//------------------------------// // Finding Hope // Story: Your Wings Were Made For Angels // by Still Breeze //------------------------------// Chapter 11: Finding hope A week later, and Cantor had already become rather accustomed to his new body, he had mastered takeoff and landing, and Rainbow Dash had taken it upon herself to be his stunt coach. He could feel he was getting stronger, not only physically in terms of flight, now being able to fly faster than he thought possible, but also with his magic. One time he had made a fire as large as a bonfire and he would practice every day forming bigger, brighter, hotter flames. For some reason or the other, Cantor favoured his ability to control fire; he found it the easiest. And not only that, but he had no idea exactly how to control ‘Earth’, and he didn’t want to try, and run the risk of triggering any earthquakes. After the sleepover, Cantor had taken to sleeping inside Twilight’s house, nowhere in particular, just on the floor. As always, Twilight kept trying to persuade him to sleep in her bed, thinking that he wanted to. The alicorn kept reassuring her that he was perfectly happy spending the nights on Twilight’s wooden floor and, as always, Twilight tried to change his mind. Rarity’s house was nearing completion and Cantor found it remarkable how fast the ponies worked. It was a perfect replica of the previous boutique, except for a small balcony on the second floor. After speaking with the three fillies, who thanked him greatly for saving their lives, Cantor discovered that the source of the fire was from a hot iron that had fallen to a pile of dresses after the crusaders had checked to see if their special talent was ironing. Rainbow Dash had yet to speak to Scootaloo about ‘you-know-what’, but she was warming to it. Cantor decided to let her approach the filly at her own rate, say the things that she wanted to say. “Morning, Twilight.” Said Cantor, rising from the floor and stretching out his back and wings until they clicked. “Good morning Cantor, did you sleep well?” The unicorn returned, slowly walking down her stairs. “Good, thanks… You?” “Yeah…” She replied, reaching the last step and allowing Cantor to follow her into the kitchen. “Can I invite you to a cup of tea?” she asked, pulling a fresh box of teabags from the cupboard. “Don’t you always?” Cantor answered, drawing a pleased smile from Twilight. She took it as a yes and proceded to make two cups of tea. After she set the kettle on the hob and turned on the heat, she turned back to face the stallion. “So what are you going to do today?” She asked, tilting her head slightly. “Hmmm… I don’t know…” He answered, peering out of the window to the early birds that flittered about catching their breakfasts. “I think I should get a job. You know, be able to spend my own money instead of mooching off you all the time…” Declared Cantor, turning back to Twilight when he had finished talking. “First of all, you’re not ‘mooching’ off of me; you know I’m more than happy to let you stay here.” She replied, shaking her head. “What sort of work did you have in mind?” “I was hoping you could tell me.” Cantor sighed. “I mean look at this:” He said, turning to face Twilight side on and gesturing towards his cutie mark. “Oh, yeah. I’ve been meaning to ask you about that…” Said Twilight, taking a step closer to the intriguing mark. “It looks as if it means something, rather than showing a special talent…” “Yeah…” Cantor agreed, not really listening but trying to decipher the curious symbol. “Actually, that’s what I might do today.” Decided the stallion. “What?” “Go and see Celestia, maybe she knows something about it…” “Should I come with you?” “If you want to…” “I think I should… After all, you will be living in my house, I need to know how to take care of a ‘wittle ewemental’.” Twilight replied, scrunching up her face and pinching cantor’s cheek as if he were a foal. “Uhhh… okay…” Said Cantor slowly, sounding slightly scared towards Twilight’s strange behaviour. The purple mare turned and raised the whistling kettle from the hob and poured the water into the two cups and was astonished when it leapt back out and into the kettle. After staring in disbelief at the phenomenon, the realisation hit Twilight who humorously sighed and dropped her head to the floor. “You’ve been practicing, haven’t you?” She asked with a smile. “Yeah…” Cantor replied casually. “And get this: I can sort of… ‘combine’ the spells.” “What do you mean?” Twilight asked, bringing her eyes back up, looking genuinely intrigued. “Watch this.” The alicorn proposed, turning the handle on the tap of the sink to his left with magic. A thin stream of water fell from the pipe and formed a crystal-clear orb of water about the same size as a grapefruit. No matter how much Twilight had seen him practice, she never could get over the amazement of this manipulation of the elements. If Cantor had known his host was spying on him on the edge of the Everfree forest practicing this forgotten magic, he would have stopped a lot sooner, but he didn’t know and Twilight hoped to keep it that way. “Now this water is cold right?” Asked Cantor, hovering the clear ball between them both. “I… I suppose…” Twilight replied, before Cantor broke off a droplet and splashed her face with it. “Yes… it’s cold…” She added whilst giggling. “And fire is hot right?” Cantor continued. “Yes…” Twilight said, willing her friend to continue. “So if the two were to come together…” To anypony who may have been watching from the outside, their