The rage from the thunder quaked Rainbow Dash's house violently. The house seemed to shake from its terror and relentless force, throwing portraits off their walls and dropping books from their shelves. Her bedroom window rattled from its voice, and the sound of its trembling was being overpowered by rain outside that dropped like iron. Rainbow slowly trotted towards the thin sheet of glass, freezing as a bolt of lightning cracked the sky. The temperature had dropped considerably since the storm attacked the city of Cloudsdale, leaving Rainbow shivering because of the cold... and her suppressed fear.
"C-Come on, Dash... " the filly's voice cracked, "Y-you a-aren't scared... you a-aren't F-Fluttershy... " The little blue pony crawled over to her window, her shaky hooves resting on the window sill as she gazed outside.
The rain nearly looked like a single wall of water as it fired down onto the streets of cloudsdale. The powerful winds angled the rain, bending street-signs and causing some of the thinner cloud houses to bend to its will. She gazed up higher into the sky, picking out a few colorful dots of the weather team, struggling to silence the dominating storm with their vast numbers to no avail. This mysterious storm had come out of nowhere, hitting the city as soon as Rainbow made it back from school.
Rainbow Dash's ears perked up, suddenly hearing the sounds of voices coming from the hallway. Blinking, she made her way to the door and opened it, peeking out her little head. She spotted her father and mother standing near the doorway, her father wearing his trademark weather-team goggles on his forehead. Her mother looked distraught, obviously heated up at her husband. Her bright pink coat was ruffed up from her anger, her blue mane dangling over her face.
"You are NOT going out there!" Her mother hissed, stomping her front hoof onto the cloud-floor, "It's way too dangerous! Did you see the wind out there?! It was knocking around grown ponies like toys! You could get hurt! Wait for it to blow over!" Her father gave her mother a smile in response, making her mother grit her teeth in frustration. Most of the time, her father listened carefully and did what her mother told him to do... but in rare times, he would flash her the same smile when there was something he needed to do that she was against.
"Dear, " he began, "You know that a storm like this isn't going to blow over very quickly. If this storm lingers for any longer, homes can be destroyed and more ponies could be hurt. I'm also captain of the weather team here in Cloudsdale, so I kind of have to be out there... it's part of the job description, honey." He reached his fore-hoof forward, placing it onto his wife's shoulder.
"NO!" Her mother shook her head, shoving his hoof off of her, "If you go out there, I'm never going to forgive you!" Her mother stood strong, lifting up a hoof to block her husband from going, "Sky Strike, once you walk out this door... the storm's going to take you away!"
Sky Strike shook his head with a smile, "Don't worry, dear. A storm can't stop me... " He reached forward and nuzzled her mother's neck, "You know I always come back." Dash's mom froze before turning around, hiding her face from him as she rubbed at the pools of moisture gathering around her eyes. Her mom was never too keen on showing that kind of emotion.
"Daddy?... " Rainbow Dash blinked, suddenly walking out from her room, "What's going on?... " Sky Strike immediately turned to look at his daughter, being taken by surprise. Regardless, he couldn't help but smile when he saw his little Dashie.
"Dash!" Her mother sniffed, still rubbing at her eyes, "G-Go back to your room! It's dangerous!" Her eyes were turning red, looking away so that her daughter couldn't see her in such a state.
"Daddy?" Dash asked, walking up to her father, "A-Are you going out there?" Sky Strike smiled, bending down lightly to ruffle Dash's mane with his hoof.
"Yep, " He nodded, "It's my job, squirt. Don't worry, I'll be back in a flash." He gave her a kiss on her forehead, standing up straight and spinning to face the doorway. He walked over to his wife, who still had her back turned and was sniffling. With a light sigh, he wrapped a hoof around her shoulders, turning her to face him before shoving his lips onto hers, giving her a deep and passionate kiss. It took her mother a few seconds to lift her hooves, embracing her father around the neck.
