Chapter 1: Storm of the Century - part 8

The train cars lurched forward abruptly as the engines’ steel wheels snagged upon drier tracking, causing the occupants to feel a tad light-headed and queasy. Well, all except the three ponies in the last car.

“There, there,” Fluttershy, whispered softly as she ran her hoof through Pinkie’s now straightened mane. “Everything’s going to be okay.”

“B-but she made a ‘P-pinkie promise’ ”, Pinkie wailed, increasing he grip on the butter-yellow pegasus. “You’re not suppose to break a ‘Pinkie promise’ ”.

Fluttershy really didn’t handle these types of situations well. It required a pony of clout, a take charge attitude, and a fiery determination with the ability to remain strong no matter the outcome. A couple of someponies like Twilight and Applejack. Fluttershy was no slouch, mind you, when it came to standing her ground. Usually this involved cranky dragons, a fearsome cockatrice, or a bear with a bad back spasm.

This was Pinkie. And not the ‘crying-waterfalls-of-tears-then-becoming-instantly-happy’ Pinkie either. She was distraught to the point of almost hyperventilating and if Fluttershy couldn’t find a way to calm her down, she’d pass out. If only there was a way to convince her that Twilight-.

“Pinkie, do you remember what Twilight said before she made her ‘Pinkie promise’?”

“Mm-hmm, “Pinkie sniffed, looking up at her comforter. “She said to leave if they didn’t make it back in time.”

“You know how Twilight is, Pinkie. She would never lie to you or her friends. She’ll teleport in, with Applejack in tow, and start telling all about their great escape. If you look at it that way then she didn’t break her promise at all, now did she?”

This little tid-bit of information was all that was needed to re-ignite the flame of happiness within the party pony, causing her mane and tail to explode back into its normal, puffy self. Pinkie’s coat was still a darker shade of pink than normal but to Fluttershy, this was an immense improvement of the situation. Without warning, Pinkie launched herself from Fluttershy and began hopping around the cabin.

“Oooh, ooh! I know! “Pinkie squealed, pulling several containers of confetti and nearly three feet of streamers from her mane, “Twilight ‘n Applejack will be all like ‘ *poof* here we are!’ and I’ll be all ‘SURPRISE!’ and they’ll both be all like *GASP*. This is gonna be soooo awesome!” Fluttershy simply scuffed the floor tenderly in response.

“Um, maybe you should have a ‘quiet surprise party’. I mean, I sure they’ll both be really tired. And wet. And dirty. And, um, the ponies in the other cars might be upset if you make too much noise. I mean, if you want to, that is.”

Pinkie paused mid-hop and rubbed her chin in contemplation of this detail. After several seconds of ignoring gravity and the laws of physics, the party pony floated gently to the carpeting.

“Well, I think I’ll take a nap until those two get here,” Pinkie remarked, stretching her hooves skyward, “that way you and Rarity can have a chat without me being a ‘third wheel’ and interrupting during a crucial discussion.”

Before Fluttershy could muster even a meek response, Pinkie disappeared in a pink flash only to reappear on the car’s luxury sofa at the far end wrapped in a comforter and snoring lightly; occasionally giggling about some random joke that only she could understand.

“Oh Pinkie...” Fluttershy mused inwardly, rewarding the situations conclusion with a small smile only to have it quickly fade into solemness, rotating her head softly to look at her spa partner.

“Rarity...”

*

A soft flash from a distant crack of lightning illuminated a certain alabaster mares’ features as she continued staring out the magically reenforced plate glass window. Any passerby that caught a glimpse of the sight would have sworn to Celestia the locomotive was haunted. And what pony could blame them? Seeing a sad, lonesome, disheveled and seemingly empty-soul of beauty; peering out in search of the very one she lost? This was how many ghost stories parents told to the little colts and fillies were formed. Rarity; however, could have cared less at the moment as she continued to gaze out blankly into the darkness. Spike was gone and nothing could ever change that; not even the soft hoof-falls upon the carpet could drag her from the loss.

“Rarity,” Fluttershy asked nervously, “are you, um, ok?” There was no response to her question, just the gentle swell and collapse of Rarity’s barrel. Gentle puffs of condensation formed on the glass from the fashionata’s proximity to it. “Um-“

”What am I going to do,” Rarity questioned, her voice thick with traces of bitterness, hurt, and anger, “now that I’ll never see him again?”

