Thundering Fear

by touileasaso


Calm Before the Storm

"NO. Absolutely not." Chief Stablemaker spoke sternly.

"But we can round up everypony to safety in a snap!" Babs insisted. "And they can hear us loud and clear!"

"Trust me. We've been practicing." Featherweight added.

The chief, a grey earth pony with white and gray mane, tail and mustache, a blue collar shirt and a badge for his cutie mark, rubbed his head, feeling a headache coming from having to deal with these four foals. Sure, they had good intentions, but with all the many things stashed on their toy wagon and inside the unicorn filly's overbulging saddlepack, he questioned just how cautious they truly were.

"Look, I admire you four tykes wanting to do good for the community, I do. But we're not playing a game. This is a serious crisis and I won't have you kids putting your lives at risk for this!" Stablemaker scolded them.

Firecracker pouted at the stallion. "Aw, but we-"

"End of discussion." He interrupted her. "Trust me, this is for your own good. If you all truly wish to help, then stay with your families so you can put their minds at ease."

The Crusaders moaned as they all walked away.

"It ain't fair..." Babs grumbled. "How else are we supposed to get our rescue worker cutie marks if they don't let us help...?"

"Considering that our attempt for babysitting cutie marks ended with all of us covered in slime, I suppose it is for the best." Tangerine said.

"I still don't get how there was slime inside their toys..." Featherweight wondered.

"Or the time we tried for a stunt double cutie mark and ended in a vat of slime." Firecracker recalled.

"And the time we went for a racing cutie mark, we got oil all over us?" Babs went on.

"I do not think that oil counts as slime, Babs." Tangerine pointed out.

"Well it still felt icky and mucky, and that was just as bad as being in slime." Babs countered.

"Don't remind me. It takes me forever to get all of that stuff off of my wings." Featherweight groaned.

"Little ponies!" cried a volunteer to the Crusaders. "Come over here now, do not leave our sight!"

"We might as well go for now..." Firecracker sighed.

"Do not worry Babs. I am sure we will have another chance to try to get our cutie marks." Tangerine assured her cousin.

"Yeah, I guess so..." Babs nodded, walking with her friends to the adults.

Not far from them, Honey was flying nearby, looking for her friend Blossomforth.

"Now think...if I were Blossomforth, where would I be...?" she mulled.

The adventurer thought about the a Weather Team HQ, but had already crossed paths with a fellow weather teammate, and he did not see Blossomforth there.

"It has to be a place full with flowers..."

Blossomforth's home crossed her mind, but Honey thought that it would be uncharacteristic of her to just leave everypony like this.

"Somewhere close by..." Honey thought, then grinned. "I think I got it."

She opened her wings and went to Her destination. Honey was certain that she would find her friend there.


Under a bridge in the park, Blossomforth curled up around the Camellias as she shivered uncontrollably. Sure, she went against some extreme weather conditions such as Operation Rainrise from last time the Wonderbolts were at Manehattan, and a few kinds of strong windy days. But a thunderstorm? This was a first for her and the weather team. Not mention...

"Hey, Blossom?"

"YAAAAAAAHHH!!!!!"

The startled pegasus jumped five feet from fright and flew to hide behind a bush, only her eyes visible from the shaking shrubbery.

Honey was stunned from what just happened. "Whoa. Sorry to scare you like that, but what was that all about?"

"It's...it's nothing." she answered.

From the tan pegasus' expression, it was obvious that she did not believe the flower loving pony. "This is far from nothing Blossomforth. You look as nervous, if not worse, as the time you and Fluttershy accidentally signed up for the Best Young Fliers competition." Honey then spoke softer to her friend. "So tell me, what's the problem?"

Blossomforth looked hesitant before answering. "Do...do you promise not to laugh?"

"I'll eat my pith helmet if I so much as snicker." Honey swore.

The weather cadet sighed, preparing to tell what is troubling her.

