Chapter 1 - Any Port in a Storm
Twilight Sparkle was soaked to the bone. Her wet mane was plastered against her neck as she bolted towards her library home. Under normal circumstances Twilight wouldn’t have been caught out by the sudden downpour, if a certain cyan pegasus had been doing her job. The forecast was for clear skies and rain through the night but the clouds had opened before noon, catching the vast majority of the Ponyville population completely off guard. Twilight wasn’t the only pony rushing for cover and she had to dodge and weave around other ponies. She glanced upwards and saw pegasus ponies desperately trying to put new clouds into place while others were trying to keep others from drifting away. The wind changed direction without warning, dumping what felt like a bucket of rainwater in her face.
What is Rainbow doing up there? Twilight asked herself, spitting water. This rain wasn't due until tonight.
Expecting to see Rainbow Dash, Twilight kept scanning the clouds, looking for her friend. The cyan pegasus was nowhere to be seen and it was clear that the pegasi were losing control of the situation as the wind picked up again. The weather patrol's squad leader seemed to realize that the team was out of his depth at the same instant as Twilight and called his team out of harm's way. Twilight picked up her pace, running flat-out back to the library and above her, the wind started to howl.
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Rainbow Dash looped the loop before turning sharply and going into a steep dive. She hurtled towards the ground at almost full speed, only pulling up again at the last second. The pegasus rolled, hugging the ground as she weaved around the tree trunks at the edge of the Everfree forest. Reaching the end of the row of trees, Rainbow pulled up again. Soaring away from the forest, Rainbow punched through first one then more clouds, each time causing a burst of water droplets and a miniature rainbow to form behind her. She pulled up harshly and landed on the only cloud she'd avoided popping and stretched, flexing to prevent herself seizing up after the vigorous routine.
"Oh yeah! Wonderbolt's here I come!" She cried into the empty sky.
At least it had been empty when she started her routine. Looking up into the sky from her cloudy perch, Rainbow saw another pegasus moving a black cloud into place above Ponyville.
Her preening was brought to an abrupt halt as the feather she was moving back into place came away from her wing. Rainbow went pale under her coat, spitting the offending feather away into the breeze. She'd completely forgotten about her yearly cycle and from the itch in her wings, she was well into the first stage.
I'd better get going. Rainbow thought as she re-ordered her feathers in preparation for the flight to Fluttershy's cottage.
She launched herself from her cloud, intending to soar the short distance to Fluttershy's cottage but only managed an undignified tumble through the air. Even losing only a few feathers was enough to throw off her flight dynamics. It was infuriating to Rainbow Dash that her greatest passion always hung by a knife edge of a couple of feathers. She landed heavily, leaving stars dancing before her eyes. Flying was clearly out of the question, she didn't like the prospect of relearning how her wings behaved in the air with a storm on the way so that only left walking.
"And this is what I get for ignoring the signs," Rainbow moaned, trotting off towards Fluttershy's, "my aerodynamics are completely off..."
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The wind wrenched the library door from Twilight's magical grip and slammed it shut. Twilight dashed around the library, checking the windows were shut tight and the magical lightning rod was in place. The last thing she wanted was to go back out into the wind and rain tonight. But her home was secure and she relaxed. Spike appeared next to her holding out a towel for Twilight as she brushed her soaking mane off her face. The little dragon had been tiding the library when Twilight burst in but he'd stopped sorting books and found a towel for Twilight to dry herself with.
"Thanks Spike," Twilight said, levitating the towel from his claws.
"I thought the rain was due for later?" the baby dragon asked as Twilight rubbed her mane with the towel
"Rainbow Dash probably wanted to kick things off with a bang," Twilight told him, "but from what I saw, the weather team lost control over the storm as it was getting going."
"Suppose there's nothing to do but wait until it blows itself out then." Spike sighed, "And I was looking forwards to going gem hunting with Rarity tomorrow."
"You'll just have to take a..." Twilight giggled, "rain-check."
Spike snorted and started sorting away the piles of books again.
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Rainbow hammered on the front door of Fluttershy's cottage. The rain was growing heavier with each passing second and she was in no condition to fly away from the cloudburst. She was getting desperate when she realized there was a note pinned to the door.
