A Cloudsdale Reunion

by Darkmetroidz

Prologue

Derpy Hooves the mailmare hummed as she went about her work. She had run her morning mail route so many times she could do it blindfolded, but why would anypony want to miss enjoying the beautiful scenery of Ponyville? She passed rows of thatched-roof houses, over the verdant fields of Sweet Apple Acres, and along the outskirts of the Everfree forest.

Derpy's bag was a good deal heavier than normal, but she had been expecting that today. With summer beginning next week, the traditional Equestrian season for family reunions had begun, and everypony and their sister in town would be getting tons of mail from their relatives across Equestria.

The next stop on her route was at the cloudy home of Ms. Rainbow Dash, Ponyville's lead weatherpony. Derpy sorted through the stack of parcels in her bag for Rainbow's mail. That can't be right. She thought. The letter in her hoof bore the address and name of the pony in question, but it was stamped with the seal of the Cloudsdale guard. Usually all Rainbow Dash gets is junkmail, Wonderbolts Monthly, and those other magazines she told me never to look at.

The bluish mare shrugged, and put the letter, along with an advertisement for cosmetic wing surgery, and one of those off-limits magazines into the mailbox. They came in a black plastic wrapper, so she could only guess what was inside. Derpy rang the bell on the mailbox, and shouted "MAIL CALL!" up to Rainbow Dash. Hopefully she hadn't slept in too late today. The weather schedule called for clear skies by noon, but it was already ten-thirty and the sky was totally overcast.

Later along her route, Derpy Hooves arrived at Fluttershy's cottage. Unlike her friend, Fluttershy got tons of mail. Alongside frequent correspondence from ponies whose animals she cared for, and a constant flood of solicitations for charity, she also received bulk shipments of supplies for her animals. Feed, medicine and the like. Her mail was strangely lacking today. Just a single envelope, this one stamped with the sigil of the Commander of the Pegasi in Cloudsdale. Again, unsure what to make of it, Derpy rang the bell, called to Fluttershy, and went on her merry way, debating what flavor of muffin she and her young sister would prepare later that day.

* * *

Rarity gave Rainbow Dash a confused look, "I'm sorry, but you need me to do what?" Rainbow was a dear friend, but what she was asking was something rather personal.

"Can I borrow your fainting couch?" Rainbow Dash said again, more slowly than the last time.

The white unicorn looked uneasily insider her boutique. She was closed for lunch, so nopony would be coming in. "Alright, I suppose. However, you will have to share." Rarity opened the door, and showed her friend what she meant. Fluttershy was already on the couch, bawling.

"Is something the matter Rainbow Dash?" Rarity's voice was laden with concern. She was the last pony Rarity had ever expected to utilize the couch intended for use in the event of the worst possible thing happening. Rainbow usually could take anything without breaking her stride.

Her thought process was interrupted by a weeping Fluttershy. "Oh goodness, this is just awful!" She cried.

"Dearest, please tell me what's the matter," Rarity pleaded, "I cannot bear to see you in such a state!"

Fluttershy sniffled, "I got a letter in the mail today. From my dad."

The answer was met with a sigh of relief, "Of course you did, Fluttershy. Everypony gets mail from their relatives at this time of year. Reunion season starts in a few days. Why, I've already gotten letters from my parents, my grandparents, my Uncle Trotsly, and from Sweetie Belle." Rarity read the last letter aloud, "'Dear Rarity, Please can you turn down the crying? The Cutie Mark Crusaders are trying to brainstorm right now. One drama queen is bad enough, we can't tolerate three." Rarity wadded up the letter and deposited it in the trash.

"'Everypony hears from their relatives?' Not the Flutters," The butter-colored pegasus sighed.

"And not the Dashes." Rainbow added. "Hey, Fluttershy? Could you maybe scooch over a little?"

Rarity took it upon herself to council her friends, "Is there some sort of issue with your families. I never hear either of you talk about them."

"You see, the Flutter family is very important in Cloudsdale," Fluttershy explained, "My father, Commander Flutterfury, and his father before him, were the Commander of the city. Basically like mayor, but even more powerful."

"And?" Rarity pressed.

Tears began welling in Fluttershy's eyes again, "My dad hates me! Before I fell out of the city the day I got my cutie mark, my father said I was the biggest disappointment of a Flutter ever born, that I'm afraid of my own shadow, and I can barely fly. And he's right! 2.3 wingpower. My uncle Thunderwind was teased by the family because he could only manage eighteen."

Rarity put a comforting hoof around Fluttershy. "Don't sell yourself short dear. You have your own talents-"

"HE DOESN'T CARE!" She exclaimed, tears erupting like water from a geyser, "Every Flutter is an amazing flyer and fearless leader!"

Rarity cocked her head, "Why did he write to you then?"

The frail pegasus sniffled, "Because my brothers asked him to. He says he wants me to come home so I can grow a spine."

"Brothers?" Rarity and Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

She nodded, "My two brothers, Gale Force and Afterburner."

Rarity sighed, "Well, are you going to go?"

