Chapter 4 – A Foggy Memory
“Pick me up higher daddy!” Windy said to her father.
“Alraght pumkan, hold on taaght.” Stormy told Windy.
Windy gave a childish “Wee!”, as she was picked up by her father, and placed on his back. She always enjoyed coming to the factory with her parents, and getting to see all the new wonders that her family was creating. “Oh look daddy! There’s mommy! Hi mommy!” Windy called out, waving to her mother.
Windy’s mother waved back, and gave her daughter and husband a smile, before turning back to talk to the factory workers again. Aurora Thunderclap, formerly Aurora Stratosphere, was lecturing the workers on getting complacent around all the machinery. “You all need to be very careful, working around the machines here in the factory. Remember, this isn’t the Cloudsdale Weather Factory, where colorful rainbows, and fluffy clouds are made. This is the Thunderclap Factory, where we make the machines that are used to operate ones like those at the Weather Factory, and others around Equestria. If you so much as have a hoof or wing out of place, it’s gone!” Aurora always spoke to the workers in this manner, to reinforce that she was in charge, and if they didn’t listen, then they’d pay the consequences.
Aurora had been working at the Wonderbolt Academy for quite some time, as an instructor, before she met Stormy Thunderclap. The two had met at a Wonderbolt show one year, when Stormy approached Aurora with the proposition of using her leadership talents to help him in his family’s business. She initially declined, but Stormy was persistent, and continued to ask her after every show the Wonderbolts performed. Eventually, Aurora realized that her toughness with others, did seem to match Stormy’s business drive, and in time, the two found themselves inseparable, both in, and out of the factory. A couple years later, the two married, and a year after that, Aurora gave birth to her and Stormy’s daughter, Windy Thunderclap.
Aurora flew back down to Stormy and Windy, nuzzling Stormy on the nose, and giving Windy a kiss on the head. “How’s my wittle Windy doing?” She said, in a fashion that was a complete opposite of how she had just spoken to the workers.
Windy giggled before answering. “I’m fine mommy!”
Aurora then turned to Stormy. “And how are things back at the office dear?”
“Thangs are goang pretty well. Just closed another deal wath the weather ponaes an Fally Delphaa. A’ll tell you what though, those ponaes have one hard accent to follow. A could barely understand what they were tellang me.” Stormy replied back.
Aurora chuckled back. “Well, I guess they don’t have an ear for how a normal pony talks. He he.”
“What are you making today mommy?” Windy asked her mother.
“Oh, we’re just working on a new gear system sweetie, to help speed up production lines for the clouds. Once we’re done making these, we’ll be able to make twice as many wonderful clouds to look at in the sky.” Aurora replied happily to her daughter.
“Yay!” Windy said back.
Just then, a loud grinding sound erupted from one of the machines on the other side of the factory. Aurora turned to angrily eye the closest workers to go check it out, before turning back to her family and smiling. “I should probably go make sure everything is okay over there. Why don’t you two head home, and I’ll meet up with you when I’m done here.” She told the two of them.
“Aww, but I wanna stay with mommy!” Windy protested.
“Aww, come on now my lattle pumkan. Let’s leave mommy to her work. Stormy told his daughter. “We’ll be waating for you when you get back.” He told Aurora.
“I’ll try not to be long. Take care sweetie!” Aurora replied.
“Bye bye mommy!” Windy told her mother.
Aurora turned and flew off to the commotion, while Stormy and Windy turned and made their way out of the factory. Time began to pass, and soon, Stormy and Windy found themselves waiting into the night.
“Sure as takang a whale.” Stormy said. “A hope everythang’s alraght.”
Windy was playing with one of her stuffed toys, while her father walked over to the window in the room that overlooked the factory in the distance. Not long after he looked out, he saw the silhouette of a Pegasus flying from the factory, over to the mansion.
“Phew, guess A was worraed for nothang.” Stormy said, before heading down to the front door to great the Pegasus. He opened the front door to find, not his wife, but one of the workers from the factory. “What’re you doang here?” He asked the Pegasi.
“I’m sorry to trouble you like this sir, but…” The Pegasus said.
“Well, spat at out boy! A don’t have all day.” Stormy replied.
“I came over as soon as I could sir. There’s…there’s been an accident.” The Pegasus told Stormy.
“What? What happened? Where’s my wafe!?” Stormy demanded.
About this time, Windy made her way to the top of the stairs, and could see her father talking with the worker pony down below. She couldn’t tell what they were saying, so she just watched from the stairs.
