The Factory's Remnants

The floating city of Cloudsdale loomed ahead of the pair, its pillars and domes of vapor growing larger and more imposing as they neared. Thundercloud wheezed as he gained altitude. They dropped on the threshold of a gate.

Thundercloud dropped his head and then collapsed. “I… Need… To… Get… Into… Shape!” he said, wheezing on the cloud floor.

The gate guard wrinkled her eyebrows. “Is he alright?” she asked.

“He’ll be fine,” Sunny Blaze replied as he nudged Thundercloud with a hoof.

Thundercloud trembled to his hooves.

Sunny Blaze flashed a card and they both entered the floating city.

Thundercloud looked around. “It’s been so long since I was here. I might be the first of…the workers to be here since then.”

Sunny Blaze hopped on a few tufts of clouds and replied, “Yeah, maybe.”

Thundercloud paced himself. “So, what where do we go now?”

“Like I said, I thought you might like to meet our group.”

“You meant it? Like, first thing?” Thundercloud stopped.

Sunny Blaze stood with all four hooves on a small cloud. “Yeah.”

“Why? Couldn’t we tour the city first, or maybe I can just meet your wife, or…”

“None of that. I promised them they’d meet somepony special. We’re going there first.”

Thundercloud snorted. “What? Why didn’t you mention this before?”

Sunny Blaze lowered his snout, “And just where else could we start, after everything I’ve told you?”

“Ugh, Alright, fine,” Thundercloud grumbled.

A breeze dissipated the cloud Sunny Blaze had been standing on, causing him to hop to firmer clouds. “I just want them you know you’re a normal pony. I can’t guarantee everypony’s reaction though.”

They wandered through the streets of the floating city. “It really hasn’t changed much since I left,” Thundercloud remarked as he wondered at the sites.

“That’s kind of a damning statement,” Sunny Blaze replied. “How long did you work there that…”

“Long enough. It’s not like it takes long for the brain to be corrupted after seeing… what I did.”

They walked wordlessly on the streets, other pegasi streaming above them, darting through the sky.

Thundercloud spoke up. “I do miss being among the clouds.” He pulled the hood off of his head and sniffed the air. “The purity of the humidity, the lack of Earth smells. It’s something special.” A small cloud floated nearby. “I love the ground and my cottage, but the sky…” he nudged the cloud with his muzzle and smiled as it changed direction.

“We’re almost there,” Sunny Blaze proclaimed.

A square building nestled in clouds at a street corner revealed itself through haze.

“This is where we meet,” Sunny Blaze said, pointing toward the door.

They entered. After traversing a corridor, they reached a door that Sunny Blaze opened.

“You go in first,” he told Thundercloud.

“Me first?”

“It’s the only way it’ll work.”

Thundercloud did so, and the soft exclamations of a few ponies entered his ears, which he flattened. He walked to the front of the crowd, closed his eyes, and sat on his haunches.

The sound of the door closing followed, and Sunny Blaze’s voice addressed the crowd. “Everypony, this is my friend Thundercloud. He worked there.”

Gasps arose.

“Yeah, I said I’d be bringing somepony back and…”

“I thought you didn’t mean it!”

“FRIEND?!”

The sound of somepony vomiting echoed.

Thundercloud kept his eyes closed as Sunny Blaze continued. “Yes, he’s my friend.”

The crowd murmured amongst itself. Thundercloud kept his head down, but tears began welling in his eyes.

Hoofsteps neared him and stopped. “So, you’re who my dear Sunny has talked about,” said a mare. Thundercloud felt a hoof lifting his chin. He opened his glazed eyes to see a dull yellow mare with the large belly of an obvious pregnancy protruding over her rear legs.

“I have a memory of you, but not anywhere near as clear as Sunny’s” she cradled his chin, sat down, and used her other front hoof to wipe his tears.

Thundercloud choked back tears.

A few other ponies gathered around him.

“He doesn’t look like a factory aide.”

“Why would he?”

“He looks so normal.”

“Of course the factory had normal ponies.”

“STOP!” Thundercloud shouted. He started sobbing.

The crowd backed away.

“I wish I could bring all of them back,” Thundercloud wept, collapsing to the floor. “Every day…”

Thundercloud felt a hoof wrap around his back and another under his neck. The mare’s smooth voice whispered into his ear, “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not,” he whimpered.

Sunny Blaze’s voice interrupted. “Vapor Puff,” he said, “We should let him go.”

Vapor Puff released her grip.

Containing his sobs, Thundercloud said, “Vapor Puff?”

Sunny Blaze nestled himself against the mare and nuzzled her, who nuzzled him in return.

“My wife,” Sunny Blaze said with his head draped over her neck. “And our foal,” he said grazing her belly with his hoof.