“Rarity...”

“He could have just waited with the rest of us,” she continued, seemingly oblivious to the timid mares calm interjections.

“Rarity.”

“All because of his rash and foolish decision, I’ll never see him again.”

“That’s enough!” Fluttershy commanded as she grabbed Rarity by the shoulders, spinning the fashionata around to face her. Of course all Rarity could do was stare, shocked and wide-eyed as her normally timid friend’s assertiveness. Cyan orbs glared into azure ones. “What in Equestria has gotten into you?”

Given the sudden turning of the proverbial tables, Rarity mustered the best response she could. “I... He...”

“I, I? I?!” Fluttershy shot back, her voice booming from the close proximity to her friend. “Is that all you can think of? ‘I’ this and ‘I’ that. Stop being so bucking selfish!”

“How dare you call me that?” Rarity hissed back; shock turning to anger and eyes narrowing in fury. “Why, I’ve never been so insulting in my life; by one of my own friends, no less!”

“Well, what exactly would you call it then?”

“. . .”

“You are so caught up in what you want that you’d rather keep Spike to yourself than let him find one of the only ponies that he considers blood family. One of our own friends, no less.”

Fluttershy gave a slight smirk to grind her point home, which further pushed Rarity closer to the edge.

The fashionata rose up on her hind legs, towering over the pegasus. “How dare you take his side in this!” Rarity fumed; her hair curling and spaying out from her rising temper. “How can you even suggest what he did to me, let alone say-“

Fluttershy sighed, shaking her head. ”I’m not saying what he did was right, but what you’re doing isn’t right either. I mean, how do you think Twilight is going to feel when she gets here and can’t find Spike? We don’t know where he went or even where to start looking.” Fluttershy scuffed the reenforced door. “We can’t even get out to help.”

Rarity’s rage dispersed quickly upon the Fluttershy’s revelation and she deflated back to her sitting pose facing the glass pane once more. Despite her best attempts to deny the truth, she knew Fluttershy was right. No matter how redundant their lives could be on a day to day basis, they all had something to come home to at night. Except Spike. And once Twilight learned the news, that he’d run -off in search for her. . . She softly wept again for fear of not knowing how to tell Twilight; the Princesses’. To convince her heart.

“Fluttershy, you must think I’m a horrid monster,” she sniffed, wiping away a few stray tears that refused stay hidden. She quietly gasped as a pair of wings draped themselves gently upon her shoulders.

“Never,” Fluttershy responded as she nuzzled against her friends neck. “Not in a million years. It’ll all work out for the best. You’ll see.”

“I-I hope so,” Rarity answered weakly for deep down she knew even if she forgave Spike, she may never forgive herself.

*

“Don’t tell me he did what I think he did,” Rainbow all but whispered. Cloud just nodded.

It didn’t take a whole lot of brain power to know removing thermal flight wear in extreme winter conditions equaled disastrous consequences. Granted, those suits weighed a ton, but what good is extra speed if you freeze to death before you can get to safety? Again, these decisions the Red was making brought Dash back to Basics 101. Rookie mistakes can, more often than not, lead to serious injuries or worse.

“Yeah. He didn’t even blink when he did it either,” Cloud retorted sadly. “Just up and shed the thing then quickly wrapped the foal with it. ‘Our mission is for naught if this child dies,’ he said.”

Rainbow could feel every part of her body begin to tighten up; her heart and mind both knew what was coming. Like reading and re-reading ‘Romeo and Juliet’; hoping for the outcome to be different, only to be disappointed once again in the end. Only for Rainbow, this wasn’t some love/tragedy scripted by a long dead stallion. No, this was real life and the consequences were far more dire than just a few shed tears.

“The four of us were so preoccupied trying to save the little guy that we neglected to notice the storm clouds reenforcing themselves. By the time Streak and Spitfire noticed the situation, it was too late.”

Cloud took in a ragged breath and exhaled it in a pained sigh. “A white hot crack of lightning blasted forth from the upper atmosphere; striking the ground with such force that we were knocked off our hooves. The sound of ice and stone splitting rang in our ear canals as we quickly righted ourselves. Red pushed the foal into Spitfire’s hooves as the roof of the cavern gave way; a large chunk of debris impacting Red in his wing. Streak and myself went immediately to his side, trying desperately to pry him free.”