view would have been obscured by the cold glass of the kitchen window instantly turning foggy. Back in the library, Twilight stumbled from the kitchen, hyperventilating from shock. She wobbly made her way to the sofa, her coat damp from water vapour soaking into the fabric of the chair when she sat. Cantor took a seat next to her and genuinely asked if she was alright. The purple mare slapped him in the face for it, which hurt considerably more than a regular slap as it was with a rock – hard hoof. “I am sorry, Twi-“ “Next time you’re going to do something like that, will you PLEASE warn me beforehoof!?” Twilight interrupted angrily. Cantor’s mood fell as the realisation that he had hurt her set in. “I’m really sorry, Twilight.” He began, rubbing the sore spot on his cheek where The purple unicorn had slapped him. “I won’t do it again, I promise…” Twilight sighed. “It’s okay… I know you only wanted to demonstrate it to me...” She put on a convincing smile that made Cantor feel a little better too. “Now how about you demonstrate that spell and boil some more water?” She snapped, jerking her head playfully towards the kitchen doorway where steam still drifted from the top of the doorframe. Cantor took the hint and got up to finish making the teas. “Do you take sugar?” He called back to twilight, who sunk into the soft cushions, basking in the first rays of sunny warmth in a week and replied “One, please.” Cantor nodded and walked completely into the kitchen. He went to turn the tap before realising that water could be ‘made’ and simply generated two cupfuls of boiling water from thin air. He carefully guided the scolding liquid into each cup, accompanied by a teaspoon of sugar for Twilight and himself. After adding the milk and removing the teabags, Cantor carried the cups into the main room of the tree, seating himself next to the unicorn. “Thank you…” She sighed gratefully, trying to take the cup with her magic, but unsure weather it was her who actually had control. Both auras from both ponies were exactly the same hue. “What’s going on with this?” Cantor asked, bringing the cup to the table and setting it down. “Go on, now try…” He said, watching the mare pick up her cup of steaming tea with a magical aura identical to his. “Our aura’s look the same.” He stated, watching Twilight nervously take a sip. “Why is that?” “I don’t know…” Twilight replied, giggling slightly as she felt her face heat up. The two drank their cups in silence that felt a little awkward, nevertheless, it was filled with the sounds of birds chirping above. (It was a tree-house, after all.) Cantor saw an opportunity to break the silence, but Twilight beat him to it. “So, Cantor…” She asked, setting the teacup down on her coffee table, “Are we taking the train again?” “I… I mean you can; I don’t want you to have to spend more bits on me.” He replied. “Well, whatever you want, you know…” “Damn…” Thought Cantor. “If,” He began, “if you want me to come on the train with you, that’s fine, but I’m sure there are other ways to get to Canterlot other than the train.” “Unless you have a pegasus-drawn carriage, or are willing to walk, there’s really no other way.” “What about teleporting?” Twilight was taken back. “That would require some seriously powerful magic!” She exclaimed. “I have ‘seriously powerful magic’…” Replied Cantor, tapping his horn. “It… It wouldn’t hurt to try, I guess…” she muttered. “Let’s have breakfast, first; I’m starving!” As always, the breakfast consisted of that delicious seeded toast as it fitted right into a routine. The whole morning, Twilight looked lost; she had no duties to attend to for the rest of the week, and it was Friday that day. The talk at breakfast was based around the kind of job Cantor could get. “Well I mean you could do pretty much anything…” Twilight said after taking a bite of toast. “What do you think would be the best thing?” Asked Cantor, not wanting his powers to go to waste, but at the same time, not wanting to put anypony out of a job. “I’ll just ask Celestia, she’ll probably know what I should do…” “Good idea.” Twilight agreed. “Let’s just wait for Spike to be up and then we’ll set off…” “And stay out of the ice cream!” Twilight ordered, causing the baby dragon to recoil slightly. “Okay, okay, you don’t have to yell!” Spike replied. “Good. I just wanted to make sure you heard.” Smiled the unicorn. “Now,” She started, turning to face Cantor as Spike walked back into the house, closing the door forcefully behind him and shutting the two ponies outside. “Are you sure you can teleport to Canterlot?” Twilight asked, drawing herself to Cantor’s side. “How hard can it be?” He asked, looking into the distance in the direction of the city, the strong wind sending his mane billowing behind him. “Very. As it happens…” She replied, following his gaze. “Maybe my magic is a lot stronger than other ponies…” He pondered, beginning to visualise the entrance to the castle. His horn lit up lilac and began to grow brighter. “Why is this taking so long? Usually I can teleport instantly…” He asked. “You need to sort of… ‘charge it up’ first; you’re going such a far way with me as well…” Confirmed Twilight, who was standing on her hind legs with her forehooves pressed into his side. Cantor continued to try and visualise the castle gate: the spires in the background, the tall white wall, the two guards stood next to the metal gate and the marble floor. All of a sudden he could see what he imagined in great detail, as if he was actually stood there, but something was