//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 
// Story: Blazing Wings 
// by FriscoPony 
//------------------------------//

The day after the skirmish, a garden was erected by the Air Brigade Cadets in front of the main building. At the spot where Winter died was a group of white roses shaped like snowflake, which was winters cutie mark. Winter’s death was however not alone, 19 other pegasi died defending the Academy, among them unfortunately being one of the commanders. The academy had a special service to say goodbye one last time, it was led by Shining Armor, attended by Cadence, and Princess Luna.
“Two days ago, the Air Brigade Academy for Talented Pegasi has lost 20 brave souls in defense of our Academy,” Shining Armor began. “They lost their lives in a quick and swift gesture of violence and evil. A small group of former royal guards, among them a former royal guard commander, came in and attacked, their cause being unknown. For all that we know, is that they died believing in something. They died believing that their true mission was defense for all Equestria.” He then paused softly wiping a tear from his eye. Hurricane watched anxiously from his seat, where Comet sat next to him. 
“This is not something,” he said recovering from his moment, “that shall be taken for granted. We will catch this criminal. We will bring him to justice, not just as revenge, but also to ensure that this never happens again. True, this will not happen overnight, but let us be assured by Princess Luna, that Celestia has sent squadrons out to search for the killers. However, in this time of great search, let us never forget these 20 ponies, that dared to stand up to defend the Academy. We salute you, we now lay you to rest in the sky.”
As tradition for pegasi, when they had to lay their dead to rest, a new cloud was formed by magic from whatever memories they had of their deceased loved one. With a mighty heave, Luna turned all the memories, trinkets, and the uniforms of the fallen into a new cloud. As it lifted into the sky, the remaining 481 cadets began to cheer.
“We won’t forget you!”
“We’ll get him!”
“Soar well old friend!”
“Through the skies!”
Then all of the voices joined together into a mighty roar. 
“FOR ALL EQUESTRIA!”
Hurricane couldn’t help but smile. “Goodbye old friend,” he said. “Don’t worry, when the time comes, we’ll be reunited.” With that, a tear gently rolled down the side of his face. He wiped it swiftly away with his hoof.
Comet stood at his side with a look of compassion. “I think he misses you too,” she said as she felt a soft droplet from the cloud fall onto her head. 
“Either that, or it’s a sign that I need to find my father.”
~~~
3 months had passed rather quickly after the skirmish. The Royal Guard searched high and low for Storm Sky with no luck. They even searched through his study, where Moonlight said they had not seen or heard from him 5 days before the skirmish and had not seen him since. When the royal Guard went to examine his office, everything was gone. Papers, maps, codes, information, journals, everything was gone. 
In the time afterwards, Hurricane had proven himself to be quite the powerful flyer as he had quickly moved up the ranks to become a lieutenant. His relationship with Comet also grew stronger during all of those days. One night, Comet and Hurricane snuck out of the Academy north for the training grounds. They landed on a cloud which was high above the training grounds where no pony would see them or even look for them.
“You’re crazy for bringing me up here this late,” Comet smiled as she lay eye to eye with Hurricane.
Hurricane smiled as he rolled over so he was facing the sky. “Am I crazy or did you just want to do this?” he smiled.
Comet then crawled on top of him. “Maybe it’s a little bit of both,” she smiled as she kissed him tenderly under the starry night, as a shooting star blazed by above.
~~~
Morning came with a startle as Hurricane awoke on the cloud to find himself alone. “Comet?” he called. “Comet where are you?”
As he slowly got up, he noticed a note that lay where Comet was lying last night. Hurricane picked it up, and instantly was enraged noticing whose name was at the bottom. It read: “I have taken Comet from you, if you want her back, meet me in the Everfree forest, alone, at midnight. If anyone else joins you, she won’t exactly have a happy ending. Storm”
Hurricane’s eyes quickly turned towards the horizon to see the clock tower of the Academy, noticing that it was 10:50AM, there wasn’t much time to save Comet, but he would do his best. Hurricane knew what he had to do, but he would need to have a plan just in case, and he quickly formulated one as he flew back to the Academy as fast as his wings would carry him.
When he arrived back on the Academy grounds, he stormed into Ace’s office. “A moment sir,” he said saluting. Ace, being the higher rank, saluted in return. 
“At ease lieutenant,” he said, “what is it.”
“Storm Sky has made his next move; he has taken Comet Star under his own custody, as he is using her as a bribe to draw me out again.” Hurricane then handed Ace the note that he found on the spot that Comet was sleeping in.
Ace carefully inspected the note, and then crumpled it with his own hooves. “Where did you find this?” he asked looking at Hurricane with a serious look.
“We left the grounds for a night alone sir,” he said embarrassed. “We just wanted some time to be alone together so we-“
“I understand lieutenant,” said Ace cutting in. “As I have had one of these moments myself during the dark pony war.”
“Might I ask with who sir?” he asked.
Ace then got up from his desk and closed the door. “Spitfire,” he said.
