//------------------------------// // Chapter Seven: Hello, Muddah... // Story: Storm Over Vegas // by Alden MacManx //------------------------------// Hal became aware of a light surrounding him, that and a lot of pain. No, strike that, a LOT of pain. Slowly, he opened his eyes to see white light all around him, and the presence of someone. Turning to the presence, he beheld his mother, a white pegasus with brown mane and tail, and light gray wings.                 “Just what do you think you were doing out there, Chuckie? Do I have to yell at you like I do your father? How could you be so stupid?” she hollered at him.                 Hal was more than a little confused, because his mother had died thirty years before the Event, and was never a pegasus. He did get his love of flying and weather from her, she having been a private pilot, as was he. At least she lived long enough to see him get his pilot’s license. She did have one hell of a temper, though. “Mom… I have my reasons. What are you doing here?” he managed to say.                 “Taking a break from kicking your father’s ass from Phoenix to New York and back to yell at you, you idiot! Think about your wife and kids for once, Chuckie! You’re not a bachelor anymore!” she yelled, swatting at Hal with her wing. “You’re a married pony!”                 “I would think less of myself if I didn’t do what I did, Mom. It was a risk I felt I needed to take.”                 “Well, you’re here way too early, Chuckie! You can either stay here with us, or you can go back to Raven and the kids. The only question you have to ask yourself is which one will hurt more?” she asked piercingly, adding another swat to punctuate her words.                 “How do you know about Raven?”                 “We chat on occasion, both before and after you became horses. She’s a good girl for you.”                 “Looks like she wasn’t kidding when she says she spoke to you, Mom. There’s pain here?”                 “We’ll all be here to welcome you, WHEN you show up here on time. If you show up early, we will nag you for all time, Chuckie. Me, your father, your grandparents, your aunts and uncles, and especially your first wife! We’re all lining up, waiting for you.” his mother told him.                 “Sue’s here? I hope she doesn’t mind Raven…” Hal said, sweatdropping some. He was engaged to marry Sue, only she was killed in a traffic accident while he was out to sea. Hal had never told his family about her, planning to come home with a wife on his arm, but that was not meant to be. He kept the pain of that loss hidden for a very long time.                 “She says if you don’t make Raven happy for a long time to come, she will make things miserable for you here! So, what you going to do, stay here or go back?” his mother demanded.                 Hal sighed. “Either way, it’s going to hurt. I might as well go back.”                 “Got that right, Chuckie. I’ll take you back.” She managed to get two feathers up Hal’s nostrils and led him by the nose to a black void, Hal squawking at the pain caused by the feathers. “You raise my grandchildren well!” she commanded as she tossed him into the void.                 Hal became aware of pain again, dull pain throughout his body. His eyes fluttered open, to reveal a hospital room. He tried to move, but found he was swathed in enough plaster of Paris to plaster Paris, being suspended in a rig to ease pressure on his body.                 “About time you woke up, Hal. It’s been three days.” a familiar voice said.                 “Where… what…?” Hal asked.                 “You’re in Vegas Central Hospital, Hal. The Dust Devils were monitoring the storm, and saw you take on Stormcloud and his cronies. After your flash and crash, Ace made pickup on you and got you here. You’ve been comatose for three days, with enough broken bones, cuts and scrapes to give Evel Kneivel a run for his money!” reported Raven. “You’re going to be a while knitting, even with the doctors working on you.”                 “Tower… safe?” Hal managed to ask.                 “Yes, it is. Your bolt hit the ruins of Luxor, dissipating the charge in the clouds and doing a number on the team building it up. You finally crash-landed somewhere around where the Venetian was, in terrible shape. They were sure you were dead, but Green Mane brought you around.”                 “You… kids… okay?”                 Raven looked at her husband, confused. “How did you know I had twins? I only delivered them two days ago!” she exclaimed, quite startled.                 “Mom told me… bitched me out good…”                 Raven snorted. “She would, not that you didn’t deserve it. Want to see them?”                 Hal tried to nod, but only managed to groan. Raven’s horn lit up with its characteristic pale violet glow, and a sleeping foal, wrapped in a blue blanket, was brought into his view. The foal was a unicorn, a deep blue horn protruding from its black brow, traces of a purple mane visible between the ears. “Your son, Black Onyx.”                 “Wonderful…” Hal managed to say before the colt was moved out of his sight and another one was moved into view. This one was a pegasus, with smoky gray fur the color of an overcast sky, a sky-blue mane and tail, and wings all the colors of the rainbow, each feather a different color.                 “Your daughter, Kaleidoscope.” Raven said as the filly opened her eyes. The eyes were like her wings, all different colors. The foal reached out with a hoof, tapped Hal’s nose and whinnied happily.                 Hal’s pain receded some at the touch of his daughter’s hoof, because he felt himself filling with pride and joy. “We’re all winners this day.” he managed to say.                 “You’re going to be hanging here for a while, Hal.” Raven told him as she put Kaleidoscope down. “I’ll have the doctor come in and check on you, now that you’re awake.”                 She then gave Hal’s cast a good shake with her power, making him moan in pain. “That’s for scaring me so damn much I had the twins early! You give me another fright like that and I’ll kick your sorry ass from here to Missoula and back!” she shouted, definitely angry.                 “Yes, you been talking to Mom, all right…” Hal groaned as the pain in his body flared and subsided.                 