The crowd gathered around Thundercloud, their eyes piercing him. He perked his ears and sat up straight. Clearing his tears, he sniffled and proclaimed, “Yeah, I’m a Rainbow Factory worker. I threw foals into the pegasus device. I know you were all there on the last day. I was too. I hate myself. What more do you want from me?”

Ponies in the crowd had differing reactions. Some fled through the door, one fainted, but most remained. A diminutive stallion approached and sat in front of Thundercloud. “I’m sorry they did this to you,” he said. The stallion then stretched his front legs over Thundercloud’s shoulders and embraced him. “I can’t imagine what that’s like,” the stallion said. The hug continued in silence, with Thundercloud smiling and appreciating the warmth.

“I have something to show you. You won’t like it.” Thundercloud retrieved his smock and mask from his bags and donned them. “This is how you remember me. It’s how I remember me. They called me Mister Dark. We all had fake names,” He sighed and donned the mask. “I guess I wasn’t good enough to earn the title of Doctor.”

“Mr. Dark?” questioned a tepid voice.

“Yeah?”

“What was it like?”

“Like what?” Thundercloud huffed through the mask.

“Just being there.”

“A nightmare you can never be awoken from.”

“Why are you doing this?” Sunny Blaze stepped in front of Thundercloud, bit down on the mask, and ripped it from his face.

“This was your idea,” grumbled Thundercloud, scowling at Sunny Blaze.

“I didn’t tell you to dress up!” Sunny Blaze whispered through his closed teeth, which still gripped the mask.

Thundercloud removed the smock. He grabbed the mask from Sunny Blaze and returned the ensemble to his saddlebags.

A mare approached Thundercloud and sat in front of him. “Can I hold it?”

“What, the disguise?” he replied.

“Yeah.”

“Why?”

“Just because.”

“I guess so.” Thundercloud rummaged through his saddlebags and removed the mask and smock, pushing them toward her with his nose.

Thundercloud watched her knead the mask with her hooves. She looked it over, squinted and pulled it over her head. She grabbed the smock and pulled it over her back, wiggling her body so that her wings protruded from the slots in the sides. “Hah!” she exclaimed, “Looks like I’d fit right in! Wow, this thing is smelly.” She turned to Thundercloud, smirked, and said, “Was clean laundry ever required at the factory?”

Thundercloud didn’t respond, he instead hung his head.

“Ah, whatever,” she finished. “I thought I might get a laugh from you.” She ripped off the disguise and dropped it at his hooves.

Thundercloud bundled the disguise into his saddlebags. He paused after doing so, took a deep breath, and said, “I know you’re all trying to get a laugh to live what it was like being there for one day. But I was there for, I don’t even know how long. I don’t know how many I,” he paused to sniffle. “It’s not the same.. Laugh all you want; it doesn’t bring them back.” His ears drooped, he collapsed to the floor and started sobbing.

The crowd silenced.

Thundercloud felt a pair of hooves under his front legs, lifting him upright. “C’mon, Thundercloud,” her heard Sunny Blaze through say through his tears, “Let’s just get out of here.”

He felt himself lift into the air. To his left was Sunny Blaze and to his right was Vapor Puff. They carried him through Cloudsdale until they arrived at an apartment block. They entered one flat where Thundercloud felt himself being dropped onto a soft surface. The aroma of incense filled his nose and he fell asleep.

Thundercloud found himself reclining on a lounge made of clouds. He pulled some of the vapor into a pillow and wrapped his front legs around it, stuffing his muzzle into the cloud to admire the soft scent of water. He smiled.

The gentle flapping wings and the soft impact of hooves into a cloud surface drew his attention. He raised his head to see Sunny Blaze’s face inches from his. “Agh!” Thundercloud jerked his head back.

“I was just making sure you weren’t dead,” Sunny Blaze said, dropping to his haunches.

“Don’t do that!” Thundercloud growled.

“What, not stare in your face, or ensure you aren’t dead?” Sunny Blaze responded.

Thundercloud remained still.

“That was a joke.”

“Alright, kid, I gotta say, you’ve made some dark jokes,” Thundercloud slid off the couch.

“Like I said,” Sunny Blaze continued.

“Yeah, you told me. Stop it.” Thundercloud looked around at his surroundings. “Is this your place?” The apartment was a simple flat, with a combined kitchen, dining room, and living room, a separate bedroom, and one bathroom, all surrounded by cloud walls on the exterior.

“Yep,” Sunny Blaze replied, “The first place Vapor and me had together. It’s the best we can afford right now with our jobs.”

Thundercloud sat up, his eyes still foggy. “What do you do?”

“I work at the Weather Factory as a rainmaker. The place has given a lot of leniency to former, uh, victims, so to speak. I can come and go whenever.”

