//------------------------------// // Chapter One // Story: Icarus // by Tamar //------------------------------// “Pan!” “Yes, Mayor. Sir.” “Is everything ready?” The feeble rays of the rising sun cast a shadowy light across Equestria, illuminating the two stallion pegasi hovering outside Cloudsdale. “It is ready, Mayor.” “Very good, Pan. Then it is time.” Together, the two pegasi turned and flew over the sleeping cloud city. They cut wordlessly through the air, coming to land in the darkened street outside Cloudsdale’s Council Building. “Go to the weather factory,” the grey stallion commanded. “Tell them to begin. Work fast! The sun is rising and the city will be awake before long. You can leave the Council Building to me – the Weather Council is on break, so my team and I will have no problem in transforming the chamber for our needs. You see how meticulously this has been planned! Over a thousand years of patience and secrecy have led up to this, Pan. Do not take it lightly.” “Of course, Mayor.” Pan’s ears stood firmly upright as he listened to the Mayor’s words. “Of course you don’t. That is why I trust you, Pan. Now go. Go and make the pegasus race proud. Remember the words of Commander Hurricane.” “The plan of the pegasi is the perfection of power,” Pan recited, spreading his wings. “I won’t let you down, Mayor Icarus.” *** Twilight closed her eyes and breathed deeply, inhaling the scent of summer. She had managed to claim the bench by the fountain near Ponyville’s outskirts again. She loved to read and watch the ponies go by, but usually by the time she was finished with her chores in the library some other pony had taken the prime seat. Today she had been lucky, and she made full use of her good fortune. The trickling of water over pebbles was soothing to her ears, and the warm breeze played with her mane just so, tickling the pages of her book. “Twilight!” She was brought back to reality by a familiar voice. Twilight looked up from her book and saw her friend Rarity trotting towards her with Rainbow Dash in tow. The pegasus was hovering along beside Rarity, with her hooves brushing through the grass. “I found her, Twilight!” Rarity said brightly, indicating Rainbow with a hoof. Twilight smiled, shutting her book with her magic and lifting it into one of her saddlebags. Getting up from the bench, she trotted over to meet the two ponies, saying, “Excellent. Thank you very much, Rarity.” Rarity grinned. She was wearing a ludicrously sized hat that shaded most of her body, and curled up fast asleep on her back was Opalescence, her cat. “It’s no trouble, darling. Opal and I quite enjoyed our little walk.” “You take that cat of yours everywhere!” Rainbow said emphatically, folding her wings and landing on the grass. “Opalescence simply adores the hot weather, but if it weren’t for me, she’d stay curled up inside all day and never get any fresh air. So I take her out and about, even if she doesn’t wake up. Fluttershy says it’s good for her. Isn’t that right, Opal-wopal?” There was a pause, and then Rainbow laughed. “I don’t think you’re going to get anything out of that cat until the weather cools down, Rarity.” Turning to Twilight, she said, “What’s up, Twilight? What did you want me for?” “I received a letter from Princess Celestia this morning. She wrote to tell me that she’s been getting reports of some strange mist that’s appeared out of nowhere all over Equestria.” Rainbow and Rarity looked at each other, confused. “Mist?” Rarity repeated. “Is that what your book was about, Twilight?” Twilight nodded. “The Wonderful World of Working Weather. Spike found it for me this morning and I’ve been reading the chapters about mist and fog.” “Mist? On a day like today?” Rainbow gestured with her hoof at the hot sun. “Twilight, it would have to be a lot colder for there to be mist. You only get mist in cold weather.” “Did Princess Celestia say why she was telling you about it?” Rarity asked. “It seems terribly odd.” “That’s why she said she was writing,” Twilight replied. “She said it was unusual for there to be mist when the weather’s like this, too. She wanted to know if there was any mist here in Ponyville – which there isn’t, as far as I know – and she wanted to know if Rainbow knew anything about it.” Rainbow shook her head. “I haven’t heard anything from Cloudsdale about any mist,” “Did you see any when you were flying around earlier?” Rarity suggested. “Nope. It’s the clearest day I’ve seen in weeks. Absolutely beautiful. Not a cloud in the sky.” Rainbow tilted her head thoughtfully, and then said, “Why did the Princess want to ask me, Twilight? Couldn’t she just ask the weather ponies at Cloudsdale?” “I don’t know, Dash,” Twilight admitted. “She didn’t seem to think it was a big problem. Maybe she didn’t