//------------------------------// // Prompt #390-Wild Weather // Story: Ponywatching // by ThunderTempest //------------------------------// The thing about living next to the Everfree Forest was that the weather couldn’t entirely be predicted. The Everfree produced its own weather, and occasionally it rolled out of the forest and into Ponyville. Normally, this took the form of light rainstorms, or just out of season weather. Once this happened, it was up to Rainbow Dash and the rest of the weather patrol to manage this unruly weather. But every so often, the Everfree would spit out something more dangerous. The day had started out like most days in autumn in Ponyville did- with mostly clear skies, a slight chill in the air and Rainbow Dash sleeping in. In Ponyville proper, Rarity had begun work on a commission for a high profile Canterlot client, Twilight Sparkle fell out of bed after rolling over her wings, and Pinkie Pie exploded out of her room, singing. But out at Fluttershy’s cottage, as the pegasus was helping several of her squirrel friends gather up nuts and acorns for the oncoming winter, she happened to look up and out over the forest skyline. Dark clouds were gathering over the forest, but as they were still separate, she didn’t think to warn anypony. By lunchtime, the clouds over the Everfree had congealed into a single massive thunderhead, dark and menacing. As if they were sentient, they began their slow crawl towards the little hamlet nestled just outside the forest’s borders. The weather patrol sprung into action here, racing toward the cloudmass, attempting in vain to stop the oncoming storm. The birds and animals in and around Ponyville fell silent, scurrying and winging their way to their homes, taking shelter in preparation for what was to come. From this initial encounter with the storm by the weather patrol, which left Thunderlane with one singed wing from a light lightning strike, Rainbow acted as quickly as she could. Knowing that this was no ordinary, manufactured storm, and far greater in strength than any storm from Cloudsdale could ever be, she flew into the mayor’s office and ordered that the town be evacuated. Realising that they were in actual danger, the mayor approved, and Rainbow Dash and the other members of the weather patrol began to race around Ponyville, warning ponies and telling them to evacuate the town. ****Time**** By five o’clock that night, the storm had well and truly unleashed itself upon the now empty Ponyville. Fortunately, most of the houses in Ponyville had lightning rods, and so were spared the potential worst of the damage. But when the ponies who lived in the hamlet began to return the next day, it was to a flooded and waterlogged town. Princess Celestia dispatched a unit or two of her Royal Guard to help get the town back into order and remove the massive amount of water now flowing through the town. It took a few days before the water level had dropped enough that ponies could walk through the town again, and nearly a week before life began to approach normal again. The Princesses commended Rainbow Dash and her entire weather team for their quick thinking, as without it, the potential damage may have been much greater.