Dash grimaced at the last bit of detail, absently grasping at her wings. “That- oh Celestia.”

“ Yeah, I know, “Cloud responded, mirroring Rainbow’s motions, “The angle in which the debris struck it. . . We knew his wing was broken, severely. Any lesser Pegasai would have screamed like a little foal. My Red was tough, though. Didn’t even whimper; even tried to furl it back into place, which elicited a sharp groan from his throat. I told him to quit trying to be the tough guy. We needed to get out of the cavern, as it wasn’t safe anymore.”

“Surely he knew that going out into the storm without a thermal suit was-well-suicide?” Smooth Dash. Great choice of words. Apparently, her choice of dialogue didn’t bother Cloud, or at least she didn’t show any signs that it did.

“The cave floor suddenly gave way beneath us,” Cloud continued, “leaving Red dangling precariously for his life. I reached out, taking his hooves in mine as his grip gave way. I remember the feeling of ice running through my veins as I saw the pitch black expanse the seemed to endure on forever below him. Streak wrapped his forelegs around my waist and began back beating his wings, trying to pull us out of harm’s way. It just wasn’t working. The storm, coupled with the weight of the thermal suits, had taken its toll on us all.” The older mare paused momentarily, casting her gaze towards the ceiling tiles; the thrumming of the rain mixing with her breath to create a bit of serenity in the bleakest part of her life.

She then looked across the table and smiled one of the saddest and most heart wrenching smiles Dash had ever seen. With her body starting to tremble, she spoke again.

“My forelegs were like lead; only by physical view did I know our hooves still remained connected. The splitting rocks, Streaks’ wing beats, the fury of the raging storm above us. All of that suddenly drowned out; our gazed locked upon one another. I know what he saw in my face: fear, desperation, helplessness. The unbearable finality of what would happen if I lost grip. Then Red - he smiled at me; his face aglow in love and warmth, and said ‘Take care of our daughter. I love you’. Then he- he just... let go.”

*

“Ah gotcha Twi’!” A.J. yelled over the torrents raging roar, “jus’ hang on!”

Up until now, everything had gone quite well for the twosome.

Even without her magic abilities, Twilight’s uncanny sense of direction was razor sharp and, true to her form, found an alternate path only a few minutes after leaving Pinkie and Fluttershy: an old, long abandoned quartz mining facility that ran along side the flooded river; most of whose old, rusted mine carts were filled with worthless rock debris. Twilight surmised that “dislodging the old carts from their current position would cause irreversible kinetic energy and by colliding with the decommissioned control tower, it would cause massive amounts of trauma to the structural integrity; forcing a controlled collapse and allowing unrestricted access to the opposing shore” - or “run away mine cart” - in layponie’s terms. Of course the old brake lever had rusted tight, turning a few seconds job into a few minutes one. Time was of the essence, so “a few minutes” meant either rescue or being left behind.

With a little team work (and a big help from ‘Leg’s Magillicuty’ and ‘Kick’s Mcgee’), Twilight’s plan began to come together. The rusty cart wheels screamed and moaned in protest as the streaked down the bumpy rails, spitting and showering sparks of fire only to be snuffed out by the torrential downpour. A tremendous roar blasted above the storm as the speeding carts jumped their rails, slamming headlong into the tower. A column of water blasted skyward as twisted iron, splintering wood, and discarded mining refuse came together, creating the makeshift path the pair so desperately needed. The pair gave each other a quick glance, nodded, and bounded for their exit.

Twilight quickly took the lead, squealing like a school filly. Her plan worked! It actually worked! No scribbled in equations on parchment, no test runs, and no magic. Perfectly executed as if she had used all three before hoof. Twilight was so pleased with herself that she didn’t hear Applejack’s calls, nor did she hear the roar of impending doom, until it was too late.

The world around her spun crazily, her fore hooves finding nothing but air beneath them, as the path created just moments earlier seemed to vanish. Shifting back on her hind legs, Twilight spun, trying to find something, anything, to latch onto as the unstable surroundings continued to vanish. The metallic ‘clink’ of horseshoes provided a brief respite, and her saving grace, and Applejack latched onto her, shouting down towards her. Which led to the current situation now.

“I can’t find any footing!” Twilight called up, panic evident in her tone. “I’m gonna fall!”

