Birthday Bios: Raincloud

You know, you’d expect a pony named “Raincloud” to be sad, since rain represents sadness and whatnot, but this mare here could hardly be called a sad pony. Her life’s pretty good, she’s completely healthy in all areas, and she has a loving husband and a pair of talented twins.

And thus, it’s her turn for a bio!

Born in Cloudsdale, Raincloud is the firstborn daughter to father Cyclone Dusk and mother Whirlwind, preceding twin brothers Thundersnow and Hailstorm by five years. She started out as a shy and sensitive foal, always needing to be comforted when something made her upset... and just about everything made her upset.

It was par for the course, as children are sensitive, but when she started school, she swiftly became the target of bullies, marked as the class “crybaby.” True to her nickname—and apparently her real name-- she always came home crying.

Seeing as this was a problem, Cyclone started taking her on morning flights, in order to teach her about the weather. He thought that learning to control the weather early would help her get a handle on her emotions and toughen her up so that she couldn’t be picked on. Plus, it was a good way for her to release stress.

At first, she didn’t do so good—she found herself whipped by lighting, giving herself frostbite, accidentally bringing home fog, and a whole slew of weather problems. She wanted to quit, but her father wouldn’t let her; after all, weather manipulation was mandatory! So she still trudged on in the weather lessons.

She enjoyed those morning flights, however, and she soon started doing tricks in order to make things more exciting. The loop-de-loops and corkscrews were something she found fun, and she was happy to show off to Daddy. The feeling of freedom in flight was like meditation to her, and she could forget all about her troubles at school.

Once she got the hang of weather manipulation, she incorporated clouds into her tricks, creating elaborate dances with flurries, lightning, fog, or all three. Her father was impressed, her confidence grew, and she soon earned her cutie mark at age 11 on showing off these tricks to classmates.

It was about that time that one dinner had Cyclone mention it to Whirlwind and the twins, with the latter asking in unison, “Is she gonna be a Wonderbolt?” While Raincloud took an interest, Cyclone was against it, seeing as he considered them a bunch of arrogant jerks. Rain kept quiet about her interest for several years after that, only discreetly looking up things about them and practicing in between school, hanging out with friends, and babysitting her brothers.

Finally, when she hit adulthood, she realized that she could make her own decisions now, and took a chance to sign up. While Cyclone was not happy and tried to talk her out of it, she put her foot down and let him know that she was going to do it, no matter what he thought of it. He disgruntledly accepted it, though he warned her that they might corrupt her.

At the Wonderbolt Academy, she willed herself not to buckle under pressure, even though the drill sergeant scared her. After all, she wasn’t that shy, scared little filly anymore, and that she was a supreme flyer. So, she kept on going, aiming high and pushing forward, even though she had a few frustrating setbacks, like becoming a wingpony to a hotheaded stallion named Blazing Silver.

Blaze annoyed her to the max. His impulsive nature often got them into trouble, he had a variety of puns at his disposal, and he would not stop flirting with her. Just to mess with him back, she started to flirt with other ponies at the academy, often leaving him confused and jealous. She also secretly hoped that his temper would get him kicked out.

It didn’t, however, and once they graduated, they found that they ended up together no matter what, whether it be reserve or cadet. When introduced to fans, they became favorites for Blaze demonstrating his ability to practically turn himself into a firework, and Rain showing off her impressive weather control for artistic displays. Of course, it soon led to arguments over which one was better, which both ponies caught up in.

They were always trying to outdo each other, whether it be showing off new tricks, racing each other, pulling pranks on each other, flirting with each other, or even playing a board game. At one point, their captain had to tell them to knock it off.

Over several years, their competitiveness with each other turned from mutual modes of trying to get under the other’s skin to their way of showing affection. Raincloud discovered that Blaze loved kids, was ticklish (which she took advantage of), and wished that he had siblings—but it wasn’t happening, since his mother died when he was little and his stepmother was infertile.

While she had initially promised to be his “sister”, they quickly discovered that they could actually be in love. They started having some affection competitions, like who was the best flirt, the best kisser, or even the best in bed.

