//------------------------------//
// Sunshine 
// Story: Sunshine 
// by Butterscotch Cream 
//------------------------------//


By Butterscotch Cream


There was a painful, metallic screech as the small cargo ship lurched from another monstrous wave strike, throwing any loose objects and unprepared crew to the side. The storm had fallen on The Bumbler like a curse, seemingly out of nowhere. While the ship's clocks showed hours passing, the rage and darkness obliterated any sense of time. Instead, they were caught in the single, endless moment of being crushed, over and over again.

The tiny windows of the ship's cramped superstructure shone against the night, the glimmering yellow eyes of a desperate creature clambering from wavetop to wavetop. Along its back a series of flood lights valiantly pierced the walls of rain with a white haze, shining on the frenetic clamor below. The crew, each secured by a chest-harness and lead, ran, slid, and grappled over the deck to stabilize the cargo, adapting as best they could to the constant careening motion. It was a battle to work and a battle to be heard, wind-beaten yells ringing back and forth as they struggled to coordinate their efforts.

Amidst all this, an equally passionate exchange was devolving in the pilot room, where two figures could be seen brandishing heated gestures through the rain-drenched glass. One was a heavy-built earth stallion with a faded green coat, salt-hardened scowl, and a shock of white mane. A few moments ago a captain's cover sat there, but a thrash of the ship had tossed it into some unseen corner. Meanwhile, the owner was far more concerned with throwing his weight against the helm to keep the ship from plowing the wrong side of a swell.

His adversary in the debate was a herculean pegasus carved from years of storm duty, navy blue with a defiant black mohawk flaring over his neck. He was freshly soaked in rain water, but the slick merely served to punctuate the scars decorating his muscles and the angry surges rolling through them. Anger was brimming on both sides, however: ears were pinned back, nostrils flared, jaws set, and each stallion would've looked ready to swipe at the other if they weren't already struggling on their feet.

"I don't care if the limpwing is sick! You grab him and you get up there NOW!" Captain Whitecap's clamant, heavy voice pounded back the wind's howl with an impressive show of his own volume.

Galewind snarled with the ferocity of the lightning clashing outside, eyes electrified like lavender bolts. His leg strained, aching to punch the deck in a blast of frustration, but keeping his footing was more important. "The dude couldn't even lift his wings, let alone see straight! Longshot can't fly any more than you can!" If he lacked any of Whitecap's physical solidity, he made up for it in sheer obstinance.

The captain spared half a second to throw an angry wave of his hoof, "Fine! Grab Sunshower and take him!"

"NO!" Galewind's hoof slammed into the floor before he could stop it this time, the impact resonating through the hull like thunder and leaving a cold, tingling sensation running up his knee. Anger shuddered through his chest, but clenching his teeth, he tried to corral his thoughts into a better defense, "Sunny can't! He's not ready for this! He's been cooped in the barracks and no better off than Longshot! I told you I'll take care of this myself if you'd just let me-"

"I said NO! Stormfighters are paid to fight storms, not to get killed running solo or sit simpering in the bottom of my ship! If I hear one word about you being up there alone, I'm reporting both of you, and you know Sunshower will get the bigger penalty, so don't even think about trying to fudge me. Now do your job!"

"I'm trying!" Galewind shot back, his voice more yell than tone at this point, "If I take him out there and he gets killed, I'd be flying solo anyway!"

"And if you die just how well do you think he'll do on his ow-"

SLAM.

Like a stern mother ending a squabble between foals, the ship yanked roughly to one side and knocked both ponies to the floor, leaving them to dangle from the safety-bars they had clutched by habit, if not by purpose. It was all either could do to avoid bashing into each other as they grappled to regain their disrupted sea-legs. Less experienced ponies might've thought they hit a whale or a reef, but any good sailor knew it was a simple matter of getting rammed hull-first into an oncoming swell.

A simple matter, and a dangerous one.

"Damn. We don't have ...time to argue!" Whitecap exclaimed, though his voice was more desperate than angry now. He was still huffing as he groped for a foothold to pull himself into an upright position, "We need a break in this storm, Gale! Grab Sunshower, tell him to get his balls in gear, and get these damn clouds off our heads!"

A scream of refusal boiled in Galewind's throat till he felt he might puke the words if he didn't shout them. It took all the willpower he had to swallow the revolt back down into his twisting stomach, shaking as he restrained yet another crash of his hoof. But he did, even if his lungs heaved with vicious precision as his body finally submitted to better senses. Taking the opportunity when he had it, Galewind yanked away and forced himself out of the room before his fuse got any shorter.

Technically being a captain himself, Galewind wasn't required to afford Whitecap the luxury of a "yes sir," and he didn't. As things stood, he feared any further words might have been delivered with more clout than just volume.

Stormfighting was Galewind's talent; he lived it. Sunshower was another matter, entirely. He could think of a million reasons the colt shouldn't be saddled with this, and the fact he knew Whitecap wouldn't hear even one rankled his eager anger even further. Sunshower was a fresh stormfighter, and no responsible storm captain would ever send a newbie out in weather of this ferocity! Ever!

He wanted to hit something. No, he wanted to smash something. Hard.

As he steamed his way into the ship's infrastructure, the rocking — while no less intense — was less violent than the tumultuous captain's crest. It made thinking a little easier, something Galewind wasn't entirely grateful for; he almost begrudged the calm for not sharing the roiling emotions inside him. Still, as he got further the ebbs and swells of his seething began to level out, which was more than could be said for the storm outside.

Despite the urgency and his own mood fueling him forward, progress through the ship felt agonizingly slow. Even practiced as he was, the pegasus had to pick his way along the corridors to the lower decks, constantly ready to catch himself from tumbling. His only other experienced stormfighter, Spark Heart, had just crushed her wing in such an accident with a cargo crate. Now she was belted down in the infirmary, hence their dire predicament.

This wasn't Whitecap's fault, nor his, nor anyone's, and while the blustery seahorse was demanding and unforgiving, he'd never risk their lives needlessly. He also... wasn't wrong. Though a raging of this magnitude was perilous, every set of wings in the sky was another chance for the crew's survival, which included Galewind's downed teammates. The ship wasn't sinking, but there was a very prominent "yet" just waiting to end that thought.

Every stormfighter had a "first break," a first storm. Sunshower would be no different. Storms were always violent, always merciless, always deadly. Galewind was responsible for the lives of the ponies on board, and so was Sunshower. It was their job.

...somehow, though, none of these truths made the pit in his stomach go away. A good captain doesn't coldly shove his team into danger. A good captain—

"Khhhhhf-khf-khf"

Galewind's train of thought broke with a wince as he started to squeeze past a stumbling pony in the arduous battle of footing. That was perhaps the only expression he showed aside from the iron mask of a dead-eyed scowl.

"Khhhhhh-Kff-kff-Cap-Khhhf-khf-Gale-"

Until he heard his name it hadn't registered that the pony wasn't just bumbling by, but was actually trying to halt him. In fact, the stallion practically clung to him for support as the passage around them swayed. The raspy, barely existent voice was all the identity Galewind needed, and he wheeled on the rusty-colored pegasus in something betwixt concern and agitation.

"Longshot!" He scolded, clutching the other pony's shoulders to stabilize him, "What the hay are you doing up here!? You're supposed to be down with Sparks! Where's the nurse? Is it flooding!?" Galewind immediately glanced down the hall for any signs of oncoming water, but thankfully spotted none. This was just his lieutenant being stupid.

Normally a tall, rugged stallion of the type that often frequents sea lanes, Longshot had been humbled to a waned appearance twice his age. His mane and tail were a tangled mess, and his coat matted from the sweaty fever ravaging his body. Most prominent of all were the weakened wings covered in pale, ragged feathers. They trembled at his sides, drooping despite his attempts to hide it by clutching them closer.

Feather flu.

The ruddy stallion smirked wearily and shook his head. "...so much shouting..." He laughed in a frail voice, one soon interrupted as another coughing fit surged through his chest. Once it had settled, he pulled himself upright in near-salute posture and gave a steady nod, "...I'm here for duty, krf-captain." He visibly restrained another cough and gave his wings a weak flap to put on a show of faux strength; it only convinced otherwise.

"You're gonna do no such thing," Galewind replied tersely, already starting to secure his teammate against his shoulder, though he had lost the alarmed tone,  "I don't have time for this nonsense, dude! You're gonna catch your death being up like this! What if you snap your neck on a wall, or your lungs collapse! What then!?"

"-Khhhh-KhKhf-listen... I... I heard your argument with Whitecap. Yells carry pretty far in a ship." The smile faded from Longshot's face as he slumped against Galewind's shoulder more heavily, and couldn't even resist as they started to hobble back to the med brig. Fortunately, it was in the same direction as the bunks where Sunshower was.

"Yeah? What of it."

Longshot tried to catch the storm captain's eyes for a moment, but couldn't. The iron mask was still there, stern as ever, so he decided to use words instead. "I... don't want -KHHHffff!- ...don't want Sunny going out either. Sick or not... I'm still a veteran. I can handle what he c-hhhhf... can't. I just... need a steroid for the -Kfff-cough... and a bit to get going... He-... he doesn't belong here. H-he's a sweet guy, but he's no stormfighter. He's the kinda pony we-khhf-save from storms! He'll just get himsel-Krrrhff-krrf"

The lieutenant didn't try to continue, coughing aside. His meaning was clear enough and the frigid look on his friend's face had melted a little. When next Galewind spoke, his voice was only just strong enough to be heard over the storm's echo.