“You, you…” Thundercloud sputtered with rage building in his chest.

“We’re paid by the same ponies,” Sunny Blaze declared.

“You knew that?!” Thundercloud pressed his head into Sunny Blaze’s.

They remained still, heads pressed together, and they began snorting at each other and circling.

“Why didn’t you tell me in the first place?!” Thundercloud shouted.

“You, a factory worker? You think you’d believe me?” Sunny Blaze retorted.

“I trusted you! You said you can help me!”

“I can, you just need to stop!”

“Stop!” shouted Vapor Puff.

They continued circling each other, their muzzles fixated together and snorting until Sunny Blaze rose his front hooves and kicked. Thundercloud reared and exchanged blows. They kicked at each other, their hooves flying and gashing their bodies.

Sunny Blaze landed a blow into Thundercloud’s belly, who responded by bucking his head into Sunny Blaze’s chest.

Thundercloud swung his hoof into Sunny Blaze’s left eye, making firm contact.

Sunny Blaze grabbed that leg, used it for leverage, and bit into Thundercloud’s ear, causing Thundercloud to squeal and grapple Sunny Blaze to the ground, biting into his neck while standing over the other stallion.

Sunny Blaze pushed him away and hopped to his hooves.

They turned their backs to each other, rear hooves raised, preparing to buck.

“SUNNY!” shouted Vapor Puff. She flapped her wings, pulled Sunny Blaze away from the scrum, and tackled him to the cloud floor. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Nothing, dear.” Sunny Blaze worked his way from his wife’s grip.

“Yeah, right,” Vapor Puff replied. “You owe me an explanation once you’ve worked this out, or else I’ll kick you in the face.” She left for the bathroom and returned with gauze and bandages.

“You mean you’ve worked for the Factory this whole time?!” Thundercloud snorted.

“No! Only for the weather corporation. I didn’t know they were the same until…” Sunny Blaze paused.

“Until what?’ Thundercloud huffed. He approached Sunny Blaze, narrowing his eyes.

“Until we found the records. I swear!” Sunny Blaze cowered with his ears lowered.

Thundercloud stood still for a moment, then reached out a hoof. Sunny Blaze took it and stood.

“How’d you find the records?” Thundercloud grunted. “For real?”

Sunny Blaze hung his head. “They gave them to us.”

“Who’s “They?””

“The corporation.” Sunny coughed. “You know, you got me good. Better than the first time.”

Vapor Puff scowled. “Don’t joke about that!” She scorned.

Sunny Blaze glared at his wife and mouthed without speaking let us have this.

Thundercloud plopped next to Sunny Blaze. “They gave them to you?”

Sunny Blaze lowered his shoulders. “Look, I lied. Not by much. It’s more that we put two and two together.” Sunny Blaze turned his head. revealing the shiner on his left eye that was growing darker. “Nopony had ever tried this before, at least I don’t think.”

“They want somepony to know, don’t they?” Thundercloud said as Vapor Puff wrapped gauze around his ear.

“I already said that,” Sunny Blaze replied.

“Yeah, but doesn’t that make it clear now? The reason for this?”

“I don’t know.”

“She’s trying to destroy every last remnant of the factory, without anypony noticing. Not just the machines, but us too. Make it an urban legend.”

Sunny Blaze turned. “So that nopony would ever believe it in the first place!”

Thundercloud nodded. “And they’ve probably been dismantling it, piece by piece, so slow that nopony even notices. How close have you been to it?”

Sunny Blaze shaked his head. “I’ve seen the front doors. They aren’t really guarded. I know a few ponies who’ve gone past them, but that’s as far anypony wants to go.”

“So, it could be completely destroyed by now, couldn’t it?” Thundercloud concluded.

Sunny Blaze’s mouth dropped open. “She could have destroyed it, right under our noses, this whole time!”

“You don’t think She could be The Princess for so long without learning a few things about subterfuge and deception?”

Sunny Blaze closed his eyes. “I’m so naïve. They led me right into this.”

“Yeah, well, I bet She wasn’t expecting a victim to make friends with a worker.”

Vapor Puff sat in front of them. “I just cannot believe you two. Grownups acting like this.” She looked into Sunny Blaze’s blackened eye. “We don’t have any ice packs. You’re on your own with that one.” She kissed him on the cheek. She turned again to face Thundercloud. “Anything like this again and you’re out on your tail. I agreed that you can be a guest, but that’s limited. You’re on thin ice. Got it?”

Thundercloud nodded; his eyes wrinkled into a worried look.

“Good. Now be quiet.” She walked into the bedroom. Sunny Blaze lay on the floor. He pulled a book from an end table and opened it.

Thundercloud peered at Sunny Blaze. “You’re not going to follow her?”