“Ya’ ain’t gonna fall, Twi’! “A.J. strained out through gritted teeth. “ Just stop panicking or you’ll be drag’ n us both down!” Twilight nodded rapidly in response and tightened her grip on Applejack.

What had happened? He plan worked down to the finest detail so why did the situation go horribly wrong? Now’s not the time, Twilight. You can deduce this at a much safer location. With a final grunt, A.J. hauled Twilight up over the edge of the mangled tower; pausing a moment to catch her breath.

“Dang it, Twilight, Ah tried to tell ya’ to wait,” A.J. began, reaching up to adjust her Stetson only to realize, much to her chagrin, that it was nowhere upon her person. She cursed inwardly at this new revelation. “What were ‘ya thinking?”

“I’m sorry, Applejack, but we were out of time. We had to get across if we’re ever going to the others. I didn’t think it would – *gasp* – A.J.! Your hat!” Twilight felt guilt creeping in to replace her panic. “You must’ve lost it when-“

”Forget it, Twi.”

“But, that was a gift from your-“

A ground-shaking rumble cut of the unicorn, causing both mares to cease their conversation. The twosome cast their views up the roaring body of water, squinting to see the cause of the noise, only to have their eyes go wide with shock at the sight headed towards them: a wall of water barreling towards them. Boulders the size of cottages and massive trees were nothing more that pebbles and matchsticks. It was painfully obvious that this storm had much more that bargained in store for them as well as Ponyville.

“C’mon let’s move!” Applejack shouted, barely a whisper above the roar. “We’ve gotta back track!”

“Back to what?” Twilight asked as the two broke into a run. “There’s nowhere to go!”

Twilight wasn’t just being negative towards Applejack. Her idea to double back was made out of desperation; not on quick thinking. Granted, her skills without magic were top notch and she managed to get them to a crossing point, but that was it. Even a diamond dog could tell the situation was all but hopeless. If only there was a way to contact the others; let them know what was going on. She doubted it would change the outcome, but at least her friends wouldn’t be totally in the dark. Of course by now they will have realized that, in all likelihood, neither her or Applejack would be coming home.

I’m so sorry, Spike.

“Twilight!” A.J. shouted, shaking the unicorn vigorously, “snap out of it!”

“H-huh? Wh-what?” So caught up within her mental fencing, Twilight hadn’t even realized they’d ceased running; let alone coming to a halt in front of an old, derelict, two story building. Twilight caught glimpse of an old, hastily painted sign labeled “MESS HALL” as Applejack pulled her inside, slamming the rickety door shut.

“C’mon, Twi! This door ain’t gonna stop that float’n disaster!” A quick glance around the dank interior revealed a faint beam of light cascading from above. “We gotta get to higher ground! Head for tha’ stairs!”

The twosome had just begun their ascent when the wall of debris struck the building, blasting the door from its hinges; the impact throwing A.J. against the stair well with a loud ‘thud’. She groaned in pain; stumbling a bit. Twilight halted, returning to her friend in concern.

“Applejack, are you alright?” Twilight asked only to be answered with a firm hoof to the chest.

“Ah said get to higher ground!”

“I’m not leaving you to stagger around on the stairs, A.J.,” Twilight retorted, bracing against her friend, “because we’re in this together. If you stay behind, so do I. Now, on your hooves.”

“Thanks, Twi. “ A.J. responded, smiling.

“That’s what friends are for, A.J.”

Amid the sounds of shattering glass and tables overturning in the now flooded mess hall and the roar of the storm outside, the two soon found themselves upon the second tier balcony, partially covered with a rickety overhang that had somehow managed to survive the test of time as well as the storms’ high winds, and gazed down upon the devastation.

Fortunately, the majority of the boulders and trees had stayed clear of the building; choosing instead to follow the path of least resistance offered by the stream-turned-river. The only drawback now was the water’s escape path was now blocked with debris, leaving it now where to go but up. It wouldn’t be long before they would either be scrambling upon the roof to avoid being swept away, or take high risk chance of braving the waves and swim to the opposing shore.