"...we need him, 'Shot. As much as-..." Galewind's voice gave out unexpectedly, earning a supportive squeeze from the foreleg Longshot had wrapped over his withers. He shook his head a little to compose himself, "-as much as I want otherwise. I know you want to help, but you'd die before you even cleared the deck."

This time, he voluntarily made the connection with Longshot's eyes, his gaze firm and unmoving, "I'm captain of the team for a reason, and that's to take care of my teammates and trust them. I've gotta trust you to stay in that med brig. You've gotta trust me to take care of Sunny. We both gotta trust Sunny to..." he paused, eyes searching the floor a moment, "-...to do his best."

As Galewind spoke, Longshot's eyes had dropped to join his friend's, and by the time he finished speaking, the lieutenant only managed a simple nod.

"...I know... how you feel about Sunny, Gale. I know you car-KhhfKf-...Just... Just don't get crazy, out there. Keep your head on. I'm... I'm sorry I can't-" The sickened stallion's face twisted up almost as if he were about to cry, though the racking cough made it hard to tell.

By then they had reached the med brig and the nurse was at the door with a look to scorch fire; slightly green fire, as she wasn't fully immune to the constant sway yet. This also explained the escape of her lumbering, unstealthy ward. A shake of Galewind's head cooled her expression a little, though, as did the despondency in Longshot's.

"There's nothing to be sorry about. Whitecap'll keep you updated. Just stay put, and stay safe."

Between the rocking of the ship and Longshot's unsteadiness, the transfer from storm captain to nurse was a sketchy one. Still, with much shifting and balancing, they eventually managed and his friend limped out of sight into the infirmary. Before turning down the hall, Galewind stared at the empty doorway for just a few moments, trying to swallow the lump persistently forming in his throat.

There's a reason stormfighting is paid so well: aside from the injuries — as the scars over his body attested — it has a mortality rate in the double digits. A number. A cold, indifferent number. He'd been fortunate to get a strong team who stuck with him through the years and they'd grown to depend on one another. Sure, occasionally one got downed, but they always pulled through. They were experts, and perhaps... he'd grown too used to feeling untouchable. That 'number' had always felt distant.

This was the first time his team had been clipped so close to the wing, so desperately. Maybe it was just the pressure of his situation, but the storm didn't feel like just any storm. It felt... bigger, more ominous. Despairing. The sobering image of Longshot limping away painfully played back in his mind, making his throat even tighter: they didn't just feel vulnerable... they felt fragile. Never had that number been so dreadfully close.

And then there was Sunshower, barely in the force more than half a year. Sunshower was a crystallization of everything he wanted to keep safe in the world. To call him a strong flier would be like calling a dove a bird of prey. Sunshower was as kind and gentle as they came, almost the polar opposite to the rough-and-tumble, sea-hardened crew — Galewind included. Yet despite being a fish out of water, Sunshower was just as earnest as the best of them. It was that combination of innocence and effort that Galewind had found so captivatingly... endearing.

...worth protecting. Worth loving.

The ship lurched again as though to grab Galewind's attention, followed by an almost physical sensation as his heart sank. He'd been staring at the barracks door for... No! He didn't have time to think! He didn't have time to feel! He had already spent far too much doing both, and that had to stop! He was a storm captain, and that is what he needed to be, right now. For all their sakes... including Sunshower.

Wrenching himself upright, Galewind shoved his emotions back down into his churning stomach once more and dragged himself into the cabin.

The Bumbler's crew were ponies of the less tidy sort, generally speaking. As such, the berthing area was never in great order, but now it was disturbingly obvious how lax they were with locker usage. Chests, boxes, spare weather gear, books, and any object not screwed to the floor had collected into an amorphous hazard pile which slid from wall to wall as though possessed.

"Sun! Sunny! Are you in here?" Galewind took a few more steps and reached for one of the anchored cots to avoid being thrown, but the storm was waiting. "Hey Su-OOOgh!" The ship slammed again, pitching Galewind into a forward slide with nothing beneath him but hind hooves. This time, though, the boat didn't immediately settle; the floor kept tilting steeper and steeper as an agonized groan echoed through the hull. Panicked, Galewind snapped open his wings to curb the momentum, but they flapped uselessly at his sides. It was far too sharp an angle to create any drag!

He was seconds from being dashed on the far wall of the barracks when a yellow form punched itself into his gut, followed by a deafening screech as the other pony's grappling shoes clawed against the flooring. Sunshower had lodged his shoulder and wings against Galewind's belly and planted all four hooves as brakes, an effective — if uncomfortable — rescue tactic. While he was far too small to bodily stop Galewind, the added friction was just enough to slow them to a safe collapse against the wall.

Outside, faint but frantic yells could be heard against the wind as the rest of the crew recovered from whatever monster they had just sailed over, and the ship began to level out once more. It wasn't the first time they had nearly capsized, but it was the most ill-timed, and only a matter of time until the next. Galewind scrambled off of his savior, immediately hoisting the smaller pony to check along his legs and wing-bones. "Sun! Are you hurt!?"

The colt's tousled cream mane was rung with sweat and draped over his face like limp seaweed, but aside from being partially tangled in one of the blankets and trembling, he appeared unscathed, "I'm F-fmff. I'm fine, I just... I'm sorry. I saw you falling. I didn't know what else to d-"

"Sunshower!" Galewind cut him off, shaking him by the shoulders, "You just saved my legs, prob'ly my life!" He hesitated. Words rushed to his teeth, waiting their turn to spill out and fill Sunshower with reassurance, but he swallowed them back down reluctantly, "...Sun, I know I told you to stay below decks... but I need you to help me fight the storm. ...And we gotta move, pronto."

The fear in Sunshower's eyes was immediately magnified, the pegasus visibly shrinking as he glanced at the door leading out of the barracks. He wasn't refusing, but it was obvious how he felt, "Th-the ship-"

"-is in bad shape." Galewind interrupted briskly, more from the weight of his anxiety than to stop Sunshower. He flinched a little and softened his tone, "Look Sunny: Longshot's down hard, Spark's wing is crippled, and the ship is getting hammered. You're all I've got, and if we don't go up, they could all be dead by morning, and I can't-..." He had to pause. The more he tried to battle the feelings he kept in check 'as captain', the more they shoved back when tested. He squeezed his eyes shut a moment and gulped another breath, "We need you out there. Okay?"

Though fear still lingered in Sunshower's expression, the hesitation was silently quashed a moment later with a shaky, but understanding nod. Galewind let his feelings filter through just enough to rub a hoof through the colt's mane, "Thank you, Sunny. Let's go."

Climbing through the ship was increasingly difficult, as climbing was what it amounted to: jolting and rocking, and another near-capsize that forced Galewind and Sunshower to brace against each other in the passage. On top of that, the storm captain's sea-legs were naturally more developed, while Sunshower skidded and stumbled like a puppy on a kitchen floor. Fortunately, the yellow pegasus had shown better in the air than on a moving deck.

The tossing had only worsened when they reached the tiny gear room leading to the outer deck. At some point the lamp had shorted, leaving the room in damp, frigid air with no light except what flickered through the rain from the floodlights outside. Even though there were belted seats for crew gearing up or down, the constant pitching made efforts difficult regardless. Pounds rattled the door as heavy gusts beat against it, like a raving beast trying to claw its way in as they prepared.

The gear was standard for M.O.P.S. workers: a fluorescent life vest, rain mask and visor, compass, head-mounted light, charge indicator, and a communication crystal affixed on the chest. Lastly, tacked to either side was a set of signal flares. For a seasoned stormfighter getting equipped was second nature, and Galewind was grateful for the monotony of habit. A rote numbness had settled on his mind as he rattled off every cautionary statement that popped into it, speaking a bit louder to be heard.

"Remember, do not open your wings until we're behind a windblock and out of the main current. Launch is gonna be hard enough with the ship almost on top of us, and we don't need your wings ripped off. Hold them at your sides until you jump. If you get lost, try to find a cloud at the edge of the storm and stay there. And always watch your charge indicator. Remember the colors: Green you're clean, Red you're dead - or you will be if you don't make a break for it. I don't care what you're doing, if that signal turns red, you blast away as fast as possible. Got it?"

Galewind looked up at Sunshower for his response, only to find the smaller pegasus was shaking again, so much so he was still struggling with his vest. From the frustrated yet persistent fumbles, though, it wasn't for lack of trying. It didn't matter if Sunshower's fear was understandable. Fear was deadly. Galewind quickly finished his own gear, then scooted closer.

"Here, lemme help." Reaching in, he gently pushed Sunshower's hooves away and began to strap down and tighten the various buckles and buttons with practiced ease. As he resumed instructions, he kept his voice as calm and steady as necessary volume allowed, "Gotta make sure your vest straps are tight. Don't turn on your headlamp unless you're trying to spot something on the water. It'll just blind you if you leave it on. Always keep the boat in sight, and me too if you can. Try to stick close to me, but don't put yourself in danger to do it."

The cold wall of duty had given him a reprieve from his emotions, but now, being close, seeing the fear... he felt his heart trembling. It felt like the muscle memory was all that kept him going. Words were piling up in his throat again, words he couldn't say, again and again forcing himself to gulp them back down lest one slip out. Every distraction was a threat to survival, and much more so for the inexperienced.

