she was face-to-face with a massive, black swirling funnel, and it was bearing down on the cottage! "Nooooo!!!!!" "Oh, never mind!" Fluttershy flew upstairs. "Angel? Angel! Are you up here?" A fuzzy white head poked out from under the bed, to Fluttershy's relief. She sauntered over, then paused. Something wasn't right. The sirens were still wailing, the cottage was trembling, and she could hear rushing winds from outside. Looking out one of the windows, Fluttershy's eyes widened in terror when she came upon the sight of none other than a massive black funnel cloud. Screaming in fright, she dove under her bed, holding Angel close to her, and curling up. Outside, Rainbow Dash was in a panic! What should she do?! Should she continue onto Fluttershy's cottage to warn her? No, it was too late by now. And the tornado was coming on fast! There was no time left! Clenching her eyes shut against the driving rain, Rainbow Dash took off in the opposite direction of the tornado, headed back towards Sweet Apple Acres. She could make it back to the Apple family's cellar, if she hurried. All the while, she couldn't help but think of her best friend, who was soon to be at the storm's mercy. Fluttershy...I hope you're safe...I hope you heard the sirens and took cover...I'll be back in the morning, I promise... Broken DownThe storm was finished by the mid morning, when everypony was out and about. As it turned out, a rogue tornado, an F-4 as it seemed, had struck Ponyville and the surrounding areas. So far at least, there were no casualties amidst everypony. However, the tornado did manage to cause substantial damage around the town. Fallen trees on the ground or having landed on homes, roofs torn off of buildings, some homes destroyed altogether. Twilight Sparkle, with Spike on her back,wandered through the mess of debris and other kinds of structure elements, and even all kinds of objects and clothes. All around them everypony worked to do their best to clean up and repair the damage, doing what they could wherever they happened to be. Since the night before, the panic had died down. Everypony was mostly quiet as they were trying to wrap their heads around what was going on. It had been a very long night, and now they had all of this on their shoulders. Twilight could only surmise that nopony had any energy left to be scared or even to scream. Hammering, sawing, knocking, pounding, all kinds of sounds of construction intermixed with ponies giving orders and suggestions amongst each other. Certainly there were reasons to feel relieved, but even beyond that, the dread still hung in the air. "Wow, a rogue tornado..." Twilight murmured, shaking her head. "Apparently one of those hasn't struck Ponyville in about twenty years!" "That's longer than you've been alive, isn't it Twilight?" Spike said quietly to the Unicorn, shaking his head at the scene of damage. "I don't think we've ever seen one of those in Canterlot..." "No, definitely not in Canterlot," Twilight frowned. "I don't think I've ever seen a rogue tornado-ever! Aside from the tornado the Pegasi made back on Tornado Day, I've never truly seen one." "Me neither..." Spike looked saddened as he witnessed a pony family hugging each other amidst the ruins of their house. "I just hope we never see a rogue tornado like that, ever again..." "You're telling me," Twilight agreed. "At least nopony was severely hurt, so that's good." Looking ahead of them, she could see Rainbow Dash having a talk with the Mayor. She waited a few moments until the cyan Pegasus was free. When she was, walking away from their town leader, Twilight approached her. "Rainbow...are you all right?" She took note of the worried, distraught look on her face. "...I couldn't make it, Twilight." Rainbow Dash murmured, sounding almost shameful. "I tried my hardest, I was almost there, but the tornado...it was so strong, it caught up to me so fast...there was no time...I couldn't make it..." "Couldn't make it?" Twilight repeated, confused. "What do you mean?" "I managed to warn everypony else...everypony but Fluttershy..." Rainbow's ears drooped when she said the name, and her tail curled around her haunches. "I couldn't make it to her cottage before the tornado hit..." "...Oh..." Twilight realized. Heart breaking, the lavender unicorn just wasn't sure what to do. She had never seen Rainbow Dash this broken up before, at least not like this. And it was no wonder, Fluttershy was incredibly important to her. A crisis such as this was bound to shake her up. Then to see that she managed to warn everypony EXCEPT the very pony she wanted to warn the most. "Oh, Rainbow..." Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder. "I'm sorry you couldn't make it." "I let her down, Twilight..." Rainbow moaned, pressing her hooves over her eyes. The unicorn was surprised to see tears streaming down her cyan cheeks. "The tornado got her first, and it's all my fault...all because I wasn't fast enough...I'm a failure..." "That's not true," Twilight said sternly, shaking her head, "You did what you could, but you could only do so much. Straying that close to a rogue tornado is not only stupid, it's dangerous. It's a good thing you got out of there when you did." "But...but Twilight, she...she's probably hurt or...or worse..." Rainbow sobbed softly, laying on the ground with her wings folded into her sides. "I...I should've gone to...to warn her, first..." "Hey, don't cry!" Spike hopped down, coming to her side and patting her back. "I'm sure Fluttershy's okay! She can be pretty resourceful when she needs to be." "Yeah!" Twilight agreed. "It's okay Rainbow, don't worry. It's really sweet that you're worried about her, but it's okay. Why don't we go to her cottage and see how things are?" "I...I can't..." Rainbow sniffled, shaking her head. "I...I'm afraid of...of what I'll see if...if I go out there...I can't...I can't bear the thought of that..." "Rainbow, if you don't, you're only going to hurt yourself even more. You need this closure," Twilight encouraged, "Besides, what if Fluttershy's okay? I'm sure she wants to see you. Don't you think that'd be kind of mean?" "She's probably waiting for you now!" Spike threw in. This only upset Rainbow Dash even more. "But what if she's NOT okay?! Huh?! What if we walk into her cottage, and there she is, mangled and unrecognizable?! Then what, Egghead?! Tell me!!!" Admittedly, Twilight felt a shiver course across her spine at that image. She shuddered a little, trying to get over it. Now was not the time to assume the worst. Yet, she knew better than to think that they should expect everything to be all hunky-dory. Considering the damage all over Ponyville, she could only assume there was some kind of casualty in or around Fluttershy's cottage. "Okay, look, we don't know what happened. We shouldn't jump to conclusions," Twilight said evenly, "Let's just go to Fluttershy's and see what's going on. Who knows, she might need our help." "...Fine." Rainbow Dash gave in at last, picking herself up off the ground and spreading her wings to take flight. "All right, then let's go!" Twilight said, helping Spike onto her back with her magic. The two ponies