After what seemed like forever, Sky Strike finally pulled away, a wide smile on his face, "I'll be back, honey. I love you two too much to just leave, you know." He looked back at his daughter, giving her a wink before sliding the goggles down over his eyes. Dash gave her father a smile of her own, proud of how brave and strong he was. Glancing over at her mother, she believed that she did as well.
When his hoof touched the doorknob he glanced back with another toothy grin, "Oh, and remember, Dash... " He gave her a salute, "I'm the greatest flier in Equestria. There isn't a storm that I can't conquer!" He gave her a nod before opening the door, giving Dash the view of her father's broad back as he entered the horrifying storm awaiting him. The lightning thrashed the ground as thunder boomed through the sky, the rain pelting the ground like rocks. Her father looked like a hero from a comic, facing danger alone to save the ones he loved.
It was the last time she ever saw him.
Rainbow Dash slowly opened her eyes, the sunlight hitting her eyes like a wave. Cursing to herself she turned her head, moving up a hoof to block the painful rays of Celestia's new day. Sometimes she wondered if Celestia was doing that on purpose. With a sigh, she sat up, her bed-mane making her look like some sort of street punk . She slowly turned her head, feeling a satisfying crack echo from her neck.
Grumbling, she slowly got off her bed, not making any effort to remake it. It was just going to get messy at night anyways, right? Yawning, Rainbow caught sight of a small, dusty picture sitting on her nightstand. She drowsily moved over to look at it, wiping down the glass surface with her hoof so that she could get a better look at it.
It was taken around ten years ago... it was of her, her mother, and her father standing in front of the wonderbolts stadium. Her mother had that stoic look like she always did, and Rainbow looked extremely excited. Her father had this incredibly soft smile on his face... feeling unwanted emotions boiling inside of her, Dash set the picture down lightly and made her way into the kitchen.
She quickly shoved over a small stack of Daring Doo books on her kitchen table before trotting over to the fridge, propping it open to take a quick look inside. Frowning, she grabbed a carton of milk and a box of cereal from a nearby cabinet and plopped down onto her seat.
She heard the sound of knocking at her door, to which Rainbow Dash grumbled a loud "Come in!" for a response. The door opened very lightly, and she heard it close just as softly. She knew who it was as soon as the door entered... she didn't have many pegasi friends that visited her, and the gentle hoof-steps and humming voice was a dead giveaway.
"Oh, um, " The quiet voice of Fluttershy spoke quietly, "I-I hope I'm not intruding or anything... " She entered the kitchen, finding Rainbow Dash looking like a morning mess at her table.
"Nah, I just woke up." Dash answered, "And having breakfast. Want any?" Dash offered the box of cereal to her yellow friend.
Fluttershy shook her head, "Oh, no thank you! I had breakfast with Angel and the rest of the animals this morning." She trotted over happily, taking a seat at the other end of the table.
"I see." Rainbow Dash nodded, taking a bite of her cereal, "So, What's up?"
"Oh, nothing~!" Fluttershy replied in a sing-song voice, "Just wondering how you were doing. Today is... well... you know... " She looked away, "I... I mean I don't want to... well - "
"It's alright, Fluttershy, " Rainbow Dash replied to her friend, swallowing her food, "It's the anniversary of my old man's disappearance. It's kinda hard for me to forget, you know." She took another bite of cereal, "It's been ten years, Fluttershy... but I think I'm passed it."
"Oh... okay." Fluttershy nodded, looking back over to her friend, "I was just a little worried that you'd be sad."
Rainbow Dash smiled, happy that her friend cared as much as she did, "It's okay. So, just being curious, what do you remember about him?" She was eating rather quickly, trying to finish up early to start her practice routine.
Fluttershy couldn't help but smile widely, "The nicest stallion I ever met!" She giggled, "Well, he was the only stallion I really talked to back when I was even more shy. He helped me open up, and always made time to play with us. He was like a second father to me." Fluttershy looked at Rainbow, "You really do remind me of him."
