The wet and beaten suit was still quite usable thanks to the excellent craftsmanship that had gone into it. Now Rainbow Dash was resting in the living area of the lab after toweling off and getting some water to drink upon her return. This time instead of Whistler and Cosmic Sight sitting around with her it was Whistler and Autumn Breeze, Cosmic Sight was looking at the information gleaned from the suit as well to see what kind of magical phenomena it went through and how he could tailor-make a spell for any pegasus trying to fly through the deepest parts of the storm. Rainbow Dash had also already relayed to the others her intentions and misgivings, which Whistler said he would answer for her while the others worked.
Whistler stretched and made a deep sigh, Rainbow Dash didn’t want to comment on his age out loud but he was probably getting a little up there in years and didn’t have near the kind of energy she did.
“So,” he said. “I suppose at this point you’ll sleep here one more night and then head out tomorrow to break into the eye?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow Dash nodded.
Whistler smiled. “Good, it’ll be nice to finally get this all over with. I can tell you that you don’t need to worry about us, the lab can stay afloat without the wind from the storm thanks to the eggheads and Cosmic Sight, it was made with that as a precaution. And once you do make the storm go away I can fly down to the tunnels and alert everyone.”
“And then hopefully we can start to rebuild,” Autumn Breeze said.
“Yeah,” Whistler paused for a second, deep in thought. “It’ll be tough now with how much damage the storm has done to the land here. And without the wind we won’t have the power necessary to live in the tunnels and power all the lights and other things needed to grow our food and what have you. It’ll be difficult to readjust and things are likely going to be worse for us for a while than they are now, but we’ll pull through.”
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to speak up when Autumn Breeze cut her off.
“Yes, I don’t want you to worry about us. We managed to do all of this even with this catastrophic storm raging. We’re a tough group of ponies, so please don’t hesitate or have any reservations when it comes to getting rid of this storm,” the other pegasus told her.
The blue pegasus folded her legs in front of her chest and sat back. “Alright. I believe in you guys too you know? So if you’re saying that then I’m gonna destroy this storm tomorrow.”
“We wouldn’t want it any other way,” Whistler smirked at her.
The three pegasi sat in silence after that, Rainbow Dash still halfway resting after coming back in from the storm. It may have been an easier trip than the other times but it still took a lot out of her. She sipped on the same cup of water she had had from the beginning and together they waited for the two unicorns to be done with the suit. Rainbow Dash had no idea how long that would take. First they needed to analyze everything the suit told them and then Cosmic had to make a new spell. And how long did it take to make a spell? She didn’t know. Maybe it would go faster cause he just kind of needed to improve on a spell he could already use. But she didn’t even know how much information they even had to go over in the first place.
It was annoying that she’d have to wait another day and sleep here in the lab again before heading out tomorrow but she couldn’t really deny that stopping this storm in the middle of the night would bring up even more problems than there already were. And she wasn’t sure if she had the energy to make it back to the eye after the return trip anyways. Sleep would do her a lot of good. But she wasn’t going to close her eyes until she got to talk to Lightning Rod and Cosmic Sight and hear what they had to say and show for all their work.
Hopefully a perfect working spell that was done soon. Then not just her but everyone here could relax and she’d fly out again first thing tomorrow morning.
She hadn’t noticed that she had almost fallen asleep in her chair until the door to the testing chamber was thrown open and the two unicorns came walking out. Lightning Rod and Cosmic Sight both had big smiles on their faces, a good sign if there ever was one. Neither of them carried the suit so they must’ve left it after getting all they needed from it.
“You’re done?” Whistler asked them.
Lightning Rod eagerly nodded. “Done indeed. You can’t begin to imagine the wealth of information gleaned from that flight. The magic, the weather, it’s all completely clear to us now.”
“So then the spell too?” Autumn Breeze said as he looked over at Cosmic Sight.
“Yes,” the other unicorn proudly responded. “Obviously it hasn’t been tested but I’m sure that I now have the perfect spell that could help anyone break through the weather of this storm. Absolutely fine tuned to the most powerful and active parts of the storm, no random weather or wind is going to beat my enchantment now.”
Rainbow Dash grinned and hopped out of her chair. “That’s just what I wanted to hear. And don’t worry about not having tested it, what would an adventure be without a little danger?”