different, only one of the guards stood at the door, aimlessly looking around. He could feel the place tugging at his magic, willing him to come. “Ready, Twilight?” He asked, looking behind him to meet the shocked expression of the mare. “Are you serious!?” She asked in alarm. “That was quick!” She cleared her throat and shook away her awe. “Yeah, I’m ready…” Cantor let the tugging sensation consume him, feeling his body dissolve and fly through the air for less than a tenth of a second. One moment he was outside the library, the next he was stood on a marbled surface, feeling slightly out of breath. A loud explosion echoed through the valley and the gold – plated pony in front of him yelped in surprise and branded a razor sharp trident inches from the alicorn’s nose. “Who are you!?” Demanded the guard in a horrendously rough voice. It was as if he had eaten glass at some point in his life. “Sorry to have… Scared you, but I’m Cantor, I’m here to see the princess…” Cantor said, catching up with his breath rather well and pushing the weapon gently from his direction with his hoof. The guard noticed Twilight dismount Cantor’s side and drew himself back to his original position. “Oh, uh… yeah, sorry about that…” He said with a weak chuckle, unable to take his eyes from Cantor’s. “It’s ummm… nice to see you two again…” “Nice to see you too…” Cantor replied. “Can we go in?” “Of course.” Answered the guard, stepping to his right and pulling the lever, causing the metal gate to rise. “Hey, where’s the other guy?” Cantor asked, noticing the absence of the other guard who he wanted to get to know better. “Oh, Wingbeat?… He died three days ago…” The guard spoke with not an ounce of remorse in his voice. “That’s terrible…” Said Cantor, looking at the spot where the other pegasus once stood. “If you don’t mind, may I ask… how?” The guard sighed before speaking. “He flew home one day and caught his mare – friend in bed with another stallion…” “Oh…” Said Cantor. “Yeah.. he killed himself…” the guard replied solemnly. “That’s awful!” cried Cantor. “Yeah, but that’s just the way life goes, I suppose…” The pegasus added. The gate slid upwards into the great white wall and stopped with a clunk when it had fully disappeared. Cantor and Twilight thanked the guard and stepped into the castle courtyard. The sun shone brightly onto the brilliant stone walls, making them difficult to look at. As the two ponies walked, Cantor glanced back over his shoulder, just long enough to see the guard admiring Twilight’s behind. He caught the other stallion’s stare and shook his head before looking up into the sky and pointing upwards. When the guard craned his neck skyward, he was drenched with ten gallons of water that appeared out of nowhere, seeping under his tight armour, making the rest of his day very uncomfortable. The alicorn thought it was strange that this pony hadn’t learned his lesson last time, and hoped he wouldn’t have to be told a third. “Cantor and Twilight! This is unexpected!” Beamed Celestia from her spot on the throne. Her technicolour mane flowing graciously past her face and her tail billowed around her hooves, giving the appearance of a colourful cloud. “Good afternoon, your majesty.” Cantor said softly, falling to his knee in sync with Twilight. “And how are you two doing?” The princess asked, smiling down at the two. “Very good thank you, princess.” Twilight spoke up. “That’s wonderful…” Celestia replied, still smiling as the two ponies returned to standing. “So what do I owe this pleasure?” “Well, princess,” Cantor started, turning to face the princess side on. “I was wondering if you could tell me what my cutie mark means.” Cantor saw the other alicorn choke on air before regaining composure. “Oh, so you have your cutie mark… when did this happen?” “Just last week when Rarity’s house burned down.” Cantor replied, that image of him in the hospital still stained in his mind. “Mhhh…” The princess hummed a short sigh. “I saw the news article…” “Oh, you saw that huh…” Cantor said, hanging his head slightly. “I must say, I’m amazed at your heroism; selflessly sacrificing your body for those three fillies. I respect you greatly for that…” She smiled with closed eyes. “Thanks…” Was all cantor could manage with a bashful giggle. “So, anyway,” He started, “do you know anything about this cutie mark?” Celestia began to pretend to think, staring intently at the floor and drawing her hoof delicately to her chin. It was all very convincing, until he heard the princess’ voice in his head: “Come back to my bedroom tonight. We’ll talk then.” Cantor tried not to react to this more than a discreet nod. “Alright.” He thought, hoping Celestia could hear that. The princess drew her eyes back up to the pair. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell.” She lied very convincingly. “Alright…” Sighed Cantor. “I guess I’ll find out sooner or later.” “Is there anything else I can try to help you with?” Asked Celestia kindly. “No…” Replied Cantor, almost instantly coming back around and saying “Yes! Actually…” The princess nodded and Twilight watched him as he spoke. “Spike said there are other alicorns, but who are they and what do they do?” “Well…” Celestia began in a thoughtful tone, tilting her head to the side, disrupting the perfect flow of her mane. “There are five other alicorns alive at the moment apart from myself, my sister and you. They’re scattered all across Equestria, their names are Quick Silver, Whip Lash, Ember Storm, Trinity and my own niece, Princess Cadence. And now we have you to add to the list: Cantor.” “And what do they all do?” Cantor enquired. “Do they have as much power as you?” Celestia chuckled. “No, no… I think not. They are certainly powerful in terms of magical abilities, but, if you’ll excuse my immodesty, each one of them combined could not match half the amount of power I have at my disposal.” Despite this out of character self – promotion, Celestia couldn’t help but smile. “Wow…” Cantor remarked. “So what do they do? Surely not just what any other pony does?” “You’d be surprised; every one except Cadence leads a relatively normal life, though they do get some hassle for being what many ponies consider a ‘god’.” Celestia replied. “So what does Cadence do?” Asked Cantor. “Never mind that…” Celestia replied dryly, obviously protecting her niece’s privacy, no matter how harmless Cantor’s intentions were. “Okay.” Complied the stallion. “Is that all?” The princess asked, leaning back in her throne as if to say ‘I have all day.’ “Ummm…” Cantor thought for a while, really thinking about the things he should be able to ask around Twilight. "Do you know what sort of job I could get?" He asked. "Something that will make use of my power." Once again, Celestia frowned in thought. "I don't suppose you'd be interested in civil services, Cantor?" "I may be." The orange maned stallion answered. "Why, what would you recomend?" "Have you ever thought about joining the weather team, or something along similar lines?" The princess asked, her serine expression still holding through the look of thought. "Well to be honest, this is really the first time I've thought about it... Thanks, princess, I'll have to look into that..." Cantor confirmed, drawing a microscopic smile from Celestia. "Any more questions?" Princess Celestia asked peacefully, slouching back slightly on her throne. “I don’t… think so…” Cantor slowly returned. “Nope.” He shook his head. “You have a question?” He asked, turning towards the purple mare on his left side, her eyes already focused on him. She shook her head. “Should we be going then?” Twilight nodded in reply. “So, ummm… goodbye for now, princess?” Cantor asked, turning to leave the cathedral – like throne room. “If you wish.” Princess Celestia replied. “I hope to see you soon…” “You too, princess.” Cantor agreed, bowing quickly before following Twilight out of the door who only gave a small, casual “Goodbye, princess.” And hurried outside. Cantor had already begun visualising the library, and found it remarkably easy to ‘connect’. “Come on, Twilight…” He said coldly. “Lets go…” The lavender unicorn pressed herself up against him and in a flash, they were gone. The two appeared at the door to the library, and Cantor immediately asked the question that was bugging him. “Twilight, you seem unusually quiet. Is something wrong? Are you upset?” He asked this with the deepest sympathy, not touching her in any other way apart from letting her stand next to him, keeping both their bodies warm in the chilly breeze. “No,” She sighed… “Nothing’s wrong, it’s just… seeing you use magic that powerful; I was wondering, did you have any special training?” Cantor pouted and looked towards the sky, becoming gradually more overcast as the Pegasi planted a gloom over the town. “No…” He slowly replied, shaking his head a little. Twilight sighed heavily again. “It’s just I’ve been practicing magic all my life, a spell like that, teleporting that far, and not having to build it up for more than ten seconds. It’s… unbelievable!” She tried to smile, but Cantor saw straight through it. “Hey, listen…” He began in a comforting tone. “I’m different to other ponies, it’s a natural thing that my powers are strong, that doesn’t make you any less of a pony. Not to your friends and especially not to me…” Twilight’s smile returned. “You mean it?” She asked. “Of course.” Cantor replied. Twilight wiped away a disheartened tear that had begun to form in the corner of her eye and turned to her door. She expected Cantor to follow, but he said that he needed to ask Rainbow Dash some things, and maybe help out with the storm. Twilight said that she understood and bid farewell to the alicorn as he took off gracefully into the air, flying towards the gaping hole in the middle of the blue sky where the pegasi were filling it in with as many storm clouds as they could produce. Above the layer of clouds, Cantor searched for the most important looking pegasus in charge. His eyes rested on a beige stallion wearing a reflective vest and waving his arms about frantically. Cantor hastily flew towards him, drawing the attention of most of the pegasus ponies as he went by. He came up behind the dark teal – maned pegasus and started to ask a question. “Is there-“ “Yeah, yeah, hold on a sec, pal.” The stallion interrupted before turning to face a pair of mares in their late teens. One a vivid purple, the other a dull pink. “Hey! You two!” The two mares turned towards him instantly. “I’m not paying you to hang around and talk; back to work!” the girls hurried off and returned to hoisting clouds around. The stallion spoke once more to the entire team before turning to Cantor. “Keep up the good work, guys! We’ll be done in half an hour!” He rubbed his stubble-covered chin before turning around in the air. “Hello sir, what…” He trailed off and his cyan eyes widened at the other stallion in front of him. “Ummm… hi?” Said Cantor, sending the beige pony’s unbuttoned vest fluttering around in his wing’s gusts. “You’re… you… Are you the pony that was in the paper last week?” He