"It all starts back to when I was a filly. When my class was on a field trip travelling through some mountains-wait, was it a field? Or was it a summer trip? I can't really remember which was which...anyway, the teacher led us down to the lodges to turn in for the night." Blossomforth explained. "Along the way, I saw some Dragon Fruit Flowers, which only bloom at night. Or maybe it Moon Flowers...they were really beautiful...oh, right! So, I was so excited to see them that I forgot about my group and waited for them to bloom. When they were at full bloom, that was when I noticed that I was missing from my group. I called for help hoping that somepony, anypony, would hear me. Then it began to rain. No wait, I think it was the lightning strikes that came first, and then the rain. I felt cold from the raindrops falling on me and there wasn't much place to take shelter from it." The white pegasus paused, grimacing at the memories. "Then it came...the lightning sounds. They struck so close and so fast that I was sure that they were trying to hit me."

"But didn't anypony notice that you were missing?" asked a concerned Honey. "Didn't they try to come looking for you?"

"Of course they did. But whenever I saw somepony passing by and tried calling for help, it was always the lightning that interrupted me. Or maybe it was all in my head, I couldn't tell from how scared I was. It kept me from going anywhere at all. I had to hide under some tree roots for the whole night. It was only next morning when the storm stopped that they found me. I had never been so scared in my life ever since that day."

Honey was stunned from the story that Blossomforth had told her. She had never mentioned this to anypony. "So you have astraphobia?"

"Yeah. Ironic, huh?" Blossomforth chuckled lowly. "A weather pony afraid of the weather. How ridiculous is that?"

"Blossomforth, that's not ridiculous at all. We all have our fears no matter who we are." Honey comforted her friend. "Just tell the weather team what you just told me, and tell them that you can't handle it just this time. I'm sure they'll understand."

"But I'm a member of the weather team! Not to mention the Bearer of the Element of Loyalty! What will ponies think if they see or hear me chickening out of this!?" Blossomforth exclaimed before frowning. "And no pun intended on the chicken part!"

"Leave your element out of this, that has nothing to do with it." the tan pegasus firmly spoke. "Your fear of lightning is nothing to laugh at, so why are you so adamant in putting you're in such a risk like this?"

Blossomforth sighed, ruffling her wings a bit. "It's not just that. I feel that if I don't do at least something to help around, I'll never forgive myself for it."

Honey frowned in concern, seeing how thus was worrying Blossomforth so much. She truly wants to help with the storm emergency, but her fear of lightning could get in the way.

"Tell you what: let's go talk to Spitfire and fill her in on how you feel. I'm sure she'll understand and assign you to another job." she suggested.

"Are you sure? What if it's not enough?" Blossomforth fidgeted nervously.

"Relax. Do you have any idea how many ponies volunteered to help out with the storm? It'll be fine." Honey assured her. "Now let's go. We don't want to keep everyone waiting."

"R-right" Blossomforth nodded. Before flying off, she took one flower from the ground and put it in her mane for comfort. It always relaxed her a little bit to have any flower with her when facing giant odds. She would need it.


Not long after Honey brought Blossomforth to everypony, she explained why she had dissapear do and apologized for running off without a warning.

"Blossomforth, there is no need for you to feel ashamed." Octavia comforted the watermelon-maned pegasus.

"Octavia is absolutely right. We all have our fears, no matter who we are." Sherbet agreed.

"Heck, Twilight's very afraid of turning in a report to the princess late!" Spike chuckled. "You should see her in one of her fits!"

"Spike! Did you have to mention that!?" Twilight scolded her assistant.

"Sorry, sorry...just trying to lighten the mood..." Spike apologized.

"Anyway, no one is going to judge you for your problems, Blossomforth. That I promise."

"Besides, it's not like every area in Manehattan will have thunder strikes." Trixie explained. "The weather reports have shown that some areas will be less heavier than others."

"So all you gotta do is join with the groups that will deal with the lighter areas." Twilight said, showing a map of the estimated affected areas of the city. "Is that alright with you?"

"I...I guess so." Blossomforth nodded, feeling a little better.

"Good. All we need to do now is inform Spitfire, and she will assign you a proper group." Sherbet smiled.

Blossomforth smiled as well, feeling a little better that she had such caring and understanding friends to support her on the way. She just hoped that when the time comes, her nerves won't break.


"This blows. I still wish that there was a way we could help out with the storm." Babs complained.

All of the Crusaders were now inside Auntie's room, left with toys and trinkets to entertain them. She was very adamant that the four foals stay there for their safety, and after the stunt they pulled many times, she has assigned a staff member to keep watch at their door at all times and warned her to be cautious of anything they do.

