//------------------------------//
// A Tour Around The Weather Factory With Rainbow Dash 
// Story: The Long Lost Rainbow 
// by Ribe_FireRain 
//------------------------------//

Rainbow Dash was with her brother, showing him around Cloudsdale and what he had missed in the past years. The first place they went was down the cloud streets towards the weather factory. To Rainbow Strike, nothing had changed, it was pretty much all the same apart from a different floor layout to expand the workplace of the industry to fit more employees to do the job.

They both trotted into the factory and into the cloakroom that had pearl white coats and white construction hats to match. Rainbow put some on herself, carefully slipping her wings through the slots in the sides and handed another pair to Rainbow Strike to put on.

'Here, Strike. Put these on so I can show you around the factory. You can't enter without one.' Rainbow Strike stared at the pair of work clothes and took them in his hooves. 'Okay.' He spoke dully as he placed the medium weighted helmet on his head and put on the suit, placing his right wing through the wing slot and when he tried to slide the left one through, his pain reignited, sending a groan of pain through gritted teeth.

'Ow! Oh, my Celestia, that hurt!' He ceased to put his wing through the slot and instead, just kept it underneath the suit's material.

Rainbow Dash looked at her brother in worry and placed her hoof on his shoulder. 'Hey, be careful with your wing. Keep it under your suit to keep it safe.'

Strike looked at Rainbow with eyes full of pain. 'Ugh...I'm okay. Don't worry about it. I'm fine.' He looked at the white suit, feeling its tightness around his wing. The force of the strength on his wing only made the pain grow worse, so he unbuttoned the coat and threw it off

'You know what? I think I don't need the suit...' Dash raised a brow at him. 'Well...don't get that wing hurt anymore than it already is. This place is dangerous, you know.'

'I know. I've been in here before with my school for a trip once. I know about all the dangers.' He smiled glumly at Rainbow who just gave him a weak smile back.

After they were ready, they both walked into the work area and Dash and Strikes first stop was the rainbow factory.
Upon entry of the enormous, metal walled and fluffy floored room, Strike immediately knew what was in it. After all, he did know quite a lot when he was 11, including how the rainbows were produced and made from the machines and how the flowing river was tended to by the engineers.

'Hey, Rainbow? They say rainbows aren't known for their flavour, right? Well, watch this...' Strike walked next to the side of the pool of rainbows with Dash at his side and scooped his hoof into the runny liquid. It was very runny and the temperature was cool, and as he retracted his hoof, it was coated in a rainbow pattern. He then opened his mouth and stuck his full hoof into it, licking off the rainbow substance, and in seconds, his face lit red and flashed all the colours of the rainbow. Green,red,purple,yellow,orange,blue, followed by a pant for breath as he opened his mouth again, trying to breathe as steam exited his mouth and turned into vapor.

'Doesn't effect me at all!' He laughed, as did Rainbow Dash at his face when he licked the liquid. As they laughed together for the first time, a familiar, masculine voice was heard from behind Rainbow Dash. As she turned around, she saw Dumbbell and Hoops.

Both of them looked at the two siblings and laughed. 'Look, Hoops, its our old friend, Rainbow Crash! So, what ya been up to? Gotten kicked out of any flying schools lately?' He said mockingly.

Rainbow Dash and Strike looked back at them, anger and unamusement plastered on their faces. 'I didn't get kicked out. I quit.' She spat back in utter annoyance of the two bullies. She surely can't stand them, and by Strikes expression, neither could he. Just the way they acted towards his sister.

'You leave her alone, or you'll have me to deal with.' Strike threateningly said to the two friends, catching their attention.

'What are you gonna do? You Rainbow Crashes lil' brother, awe...sticking up for your big sister there, baby?' Hoops said as mockingly as he could towards Strike and Rainbow, only making him angrier.

'Little? Look who's talking. For you information, I'm 24, and you are nothing but a worthless scum bag who has no right in judging my sister, so if I were you, I'd back off before you make me do something you'll regret making me do.' 

Rainbow Dash admired how her brother handled situations as she stared at his green, emerald eyes, blushing a dim red.
Strike kept his gaze fixed on the two friends, who were not even offended by his obligation (or so it seemed).

'Well? What's it going to be? Are you going to back off, or do I have to knock you into next week?' Strike finally asked, growing impatient for a response from Hoops and Dumbbell.

