Rain Clouds and Bird Brains
Rainbow Dash held her breath, trembling as she pulled herself slowly onto the top of the ridge. Down below, Commander Seraphimus spoke to her two sergeants.
“Our chiefest obstacle is the lack of visibility,” Seraphimus said. “We can't do anything about the geography, but we can eliminate the fog.” Her charcoal eyes narrowed. “At least within the area of our search.”
Rainbow Dash stretched her right wing for counter-balance. Her limbs flicked—and a blue feather fell loosely.
“Dashie!” Pinkie whispered, pointing with a wide-eyed expression.
Rainbow looked down. Blinking.
The loose feather fluttered, twirled, and descended towards the three griffons.
Twilight and Rarity inhaled sharply.
“Are you suggesting we clear the clouds?” Starstorm remarked.
Seraphimus looked at her, then at Raptr. “Remember what we practiced south of Frostknife? Along the frozen mists?”
Raptr nodded. “Aye, Commander.”
“Good.” Seraphimus' helmet reflected the blue feather as it twirled down towards her figure. Her wings spread. “Get ready to perform Cyclone Gamma. I'll take the base. Starstorm, position yourself in the middle. Raptr, cover the sides.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
“Yes, Commander.”
“Move out!” And Seraphimus flapped her wings. The gust of wind blew the feather upwards and out of view. Soon, all three griffons flew out from the rock cropping.
Rainbow and her friends exhaled with relief. At last, the pegasus got an even hoofing. With trembling breaths, she shimmied northeast along the line of sandstone columns.
“Did they leave?” Pinkie squeaked.
“For now...” Fluttershy bit her lip. “They're... down at the base of the canyon,” she murmured. “Creating a cyclone. Just like their leader said.”
Rarity's fuzzy ears twitched to the sound of whistling winds. “Goodness! I can even hear it!”
“Well, that's good, right?” Pinkie chirped. “It'll give Dashie plenty of time to get away!”
“I wish it was that simple, Pinkie.” Twilight gulped. “You've seen Rainbow create a tornado before. She alone could clear half of this canyon on her lonesome! Imagine what three griffons can do! Especially fliers as strong and well-trained as these!”
“So, what then?!” Pinkie wheezed. “Over cover's going to be blown?!”
“We have to move,” Fluttershy stammered. “Put as much distance between us and them!”
“It's too late!” Twilight had to raise her voice. The wind was picking up, filling the air with a high-pitched howl. The fog and mists spun off to the immediate northwest. Layer by layer, the blue sky above peeked through the soupy overcast. “They'll have this canyon clear in less than a minute! If Rainbow could fly, maybe she'd get out of eyeshot, but—”
Rarity shook her head. “The landscape dips northeast of here. There won't be any stone structures to block their view of Rainbow!”
“Then fine a crevice or something!” Pinkie squeaked.
“There aren't many around here, Pinkie!” Rarity said. “And besides—with the fog cleared away—they'll sniff Rainbow out in a heartbeat! There... j-just won't be any more places left to hide!”
“We have to do something,” Fluttershy said. “Their bodies are rising.” She winced as the shifting breeze morphed into a maddening gale. “They're spinning higher... closer!”
Rainbow Dash panted and panted. Then—all of a sudden—she skidded to a stop. Tiny flakes of dust and soil blew into the twirling winds. Blinking, she spun around and looked in the opposite direction.
“Dashie?!” Pinkie grimaced. “Why did you stop?”
“You haven't much time, darling!” Rarity exclaimed. “Run! Gallop!”
“Shhhhhh...” Twilight held up a hoof. “Everypony just calm down!” Loose branches and pebbles were picked up by the wind, phasing through her and the other marefriends. She drifted closer to Rainbow, squinting. “What is it, Rainbow?”
Rainbow stared west, her eyes narrowing.
“What do you see?” Twilight hollered above the cyclonic tumult. “Talk to us! What are you thinking?”