Naturally, that last one ended up with Raincloud getting pregnant.

At first, Raincloud was angry with him, and procured a thundercloud which she chased him with. Then, after he managed to calm her down, they started to brainstorm on what they could do. When he offered to resign so that he could take the kid off her hooves and let her continue being a Wonderbolt, hoping to let it have a parent that was constantly around, she wouldn’t have it. They had been a duo—whether it be rivals or lovers—for so long, and it felt wrong to be separated. So, they both resigned, deciding a life of talent and fame wasn’t worth it, and later had a shotgun wedding.

Blaze took a job at the foal’s flight school as a coach, while Raincloud was employed at the weather factory. They worked in order to prepare for their foal, though Raincloud often scolded Blaze for buying two of everything, which he explained as getting both boy things and girl things so that they wouldn’t be caught off guard with buying things for the wrong gender. She told him that there were gender neutral things, and told him that they’re selling half of the items once the baby was born, which items depending on the gender.

The big day arrived, and out came their son Nimbus, followed by his surprise twin sister Cirrus. Raincloud wondered if her husband was actually psychic.

After they brought the two home, they decided that perhaps their twins could become Wonderbolts. So, once Cirrus and Nimbus started to fly, they started to train them for that, and prime them for a destiny in show flying.

While the twins both liked the idea of performing for a crowd, they weren’t all that interested in the flying lessons. They could only perform the basics without messing up, with Cirrus always crashing into things and Nimbus being a little slow. Sometimes, they’d feign sickness to get out of it, which fooled Raincloud because they were so dedicated to it. When tasked to do some tricks, they opted to go for the other meaning of the word and pull pranks on their parents.

Raincloud also taught them some basic weather control, thinking it could be useful. That only provided them with another tool for pranking, which annoyed Blaze.

When the twins asked them if they could audition for a school Hearth’s Warming play, Blaze and Raincloud figured there was no harm done—maybe it was a way they’d make friends. However, in rapid succession, the twins got the lead parts, performed well beyond anypony’s expectations (though Raincloud was the least surprised, seeing as they’ve fooled her more than once), and earned their cutie marks in the process.

Raincloud and her husband were disappointed in this turn of events. While Blaze’s temper was a bit more fiery than usual, Raincloud was a little depressed. Her work at the weather factory slowed and was less efficient, and she avoided talking to her co-workers. When she talked, she talked with a tinge of bitterness, especially when her father had expressed that he was glad that his grandfoals weren’t going to be Wonderbolts.

While they tried to put on a brave face for their kids, the twins sensed their disappointment, and started to both avoid both their parents and their talents. They lied about going to rehearsals of a play they lied about auditioning for, with Cirrus opting to hang out with some shifty friends, and Nimbus visiting the ground. This went on for a few years until the twins ended up in some trouble that landed them in the hospital; Cirrus had been taking some bad substances due to pressure from bad friends, while Nimbus had been caught in a forest fire (that Raincloud and other weatherponies were quick to extinguish when they caught wind of it).

Realizing that their own pride was hurting their kids, Blaze and Raincloud got over it, and once the twins were better, they immediately urged them to audition for the next play. The twins were rusty from lack of practice, but they still put on a fine performance there and the plays after than. Raincloud especially laughs when Nimbus was on stage, providing comic relief to the show, and often ends up crying when Cirrus puts on a moving performance.

They continue to support their kids’ talents, which are being refined in Manehattan, and while they’re both disappointed that they can’t come and see them all the time, they love hearing about their development as actors and about the friends they’ve made. Raincloud really wants to meet them, though she’s busy with the factory work.

If they’re ever invited to perform with the Wonderbolts for old time’s sake, she and Blaze are up to it. Cirrus and Nimbus enjoy watching them perform, in return for their parents’ support.

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

A tale of rises and falls, appropriate for a stunt flier. Raincloud seems to take a while to learn her lessons, but at least she takes them to heart once she does.

(Though I have to admit, I did have to tear my mind away from Friendship is Witchcraft when I first saw that name. )