think it was worth bothering the weather ponies with. Her letter was a little bit cryptic, to be honest. I’ve been trying to figure out what she meant all morning. Anyway, I’m sure that it is as she says: nothing to worry about. I’ll write to her to say that we haven’t seen or heard anything about any mist. Then shall we have a picnic? Today is far too nice for working.” “Picnic! Picnic!” The three jumped as they were abruptly joined by a pink pony with a mess of even brighter pink hair. “Somepony said picnic!” “Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow Dash said. “Where did you come from?” “I don’t know!” Pinkie said with a wide grin. “I was just trotting through town when I heard somepony say picnic, and here I am!” “Well, that’s wonderful, Pinkie,” Rarity said. “But you should be more careful. You could give a pony a nasty surprise, appearing so suddenly like that.” “No, silly, if I wanted to give someone a surprise I’d do this. SURPRISE!” Without warning, colourful streamers and balloons exploded in Rarity’s face. The unicorn screamed in shock, and Opal leaped off her back, hissing. “Pinkie Pie!” Rarity said, scowling. Twilight scratched her head, saying, “Where in the world were you hiding all those streamers and balloons?” Rarity recovered herself and attempted to pacify Opal. Pinkie shrugged, giggling. “I dunno! But weren’t you surprised, Rarity?” Rarity shot Pinkie a glare. “Very.” *** Later that afternoon, the ponies lay stretched out in the sun. “Wow, Pinkie,” Rarity said, breathing heavily. “I never knew I could eat so much in a sitting, but those cakes were incredible!” “It’s a special recipe,” Pinkie said, beaming. “Mr and Mrs Cake taught it to me as a reward for babysitting.” “Is there any cider left, Applejack?” Rainbow said. “It’s so nice and cold in the heat.” Applejack chuckled. “There’s plenty of cider, Rainbow. Don’t fret. D’you want some as well, Fluttershy?” There was a pause. “Fluttershy?” “I think she’s dozed off,” Twilight said, looking over at the sleeping pegasus. Rarity chuckled, then said, “I’m tempted to join her. This warm breeze is more relaxing than Aloe’s best herbal bath...” She broke off, yawning widely. One by one, the ponies slipped into blissful sleep in the hot sun, lost in a soporific haze of calm. Twilight, however, had not fallen asleep, and after looking shiftily about to make sure she was the only one awake, she rose quietly to her hooves and crept over to Rainbow Dash. After one last sneaky look to her sleeping friends, Twilight sat next to Rainbow, tucked her hooves up under her chest, and snuggled against her slightly. It wouldn’t be right to say she preferred Rainbow over her other friends, but somehow Twilight couldn’t help but feel slightly fond of her. Rainbow had for a long time now held a special place in Twilight’s heart, ever since she pulled her back from the cliff’s edge when Twilight first arrived in Ponyville. Twilight had never known such a brave and loyal pony before, and it made her feel very safe whenever she was around. Besides, there was something charming about her rainbow mane and the way it fell over her face. Twilight often found herself daydreaming in rainbow-coloured thoughts. Twilight grinned and relaxed slightly closer against the sleeping pegasus. She was about to fall into blissful sleep herself when Rainbow stirred. “Twilight? What are you doing?” Twilight sat bolt upright. “Oh, I, er...” “No wait, don’t move,” Rainbow said, cutting her off. “That was nice.” Twilight’s heart started beating again. She leaned back against Rainbow’s side, feeling the warmth through her skin. There was a heavy stillness in the air, accompanied by the deep breathing of the other ponies and the ever-present gentle rustling of the apple trees. The sun, almost ready to set, had finally lessened in its intensity, and the light had dimmed. “Today was great, wasn’t it?” Rainbow said. “The first day of summer,” Twilight answered. “There was nothing that needed to be done,” Rainbow continued. “Just a wonderful day to spend with your friends. I think your arriving in Ponyville was one of the best thing that’s ever happened to me.” Twilight’s heart quickened slightly. “Really?” “Yeah. If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have such a good group of friends to spend an afternoon like this with.” Of course that was what Rainbow had meant, but there was nothing wrong with Twilight pretending she had meant something different. She closed her eyes and quickly lost her thoughts in the haze of sleep. After some time that Twilight couldn’t judge, she was woken by Rainbow sitting up abruptly. She held her nose in the air, sniffing. Twilight sat up beside her. “What is it?” she said, sniffing the air. “I don’t smell anything.” Rainbow shook