Hurricane wasn’t surprised by this, as he did notice that Hurricane and Spitfire did stay together many times when Spitfire wasn’t at the Wonderbolt Academy or off doing something with the Wonderbolts. “Is it hard keeping a relationship with her sir?” he asked diligently.
Ace sighed, “At times it does pain me,” he said. “We do get by it however, I don’t know how in the name of Celestia we do stay together, but I guess that’s love in a nutshell.” Ace then walked over to Hurricane putting a hoof around him. “We’ll catch him,” he said. “Tonight will be his end. I assume that you also have a plan?”
“Yes,” he said. “It is complicated, but I can assure you it will work.”
“Well let’s hear it then.”
~~~
Nightfall came very quickly, as Hurricane stood outside of the Everfree forest. It was a very cloudy night, which was unusual for that time of year around Everfree. He wore his basic uniform for the brigade, which was now that of an officer’s uniform with a hat holding the pin of the Air Brigade in silver. He had the look of seriousness on his face as he prepared to walk in. “Don’t worry Comet,” he said to himself, “I’ll get you out of this mess, dead or alive, for Winter, and for everyone that my dad decided to mercilessly end.” With that, he began his long trot into the Everfree forest, with a very ominous shadow looking from the sky.
He walked in deeper and deeper, as the sounds of Timberwolves drew even closer to him. He bored no weapons as he was going to finish his dad off stallion to stallion. Eventually, one struck, jumping and growling. It was about to pounce when a sudden ray of magic surrounded the wolf. 
“Now now,” said a voice from behind, “That is no way to treat a guest.”
Hurricane turned around to see his father surrounded by other former royal guards. “I wish you would just let that Timber wolf eat me, instead of me having to see your sorry face again for what you did Storm Sky.”
Storm merely laughed and smiled evilly, “Now is that anyway to say hello to your dear old dad? You know something son, we could’ve been great together. I could have given you anything your little heart desired, mares, money, ranks, whatever you wanted if you had just joined the Royal Guard. But instead, you joined the Air Brigade, and met your own mare, made your own way.”
“WHERE IS COMET?!”
Storm Sky then got serious and turned around, “bring her out,” he said. At that very moment, Comet was brought out tied up and duck taped over her mouth.
“Comet!” he said galloping over to her. “When he got to her, he quickly took the duct tape off of her mouth so she could speak.
“It’s a trap Hurry! Run!” she said frantically.
“A trap?” he asked. He then found himself by magic, and hovering over the ground. “Wait, what is this? What are you up to Storm?!”
“You know something Hurricane,” said Storm looking at him menacingly, “I’m proud of you for being so brave and bold just to save one mare but at the same time, this will cost you your life like that stupid Winter Chaser. You saw what happens when you care for others!”
“Storm please, don’t do this to him!” screamed Comet begging for Hurricane’s life. “I’ll do anything just don’t kill him please!”
“DUCKTAPE HER AGAIN!” he said violently. “Drop him in the valley, right over there.”
Eventually Hurricane found himself dangling dangerously over an alley. He tried to open his wings, but he found them bound together by a rope that had somehow formed itself magically around him.
“Farewell Hurricane,” he called. “Happy landings!”
With that, Hurricane began his long plummet to his doom, or so he thought. “Not letting you die today!” called a familiar voice. Just then, there was Winter Chaser quickly swooping down and catching Hurricane freeing him from his free-fall. 
“But, but, you’re supposed to be dead!” called Hurricane down towards him.
“And leave you alone in this life without someone to annoy you? HA! In your dreams!” smiled Winter as he lifted his friend back on to safe ground. “When you thought I was dead, the doctor felt my pulse a second time and it turned out that I was alive. I had to go back to Cloudsdale to recover. I couldn’t bear seeing you again without my uniform until I healed up so I could come back. When I heard about what the operation was doing, I had to fly here as quickly as possible to save your sorry flank, lieutenant.”
Hurricane smiled and hugged his best friend, “well I’m glad you’re here now,” he said. “Now let’s kick some flank.” He then faced up to the clouds as Storm began to attempt his escape. “Ready when you are Ace!”
Just then out of the clouds came ponies from the Air Brigade Academy, the Royal Guard Academy, and the Wonderbolt Academy to stop the 250 former Royal Guards dead in their tracks. Storm Sky had managed to slip out of the Everfree forest just before the attack from the sky. Just when he thought he was free, he found himself tackled down onto ground. “Okay Hurricane, you win,” he said with Hurricane Winter and Comet looking at him. “Now hurry up and kill me and get this over with,” he said.
Hurricane merely looked down at him. His relationship with his father came down to this very moment. He almost wanted to go ahead and grant his father’s last request, but he knew it couldn’t end this way, not like this. “Actually,” he said, “I’ll let Celestia have that last honor of what your punishment will be.”
Just then Celestia and Luna arrived on the scene of the small victory, and looked down at Storm Sky and the other 250. “I hope you all are proud of yourselves,” she said. “Because you all have earned yourself death, but I think in the light of that you have done, you don’t deserve to die. Therefore, you are being exiled to the east. You will never return, you MUST never return. If you do you will live to regret it.”
“Yes princess,” they said as their exile march.