This wasn't the time for his own emotions. But... he couldn't leave Sunny like this.

As he tugged the last of Sunshower's gear into place, he hesitated for just a moment, then brought the colt's chin up with a hoof.

"Hey... Sunshower?" He waited till the colt's eyes met his, letting his mind tune out the sound of the storm. It was almost peaceful. "I know you weren't prepped for anything like this, but I'll be here. I... can't promise nothing bad'll happen. No stormfighter could, but... I will promise I'll protect you as best I can. I'll look out for you. Okay?" He lowered his hoof and motioned down at his cutie mark with a soft smile, pushing a bit more confidence behind his tone, "Besides, big bullies like this are my specialty. Just listen close, follow what I say, and we'll work through it."

A thunderbolt bellowed into their ears overhead, but Galewind's reassurance seemed at least moderately successful, as Sunshower didn't shudder as much as he did before. While the apprehension still hadn't left the yellow colt's eyes, he managed to give an earnest smile and a nod despite it.

"...G-Gale?" At first Sunshower didn't continue past that, but it was clear the colt was trying to prop up his courage, straightening his neck and shoulders like Longshot had before him, "I'm... I'll do my best. I'll... I'll really do my best for you. I... I promise."

The ache in Galewind's heart throbbed a little harder at those words, but struggling on a smile himself, he rubbed Sunshower's mane again.

"I know you will, Sunny. ...I know."

The ship interrupted with a blood chilling scream of strained metal as it crested another swell, followed by more alarmed yells from the crew outside. The jolt was enough to shock Galewind into business mode as he stepped back to tap his communicator. It was just another night of work. That's all it was, and all it could be. He had a job, and the more shaken up he was... the harder it would be for him to protect Sunshower.

"Comm's test. Galewind reporting, about to launch." His voice had transformed into the heavy, blunt sound that accompanied duty, echoed over Sunshower's device. With a little less certainty, Sunshower followed his lead.

"Comm's test. S-Sunshower reporting... a-about to launch." Before Sunshower had even put his hoof down, a less deadpan tone crackled back.

"About damn time! Get your asses out there before I tie myself to a kite and do your jobs for you!"

Despite himself, Galewind couldn't help but smirk a little at the hidden humor in Whitecap's billowing temper. It was an oddly welcome, flippant contrast to everything else that had crammed into his mind. Nodding at Sunshower with one last, deep breath, he hooked his hoof around the door's latch.

As if sensing the ponies on the other side of the hatch, the storm pounded at it even more intensely, "Be ready! Wind's gonna blast when we crack this thing! All set?" Sunshower pulled himself into position behind the larger stallion and nodded. This was it. Galewind threw the latch and jumped back as the wind slammed the door wide open, threatening to pin them against the walls with all the fury and bite of a windigo.

"Alright!" Galewind shouted above the howling, "This is a fighter! Let's go!"

He pressed his way through the salt-crusted wind, which grabbed and tore so fiercely it felt as though his vest might rip off at any moment. Its icy fingers dragged through Galewind's coat and feathers, seeking anywhere they could lodge to prematurely pry his wings away from his body. Once he had cleared the doorway, he hooked his leg through the safety rope tied to the wall of the forecastle and waited as Sunshower followed, taking stock of the view as best he could through the curtains of rain.

The storm's depth and savagery felt almost cosmic: choking black in every direction save for the searing flashes of purple light that streaked overhead. Each flash illuminated vast coils of writhing darkness rooted into the ocean around them, clawing into the water with the mountain-moving swipes of an infuriated horror. Combined with the wind's undying, hollow wail, it imbued the air with a chilling presence that crawled up the skin, feeding an undercurrent of malice to match the brutal violence of the waves.

In the time it had taken to carry Spark Heart to the infirmary and retrieve Sunshower, the storm had still managed to get worse. Even to someone with hundreds of tempests under his wings, it was hard to not be distracted by the sheer immensity. Every second counted, and Galewind felt a momentary pang of guilt for all the ones he had already spent.

Another wave was headed for the ship, and aside from the safety rope neither of them were secured. Fortunately, the vessel was turned so that despite the ferocity, they were in a windblock. He immediately elbowed Sunshower to get his attention.

"Swell's coming! We're on the dead side of the wind - lift off now! I'll follow!"

To his credit, Sunshower didn't waste any more of those precious seconds. He checked the direction and took a leap into the airflow, hovering long enough to let the force of the wind take hold of his body before he snapped his wings open and spun upward into the air. Just enough time. Galewind took the more practiced route of leaping over the side of the ship and launching himself into the air at an angle, and then...

The thrusting of the wind stopped, the rush of air reduced to a mere whisper that caressed over his fur as the familiar and eerie weightlessness overcame him. All blended together with the vaguest sense of speed. It was something stormfighters call the "Moment of Bliss," where the wind first catches a pegasus to carry along like a baby on its mother's back. And it has killed many a fledgling, lulled in that moment, only to dash them into other ponies, the ship, or the seat itself with a sudden change of direction.

The only way to survive is to fight.

Galewind gave his body a twist and barreled upward, using sheer momentum to tear through the opposing wind flows and climb. The rain was so thick at times it even made the gusts feel less of a threat; the only thing between him and drowning mid-air was the mask covering his muzzle, and sometimes even that felt overwhelmed. Experience had taught him to read and shift around the currents despite the oppressive rain, but experience doesn't make a task easier, just less deadly.

Each time the ship dropped into a deeper trench the floodlights would glow behind the wall like translucent jade, giving the unnerving impression it would never come up again. Each time, Galewind half expected the lights to keep sinking deeper and deeper before winking out. Thankfully, so far they'd always returned.

"Sun! Do you copy?" he shouted into the comm.

"-here-... -over s-southeast I... -think."

His eyes were still adjusting and the rain obscured almost everything, but he barely managed to spot a tiny, fluttering glare of fluorescence amidst the gloom, about a hundred strides away and 20 down. "Okay Sunny - first things first! Come get close to me! Can you see me?"

He watched as the small, barely visible blob of yellow hovered precariously a few seconds before making a mad dart in his direction. Every gust seemed to toss Sunshower off course, every recovery a near escape, and more than once Galewind's wings shuddered in preparation to dive after him.

"Careful! Don't get caught in downdrafts! Any stronger and this'll be wing-ripper territory! Get higher to give yourself more leeway and angle your wings to use the currents where you can, not fight them! Got it?"

"...-gottit."

Stride by labored stride, the colt doggedly — if unsteadily — fought his way into the more stable stream the captain waited in, and when he finally arrived Galewind felt himself release the breath that had been locked up in his chest. After giving Sunshower as much of a once-over he could manage in the darkness, Galewind pointed above them into the dense black where clouds presumably were.

"I'm gonna pick out smaller clouds to break up! Follow my lead and bust'm with me, BUT, keep an eye on your charge indicator!" Just in case his emphasis was lost in the shouting, he tapped his own adamantly to reiterate it, "If you get a strong charge, fly around and let it drain off before you hit another!"

Galewind felt through his vest till his hooves found the glow sticks embedded in the material and bent them, then motioned for Sunshower to do the same. While the light they gave was weak, practically anything that wasn't utter darkness stood out. It was at least something, and already he could keep an eye on Sunshower more easily.

Next was 'the hard part.'

Even during a well-lit night, one could easily pick out smaller clouds. A stormfighter's guiding principle is to break the smaller ones to weaken the larger masses and work your way up the chain. Even if you couldn't fully clear the storm, sapping its power made it more navigable and safer for the ships you protected. In rages like these, however, the cover is so dense it shrouds outside illumination like a wall, and the only way to spot the weak points is by flashes of lightning or powerful, stable spotlights — and of course, they didn't have the latter.

When the bolts lit up the clouds, it revealed a split-second snapshot of the sky, which usually only the most proficient eyes could search for a target. It was a huge, dangerous game of recall, and unless you had an objective, you were stuck waiting blindly in the dark, beating back winds several times your wingpower, and pelted by dart-like rain. Concentrating wasn't made easier by the fact that half of Galewind's attention was on making sure Sunshower didn't get knocked out of the sky.

"There! C'mon!" Galewind shouted right after an especially bright flash. With an audible snap, his wings shot him forward as he raced to catch the cloud before it changed position, with Sunshower fighting along behind. The winds were so chaotic that Galewind's airwake was extremely short, and barely useful to make the path easier.

Wham! The cloud erupted in a shower of angry blue sparks as Galewind blasted through it, only to be whisked into a vapor as Sunshower swept through it after him. Another bolt of lightning, another target, more rain, more coughing and choking on raindrops, more diving through the air, more slamming, more sparks.

On and on it continued, cloud after cloud, and the wind grew no less exhausting. Galewind had the stamina, but Sunshower was lagging further and further behind, dangerously behind. They had just managed to break up a particularly large, stubborn cloud bank when the sky was set ablaze by a superbolt racing upward into the core of the storm.

The view, while mere seconds, was no less awesome for the brevity. Previous flashes had only revealed bits and pieces of the storm, giving the illusion of dark sky above them, but as the bolt climbed higher, it revealed nothing but towering, cyclonic storm walls. Even in the brief glimpse, Galewind could see the strands of black were bowling into one another, reforming into the strata they had toiled so hard to eliminate. It had every appearance of staring into an endless, dark maelstrom.