"Hm , " Rainbow shook her head, pushing away her now-empty bowl of cereal, "I'm not that much like him," Rainbow frowned, "He was way too nice, and he didn't think things through very well, and mom pushed him around all the time. Besides, I'm a much better flier than he ever was!"
Fluttershy chuckled, "Well, you do have the same colored mane... and didn't he used to say that he was the greatest flier in Equestria too?" Rainbow grew a bit red before sliding off of her seat.
"W-Well, he definitely isn't anymore." Rainbow shook her head, "Anyways, I'm off to practice my moves, and then I need to check the schedule for the up coming rainstorms with the weather-team."
"Ah!" Fluttershy lifted a hoof in protest, "Oh, um... I was just going to ask how your mother is doing... " Rainbow gritted her teeth, opening the door to leave her cloud-house. Fluttershy stiffened, anticipating the response.
"The usual, " She snarled lightly, "Absorbed in her work as always... I still only get one of her letters once a month. Anyways, see you later." She walked towards the door, preparing to jump before something suddenly crossed her mind.
"Oh, " She reached a blue hoof to a coat hangar, grabbing a pair of old, beat up goggles and placing them onto her head, "Almost forgot, " She chuckled.
Rainbow then hopped out of her doorway, dropping straight down towards the air, feeling the rush shove her mane back. With a grin, her wings popped open and she glided safely into the sky. Fluttershy walked out of the house, closing the door softly behind her. She watched her friend dance through the air, moving as if she was a work of art.
"I'm sorry, Rainbow Dash... " Fluttershy looked away, the image of Sky Strike in her mind, "I wish that he could see you now, too... I know he'd be so proud... "
"Hmmm, " Twilight Sparkle hummed, glancing back and forth between a collection of strange, magical glowing devices that sat on the balcony of the library. With a purple glow around her horn, she was currently holding up six different clipboards, a single quill darting around each and and scribbling down notes as she observed her strange small machines.
"Thats odd... " She blinked, gazing at one of the machines that was growing brighter by the second, "This shouldn't be happening... "
"What shouldn't be happening?" Spike grumbled, rubbing his belly with his hand as he gazed at her with droopy eyes. He had been woken up by the sounds of "That's odd," or "This shouldn't be happening," for the past ten minutes. The violet dragon glanced over at the strange machines, cocking his head in confusion.
"What the heck are you doing?" He frowned, crouching to take a look at a strange mechanism that had been made from a cake beater, a small lamp, a strange magical stone, and a small toy train, "And what are you doing with my things?... "
"Sorry spike!" Twilight exclaimed, "I needed an assortment of machines to measure the correct amount of magical essence in the air... you see, nearly everything has magical essence in it: trees, rocks, dirt, and the air! These small devices, combined with magical sensing stones, measure the magical essence that's flowing through the air, rising in the wind, and gather in the skies! You see, magical essence is arguably the product of a small, undiscovered particle called a "medichlorian" that is said to be a small microorganism that exist in all living things that allows - "
"Twilight, " Spike groaned, hitting his forehead with the palm of his claw, "What are you doing with my things?" He frowned, "You know what? Never mind... You lost me at magical essence... I don't think I've gone through enough magical theory books to know what that is, yet."
"Oh, " Twilight giggled, "Sorry, I got a head of myself... basically, I'm noticing a strange increase of magic in Ponyville. It's traveling up through the air and through the wind from the west... " She pointed out from the balcony, "Something's coming here, and its intriguing me."
"Okay, " Spike frowned, following the direction that Twilight pointed. He saw nothing but Ponyville and blue skies, making him once again question the sanity of his mother-figure.
"I... don't see anything." He scratched the back of his scales.
"I know!" Twilight squeaked in excitement, "And that's what's interesting! Usually, when magical essence builds up, there is a powerful reaction caused from it! It's very, very rare, and it acts in unpredictable ways! Sometimes it can make mountains, or even create new creatures! It's a big mystery, and I want to learn all about it!"