“No. She’s close, and sometimes just wants me to stay away from her. Not always of course,” he smirked. “Maybe tomorrow. though.”

“Oh, ha, okay!” Thundercloud lumbered to the futon. “Do you have any of those records here?”

“I was hoping you’d ask.” Sunny Blaze opened a closet door and removed a safe. He turned the lock until the safe opened. He pulled out a banker’s box, set it on the table, and lifted the lid. Folders stuffed the box.

“You said you only found a few.”

“That is just a few, for as long as it’s rumored to have operated.” Sunny Blaze pulled one file out and set it on the table. All it had was a number. “Open it.”

Thundercloud did, and the first image was of his own shrouded face, though much younger. In the photo, he stared straight ahead with no expression. Next to his profile were the words THUNDERCLOUD/MISTER DARK. He closed the file.

“You can look through the rest.”

Thundercloud did. Even though everypony wore a disguise, he could still tell by the eyes who was who. And sometimes more than that stood out, such as when a pony had a distinctive mane that couldn’t be completely covered. As he nosed through them, he saw the photograph of somepony familiar. She had a white coat and golden mane that couldn’t be completely covered. He recognized her only as Doctor Rush. Next to her photo was the name “Surprise.” “So, you have a name now.” He smiled.

“I’ve gone back and forth through these a lot,” Sunny Blaze explained. “I feel like I know each one of them. Is that somepony important?” Sunny Blaze asked.

“Not to all of Equestria, but to me she is. She was my supervisor. And I guess the engineer, which I never even knew.”

“Anything else?”

“No, put it away. I’m tired.”

Sunny Blaze returned the box to the safe and shut the closet. He walked into the bedroom and shut the door.

Thundercloud dropped onto the futon, piled clouds around his head, and fell asleep.

Thundercloud was awakened by a loud knocking at the front door of the apartment. He looked through the main room and saw nopony. “I guess I’m the I’m the doorman.” he grumbled.

Thundercloud dragged himself from the futon and opened the door. A Canterlot Royal Guard pegasus mare stood upright in front of him, her metal helmet almost sliding from her head and her uniform ill-fitting her.

Thundercloud glared at her. “What now?” he quipped.

“The Princess says you’re cut off,” she declared standing straight.

“What in Tartarus does that mean?” Thundercloud grumbled.

“Um, cut off.” She maintained her composure.

“Can you explain that?” Thundercloud said, pressing forward.

She pushed her helmet from her eyes and her wings fluttered. She replied, “You’re no longer being paid. That’s all they told me. I, I don’t even know what it means.”

Thundercloud looked her in the eyes “Thanks.” He turned his eyes to the floor. “Just go away.”

The guard pony flapped away.

Thundercloud dug through his belongings and found a jug of cider. “That’s why I brought you, sweetie.” He smiled and lifted the jug to his lips.

“You got fired?!” exclaimed Sunny Blaze, a front hoof wrapped around Thunderclound.

“Yeah,” Thundercloud replied through closed eyes, his head throbbing.

“From the Factory?!”

“Yeah.” Thundercloud buried clouds around his head/

“How?”

Thundercloud opened and his eyes and sneered at Sunny Blaze, “I guess they care after all.”

He rolled onto his back. “Go even a little open, and poof.” He made an exaggerated spreading motion with his front hooves, spreading vapor across the flat.

Sunny Blaze folded his legs underneath him and sat next to Thundercloud. “Now what?”

“Honest work, I guess. Something I haven’t had since I was hired at the weather factory, and before the Rainbows.”

Thundercloud rolled over to his belly and laid his head on the ground, his eyes still closed. “Imagine the interviews” he slurred,”. Oh, I see you worked at the Rainbow Factory,” he sneered. Yeah I was very efficient, no foals got in my way. They all made it into the machine, except one.” He folded his legs underneath himself. “Guess I have to give up my cottage now.”

“This might sound crass,” Sunny Blaze paused, “but you might be able to get your old job back.”

“You mean the Rainbow Fa…”

“No,” he scoffed, “I mean whatever you did before.”
“I was a cloudshaper. I’m too old and slow for that now. And they don’t want us around. They told us that when they said goodbye.”

“Eh, it was worth a shot,” Sunny Blazed replied.

Thundercloud felt Sunny Blaze’s front leg rest over his back. “I know it sounds crazy,” Sunny Blaze said, “but what if you were open about it? Like, you talked to ponies about it?”

“What, tell all of Cloudsdale I worked there?”

“All of Equestria. Everypony just wants to forget, and She’s making sure that happens. There’s never been any justice for it. Hay, the rest of Equestria wasn’t all that surprised. Yeah, that sounds like the Pegasi race was their response,” he sneered. “I find that pretty offensive.”

