During the winter, it was no secret that the pegasi worked extra hard to control the snowfall. The weather team were always flying though the clouds, adjusting the ones that were putting out too much or too little snow. One of these pegasi was a black colored stallion with an icy blue mane shaped into a mohawk. He and his partner, a white colored mare with a pink and green mane, were searching the sky for clouds they needed to adjust. The white mare, named Blossomforth, was keeping warm with the snug jacket she had on. At the start of every winter, all of the pegasi on the weather team were given one of these jackets. However, this year there had been one a mistake and one of the jackets didn't arrive. As a result, Blossomforth's partner, Thunderlane, was working without one.
"W...why...d...did...I...h...have...t...to...be...the...one...with...without...a...j...jacket?" Thunderlane asked, shivering. "It's...s...so...unfair."
"Because some pony had to take one for the team and it just so happened to be you." replied Blossomforth, who kicked a cloud that was putting out too much snow.
"I...g...get...that...but...it...always...s...seems...like...I'm...the...one...t...taking...one...f...for...the...t...team."
"Stop complaining, Thunderlane. It's not that cold. Suck it up for a few more minutes. We're almost done." Blossomforth said as she bucked another cloud. The two continued to scan the skies and fix the troublesome clouds. After a while, they were satisfied with their work and headed back to the weather base. As they flew onto the cloud that housed the base, the door suddenly opened. A cyan blue mare with a rainbow colored mane walked out into the cold. She looked up and spotted the two returning pegasi in the sky.
"Thunderlane! Blossomforth!" she called. "Get your flanks in here, now!" The two did as they were told and landed next to the mare. She wrapped two hooves around there necks and dragged them inside. She continued to drag them as they walked towards the mess hall. "Every pony finished hours ago. It's almost dark out. What took so long?" she asked angrily.
"It's Thunderlane's fault." Blossomforth complained. "I had to wait for him because he was going so slow!"
"Of course I was going slow. I had no jacket and was freezing."
"Excuses, excuses."
"Enough! I don't care what happened. I have to hold some pony responsible for the report."
"Sorry, Rainbow Dash." both pegasi said together.
"Now how wants to take the wrap for this one?" Both ponies were silent as Rainbow Dash looked the two over. "Alright. I guess I'll just have to choose then." A while went by as she decided who was going to get blamed. "Ok, Thunderlane. You're the one."
"Why me!?"
"Blossomforth said it was your fault, so it only makes sense." Rainbow Dash replied as she started to walk away. "Sorry, Thunderlane, but I'm going to have to cut your pay a little. No hard feelings." Thunderlane stood there in shock as Blossomforth began to walk away.
"That's the way it goes, right Thunderlane." Blossomforth said as she winked and continued to walk away. Once she was gone, Thunderlane let out a growl and punched the wall, leaving a giant hole.
After a long day on weather patrol, the pegasi on the Ponyville weather team often relaxed at a local bar and had a few drinks. At the moment, Rainbow Dash, Flitter, Cloudchaser, Blossomforth, and Thunderlane were doing just that. Cloudchaser was telling them a random story about her childhood, Flitter and Blossomforth were listening to that story while sipping their drinks, and Rainbow Dash and Thunderlane were playing pool.
"And then I said," Cloudchaser began, continuing her story. "Why don't you do it." Cloudchser laughed hysterically at her own story, while Flitter and Blossomforth stared at her blankly.
"Ok, Thunderlane. Watch this." Rainbow Dash said as she began to line up her shot. "This is gonna be awesome!" She screamed as she slammed her pool cue into the cue ball. However, her hoof slipped at the last moment and she hit the cue ball awkwardly. Instead of going straight, the ball catapulted into the air and hit Thunderlane right in the eye. The poor stallion went down as Cloudchaser, Fliiter, and Blossomforth looked over at him. The three mares looked at Rainbow Dash and nodded. As fast as they could, they all bolted out of the bar, leaving Thunderlane on the floor.
"Hey, guys wait for me." Thunderlane said as he got up off the floor. He started to follow them out the door when he was stopped by a rather large stallion. Thunderlane recognized him as the bar tender and saw that he was holding a piece of paper.
"Sorry, friend, but some pony's got to pay the bill."
After Thunderlane had payed the bill for his drinks and the drinks off all of his friends, he was not in a good mood. He had a scowl on his face as he flew towards his home. Thunderlane used to live with his brother, Rumble, but he had moved back in with their parents. Thunderlane and Rumble's parents bought the house so they could both live in it. After Rumble moved back in, they decided to sell it. Thunderlane was forced to buy his own place and now resided in a small little apartment on the edge of town. The stallion was flying home with a scowl on his face and started to slow down as he saw his apartment block approach. Eventually, he made a full landing right outside his door and walked the rest of they way. Once he reached his apartment, Thunderlane noticed a note taped onto the door. He glanced at the note and his scowl only worsened as he finished.
Thunderlane,
Need you at the base immediately.
R.D.
After reading Rainbow Dash's note, Thunderlane reluctantly made his way to the very edge of town. The Ponyville weather base was right above the spot where he was standing. With a powerful flap of his wings, he lifted himself into the sky. Thunderlane sailed up to the base and touched down on the cloud. When he got there, Rainbow Dash was already waiting for him.
"Thunderlane! Glad you could make it. We need to talk."
"What could we possibly talk about at two in the morning!"
"I just wanted to apologize about what happened at the bar."
"That's it. That's all you wanted to say!"
"No, no. That's not all. I've got a special job for you waiting inside." Rainbow led Thunderlane inside the base and through the halls. "I see you've been working hard lately and haven't been getting the recognition you deserve." Thunderlane, hearing her words, smiled for the first time in a while.
"Well, thank you, Rainbow. I have been working hard. So, what special job do you have for me?" Rainbow Dash stopped at one of the doors in the hall.
"You get to..." she began, opening the door. "Clean the toilets!" Thunderlane looked into the door and realized Rainbow had let him to bathrooms. She fell on the floor laughing at his shocked expression. "You thought I meant all that stuff about you working hard? That's just too good!" Rainbow continued to laugh as Thunderlane stood still. Finally, something in him snapped as he recalled everything that had happened today. The jacket. The bar. Now, this. It was all too much for him. His eyes were now slits as he began to walk away. "Where are you going? You have a job to do."
Thundrlane stopped and looked back at Rainbow Dash. She was surprised by the cold look on his face. "No I don't. I do not have a job to do because I no longer work for you."
"What!?"
"You heard me! I quit!" With that, Thunderlane flew all the way out of the hall and out of the base. The rage he was feeling overpowered him as he angrily flew back to his apartment. His vision went blurry as tears began to well up in his eyes. Thunderlane made his way to his home, where he quickly opened the door. Thunderlane angrily slammed the door and jumped onto the bed. He screamed into his pillow until his throughout started to ache. Finally, he stopped and stated to think. He couldn't stay here anymore. He had to get away. Immediately, Thunderlnae went into action b packing up his things. He flew around the room, packing everything he owned into a suitcase. Once he was done, Thunderlane made his way to his apartment building's lobby. He talked with the mare at the counter, officially checking out of his home. It was five in the morning by the time he had left the apparent complex. With nowhere to go, Thunderlane contemplated his options. He could go live with his parents and Rumble. He could always take a train and hope for the best. Or he could try to fly to Cloudsdale and live with a friend he had up there. Realizing this was his best option, Thunderlane began his flight towards the city. "This is it." he thought. "This is the start of a brand new life for Thunderlane."