Rainbow and Rocket took to the skies, heading towards a seemingly large cloud that Rocket suspected was the meeting location for the different groups of the weather team. As they approached the top Rocket noticed at least a dozen, if not two dozen, pegasi waiting all over the place, their wings allowing them to feel a slight breeze with all the slight wind.
He noticed a couple of ponies he had been expecting to see, such as Cloud Kicker, Derpy Hooves, a mare named Dizzy Twister, Lightning Bolt, and another mare called Raindrops. Then there were four other ponies that Rocket hadn't been expecting to see so soon; the members of the Wonderbolts that everypony actually knew. Soarin stood on the cloud, his eyes appearing to scan the sky area as if he was planning where clouds were going. Rapidfire and Fleetfoot, the two most unknown Wonderbolts, flew over the city, somehow not attracting attention to themselves before returning to the cloud.
Then Rocket saw her, Spitfire in all her glory. The Captain of the Wonderbolts strolled down the line of pegasi, giving what seemed like instructions to each one. She, like the other three, was dressed up in their costume, though she was clearly trying to organize everypony. Rocket knew that everything would be fine if she was the one leading the group of pegasi, but he also wondered what she was doing here anyway.
"Spitfire?" Rainbow asked, trying to hold back any emotions that might ruin her own behavior, "What are you guys doing here in Ponyville?"
"Ah, Rainbow Dash," the Wonderbolt Captain said, turning her head back to see the two, "perfect timing I must say. We received a notice that there is going to be an unscheduled storm blowing over Ponyville sometime today, a storm that's supposed to ruin most of the town itself. We and the townsponies must coordinate together to contain the storm and neutralize it before it does any damage to anything or anypony."
"Where do you want me and my friend then?"
That was when Spitfire took a real good look at Rocket, her eyes scanning him and he guessed that she was somehow fitting him into her plans. Spitfire would have never heard of him, so he didn't expect to be anywhere too terribly important that could save the entire town. There was always the off chance that he might be somewhere in the skies, but seeing how this could be his first storm he doubted that he'd get much action.
"I want you cutting the clouds to shreds," Spitfire replied, moving her head to the higher sky as black clouds began to slowly form, "your friend, on the other hoof, is welcome to join you in erasing the clouds. If all goes well we should have this contained within the hour and everypony can get back to their jobs."
"Roger that," Rainbow said, already climbing to the location of where the black clouds were gathering, "Let's do this Rocket."
Rocket followed after her, wondering why she was still so eager to impress Spitfire when she had turned down being a Wonderbolt. He sighed slightly, he would never understand any of the ponies he came into contact with.
What appeared to be a single black cloud soon multiplied into several clouds, the pieces of the original cloud growing into whole clouds themselves. What seemed to be an ordinary and simple job was quickly turning into what seemed like a complete and total nightmare in the sky. Within five minutes the sky was blocked out by one huge black cloud, lightning rippling across the bottom as rain began to pour on the town.
This cannot be happening, Rainbow thought, watching lightning flash and thunder boom as the storm grew with every cloud crushed, What madness is this? What type of storm grows when the clouds are kicked into oblivion?
"Dashie, look out."
The voice returned Rainbow to reality in time to raise above a lightning bolt, barely dodging it as it hit the ground below her. The ground seemed to explode, the dirt flying and the rocks raining. Rainbow had to guess that the true storm had begun in the Everfree Forest and that it had developed the type of abilities that it was displaying...crap, she was thinking like Twilight would. Besides, the source of the voice turned out to be Pinkie of all ponies.
"Thanks Pinkie," she called, returning her attention to the skies as the cloud grew even larger, "Now, how to deal with this stupid cloud?"
Rocket kicked a cloud and used his front legs to tear a second in half, tossing the halves aside as he zeroed in on another cloud. He was unaware that the cloud was growing, much less the fact that he was surrounded by clouds that had a similar face edged into the fluffy structure. He spotted a single remaining cloud and tore it into shreds, pausing to look around and finding himself completely surrounded.
"Hehehe, look at you," the clouds said, the form of Discord taking shape as he faced Rocket, "The most feared King in all of existence, the dreaded King Rocket Sky of the Changeling Swarm, reduced to a mere pegasus that needs to clear the sky of a 'bad storm'. Reduced to a pony who needs to work so he can get by and afford the comforts that a normal pony usually works for."
"Buck off Discord," Rocket snapped, "You may have trapped me in this form, but I have sworn that I would get you for messing with my life. Why go after me after Chrysalis took a shot at me? Why not do it before she did so you could get whatever revenge you wanted?"
"I want to defeat you myself." Discord answered, snapping his claws as lightning blots appeared in them, "Now make a choice, the bolt in my left is destined for the inspiring Peachy Keen, but the right is destined for the young filly known as Scootaloo. Which of them will you fry by your own hooves? One of them will end up in the hospital, but the question is which one will it be?"