Thundercloud kept his head on the floor. “And then what?”

“I have no idea.”

Sunny Blaze and Vapor Puff walked side by side, each having one wing draped over the other, with Thundercloud trailing just behind them, on Cloudsdale’s main thoroughfare. Thundercloud looked around, seeing stalls with signs advertising everything from “exotic Earth pony food” to “unicorn magic powder.”

Sunny Blaze and Vapor Puff stopped at a stall selling popcorn. Thundercloud separated from them and wandered through the street. He came across a stall selling bricks of hay. The sign hanging above the window proclaimed that the hay was imported from various Earth pony farms and was of the best quality. Below that was a “Help Wanted” sign. Thundercloud stopped in front of the stall. “Is it really from the best farms?”

A short and scrawny teenage stallion managing the counter answered, his wings opening in surprise, “I don’t know. That’s just what my mom tells me.”

A mare with yellow fur and a green mane and tail appeared with her wings spread open and head hung low in a show of aggression. “You questioning my kid? My business?”

Thundercloud backed away with his ears lowered. “Uh, no. I just wanted to know.”

“Unless you plan on buying stuff or gettin’ the job, you best leave.” She folded her wings.

Thundercloud paused to take a few breaths. “Uh, yeah, I wanna know about the job.”

The mare squinted. “Okay. Can you lift heavy loads?”

Thundercloud remembered the machine. “Yeah.”

“Any problems starting now?”

“Uh, no, not really…” he stammered.

“Good. I need a bunch of hay bricks unloaded from the stores, and I’m too busy with paperwork.” The mare turned around and walked away.

“You’re just gonna hire sight unseen?” replied Thundercloud.

The mare stopped and replied without turning. “This town had the Factory. I figure I can’t get anypony worse.”

“Uh, sure.” Thundercloud sputtered.

“Follow me,” the mare continued.

She led Thundercloud to a storage area behind the tent. “Make sure the front stays stocked. My colt takes care of the sales, and he’s pretty good. We close at six, like the rest. You got a few hours. I’ll make sure you have your bits by the end.”

“Got it. So, uh, what’s your name?” Thundercloud asked.

The pony was in the process of opening a storage door. “Oh, yeah. Sorry, I get caught up in business. Lightning Blitz.” She extended a front hoof.

“Thundercloud,” he answered, returning the gesture.

“My son there is Blazer. Just get on loading this stuff to the front.”

Thundercloud pulled brick after brick of “Genuine Earth Pony Hay” to the front, which disappeared as quickly as he could bring it. He rushed back and forth for hours, working his legs and wings to their limits.

“Six more!” cried the young stallion. Thundercloud raced to storage.

“Anything you can get,” the colt requested.

“We’re almost out,” Thundercloud shouted.

With each request Thundercloud grew more exhausted.

Just as the sun was setting the market closed and Thundercloud dropped to the floor.

Blazer stood over him. “Are you okay?” he squeaked.

“Just… need… a… minute,” Thundercloud wheezed.

“Looks like you need a lot more than one.”

A bag of coins dropped at Thundercloud’s front hooves.

He looked up at Lightning Blitz, who was squinting in exhaustion.

Lightning Blitz peered at him. “You worked like crazy today. It’s like you’ve worked an assembly line before.”

Thundercloud trembled and rose to his hooves. “Yeah, I kinda did, a long time ago,” he quavered. He grabbed the bag with his teeth and tossed it into a saddle bag. “What time should I be here tomorrow?”

“Ten. When the market opens. Like everypony else.”

Thundercloud flew through the clouds of the city. The orange of the twilight permeated everything. Banks of clouds floated through the air, being one of the few areas the weather patrol didn’t regulate. He burst through several clouds, letting the moisture permeate his fur and feathers, taking in the scent.

He found the block where Sunny Blaze’s and Vapor Puff’s flat was located. The last of the daylight was fading. He tapped on the door. No answer came. He rapped louder. He heard whispers from the other side.

The door opened. Sunny Blaze stood at the threshold. “We wondered when you’d be back.” His mane was disheveled.

“You okay?” Thundercloud asked. He looked past Sunny Blaze and through the door to see Vapor Puff sleeping on the futon.

“I’m just fine.”

Thundercloud pulled the bag of bits from his saddlebag. “I got a job today!” He poured some coins out. “I guess you can consider this rent.”

Sunny Blaze stared at the pile. “Great. We’re headed to bed now.” He picked up the bag and dropped it on the kitchen counter.

Sunny Blaze nuzzled Vapor Puff awake. She stood from the futon, and they walked side by side into their bedroom, nuzzling each other the whole time.

Thundercloud blushed, realizing what he’d walked into.