Stormy stood there and listened, as the worker pony told him about what had happened at the factory after they had left. After the pony finished talking, Stormy just stood in silence. The worker then took a couple steps back away from the door, before turning around and flying off. Stormy continued to stand there, until Windy called to her father on her way down the stairs. “Daddy?”
Stormy shivered at the sound of his daughter’s voice, before turning around to face her, his eyes filled with tears. He looked at Windy’s confused face, and tried to wipe away the tears from his face, before calling his daughter over. “Come…come here Wandy. Dad…Daddy’s got somethang to tell you.” Stormy sat down next to Windy, and held her close.
“Daddy, what’s going on?” Windy asked. She then looked at the still opened front door, before speaking again. “Where’s mommy?”
Stormy choked a little, before talking. “There…there was an accadent at the factory pumkan, and mommy got hurt.”
“What? Is she okay daddy?” Windy replied.
“No, I’m afraad not sweetae. Mommy was tryang to help the worker ponaes wath those machanes, and she got hurt pretty bad.” Stormy told her.
“What happened daddy!?” Windy began to cry.
He wasn’t sure if it was the pride of his family name, or not wanting to lie to his daughter, but Stormy just couldn’t bring himself to not tell his daughter the truth, even though she was just a little filly. He gathered all the courage he could, and told Windy about what happened to Aurora. “She was flyang around all those gears she told you about, tryang to get them back an place. When she stopped payang attentaon for a second, and got her wang caught an one of them. The workers traed to pull her out, but at was too late, and…and…” Stormy was beginning to tear up again, and couldn’t keep himself from crying.
“Mommy…mommy!” Windy started crying with her father. At that point in her life, Windy wasn’t sure what it meant to be caught in gears like that, only that it apparently meant something really bad. An image then flooded into her head of Aurora trapped in the gears and being pulled into them. She saw her mother scream and yell, before she heard a crack when she was halfway gone.
Windy’s eyes snapped open, and she tried to sit up, only to fall back to her bed in pain. She realized that she had just been dreaming, only, that she had never dreamt of that day in her life before. Windy looked around the room she found herself in, and saw that she was in the infirmary. “What…what’s going on?” She asked aloud. She then looked down by her side, and saw her father leaning on her bed, asleep. “Father?”
Stormy stirred for a second, before waking up. He looked to see that his daughter was awake, and looking at him. “Wandy! Oh, thank Celestaa that you’re alraght!” He started to hug her.
“Ow ow ow! That hurts!” She told him.
“Oh, sorry pumkan. A’m just so glad that you’re alraght.” Stormy told her.
Windy looked out a window on the side of the room, and saw that it was daylight. “How long have I been here father?” She asked.
“All naght sweetae.” He told her.
“All night? Huh? Is everypony else alright!? Where’s Cloudy!?” Windy replied, trying to sit up again, before falling back on the bed.
“Now now, don’t you worry pumkan. Everypony’s alraght. That Cloud colt on the other hoof! Why, when A heard what he dad to you, at took A don’t know how many of the ponaes to hold me back from crushang has tany head! When A get my hooves on ham A’ll!” Stormy began to yell out.
“Father please stop! What happened? Where’s Cloudy?” Windy pleaded.
“That lattle colt almost kalled you wath that stupad machane of has! You should’ve been more clear that he was makang thangs lake that sooner! A could’ve stopped ham from ever makang that thang!” Stormy replied back angrily.
“Where’s Cloudy!?” Windy told her father, in a voice angry and demanding, reminiscent of the way her mother used to talk to the ponies she worked with.
Windy’s father was taken aback. He had never heard his daughter speak in that tone before. “He…he was taken away. A don’t know where, otherwase A’d have gone there myself already. Wandy please. Why do you care about what happens to that colt anyhow? A’m seraous sweetae, he almost kalled you.”
“I don’t care about any of that father! I just want to know that he’s okay. I saw the look in his eyes father, before things went wrong. He was overjoyed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him that happy since I’ve known him. I know that it was all an accident, there’s no way that he would purposely try to hurt me.” She told him.
Stormy just stood there, mouth agape. He couldn’t believe it. His daughter had been ignored by this pony, yelled at by him, and almost blown up by him, but she still didn’t blame him for any of it. And just like that, a switch in his head finally flipped. “Wandy…do you…do you really care about thas pony?”