and the little dragon departed, heading to the outskirts of the town. While the feeling of dread was still within them, they did all that they could to hope for the best. Fluttershy was likely counting on them, even. They had to be there for her, no matter what ended up happening. As nervous as she was, Twilight had a good feeling. More than likely, she was going to be able to say one big “I told you so” when this was over. The anticipation was short lived. "See?!" Rainbow Dash snapped at the Unicorn, gesturing to the wreckage that was once Fluttershy's cottage. "What did I tell you?!" "I know, you told me so..." Twilight rolled her eyes. Regardless, she looked on toward the damage with worry. Pretty much more than half the roof was torn off, along with the walls and upper structure, leaving the cottage half exposed. Debris and all kinds of objects were strewn about on the ground, littering. Some animals were scurrying about, trying to fix things and most especially, trying to find things. Fluttershy, however, was nowhere to be seen. "What if she didn't make it?" Rainbow Dash said worriedly. "What if she was blown clear across the Everfree Forest?! What if she's on the other side of Equestria?! What if she's..." The cyan daredevil couldn't force herself to finish the last sentence. "Rainbow, we won't know until we look," Twilight said firmly. "And that's what we'll do. We're going to search around for any traces of her at all. If we don't find her in the wreckage, we'll go back to town, ask around, and see what we can do. Then, if we don't find her then, we'll form a search party and find her. Don't worry, either way, we are going to find her." "I sure hope so, Twilight..." Rainbow frowned, her ears drooping again. "Because if we don't..." "Fluttershy!" Spike wasted no time as he hopped down to the ground, looking through one area of the wreckage. "Hey Fluttershy!" "Fluttershy!" Twilight called out, moving things around with her magic. "Fluttershy, where are you?!" Rainbow shot off like a rocket towards the wreckage of the cottage, determined to find the other Pegasus. "Fluttershy!" "Fluttershyyyyy!!" The two ponies and the little dragon were now frantically searching along the wreckage as best as they could. Many of the fallen objects were still salvageable, especially some bits of the structure, so they were careful. What was pretty much left so little of or just damaged beyond repair, they just tossed it aside. As they looked about, careful of any broken glass, there came a small sound from above. A whimper. "Fluttershy?!" Rainbow whirled around when she heard the whimper. "Fluttershy, can you hear me?!" The sound came again, a little louder this time. Sure enough, it was coming from the remainder of the upstairs level. "Check upstairs!" Twilight said, pointing. "I think it's coming from there!" "Let's go!" Rainbow flew up to what was left of the upstairs, frantic by this point! More whimpers were heard by then as the three of them reached the remainder of the cottage's upstairs. Most of the floor was either gone or broken, the bedframe remained, but was caving in, with the mattress set at an awkward angle. It was adding pressure to the entire collapsed bed frame, no less. Beneath it, some strands of pink hair poked out from under it, along with a little pool of blood, and wisps of yellow. "Fluttershy?" Twilight said gently. "Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash looked relieved, but worried at the sight of blood. "I think she's hurt. Twilight, can you move the bed frame off her?" "I'm on it!" Twilight nodded, already summoning her magic to do just that. "D-Dashie..." Came Fluttershy's voice. A quivering hoof was reaching out from beneath the wrecked bed frame. Twilight levitated the mattress and the bedframe, carefully, making sure neither one were somehow damaging Fluttershy. But as both of them were moved, there was the saddening sight of the beautiful Pegasus. She was laying there, on her stomach, with bruises, scrapes, bits of blood, and a messy mane. There were even bloodstains in her mane, which now revealed to be a head wound along the side of her head. Even worse, her wings were bent at awkward ankles, the feathers ruffled and mangled. Clearly, they were broken. Looking up, blood running down her face, Fluttershy smiled weakly. "Rainbow..." Her voice shook. "Um, Rainbow Dash? Are Pegasus wings supposed to bend that way?" Spike asked in worry. Rainbow Dash cringed when she saw Fluttershy's wings. "No, Spike, they're not supposed to bend like that." Frowning, she carefully reached her hoof out to the creamy yellow Pegasus. "Hey, Fluttershy...are you okay?" "I...I can't feel my legs...." Fluttershy's voice quivered. She shook, trying to move. "And my wings...I can't feel them, either! Dashie...help me..." "Hang on, Flutters...I'll get you out of there..." Rainbow promised. She hovered above the floor and came around behind Fluttershy, carefully reaching for her. "Twilight, think you can help me move her?" "It'll be hard, we're not supposed to move an injured body...but we have to get her to the hospital!" Twilight said, biting her lip. "We should first check her for injuries and broken bones." "Um...duh!" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, gesturing to Fluttershy's oddly-bent wings and the cuts and bruises all over her body. "We already know she's injured!" "Right..." Twilight mumbled, sheepish. "Okay, so we know that, but let's see if any bones are broken." "I think...my legs and wings are broke..." Fluttershy managed weakly. "Can't you perform some kinda spell to check for broken bones?" Rainbow looked at the Unicorn with a frown. "Well, I could try..." Twilight sat down next to the fallen Pegasus. "I think I know a spell that can do that. But I'll need Fluttershy to stay still and calm. Rainbow, could you keep her calm?" "No problem!" Rainbow saluted, sitting down carefully next to her best friend. "Flutters? Hey, look at me. How are you doing?" "I...I...I'm scared...I feel warm on my head..." Fluttershy trembled a bit. She looked at her best friend with tears in her eyes. "Am I going to...to..." Her lips quivered. "Shhh..." Rainbow pressed a hoof to her lips, gently. "Don't talk like that, pal. You're going to be fine. ...What happened, though? I know you had to have heard the sirens. Why didn't you take shelter?" "I...I..didn't know...why the sirens were going off," Fluttershy confessed. She began to relax a bit from her comfort, her trembling lessening. "I was trying to find Angel...he was under my bed. By the time I found him... and saw the tornado coming near..it was too late...and he wouldn't come out. I went under the bed..." Frowning, Rainbow began to stroke her dishevelled mane. "Fluttershy, you know what those sirens mean. You should've gone for cover anyway. Especially if you saw that the storm was getting bad." "I...I know! And I'm sorry..." Fluttershy sniffled, but leaned her head, gently, into the comforting strokes. "Don't be sorry, Fluttershy..." Rainbow Dash sighed, still stroking her frazzled mane in comfort. "You couldn't help it, I guess...I just wish I'd gotten here sooner...then maybe..." She bit