Cosmic Sight chuckled. “Yes, it seems you will have to be the test. Perhaps it’s a little grim to think of but we’ll know whether or not things worked as they should if the storm goes away or doesn’t. Since you said you won’t be coming back this way if it does.”
“Yeah, once I find out what’s up with this storm and stop it I’m gonna keep going north. Already itching for the next part of my journey you know?” Rainbow said. “Being able to help you guys is definitely cool but there’s still way more I want to do up here. I know there’s gotta be more action if I keep going.”
“I hope you enjoy the rest of your adventure then,” Autumn Breeze told her.
“After you rid us of this storm,” Whistler chimed in.
“And after we all get some rest. This has been quite the job for all of us,” Lightning Rod said. “We’ll get some shut eye and see Rainbow Dash off tomorrow.” The unicorn looked at her with a friendly smile. “I don’t know how big you are on goodbyes or anything but I think I speak for us all when I say we truly can’t thank you enough. We’ll miss you.”
Rainbow Dash blushed slightly and rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment. “Yeahhh, I’m not really one for the sentimental stuff but I appreciate it. Tomorrow morning I’ll be off real quick so I guess I’ll say goodbye to you guys right now, it was cool meeting you and good luck on fixing your home and rebuilding everything.”
The four stallions smiled and each one took their turn shaking her hoof, with Lightning Rod being the last.
“Thank you, Rainbow Dash.”
She had never been inside a raging storm that felt so calm before.
But that was just the power of Cosmic Sight’s perfected spell.
Despite the fury of the storm not lessening in the slightest since yesterday, Rainbow Dash flew through it with ease. Even without wearing the suit now she could easily traverse it. And unlike before she could really feel the powerful magic of Cosmic’s spell enveloping her body. He had to put a lot of energy into it this morning right before she left but it paid off nicely. So far the anti-weather spell was working even better than she expected. The clouds and wind shot by at incredible speeds but Rainbow Dash could almost lazily fly right through them all as she made her way to the eye.
The thunder didn’t bother her, nor the lightning, nor the fact that she again wasn’t wearing goggles. She was just flying like normal and making good time to the center of the hurricane. Once she got back to Equestria she’d have to tell Twilight or Starlight about weather spells like this, they could probably think of a good use for them.
Rainbow Dash started whistling as she flew through the rain and hail of the depths of the storm. Even it didn’t pound down on her like the other times. The rain felt like a light drizzle and the hail just sort of drifted into her instead of shooting at her. What a pleasant flight this was turning out to be for her, even Fluttershy would enjoy this kind of cruise.
“I can’t say it’s all me, but sorry, storm. You lost to us and now I’m going to finish things,” Rainbow said to nothing in particular while she flew. “Whatever your deal is me and those eggheads beat you.”
The wind kept up its futile battle against her, trying its hardest to blow Rainbow Dash away. But this was even more of a one-sided fight than before and Rainbow Dash could easily chug on through it all. The wind was less than a distraction even as the storm put its power and direct focus onto her with a violent stream blowing at her face.
A short time ago this would’ve been enough to deal with her. But no longer.
It only took a short moment for her to reach the eye of the storm this time. She had a feeling of deja vu as she flew in front of the solid mass of unmoving clouds while the wind whipped around her like an angry howl. Inside there was the answer. Unlike yesterday today was going to be the day she discovered it. Whatever it was, whatever was awaiting her, Rainbow Dash was excited to see it.
A grin tugged at her lips and she flapped her wings, bolting into the cocoon of clouds. “Showtime.”
For a second she could see nothing, so tightly packed were the clouds, but soon they began to thin out and it was almost like there was a light at the end of the tunnel for her. Rainbow Dash kept pushing herself on until it opened up into the true eye.
The clouds broke against her, one layer after another, getting lighter and lighter until all she needed to do was fly through one last cloud.
Rainbow Dash popped into the eye of the storm and stopped, her expression serious and her eyes narrowed as she looked around. In only a second though her expression relaxed and her eyes widened in surprise and confusion. The tense attitude she had had disappeared and all the blue pegasus did now was flap her wings and float in place, tilting her head at the sight before her.
This was not what she had expected.
It was quieter than the inside of a storm had any right to be. In the middle of the hurricane’s eye sat a bed of the whitest, softest, looking clouds Rainbow Dash had ever seen in her life.
And on that bed of clouds rested a pegasus the size of a castle.