Gone to Everfree Forest to see Zecora.
Be back soon.
Rainbow couldn't suppress a scream of frustration. Just her luck that Fluttershy had chosen now to disappear, right when Rainbow Dash needed her the most. The rainbow maned pegasus frowned as she tried to think of somewhere else to get out of the rain. Sweet Apple Acres was way too far away to walk, especially in this weather and Rainbow really didn't want to be around Applejack right now or Rarity for that matter. Pinkie Pie was also out of the question, she was probably looking after the Cake twins again. That left only Twilight's place and a dash through the centre of the storm.
"Any port in a storm," Rainbow muttered, tearing off back towards Ponyville as fast as she could.
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Twilight finished drying her tale, dropping the wet towel to the library floor. She shook herself, letting her coat fluff up again as she crossed the library. In the half hour since she'd come home, she'd seen the winds pick up again and rain was now coming down in buckets. Tossing the towel into the laundry basket, Twilight spotted Spike yawning. He blinked and yawned again, wobbling on his feet.
"Come on Spike, off to bed," She smiled and her horn glowed, lifting Spike from the floor and floating him up the stairs, "It's past your bedtime anyway."
Spike hand managed to sort most of the piles of books she'd left out in the morning, which was rather impressive considering most of the piles were taller than the dragon himself. Spike was asleep even before Twilight finished tucking him into his basket. The unicorn looked around as a bright light flashed from outside.
"I am so glad I managed to get home before the lightning started."
As if on cue a crash of thunder rolled through the library. At first Twilight thought the thunder had become stuck in the library until she realized that it was somepony's hooves hammering on the library door.
Racing down the stairs to the library's front door, Twilight hauled it open with magic as she reached it. She blinked as she saw Rainbow Dash sitting on the doorstep. She was soaked to the skin, water running in streams from her wings, mane and coat.
"Rainbow Dash? What are you doing here?"
Rainbow raised an eyebrow, "I'm getting wet if you haven't noticed."
Twilight shook herself, "Come in Rainbow and we'll get you dried off."
"Thanks Twi."
Twilight shut the door and had the good sense to retreat to the bathroom as Rainbow tried to shake herself dry. She was only partly successful, she was still soggy and was now standing in a puddle.
"Did you get caught by the rain too?" Twilight asked from the bathroom as she looked for another towel.
"Yeah." Rainbow replied, "Something like that."
"Were you up with the other pegasi on weather patrol? It seems like this storm got out of control."
"Nah, I'm off duty for a while. I'm cashing my holiday time. Guess I picked a bad time."
As Twilight bustled around the bathroom looking for as many towels as she could, Rainbow took a breath, readying herself to sound calm and normal.
"Twilight, can I crash here for a while?"
"Sure, you can stay here until the storm lets up," Twilight replied, coming out of the bathroom with a pile of towels.
The pegasus was still trying to sound nonchalant despite being quite nervous.
"I meant a little longer than that."
Twilight's leaned around the bathroom door and made a face that asked 'how much longer?'
"Couple of days, just until Fluttershy gets back from visiting Zecora. Need to see her about a few things."
Twilight continued making an inquisitive face.
"I'm getting some work done on my house so I need a place to stay, clouds are high maintenance. Fluttershy said I could crash on her sofa."
Rainbow was running out of convincing excuses and she willed Twilight to drop the subject, knowing it was unlikely due to the unicorn's curiosity. The pegasus only just managed to suppress a sigh of relief as Twilight disappeared back into the bathroom.
"Fluttershy shouldn't be gone that long with all her animals to look after."
Twilight trotted up to Rainbow and sat beside her, levitating a towel over her head before starting to dry the pegasus. Rainbow flinched as the flannel shifted down her back to her wings, being far rougher than she would have liked.
"Hey cut it out!" Rainbow snapped, struggling against the flurry of towel.
She struggled against the towel, batting it aside with her forelegs. The towels caught around Rainbow's wing and she felt a cold chill as two of her feathers came loose. In slow motion, a horrified Rainbow watched the two cyan feathers drift to the floor. Twilight noticed the feathers and froze the towels in the air.