her head. “You wouldn’t. Only pegasi can smell approaching weather formations. Hold on.” Silently, she unfurled her wings, leaped into the air and shot up into the sky. Twilight had only moments to wonder what Rainbow was talking about before she was back, landing next to Twilight. “Princess Celestia was right,” Rainbow breathed. “There is a bit of mist, just a little way east. It’s heading this way – not very fast, but it’ll be here by tonight.” “So it’s true!” Twilight said. “Why on earth is it getting misty on a day like today?” “No idea,” Rainbow admitted truthfully. “The only reason I can think for it is if there’s a problem over at Cloudsdale. It happens from time to time; one of the weather machines breaks, or some pony makes a mistake in the timetable. Anyway, I agree with Princess Celestia. It’s not a big deal, and we can look at it in the morning. If there’s a lot of mist, I can go to Cloudsdale and see what’s up.” “All right,” Twilight said. “I suppose that sounds fair.” The two ponies jumped at the sound of a squeak of surprise from behind them. “What’s this mist?” Fluttershy had got to her hooves, looking about the picnic. A thin mist had begun to filter across the meadow, reaching out with wispy tendrils. The other ponies yawned and stretched, woken by her surprised outburst. “Gosh golly,” Applejack said, looking upwards. “Would you look at that. The sun’s set. We must have been out here for hours!” “Never mind the sun, it’s misty!” Pinkie declared, full of excitement. “I always like it when it’s misty, because it means winter’s coming, and–” she stopped in her tracks, realisation dawning on her face. “Winter? I thought today was just the first day of summer.” “Wow, summer was really short,” Fluttershy said, her ears drooping. “Everypony hold on,” Twilight said in an authoritative voice. “Princess Celestia wrote to me about this this morning. She said she had had reports of unseasonal mist occurring all around Equestria.” The other ponies gasped in unison, except for Rainbow and Rarity. “But she said there was nothing to worry about. It’s most likely just a mistake at Cloudsdale, and I’m sure they’ve got the best weather ponies working on it, so we have nothing to fear. We can wait until morning, and then if the mist has got a lot thicker, we can write to her about it and see what she thinks.” “That sounds like the right course of action,” Applejack said. “I’d like to get to bed anyway. I should have been back at Sweet Apple Acres a while ago to put Applebloom to bed.” “Come on, then,” Rarity said, picking up the picnic rug with her magic and neatly folding it for Spike. “Let’s pack up.” “This was fun!” Pinkie said, hopping up and down. “We should have picnics more often. Oh wait – we do!” She chortled and bounced away in the direction of Sugarcube Corner. Twilight and Rainbow looked at each other. “Pinkie Pie is so random,” they said in unison. Twilight said good night to her friends and set off to the library with Spike. They walked along the streets of Ponyville, watching the small town going to sleep. “Twilight?” Spike said. “Huh?” “I asked you a question.” “Oh, sorry. I guess I’m a little tired.” “That’s OK. I just asked what you thought of the mist. Do you think it’ll get any thicker tomorrow morning?” Twilight sighed. “I don’t know, Spike. I have a very tiny feeling that it might, but I really don’t want to believe it will. Like Princess Celestia said, I’m sure it’s just a little mistake at Cloudsdale. Nothing to worry about. Besides,” she said as they went through the door to the treehouse library, “It’s no use worrying about it now. There’s not much we can do till morning.” “I suppose you’re right,” Spike said. “Good night then. I’m going straight off to bed.” “Me too. Good night, Spike,” Twilight said, giving the little dragon a nuzzle. Spike had already started snoring loudly. However, when Twilight got into bed and pulled the covers under her chin, her mind was filled with clouds of worry. Tendrils snaked towards her from the meadow, growing in size and strength, until they threatened to engulf her. Finally beginning to submit to the caresses of sleep, she couldn’t help but notice that the clouds of mist had definite rainbow-coloured shades to them. *** The next morning, there was an urgent knocking at Twilight’s door. “Twilight! Twilight! Wake up!” Twilight rubbed her eyes and sat up in her bed, confused. “Twilight! Come quickly!” Spike looked up from his basket, yawning. “What is it, Twilight?” “I don’t know, Spike. That sounds like Pinkie.” Twilight swung her legs over the side of the bed and hopped down. She trotted down the stairs to the main library and opened the door to reveal Pinkie with her friends, surrounded by clouds of mist. “Good heavens, Pinkie! What happened?” “I