Galewind's heart seized inside of him. There was no possible way he could have fought this. Not without help, and not with it.

"...Sun! Stop! Change of plans! Clouds're forming faster than we can kill'em!" He paused to point off to the side, "Storm's blowing east and we're in the belly! I gotta find the nearest edge westward! Break off, stay on the ship to rest your wings, but stay on comms. If you gotta leave the ship for any reason do not, DO NOT lose sight of it!" Unable to wait for Sunshower's confirmation, he pivoted about and sped off to start his search, cracking the air with every wingbeat.

Though a quick decision, it hadn't been an easy one. Every second Sunshower was out of eyeshot was another second of anxiety for Galewind, but their only chance was to head farther from the boat than he could trust Sunshower's wings. The sooner he found a heading for the ship, the sooner he could get the colt out of the storm again.

If ever there was something akin to flying in an abyss, a stormfighter has felt it. You only realize how much perspective a ship's lights give you and how much you depend on them once you've left them behind. It's half flying, half swimming blindly through a black so tangible it drags you downward with the weight of its torrents. The only hint of the ocean is the dull, almost imperceptible glow of plankton disturbed by the churning surface, if you're fortunate.

As strong as he was, even Galewind started to feel his wings tire. Normally they had shifts. Normally... they weren't fighting for their lives. All he needed was a hint, the thinnest, barest hint of sky... ...but nothing. The ship was now only a spark on the horizon, and intermittent at that. At least it was still there.

He was at a distance he would have reprimanded even his best fliers for attempting, now. This was how ponies die in a storm, but it was also the only way to make sure they didn't.

He was starting to go numb. The wind wasn't just fighting him, it was chilling him. More minutes ticked by, or at least, he thought they were minutes. He couldn't truly tell. Still there was nothing but blackness. Cold, utter, blackness. With an ache in his chest, he was about to turn back to the boat when a twinkle caught his eye, one tiny, brilliant twinkle: a star.

Suddenly infused with adrenaline, he yanked up his foreleg to check the compass: West. West! It was perfect!

"SUN! I got a heading!" he bellowed into the comm with an odd mix of relief and urgency.

Galewind waited a few moments for a response. Nothing.

"Sunny! I've got a heading, do you copy?"

......

"Sun! You answer me right now, dammit!"

Galewind had already veered toward the tiny speck of boat, but now he couldn't get back fast enough, galloping so hard through the air he was practically tearing the wind to pieces with his thrusts. Even before he was in range of the floodlights, his eyes were darting everywhere for anything on the water, "Sun! I said tell me where you are! Talk to me! That's an ORDER!"

It was only a split second after he yelled into the comms that Galewind realized he was crying into the rain, the warmth of his tears just barely different enough to detect for the split second they stayed on his cheeks. He feared the silence. He didn't shout the orders out of anger. He shouted orders because he wanted to believe they could be heard.

"-ater! In... water-khrgph-...."

A shock of relief and new fear alike rushed through Galewind like a spear. Sunshower was alive, but if he didn't get out of the water, he soon wouldn't be. The storm captain's wings went on autopilot, strengthened by sheer necessity, blasting along the wind lanes with automatic grace and every ounce of training he had ever endured. His heart was beating so hard it felt like every vein in his body was thudding with the pressure.

"Suh-Sun! Listen to me! You gotta- ...spread your wings! Keep them above water, use-.. use the air currents to help float! And tell me where you are!"

"Thbb-the boat! Bythboat!"

"Thank you sisters..." Galewind whispered. At least there the deckhands had a chance of getting to him; two chances in a hundred is better still than one. When he finally reached the boat, the stress on his body caught up to him all at once, almost spinning from the dizziness as his chest heaved.

Sure enough, a cluster of ponies had gathered by the railing and were shouting at each other over the wind as two unicorns tried to lasso a faint yellow blob on the surface. It was almost impossible to tell the colt's coat and mane from the sea foam in these conditions. One of the ropes  fell nearby Sunshower, but it went ignored.

"Sun! What are you doing!? Grab the rope!" Galewind shouted, finally closing the distance between them. By now he was close enough to actually see Sunshower shake his head, which was barely breaking the surface as though something were holding him down.

"I-.. I can't-kahgh-"

The closer he got, the more difficult it became for Galewind to maneuver. Before he simply had to head in the general direction, so he could work with the winds, but now he had to fight against them, and it felt like a bad dream where no matter how hard you try to push forward, you only move back. "You've got to TRY!"

"-No!"

It took Galewind a second to process that response. Before, Sunshower had sounded scared, and he still did, but now there was a note of firmness in his desperation. Flipping on his headlamp, Galewind took another dive toward Sunshower, and as he crested another peak the storm captain saw the reason Sunshower refused to grab the rope: Bobbing just above the surface next to his own was the head of another pony, unconscious or possibly even dead by how limp the body was. And the pony was definitely bigger than Sunshower.

The unicorns attempting to lasso them kept losing distance and their magic only reached so far, made even more useless by the constant wind throwing their aim off course. Still fighting to hold his position, Galewind began searching the water, the beam from his headlamp darting to and fro across the surface around them. Finally, he spotted what he was looking for: a black, almost snake-like rope from the rescue's snapped harness lead, just barely floating beneath the foam.

"I-...Hang on!"

Galewind twisted his wings and spiral-dived down to cut through the wind like a screw, aiming for the rope with a gaping mouth. Shooting for a target was hard enough when the very air shifted and turned about him, but it became that much harder as the target rose and fell on each dramatic undulation of the swells.

There was a loud splash when his head slammed into the surface, followed by hacking and coughing as the stinging salt water sputtered from his mouth and nose. The moment he felt the lead firm in his jaws, though, he thrust upward and pulled the rope taut, putting all the energy he had into towing the pair back toward the boat. The wind battled his muscles over every inch, and every swell that swept past yanked the lead so hard it threatened to drag all three of them further away. Galewind couldn't actually tell if he was making any headway at all.

Suddenly he felt the lead go slack; twisting around in a panic, he searched the water for a few seconds, only to feel a wave of relief as he saw the glowing unicorn magic dragging them out of the water. The rescue was rushed immediately into the gear room and one of the others helped up Sunshower, who miraculously seemed to be fine aside from very drenched and spitting seawater.

The colt waved off the attending crewmember and started to make his way over to Galewind, grappling along the security ropes, but the storm captain swung around to press him against the side of the forecastle, shielding the colt from the rain with his wing.

"Sweetheart, you go inside! Stay in a smaller area of the ship where you can brace yourself, not the barracks! Okay?" An appropriately timed lightning flash revealed the utter shock on Galewind's face as he realized the slip, "Sunshower! I mean Sunshower! Get inside, NOW!" Red-faced and hoping his switch to commanding tone had somehow 'overridden' his mistake, the storm captain slapped his comm. He felt the colt pry past him into the door, giving him at least that assurance, "Whitecap! Clearing due west! Storm's too big to break up!"

The comm was silent a few moments before the Whitecap's voice bellowed back, still amazingly clear despite the wind screaming by.

"If that's the best you can do, I'll give it what we've got. No way I'll navigate out safely just blindly plowing west; we'll end up capsized. Get back in the air and flare as much as you can; I need a damn fireworks display!" As if the captain were speaking for the ship itself, the floodlights above almost immediately flickered and the sound of engines vibrated to life, rumbling beneath the deck.

While the request wasn't a welcome one, it was also no surprise. Galewind already knew it would be necessary. Wrestling his way into the gear room, he gladly let the door slam behind him. He didn't realize just how hard he'd been working till he'd been out of it, his head automatically sagging to the floor as he heaved every breath. His body relished whatever fleeting recovery time it had during the brief respite from the blasting rain.

It wasn't until he pulled his head back up that he realized Sunshower hadn't yet left the gear room. In fact, he hadn't even geared down. It gave Galewind a brief pause, but he didn't have time to question why as he started rummaging around for all the spare flare packs he could hook to his vest. He just started rolling out instructions.

"Sunshower. I want you in my cabin; everything in there is secured, so it's safe. Grab a blanket and wrap up. Nurse can check you out once she's finished with the rescue. If the ship goes down-" he paused, his hooves already full of flare packs he didn't even remember grabbing. Nightmarish images of ponies clambering up passages flooding with water filled his head, with a frightened Sunshower drowning at the forefront. It chilled him. "Sun... how strong are your wings?"

"Str-strong enough to help."

For some reason, that answer hadn't been what Galewind was expecting. Maybe an 'okay' or 'alright' or perhaps a confession of weakness, but to couch it in an offer of help? Despite the stutter, his voice was strong, firm. When Galewind glanced up, the floodlights illuminated Sunshower's face just long enough for the storm captain to see something new there: determination.

There was a surge and all at once Galewind found himself crushing Sunshower against his chest as his emotions came flooding back, sweeping his massive wings around the colt. Once more, the sound and motion from the storm outside seemed oddly muted. He couldn't hold Sunshower tight enough, and all those words he dared not say came bubbling back. He was still heaving breaths, but now just to keep himself from breaking down. Once more, though, he swallowed the words back.

Sunshower wasn't thinking in terms of escape or himself, and for that alone Galewind could have kissed him right there. Somehow, the colt's show of confidence had managed to wash away the terrible images filling his mind and bolster his own, and nothing felt better than holding him close like this. Galewind still had to be captain, he still couldn’t say what he wanted, but he could spare this moment to be himself.