asked, eyes affixed on Cantor’s horn. “Oh, you saw that did you?” “Yeah I saw it! By Celestia! I thought you were dead!” His eyes dropped to come level with Cantor’s “What are you doing here?” He asked, checking behind him to make sure the weather team were still working. “I was just around and wondered if you needed any help.” Cantor answered. “Well, we do need all the help we can get…” The stallion said with a pause. “But,” He continued, “I’m afraid I can’t pay you…” “Oh, that’s fine!” Replied the alicorn. “I’m just really happy to help!” “Well aren’t you the good Samaritan!” Said the worker joyfully. “The name’s Al, pleased to meet ‘ya!” he added, taking Cantor’s hoof with his own that came exposed from his fur. “You too. My name’s Cantor.” He replied. “Sooo, what should I do?” “Just get the storm clouds scattered around and fill in this hole. Simple!” Replied Al. “Can I uh… Can I use magic?” The alicorn asked, tapping the tip of his horn with his hoof. “Of course, whatever’s easiest for you.” Al said with a smile. The beige pegasus flew off to yell at a group of mares and stallions taking an unannounced break. Cantor chuckled and stood atop a dark grey cloud that was nearby. He positioned his magic and moved the cloud under his hooves around. “Clouds feel like nothing.” He thought aloud to himself. “Alright then. Let’s do this…” He continued, concentrating on every stray cloud he could see. One by one, they began to glow with a lilac field, then proceded to adjust themselves around the large opening, slowly but surely filling it in. Everypony gasped when the cloud they were carrying drifted away from them. They watched in wonderment as the wisps of grey spiralled towards a single white stallion stood atop a small cloud, his the horn atop his head glowing brightly. “And what are you all gawking at!?” Demanded Al, facing the group of lazy ponies before turning around to match their gaze and then their expression. Cantor stood in the middle of an inverted tornado of slate coloured clouds, ribbons of purple light joining in the swirling motion. Cantor had his eyes closed in concentration, his light rust coloured hair billowing around him, every now and then, giving off a fleck of flame. As the last few clouds reached the top of the spiral, the light around Cantor’s horn began to fade. The last little puff in his power fell into place, leaving a small hole in the middle. The aura around Cantor’s horn disappeared, as did the ribbons of light that spiralled into the sky and slowly faded away. Cantor opened his eyes and peered below him. The entire ground was now covered with a blanket of grey, all except for one small spot in the middle. The alicorn grabbed the cloud from underneath himself and fluttered to the layer of clouds below. He pressed the ball of soggy softness into the opening, and with a grunt, forced it in, sealing the gap and finishing the job in less than a minute. He stood there for a while, gazing around. Though it was just a storm, there was something oddly beautiful about it; the layer of clouds was dead flat. Grey below, uninterrupted blue vastness above. Empty except for that big ball of white fire. Cantor’s gaze soon turned to the astonished ponies surrounding him. He was becoming tired of being stared at. “Come on, guys, did you really expect anything different? I mean really?” “That was amazing!” Spoke a young tanned stallion, not much older than the alicorn himself. “Yeah, I’ve never seen anypony do something like that before!” A lime green mare called out. Soon the group around him were chattering amongst themselves. Cantor felt really uncomfortable, but then he heard a familiar voice which made him turn around. “Hi, Cantor!” Called a mare from behind. “Oh, hello, Rainbow.” He replied. The two had to shout to be heard over the chatter of others. “Wow!” She remarked. “How did you do that?” “Just… magic…” Cantor simply replied. “Well we could certainly use you on the weather team!” She replied, giving him a prod on the shoulder. “Thanks…” He smiled bashfully. “Come on, ladies!” Came another familiar voice from behind Cantor. He turned around to see Al come splitting the crowd in two as he walked. One by one, the ponies around him quickly silenced and the beige stallion stood in front of Cantor. A moment of silence occurred before Al spoke. “Want a job?” He asked, sending ripples of laughter through the entire crowd, including Cantor and Rainbow. “I’m serious; for somepony to make a storm that quickly could make the weather branch of Cloudsdale that much more profitable. “But…” Cantor started, “Won’t that put these ponies out of a job?” asked the alicorn, gazing around. “Uhhh… no.” Replied Al as if it were obvious. “The weather team deals with more than just clouds.” “Really?” “Yes! Somepony's still got to make the weather, your job will just be to assemble the clouds. If you take this job, you’ll just get their combined share of money.” “What? If I do the job of all these pegasi, you’ll give me all the money they would have earned put together?” “Yeah! Surely that’s an offer you can’t refuse!” Cantor thought for a moment. “Actually, I do refuse.” “WHAT!?” Al and all of the other pegasi cried at once, causing Cantor’s ears to clamp to the side of his head. “What do you mean ‘you refuse’!?” Asked Al in disbelief. “Well,” Cantor replied, “How many ponies do you have on the weather team?” “Eighty.” Al answered. "...ish." “Eighty. Right. And how much does each of them get monthly from creating storms like this?” Al pondered the maths with his hoof