Thundercloud laid on the futon and pressed a pillow over his head. He fell asleep.

The whirring and scraping sounds were distant, but the sizzling of pancakes were near. The rich smell of frying dough awakened Thundercloud. He rose from the futon and walked into the kitchen. Sunny Blaze was standing over a skillet, his mouth holding a spatula. One pancake sizzled in the pan. He flipped it.

Sunny Blaze laid the spatula on a plate next to the stovetop. He took a deep breath. “look, last night,”

“Don’t apologize,” Thundercloud said.

“It’s not weird?” Sunny Blaze stared at the pancake.

“No. Well, yes, but, no. I invaded your space. I don’t know what else I expected. You’re both young.”

Sunny Blaze smiled. “Yeah sorry. It happens. We were in a mood.”

Thundercloud blushed and smirked, turning his face away from Sunny Blaze.

Sunny Blaze flipped the pancake again and dropped the spatula on a cloth. “These are all yours if you want. Vapor won’t be awake for a while. I’ll probably be making her lunch instead. She’s really close. The foal is coming any day now.”

“Wait,” Thundercloud turned and squinted at Sunny Blaze, “you’re…”

Sunny Blaze glowered at him. “Don’t even finish that sentence, that’s none of your business,” he turned back to the skillet, “and if she wants it, and I’m not saying no.”

Thundercloud stifled a laugh.

“What’s so funny?” Sunny Blaze replied after flipping a pancake.

“You kinda made it my business. You invited me to stay. I remember being that young. I had marefriends, until the factory made me…”

“No, no, you’re right,” Sunny Blaze said, moving the food to a plate piled full of pancakes. He turned and frowned. “Wait, what’d they ask?”

Thundercloud lowered his head. “The factory, when it grabbed us, wanted ponies without relationships and families. Nopony we could talk to. Since we couldn’t leave anyway.”

“Why?”

Thundercloud dropped his head further and lowered his ears. “Because nopony would miss us.”

Sunny Blaze dropped his eyebrows as he flipped another pancake. He left the spatula at the stove and turned “That’s really sad. Somepony would. Miss you, I mean.” He wrapped his front leg over Thundercloud.

Thundercloud wriggled away and replied, “Maybe. That’s why it unraveled. A lot of ponies would have missed us.”

“But they wouldn’t have missed us?” Sunny Blaze said. He grabbed the plate of pancakes with his teeth and carried them to the table.

“They spent a thousand years not missing their children, in that Glorious Collective,” Thundercloud rolled his eyes. his stomach growled. He gathered the pancakes onto a plate and wandered to the center table where Sunny Blaze was eating his one pancake. He scarfed his own pancakes.

After he finished, he said, “Those days are over,” casting his eyes to the ground and folding his ears.

“You domn’t need ampologize to phme,” Sunny Blaze muffled with a mouth full of pancakes. He swallowed and continued, “Apologize to all the others…”

“Yeah, I got it, Sunny. You don’t need to explain it.” Thundercloud interrupted.

Sunny Blaze continued, “Anyway, you said you found a job.”

Thundercloud lifted his head from the pile of pancakes. “At the market. I move so-called special bricks of Earth Pony hay. I don’t know what’s so special about it, but the labor felt great for a while.”

“I’m glad you found work, but you smell like a stable.”

Thundercloud glared at Sunny Blaze.

“Well, you do. You’re the one who told me you bathe in a pond.”

Thundercloud continued glaring at him.

Sunny Blaze peered at him. “Take a real shower. I have everything you need. Hey, take as long as you want. I won’t tell Vapor.”

Thundercloud gobbled the remnants of his breakfast and took up Sunny Blaze on his offer.

Upon entering the bathroom, Thundercloud could see that it wasn’t anything more than normal. A toilet was squeezed between a sink and a shower. “Better than a pond.”

There were two knobs in the shower. He played around with them. As he adjusted the knobs with his mouth, the water scalded and chilled him until he achieved the right temperature. He pressed his head into the stream. The warmth was perfect, and he smiled. He stretched and relaxed his wings inside the wide stall, letting the water soak every inch of his feathers.

He spied a loofah on a stick hanging from a hook. He grabbed it and washed every part of himself that he couldn’t with his mouth alone. When he was done, he stood in the stream of hot water, letting it soak through his fur and into his skin. Only when the water cooled did he shut off the flow and step out.

Thundercloud dried off, exited the bathroom, and meandered to the living room. Despite it being the morning, he fell asleep.

Sunny, he can’t stay here forever.

I know, but he’s the one who tossed me…

Yeah, and how long can that kind of relationship last?

The factory just fired him, and he found a new job, and…

Thundercloud jumped from the futon, surprised by the voices. “What time is it?! He stood with his wings extended, huffing.