her lip, which was quivering, as tears pooled in her eyes. "...maybe you wouldn't be so messed-up..." Fluttershy's own lips quivered as she looked up at her painfully. "Oh, Rainbow...please don't blame yourself..." Twilight released the spell, looking worried. “She definitely has broken bones, but a doctor will need to verify it further.” "Twilight, you should go and get help," Spike turned to the unicorn then, worried. "I'll stay here with them, you'll get there faster than I would." "Okay, I'll even teleport to save time," Twilight nodded. "I'll be back, girls! We'll get Fluttershy to the hospital. Rainbow, keep Fluttershy awake. She likely has a concussion." Not quite listening to her, Rainbow Dash choked back a sob, crying softly. "But...but how can I not blame myself, Fluttershy...? It's...it's all my fault that...that this even happened to you. If only...if only I'd been quicker at...warning Rarity and Pinkie...then maybe...I could've gotten here in time...to warn you, too..." "Um, Rainbow?" Twilight tried to get the Pegasus' attention, but was failing. "Rainbow, did you-" Spike placed a claw on her hoof. "Never mind, Twilight. I think she gets the message. Besides, I think she's a little too worried about Fluttershy..." He looked at the two ponies sympathetically. Understanding, Twilight nodded before she hurried off, teleporting from sight. Reaching up, Fluttershy shakily managed to nuzzle her beloved gently, "Shhh...it's okay, Rainbow...I could never blame you for this... It's all right...you did what you could..." Crying more, Rainbow nuzzled her love back. "But...but if I'd been faster...then...then this might not have happened...I...I knew that you would be scared...especially because...you're still not used...to hearing the sirens sound...I should've...I should've tried harder...flown faster...anything to...to save you from...from this..." "Rainbow..." Fluttershy's voice was shaky, she coughed a bit, but smiled again. It did hurt her heart to see Rainbow Dash cry, especially over her. Even right now, she just about forgot her own injuries and predicament because of it. "I understand...I think anypony would feel this way...I would...the fact you feel this way now just says it all..." Fluttershy nuzzled her more, "I'll be okay.." "You..." Rainbow sniffled, her ears drooping, her cheeks and snout wet with tears. "...you promise, Fluttershy...? I...I can't lose you, pal...I just can't...not like this...I'll never forgive myself if...if you don't...m-make it th-through th-this..." "I-I will, Rainbow...I'll be strong...for all of you. I promise you," Fluttershy whispered, placing her hoof over hers on the ground, "I love you, and I promise..." She coughed up some blood, trembling a bit in doing so. Seeing this, Rainbow Dash couldn't take it anymore. She broke down into full-blown sobs, laying down and leaning her head against the other Pegasus. She said nothing as she cried, only nuzzled her and opened her wings over her battered form, promising to protect her now as much as possible. Stricken, Fluttershy felt tears of her own coursing down her face. Having known her a good lot of her life, she hadn't seen Rainbow crying very often. Especially when she was trying to be strong, despite that it was clear she was ready to burst into tears. Right now was not one of those times. Fluttershy felt saddened, and yet, glad to see her just letting go. She cried softly, but nuzzled her and kissed her muzzle, offering little comforts of her own. Spike watched the scene sadly, close enough to keep an eye on Fluttershy's state of health, but at a fair distance to give the two lovers privacy. Angel had since come up and nuzzled up against Fluttershy, clearly worried and concerned for his caretaker. Rainbow continued to sob and sniffle, heartbroken by Fluttershy's condition, and the state of her half-destroyed cottage. She couldn't help but blame herself for this, even though she knew she wasn't truly at fault. She couldn't have possibly beaten the tornado; if she'd tried, she'd have probably ended up the same way, or worse. But she still felt that if she'd been faster, then this disaster probably wouldn't have happened...
The Approaching StormA storm was being scheduled for Ponyville today, an especially big one due to a much-needed downpour. But due to several delays and other instances that held back the need for even just a rainy day, it was no wonder that it was long overdue by now. Just as always, Rainbow Dash led the Weather Patrol pegasi of the town, keeping tabs with Cloudsdale, all the while getting all of the rain clouds needed to cover the town. It was a big job today, the Pegasi had been at it for a couple of hours now just to set up. The storm was scheduled to last until early the next morning, anyway, so there was a lot to be done to make sure that all was going to be heading along according to plan. "Clear!" Yelled Thunderlane. "Got it!" Cloud Kicker called back, nodding her head. She turned ot the leader of the Weather Patrol, Rainbow Dash. "We've got the clouds, Rainbow Dash! The rest of the team is already setting them around the rest of the areas of Ponyville!" "Excellent work, team!" Rainbow Dash called to her fellow Weather Patrol team members. "Cloud Chaser, make sure to cover everything west of Ponyville! Flitter, you're in charge of Canterlot!" "I'm on it, Dash!" Flitter nodded, flying off with a batch of clouds. Cloud Chaser saluted before heading off as well, heading west. "I just finished the clouds over Sweet Apple Acres!" Said Blossomforth. "All right, Blossomforth! Good job!" Rainbow Dash nodded. "Silverspeed! How's everything looking in Cloudsdale?" "Very good, Rainbow!" Silverspeed pointed her hoof toward the cloud city. "They've given us the go-ahead, and they're standing by if we need anymore clouds! We're set to start the storm whenever we're ready!" "Roger that! Thunderlane, how are we doing?" Rainbow Dash called to the black stallion Pegasus. "Still clear, Rainbow Dash!" Thunderlane flew back toward the cyan Pegasus after having spoken with a couple of Earth ponies down below, "I was just told that everypony has been getting prepared for the storm and that we can get to it when we're ready! The Mayor has given us the okay!" "You heard him, team! Let's get this storm going, on the double!" Rainbow Dash blew her whistle to signal the other Pegasi. "Roger that, Rainbow Dash!" Cloud Kicker nodded. "You heard her, guys! We've got it going!" "Let's go!" Thunderlane said, giving a once-over around the town briefly. "Let's move, everypony!" Rainbow Dash called, making sure the sky was completely covered. She frowned for a moment, as she noticed one patch of clear blue sky. "Ohhh...not again! Blossomforth, have you seen Derpy?!" "I think you sent her to work with the group headed to help out the team in Trottingham!" Cloud Kicker answered for her. "I'm pretty sure!" Blossomforth agreed, “That's what I recall, at least.” "Did I?" Rainbow Dash slapped her hoof to her forehead. "What was I thinking...Silverspeed! Go get Derpy and bring her back to Ponyville!" Silverspeed nodded. "You got it, Dash! I'm on it!" She flew off quickly. Just as the weather team