Rocket watched the bolts fly out of his claws and began to chase the right one, hoping that when he emerged from the clouds he would have enough time to tell somepony to get Peachy out of the way. If not then he might as well go away for making a friend be harmed when he could have prevented it.
"Rainbow Dash," he called, trying to gain on the bolt as he searched for the young filly, "Get Peachy out the way before she gets hit."
Rainbow, not knowing that the heck was going on anymore, noticed the mare walking on the street and dived, gaining speed so she could grab her quickly. Just as she snatched the startled Peachy and rolled to the side the ground where she had been standing exploded, making her think about something. The cloud had somehow targeted Peachy of all ponies, but where was that bolt that Rocket was chasing heading anyway? She looked at where the stallion was going and where the bolt was angled towards and quickly realized what was going to happen.
"Scootaloo!"
Just as the filly looked up at the sound of her hero's voice Rocket landed between her and the lightning bolt, throwing himself up in time to intercept the bolt. The lightning coursed through his body, tearing at his nerves, charring part of his back and wreaked havoc on his mind. When the pain was over and the lightning was gone Rocket stumbled and went down on one knee in front of Scootaloo, his eyes locking onto hers for a second before he fell onto the ground.
"NO!" Scootaloo screamed, rushing to her fallen rescuers side and hitting him as hard as she could to awaken him, "Come on, you can't die on me. Wake up already."
He's gone, Rainbow thought, having rushed to them and had felt the stallion's side, He saved Scootaloo and I will never get to thank him for it.
"I win," Discord cheered, having opened a peephole in the clouds so he could watch the stallion's decision for himself, "I have officially taken care of the only creature that Celestia had trouble dealing with. I am just that awesome."
"I WILL NOT BE DEFEATED THAT EASILY!"
Rainbow had been tended to Scootaloo when the stallion had shouted, suddenly standing as if his wounds meant nothing to him. Somehow he had survived the relentless barrage that the lightning had inflicted on him and now he was accepting what appeared to be a challenge by the storm itself. Something about him was off though, she could have sworn she had seen a horn on his head, but a second later he was just a pegasus again.The storm had taken more out of her then she had originally thought.
"You can't be serious," she said, trying to talk the deranged pegasus out of it, "You can't take on this storm by yourself. Even if you could I doubt that you could stop this storm."
"Does not matter," said a voice as the strange stallion from earlier reappeared, "Blue stallion make good trade. He know how to defeat the imbalance of the Windigo."
Before Rainbow could respond the other stallion burst into the sky, wind energy seeming to spread out from his wings and the rest of his body. He spun around in the center of the cloud, spinning in a perfect circle as he attempted to create a vortex of sorts. Seconds later the center had the beginnings of a tornado, one that was sucking in all the dark clouds into one nice spot.
Spitfire was surprised; never had she seen a stallion in so much pain that he was able to push through it all to finish the job that he had been assigned. Somehow the stallion was forcing the wind to obey his wishes and now he was controlling a storm that might as well be equal to the one he was trying to stop. She resolved to at least invite the stallion to train under the Wonderbolts; so even if he decided not to officially join them he would be able to handle his speed better.
Rocket groaned as he pulled himself out of the vortex and ascended towards the higher sky, his body was in pain and not even his abilities could keep it at bay. His plan was simple; he needed to gather the entire storm in one spot and then shatter it in an instant, casting the clouds to the four winds. The only thing that would allow him to break his own tornado would be the signature move of one Rainbow Dash; the Sonic Rainboom. If he pulled it off he would save the town and likely die in the process, but if he failed everypony else was doomed until Twilight fixed everything.
Sometimes it sucked being him.
After a minute Rocket turned around and began his rapid descent, allowing the air to bend as he targeted the center of his tornado. He had one shot at doing this, so if he failed there would be no chance of him saving the town or his friends.
"Is he doing what I think he's doing?" Twilight questioned, noticing the wind bending slightly.
"Yeah, the Sonic Rainboom," Rainbow replied, shaking her head, "That stallion may be a bonehead, but he's got guts to try something almost nopony can perfect."
Rocket disappeared into the tornado, the energy spiraling out of control as he connected with the center. The resulting explosion shook the skies as the entire storm tore itself apart, both the black clouds and the tornado disappearing within seconds. He smiled as he lowered himself to the ground, his body killing him as the pain coursed through his body and forced him to the knee again. He looked up in time to see Rainbow and Scootaloo appear, his smile even wider then before.
"Not a Sonic Rainboom, but it did the trick," he said weakly, laying on the soft ground, "I'm going to lay here and... relax... make the pain go away..."
He got no further; just as the last word left his mouth he was out cold. That meant leaving the townsponies to deal with his body in which ever way they deemed fit. Hopefully they decided on healing him, otherwise Discord will have won in the end anyway.