"Aw pony feathers..." Rainbow sighed before flopping onto the library floor.
She realised the irony of what she'd just uttered and deliberately banged her forehead against the wood floor.
"Rainbow," Twilight nudged the feathers on the floor with the top of her hoof, "are you losing your feathers?"
Rainbow nodded, reluctantly lifting her head off the floor.
"You're sick? Feather Flu? We need to dry you off quickly, being cold and wet will only make it worse!"
Twilight animated the other towels and they swamped Rainbow, making her disappear in a flurry of flannel.
"Twilight," Rainbow tried to interrupt, almost choking on a mouthful of towel but the lavender unicorn wasn't listening.
"But it might not be a pegasus exclusive disease!"
Twilight was in full panic by now. She stood, dashing to the shelves containing medical books and started hauling them off the shelves.
"Twilight." Rainbow's voice was louder this time.
"Thousand and one maladies," Twilight opened the book and she scanned the index for feathers, "Pegasus. Feathers. Losing of, page three hundred and seven."
Twilight continued rambling as she searched through the book.
"Twilight!" Rainbow had to shout to break her friend's ramblings, "It's not a disease. It's a natural part of a pegasus' life."
Twilight calmed down and putting the book back on the shelve. She trotted back up to where Rainbow was sitting and sat down next to her again.
"Once a year a pegasus sheds their old and damaged feathers and grow new ones to replace the old ones."
The unicorn continued to look inquisitive, waiting for Rainbow to yield further information. When she didn't, Twilight spoke up.
"So you're moulting?"
Rainbow nodded, "It's a very private part of a pegasus' life, not something we discuss with just anypony. And it means for the next couple of weeks I'm... gonna be.... kinda.... grounded. Normally I'd hide out at Fluttershy's place until this whole thing was over. And until it is over, I'm grounded."
Twilight reached over and drew Rainbow into a hug in an attempt to comfort her. Rainbow returned the hug, shrugging off most of the towels to do so. The two ponies separated and Twilight stood up. She glanced at the clock and noticed that it was past nine.
"Seeing as you're not flying home in this weather, you can stay here. Come on, we'd better set up your bed."
Rainbow shrugged off the last of the towels and followed Twilight up the stairs to her bedroom.
"So how long are you going to be..." Twilight fought for the right words, trying not to further upset her friend, "out of action for."
"About three weeks at best, but it usually takes a month for me to completely replace my feathers."
"And I'm guessing this is what you needed to see Fluttershy about."
Rainbow didn't respond as Twilight's horn glowed and a second bed flashed into existence.
"Hey, who turned out the lights?" Came Spike's voice followed by a thump as the little dragon stood up.
"Sorry Spike," Twilight called as she levitated the now dazed dragon and his basket out from under the new bed.
She set it down next to her own bed and tucked him in again. Rainbow dragged her hooves across the floor and flopped onto her bed. Twilight had never seen her friend so dejected, she'd normally be hovering above her head and occasionally zipping around the library. Rainbow sitting still on the floor for more than thirty seconds had been unnerving. A thought occurred to Twilight and it burst from her mouth before she could stop herself.
"So Fluttershy has to deal with this too?"
The cyan pegasus nodded, "she lucked out in that department. Takes her just a week to finish up and grow her new feathers."
Rainbow knew her animal loving friend would never forgive her if she told Twilight how Fluttershy dealt with her own moult. The second Fluttershy felt the itch in her wings, she rushed to Sugarcube Corner and pigged out on enough pastries and cakes to let her replace her feathers in a week. The shy pegasus would probably die of embarrassment if Rainbow let that slip.
Twilight watched Rainbow curl up under the covers and seem to go to sleep. She turned down the lights with a spark of magic and quietly walked back down the stairs to the ground floor. She crossed to the 'P' shelves and started scanning the spines of the book. After two rows she found a promising book and levitated it free from shelf.
Pegasi anatomy and physiology.
The book floated behind her as she crossed to her desk, lighting the lamp on the desk with magic as she did. She placed the book on the table. Twilight flicked through the book to the index, noting the relevant page and turned to the section on moulting.
Pegasi shed their wing feathers in a yearly cycle, this process involves the shedding of old and damaged feathers before they are replaced with new ones.