were setting back to work, Rainbow was tapped on the shoulder by Thunderlane, who looked pretty worried. "Rainbow Dash, the storm clouds further out toward the fields look a little darker!" He pointed out toward the fields to the west end, "I know we have a big storm today, but.." "Huh?" Rainbow Dash turned to look where Thunderlane was pointing. Sure enough, the clouds out over the fields were darker than the clouds the weather team had brought in from Cloudsdale. "...That's weird. But those clouds are closer to the Everfree Forest, too. I wouldn't worry too much about it, Thunderlane." "Okay, Rainbow!" Thunderlane nodded. The Pegasi got to work on creating the rain within the gathered rain clouds set up all over the town. Going this way and the next, the storm was soon in progress over Ponyville! But the dark storm clouds bellowing overhead toward the fields and near the Everfree Forest were still looming in an unsettling manner... Rainbow Dash eyed the darker storm clouds anxiously, as the Pegasus' storm began to kick into high gear. Lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and the wind whistled as the rain came down in sheets. It was just the kind of downpour Ponyville needed. Still, the cyan Pegasus couldn't help but keep a wary eye on the ever-darkening storm clouds over the western fields and the Everfree Forest... "It's all going good, Rainbow Dash!" Cloud Kicker flew back into view. "Uh-huh! It's been reported to be raining consecutively all over Ponyville!" Thunderlane said. "Good work, team!" Rainbow Dash praised her fellow Weather Pegasi. "Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash, I'm here!" Derpy's voice called as she and Silverspeed returned. "I was headed to Trottingham, like you told me to do, and Silverspeed said you wanted me back here! Did I do something wrong?" "Doi!" Rainbow said, sighing. "Look, you left a clear spot over there! And you know we're not supposed to do that!" "Oops! My bad! I'll go fix it!" Derpy smiled sheepishly before flying off to get some clouds to cover the clear patch. "Okay, good," Rainbow Dash said with relief. "Anything else, Rainbow Dash?" Asked Cloud Kicker. "Nope, we're looking good here!" Rainbow Dash said. Suddenly, a brilliant flash of lightning tore through the clouds, followed by a tremendous roar of thunder. The rain suddenly began to fall faster and heavier, and the wind began to howl! "What the--?! Thunderlane, what's going on?!" "I don't know, Rainbow Dash! But it's coming from the dark storm clouds!" "What's going on?!" Cloud Kicker yelled. "Feathers! It looks like those dark storm clouds have merged with our clouds!" Rainbow Dash yelled back. "That's going to make this storm more powerful than we intended!" "What should we do?" Cloud Kicker wanted to know, trying to hold fast against the raging wind. "I don't know! I don't think there's anything that we can do!" "All finished, Rainbow Dash...whoooaaa!!!" Derpy flew back over to the cyan Pegasus, only to get blown back by the fierce winds! Thunderlane caught her, securing her. "Careful, Derpy! We're getting some raging winds from over there!" "Guys, I don't know where those storm clouds came from, but I don't like the looks of them at all!" Rainbow Dash yelled over the howling winds. "Um...Rainbow Dash, clouds don't normally start swirling into the shape of a funnel on their own!" Cloud Kicker yelled out. "Look!" "What?!" Rainbow Dash turned in alarm. To her horror, she saw that Cloud Kicker was right. From the base of the dark storm clouds, a swirling funnel was beginning to take shape. Right then, it dawned on her as she could now see exactly what they were dealing with. A strong sense of dread coursed through her, the situation was far more serious than she realized. "Oh, buck!!! Thunderlane, go sound the alarm!!! Cloudchaser, round up every Pegasus in Cloudsdale! Blossomforth, go with Thunderlane! Go!!! Now!!!" Rainbow ordered, not once tearing her eyes from the funnel-shaped cloud. "Right! Let's go, Blossomforth!" Thunderlane said. "Okay! We're on it!" Blossomforth said, flying off after the stallion Pegasus. "I'm heading there now!" Cloud Chaser flew toward Cloudsdale as quick as she could. "Cloud Kicker, hurry! We have to tell the Mayor to sound the sirens!" Rainbow Dash yelled to the remaining Pegasus. "Let's go, now!!!" "I'll go tell the Mayor!" Cloud Kicker said. "You go warn your friends!" "I'm on it!" Rainbow Dash saluted before flying away. As she did, her eyes never left the swirling funnel, which was now beginning to descend toward the ground. 'Oh no...no no no...this can't be happening...it just CAN'T be a rogue tornado...!!!'
WarningsInside the library, Twilight peered out one of the windows while lounging on her bed with a book, planning to wait the storm out while reading. However, something off caught her eye. Further out, almost out of sight due to the angle she was at, she could see a strange, dark, funnel-shaped cloud in the distance. It was unlike the rest of the storm clouds, given how much darker it was and the funnel-shape it seemed to be taking. "That's weird...why are they creating a tornado? It isn't even Perfect Storm season!" Twilight frowned. "Uhhh...Twilight?" Spike looked out the window anxiously. "I don't think the Pegasi created that tornado...it's a LOT bigger, and a LOT darker, and a LOT scarier than the one they made for the water..." "I think you're right, Spike..." Twilight looked over at the little dragon. She got off her bed, heading toward the stairs, feeling Spike come closer to her in nervousness. "I don't like the looks of this, Twilight..." Spike shivered against the Unicorn in fear, clutching onto her neck as he clambered onto her back. Twilight mumbled in agreement, turnign her attention back out the window. Something was wrong, especially with the tornado. Something about it seemed very wrong. It didn't fit with the rest of the storm, and she couldn't see any sight of the Pegasi creating it. Much to her horror and even confusion, it looked to be as if it were operating on its own. Outside, the town's warning siren began to wail, alerting them both. "W-what's th-that?! Why's the siren going off?!" "Oh no, it might be about that tornado!" Twilight hurried downstairs, opening the library door, but it slammed open due to the force of the wind as she did so. "If they're setting off the siren, it has to be bad...!" "I knew it! The Pegasi didn't make that tornado!" Spike cried over the wailing siren. "Twilight, what do we do?!" "We'll have to hurry down to the basement, Spike!" Twilight yelled, about to try to close the door. But she then saw Rainbow Dash flying by overhead. "Oh! Rainbow Dash!! Rainbow!!" Rainbow Dash stopped in front of the library, flapping her wings hard to keep from being blown away by the strong winds. "Twilight, get inside and go to the basement, right now!!! A rogue tornado formed over the western fields, and it's headed this way! You're in serious danger, here!" "What?! A rogue tornado?!" Twilight yelled, though they suspected this. She had never seen one, let alone ever since she'd moved to Ponyville. "But you might need some help!" "Not from you, I don't!" Rainbow