It now appeared to be Windy’s turn to lay there with her mouth agape. She quickly caught herself, but instead, decided to not hide her feelings. “I do father. I do care about him. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to him. He needs me father, and I need him.”
Stormy stood there, staring at his daughter. He looked at the sad compassion in her eyes, and thought back to the same face she made, when he had told her that her mother died. A tear came to his eye, and he wiped it away before he spoke. “Wandy, af your mother was here, A’m sure she would’ve smacked me clear back to San Palomano. A’m sorry A ever questaoned you about thas colt. However pumkan, that fact stall remaans that A don’t know where he as, and unfortunately, you’re an no condataon to go chasang after ham.”
“I know father, but please, if you do find him, please don’t hurt him.” Windy told her father.
“Sigh. Alraght sweetae. You have my word.” Stormy replied.
“Thank you father, but are you sure you have no idea where he could be?” Windy said.
“The ponaes at the facalaty told me that he’d been taken to the Cloudsdale Mental Ward, but when A got there, he’d already been taken somewhere else.” He told his daughter.
“But who took him father?” Windy asked.
“A don’t know Wandy. The nurse there wouldn’t say. Maybe they thought A’d try to beat the snot out of ham, whach A may have at the tame, but they wouldn’t tell me. They just saad that he’d been taken away durang the naght.” Stormy said.
Windy thought to herself. “Who would want to take Cloudy though? They should’ve told my father if it had been Cloudy’s parents or somepony, but who would want to take Cloudy and keep it a secret?”
Around the same time that Windy had awoken in the infirmary in Cloudsdale, Princess Celestia was waking up in her room at Canterlot. “Hmm? The sun is already up? How unlike me to sleep in like this. Aw well, it just goes to show how good and dependable Luna is.” Princess Celestia dressed herself, walked out of her room, and down to the throne room. “Good morning everypony!” She called aloud as she entered the throne room, only to find Luna and some of the guards waiting.
The guards all bowed, while Luna stood tall. “Good morning sister. We’re sorry we didn’t wake thee earlier, but we thought it best to not bring this matter up until you had awakened.” Luna told her sister.
“Why? What’s going on Luna?” Celestia asked.
“We have troubling news dear sister. It appears that one of the machines from the time of the Drachonis, hath reappeared.” Luna told her.
“What!? How did this happen? I thought we had destroyed all the machines, and collected all of the plans to build them?” Celestia said.
“Unfortunately not dear sister. It appears an Earth pony lineage by the name of Tanner, hath been keeping a set of plans a secret from us for centuries. We’ve been awaiting your input on the matter.” Luna said.
“Well, I suppose we’ll have to visit this Tanner, and retrieve the plans. What of the machine? Has it been confiscated yet?” Celestia spoke.
“Yes sister. My guards retrieved it from the facility from which it was created last night, and we’ve been holding its creator in the dungeons below.” Luna told her sister.
“Its creator? So somepony was working with this Tanner to build the machine?” Celestia asked.
“It would appear so dear sister. How all of this managed to elude both our sights tis troubling, but we should not need fear too much, now that the creator and the machine are secured.” Luna said, sounding confident in her accomplishments.
“Well, we still need to acquire the plans, and I wish to have a word with this creator. Luna, would you go and retrieve the plans from this Tanner, while I speak with the pony in the dungeon? Celestia asked.
“Right away sister.” Luna replied. She then turned and summoned her personal guards, to escort her to Tanner’s residence in Ponyville.
Celestia then turned to her own guards, and asked to have the pony responsible for creating the machine brought to her.
On the outskirts of Ponyville, Rural Tanner was working in his shack, trying to make more fireworks. “Let’s see, it should be about this much powder in here, and, done! Ah, it’s good to know that I am still able to make my families magnificent fireworks. Although, it was a little bit easier to be able to use the plans. Perhaps someday, I’ll ask somepony to help me draw up new ones.” Just then, a knocking came at Tanner’s door. “Hmm, I wonder who that could be? Hello? Can I help you?” Tanner asked, as he went to go open the door.
“Why yes, we’re looking for a Rrrrual Tanner? That wouldn’t happen to be you by chance, would it?” The pony at the door said to Tanner.
The sound of a mare’s voice captivated Tanner, even more so, by the fact that she had spoken his name right. “Why yes my dear, I am indeed Rrrrual Tanner. How may I be of service?”
“Oh, he he. We’re just so glad to finally be able to meet you. We’ve heard so much about you.” The mare spoke again.