on his stubbly chin. “It’s more of a seasonal rotary. Now and in winter, filling the sky with clouds earns each pony on average fifteen bits a month. But this is just one branch of the factory and there is always work to be done.” “So fifteen bits, times’ by eight... ish ponies i- OH MY GOD!” Exclaimed the alicorn, taking a step back at the figures. “Twelve hundred bits a month!?” “Yes.” Al simply replied. “I don’t need that sort of money!” “Well what were you expecting?” Al asked. Cantor turned to Rainbow Dash. “How much do you earn a month, Rainbow?” She thought about her last pay check. She remembered every month fondly. “Well last month I got a hundred and seventy two bits.” “Right.” Said Cantor. “So could you just pay me like… I don't know... two hundred bits a month?” He blushed in light of asking for money, but found himself somewhat in the right for inflicting such a large pay-cut on himself. “We- I…” Al stammered. “A- are you sure? I mean… You'd have earned it.” “Yeah, but I don’t need any more money than that…” “But what should I do with the other thousand?” “That’s your call.” Answered Cantor, taking another step back and bowing slightly. “I mean… you could share it out amongst the weather team, use it to better Cloudsdale. Hell, give it to charity, I don’t know! Just make sure it goes to a good cause…” “Are you sure, Cantor?” Al asked again. “Positive.” Replied Cantor with a content smile. “Well okay then!” Al beamed. “Great to have you on board!” “Thank you, sir.” Cantor replied. “It’s good to feel involved!” “There’s just one thing left to do…” Said Al, taking off into the air, closely followed by some two hundred pegasi. Cantor opened his wings to follow, but Al halted him. “No, no… You have to make it rain…” “And how do I do that?” “Hit the cloud as hard as you can…” “Just… ‘hit’ it?” “Yes.” “As hard as I can?” “As hard as you can…” Cantor hesitated before rearing up on hid hind legs, building power in his upper body and proceeding to slam his front hooves into the soft grey surface. When nothing happened, murmurs of giggling rippled throughout the herd of pegasi. “Hold on, I got this…” Cantor declared, taking off into the air. He brought himself level wit Al who was in the middle of the group. “You may wanna stand back.” Informed the alicorn. Al complied, instructing the other ponies to do so as well. At the peak of his ascent, Cantor looked back down to see the cloud layer and a ring of two hundred colourful ponies hovering around beneath. Cantor blew out a lungful of air through pursed lips and leaned backwards, wrapping his wings around him and plummeting downwards. The ex-weather team watched as the large alicorn shot through the middle of the ring and slammed his shoulders into the storm, sending a radial shockwave across the entire cloud, accompanied by the loud rumbling of thunder. Cantor lay on his back, watching the thick doughnut of pegasi whoop and cheer as the patter of rain could be heard. “Did I do it? Did I make it rain?” Cantor asked, flying up into the middle of the ring of ponies to be crowded and rubbed affectionately all over. “Yep, you’re gonna do just fine in this business.” Al congratulated, scruffing up the already scruffy tan hair atop Cantor’s head. He was hoisted into the air by a sea of pegasi all chanting his name. He felt embarrassed, he felt put on the spot, but by Celestia, he felt good… Exactly one month later... Torrential rain hammered onto the plate glass window of the café in Ponyville. The few diners spoke amongst themselves, occasionally pausing to count the seconds until the thunder when a lightning strike illuminated the café for a split second. Cantor was overwhelmed with the feeling of ‘cosiness’ as the warm glow of the ceiling lamp cast pale beams over his table situated in the corner next to a window. He scanned the horizon and was forced to shield his eyes when an unexpected fork of lightning appeared straight in his field of vision. He sat in the plastic red, ‘leather feel’ booth watching his thunderstorm saturate the land. He leant on the table with his right foreleg and sipped his creamy milkshake through a straw. “So how’s the one – colt weather team doing?” Asked the rainbow maned pegasus sat opposite to him in the booth, holding her own banana milkshake firmly between both her hooves. “Not bad…” Cantor answered after taking the brief sip. “I’ve just got too much money now… I can’t spend it all.” Rainbow replied by just taking a long drink from her milkshake. “If you see the others before me, could you tell them if they need anything, just give me a shout.” Rainbow let go of the straw in her mouth and a thin stream of pale yellow dribbled down her chin, to which she quickly wiped away with a little giggle. “Will do, Cantor. Hey, thanks for this milkshake, by the way.” “Don’t mention it.” He smiled, taking a sip of his own vanilla one. “I suppose you’re wondering why I invited you here. Heh, heh... I've always wanted to say that in all seriousness!” “Actually, I had an idea, but I just wanted to clarify something first.” Said Rainbow. “Oh?” Cantor responded. The pegasus opposite him scanned the room, checking to be sure nopony was in earshot. As it happens, the only other diners were three ponies each sat at their own table, quietly reading a newspaper or a book and a group of around six older colts, about twelve or thirteen, each noisily throwing hay fries at each other, much to the café owner’s dismay. It was evident that they weren’t listening, though Rainbow Dash still decided to whisper. “I go