Dash shook her head. "It's too dangerous out here, especially for a non-Pegasus! Get in the basement, right now!!!" "But-" A thought occurred to Twilight then. "What about Fluttershy? Her house is further out, closer to the Everfree Forest! Will she even hear the siren?" "The siren's loud enough, Twilight!" Rainbow Dash yelled over the wailing siren and howling winds. "She'll hear it! Besides, I'm on my way to warn her, AJ, Rarity and Pinkie Pie! Now get to the basement! I'm not kidding!" Twilight watched her Pegasus friend fly off, biting her lip. This was not good at all. Logically, she knew what she and Spike had to do, right now, before it was too late. But everything in between was clouding her mind like a dense fog, overtaking her being. "I still think I should do something..." Spike nodded, pointing out towards the west. "Yeah, follow Rainbow's advice! It's coming this way, Twilight!!!" "...Okay..." Twilight shut the door with her magic, making sure it was locked. "You go down and turn the lights on, I'll grab a book on rogue weather." "Okay..." Spike frowned and headed for the basement door. "Just hurry, Twilight...a rogue tornado's probably a LOT more dangerous than a Pegasus-made tornado!" "I'm coming Spike!" Twilight promised, quickly searching the bookshelves. She only hoped her decision wouldn't affect too much. But it was then she remembered Princess Celestia's wise words from when she was young. “You cannot do everything, Twilight. Nopony can. Even I myself cannot be everywhere at once. All you can do, even in a dire situation, is the right thing. Helping others is a wonderful virtue that I have stood by ever since I myself was a filly. However, there comes a time that we must take care of ourselves first. It is not selfish to care for yourself. You can only help when you are able to. There are times in which we can't help others. Do not shame yourself in those moments. They are not your fault, my faithful student.” Looking out the window again, Twilight felt her resolve change. She couldn't do anything right now, it was far too dangerous. But tomorrow, once the storm was blown over, maybe she could do something then. "Ya cain't be serious! A rogue tornado?!" Applejack exclaimed in shock, holding her hat against her head with her hoof to prevent it from flying off. "That ain't happened in this here town fer nearly twenty years, last Ah heard!" "I'm not kidding, Applejack! I saw it with my own eyes!" Rainbow Dash replied, flapping hard to stay airborne. "It formed out west, from some darker clouds over the Everfree Forest! The wind from our storm and that storm must've created it!" "Well shoot!" Applejack frowned. "Ah was wonderin' why them sirens were goin' off! Awright, thanks fer tellin' me!" "No problem, now get the buck in the cellar!" Rainbow Dash ordered. "It was headed for Ponyville, so it'll be headed this way, too!" "Gotcha!" Applejack nodded. "But what 'bout you? Ya got a cloud home an' no basement!" "I've gotta stay out and warn everypony!" Rainbow Dash told her. "If I have any time left, I'll take shelter with Fluttershy!" Applejack looked alarmed, about to protest further, but bit her lip. She nodded, placing her hat back inside the house. "Awright, but if ya cain't make it, y'all can come hide here if ya need ta!" Rainbow Dash nodded, flapping her wings harder as the wind seemed to pick up again. "I'll keep that in mind, AJ! Just get yourself and the rest of your family into the cellar!" "Ah will, RD! Y'all be careful out there!" Applejack said, above the wind, knocking their hooves together in a hoof bump. "Now go!" "I'm on it!" Rainbow Dash flew away, headed back towards Ponyville to warn Pinkie Pie and Rarity of the imminent danger. To begin with, over at Sugarcube Corner, the Cakes were already sheltered in the basement with their foals, while Pinkie was manning the upstairs to make sure nothing would get too damaged or thrown around. This was going on when Rainbow Dash arrived at Sugarcube Corner to warn them about this. "Good timing, Dashie! My Pinkie Sense was telling me there was a big, doozy storm coming! So I told Mr. and Mrs. Cake to get downstairs pronto monto!" "Good work, Pinkie Pie! But I wouldn't linger upstairs too much longer! The tornado's headed this way, and a rogue tornado is MUCH more dangerous than a Pegasus-made one!" "Okey-dokey-lokie!" Pinkie saluted, grinning widely. "But I'm okay! My Pinkie Sense is-" she paused as her tail began twitching. "Uh-oh! Twitch-a-twitch!" "Oh no!!!" Rainbow Dash ducked inside, knowing full well what Pinkie's twitchy tail meant. SPLAT! A cake fell to the floor from a shelf, which made Pinkie laugh. "Oh, it was just a cake! Yummy!" Pinkie immediately devoured it off the floor, giggling. Rainbow Dash peered outside. She could see the swirling funnel approaching the town, though it was still a fair distance away. "Listen, Pinkie. Get to the basement as soon as possible! I've still got to warn Rarity and Fluttershy about the tornado!" "I will, Dashie! I'm going!" Pinkie hugged her tight. "You better tell Flutters! She must be so scared! She's going to need your biiig strooong hooves around her while you wait the storm out!" "If I have time..." Rainbow Dash hugged the pink party mare in return. "I've gotta go now, you get to shelter as quick as possible!" Pinkie Pie nodded, looking serious for a moment, and then dashed over to the basement door. "Good luck, Dashie!" Rainbow Dash stepped back out into the raging storm. "Thanks, Pinkie Pie! Be safe!" "Will do!" Pinkie closed the basement door behind her. Next was Rarity, who was looking after the Cutie Mark Crusaders for the weekend. The fillies were already in the basement by the time Rainbow Dash arrived, but the fashionista unicorn was frantically searching for Opalesence, who was nowhere to be found. "Ohhhh, I simply cannot go down there knowing she is lost somewhere!" Rarity cried dramatically, “The utmost of DIRE consequences could befall her if I do not find her!” "Rarity, there's no time to worry about Opal!" Rainbow Dash argued. "You have to get to shelter, right now! The tornado's not going to wait for you to find your cat!" "But I cannot leave her alone! She may get hurt! Or worse!!" Rarity protested. "I simply can't bear the thought!" "Arrrgh!!!" Rainbow Dash growled in frustration, zooming into the Carousel Boutique. "Opalescence! Where are you?!" "Meow!" "Ooh! Under the desk! There!" Rarity pointed, looking relieved. "Worry not, Opal! Mommy's coming!" "I'll get her!" Rainbow Dash zipped over to the desk, seeing Opal cowering underneath it. "Come here, Opal!" "Rrowr!" Opal uttered, frightened. She shivered a bit, her fur standing on end. "Rainbow Dash, be careful! She'll scratch!" "Ugh! Rarity, come here and help me!" "I have an idea!" Rarity came over, holding out some fabric with her magic. "You can use this to wrap her up in!" "All right!" Rainbow Dash took the fabric in her hooves and reached under the desk for the frightened cat. "Come on, Opal...come here...it's okay..." "Rrowr..." Opal cowered a bit more, but touched her paw toward the fabric in curiosity. "That's it...come on..." Rainbow Dash coaxed, taking a page