"Huh, " Spike blinked, suddenly very nervous "Um, then isn't it dangerous if it's going to form right over Ponyville?... I mean, if a mountain suddenly appeared, wouldn't that destroy everything?.. "
"That's another weird thing... " Twilight rambled, continuing to take rapid notes, "I'm taking a close observation of the magical essence that's in the air... every single turn, and every single pause. It's actually forming a shape... " She glanced up at the sky, with no clouds in sight, "But... why is it forming here and now? And why is it so high up in the sky?"
"I don't know... " Spike shrugged, "Maybe it's some sort of storm?"
"Hm... " Twilight tapped her hoof on her chin, "But there aren't any clouds forming, so I don't think there's any danger. The magical essence needs to physically manifest somehow... if they are going to form a mountain, they need the magical essence of a mountain... but if its so high up in the sky I don't think we have to worry about any mountains forming. Besides, the chances of a natural magical essence reaction is about two percent, so we have no worries!"
Spike frowned, "I hope you know that I barely understand anything you say when you go straight into sciencey-magical talk. You may be teaching me the ways of the egghead, but that doesn't mean I have become one. Besides... I'm hungry, and you're using one of my cooking pans as some sort of wheel." He crossed his arms, frowning at the strange machines.
"It's measuring, Spike!" Twilight pouted, "You see, when the handle risings ever so slightly it means that the internal fission that's binding the molecules and magical essence is- "
"Alright, I got it!" Spike held up his claws in defeat, "Anyways, I'll go scrounge around some hayfries or something. You hungry at all?"
Twilight felt her stomach growl, and it made her laugh, "Sure thing! Let's both see what we can find. I think that there's also a few left-overs from last night. If not, we could always eat out at Sugarcube Corner."
"Okay, " Spike nodded, glancing back at the sky, "You sure that there's gonna be no danger today?... " He felt a strange, uncomfortable feeling in his gut that was worrying him, "You're usually... well, a bit wary about these things."
"Me? I'm not worried! I'm excited! And you don't have to worry, Spike, " Twilight smiled, following her dragon assistant, "unless the weather-team suddenly reschedules for an afternoon rainstorm, there's no issue!"
"It's been decided that we have to reschedule for an afternoon rainstorm, " Rainbow Dash stated, a group of weather pegasi gathering around her, "Mayor Mare's having an event tomorrow, and she doesn't want to have it spoiled. So we're going to have the rain a little early. Any questions?" The weather was currently gathered in the park, equipped with their goggles and looking ready for action. There was a only little more than a dozen of them, with a few that were coming back from Cloudsdale with the clouds.
"Yeah, " a hoof raised in the small crowd, "Um, what kind of storm are we looking at?"
"Good question, " Rainbow Dash nodded, "Just a light storm. No thunder or lightning of any kind."
"How long will it be for?" Another pony asked.
"Just around half an hour, " Dash answered, "Remember, its going to be light rain. We don't want to flood Sweet Apple Acres like last time... right, Thunderlane?" Each pegasus gave a light laugh, making the black stallion grow a little red in embarrassment.
"Alright, " Rainbow smirked, "Everypony has their orders. You can all sit tight for now, but we should have our clouds here soon." The small group nodded to each other and quietly disbanded. Some sat on a bench, staring up at the skies as they waited for their coworkers to return. Others laid in the grass, talking and laughing among themselves. Rainbow Dash found a small stump, sitting down onto it as she took off her goggles. She out a burst of hot air from her lungs to fog up the lens before rubbing it away with her hoof, checking to make sure that they were crystal clear.
"Hey, Dash?" A bright blue maned pegasus mare asked, walking up to her boss, "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, " Dash nodded, focused on cleaning her goggles, "Shoot."
The mare gazed at what Dash was fondling so affectionately, "Those... those were your dad's right?"
Rainbow paused.
"Yeah... " Dash replied, "They were. It's all we could find of him."
The mare's ears drooped, "I-I'm sorry... I-I know that it was ten years ago when it happened... you see, my parents were in the weather-team in Cloudsdale when your father was captain. They had nothing but good things to say about it. I-I just wanted to let you know that they thought very highly of him, and only wish you the best."