for fillies over colts…” Cantor felt a mild shock. Partly because he wasn’t interested in her more than a friend in the slightest. And partly because of how open she was being about it. Though this wasn’t strange; the pegasus sometimes told lies to protect her honour, however she was quite open to certain aspects of her private life when asked. The alicorn smiled and lightly chuckled in his throat. "Would you be offended if I told you I had a feeling you were like that..." Rainbow Dash's smile faded slightly. "Is... Is that a problem?" "Not at all, Rainbow!" Cantor laughed. "You don't have to say, but... are you one-hundred percent... you know... or would you go both ways?" A heavy blush came across Rainbow Dash's face and her eyes fell to her drink. "Oh, you don't have to say, I was just curious..." Cantor hurriedly added. "No, no." The fun-loving pegasus answered, "I don't mind one bit..." She took a breif gulp of her yellow milkshake before answering. "I've had my fair share of... a stallion's 'love muscle', but I find the workings of a mare far more..." She half closed her eyes with an air of playful seduction. "...intriguing..." She finished her philosophy with a slow slurp of her milkshake, her wings raised above her head as she remembered her past experiences. Now it was Cantor's turn to become red. He scratched his head awkwardly. "Love the terminology, Rainbow..." He admitted, amused by the new word he could add to his collection. "Is this why you brought me here, Cantor?" Rainbow Dash asked accusingly. "No." Sighed the alicorn, now preparing himself for the conversation that would follow. "This wasn't the reason I invited you here today..." "Well what is it?" The young pegasus asked, her bright pink blush and feathery arousal now beggining to fade. “Scootaloo.” Cantor replied softly and definitively, steering the conversation away from the steamy topic and showing that he truly cared. “Oh… right…” Rainbow returned, suddenly finding great interest in the bubbles atop her milkshake. “I have been looking into it, and I casually brought up the matter and yes, she is an um… she doesn’t have parents…” She spoke into the glass, and when she had finished, she drew the white straw back into her mouth. “Anything else?” Asked Cantor, sliding his milkshake to the side and leaning forwards slightly. “No… that’s it.” Rainbow said once she finished drinking. “Well at least now you know for sure.” Cantor proposed, trying to get her to look on the bright side. “Do you know where she is living?” “Sorry, I left after asking her that. It just… made me feel so... terrible.” “Why’s that?” Rainbow looked up from the safety of her cold drink and into the caring, hot discs in the middle of the face of the stallion who sat opposite her. She didn’t say anything, but Cantor knew exactly what she was thinking. “Oh… I see…” he turned to gaze out of the rain – streaked window and watched the mare’s view return to her drink. He looked back around and saw the damp – spirited pegasus’ eyes staring blankly into space. “I’m sorry…” “Don’t be.” Rainbow sighed, then taking a deep, calming inhale through her nose. “If it’s any consolation… I understand…” Said Cantor, a comforting smile woven onto his face. Rainbow turned her head upwards, meeting the already – smiling face of the alicorn. If the smile didn’t dispel some of her sadness, then the gentle wink of trust he gave her certainly did, sending a small grin onto her face. “Thanks…” She meekly replied. Something unusual to hear from this particular pony. “Anyway, I have a pretty good idea about where Scootaloo is living.” Cantor spoke, breaking the tension. “You do? Where?” Asked Rainbow. “Their little Crusader’s clubhouse. But I don’t know where that is…” “It’s Applejack’s old clubhouse. Are you sure about that? How do you know?” “I just... have a very good feeling…” “Well, let’s go!” She cried, downing the last of her milkshake. “If she is there, she might be really frightened of this storm. I know I was when I was a filly.” Cantor guzzled the rest of his too, leaving four bits on the table, with an extra one as a tip. He then rushed out the door behind Rainbow Dash, following her into the dark sky. This was a full on storm; he had been instructed to make one hell of a downpour to saturate the soil, ready to uproot all the dead and ruined crops of the past year. As he flew, Cantor cursed himself for doing that job so well. The wind battered him, throwing him slightly off course, even though by now he was a really strong flyer. The rain hammered down in great waves of droplets, forming intriguing movements as they were carried on the wind. Visibility didn’t stretch more than four or five metres; after that, there was nothing but heavy grey, making it look almost night time. At one point, he nearly lost track of Rainbow Dash, but she must have sensed he was falling behind and he soon caught up with her, flying by her side and following her to Sweet Apple Acres. In less than two minutes from their initial takeoff, Rainbow dove downwards and came to a halt on the sopping ground. Up ahead, Cantor could just about see a feint yellow glow. “Come on!” Shouted Rainbow Dash, galloping towards the light source with Cantor quick at her heels. As the pair neared the glow, a small house built around the trunk of a tree came into view. It became apparent that the glow was being emitted from the window at the top of the clubhouse, above the doorway. “SCOOTALOO!!!” Rainbow screamed, not out of desperation or panic, but she literally had to scream even