All the while, Rainbow's eyes narrowed on the center of the canyon. Before her—at a stone's throw—a massive cloud of condensed steam rose from the depths of the canyon. The three members of the Talon were spinning at a maddening speed, all the while ascending with professional grace. They gathered all of the mists below in their revolutions, and soon all of the fog behind and above Rainbow Dash would be sucked up into the aerial rotation.
“Rainbow...?!” Twilight yelped.
Rainbow watched as the gathered fog approached the top of the ridge... and her. She gulped. “You don't want to know what I'm thinking...”
“Huh?” Twilight gazed below. Her ears drooped. “Oh no...”
Rarity blinked. “Oh no what?”
Pinkie looked behind her. The mare's tail was twitching.
Rainbow backed up until her hooves scuffed against the southeast edge of the ridge. “Close your eyes if you're squeamish.”
“Oh Rainbow...” Fluttershy squeaked, covering her eyes and trembling. “Must you?”
“For Celestia's sake—!” Rarity held onto Pinkie.
“Httt...!” Rainbow galloped straight forward... and took a massive leap off the side of the ridge.
FW-FW-FW-FWOOOSH!
It was deafening inside the heart of the cyclone. Commander Seraphimus knew this all too well. She withstood the painful echoes ringing in and out of her silver helmet. Clenching her beak, she peeked a glance at the sky above.
All of the fog in that part of the canyon had been collected into a humid column of mist—now trapped within the cyclone she and her wingmates had made. The cloud condensed even further, turning stone dark... gray. Once the Commander heard the slightest hint of thunder, she fought against the twirling gusts and raked a talon into the air. Flexing her claws, she signaled to the other two griffons.
Starstorm saw the gesture first. She nodded, then whistled across the cyclone at Raptr.
Panting, the rookie Sergeant registered Starstorm's alert. He made eye contact with the other two guardians and waited for the Commander's signal.
Seraphimus held out three claws... two... one... then formed a fist. With a grunt, she twirled upside down and kicked her feline limbs against the condensed cloud.
Starstorm and Raptr mimicked the feat. The three griffons' combined thrust sent the gathered clump of moisture sailing skyward. The effect was very much like shoveling a pile of white sand out from within a stone basin. The skies of Rohbredden cleared up, and bright sunlight illuminated every craggy slope, incline, and crevice of the topography below. The needle-like spires of the Mist Cliffs were exposed for all of their weathered sandstone glory.
“It's clear!” Starstorm hollered. Relaxing her wings slightly, she descended from the gray cloud above. “Won't be long until the outer fog fills in this area!”
“Right!” Seraphimus nodded. “Spread out! Search every dip, rise, and niche!” She shot southward. “I have the southern end! Raptr, go northwest! Starstorm, cover the east!”
“Roger that!”
“Going!”
The griffons spread apart in three separate directions, streaking over the rocks and foliage with breakneck speeds. Their eyes searched every inch for the Rainbow Rogue...
...meanwhile, high above...
A dazed pegasus clung to the very top of the rising swirl of clouds. Rainbow gnashed her teeth—for the mists were still spinning. With nervous spasms, her muscles took control, and she dislodged her pegasus limbs from where they had embedded after her haphazard landing on the cloudbed.
“Eeeeeeeeughhh...” Pinkie teetered and reeled, her coat taking on a green complexion. “Somepony gimme some cookies so I can toss them.”
“Pinkie, for goodness' sake!” Twilight hissed. “Just because Rainbow's spinning doesn't mean we have to!”
“But... b-but I'm just trying to share in her—”
“We can help by keeping an eye out!”
“An eye out for what?”
“For a landing!” Twilight craned her neck. “Fluttershy, do you have a bearing on the griffons?”
“They're... they're on all sides of us,” Fluttershy stammered. “But... but below!”
“Any of them bothering to look at the cloud they just formed?”