"Nothing but good things?" Dash rolled her eyes, "Yeah, right! Wanna know something bad to say about it?" Rainbow double checked her goggles, making sure that they were squeaky clean before placing them back onto her head, "He never kept his promises."
"O-Oh," The mare backed away, "I-I didn't mean... "
Rainbow turned away, "It's fine." She answered, "He disappeared ten years ago, you know. I'm not shaken up by it anymore. Anyways, keep an eye on the skies... the clouds could be here any- "
*BOOM*
The ground shook violently from the mysterious angry burst of sound, making each pony stumble around as if they were dizzy. Ditzy fell over onto her side unsurprisingly, but Rainbow stood still, her hooves keeping her still. But that sound... that impact... she knew that from somewhere very familiar...
"HEY!" She called out to the sky, "What gives - " Her jaw dropped.
A huge, dark cloud had suddenly sprang over the skies of the small town, blocking the warming rays of the sun. The dark cloud released another powerful, echoing growl that shook the bones of every single pony in Ponyville. The winds soon picked up, crying through the trees and the houses as leaves and sticks were launched through the air as projectiles. A few fillies and colts found themselves being shoved aside by the wind before being picked up by their mothers. She was about their age when she felt this thunder.
"Weather-ponies!" Rainbow Dash growled, sliding her goggles over her eyes, "On me! We gotta take this sucker down!" Her wings sprung into action as she leaped into the air, bolting straight up towards the dark, menacing cloud with her team behind her. The wind was getting stronger and stronger as she climbed higher and higher, aiming for the center of the tremendous storm. It was then that she caught sight of the weather-ponies that had been in charge of bringing the clouds to Ponyville.
"Hey! What gives?!" She asked, "We needed light rainstorm clouds! Not a massive, thunderous, loud one!" She had to shout as the wind picked up, the low rumblings of the cloud overpowering.
"W-We did!" One of the ponies yelled back as they tried desperately to shove the cloud away with their hooves, "B-But as soon as we brought them, they turned into THIS!"
*BOOM*
Dash screamed in protest, cupping her hooves up to her ears as the cloud bellowed its roar, a powerful bolt of lightning firing from its dark body.
And that was when the rain started.
It came down all at once, shooting down at the ponies like bullets as the cloud continued to grow. They fell like heavy rocks, each drop almost as painful as a bee-sting. A number of the weather-team ponies were knocked to the ground, the wind weakening them as the rain finished them off, sending them straight towards the earth.
"S-STOP!" Rainbow Dash screamed at the cloud, her wings beating rapidly as she climbed altitude, the water blocking her vision through her goggles. As she grew closer, she reared her hind legs back for a powerful kick, firing her legs like a sling when she was at the right distance.
The cloud felt like a sheet of iron, making Rainbow cringe at the sudden pain. The cloud seemed to grow angry, and a giant bolt of lightning fired down upon Ponyville, striking a tall tree in the park and setting it aflame. But almost as soon as it lit on fire, the rain blew it out. And that was when the winds really starting picking up.
It hit Rainbow like a freight train, knocking her through the air clumsily. Gritting her teeth, her wings powered on, keeping her in the air with the constant barrage of water bullets and the powerful punches of the wind. The thunder assaulted her ears, putting Rainbow Dash's overall toughness to the test. She shot back up to the cloud, her front hooves pushing against the cloud as she desperately tried to push it away.
"MOOOOOOOVE!" She screamed, her wings burning up from exhaustion. The cloud still felt like a solid wall, and Rainbow Dash's attempt to move its massive form were proving useless. The cloud fired another bolt of lightning at Ponyville, and its thunder shook Rainbow Dash violently. Her wings immediately froze up, the rain beating at her as the wind slung her straight towards the ground.
"NO!" She screeched, her wings refusing to carrying back up through the air. Decided that she wasn't going to avoid the inevitable, Rainbow Dash braced herself for impact with closed eyes.
