//------------------------------//
// Hurricane Stu 
// Story: Appledashery 
// by Just Essay 
//------------------------------//

	Rainbow Dash flew over the rooftops of Ponyville for the sixth consecutive time that next afternoon.

Sighing, she squinted, scanning each road, sidewalk, and side-street below.

"Whereishewhereishewhereishe...?"

She gritted her teeth, bending her wings so she could come around for another flyby.

"I swear... if he wasn't so friggin' average-looking, I'd find him in a jiffy..."  Her brow furrowed.  "... ... ... what would a mare like Applejack see in a dude so friggin'... ... ...male?"

She thought about that, went cross-eyed, and bopped her own head.

"Stupid.  Stupid stupid—just... just get it out of your skull.  They're friends.  Just friends."  A long sigh.  "Much like how we're just friends..."

Dutifully, she swept over the town yet again.

"...probably lost somewhere, getting his head stuck in a mailbox or something."  She blew out the side of her muzzle.  "Been taking lessons from Miss Hooves.  Heck... that ditzy mare could teach him a thing or two—Hello!"  She braked in midair, staring down at a thick line of ponies.

Stallions and mares were all filing up before a wooden stand situated just off to the side of Ponyville's Town Hall.  A draping banner read: "Cloudsdale Weather Commission."  It was obvious to the mare that the ponies were all signing up for something.  Exactly what it was became clear once she realized that they were all pegasi.

And among those waiting in line, smiling and chatting with another stallion, was Stu.

Rainbow Dash took a deep breath... flexed her wing muscles... and—at last—dove down in a fla—

"Rainbow Dash!"  The grinning face of a brown stallion with a gray mane flew into her vision.  "Hey there!"

"...!"  Rainbow's body leaned backwards until she hovered in place, tethered to the pony's smile.  "Sharp Quill!  Hey!  Uhm... it's you!  And you're here!"

"Feels like it's been ages since I've seen your colors streaking overhead!  Heheheh!"  Sharp Quill held his hoof out.  "Put 'er there!"

"Mmmmm..." Rainbow gritted her teeth, throwing all of her effort into the hoof-bump.

"Whoah.  Kinda weak there."  Sharp Quill smirked slyly.  "Been digging into lean oats, I bet.  Hah!  I don't suppose there's a race coming up that you're needing to be lighter for?"

"Uhhhhhh..."  Rainbow struggled to look over his shoulder at the average target below.  "...maybe?"

"Well, we could definitely use the wingpower of a pegasus like you for the cyclone summoning."

"Uhhhhhh..."  Rainbow craned her head to the other side, but each time Sharp Quill's amicable face blocked her.

"The dudes from Cloudsdale say we need about three hundred wing power to properly get the tornado spinning so we can swiftly remove the dead trees from the northwest edge of the forest."

"Uhhhh..."  Rainbow suddenly blinked, staring at him directly.  "Wait, what cyclone?"

"Wow.  You've really been in another world lately, haven't you?"  Sharp Quill blinked.  "The Cloudsdale Weather Commission has finally agreed to take up the problem with the dead trees skirting the northwest edge of Everfree.  No animals are living there, and the soil's too poor to grow new vegetation.  So they're needing a bunch of expert weather ponies to help summon a tornado so we can clear that place out lickety-split!"  He looked left, right, then leaned into whisper into Rainbow's ear.  "Rumor is... they're going to build a castle there."

"Don't be stupid," Rainbow droned.  "The last thing Ponyville needs is some lame castle."

Sharp Quill shrugged.  "It's just what I heard!  Anyways, you should totally join!  They need super-fast fliers like you!  Also..."  He smirked.  "They're paying some major bits."

"I've... uhm..."  Rainbow Dash stirred.  "...k-kinda got a lot on my plate as of recently."

"Heh.  I get it.  You are a busy mare, after all."  Sharp Quill waved.  "Anyways, I'm gonna go talk to the other guys and girls signing up.  After the ponies are finished being selected, they're gonna vote on a team captain!  I bet you'd be awesome for such a role!"

"Uhhhh..." Rainbow stared at the group below... at Stu Leaves in the center of them.  Suddenly, she frowned.  "You know what?  Count me in."

"Oh?"  Sharp Quill paused in mid-air, glancing at her over his shoulder.  "You're going to join in?"

"Buck yeah, I'm joining!"  She gave him a devilish smirk—although she kept Stu Leaves in her peripheral vision the whole time.  "Ponyville's counting on me to make sure something like this goes right.  Besides... it's about time I showed off who has real guts around here..."