“I don't know.” Fluttershy grimaced. “And... uhm... I-I may not have passed flight camp at the top of my grade, but a cloud as hastily thrown together like this one won't last for long.”
“Good grief...” Rarity stammered.
Twilight flung Rarity a look. “Rarity! Try and sense a flat place for Rainbow to land!”
“R-right!” Rarity snapped out of it, squinting northward. “On it!”
“Rainbow?” Twilight looked over at their anchor. “Rainbow!”
“Mrmmmfff...” Rainbow's eyes twirled. She lost her balance, teetering. Her limbs started sinking through the mists. “Stop the vomit comet... mrrrrp... I want to get off...”
“Rainbow, concentrate!” Twilight yelped in her face.
Rainbow slapped herself, then gnashed her teeth. “Of c-course. Where to, egghead?”
“You tell us!” Twilight gulped. “It was your idea to hop on this thing!”
“Yeah, Dashie!” Pinkie nodded. “Can you steer it someplace before it goes poofy?”
“Uhhhhh...” Rainbow Dash looked at her right wing... then at the bandaged set of feathers on her left side. “Errr...” She blushed with a dumb smile. “Ooops.”
“Rainbow...” Twilight facehoofed. “One of these days... I swear to Celestia...”
“Relax, Twi,” Rainbow slurred, taking a step forward. “The bird-brains don't know where I am—” One hoof slipped through the cloud, making her stumble. Rainbow blinked. “Awww crud.”
“It's about to go poofy poof!” Pinkie sing-songed.
“Ah HA!” Rarity grinned from ear to ear. “I found a spot!”
“Huh?” Rainbow and Twilight looked over.
Rarity faced north, pointing downward at a thirty-degree angle. “About one hundred meters in that direction! It's a flat-top mountain!” Her eyes lit up. “At the very north end of the ravine!”
“Could it be a way out?” Fluttershy cooed.
“Only one way to find—” Another of Rainbow's hooves slipped. “Dang it!” She gazed straight down. The misty cloud beneath her rumbled with thunder. Rain poured from underneath, and the translucent structure began dissolving from the inside out. “Ohhhhhhh kittens.”
“Oh gosh...” Twilight danced nervously in midair. “OhgoshOhgoshOhgosh!” She slapped her own skull. “Rrrrnnngh—somepony think of something!”
“Uhm...” Pinkie smiled nervously. “Maybe Dashie could blow south?”
“They're... uhm...” Fluttershy winced. “They're coming closer.”
“Huh?!” Twilight looked back.
“They finished searching the southern end of the ravine,” Fluttershy said. “All three of them are sweeping north!”
“Then they're bound to see Rainbow!” Rarity exclaimed.
“If this cloud lasts long enough,” Twilight whimpered.
Rainbow looked back. She then gazed at the mountain ridges to the north. A fine mist was regathering over the jagged slopes facing her. With a deep breath, Rainbow propped herself sideways with her right wing aimed south.
“Uhm...” Rarity gulped. “You sure that's going to work—?”
“Nnngh!” Rainbow flapped her good wing with all her might.
The raincloud surged north... then pulled into a dull glide. Moisture dribbled off in every direction, pelting the rock pillars and crooked tree trunks looming below.
“That's it, Dashie!” Pinkie cheered. “You've got this!”
“A little bit more to the northwest, darling—”
“Right!” Rainbow clenched her teeth, then flapped her wing again. “...Rrrgh!”
This time, the cloud spun. Rainbow's marefriends yelped in fright. Two clumps of mist broke off. Rainbow's right rear leg almost slipped off what was left of the foggy bed.
“It's breaking aparrrrt!” Pinkie bellowed.
“Two griffons are right below us!” Fluttershy cried. “One of them's the leader!”
“What if it rains on them?” Twilight exclaimed. “They'll look up—”
Rainbow Dash panted. She flexed her wing muscles again—accidentally putting her left feathers into it. “Aaaugh!” She clamped a hoof over her muzzle to stifle the pained grunt. Before she could recover, her body jolted again as another hoof sunk through the dissolving cloud.