Just this moment.

Sunshower said nothing more as the two sat there, leaned against the wall in the embrace. The colt never struggled or resisted once, he simply leaned closer. It was tempting in so many ways to just sit there, but Galewind didn't dare think of rest yet, or it would be all the harder to do what was needed. One more moment would turn into another one more moment, and another. Slowly, reluctantly, he pulled away, then began passing Sunshower some of the flare packs.

"Here. Pack these on. I'll take the other half. We're gonna need all of'em. The sooner we get this ship out of the storm, the sooner we can land." He stood and gave his vest a shake to make sure all the packs were secure, "If my wings fail and I go into the water, do not come after me! Am I clear?" he waited, looking Sunshower in the eye until the colt gave a hesitant nod, "If I go down, I'll ride the air currents over the surface to stay afloat until I can fly again, but you need to keep the flares going for the ship regardless of what happens to me." He nodded to give the order finality and turned to push open the hatch, immediately filling the tiny cabin with a whirlwind.

"Let's go! Stick with me at ALL times, got it? Take off when you're ready!"

Thankfully, the ship was turned once more so that they were already in the windblock, and launch went just a little more smoothly. While Sunshower still took the less experienced launch route, he was soon spinning up into the air, and one jump later Galewind had winged up beside him. The storm captain jabbed a hoof in the direction he'd seen the clearing after checking his compass again.

"We've got to head there!" He shouted as they gained altitude, switching back and forth amongst the air currents. "I'll go through my flares, then we'll use yours, okay?" Again, all he got was a barely visible head-nod, but at least Sunshower was responsive.

Even with the compass heading, it was difficult battling through the storm. It would have been hard enough if they only had to fight the gusts head-on, but storms are chaotic messes. Blasts of air buffeted them from every side in no particular pattern, something that only worsened when defying each whim of the wind for a particular direction.

Every hundred strides or so he set off another flare, using the brief encompassing light to take stock of the inky churning below them, and check to make sure the boat hadn't gotten too far behind. At some points they had to hold position as the ship worked its way toward them, releasing flares to expose the more dangerous swells.

Thankfully his body seemed to have found its second wind, and the work became almost predictable. Soon, he had run out of all but one flare, which he saved for an emergency and motioned for Sunshower to start his. Onward they worked.

During Sunshower's turn, things went refreshingly smooth: the storm was still terrible, but it seemed they had worked out a system that the colt had picked up on. Thanks to the flares the boat was keeping up, and Galewind almost felt like the wind was getting a little less rough, though each time he thought that, another blast would punch him from one side or the other to put it out of his mind. Still, the anxiety he had felt before had numbed, and it almost felt like a 'normal night' at work, aside from the burning stress through his muscles that he was sure Sunshower was also feeling. They had almost worked through Sunshower's remaining flares when Galewind heard him.

"-Th... there! I see- I see it!" He was close enough now that the comm was merely an accent to the otherwise storm-blurred sound. He was panting heavily, pointing a foreleg off in the distance. With a jolt, Galewind realized he hadn't even been checking the sky and craned his neck to peer ahead. Sure enough, Sunshower had spotted the same dim glow, that tiny patch of starlight. He almost laughed out loud from sheer relief.

A second later, a stifled fizzling sputtered as Sunshower set off a flare, the bright red glow hovering around them briefly before rocketing up in a twirled arc as the wind spun it around. For a second or two, Galewind could only stare up at it, as if they'd pressed some magic button that made everything right again, and he was grinning, grinning so, so wide.

"Alright Sunny! I think we've done enough! Let's head back to the-..." It wasn't till he looked down again that he noticed not all of the red glow was fading. At first it seemed like just a reflection, but as darkness settled in, the charge indicator strapped to his foreleg and Sunshower's both glowed a brilliant red, "SUNNY!"

The shout had actually come late. Before it even passed his lips, Galewind was tackling the other pegasus, knocking them both into a rapid dive. Thunder tore through the air behind them, a tangible static clinging to the fur as a blinding flash shot down from the sky so close it nearly nipped at their heels. Just in case there were any chasers, Galewind didn't dare try to slow them for the next few seconds, but by the time he had turned them over and thrown open his wings, he only managed a few frantic thrusts before they smacked painfully into something solid, cold, hard.

Silence.

At first it was almost peaceful: the roaring gone with the rain, almost weightless, and the vaguest sense of motion, floating. All at once, a swell carried them up and his head burst the surface of the water, the howling of the storm returning with a vengeance. Sunshower, still clutched against his chest, started coughing and flailing out of instinct, forcing Galewind to lean back. By merciful serendipity, he had caught the other pegasus from behind, leaving him clear of the panicked strikes.

"Sunny! KRrrfkf- HOLD STILL!" Galewind shouted, using his wings and haunches to paddle as best he could. He was still dazed from hitting the water and his head was swimming even without the ocean around him. Their life vests only afforded the barest amount of buoyancy, and being the heavier of the two, he tried to keep his lungs inflated. It wasn't easy.

The swells constantly dunked them under and shoved them up again, bobbing unevenly, sometimes floating, sometimes fighting their way to the surface just to be pulled under again or to get slapped in the face with churning foam. With Sunshower in tow, he couldn't even get his wings to clear the water properly. Almost every second was a battle, or spent waiting for one.

Every fleeting opportunity Galewind searched for the ship, but it was nowhere. Either because of the waves, the distance, or worse, the ship was... nowhere. No lights, no faint calls of crew members, no sense of direction, no guide.

Sunshower's headlight had been knocked loose at some point, and he didn't dare reach for his own for fear of the sea ripping the colt from his grip. Even attempting a flare was practically impossible. In his gut, he knew they would both be gone before help could even reach their position, anyway. The currents would carry them off long before the ship ever stumbled its way to them in the dark, if it ever did. Every towering swell felt like another inevitable end. This wasn't the first time Galewind had found himself in the sea, but never had he felt so...

...helpless.

That was when he heard it.

Amid the deafening wind and the smashing of raindrops on the surface all around them, there was something else, an engine-like hissing, rushing, almost like a waterfall accompanied by an eerily hollow resonance. Galewind's training kicked into gear and he was instantly alert, his heart pounding in his chest as his eyes blindly tried to search the darkness around them. A moment later his suspicions were confirmed by a crack of lightning: a gigantic, towering waterspout, or as known among stormfighters, a wing-ripper.

Already Galewind could feel the tell-tale shift in air pressure as the wind started to change direction. His initial instinct was to paddle them away to escape, but it could move much faster than they could, and it was already headed for them. 

Then an idea occurred to him. A frightening, terrible idea that could be their only chance, and not much time to do it. Gathering Sunshower in an almost crushing grip, purposefully pinning the smaller pegasi's wings to his sides, he shouted as best he could above the fast-approaching wall of sound.

"Sunshower! Take a deep breath!"

The colt tried to look back at him, frantic and confused, so he reiterated.

"HOLD. YOUR. BREATH!!!"

Galewind had no time to see if Sunshower complied, he only felt the other stallion's chest expand a little and hoped it was obedience, before he dove forward into the water, submerging them both. This time, the water wasn't so peaceful. Keeping Sunshower grappled in a dead-pony float, he waited, seconds ticking by. Above the water, he could feel the air speeding faster and faster, rushing to the point it was picking at the very hairs on his back. Now even Galewind was trembling.

Then it happened. The sea started lifting up around them, not a swell this time but an almost unnatural pull as the cyclone approached, siphoning water from the waves. This lasted a few scant seconds, then, in an abrupt change of course, there was a punch downward as the center of the waterspout began to pass over them, blaring, violent winds rushing down to pummel the water with ferocious force. The sound of it reverberated through the ocean like an almost musical, discordant choir. If his head had been above water, Galewind's own scream would have joined the sound from the pain searing along his back. Already he could feel Sunshower starting to struggle for air, but it wasn't time yet. It wasn't time!

Shaking, waiting, begging, Galewind held on, his only focus to last just long enough. THERE!

With a burst of energy, Galewind thrust his wings above the water like sails as he felt the pressure change again, catching them directly in the updraft. Almost instantly the pegasus and his cargo were yanked out of the water like no more than paper, the muscles and sinews in his wings strained against the tearing wall of wind and dagger-like rain. He had no control whatsoever, twisting, tumbling upward as though gravity had been reversed. With another cry he snapped his wings around Sunshower as a shield, fighting to keep them closed as the wind pried at them without relent.

They didn't start falling. The wind no longer needed his wings to keep them aloft. It simply carried them in one long, endless ascent.

Up, up into the spiraling

Deep.

Dark.

Black.



I'll protect you, Sunshower.
 
 
 
 
 
 



 
 
 
 
 
 
Hours.

Hours passed.

Hours of darkness, hours of tumbling, hours of clinging.

While the storm had lifted them up into the highest parts of the cloud bank, it was anything but stable. Every moment, Galewind waited for the clouds beneath them to break open into a freefall. Every moment, he waited for an angry, vengeful bolt to seek them out. Hours.

He wasn't sure when it stopped, or when the sound had settled. Galewind wasn't sure of anything. Where they were, how long it had been...

Suddenly a wet cough surged through his chest, cascading into a wrenching pain through... everywhere. He had to turn just to avoid heaving over — His heart seized and he clenched his forelegs frantically — they met resistance! Warm resistance! Sunshower was still there. He clutched the smaller form preciously, partly out of relief, and partly because the coughing fit locked his limbs until it settled.

