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// Chapter 1: Spike 
// Story: Stormy Forecast 
// by urthdigger 
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	True to the forecast, it was clear skies in Ponyville for the next two days. On the third night, it began to rain. On the fourth day, howling winds and a torrential downpour kept most ponies inside, aside from those attending an emergency meeting at the town hall.
“Why did you call this meeting, Mayor?” asked one pony indignantly “I got absolutely soaked walking here.”
“Why aren’t the weather ponies dealing with this?” shouted another.
“Please, calm down everypony,” began Mayor Mare “This storm is exactly why I called you here. As you’ve probably guessed by now, this is not just some scheduled downpour. I’ve brought Cloud Kicker, head of the weather team, to explain more.”
A lavender mare with a blonde mane stepped up to the stage and set up a map of Equestria on an easel “As forecasted, we were expecting a few days of sun, followed by rain. There was a storm coming in from the Everfree forest to the east, and there’s really not a whole lot we can do with that: The forest has always resisted our attempts to modify its environment. There was also a report of stormy weather north, between here and Canterlot, but it was expected to flow west as well, and pass without touching us. Unfortunately, due to one reason or another, it started flowing south, and connected with the storm from the Everfree forest giving us what we have now, and it’s going to get worse over the next few days. The winds are probably going to knock down most of our trees, causing damage to surrounding structures, and I expect there will be some flooding. Worst case scenario, this turns out to be the prelude to a tornado.”
“Can’t you just break up the clouds?” asked one member of the audience
“It’s not that simple. The heavy winds are making it far too difficult to fly. We can’t do anything to the clouds if we can’t reach them.”
“So, what ARE you going to do about it?”
“We’re still working on that,” admitted Cloud Kicker.
Mayor Mare stepped back up to the podium “Thankfully, we do have Celestia’s prize student here to help us come up with a solution. Will Twilight Sparkle please come up front?”
There was an awkward silence as nobody came forth, before Spike yelled out “She’s on vacation with her friends!”
“Ah…” said Mayor Mare “Does anyone else have any bright ideas?”

The crowd in the town hall quickly turned to bickering, as each pony had their own ideas for what would be the best course of action, or who to blame. Spike sighed, and made the trek through the rain back home. It didn’t look like the town was going to be reaching a decision anytime soon. However, while Twilight might not be able to help keep the town residents safe, he knew someone who could. Stepping inside the library, he dried himself off and began to write a letter.

Dear Princess Celestia
I don’t know if you’ve heard, but a major storm has just struck Ponyville. Everyone is really worried that they might lose their homes, if not more. If there’s any help you can send, it would be greatly appreciated.
Your faithful servant
Spike

He cracked open a window and ignited the scroll, letting it soar on magical currents to Canterlot. He didn’t have to wait long before a feeling of indigestion and a sudden belch signaled a reply. It was just a single sentence. “I’m sure you’ll find some way to deal with it.”



"Tia, are you sure this is a good idea?"
Princess Celestia sighed at her younger sister "Yes. It is not a kind thing to do, but it is the right thing."
"But we aren't busy, and they sound frightened." said Princess Luna
"Which is precisely why it must be done." counted Celestia
"...I'm not sure I follow."
Celestia guided Luna down the grand hallway, each stained glass window a monument to heroes past "You've been gone for so long, you haven't seen all the things I have. Every time a great danger has threatened Equestria, heroes have risen up to defend it. Unfortunately, the common person comes to rely on them to solve all their problems."
Celestia reflected on a window showing a great stallion in shining barding being laid in a casket "However... the problem with heroes is they are ultimately mortal. When they die, the people are left vulnerable. And so our land becomes threatened once again."
"And what does this have to do with Ponyville's storm?" asked Luna
"The storm is a natural problem. It is not something that demands a hero, it merely requires that they recognize that all the tools and expertise they need lie within the common pony. Once they remember that they can solve their problems, and need not be passive victims, they will remain strong. And Equestria will always be safe."



Spike was livid. He’d always known the princess to be kind and benevolent, always there to help her people. He wondered briefly what she could be doing that was so important. Maybe she didn’t think this was a serious problem? In a way, Celestia had to be right. They had to find a way to deal with this situation. After all, what other choice did they have?
"Think, Spike," he said to himself "You're the assistant to the princess' most prized student. Surely you must have picked up something in all those years of writing letters and fetching books."
He tapped a claw against a bookcase as he pondered his options, then took a look at the books themselves. He'd noticed before how oddly well stocked the Ponyville library was, there were books here on every topic under the sun. Under W he found books on weather patterns, which Cloud Kicker had already gone over. There was nothing under S for storm, but under D he found a couple books on disaster preparedness. He placed them in a waterproof bag, and tossed in a book on first aid for good measure, then set out through the wind and rain for the town hall. So much for his plan of doing nothing all day.

Things had settled down some by the time Spike returned, but there was little progress. The little dragon worked his way to the front of the crowd, where he found a disconsolate Mayor Mare.
“Tough crowd?” he asked
“Nopony seems to know what to do,” lamented the mayor. “We haven’t had to deal with a storm this bad since before I took office.”
“Well, good news!” said Spike as he pulled one of the books out “Finding stuff out is just what the library is for!"
Ignoring the crowd, the dragon and pony perused the books, copying down checklists of supplies needed, and preventative measures that had to be done. Everything seemed simple enough, it simply required enough help. Once they were satisfied, the mayor addressed those gathered once more.
“Attention everypony: I’ve decided on a course of action. We are going to turn the town hall’s basement into an emergency shelter. We are assuming the worst, and will prepare accordingly. We will need medicine, food, and water. We also need messengers to tell everyone to get to the town hall, and we need to take preventative measures to ensure this storm does not ruin our town.” As the mayor continued, she lifted her head and raised her voice, her words no longer a request but instead a bold declaration. “If we all work together, through the magic of teamwork we can weather any storm thrown at us! Ponyville has stood for this long, and we are not going to let a bit of unscheduled inclement weather dampen our spirits! Now, who’s ready to do their part?"

The room was silent for a bit, although whether it was due to indecision or awe was anyone's guess. Finally, Nurse Redheart stood up "I can see about getting some bandages and medicine from the hospital. Nothing serious, but it should be able to cover any scrapes, colds, or flus."
Mr. Cake was the next to volunteer "We can supply baked goods. It'll be just like catering a party, just downstairs."
The crowd murmured amongst themselves as ponies tried to decide what to help with. Spike pointed towards a large blue stallion near the front of the group "You look like you could bring in some fresh water from the wells."
The stallion looked confused "Who are you to order me around?"
"I think you should," said the mayor "and I'm the mayor."
The stallion sighed and trotted off, and the mayor flashed Spike a momentary grin that said "This job has a few perks."
The two worked together to sort everyone to a job, Spike taking care of organization to ensure every job had a decent amount of volunteers, and that every volunteer was accounted for, while the mayor handed out the orders, using her charm and position to get everyone through with a minimum of fuss.
When the last pony had been sorted, Spike and the mayor breathed a sigh of relief.
"Think we're going to do ok?" asked the mayor
"We'll do fine," said Spike. For the most part, that was true. If everyone did their part, the people would be safe. There wasn't much he could do for the town on such short notice however. He made a token effort, having groups trimming branches and salvaging what they could from the apple orchards before the wind blew all the fruit away, both which would help if this only stayed a severe storm. However, he got the impression from Cloud Kicker's tone that "worst case scenario" didn't mean a distant possibility.