“Almost 10,” Sunny blaze said.

“Oh no! No, no!” Thundercloud rustled his wings, shot through the front door and into the sky.

Darting through clouds and around other pegasi in the air, he landed at the stall three minutes after ten in front of Lighting Blitz. “I’m late…. Sorry…. I overslept,” he wheezed.

“Late? I didn’t expect you see you again.”

“Huh?” Thundercloud huffed.

“Older guy who is clearly working for a day’s cider money. It happens way too much. I tell ya, this town is falling apart since the Factory…”

“Hey, now stop it,” Thundercloud said, scowling.

“Hey, hey, okay,” Lightning Blitz retorted with her front hooves pushing back in protest. “You showed up. That’s good enough.” Lightning Blitz sat down, “We don’t usually see traffic for another hour anyway. Chill out and sit up front with Blazer until then.” Lightning Blitz departed to wander through the crowd.

Thundercloud plodded forward and plopped on his hindquarters next to Blazer, who was lying down dozing, his eyes shut and snoring.

Thundercloud nudged him. “You know, you probably don’t want your mom to catch you falling asleep on the job.”

Blazer shot to his hooves with his eyes widened. “I’m awake! I’m awake!”

“Calm down, you goofy colt,” Thundercloud said.

Blazer sat on his haunches. “Oh, yeah. The new guy. Aren’t you too old to be working here?”

Thundercloud jerked his head around and squinted. “Too old?”

“You’re, like, older than my mom.”

“I don’t think I am, and what’s that got to do with anything? I did just fine yesterday.”

“You looked like you were going to die at the end of the day. And shouldn’t you be in the Wonderbolts or on Weather Patrol, or something?”

Thundercloud took a deep breath. “Wonderbolts. I wish. I used to have a job that was considered special. That stopped. Now I’m just wandering around.”

Blazer leaned back and chuckled. “What, like, the Rainbow Factory?”

Thundercloud stiffened.

“Wait, hold on. I was joking.”

Thundercloud remained silent.

“Hold up. Did you?” Blazer said, the color draining from his face.

Thundercloud stiffened and stared forward “Until two days ago.”

Blazer hurried to pull himself into a corner, curled into a ball, and a look of terror formed on his face. “What, are you like, a spy?” he huffed.

“What?”

“I failed the exam…” Blazer curled into a ball, tucked his head into his chest, and stared straight ahead.

Thundercloud remained sitting with his eyes downcast and his ears dropped. “That doesn’t happen anymore.” He stood and approached Blazer, placing his hoof on the trembling teenager’s shoulder. “That doesn’t happen anymore.”

The colt unraveled himself and opened his wet eyes. “I’ve just heard, I’ve heard stories, and…”

Thundercloud reached a hoof under Blazer’s chin and lifted him to his feet. “And it’s true. But you’ve clearly heard too many scare stories about how we’re out here, just waiting, hungry again.”

“Did you do it?” Blazer trembled. “Make rainbows?”

Thundercloud sighed and delayed. “Yes.”

Blazer froze, his eyes widened, and his face drained of color. “I’d have been one.”

Thundercloud hesitated, lowered his head, placed his hooves on the ground, and said, “Probably. That was the rules. There were exceptions, but yeah.” He lifted his head to look at Blazer. “It just hasn’t been that way for a long time. And it’s never happening again,”

Blazer kept cowering.

Thundercloud stared at the teenager. “I won’t hurt you. I don’t do that. Not anymore.”

“I don’t believe you,” the young stallion sobbed.

“There’s not a machine around here. It’s not like I could do anything if I wanted.”

Blazer uncurled himself. “But you did,” he whimpered.

Thundercloud dropped to haunches next to the teenager, “I wouldn’t now if I could. I hated every second of it.” Tears welled in his eyes.

Blazer lifted his head and looked into Thundercloud’s eyes.

Thundercloud sniffled back tears. “I’m just trying to get away from it.” He plopped to his haunches.

A banging on the front swinging door surprised them, causing them both to jump. “Open up!” somepony shouted from outside the closed stall door. Blazer shot to all four hooves, his eyes widened and wings spread wide open in surprise.

Thundercloud stood, grabbed Blazer with one hoof, and shoved him to the counter. “You should get to work,” Thundercloud said.

Blazer threw open the rolling metal stall door, revealing a gathered crowd, grumbling about not having their hay. Thundercloud placed his muzzle near Blazer’s ear. “Now there’s a whole other hungry machine you need to feed.”

Thundercloud spent his first full day trotting back and forth between storage and the front counter. In the brief moments he could observe the front counter, he watched Blazer handling transactions.

“No, ma’am, you ordered two, not three.”

“No, I haven’t forgotten your change, it’s right there.”