Applejack wasn’t too concerned herself about the second option; winning blue ribbons at the county fair wasn’t all she was good at, having saved a few ponies at the family reunion who’d partaken a bit too much of homemade cider down by the pond. After all, earth ponies were natural born swimmers almost from birth. Unicorns excelled in this area, too, although their stamina wasn’t quite as high. Still, she wasn’t sure if Twilight-

Applejack’s body went rigid as an intense pain shot from the side of her temple to the nerve endings in her hooves. The severity of it caused the mare to hiss, sucking in ragged breaths of air for a few moments.

“Sorry A.J.” Twilight responded sheepishly, pulling her cloth-clad hoof away.

“What in tarnation was that Twilight?” Applejack questioned as the pain dulled. “Felt worse ‘n Granny Smith’s iodine.”

“Just some antiseptic I whipped up in case of emergency. That blow you took was starting to swell a little. Didn’t need an infection on top of everything else.”

In a few minutes time, Twilight had cleaned and dressed the would; giving her friend a light smile as she placed the remainder of the supplies into her saddle bags. The two sat in silence for a few minutes, listening to the sounds around them. Twilight was the first to break the eeriness.

“I was just thinking...”

“ ‘Bout what?”

“About Spike... My family... Do you think Celestia will send somepony to look for us?”

Applejack gave her friend a firm smack on the back and thrust her chest forward. “Are ya’ kiddin’, Twi’? Ah’ll bet she knows all about this here predicament; probably sending the Wonderbolts ta save our skins.”

The unicorn gave a sad giggle. “Did you forget your nose scrunches up when you lie?”

“... Yeah.”

*

Maybe it was the excessive amounts of sugars she’d ingested; perhaps the recollection of these memories had pushed her too far. Maybe both. Whatever it was, Rainbow was positive of one thing: Cloud needed to relax or she’d start hyperventilating. Dash was all too familiar with the phase that followed.

“You need to stop this now before the hospital has to administer sedation,” Dash threatened; albeit, in a concerned tone. “I can’t stand to see you like this.” Cloud simple shook her head in response.

“Do you have any idea what it’s like, Dash? To watch helplessly as the best part of you life falls away from you; the blackness swallowing him until there’s nothing left? Being pulled back to safety from certain death when you’d rather be dying as well?”

Rainbow didn’t answer. She couldn’t for it involved a painful memory of her father that she’d refused to visit ever again. Eerie silence filtered between the two for a few minutes; the sound of Cloud’s breathing returning to normal punctuating the uneasiness. Two pairs of eyes locked on one another; one set begging for it all to stop, the other set wanting release from the pain of the past. Rainbow looked away, sighing in defeat.

“I remember slamming into a snow bank with Streak; the roar of the cavern as it collapsed before us. I knew, deep in my heart I knew, he was gone and nothing I could do could bring him back. But that knowledge didn’t dissuade my mind that shouldn’t join him.” She sighed; then quickly continued, refusing to give Dash the opportunity to intervene. “Looking up I saw the storm above us, taunting and mimicking. Thru the frigid conditions I could feel the electricity in the air; my thermal suit sending the prickling sensations into my fur. The build up of electrons started their journey throughout the canopy, looking for a place to set down. I refused to give it that chance, to steal from somepony else like it had me. I think you can figure out the rest, Dash.”

If it was possible for an equine’s bottom jaw to physically go any lower, Rainbow’s most certainly would have.

“Y-you deliberately flew into the lightning strike?!” Dash finally managed to spit out. “What in the name of Celestia were you thinking?!”

For the first time during the whole discussion, the older mare didn’t fight back, remaining docile. “I didn’t think, Dash. Not about my daughter, my family, my students. Nothing. I never even got to say good-bye to him.”

“And committing suicide was your solution; a tribute of your love to him?”

“What do you want me to say? That I enjoyed that decision ; living a full life with no regrets what-so-ever?”

Dash placed her head back between her hooves, rubbing the pads against her temples once more. “No,” she mumbled thru clenched teeth, closing her eyes tightly, only to snap them open once more, “but I would like to know you managed to survive. Not that I’m not glad you did,” she quickly added.

Cloud gave a warm smile in response, something she hadn’t done in a long time; the burden of her past finally starting to lift from her shoulders, allowing her access to a full life she’d wanted for oh so long. Once this page of her story was complete, she’d make it up to the one mare who helped her through it all.