"Rrrg-Gale-..." Despite how uncomfortable the colt's groan sounded, there wasn't a more beautiful thing to Galewind's ears right now.

"Sunshower..." he sighed, burying his nose into the cream mane. He couldn't see it, but he knew it was there. Still, albeit reluctantly, he loosened his grip a little. If the cloud were going to thin and fall out from under them, it probably would have by now. His eyes were starting to adjust, at least as much as they could. However long it had been, the glowsticks on Sunshower's vest were only barely lit anymore, and his own vest was gone.

Galewind started to get up to hollow out the cloud around them, but he immediately dropped down again with an excruciating cry, almost collapsing on top of Sunshower from the pain. It seemed to ravage every nerve in his body, radiating from his back where he felt an odd, gripping, sticky cold. Everything felt... very weak. Only then did he start to realize the extent of his injuries.

"Are you hurt!?" Sunshower gasped, twisting around urgently to start feeling along Galewind's body.	

"Oooph! Sto-Stop, CAREFUL with the-GNNNhnhnhn... ...-h-hooves..." Galewind caught Sunshower's foreleg in his own quivering grip and tried to redirect it as gently as he could. As much as he'd have enjoyed Sunshower checking him out on less painful occasions, it was clear the colt lacked both medical training and sufficient light.

Frankly, he was grateful for the latter. While he couldn't determine exactly how he was injured, he knew from the feel it wasn't something he wanted Sunshower to see. "We're... both hurt. Hard to tell how much..." he grunted, a partial lie to deflect further inquiry, "We aren't... gonna know for a while. So...rrf... C-C'mere. Gotta... keep warm."

Beckoning with little tugs of his foreleg, Galewind tucked Sunshower down against his side once the yellow pegasus complied. With a deep breath, he went to pull his wing over the colt only to have another bolt of pain rifle down the length as it dragged along the cloud floor. With monumental effort, he grappled every yell that tried to get past his throat and didn't let go.

Thankfully, once he relaxed his wing again the pain started to subside, or at least dull into a more bearable throbbing. Though Sunshower's glowsticks were almost out, they afforded just enough light to see his once proud plumage was shredded nearly to the wing bone. There were barely enough feathers left to afford Sunshower a proper blanket. At least he still had the wing, if only for the good it would do Sunshower. That would have to be enough.

Wherever they had landed, the storm seemed distant now. There were rumbles, echoes of rumbles, and the occasional flicker of lightning, but it was more like one might listen to from a porch on a summer day. Even so, he felt Sunshower tense up at each one.

"Don't worry," he chuckled raspingly, trying to give a reassuring squeeze with his wing, though it was more of a firm tremble, "Storm's died out, or we're in an offshoot. Cloud's...nnnn...cloud's thick enough... no bolt'll get through. Notice... n-notice our cloud isn't moving much? We're adrift. S'a good thing... Sec..."

The sense of obligation to the task was automatic, programmed into him after years of check-ins. It was only as he reached for the remaining comm on Sunshower's vest that his hoof suddenly balked, hovering in the air just above it. If he reported, there might not be an answer. Images of Longshot and Spark Heart not unlike the ones he had of Sunshower before flashed through his mind. In some ways... not having the ability to know felt easier than an unanswered call.

But... he had to. If he didn't at least attempt to report, he would be left to guess anyway. And on top of that, there'd be little chance anyone would find Sunshower. That was the final deciding factor, and before he could change his mind he pressed down on the comm, almost pushing out the words, "Bumbler... this is Galewind and... Sunshower reporting. You copy?"

Moments ticked by in silence. The lump in his throat from back in the ship had started to form again. It could be hours bef-

"GALEWIND!" the comm abruptly bellowed back, "You son of a- Where in the hay are you? We thought you were- THEY'RE ALIVE!! Hold on-" There was a muffled static as the clearly recognizable Whitecap rushed through the ship, his hooves clanging as he lumbered as quickly as size allowed, "'Shot! Sparks! He's alive! What about Sunny? Sunny alive???" Galewind almost broke into tears right then, his heart aching with relief. It took a few moments and several stiff breaths to gather himself for a reply.

"Yeah... Yeah he's... krr-alive. Can't tell you how... how good it is to hear... to hear you're safe. Just-Khhrf... we're both... I don't think we're gonna be... flying soon. We kinda... rode a wing-ripper to who-knows-where..."

There was silence, then the crackle of a struggle. When the comm came to life again, it was the voice of a fiery, demanding mare, "WHAT. THE. BUCK. GALE!!! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING? Here I'm stuck in this medical brig and you're OUT—*BRREEEEErrr* Sparks! SPARKS! Calm down!" Whitecap's voice cut in sternly as he retrieved his possession, "What the B—Nevermind! Any idea where you are?"

"Grrrn-.. no... no idea. Been trapped... in a cloud for hours... but the storm's mostly gone. P-Prob'ly... on the edge of it someplace. Storm was headed for land, though... and... Sun... might have a flare left..."

"No, Longshot, no! SIT! ...alright Gale. We're all safe. You and Sunny stay that way, and stay warm. We'll hail the Coastal Guard soon as we're in range for a rescue team. Try to reserve power on the comms."

"...Tell.. Tell 'Shot and Spark... I... I…” he paused, holding a silent debate in his head. He knew what they were likely to find when they reached him, but... telling them wouldn’t help anyone, not now. All the same, he had to swallow before he finally resumed,”...I'll... I'll watch over S-Sunny... till you get here… And I’m khrf-glad you’re safe." This time there was a longer pause on the comm. Galewind almost wasn't sure they heard, but eventually it came back with Longshot's voice. He’d argued Whitecap into relinquishing the comm after all.

"...Thank you, captain. Both... both of you-khhhrf... There's-khrrf-somepony else... here still recovering that'll want to thank Sunshower-krf-too. Make... make sure he gets the chance, Gale."

Galewind gave Sunshower another slight squeeze of his wing, clearing his throat to muster more strength for his response, "...you bet. Winds carry you. Over-..." the words halted in his throat, choked by a cold sense of finality. He couldn't hold onto them forever, though, and Sunshower would need the power on the comm. He felt his heart throb softly as the words finally slipped free, "...over and out."

"Over and out."

It was just the two of them, again. Galewind was incredibly grateful to have Sunshower there beside him in that moment, an emotion he didn't think he could express without drawing questions. So instead, he expressed his gratitude in the form of hugging the thick foreleg a bit more tightly around him. It was right about then he felt Sunshower's chest expand in that peculiar, convulsive way it does when one is... sobbing, a diagnosis he confirmed a moment later by nosing down the colt's wet cheek.

"Sun? Sunny? What's wrong? Ho-rrrf..." he grunted, interrupted by his own pain as he tried to shift, "-...how bad does it... hurt?" His immediate concern was injury, considering all they'd been through. At first, Sunshower just continued to cry, and it took a while before words finally accompanied the tears.

"This is... this is all my fault..."

Galewind blinked. That was not the response he was expecting. It didn't even make sense! Despite his confusion, he immediately tried to soothe the concerns, "Sunshower... you... this isn't your fault! You did-Krrf... you didn't cause the storm, you didn't break Sp-"

"No!" Sunshower cut in, almost sounding agitated. It took him a couple more shuddered breaths before he was able to continue, "I... put you all in danger. Just... just by being there. I... I never should have signed up. I... hate storms. I'm..." he ducked his head down, swallowing audibly, "I'm... afraid of storms. I... I always have been..."

"W-... but-... ..." Galewind's confusion was almost enough to distract him from the pain as he tried to piece together what Sunshower was saying.

"I hurt you... I hurt the team... If you'd had a competent flier out there this never would've-!" The more Sunshower tried to explain, the harder it became for him. His sentences and words tumbled over his guilt like a brook over stones, "I s-should've known what I was gettin-... getting into when I signed up... I was an idiot! A s-stupid, irresponsible, stupid idiot..."

Was Sunshower admitting to applying as a stormfighter with... a phobia? At first, Galewind felt even more at a loss, a brief flurry of conflicting emotions sweeping through him. As he cradled the colt against himself, though, it didn't take long his words fell into place.

"You... made a decision." Galewind mustered his 'commanding officer voice' as much as he could, then carefully — for both their sakes — pulled the smaller stallion against his chest in a full embrace. It was agonizing at first, but he kept his pain silent and Sunshower didn't resist, so he held there, rocking slightly. Eventually, his head had cleared enough to continue.

"And... you were... everything we asked. More. I've had... had ponies who... acted tough and turned tail when... rrf... w-when they were needed most. But... you? Sun—KHHHHRF-khhrf-khrf-..." he trembled slightly as he held onto Sunshower, then laughed the breath or two he could stand, "heh, you... nearly drowned yourself... saving a pony, saved me... and... put yourself on the line to save the... the ship!"

Whether he liked it or not, he had to pause for his own breaths. He pressed on though, "So... maybe... maybe you were.... an idiot when you signed up, and... maybe you'll decide... this job isn't for you, but... you sure as hay weren't an idiot or... irresponsible, tonight. You were... you were the opposite... You... you didn't let past... rrrr-...reckless choices... s-stop you from... trying your best..."

He swallowed softly and took one more deep breath, risking the pain required to make his next statement in a steady voice, "And... as your captain I'm damn proud... no matter... no matter what."