Fluttershy's voice had taken on a familiar weak timidity, "I don't want to, but I guess I have to. I don't want to cause any trouble."

Rarity squeezed herself onto the couch, letting her friend snuggle up to her, "I'm sure he misses you dearly. Now for you Rainbow Dash."

"Pretty much the same. My dad hates every choice that I've ever made." Rainbow said flatly, hanging her head off the side of the couch.

"How so?"

Rainbow started a list, "Well, he says that I'm 'wasting my time wanting to be a showpony with the Wonderbolts.' He wants me to join the Pegasus Expeditonary Force, like him, and the last, like seventeen generations before him. Plus he says that I'm gayer than a double rainbow covered in glitter."

"Aren't you though?" Rarity asked, "I thought you had come to terms with yourself liking mares."

"That's the problem!" She exclaimed, taking off into the air in annoyance. "He's intent on 'straightening me out,' and he thinks that some stallion in the army will make a LOVELY husband for me."

"Oh my, an arranged marraige?" Rarity was intrigued, "And here I thought those were only performed by nobility in Canterlot."

"Nope. Important Pegasi marry their children off all the time. My dad is a Wing Captain, and he's picked out some promising young stallion that he's been training." Rainbow Dash looked cross with the entire situation, "I hate his guts for this."

"Well, could you perhaps talk to him to persuade him that you just aren't interested?" The unicorn quipped.

Rainbow Dash had a wonderfully terrible idea. "I'll do better than that!" She took off flying, leaving a hole shaped in her likeness in Rarity's wall.

Rarity stared at the hole in shock, "And who do you think is going to have to clean this?" She demanded.

* * *

Twilight was right in the middle of an engrossing scene in a romance novel when a frantic knock came at the door. "Spike, could you get that?" She asked, too entranced to leave her seat.

Spike groaned, and put down the bowl of pancake batter he was working on. He opened the door to see a cyan mare sitting on the doorstep, ears folded back. "Hey Rainbow Dash, I thought I told you the new Daring Do book won't be out for another month."

She shook her head, "No, that's not it. Is Twilight here?"

"Yep. I'd be careful. She's in the middle of some steamy novel and doesn't want to be-" Rainbow rushed into the library before he could finish. "Disturbed." He shrugged, and returned his thoughts to fresh flapjacks.

Twilight looked up from her book, and was startle by her friend, "Rainbow Dash! Are you okay? You don't look so good."

Rainbow Dash told Twilight what she had told Rarity, the letter, her father, the marriage. "My dad wants me to marry this stallion, and he won't listen to me if I just tell him that I like mares."

"What do you want to do about it?" Twilight naively asked.

Rainbow rolled her eyes, "Do I have to spell it out?" She kissed Twilight full on the lips without warning. Twilight resisted at first, but as Rainbow's tongue infiltrated her mouth, Twilight found herself resisting less and less, loosening up and returning the kiss, wrapping a hoof around her head.

Rainbow grinned. She knew a trick for pleasuring a pegasus Twilight had surely never heard of. If it worked on pegasi, it must work on alicorns. She started gently rubbing the spot between Twilight's wings. The result was perfect. Twilight's eyes rolled back, her jaw loosened, her leg was twitching. Her entire body seemed to melt in euphoria. Rainbow squealed with delight as Twilight started moaning. Finally, her wings unfurled in a dramatic 'whomph!'

"Have I made my point?" Rainbow Dash asked. "I'm leaving for Cloudsdale tomorrow, will you be my date?"

"I get it, and I'm in." Twilight gleefully smiled, "After that, I couldn't refuse anything!"

Spike stood in the doorway, jaw on the floor from what he had witnessed. He recomposed himself, pretending he had just walked in, "Hey Twilight, breakfast is served." His voice was deceptively normal. Inside he was having a breakdown.

"Coming!" Twilight called, as she cantered into the attached kitchen, "Rainbow, are you hungry?"

"Nah, I'm good." Rainbow yelled back. She turned to leave, but was blocked by a furious purple dragon.

Spike glared Rainbow Dash square in the eyes, "If you're just stringing Twilight along to get yourself out of this marriage," He snapped his spatula to make his threat. "She's confused Rainbow. I swear if you hurt her, I will END you."

The following morning, Fluttershy, Twilight and Rainbow Dash met in the town square to begin their flight to Cloudsdale. Rainbow could have made the trip more than three times faster alone, but with Twilight being new at flying and Fluttershy being... subpar at it, she kept her pace to a reasonable meander.

They arrived a couple hours later, landing before the Cloudiseum on the south side of the city. "Well, this is goodbye for now," Fluttershy waved. "Good luck."

Comments

[nightwalker]

"Brothers?" Rarity and Fluttershy exclaimed.

Might want to make that Rarity and Rainbow Dash.

[peace corps general]

"If you're just stringing Twilight along to get yourself out of this marriage," He snapped his spatula to make his threat. "She's confused Rainbow. I swear if you hurt her, I will END you."

JEEZ SPIKE IS KINDA SCARY!