“I woke up in the hospital some time after. I wasn’t really how I got there or how long I’d been out. Word came about that Streak, Spitfire, and myself had saved the colts life, but at the cost of Red’s. The family and supporters sent cards and flowers thanking us; wishing me a speedy recovery. Even the Canterlot Daily wanted interviews and testimonies. The family even wanted to speak personally with me. I declined. I couldn’t stomach it. Even though it never went public, Spitfire and Streak both knew the truth and how it affected me. They would always make up some story for the reporters; how I wasn’t fully recovered enough, or the experience was far too traumatic to bring up again, which the latter wasn’t too far off from reality. I couldn’t even spend more than a few minutes alone in my room with Cloudkicker before my parents would take her away. I would always suffer; seeing Red in her posture, her eyes. It went on like this for months, Dash. I wished for death so many times, to fall asleep and never wake again.”

“How did you ever recover from all this?” Dash questioned her old mentor. “I mean, sure, you were in bad shape when I would visit, but you always responded to me; giving me grief about how I was missing classes.”

Rainbow shook her head in bewilderment, not knowing quite how to fit all the pieces of the puzzle together.

“You helped me recover, Dash,” Cloud responded, reaching out and gently squeezing Dash’s hoof. “With out you... I can’t even begin to imagine what would have happened.”

“Me?” Dash questioned in surprise, pulling back from the contact slightly. “All I did was-“

”Visit me.” Cloud finished. “The same things the doctor’s, my family, and The Wonderbolt’s did. They never made any progress, but you... Coming every day, refusing to leave my side until I ate, telling those horrid jokes of your’s, even being the last pony to leave for the night to make sure I was okay. The very acts you committed were the embodiment of what Red was, and through those acts, helped me heal better that any medicine or magic ever could. How can you think you did nothing, Dash?”

“Then why did you leave Cloudsdale?”

Cloud sighed, “Your help was much appreciated, but the mental healing process was long and I needed time away from everything. That’s why I transferred to the Eastern division. Clear my head, you know?”

“I guess it makes sense,” Dash quipped, absently rubbing her hooves together, “but why didn’t you take Cloudkicker with you? And why did you wait until something bad happened to tell about your relationship with her?” Dash furrowed her brow again. “If I’d ‘a known she was you daughter, I’d-“

”You’d what?” Cloud questioned, coking her head; still with that same smile plastered upon her lips, “Ground her?” Dash curtly nodded at the last phrase. “You see, ‘Kicker had many friends in Cloudsdale, you being one of her favorites. It would be completely unfair for me to remove her from a comfortable environment at that age.” The elder mare eased back in her chair a little farther. “It’s not like I abandoned her to her own devices. I just moved us a few miles away to Cloud City; well within commute for both she and I. ‘Sides, she takes after Red and I.”

Rainbow coked an eyebrow. “Meaning?”

“Think about it Dash: I’m stubborn, hardheaded, and by the book. Red was carefree, full of life, and a ‘never give up’ attitude. A dangerous combination of personality traits. Grounding her would have mattered little once her decision was made.”

The walls of the room were assaulted with Dash’s wide-eyed stare once again. “S-she’d have disobeyed orders and gone into the storm? Alone and unaided?”

Cloud sighed once more, the final bits of tension from years of dammed up secrecy dissipating into nothingness. Reaching over she took both of Dash’s hooves within her own. “I owe my daughter’s life to you. It wasn’t your fault things happened like they did, I... I just directed my anger at you unjustly. Can you ever forgive me?”

*ahem* *cough, cough*

The two spun at the sudden intrusion of sound, unaware that an audience had been listening in. So much for privacy. A pair of Pegusi stood in the doorway, their bodies donned by a pair of blue and yellow striped flight suits and spouting a pair of the most awkward smiles either of the mares had seen. Dash and Cloud recognized them instantly.

“Spitfire? Soarin’?” The weather weary pair questioned in unison.

“Uh... H-hey...” Soarin’ responded sheepishly, avoiding eye contact briefly, “sorry to barge in like this...” Spitfire rolled her eyes, elbowing him in the side.

“What he’s trying to say is ‘I got hungry so I stumbled in here without knocking’,” she gave him another quick jab for kicks, “right, partner?”

“Who’s side are you on, Spitfire?” He retorted, mildly annoyed. “Besides, it’s not like we couldn’t hear them from the other – mmph frmmpf!”

Now it was Spitfire’s turn at embarrassment as she kept her hoof planted firmly against Sorin’s mouth; her cheeks tinting a light pink, noticeable from under the suit. There was another awkward moment of silence as she quickly composed herself and removed the hoof from his person.