“Nuuuu!” Pinkie flailed in place. “Don't go away, stormy weather—”
“You're almost there, Rainbow!” Rarity said, pointing at the line of mist rushing up towards them. “There's a flat plateau right ahead!”
“Get ready to jump!” Twilight squeaked.
“Uhhhhh...” Pinkie Pie's eyebrows twitched wildly. “Wait! Something's not—”
“The cloud's breaking!”
“Grnnngh!” Rainbow leapt straight ahead. She plowed through a thin layer of mist and...
Th-Thunk!
...landed on a wobbly plank of wood.
“... ... ...” Rainbow Dash blinked. “Huh?” She looked straight down.
As the cloud she had ridden on dissolved, a lasting stream of accelerated air blew at the mountain fog, revealing the rooftop to a rickety two-story shack, propped precariously on a series of stilts against the south edge of the canyon's final ridge. There were several holes in the rustic structure—and at least half of them had been shoddily patched up over the ages with cross-beams and rusted nails.
“Ohhhhhh!” Pinkie smirked. “So that's what it means when both of my eyebrows go crazy!” She giggled and looked at the other girls. “'Beware of dilapidated old buildings that have been left abandoned on mountaintops over the last few centuries!'”
“I... I-I'm sorry...” Rarity gulped. “In all of the rush, I... I-I just assumed it was an extension of the plateau—”
“Don't be sorry, Rares,” Rainbow murmured. She looked behind, panting as she watched the three glinting bodies of the griffons disappear behind a falling curtain of fog. “What matters is that you helped me land.”
“Did they see us, Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.
“No... at least...” The ghostly pegasus gulped. “I d-don't think so.” She rubbed her head. “They're still searching what's left of the cleared canyon.”
“Then I'd better make like Foxtaur and burn.” Rainbow slinked ahead. “Rarity, what's the fastest route to Ivory Prefe—”
“Dashie, stop!” Pinkie hollered.
“Guhhh!” Rarity flapped her forelimbs around. “Wh-what she said! Cease and desist!”
Rainbow froze in place. Right then, her ears heard a terrible crunching sound... followed by a prolonged, bass groan beneath her. “... ... ...the fudge is that?”
“Something's not right with this building!” Pinkie squeaked. “It's been left alone to rot in the mists for too long!”
Rainbow hissed through clenched teeth, remaining frozen. “Could you be a bit more specific?”
“It's... it's terribly fragile, darling,” Rarity stated.
“Yeah? Where, exactly?”
Rarity and Pinkie exchanged nervous glances. The fashionista gulped. “Everywhere.”
Hairline factures formed in the wooden planks directly beneath Rainbow's hooves. The rooftop crackled, its edges splintering one inch at a time. The pegasus gulped. “Hoboy...”
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...That thing is going to make such a noise...
Sorry Dashie, you can't get a break... or can you?
So much for keeping quiet, maybe she can use the noise to distract them and escape?
For those of you wishing to ride the Tornado Express, please mind the gap on platform three quarters.
For those dismounting at the love shack, please ajust for the extra spacing by taking a Quantum Leap.
Please note the management takes no responsibility for the condition of third party equipment and platforms.
We thank you for flying with Windbag Airlines.
an oddly violent way of putting it, but it works.
Well that was certainly stupid.
Raptr is in no condition to keep pushing himself like that, it's not going to be long now before he has an accident cause of tiredness.
-Companions have returned, inner darkness spurned. Utaan.
This is getting intense!
6817944 huh, I gotta wonder what phrase Dash might macguffin from
YabubadabuZadubadabu (Stratopolis/ Sentinel)EDIT: thanks 6818390
Hurricane - Kyuss
6817959 "Make like Stratopolis and explode."
Meanwhile I'm just wincing at the horrific noise that'll occur when it collapses.