After Raven took the kids out of the room, Green Mane entered. The tan unicorn was holding a chart in her green glow. “Not smart to piss her off, Hal. Not that she doesn’t have reason to be pissed.” she said to Hal.                 “So, it’s a talent I have. She’ll survive. Will I?” Hal managed to ask.                 “Now that you’re awake, more than likely yes. You have twenty-six broken bones, scattered along your left side, foreleg, wing, ribs and hind leg included, a badly dislocated left wing, numerous cuts and scrapes, a long abrasion along your belly, and just how did you manage to scorch the feathers on both wings?” Green Mane asked, curious.                 “Must have been the lightning bolt. It was unusually intense, and rather close to me.” Hal managed to say.                 “Got that right. It was spotted from over here.” Green Mane said, adjusting a drip feed.                 “What about the others?”                 “We recovered them all. You were in by far the worst shape. In fact, you were clinically dead when you were brought here. Fortunately, I got you back. Wasn’t easy.”                 “Looks like I’ll have to set you up for an appearance on my show, once I get back to work.” Hal managed to say, feeling whatever medications he was being given numbing him to sleep.                 “It’s a deal. Sleep now, and you’ll have some more visitors tomorrow. Starting with the Mayor and working down.” Green Mane said drily.                 “Ho boy…” Hal muttered as he fell asleep. He had heckled the mayor numerous times on his show. Then again, he heckled anyone and everyone.                 The next day, Hal did have to endure a stream of visitors, medical, news, and political. Fortunately, he always had someone with him, be it Raven or Wordy or some of his other friends to help with the gentle and not-so-gentle interrogations. Sleeping twin foals do put a damper on noisy questioning. That and Raven’s baleful glare if the guests got a little pushy…                 In the afternoon, Mayor Good Deal himself put in a visit. The older red and black earth pony with a cutie mark of two pieces of paper held in a hoof, wearing his signature top hat, came up to where Hal hung in his cast. “Major Sleet, in recognition of your efforts in putting down the uprising, I am going to put your name in nomination for command of Weather Control. Lord knows we need new ones.” The Mayor said in his official speeches voice.                 “Mister Mayor, permission to speak freely?” Hal asked in a low voice.                 “You always do, Mister Sleet. It’s what makes you great on the radio. No reason to change now.”                 As Hal drew a deep breath, Raven warned, “Easy, Hal… calm down!”                 Hal said quietly, “Yes, dear.” He then looked at the Mayor, only moving his eyes. It was all he could move.                 “Mister Mayor, I will be honored to accept the position only if you would allow me to jam a lightning bolt so far up your ass you could pick your teeth with it!”                 When the mayor blinked in surprise, Hal managed to get his breath back. “Mister Mayor, I am a deejay playing the music I like, a part time stormbuster, and a new father. I am not an administrator or a politician.                 “If you really insist I take on that role, taking a position in the government, I will do so. But, my heart would not be in it. Let those who want to lord it over ponies do so. I’m happy just the way I am. Power and authority will just change me, and not for the better. Think about that.”                 Good Deal looked deep into Hal’s eyes, one of the few parts of his body not covered in plaster. “Son, I know an honest pony when I see or hear one. You must be one of the most self-honest ponies I have ever met. Such a thing would be a liability in politics. There, you would have to lie convincingly.”                 “I do that all the time. It’s called acting. You think Fonebone puts real go-juice in my coffee?” Hal managed to say. “I just can’t lie like a politician can. Makes me feel dirty. It took becoming a pegasus, and a father, to be clean with myself and others.”                 “You just keep on being you, Mr. Sleet. Do get well soon. Your fans miss you.” the Mayor said in a much friendlier voice. “I ought to know… I’m one of them.                 “Don’t think this will let you out of being honored by the city or the entire Colorado Cooperative. Once you get out of the hospital, you are going to be feted like few have been.”                 “That sounds like being tarred and feathered, Mister Mayor. If it wasn’t for the honor of the thing, I’d rather miss it.” Hal managed to say.                 The Mayor let out a good laugh, one echoed by first Raven, then the twins. “Nice one, Hal. But no, you won’t miss it. Now is my chance to heckle you back!”                 Hal let out a pained groan. “Of course, you know this means war, Mr. Mayor.”                 “I’ll throw the first pie at your celebratory dinner. Get well soon, Major Sleet. I need to get in some throwing practice,” the mayor managed to say, smothering a laugh.                 “You do that, Mr. Mayor. My therapy will allow me to get my practice in. Oh, did you round up the conspirators?”                 Good Deal immediately went serious. “We did, Major. The secretaries, their families, and all other major players have been locked up. I had IRT send them to Salt Lick, and their prison complex out on the Lake.” he said, IRT referring to a company called Interurban Rapid Transit, a family of unicorns that could open telegates between cities. Their services don’t come cheap, because there are not many of them. They are much faster than a train, and less capable of being intercepted. “I told them to throw away the key, but they are sending it to me. I’ll present it to you later.”                 “What about Weather Control? All the Black Team was in on the plot. That will leave us short-hoofed. Monsoon Peak has yet to arrive.” Hal said.                 “Colonel Strong Wing is handling that for now. She knows who to call if help is needed.” The Mayor said. “YOU need to heal and get back on the air!” He punctuated the statement with a hoof poke that stopped just before Hal’s body cast.                 “Pardon me if I don’t salute you, Mister Mayor. I’m a little stiff at the moment.”                 “You’re pardoned, Major. Get well soon, ponies miss you.” The Mayor said before leaving quietly.