from Fluttershy. "Come here..." Nervously, Opal manage to take a few steps toward her, nestling into the fabric. "Atta girl..." Rather than quickly trapping her in the fabric, Rainbow Dash gently wrapped her up, giving her over to Rarity once she emerged from under the desk. "Oh, Opal! My darling!" Rarity held the fabric that now housed her cat. "You're going to be all right after all! What a relief! Oh, thank you dearly, darling! I appreciate the help!" "Don't mention it!" Rainbow Dash nodded. Her ears pricked up as thunder roared outside, shaking the boutique. "Now, you'd better get to shelter! The tornado was coming this way!" "Of course, dear!" Rarity nodded, carrying the fabric in her magic and heading toward the basement door. "I must make sure Sweetie Belle and her friends are all right! You had better go, Rainbow Dash, dear! ...And do make sure Fluttershy is all right..." "Don't worry, I'll take care of her!" Rainbow Dash promised. "You just take care of yourself and the Cutie Mark squirts!" The unicorn nodded, then opened the basement door with her magic and began to descend. "Do hurry then, darling! And lock up behind you!" "Got it!" The Pegasus nodded, flying out the door and turning the latch as it shut behind her. She had one more place left to go... "Oh goodness...why were the sirens wailing?" Fluttershy wondered to herself, looking out the window. "I don't understand...this is just a storm...they normally don't ring the siren when there is one..." A rainbow streak came tearing through the sky in the wake of a brilliant lightning flash, as Rainbow Dash flew as fast as she could to beat the tornado to Fluttershy's cottage. Inside the said cottage, with all of her animals having been gathered up, at least those who didn't flee earlier in the day, Fluttershy was organizing her belongings. While the storm scared her, muchly, she managed to relax herself. It was best not to panic, especially when storms were needed on a day like this. "Oh, I just hope Rainbow will be all right..." the golden mare said softly. "Angel Bunny? Angel, where are you?" The strong winds whipped Rainbow Dash's brilliant mane around, obscuring her vision, but she flew as hard and as fast as she could to reach Fluttershy's cottage in time. Thunder roared and rain lashed her body, but she had to make it in time. She just had to... From one of the open windows, Fluttershy could hear rushing wind. What was that about? The winds weren't supposed to be that strong during today's storm, were they? Fluttershy hovered over to the window, trying to push it closed. "Goodness...it won't...the winds are strong!! Oooh, come on, close!!" The siren was still wailing, striking her ears all the more. What was going on? Outside, Rainbow Dash fought hard against the fierce winds and sheets of rain, determined to warn the creamy yellow Pegasus before it was too late. ROOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAR!!!!!!!!!! The cyan Pegasus froze in terror as the deafening roar reached her ears. "No...it can't be...!!!" Turning around, she was face-to-face with a massive, black swirling funnel, and it was bearing down on the cottage! "Nooooo!!!!!" "Oh, never mind!" Fluttershy flew upstairs. "Angel? Angel! Are you up here?" A fuzzy white head poked out from under the bed, to Fluttershy's relief. She sauntered over, then paused. Something wasn't right. The sirens were still wailing, the cottage was trembling, and she could hear rushing winds from outside. Looking out one of the windows, Fluttershy's eyes widened in terror when she came upon the sight of none other than a massive black funnel cloud. Screaming in fright, she dove under her bed, holding Angel close to her, and curling up. Outside, Rainbow Dash was in a panic! What should she do?! Should she continue onto Fluttershy's cottage to warn her? No, it was too late by now. And the tornado was coming on fast! There was no time left! Clenching her eyes shut against the driving rain, Rainbow Dash took off in the opposite direction of the tornado, headed back towards Sweet Apple Acres. She could make it back to the Apple family's cellar, if she hurried. All the while, she couldn't help but think of her best friend, who was soon to be at the storm's mercy. Fluttershy...I hope you're safe...I hope you heard the sirens and took cover...I'll be back in the morning, I promise...
Broken DownThe storm was finished by the mid morning, when everypony was out and about. As it turned out, a rogue tornado, an F-4 as it seemed, had struck Ponyville and the surrounding areas. So far at least, there were no casualties amidst everypony. However, the tornado did manage to cause substantial damage around the town. Fallen trees on the ground or having landed on homes, roofs torn off of buildings, some homes destroyed altogether. Twilight Sparkle, with Spike on her back,wandered through the mess of debris and other kinds of structure elements, and even all kinds of objects and clothes. All around them everypony worked to do their best to clean up and repair the damage, doing what they could wherever they happened to be. Since the night before, the panic had died down. Everypony was mostly quiet as they were trying to wrap their heads around what was going on. It had been a very long night, and now they had all of this on their shoulders. Twilight could only surmise that nopony had any energy left to be scared or even to scream. Hammering, sawing, knocking, pounding, all kinds of sounds of construction intermixed with ponies giving orders and suggestions amongst each other. Certainly there were reasons to feel relieved, but even beyond that, the dread still hung in the air. "Wow, a rogue tornado..." Twilight murmured, shaking her head. "Apparently one of those hasn't struck Ponyville in about twenty years!" "That's longer than you've been alive, isn't it Twilight?" Spike said quietly to the Unicorn, shaking his head at the scene of damage. "I don't think we've ever seen one of those in Canterlot..." "No, definitely not in Canterlot," Twilight frowned. "I don't think I've ever seen a rogue tornado-ever! Aside from the tornado the Pegasi made back on Tornado Day, I've never truly seen one." "Me neither..." Spike looked saddened as he witnessed a pony family hugging each other amidst the ruins of their house. "I just hope we never see a rogue tornado like that, ever again..." "You're telling me," Twilight agreed. "At least nopony was severely hurt, so that's good." Looking ahead of them, she could see Rainbow Dash having a talk with the Mayor. She waited a few moments until the cyan Pegasus was free. When she was, walking away from their town leader, Twilight approached her. "Rainbow...are you all right?" She took note of the worried, distraught look on her face. "...I couldn't make it, Twilight." Rainbow Dash murmured, sounding almost shameful. "I tried my hardest, I was almost there, but the tornado...it was so strong, it caught up to me so fast...there was no time...I couldn't make it..." "Couldn't make it?" Twilight repeated, confused. "What do you mean?" "I managed to warn everypony else...everypony but Fluttershy..." Rainbow's ears drooped when she said the name, and