But it never came.
Instead, a purple aura surrounded the pegasus, immediately stopping her fall just a few meters above the ground. Rainbow Dash blinked her eyes open, and then smiled when she realized who was doing it.
"Twilight!" Rainbow yelled at her friend, "Thanks!" A giant purple sphere surrounded the violet mare, protecting her against the heavy raindrops from the massive cloud from above. Twilight rushed up to Rainbow, making sure her sphere absorbed the cyan pegasus to protect her from the painful precipitation.
"Rainbow Dash, I thought the rain was scheduled for tomorrow!" Twilight stated, glancing up at the terrifying black cloud, "But I guess there's no helping it now, is there?!... "
"What the heck is that thing?!" Rainbow wheezed, "This isn't the first time I've seen something like this... why is this here?!"
"It's a thunderstorm created by a gathering of magical essence, " Twilight replied, "It's highly resistant to other forms of magic that isn't its own, so there shouldn't be anything we can do about it - wait, a second, what you do MEAN you've seen this before?" Twilight blinked, looking over at Rainbow Dash, "That shouldn't be possible!"
"It doesn't matter!" Rainbow shook her head, "W-What can we do to stop it?!"
"I've already contacted the princess, but it will be a while until she can do anything... " Twilight trembled, "I tried to raise a barrier spell over Ponyville, but this as far as I can get with the magical essence interfering... it would take at least one of the princesses to form a barrier around the town in this state!"
"Darnit!" Rainbow growled, "So are we going to have to wait?! Somepony can get hurt out here!"
As if on cue, a scream of a young filly managed to overpower the sound of the obnoxious storm.
Rainbow Dash gasped, "T-That sounded like Scootaloo!" Dash's wings prepped themselves for action.
"W-Wait!" Twilight protested, "Let me get to her! If you go out there, you could get caught up in those winds! And they aren't normal!"
"No time!" Rainbow persisted, "She's too far away! She'll be hurt if I don't get there soon! And I'm not letting this storm take away another loved one away from me!" Scootaloo screamed again, and Rainbow Dash immediately jumped to the rescue, with Twilight struggling to keep pace far behind.
When she left Twilight's barrier, the rain nearly beat her into the flooded streets, her hooves smashing into the mud. She growled, her wings kicking the air as she sprinted, her strength at her limits as she charged towards the direction of the screams.
"SCOOTALOO!" Rainbow screeched, "YOU HERE?!"
"Rainbow Dash! " Scootaloo cried, the orange filly clutching onto a tree, "R-Rainbow! I'm so scared!" Dash bit her lip, her muscles aching as she trudged forward, the rain feeling as if it was starting to bruise her. While putting up with the pain, Rainbow marched over to Scootaloo, growing closer and closer with each shaky step.
"... Don't worry, kid.... " She seethed, "I've... got you - " Lightning crackled above them, and in complete and utter terror... Scootaloo let go of the tree. Because of her hollow bones and light weight, the wind carried her like a leaf with its odd and impossible strength.
"DAAAAAAASH!" Scootaloo screamed, her small body being thrown through the wind, "HEEEEEEELP!"
"SCOOTALOO!" Rainbow Dash yelled, "I-I'M COMING!" Rainbow stopped her wings and let the wind toss her after the little pony, the rain on her goggles nearly blocking her vision. Through the iron rain and the relentless wind, Rainbow followed after the orange filly, determined to save her little friend.
The wind suddenly tossed the small filly into the town, throwing her down an alley. Rainbow growled, her wings flaring out as she followed every single turn and curve. The storm seemed to play with her, throwing the orange filly into thin alleys. But after much trial and much exhaustion, Rainbow Dash was finally getting closer and closer to Scootaloo.
But they were heading straight for Town Hall.
"DASH!" Scootaloo cried, tumbling through the air.
"HANG ON KID!" Rainbow Dash screeched, her single hoof reaching for her friend, "ALMOST!... GOT!... YOU!... " Her hoof was getting closer and closer... and was now only inches away.