So far so good. Exactly as Rainbow had said.
Although each pegasus is different and physiology may vary, the cycle of moulting follows two general stages.
The first stage is known as the shedding phase. As the name indicates, this stages is characterised by the loosening and falling of first the primary then secondary flight feathers. Down feathers are also shed but are replaced much more easily than the larger flight feathers. Individual cases may vary in the order of shedding but the general the pattern is consistent throughout.
The second stage, which often overlaps with the dropping of the final larger feathers, involves the replacement of the shed feathers. The new feathers, known as pin or blood feathers, emerge from the skin in a sheath called a quill. This membrane contains a blood vessel to supply the growing feather. During this time, the new pin feathers are sensitive to touch and can be painful for the moulting pegasus. The blood vessel within the feather soon retracts and the quill disintegrates, leaving a fully formed feather in its place.
The loss of old feathers is a source of skin irritation resulting in itchiness, this is believed to be a process that aids in the shedding of old feathers. Later, when the pin feathers are in evidence, preening and contact is not recommended as this may result in deformation or damaging of the new feathers.
Twilight continued scanning the book but it delved further into the complex biology of feather regrowth and wing anatomy. Finishing the moulting section, she closed the book and placed it back on the shelf. She searched the other sections of the library, looking for further research material until she came across another suitable one.
A Pegasus' Guide to Moulting.
The book seemed to be aimed for younger readers as it wasn't nearly as thick as the anatomy text book and the font was much larger. She opened the book and started reading.
During your moult, your body undergoes many changes as it replaces your old feathers with new ones. The first sign that your body is getting ready to moult is a persistent itch in your wings. This itch can often be alleviated by gentle washing of your wings with a damp cloth. Washing also prevents the quill of the feather from cracking prematurely and damaging the developing feathers. Flying may become very difficult if not impossible during your moult so it helps to avoid situations where you may be stuck on the ground or away from home.
Twilight nodded as she read that last line, Rainbow had been caught out through no fault of her own but at least she'd be safe in the library. She skimmed the book, flicking over several pages as she did.
It is perfectly normal to feel down and be less active during your moult as your body diverts a lot of energy to growing new feathers. During your moult, it helps to find a place where you can relax and let your body get on with the process of replacing feathers. Your new feathers will initially be sensitive to touch and can be painful if handled too roughly. Growing feathers can be uncomfortable and you may end up a little short tempered during a moult, it's not easy but try and be considerate to those around you.
Twilight made a note to not take anything Rainbow said in the next few days too personally. She turned more pages, landing on the quick summary pages towards the end of the book
As we covered earlier in the book, the following steps will reduce the stress on your body and time taken for you to complete your moult.
Keeping warm when moulting is very important as your wings have large blood vessels and without feathers, you can lose a lot of head very quickly. Warm clothing is recommended to reduce heat loss from your wings.
Resting reduces the time your body will take to complete your moult, as flying and other sporting activities force energy away from growing new feathers. Light exercise is alright, but heavy exertion and extreme sports are to be avoided.
Preening is very important during your moult, to help the dropping of old feathers and ease the growth of new pin feathers. However once the pin feathers have come through the skin, they are best left alone as excessive preening can damage the developing feathers. Some preening in necessary to remove the quill from your new feathers but this should be kept to a minimum.
It helps to have another pegasus, a family member or close friend, preen the areas you cannot reach, such as the base of your wing to help shed the quill.
A balanced diet is another important factor when moulting. Feathers are mostly protein so it is important to increase your intake of protein to make sure you have enough for healthy feathers. Increased appetite is also another common side effect of moulting.
Twilight flicked through the book again and once she was sure she'd memorized all she needed, floated the book back to the shelf. She climbed the stairs, keeping as quiet as she could so as not to wake Rainbow Dash, before sliding under the covers of her bed. Spike muttered something about ice-cream and Rarity as he rolled over in his basket.
Tomorrow morning she'd wake him up early and have him help with making a plan of action. Rainbow was going through a difficult period of her life but Twilight was going to do all she could to make it easier for her friend.
With a final spark of magic, Twilight turned off the lights inside the library and closed her eyes. She was asleep within five minutes.
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