“We’ll I am more than happy to meet you and your friend, Miss?” Tanner suavely said.
“Galaga. Galaga Century.” The mare told him.
Tanner seemed confused. He thought that there was another pony there as well, given how the mare who was speaking to him was talking. “It’s…it’s a pleasure to meet you Ms. Century. What of your friend though? What is their name?”
“Oh, enough with the formalities dear. We’re here to speak with you about certain creations of yours, and where they’re being made.” Galaga told Tanner.
“Creations of mine?” Tanner said, confused. “If you are referring to my fireworks displays, then look no further. However, I’m not quite sure what you would be referring to beyond that.”
“Let us make this simple.” Galaga spoke, as her horn began to glow yellow, and a ring began to form around Tanner’s throat, choking him. “Tell us how to get to where your friend, Cloudy Airy, works.”
Tanner tried to answer, in between being choked. “I…know not of this…Cloudy…that you speak of.”
“Oh, but we think you do dear. You’ve been giving him plans on how to build these fireworks of yours, not to mention plans on how to build a particular set of machines that we’re very interested in.” Galaga said, choking Tanner a little more.
“I told you…I know not of this…Cloudy Airy…or anypony who’s…been building my…plans.” Tanner struggled to speak.
“Hmm, then last chance Mr. Tanner. Where can we find this, Cloudsdale Weather Research Facility?” Galaga told Tanner, tightening her magical grip on him just a little more.
“How…should I know?…It has…cloud in the name…right?...Do I look…like a…Pegasus…to you?” Tanner tried to say.
Galaga held her magic grip a few seconds longer, before releasing it, and letting Tanner fall to the ground. “We suppose you do have a point. Although, we can’t just let you live, now that you’ve heard us. Ah, yes. Your friend Cloudy told us that you simply adored fireworks. Why don’t we let you go out with a bang then?” Galaga told Tanner, with a sinister smile. She then used her magic, to light every single fuse in Tanner’s shack, before shutting, and blocking the door. Galaga then laughed maniacally, before disappearing with her magic.
“Cough…cough…Who was that mare? Huh? Oh no! My fireworks!” Tanner desperately ran around his entire shack, trying to put out as many fuses as he could. He knew that the shortest fuse he had was ten seconds, and he quickly rushed to try to stomp that one out first, before trying to work his way around to the rest.
Just above Ponyville, Princess Luna was en route, being pulled by her guards. She looked around, until she spotted the shack that belonged to Rural Tanner. “There. Let us land outside that shack.” She told her guards, who swooped down towards the shack. However, just as they were closing in, the shack exploded in a fury of fire and fireworks. The guards quickly pulled up, and Princess Luna jumped from her chariot, flying above the now burning shack. She landed outside the shack, and began to use her magic, to move the debris out of the way.
Eventually, she found Tanner, badly burned, but still alive. Princess Luna picked tanner up with her magic and set him down away from the shack, before turning to her guards in the air. “Hurry and find some Pegasi in the town to get rain over to the shack!” Her guards then sped off into Ponyville, causing a few frights from the residents, due to their appearance. Princess Luna then turned back to Tanner. “Mr. Tanner! Mr. Tanner! Arts thou alright?”
Tanner slowly stirred, trying to figure out where he was. He couldn’t move due to the pain, but he still tried to open his eyes out of habit. He looked around, and to his surprise, saw not black, but color. It was still very blurry, but it was a miracle! He could see again! He looked over at Princess Luna, and then up above his shack, at the fireworks, still going off. “So…beautiful…” Tanner then closed his eyes, and passed out again.
By this point, ponies from the town had arrived to see what was going on, and all stopped short to bow, upon seeing Princess Luna. “Please my subjects, never mind the formalities, and help this pony!” She cried out to them.
A bunch of different ponies came to Tanner, and helped pick him up. They began to take him away, just as a group of Pegasi arrived with rain clouds to put out the fire of Tanner’s shack.
Princess Luna looked on, as both the fire was put out, and Tanner was taken away. “This is indeed troublesome. We only hope our sister is not sharing the same fate.” With that thought, Luna then ordered her guards to stay and protect Tanner, until he was conscious. She then told them to report to her once he was awake, before disappearing with her magic.
Back in Canterlot. Princess Celestia’s guards had finally arrived with Cloudy, dropping him in front of her throne. Cloudy looked around, not sure exactly where he was now, until he heard a very familiar voice speak to him. “Cloudy Airy, I presume?”