to hear herself over the roar of the rain and the howl of the wind. The window remained lifeless. “SCOOTA – LOO!!!” Rainbow screamed again, receiving the same result. “Let’s just get inside!” Cantor shouted, rushing up the slippery slope, the only things stopping him from falling off were the shallow slats his hooves caught on as he climbed. The slope to the door took a ninety degree turn which Cantor saw at the last moment. He stopped and swivelled round, but the rain had made the surface far too slippery and his back legs slipped from under him. He fell the short distance to the muddy ground and landed on his right wing, causing it to sprain. The alicorn chocked in pain and he saw Rainbow Dash hovering over him. “Are you okay!?” She yelled. “I’m fine!” Cantor returned, rubbing the mid-section of his drenched wing where it had twisted. “Let’s just slow down…” He said quietly and calmly as his horn flared, emitting a warm glow. Slowly, the rain eased off until it was a rough shower. Cantor always had immense trouble when controlling the rain, so he never practiced; after a few seconds of holding the rain off at the rate it was going at caused him physical pain. “Let’s just get to the house…” He winced, turning back to the base of the slope. Their ascent turned out much more successful than before. Cantor immediately released his hold on the water with a fast moan of relief when they reached the porch. Panting, he went to open the door, but it was locked from the inside. The alicorn felt the other side of the door with his magic, scanning for any differences in the wood. Soon enough, he located a deadbolt and tore it across. The gushing wind tore the door inwards along with some dark leaves and small branches. “In!” Cantor ordered and Rainbow complied. He shut the door behind him and sunk to his haunches, breathing heavily. “Scootaloo! Are you here?” Rainbow Dash called out. Cantor watched her make her way to the small, thin flight of stairs. He hated to admit it to himself, but her soaking wet multicoloured mane that clung tightly around her dripping neck looked extremely attractive. He didn’t see anything in Rainbow, he just 'very much' liked the style and was impressed that the fan-art was this accurate… The sound of frantic clopping on floorboards was heard from above as a small orange filly jumped down the stairs into the open arms of her idol. Both ponies toppled backwards and lay smiling at each other. “What are you doing here, Rainbow Dash!?” Squeaked Scootaloo. It was plain to see she was on the edge of crying from relief. “Cantor told me you might be here.” Answered Rainbow, causing Scootaloo to cast her gaze to the white stallion slumped at the door to her ‘home’. Cantor had regained his breath after the intense flying session followed almost immediately by holding tons of water above the treehouse as they entered. “Hey, Scoot.” He sighed as he got to his hooves, sending muddy water splashing onto the floor below. Scootaloo opened her mouth to speak, but a flash of lightning accompanied immediately by an echoing boom that shook the entire treehouse caused her to clamp onto Rainbow Dash tightly. “Scared of lightning, huh, kiddo?” Rainbow asked, scruffing up the filly’s mass of purple hair. Scootaloo peered up from the blue pegasus’ chest and appeared to by crying. “Hey, what’s the matter?” Rainbow asked, smoothing the mane of the filly down her little neck. “That one was really close…” The filly sobbed. It was obvious to both Cantor and Rainbow to see such a strong, bright little girl reduced to tears was only partly due to the storm. “Hey, Scoot,” Rainbow started, “Do you… live here?” Scootaloo looked her friend in the eyes and nodded with a hum of clarification. “Mmh hmm…” “Would you like to… stay with me for a little while?” "Really?..." The purple maned filly croaked. "Of course!" Rainbow replied happily, still smoothing her wet foreleg across the filly's neck. Scootaloo’s eyes widened in wonderment, her tears flowed more with the overwhelming happiness and she nodded energetically. The sight cracked even a hard mare like Rainbow Dash and she teared up herself. Cantor didn’t shed a tear, but the scene definitely moved him greatly. He watched as the two young ponies embraced each other in the start of a new chapter in both of their lives. Rainbow was certainly too young and carefree to have a foal to take care of, so it was a good thing that the little orange filly could pretty much take care of herself. She just craved guidance, somepony to come to whatever her problem was, somepony to give her everything she needed. Somepony to love. Scootaloo took sweet refuge in Rainbow’s heart as her tears of joy overwhelmed them both. This was the happiest Scootaloo had ever felt in the entirety of her short life. She had everything she had ever dreamed of: the protection from a friend, a home to live in. And now, after all these cold, bitter years, after all the covered up heartache and lies she could finally tell her friends that she had a home, a warm bed, a family. A mother. “I love you, Rainbow Dash.” Scootaloo sobbed with heartfilled happiness. “I love you too, Scootaloo.” Replied Dash, already looking forward to the life ahead of her, with the first family she had known for years. Rainbow and Scootaloo were both alone in the world. They had friends – friends that they loved and held dear to their hearts. But now they could fill the void in their souls that opened when their parents left them. They had a future. They knew true love again. They had each other.