her tail curled around her haunches. "I couldn't make it to her cottage before the tornado hit..." "...Oh..." Twilight realized. Heart breaking, the lavender unicorn just wasn't sure what to do. She had never seen Rainbow Dash this broken up before, at least not like this. And it was no wonder, Fluttershy was incredibly important to her. A crisis such as this was bound to shake her up. Then to see that she managed to warn everypony EXCEPT the very pony she wanted to warn the most. "Oh, Rainbow..." Twilight placed a hoof on her shoulder. "I'm sorry you couldn't make it." "I let her down, Twilight..." Rainbow moaned, pressing her hooves over her eyes. The unicorn was surprised to see tears streaming down her cyan cheeks. "The tornado got her first, and it's all my fault...all because I wasn't fast enough...I'm a failure..." "That's not true," Twilight said sternly, shaking her head, "You did what you could, but you could only do so much. Straying that close to a rogue tornado is not only stupid, it's dangerous. It's a good thing you got out of there when you did." "But...but Twilight, she...she's probably hurt or...or worse..." Rainbow sobbed softly, laying on the ground with her wings folded into her sides. "I...I should've gone to...to warn her, first..." "Hey, don't cry!" Spike hopped down, coming to her side and patting her back. "I'm sure Fluttershy's okay! She can be pretty resourceful when she needs to be." "Yeah!" Twilight agreed. "It's okay Rainbow, don't worry. It's really sweet that you're worried about her, but it's okay. Why don't we go to her cottage and see how things are?" "I...I can't..." Rainbow sniffled, shaking her head. "I...I'm afraid of...of what I'll see if...if I go out there...I can't...I can't bear the thought of that..." "Rainbow, if you don't, you're only going to hurt yourself even more. You need this closure," Twilight encouraged, "Besides, what if Fluttershy's okay? I'm sure she wants to see you. Don't you think that'd be kind of mean?" "She's probably waiting for you now!" Spike threw in. This only upset Rainbow Dash even more. "But what if she's NOT okay?! Huh?! What if we walk into her cottage, and there she is, mangled and unrecognizable?! Then what, Egghead?! Tell me!!!" Admittedly, Twilight felt a shiver course across her spine at that image. She shuddered a little, trying to get over it. Now was not the time to assume the worst. Yet, she knew better than to think that they should expect everything to be all hunky-dory. Considering the damage all over Ponyville, she could only assume there was some kind of casualty in or around Fluttershy's cottage. "Okay, look, we don't know what happened. We shouldn't jump to conclusions," Twilight said evenly, "Let's just go to Fluttershy's and see what's going on. Who knows, she might need our help." "...Fine." Rainbow Dash gave in at last, picking herself up off the ground and spreading her wings to take flight. "All right, then let's go!" Twilight said, helping Spike onto her back with her magic. The two ponies and the little dragon departed, heading to the outskirts of the town. While the feeling of dread was still within them, they did all that they could to hope for the best. Fluttershy was likely counting on them, even. They had to be there for her, no matter what ended up happening. As nervous as she was, Twilight had a good feeling. More than likely, she was going to be able to say one big “I told you so” when this was over. The anticipation was short lived. "See?!" Rainbow Dash snapped at the Unicorn, gesturing to the wreckage that was once Fluttershy's cottage. "What did I tell you?!" "I know, you told me so..." Twilight rolled her eyes. Regardless, she looked on toward the damage with worry. Pretty much more than half the roof was torn off, along with the walls and upper structure, leaving the cottage half exposed. Debris and all kinds of objects were strewn about on the ground, littering. Some animals were scurrying about, trying to fix things and most especially, trying to find things. Fluttershy, however, was nowhere to be seen. "What if she didn't make it?" Rainbow Dash said worriedly. "What if she was blown clear across the Everfree Forest?! What if she's on the other side of Equestria?! What if she's..." The cyan daredevil couldn't force herself to finish the last sentence. "Rainbow, we won't know until we look," Twilight said firmly. "And that's what we'll do. We're going to search around for any traces of her at all. If we don't find her in the wreckage, we'll go back to town, ask around, and see what we can do. Then, if we don't find her then, we'll form a search party and find her. Don't worry, either way, we are going to find her." "I sure hope so, Twilight..." Rainbow frowned, her ears drooping again. "Because if we don't..." "Fluttershy!" Spike wasted no time as he hopped down to the ground, looking through one area of the wreckage. "Hey Fluttershy!" "Fluttershy!" Twilight called out, moving things around with her magic. "Fluttershy, where are you?!" Rainbow shot off like a rocket towards the wreckage of the cottage, determined to find the other Pegasus. "Fluttershy!" "Fluttershyyyyy!!" The two ponies and the little dragon were now frantically searching along the wreckage as best as they could. Many of the fallen objects were still salvageable, especially some bits of the structure, so they were careful. What was pretty much left so little of or just damaged beyond repair, they just tossed it aside. As they looked about, careful of any broken glass, there came a small sound from above. A whimper. "Fluttershy?!" Rainbow whirled around when she heard the whimper. "Fluttershy, can you hear me?!" The sound came again, a little louder this time. Sure enough, it was coming from the remainder of the upstairs level. "Check upstairs!" Twilight said, pointing. "I think it's coming from there!" "Let's go!" Rainbow flew up to what was left of the upstairs, frantic by this point! More whimpers were heard by then as the three of them reached the remainder of the cottage's upstairs. Most of the floor was either gone or broken, the bedframe remained, but was caving in, with the mattress set at an awkward angle. It was adding pressure to the entire collapsed bed frame, no less. Beneath it, some strands of pink hair poked out from under it, along with a little pool of blood, and wisps of yellow. "Fluttershy?" Twilight said gently. "Fluttershy!" Rainbow Dash looked relieved, but worried at the sight of blood. "I think she's hurt. Twilight, can you move the bed frame off her?" "I'm on it!" Twilight nodded, already summoning her magic to do just that. "D-Dashie..." Came Fluttershy's voice. A quivering hoof was reaching out from beneath the wrecked bed frame. Twilight levitated the mattress and the bedframe, carefully, making sure neither one were somehow damaging Fluttershy. But as both of them were moved, there was the saddening sight of the beautiful Pegasus. She was laying there, on her stomach, with bruises, scrapes, bits of blood, and a messy mane. There were even bloodstains in her mane, which now revealed to be a head wound along the side of her head. Even worse, her wings were bent at awkward ankles, the feathers ruffled and mangled. Clearly, they were broken. Looking up, blood running down her face, Fluttershy smiled weakly. "Rainbow..." Her voice shook. "Um, Rainbow Dash? Are Pegasus wings supposed to bend that way?" Spike asked in worry. Rainbow Dash cringed when she saw Fluttershy's wings. "No, Spike, they're not supposed to bend like that." Frowning, she carefully reached her hoof out to the creamy yellow Pegasus. "Hey, Fluttershy...are you okay?" "I...I can't feel my legs...." Fluttershy's voice quivered. She shook, trying to move. "And my wings...I can't feel them, either! Dashie...help me..." "Hang on, Flutters...I'll get you out of there..." Rainbow promised. She hovered above the floor and came around behind Fluttershy, carefully reaching for her. "Twilight, think you can help me move her?" "It'll be hard, we're not supposed to move an injured body...but we have to get her to the hospital!" Twilight said, biting her lip. "We should first check her for injuries and broken bones." "Um...duh!" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, gesturing to Fluttershy's oddly-bent wings and the cuts and bruises all over her body. "We already know she's injured!" "Right..." Twilight mumbled, sheepish. "Okay, so we know that, but let's see if any bones are broken." "I think...my legs and wings are broke..." Fluttershy managed weakly. "Can't you perform some kinda spell to check for broken bones?" Rainbow looked at the Unicorn with a frown. "Well, I could try..." Twilight sat down next to the fallen Pegasus. "I think I know a spell that can do that. But I'll need Fluttershy to stay still and calm. Rainbow, could you keep her calm?" "No problem!" Rainbow saluted, sitting down carefully next to her best friend. "Flutters? Hey, look at me. How are you doing?" "I...I...I'm scared...I feel warm on my head..." Fluttershy trembled a bit. She looked at her best friend with tears in her eyes. "Am I going to...to..." Her lips quivered. "Shhh..." Rainbow pressed a hoof to her lips, gently. "Don't talk like that, pal. You're going to be fine. ...What happened, though? I know you had to have heard the sirens. Why didn't you take shelter?" "I...I..didn't know...why the sirens were going off," Fluttershy confessed. She began to relax a bit from her comfort, her trembling lessening. "I was trying to find Angel...he was under my bed. By the time I found him... and saw the tornado coming near..it was too late...and he wouldn't come out. I went under the bed..." Frowning, Rainbow began to stroke her dishevelled mane. "Fluttershy, you know what those sirens mean. You should've gone for cover anyway. Especially if you saw that the storm was getting bad." "I...I know! And I'm sorry..." Fluttershy sniffled, but leaned her head, gently, into the comforting strokes. "Don't be sorry, Fluttershy..." Rainbow Dash sighed, still stroking her frazzled mane in comfort. "You couldn't help it, I guess...I just wish I'd gotten here sooner...then maybe..." She bit her lip, which was quivering, as tears pooled in her eyes. "...maybe you wouldn't be so messed-up..." Fluttershy's own lips quivered as she looked up at her painfully. "Oh, Rainbow...please don't blame yourself..." Twilight released the spell, looking worried. “She definitely has broken bones, but a doctor will need to verify it further.” "Twilight, you should go and get help," Spike turned to the unicorn then, worried. "I'll stay here with them, you'll get there faster than I would." "Okay, I'll even teleport to save time," Twilight nodded. "I'll be back, girls! We'll get Fluttershy to the hospital. Rainbow, keep Fluttershy awake. She likely has a concussion." Not quite listening to her, Rainbow Dash choked back a sob, crying softly. "But...but how can I not blame myself, Fluttershy...? It's...it's all my fault that...that this even happened to you. If only...if only I'd been quicker at...warning Rarity and Pinkie...then maybe...I could've gotten here in time...to warn you, too..." "Um, Rainbow?" Twilight tried to get the Pegasus' attention, but was failing. "Rainbow, did you-" Spike placed a claw on her hoof. "Never mind, Twilight. I think she gets the message. Besides, I think she's a little too worried about Fluttershy..." He looked at the two ponies sympathetically. Understanding, Twilight nodded before she hurried off, teleporting from sight. Reaching up, Fluttershy shakily managed to nuzzle her beloved gently, "Shhh...it's okay, Rainbow...I could never blame you for this... It's all right...you did what you could..." Crying more, Rainbow nuzzled her love back. "But...but if I'd been faster...then...then this might not have happened...I...I knew that you would be scared...especially because...you're still not used...to hearing the sirens sound...I should've...I should've tried harder...flown faster...anything to...to save you from...from this..." "Rainbow..." Fluttershy's voice was shaky, she coughed a bit, but smiled again. It did hurt her heart to see Rainbow Dash cry, especially over her. Even right now, she just about forgot her own injuries and predicament because of it. "I understand...I think anypony would feel this way...I would...the fact you feel this way now just says it all..." Fluttershy nuzzled her more, "I'll be okay.." "You..." Rainbow sniffled, her ears drooping, her cheeks and snout wet with tears. "...you promise, Fluttershy...? I...I can't lose you, pal...I just can't...not like this...I'll never forgive myself if...if you don't...m-make it th-through th-this..." "I-I will, Rainbow...I'll be strong...for all of you. I promise you," Fluttershy whispered, placing her hoof over hers on the ground, "I love you, and I promise..." She coughed up some blood, trembling a bit in doing so. Seeing this, Rainbow Dash couldn't take it anymore. She broke down into full-blown sobs, laying down and leaning her head against the other Pegasus. She said nothing as she cried, only nuzzled her and opened her wings over her battered form, promising to protect her now as much as possible. Stricken, Fluttershy felt tears of her own coursing down her face. Having known her a good lot of her life, she hadn't seen Rainbow crying very often. Especially when she was trying to be strong, despite that it was clear she was ready to burst into tears. Right now was not one of those times. Fluttershy felt saddened, and yet, glad to see her just letting go. She cried softly, but nuzzled her and kissed her muzzle, offering little comforts of her own. Spike watched the scene sadly, close enough to keep an eye on Fluttershy's state of health, but at a fair distance to give the two lovers privacy. Angel had since come up and nuzzled up against Fluttershy, clearly worried and concerned for his caretaker. Rainbow continued to sob and sniffle, heartbroken by Fluttershy's condition, and the state of her half-destroyed cottage. She couldn't help but blame herself for this, even though she knew she wasn't truly at fault. She couldn't have possibly beaten the tornado; if she'd tried, she'd have probably ended up the same way, or worse. But she still felt that if she'd been faster, then this disaster probably wouldn't have happened...