"I'm not complaining, for one. Maybe this is something out of our league, Babs." Featherweight told the earth pony.

"I agree with Featherweight. Perhaps it is for the best that we stay out of this one." Tangerine agreed.

"They bring up good points. I don't want to lose my Great and Powerful Trixie trinkets from that storm." Firecracker said, violently shuddering at the thought of losing her idol's mementos.

"Okay, okay. Maybe we'll look for another opportunity next time." Babs gave in. "I don't want my sis chewing me out again."

"I gotta admit, it is boring being here with nothing to do all day." the colt pegasus groaned, throwing a pillow randomly.

"Yes, I truly do wish there was something for us to do..." Tangerine sighed, absentmindedly kicking a ball.

While the rest of the Crusaders looked down and bored out of their wits, Firecracker was thinking with her forehooves tapping on the floor when she suddenly grinned. "Maybe there IS something we can do!"

"Really? Like what?" Babs asked, half out of curiosity and half of eagerness.

"They told us to stay safe before and during the storm, but they didn't say anything after the storm, did they?"

Babs grin soon matched Firecraker's. "Hay, you're right! They said zilch 'bout that!"

"So you're saying that after the storm is over, we can help with the relief efforts!" Tangerine cheered in her filly mode.

"And this is after the storm, so it should be okay for us to leave!" Featherweight spoke excitedly.

After a chorus of agreement, the Crusaders put their hooves together in excitement.
"For Manehattan!"
"To help everypony!"
"Cutie Mark Crusaders Relief Effort Workers are a go!"

There was then a silence after their unified shout.

"...after the storm is over." Tangerine giggled meekly.

The others chuckled in embarrassment before going back to what they were doing before, anxious for the storm crisis to dissapear.

Meanwhile, the staff member who had heard the shout that could break hoof-proof windows rubbed her aching ears.

"I knew I should have taken laundry duty today..." she muttered.


"So you can't follow your weather teammates through because of your phobia of lightning? Do I have that right?"

"Y-yes ma'm." Blossomforth nodded to Spitfire.

Spitfire sighed at this minor setback. Granted, she couldn't blame Blossomforth for her fear, and it was understandable that most of the pegasi would do something very dangerous to protect Manehattan. Now she would put Blossomforth at ease so she could protect herself from her phobia, but she insisted that she try to help with the situation no matter what. Spitfire admired her tenacity, unsurprising as she is the Bearer of the Element of Loyalty, but fears that she could be biting off moe than she could chew.

"Very well, I believe that I have a solution for all of this." Spitfire said, turning to one of her teammates. "Soarin, get over here!"

Her lieutenant immediately flew over to her. "Yes, Captain?"

"I have this volunteer, Blossomforth, who will be assigned to your group of wonderbolt trainees. Watch over her. Assign her a partner. Make sure she stays safe at all times."

"Understood, Captain!" Soarin saluted, then turning to the white pegasus. "Come on, let's get going."

While the two pegasi were flying to their destination, Blossomforth had a question for the Wonderbolt. "So um, Mr. Soarin sir..."

"Whoa there, you don't need to call me 'Mr.' or 'sir'. Makes me feel way too old." Soarin chuckled. "Just Soarin is fine. So, what's on your mind?"

"Well, I was wondering why the Wonderbolt trainees are here as well. Isn't this something out of their league?" Blossomforth asked in concern.

"Normally, it would be. But after checking the density from each part of the cumulonimbus, we were able to pinpoint the areas that would be less damaged from the storm. That's where our trainees will be stationed along with a superior, which in this case is me."

"Wow...you guys are working very hard at this." spoke an impressed Blossomforth.

"With a storm this size, we're not taking any chances. That's why we still have our trainees wear shock suits to protect them from any stray lightning strikes, just in case."

Blossomforth shivered at the mention of lightning , but felt the pegasus stallion put a comforting hoof on her back.

"Hey. Just remember that you're not alone here. Should anything happen, you can count on us."

Blossomforth gave a grateful nod, happy that there were ponies supporting her. Maybe with these many ponies having her back, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

"So, are you ready to meet the rest of the crew?" Soarin grinned.

"I think I am." Blossomforth smiled.

"Great! Then let's go!"