As he finished his captainly monologue, Galewind realized he had started stroking his hoof along Sunshower's head in his efforts to comfort. He was about to pull it away when Sunshower shifted, propping his head against the stallion's neck. The colt had stopped crying, aside from the occasional sniffle, and Galewind felt any hesitation swell into a heart-warming glow. His pain didn't feel so significant, now, and he was smiling in spite of it. He kept stroking.

Ordinarily, the storm captain would never have treated a subordinate in such an... intimate manner, but the captain's duty was done now. It was Galewind's turn. This was his time.

"You know... I... used to be afraid of... storms too, when I was a foal. My dad... was a stormfighter, and he'd hold me... pretty much like this, except..." he paused to grin a little, shakily scooping some cloud up to rest his own head where he could watch the colt's silhouette, "...back then I'd fit right... against his chest. You're a... tad more bulky, heh." He poked at Sunshower gently in a tease.

"I... I can shift over if you-"

"NO-Krrrf... kkrfrf... -ooh... no... no no," Galewind fought to stifle the pain again, having protested a little too adamantly. Despite the jolt of pain, Galewind tucked his wing even closer to prevent any such migration, "...You're... just fine where you are... Besides... I'll get... cold if you move."

There were a few seconds of apprehension, but it seemed his sloppy reason had paid off, and his smile came back as he felt Sunshower relax. It was odd, being in so much pain... but still feeling... happy. Liberated, at peace. His ears twitched up a bit as Sunshower continued the conversation on his own, this time.

"My dad... my dad worked as a snowflake architect. I did too, for a while."

Galewind waited a short bit to see if Sunshower intended to continue, then prodded the conversation along, "Snowflake maker? That's... that's a far cry from... a stormfighter. Why the change?"

"It's... I guess it isn't that complicated. A new company bought us out and I couldn't keep up with the metrics they wanted. I tried but I ended up being let go," Sunshower paused to sniffle and wipe his muzzle with a foreleg, "There aren't many jobs for pegasi with skill sets like mine. I'd done some weather work before, but all the applications I put out were rejected. A friend told me about M.O.P.S. and said the assignments in this area had good weather, that I didn't-... didn't have to worry. So..."

Galewind tilted his head to one side and chuckled slightly, "Heh, wel-" BOOM!

Whatever he was about to say was cut off by an untimely thunderclap and a flash of lightning so bright it was daylight for a split second, and another jab of pain as Sunshower jolted next to him.

"RRRRRNF-Khhhf-khf-whoa whoa!... rrf-...h-hey..." he cooed, giving Sunshower another soft hug, "You're... gonna be just fine... just a little... thunder..." He tried to not to let the pain color his tone too much, but he still had to close his eyes and wait for the throbbing to subside. When he opened them again, though, he lit up with delight, "Ooh... look! This... this is my favorite... part of storms!" There was a soft grunt as he lifted his foreleg to point into the darkness.

Sunshower still felt panicked for a few moments, but calmed down a little more readily this time around. Swallowing softly, he squinted into the dark where the shadowy limb directed, "I... I don't see anything..." he replied, settling a little more as Galewind wrapped the foreleg back around him.

"Here-" Galewind tugged the glowing vest under his wing just a bit more to block the remaining light, then leaned his head against Sunshower's to help guide it, "Just... watch."

At first, the blackness looked... very black. There was nothing but black. Slowly, however, as their eyes adjusted, every once in a while there'd be a faint bluish flicker in the walls, then across the floor, just above their heads in the ceiling. It became more and more rapid, till it seemed like they were everywhere. What looked like tiny electrical inchworms climbed their way over the cloud surface, winking out of and into existence at a moment's notice and scurrying in surprisingly life-like patterns.

"They're like baby lightning bolts..." Sunshower said softly, hushed as though he were afraid of scaring them. Slowly reaching out his hoof, he tried to touch one, but as he did they reacted like a flock of birds to a rushing dog. All at once there were hundreds scampering to and away from his hoof, jumping up to investigate the intruder before flitting off to hide back in the cloud. "They... they're beautiful..."

"Pretty... little things, aren't they..." Galewind agreed, keeping his muzzle pressed gently to Sunshower's cheek. He shuddered a little as a sharp pain stabbed through his chest again, "Nnnf-nn... Hey... Sun?"

"...yeah?"

It was gradually getting more difficult to breath and talk, but he fought it. There was something he needed to ask, a question he needed answered. It was important to him.

"Once... once we land and get... all fixed up, I know a... a great seaweed restaurant in Port of Pearls... Ho-How about I take you there? Just... just you... and me. Not as your captain." Silence fell after that question, and Galewind found himself trembling slightly as he waited. While 'liberated' from duty, he was still afraid.

A second ticked by. Two. Three. Four...

"I'd... I'd really like that, Gale."

A soft smile spread over Galewind's face as two faintly glimmering tears trickled down in the dark, his hoof pressed just a little more into stroking Sunshower's head, "Thank you, Sunny. So would I..." He had his answer. It was all he would get, but it was all that he needed.

Galewind let that moment linger for a while, as long as he could. But the pain had begun to deaden, replaced by a slowly pervading numb that crawled up his limbs. They were getting stiffer too, harder to move. It wouldn't be long now, and he didn't want Sunshower to be aware of it. Fighting for the strength to lift his head, he nosed against Sunshower's cheek one more time.

"You should sleep, Sunny," he said softly, "..rrn... gotta be ready for the rescue team. And... I may be unconscious so... you'll have to listen... for the comm and answer it. Be ready... with the flare. O-okay?"

He thought he might've felt a soft nod on his shoulder, but Sunshower didn't reply and his gentle, steady breaths suggested he had already begun to doze. Galewind pressed a kiss between the colt's ears and then rested back on his cloud pillow. The sparklings were still skittering across the cloud walls and reflected dimly in the stallion's eyes like playing children. Gradually they became fewer and fewer, one by one flickering out into the cloud.

His pain was almost an afterthought now, and the spreading numbness had turned to a heavy weariness. But... there was one more thing he had to do... to say... The words had tried so hard to get out before, but now...

How to say them...

After a slow breath, he closed his eyes. The cloud melted away, and instead of a storm, he and Sunshower were settled on a grassy hill that smelled of summer, warmth all around them. He began to whisper out a song, his voice only just enough to carry the tune. His hoof was no longer stroking the colt's mane, just resting there, protecting it.

"You are... my Sunshine... my darling... Sunshine...
You make me happy... when skies... are gray...
You'll... never know, dear... how much I love you...
Oh please don't... take my dear... sunshine away..."
"The other night, dear... as I lay drifting...
I thought I felt you... in my wings...
When I awoke... dear, I found you dreaming...
And so I held... you close... and smiled..."
"You are... my Sunshine... my lovely... Sunshine...
You make me happy...  come...     what may...
I'll... always...    show...        ...you..."
 
 
 
 
How much I love you.
 
 
 
 
 
 



 
 
 
 
 
 
The sea never seemed quite as exciting on the big ocean liners. Companies with deep pockets hired far more stormfighter teams for a single ship than could ever be needed, especially since most of them steered clear of anything larger than a sprinkler. At least, that was Spark Heart's opinion.

Heaving a sigh, she wove her way through the various tourists and crew crowding the decks, gradually inching closer to where she'd been informed the stormfighter crew — or at least a particular member — could be found. It felt like a sin to have this many ponies on one boat. The idea they'd voluntarily cram themselves in on one outside of an emergency boggled the mind.

While it took entirely longer than it should've, eventually Spark Heart found herself at the prow, or the skyscraper that passed for one on this monster of a ship. As reported, he was there at the front: a solidly built yellow stallion with a windswept cream mane, and a few scars denoting his experience in the ranks. While not as large as many stormfighters, his eyes and face had five times the confidence and strength.

He hadn't noticed her, it seemed, placidly gazing out at a wispy mess of gray clouds on the horizon, so Spark Heart sauntered up behind him and thwapped his hindquarters with a well-aimed wingswat. "Weeeell, aren't you the vigilant little stormfighter, Captain Sunshower!" she bellowed, propping herself on the railing with a grin. 

Much to Spark Heart's glee, the stallion whipped around with a satisfyingly shocked expression. That's where her 'plans' ended though, because he immediately collapsed faintly against the opposite rail, gasping and fanning himself with a wing in melodramatic fashion, "Oh my goodness! It's Commander Sparky! Oh, Sir, Ma'am, Sir! It is SUCH an honor to-"

"BUCK!" Spark immediately started beating him over the head with her wing, forcing Sunshower to retreat behind his own, "Stoppit! Stoppit! Stoppit! Stoppit!! Ugh, you're terrible! As your superior officer I get the dibs on making fun of your rank!"

"Want to beat a bad joke? Steal its thunder!" Sunshower laughed as he emerged again to sweep his wing around her shoulders in a hug, "Glad to see you though. I've had a hard time prying my way into your schedule after your promotion!"

Spark Heart returned the embrace with a foreleg, "Good to see you too, kid. ...even if you're a jerk now. Seriously, rubbing it in my face? What happened to the little feather ball that'd puke over sniffing my beers!?"

"Oooooh he's still around somewhere, don't worry. I keep him for rainy days," he smirked as he turned toward the ocean again, though he did glance back briefly with a furrowed brow, "But really, why are you here?"