“So, you were eves dropping, hmm?” Cloud asked, prodding the two a little more just for grins. She gave them both a half lidded smile. “I though The Wonderbolts were above such things as petty spying missions.” Even Dash had to stifle a laugh at that remark. Then it hit her.

“Wait,” the prismatic mare asked, “what are you two doing here?”

“Celestia sent us to check up on the team’s progress,” Spitfire responded. “Though it was Tartarus trying to break through the density without the other Bolts. It’s why it took us so long to get here; had to take the arch maneuver to avoid getting slammed into the cliff faces.”

“Well, I’m just glad you’re here.” Dash pushed away from the table and trotted up to them. “Now we can clean this storms’ clock and head for home. C’mon, Cloud, let’s finish this.”

But as Dash made a bee line for the exit, Sorin’ blocked her path. She looked at him, puzzled. She side stepped only to be halted this time by Spitfire. Now she was getting peeved.

“What the hay you guys,” Rainbow spat, starting to lose her cool again. “This isn’t funny.”

There was a thick atmosphere of hesitation between the two Wonderbolts, as if they’d done something wrong. Cloudbuster picked up on it, too, leaving the table to join at her former studen’s’ side. Then Spitfire smiled a strange smile. She looked, sad and uneasy.

“I’m sorry Dash, Cloud. I know your teams did the best they could given the unknown severity you faced, but the storm has proved too great for even the Princess’ to corral with their combined magic. It’s why neither Unicorns nor Alicorns could help as it renders their casting abilities useless. Only Pegusi and Earth ponies are unaffected by it.”

“Woah, woah, woah.. Hold on a sec here. Are you telling me that even the rulers of the sun and moon do anything? Why not? They’re the strongest in all of Equestria; the world.”

“The stronger the magic the wielder possesses, the more the storm counters it. It’s one of main reasons the weather teams were created; these storms are exceedingly rare – once in a decade, maybe – , but their devastation is almost total to places in their path.”

Cloud found it was now her jaw that needed lifting from the floor as this new data sunk in and, quite frankly, found herself getting furious. She spoke through clenched teeth, “Are you telling me that Celestia knew about this and didn’t bother to warn us? How many of us have been sacrificed for her little secret, hmm?”

“Yeah, I almost lost a friend out there today,” Dash quickly added, as both mares back the other two against the wall. “How many others has ‘our beloved Princess’ sent to an early grave?”

“Please calm down, both of you,” Soarin’ interjected, trying to keep the situation at hoof from boiling over. “It isn’t like that at all. Like Spitfire said, these storms are rare. By the time Celestia realized how bad things were, it was too late. She tried sending word but the storm counteracted the message.”

“He’s right. It’s why she sent us instead,” Spitfire nodded, feeling the tension ease slightly. “As it stands, both teams did an amazing job given such short notice. There simply wasn’t time to get word to other weather teams. Right now the storm is almost directly over-“

”...Ponyville,” Rainbow gasped, feeling an ice drop in her stomach. She’d been so caught up with Cloud and her daughter, she’d completely forgotten her duty to the rest of Equestria. Crest fallen she looked down, shoulders and ears drooping as if lead weights were cast upon them. Cloud placed a compassionate hoof upon her to ease her pain.

“Nopony is blaming you, Dash,” Cloud whispered softly. “You did all you could, we all did. None of us knew what to expect.”

Rainbow looked over at her mentor, then to the Wonderbolts before her, seeing the same tone upon all their faces: regret. Regret for things they could or, perhaps, could not have prevented. Her brow furrowed. Regret was not cool. Neither was giving up. She steeled herself, briskly removing Cloud’s hoof from her person and forced her way through the obstructing Pegusi pair, stopping once she had a clear view of the hallway waiting patiently just outside the doorway.

“There is nothing I could say that would repay all the damage I did you, Cloud. Nor the words to express to you two the failure I allowed as the lead weather mare on my district...” Soft hoof falls echoed upon the tile floor once more as the prismatic mare exited the room. “...But there is one thing I can do:,” she looked back at the trio, a gleam of desperation with her rose orbs, “a Sonic Rainboom.”

Author's Note

Was hoping to finish the last bit in this chapter, but will add one more.