But it was far too late. They were heading straight for a collision course for town hall. Dash managed to grab the small filly, bringing her into her chest and clutching her as the wind propelled them like a cannon ball... Dash closed her eyes and shielded the small filly into her chest.
Her life suddenly flashed before her eyes. Breakfast with Fluttershy, getting Daring Doo books from Twilight at the library, hoof-wrestling with Applejack at her farm, regrettably going to the spa with Rarity, pranking with Pinkie Pie, teaching little Scootaloo the ropes, being scolded by her mother... seeing her father's smile as he read bedtime stories to her, hearing her father laugh at her ridiculous bed-mane, feeling her father kiss her before she went off to school, and watching her father turn away as he left the house to face the oncoming danger.
"...Daddy... " Rainbow whispered in the final moments, "Help me... "
*BAM*
Rainbow Dash was shoved abruptly into the mud, clutching Scootaloo in her hooves as she rolled messily through the street. She immediately coughed, spitting out the taste of the nasty mud that got into her mouth. Shaking her head, obviously confused, she looked up. The mud from her goggles blocked the view of what had happened, but the rain easily beat it down.
She saw a rainbow blur take off.
The blur rocketed through the air, blowing past each powerful gust of wind and taking every single rain drop along the way. Rainbow watched the strange flying object centered in the middle of town, spinning as quickly as it could in a circle, fighting off the powerful gusts of wind and the bullet rain. Lightning cackled, but somehow it missed the flying creature as it flew around and around, in a tight circle. After a few moments, the blur made a small tornado of its own, and the cyclone continued to grow taller and wider as it spun in that strange circle.
The tornado, somehow caused by that one blur alone, rose straight towards the thick cloud. Rainbow watched, her jaw practically hitting the street as the dark cloud absorbed into the tornado, making it pitch black. At first, it seemed that the tornado was too small to take in the entire cloud and that it was inevitable... but the tornado continued to grow, absorbing the cloud little by little... and very soon, the rain that plowed over Ponyville began to thin out until the small glimmer of sunlight peered out from the edges of the massive thunder-cloud.
Ponies were walking out of their houses, glancing up at the sky to see the giant air-tornado take in more and more of the cloud until it finally had it completely engulfed. The whirlwind was completely massive, but it was all up in the air, not once touching the ground. And in an incredible display of power, the tornado blasted itself up into the atmosphere, making the dark cloud all but disappear as it rose higher and higher into the sky.
"Wait... " Rainbow blinked, "I... I know that weather technique... that tight circle... that air cyclone... "
The blur suddenly blasted down from the sky, and suddenly its form came into view. It wasn't a strange, magical air creature... it was a stallion pegasus. Rainbow lifted her goggles and rubbed her eyes as she stared at the strange pony descending down into the street.
The stallion's coat was a darker blue, basically a light violet. On his flank was a cutie mark of a rainbow streak coming from a cloud... but that wasn't the distinct part of the stallion.
His mane was rainbow colored.
"Whew, " He breathed, his hooves landing in the street, "Should have figured that was the case... thunderstorms caused by magical essence are almost legendary, " He panted, talking to himself.
She knew that voice.
"No other magic can affect it other than its own... that's why you gotta take the air around it that was infused with the same magical essence and use it against the cloud. Thank Celestia that I came up with the 'Omnidash version five'!"
It couldn't be.
"Named it after my daughter." He smiled, glancing around at the ponies around him, "Oh... talking to myself again, aren't I?... " He reached a hoof back, scratching his neck, "I have to stop embarrassing myself..." He laughed.
No way it was.
His eyes found Dash's and he smiled, walking right up to her.
This couldn't be happening.
"Hey!" He greeted, a soft smile on his lips, "I saw you save that filly. It's very brave of you!"
That smile... nononononono...
"Anyways, I should probably introduce myself." He offered a hoof to help her up.
This... this wasn't possible...
"I'm Sky Strike!"