"What!? And miss the chance to point out all the newbie captain's mistakes on his inaugural assignment?" She shook her head dramatically, "Damn, you really must think I've gone soft. You wouldn't believe the trouble I had to go through to book a suite on this deathtrap of a rowboat. Oh! And guess who I broooought~" Spark's eyebrows bounced with an unnatural energy as her voice transformed from tough-old-bird to highschool-filly. It didn't take long before Sunshower's smile started spreading wider.

"Longshot!?"

Spark Heart nodded with an almost-evil grin, then Sunshower matched it.

"Crap, I'll have to think of a way to tease him about the whole promotion thing..."

"You still say 'crap'!? HAH!" Spark chided, "Colt, someday I'm gonna make you use a real cuss word. It might involve shoving things where the sun don't shine, but I'll find a way."

There was a poignant, smug pause before Sunshower replied, "You do realize I-"

"LET AN OLD MARE DREAM!!! Sheesh. Why didn't your parents name you 'Wet Blanket' or something?" She rolled her eyes in mock frustration.

Sunshower donned a triumphant grin and gave his mane a bit of a flourish as the wind swept past him. The clouds rumbling in the distance weren't anything huge or threatening, but it was plenty to make a cruise liner antsy. Spark Heart nodded out to it appraisingly.

"Quite the little squall there, huh."

"You call that a squall? Hah!" Sunshower flicked his hoof in its direction as though dismissing a subordinate, "That isn't even a spring shower! I bet it peters out before we even reach it."

"If we reach it," Spark Heart corrected, holding up her hooves with an expression of overdramatic fear, "Oooh Nooooo, our cusssstomers will get weeeeeet!" Her charade ended in a disdainful snort, drawing a sympathetic smirk from Sunshower as she continued, "Corporate ship captains. Nothing like old Whitecap, am I right? Oh, speaking of getting wet... you still sing in the shower? Every team I assigned you to kept complaining about it!"

"Eh, a little. It passes the time, right?" There was a twinkle in Sunshower's eye as he confessed, "And complaining? Reeeeally... What'd they say?"

"TERRIBLE! Seriously!?" Spark Heart clasped a hoof to her chest as though taking an oath, "I got letters begging to get you voice lessons to save their ears! On my disreputable honor! It almost cost you the promotion!"

"Oooouch? Laying it thick much?" Sunshower then cleared his throat and held up a foreleg in his own mock oath, "I will try to sing out of earshot in the future. Try! Emphasis on try. I hold no responsibility over physics or echoes."

After a shared laugh and another wingthwap from Spark, they went quiet again. The warm wind was pleasant to have brushing over their coats, and up there the sounds from ponies below were distant, ignorable. It was all ocean, all sky. Despite her griping on the huge ships, Spark Heart had to admit, there was a sense of freedom being perched there. Eventually, though, she broke the silence again.

"You'd make him really proud, you know."

There was the slightest twitch at the corner of Sunshower's smile, an instant recognition that took him a few seconds to  gather a response to, "...I try to. I try every day." Spark stretched her wing over his back.

"You know, I never asked this 'cause it never felt like a good time, but I hope you don't mind it now... Why did you? Stay as a stormfighter, I mean." For the first time, Spark Heart's voice was hesitant, sensitive even, "And especially after..."

"...It's fine," he answered softly. The sun was starting to slide behind the clouds a little, but a few of its beams managed to linger over them, "I guess... It's, aheh..." his ears tucked back with a dismissive chuckle, "It's a little stupid to explai-Omph!" He was promptly punched in the side by Spark's wing.

"Try me..." Sensitivity vanishing into her usual self, Spark Heart held her stare, waiting. At first he didn't respond, but finally, he nodded at the storm ahead of them as though it related to his thoughts.

"Seeing him that night... everything he did and put himself through..." for the first time his placid expression truly faltered, his lips trembling as he struggled imperfectly to maintain it. Spark Heart hugged her wing back over his shoulders.

"You know he'd still be proud of you, even if you didn't stay in-"

"Yeah. Yeah... I know..." he nodded a few times, then sighed as he offered a brief and slightly pained smile of reassurance, "I didn't stay in the stormfighters out of guilt or obligation. It... was a decision. Just not something I'm used to explaining." He glanced downward, staring at the water below them for a short while as one does when searching their thoughts.

"That night... he praised me for following him despite my fears. He didn't seem to know he was the reason I followed. I joined the stormfighters with a crippling fear and every day I watched him deal with his own. Watching him was how I learned..." Sunshower halted again and lowered his head further, trying to pick his words, "What we fear and how we face it depends on what's important to us. And... we were important to him."

He paused and looked over at Spark Heart, perhaps feeling like he'd rambled a bit long, but she simply nodded and waited expectantly. So, after a swallow, he continued.

"He never chided my fear; he was always... compassionate. It's not everypony's calling to shove themselves into danger, and I'm not implying some moral imperative. Fear's a complex thing on the best of days. Still, I realized I... wanted to be like Galewind. I wanted his priorities no matter what I did, and staying in the force just felt like... a natural way to do that, I guess. Time helped with the rest."

Sunshower heaved a sigh, motioning at the storm again, "And for what it's worth, when I'm up there... I... It... reminds me of him. I feel him. Flying through the storms... It's kind of like..." For a few moments, the colt from years ago resurfaced, bravely pulling in a shuddered breath, "It's kind of like seeing him... again."

This time his lips were pressed tight and it was obvious he was blinking back rainclouds of his own, caught in his eyes. Spark Heart felt a swell of emotion in her chest and squeezed the stallion closer, flicking her mane to hide the wet on her face. Clearing her throat and donning a grin, she nudged Sunshower and tossed her nose toward the squall.

"Hey. These wings of mine could use a bit of exercise. How about you and me go... say hello?"

Sunshower's smile returned despite the tears on his face, even if unsteadily. The tears were blown off by the wind pretty quickly anyway, leaving naught but a few salty streaks to suggest they'd been there. He arched himself back into his regular posture and took a deep breath, "Heck, you're on! Besides," he wiped at his face with a foreleg, "the teams here are lazy and I haven't knocked mine into shape yet. They won't even touch those clouds until they're practically on top of us. Might as well get a head start."

"You'll make a terrible captain," Spark Heart cackled, brightening Sunshower's grin even more. "Let's go!"

While impromptu storm fights weren't exactly by the book, that wasn't a huge concern here. Both pegasi leapt off the prow with practiced ease, quickly catching the wind streams to zoom ahead of the cruise liner. It was almost breathtaking how fast the gargantuan boat shrank away from them, and how much bigger the storm appeared as they got close. She'd been cooped up behind a desk far too much, damn paperwork!

Before long they had reached it, and while the wind kicked up a fair amount, this was barely a barky lap dog compared to the dragon of a storm they'd seen years ago. In fact, there were points Spark would have even called it 'beautiful,' and there aren't too many things she ever used that term on. Maybe a good zombie flick.

The longer they worked away at the clouds, though, the more she found herself simply watching Sunshower. It was almost dance-like. Most stormfighters were strictly business: bust storms, go home. Sunshower had practically made it an art form.

Clouds whisked away at the touch of his hooves; they didn't bust or pop like you'd normally expect. Heck, even bigger clouds just... melted around him in trailing wisps of vapor. Occasionally those trails would flow over his shape giving the illusion of another form flying over him, adding to the performance-like aspect. It was almost eerie. Even weirder, though, was how the sun seemed to follow him through the clouds. The colt was like a magnet for sunbeams.

In the past, a few teams had specifically requested his assignment because of how much easier stormfights would go when he was there. She had always attributed it to his improving skill, and he certainly had that, but this? He was nothing short of gifted. It gave her no small amount of pride to imagine him leading a team of his own, now. Even if they all turned out to be ballet dancers.

She'd save that joke to rib him with later, definitely.

With a few heavy thumps, Spark Heart lighted on one of the higher banks to give her wings a break. The center of the storm had been almost completely hollowed out now, so it was like peeking over the ledge of a sunlit chasm. The rosy tinges of afternoon highlighted the ridges and shadows inside, and a few of Sunshower's breaches along the wall diffused an ambient golden glow into the rain. A few more heavy thumps later, a slightly larger ruddy pegasus flomped down on the cloud beside her.

"Oy! Watch those hefty landings of yours!" she scolded, before grinning again and motioning down with her head. Longshot fluffed his wings out with a smug expression, lightly shoving her with one of them before shifting to follow her gaze.

"It's good to see him so happy..." He squinted, "Huh, he really is a dancer, isn't he."

"Don't you dare steal that joke from me! I'm saving it!"

Longshot rolled his eyes with a laugh as he hugged a wing over her, "He'll make a fantastic captain." Spark nodded in agreement and they both fell quiet, watching. Eventually though, Longshot's ear twitched, "Do you... hear that? Music?"

Spark Heart leaned forward over the bank a little more to listen as Longshot did the same, "I think it's... Sunny?"

He was far down below them, still flitting between the clouds in flourished progression, but the storm cloud was acting as an echo-chamber, reverberating his voice instead of dampening it. It was almost... ethereal. A smile spread over both their faces as Spark Heart nudged against Longshot's shoulder gently, "So he does sing in the shower."

"You are my Sunshine... my darling Sunshine...
I'll always love you, come what may...
I feel you with me, through every rainstorm...
Because my Sunshine is with me, to stay..."
 
 
 
Hello, Sunshine...