“Time to get your lazy flank up or you’ll be late. You don’t want to look bad on your brother.” His father yelled from the living room.
Stormy had been up all night, not even wanting to sleep. He was never a fast reader but he finally finished Hunger Games and got a decent way through the Spark Notes on it. It was grim and bloody, but he couldn’t call it bad, especially after looking deeper at its material. There definitely was a lot to humans. He quickly shoved the books under his bed along with the other paperwork from UCLA. The list of things to do got shoved into his saddlebag. The plan was to visit the castle on his lunchbreak, maybe roll his other breaks into it and check out some books to read at night. Until the phrase the best laid plans of ponies drifted into his head and all the things that could go wrong flitted through. It could close, his lunch break could be thirty minutes if they were busy, maybe he would have to sign up for a library card, or not even be allowed into the castle.
Stormy shook his head. FOCUS! Grab his bag and ran through the house, grabbing a cold corn fritter on his way out the door and taking flight ahead of his father. Any luck he could get there and get started without having to see other ponies.
The Weather Factory grew as he approached. It was the same as always. Large clouds supporting the magical machinery, every single piece of it hoof crafted by brilliant pegasi for special jobs. Metal, magic, and nature integrated into something greater. All most ponies saw was the giant cloud of the outside or the rainbow falls, not the inner dials and tubes and pathways. A lone pony stood by the entrance doors and caused Stormy to flap his wings harder and rush the door.
Standing there was a pure white pegasus from mane to tail, eyes a cold blue and small patch of silver the only sign of a cutie mark. Sprint flying was hard. Harder than most ponies would expect as the muscles spread down his entire back and chest, even up part of his neck. Stormy had been conditioning himself, but that was more for distance and as an easy speed. The lone pegasus standing guard saw the rushing pony and spread his legs, wing half unfurling. The corn-colored pony speed up, angled to right above the other pony, they eyes each other.
At five feet apart Stormy gave one last hard push and tucked his wings in to speed past and reach the door, adding some spin to his movement just as the white pegasus gave a solid push up and reach his hooves out for the speeding bullet. They two collided in midair and for a second Stormy’s spin made his hard to grasp, but the other pony was better as one hoof wrapped around his neck, one around his chest and over a wing while his rear legs wrapped around Stormy’s. The white pegasus used his wing to cut their speed and glide them both into a nearby cloud bank.
Thunder Cloud released his brother who just laid there for a moment breathing heavy which gave the older pegasus a chance to ruffle the younger’s mane.
“One of these days.” Stormy used his wings to flip onto his back, just rolling over, his legs splayed out. He felt so much lighter now. “One of these days I’ll get past you.”
“Not with those tactics.” Thunder closed his eyes and stuck out his tongue. “Nice spin though, made it really hard to stop you. Who taught you that?” He asked and opened his eyes back up.
“Sorry. Secret.” Stormy crossed his arms and attempted to stick his chin into the air. “If you were to learn that you might figure out my other plans.”
“Ahhhh.” Thunder turned for the door. “It must be a mare.” For a second a swagger was added to his step as blood rushed to Stormy’s face. “But that’s not what what you wanted to talk about.”
“What do you mean?” Stormy was lost, everypony kept switching topics on him so quickly, he didn’t like it.
Thunder turned around and walked back to his younger brother, until they were snout to snout then raised his eyebrows until his eyes were comically large. “Because you are easy to read. Whenever you don’t are doing something you don’t want to you suck on your lips or chew on an errant feather, even when just stressed.
Stormy stared dumbfounded. I what? How could I not notice?
“That and I talked to your old supervisor, a guard at Canterlot Castle and somepony who went with you to Earth who actually came to see me. Combine that with having to deal with Storm Front and it’s kinda easy to see.” Stormy paid attention to his brother for what felt like the first time. Not his physical characteristics but his movements, he stood completely straight and his uniform color made it hard to see anything else, it was like trying to read a person. Except, three of the secondaries on his right side were twitching and moving against. “You don’t want to be here.”
Stormy stood back up, he had to. It felt like he was going to choke, his throat wouldn’t work. Weather was everything to his family, even his brother. Radiant Dawn would fit perfectly in it. Or maybe that was just how pegasi were.
“I know what Storm Front did. About the worker he sent to Whinnietonka. He was one of my workers and had been wanting that transfer for a while, actually got a short term trade for one of their cloud pushers so there are plenty of ponies here. Orders are lax for a while; all we have to do is move the Factory around a bit and collect water to start making new clouds with. I don’t really have any work for you unless you just want to push the place around but then I’ll have to give someone else some leave.” Thunder’s eyes lowered at the edges along with his ears. “But its not as if there would be other things for you to do here before leaving for months.”
“If I don’t work though dad won’t let me stay at home. Where could I go?” Stormy lowered his head, walked past his brother and reached out for the door.
“Then don’t.” As if it were the simplest and most common idea since ‘Celestia raises the sun’. “Stay with me and Wishing Well. We have the room and it will give you a chance to get done what you need to. There is a guest room so you won’t have to worry about the baby having a room.”
“I’ll… think about it.” Stormy looked at the ground. I can’t! He told himself and squeezed his eyes shut. Dad and mom will see it as another failure, as me outright contradicting them. As me insulting them. It will hurt them, I can’t do that. Something warm traced a line down his muzzle and off his nose.
“No.” The voice was so much like Storm Front’s, it sent a shiver up Stormy’s spine. “You will decide now. You can’t put this off. No more excuses. Which way will your life go? Will you give up on Earth?”
Will you give up on your hope and your friends? Will you just listen to your father for the rest of your life? What happened to your motivation from yesterday?
“Whatever you are doing just do it well. I know you’ll do amazing stuff. Don’t worry, mom and dad will come around. They just excessively worry. But this HAS to be your call or it means nothing.”
Stormy sniffed as mucus trickled out of his nose and that warmth continues but now down his cheeks. “Thanks you.” The young pegasus choked out.
Thunder Cloud walked into the Weather Factory, leaving Stormy alone in the morning sun before most of the real work had begun. Stormy knew what he needed and what he wanted. But I’m not strong enough. I never have been.