know! All of Ponyville’s like this! Nopony can see anything, that’s why we came to get you!” Twilight stepped out of the library and looked around in amazement. She could see her friends clearly enough, but across the street she could only just make out the forms of houses and other buildings. “Where did all this fog come from?” “We don’t know!” Applejack said. “Big Mac an’ I woke up early to do some applebucking, just like we always do, except we couldn’t see nothing! I could barely see up to the apples, never mind across the farm!” “All this fog is simply awful for my hair,” Rarity interjected. “It won’t dry.” “I’m so worried for all the little bunnies living in the woods by my cottage!” Fluttershy said. “They won’t be able to find their way out to the food, and they’ll get lost, and they won’t make it back home, and–” Rainbow put a hoof across Fluttershy’s mouth. “Calm down, Fluttershy,” she said. “We’ve had fog loads of times before. This is just a little... unexpected.” “And cold,” Pinkie added. “Brr.” “It is cold, isn’t it?” Twilight said, looking up. “The sun can’t get through. See how dim it is? By this time of morning it should be much brighter.” The fog was indeed blocking most of the sun’s rays. What little light could get through was low, and cold. “Rainbow,” Applejack said, “Can you fly up an’ see how bad the fog is? Maybe it isn’t all that thick. Maybe it doesn’t spread very far.” Rainbow nodded and shot into the air. After a few short moments that seemed to last an eternity, she flew downwards and landed beside Rarity. “Well?” Pinkie asked eagerly. Rainbow shook her head, folding her wings. “It’s bad. I had to fly miles up to get above the fog, and it just stretches as far as the eye can see. I couldn’t see any land through it, and I couldn’t see Canterlot either.” Twilight gasped. “You mean?” “I think Canterlot is covered by the fog as well.” There was a moment of silence. “But Canterlot never gets covered in fog,” Fluttershy said. There was another pause. “So Princess Celestia is cut off from the sun?” Pinkie repeated. “What does that mean?” Rainbow said. “I don’t know,” Twilight admitted. “But I don’t think it’s very good. I need to write to the Princess right away. Spike!” Spike appeared at Twilight’s side from where he had been listening in the doorway of the library. “Fetch my quill and parchment, Spike. I have to send Princess Celestia a letter of utmost importance.” Spike saluted and ran to fetch the quill and parchment. Rainbow fidgeted, saying, “I need to go to Cloudsdale.” “Hold on, now, Rainbow,” Applejack said. “None of us know what’s going on here.” “Exactly,” Rainbow said firmly. “And I don’t like not knowing what’s going on with the weather, so I intend to find out. It could be that it’s just a mistake of the weather ponies, or a problem in the weather factory. Or something else. Whatever it is, I want to know.” “Applejack’s right, Rainbow, we should be careful,” Rarity said. “We don’t know what we’re getting into here. Something’s wrong at Canterlot, and that could mean big things are ahoof. If we do anything, we should do it together.” “No,” Rainbow said, gritting her teeth and unfurling her wings. “They messed up the weather for my home town, and they’ve messed with the Princess. I’m sure as heck going to find out what’s going on here!” Just as Rainbow was about to take off, Twilight waved her hoof. “Wait!” Rainbow half turned. “What?” Twilight hesitated, then said, “Good luck. Stay safe.” Rainbow gave a grim sort of smile. “I will,” she replied. Then she was gone. “Well, that’s just dandy,” Applejack snorted. “Ponyville’s covered in fog, for all we know the royal pony sisters are in danger, an’ now Rainbow’s gone off on a crusade.” “Never mind about Rainbow,” Rarity said. “She shouldn’t have gone off on her own like that, but she made her choice, and she’s a very headstrong pony once her mind’s made up.” “I’m going to go and write to the Princess,” Twilight said abruptly, turning back into the library. “For the meantime, we should try and do the best we can with the situation. See if there are any ponies who need help getting around in the fog. Fluttershy, you should go and look after your animals.” Her friends nodded and went their separate ways, leaving a tangible cloud of worry hanging in the air. When they had gone, Twilight sat on her haunches and heaved a deep sigh, closing her eyes and bringing a shaky hoof to her forehead. I hope Rainbow’s all right, she thought. It’s just like her to go off and do something stupid like that. “Twilight?” Twilight opened her eyes to see Spike waiting with quill and ink. “Rainbow’s going to be fine, isn’t she?” Twilight nodded and swallowed, managing a weak smile. “I’m sure she is, Spike. Now, take this down: Dear Princess Celestia...”