Dumbbell pushed Strike in the side, backing him to the edge of the rainbow river, only making his anger come back to him, wanting to make him fight.

'C'mon, little baby, stand up for your girl!' Hoops mocked as he gripped a hoof at Strikes neck, that was nocked off moments later from Strike headbutting his nose with his forehead, sounding a loud crack, followed by blood. He swung some punches repeatedly at Hoops chest, knocking the wind out of him as he let out a series of grunts, but soon enough, when he was knocked out of commission, Strike pushed him into the rainbow river, where his coat was dyed all the colours of the rainbow, making him look like a clown.

'Never start with my sister, you little shit! I warned you once, if I'll have to do it again, I'll see that you go to the hospital!'

Rainbow Dash looked at her brother, stunned by the acts that just took place in front of her. No pony has ever stood up for her like that before, especially to Hoops and Dumbbell. She blushed a hue of red as she looked at him and placed a hoof on his shoulder as she looked directly into his emerald eyes.

'Wow...No pony has ever stood up like that for me before...That was amazing, thank you.' She leaned in and kissed his cheek, making Strike blush a heavy red, causing Rainbow to giggle.

'That's alright, sis. No pony walks all over my sister like that.' He smiled at Rainbow who gladly returned the smile.
'Thanks, big brother. So, do you want to go and see the room where snow is made?'

'Sure, I'd like that, Rainbow.' 

Without saying anything else, they trotted together side by side into the winter room, which was of course, at the very top of the factory. 

On the way to the top, Strike was thinking about Rainbow. The only things he could think of is the things that reminded him of his marefriend and what she was like. Rainbow's personality and attitude was just about the same, which was the reason he loved her; that spunky way she'd be when they were together, and her mane....the prettiest shade of yellow and orange he had ever laid eyes upon. By Celestia, he sure did miss her, but he also knew, that deep down he loved her endlessly, even if she was murdered, she would never leave his heart and mind.

But the most beautiful thing was Rainbow's eyes. They were just like his marefriends, just a lovely yellow and not magenta. Every time he'd look into those eyes, he would find himself lost in her soul and feel like he was in heaven. 

If only he could be with her once more, just to see her adorable face and to tell her he loved her, but before that happened, Whipper got there before him, now he would never have the chance to say how he truly felt to her personally.

In a matter of minutes, the couple got to the top of the factory and opened a giant metal door that was in the style of a freezer that had the words 'Snow Room' written on it in a bold, Italic gold font. Strike opened the door for them to enter the room, and as they did, it was the same as the other room: Large metal walls and a very fluffy floor, only this time there were small tables with mounted magnifying glasses hanging firmly above snowflakes, along with some already made snowflakes hanging from the ceiling of the room by thin but strong industrial ropes.

The workers and engineers were also just as themed as the room. They had  white construction hats with earmuffs and cotton hoof gloves along with the white worker coats that had a thicker look than the rest of the other jackets worn by different workers around the factory.

Each of them were at a table, inspecting and checking if the snowflake was perfect or needed to be repaired while the others made sure the ready ones on the ceiling were stored away for winter in the industrial-size freezer in the back of the room. The room itself had to be at least -5 degrees, making both Rainbow and Strike shiver, seeing as they had no winter suits.

As Rainbow stood beside Strike, she noticed a familiar looking pony. He had a rainbow mane, parts only showing through the side of the helmet, along with his tail and he had a purple tinted coat. It was her dad.
At the sight of her dad, she tapped Strike on the shoulder and pointed a hoof at him. 

'Strike? That's Dad.' She whispered to him. Strike looked to where she was pointing and saw that it indeed was their Dad. He didn't know what to think, nor did Rainbow. Instead they both stood in silence, Strike nearly crying from seeing him after all them years ago. He looked just the same as when he left home. He turned his head to Rainbow, making it quickly apparent he didn't want him to know that his little Strikey came home. It would certainly be embarrassing to make a scene in front of all his co-workers, let alone his daughter.

'Rainbow...*sniffle* I-I can't let him see me...not yet..I'm not ready for it.' He said in a sniveling cry.

Rainbow Dash gave him a small hug and looked into his green eyes that now glistened and sparkled with tears. 

'Ok...I won't force you to see him if your not ready. Lets go back to my place.'