Think of how it went in Moria when Pippin knocked the skeleton down the well...
Try to collapse the entire shack in a clattering avalanche of destruction across the canyon as quietly as possible.
Inb4 the shack is filled with cymbals, airhorns, and dying cats.
Maybe they will think that it's collapsing was because of the wind? Hopefully Dash will get that lucky but likely not.
Out of the frying pan . . .
6817944
...
Fireball.
6818061
41.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_la8xrzGo521qaqps8o1_500.jpg
Let's just take the house and push it somewhere else!
Crashing a disintegrating stormcloud into a centuries-old shack in the middle of an uninhabited mountain range while being chased by angry griffons?
Another thing for Rainbow to cross off her bucket-list.
6817959 Zadubadabu*
What ever happened to "Rain, rain, go away...?"
6818253
I'm August and I approve of this message.
Enjoyable chapter
Well if that doesn't catch the Talon's attention, I don't know what will. I think you're just about out of luck, Rainbow.
...Maybe Seraphimus can stop giving orders at the most inopportune times to actually notice something...
6818232
... And into another frying pan!
Hey, we don't know if this is going to go downhill yet. Maybe it's very quiet wood! Maybe it's from the Quiet Woods!
No?
Okay, we're doomed.
Yeah, fine them for not being hideworthy enough! That'll teach them!
Dash just keeps getting from terribly lucky to terribly unlucky and back again, doesn't she?
6818099
with the way the last few chapters have been, thats actually a fairly likely scenario.
Nice and quiet. *Extremely loud crashing sounds.* Oh darn...
Your pendulum of luck is swinging farther and farther away from the center, Dashie.
Looks like Dash's luck just ran out.
Well, at least she isn't hastening the destruction of a building of significant architectural and historic interest. So she's got that going for her.
*popcorn eating intensifies*
6818099 6818982 With the way the chapters have been going I bet that they'll consider it being the wind most likely, but Seraphimus insists they check the shack anyway, cause if anything she's thorough.
But that feather Dash molted is probably going to drift into somegriffion's view before Dash is discovered and they'll assume she fled in that general area, forgetting the shack for the moment, leaving Dash enough time to escape while they chase an accidental red(cyan in this case?) herring for a few minutes.
That's my crack pot theory. Mostly because it's the little things that make the biggest difference sometimes. That's something I've noticed happening a few times.
If a shack falls in the middle of nowhere, does it make a sound?
6818253
like on top of those griffins!
I've heard of windsurfing before, but shacksurfing? That will be a new one
Time to see how well Rainbow Dash can ski down an avalanche... is it faster than flying? No? Then we're screwed.
In before it happens:
6818294 I must've missed something in this comment chain, but how do we know her middle name starts with a "J"?
6823240 It came up a while ago, I think Fluttershy of Pinkie pie started to say her middle name and Dash cut them off.
A bold plan, but now what?
That was one hell of a leap.
6836758
Several books back she listed all her "middle names" for someone, among them Danger, Professionalism, and Jurisprudence. In fact, if memory serves, that reference has been made more than once.
Now, a reference to what? Beats the heck out of me.
Edit: apparently the South African Constitutional Court. Huh. Learn something new every day.
6968555
6836758
http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MetaphorIsMyMiddleName
It's not an actual middle name. More as an honorary one, showing how up to the task / awesome they are.
You're trying to give me a heart attack, I see.
I want whatever dice Dashie is using to roll all these twenties.
Dash has had insane luck for this long...
Let's read on and see what happens!
8:55 a.m. MST 10/7/2017
Well dang.
There is no more seat left to be on the edge of!
8206426
Trust me, I counted a few 5's, 10's, and 15's so far, she just recovers well. If it was all 20's the griffins would have lost her by now
Well, out of the frying pan I would say
10/31/2019
19:07 UTC
I HATE IT I HATE IT I HAAAATE IIIITTTT!!!
Just from one precipice to another in this place.