“Yes, thank you for the tip.”

“Yes, I heard you; two from Appleoosa and one from Ponyville.”

“You’re first, you’re second. Get in order. Don’t argue with me.”

“If you fight, neither gets hay.”

“Yes, and you are lovely as well.”

“Yes, you’re also cute.”

Blazer slammed the scrolling stall door shut. “What a crappy day!” he shouted, slamming a hoof into the cloud floor, “Customers stink!”

“You did pretty well,” Thundercloud rubbed the colt’s ear.

“Thanks,” Blazer trembled. “I don’t like this. They do it every day!” Tears formed in his eyes.

Thundercloud wrapped a front leg over Blazer’s back. “You’re really smart. You’ll be fine.”

Blazer softened under Thundercloud’s embrace. “You said you only worked for them until two days ago. Does that mean it still exists?”

Thundercloud delayed his response, taking a few breaths. “In name only. The machine was destroyed. It’s not… It’s not making rainbows ever again. We’ve been paid to stay silent and hidden.”

“Then why you work here at my mom’s stall?”

Thundercloud looked down and smirked. “I got fired.”

Blazer lifted his eyes. “Fired? From the Rainbow Factory?”

Thundercloud pulled himself away and sat up. “After the destruction, we weren’t allowed to have friends, or get involved with anypony else. I decided to do all of that. So, I got fired. Best decision I ever made.”

Blazer stood up and opposite him in the stall. “Who decided how that works?”

Thundercloud looked down at the scrawny young stallion. “You mean that we couldn’t have friends?”

Blazer nodded.

“Who do you think? Who kept the secret of the machine? Which pony has denied knowledge?” He stood and looked outside the back door toward the lowering Sun.

Blazer followed Thundercloud’s gaze. “No, no, that sucks.”

“But it makes sense.”

Blazer hung his head and dropped his ears. “Yeah, it does.”

Thundercloud grazed the young stallion’s front leg with his hoof. “it’s terrible, but you’re smart enough to handle this.”

Blazer stared ahead. “I don’t even know…”

Thundercloud rubbed a front hoof over Blazer’s back. “Look, I’ve seen, I’ve seen,” he huffed, “a lot of bad things. But I watched something good today.”

Blazer continued sniffling.

“I need this job, and you’re a good kid, and your mom seems pretty honest, and you don’t need this on you.”

“Wouldn’t I be lying if I said I didn’t know what you did?”

“Only if she asks.”

“She will some time.”

“That’s my problem.” Thundercloud spread his wings to lift into the sky.

“What was it like?” Blazer asked.

Thundercloud folded his wings. “What?”

“When you,” He looked away, his eyes downcast. “You fed the machine.”

Thundercloud turned, wrapping his front legs around the colt and burying his head into the colt’s back, “It’s the worst. It’s something I wish I could forget.” Thundercloud sniffled. He released his grip.

Blazer’s eyes dripped tears, “Would I have made a good rainbow?”

“What?!” Thundercloud scoffed.

Blazer pulled away and lay down. “It’s just, ever since I failed, I wondered, and somepony can answer it now.”

Thundercloud turned and sat next to him. “There was never a good rainbow.”

Blazer breathed raggedly. “I just think about it.”

“Don’t do that. Trust me.” Thundercloud stood. “I still see… I see all of them when I’m asleep.”

Blazer stood, his ears still drooping and his eyes tearing. “I’m sorry.”
Thundercloud lifted the colt’s chin with his hoof. “Don’t apologize. You’re the best rainbow ever.” He hugged the colt. “Because you’re the rainbow that didn’t happen.”

Blitzer arose and composed himself, folding and unfolding his wings a few times, shaking his head, and clearing the tears from his eyes. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to cry.”

“It’s okay,” Thundercloud replied.

The rustling of canvas interrupted the moment, and Lightning Blitz burst from the tent in the back that served as an office, her wings open. “This is the best business we’ve done in two years! Thundercloud, you’re great!”

Thundercloud scuttled backward in surprise. “Uh, thank you, Ms. Blitz.”

“Lightning, just Lightning,” the mare snorted. “You must have spent a lot of time with my boy. Shame he can’t ever be a weather pony.”

“Shutup, mom!” Blitzer blushed.

“Uh, yeah, he’s a good kid,” Thundercloud replied. “He runs this place like a champ. He’ll be just fine, um, running this place.”

“Yeah, he will,” Lightning blitz approached Thundercloud and stretched one wing around him., burying her muzzle into his.

“Eww, mom!” Blazer retorted.

She removed her wing from Thundercloud and backed away. “I hope I’ll see you here tomorrow.”

“Well, I’m headed home,” Thundercloud said, flustered, “See ya tomorrow.” He spread his wings and jumped into the sky.