Cloudsdale or Bust
Former changeling turned pegasus Cloud Breaker was having a rough day. With his admission test moved up suddenly he had quickly found himself in a high-speed cloud bursting race against a gravity-driven stop watch and a chaotic aerial charge through Ghastly Gorge. He was ready for a rest but he wasn’t going to get one.
With his potential position as a weather pony on the line Rainbow Dash was overseeing his three-part “job interview.” With two down and one to go Rainbow pulled out her biggest challenge yet.
“The final test is a real on the job scenario simulation,” Rainbow said. “You want to be my Jerkwater responder so bad let’s see how you handle a weather assignment there. I’ve scheduled a rather large rainstorm for 5 p.m. this afternoon there. The paperwork for the storm has been filed. All you have to do is go there, collect the storm, bring it to Jerkwater, and start it on time. You’ll have a flight crew there to help you move it. Try not to stress out in Cloudsdale, the weather factory folks aren’t the easiest ponies for outsiders to work with since somepony started spreading false statements about how they make the weather.”
Cloud was a bit shocked at the revelation. He wasn’t expecting that for a finale.
“Good luck,” Rainbow said. “Go.”
Cloud readied himself and charged ahead. As he departed he looked behind him to see if Rainbow was following him. He was actually surprised to see the blue mare wasn’t.
“Aren’t you coming?” Cloud asked.
“Nah,” Rainbow replied. “I go to Cloudsdale all the time. If you want this job you don’t need me to hold your hoof through the whole thing. Just go to the main desk at the factory and tell them which storm you are there to pick up. I sent a flight team ahead to help you move it, you’d do best to use that resource well. I’ll catch up with you in Jerkwater later. Go get’em Presto Chango, you’re against the clock now.”
Cloud took off again soaring back toward Ponyville as Rainbow raced off to her own business. Cloud had a rough idea where Cloudsdale was but needed to get his bearings before setting off for the so-called “Greatest City in the Sky.” With a quick spin over what would hopefully be his hometown he caught sight of the floating city in the distance and sped up his flight accordingly. Compared to his canyon run the flight was uneventful as he arrived in the pegasi’s unofficial capital.
---
As a changeling Drone 9417 had done undercover work in Cloudsdale before but it was hardly a regular occurrence and it still left him with a sense of awe as he flew into town. There was just something jarring about a functioning city made of clouds hovering in the sky at 10,000 feet with little pegasi colts and fillies racing up and down the street between houses and shops while adults flew back and forth going about their days.
The weather factory was a massive complex that dominated Cloudsdale’s quite literal skyline. Cloud circled above the complex to take it all in as waterfalls of rainbow runoff flowed over the side and freshly-made clouds emerged into the sky from within in the plant. He especially took notice as a team of ten pegasi departed pushing a large thunderstorm toward Vanhoover. A purple one banged down on the top of one of the cloud’s triggering a lightning bolt out the bottom before the flying ponies all repositioned themselves and began to push away. He wondered how large his storm would be and just who Rainbow Dash had sent to help him on the flight crew side.
After making his airborne lap of the facility Cloud found what he thought was the front door and flew in. He found himself in a lobby with a white floor and weather-pattern themed designs on the wall. A single older pegasus mare with a tan body and an orange mane was resting behind the desk filing a hoof. Cloud trotted up to her, he thought this would be a simple break then he’d be back in the air with his storm almost immediately.
“Hello, I’m Cloud Breaker and I’m here from the Ponyville office to pick up a storm for Jerkwater,” Cloud said with a smile.
The secretary took a look at him and chuckled.
“Rookie?” she asked.
“Yeah, I’m sort of on a test flight to see if I get the job,” Cloud responded.
“I thought so,” the secretary asked. “You can’t just walk in here, grab a storm cloud, and take off. We have procedures, orders, and policies that must be followed.”
The secretary pony reached over and opened a drawer of files.
“Where’s your storm headed again?” she asked.
“Jerkwater,” Cloud responded.
The secretary pony hooved through her files.
“Ah yes, here we are,” she said as she pulled the file. “Level 2 Thunderstorm, basic soaker, no hail. Your storm has not been made as of yet. You are number four in line currently, you’re storm should be ready at about 2:45 p.m.”
Cloud gazed over toward the lobby’s clock. It read 12:30 p.m. The storm had to be in Jerkwater at 5 p.m.
“Do you know how long the flight time with a storm from Cloudsdale to Jerkwater is?” Cloud asked.
“About two hours give or take a half hour for conditions,” the secretary responded.
Cloud had a feeling this was going to be tight. He wondered if that delay at the factory was just a normal part of the day or if Rainbow deliberately planned it that close. The secretary noticed the distress on Cloud’s face then took another glance at the paperwork.
“If you are worried about your test may I suggest you use this time to grab some lunch, get your flight team together, and plan your flight route for optimal efficiency when the storm is ready. There’s some Ponyville flight team waiting in the cafeteria also attached to this storm. You should probably go meet up and get planning. We’ll call you when the storm is ready.”
“That’s sounds like a plan,” Cloud said as he trotted off to the left. “Thanks for the advice.”
The secretary rolled her eyes, that stallion was more nervous than a one-legged minotaur at a flank-kicking contest. As she expected almost immediately Cloud came back.
“Quick question, where exactly is the cafeteria?” Cloud said.
“Five doors down on the right,” the secretary replied.
“Thank you again,” Cloud said as he trotted off in the right direction this time.
---
“1-2-3-4-5,” Cloud counted off the doors as he made his way down the hall.
He made the turn and entered the fifth doorway into the cafeteria to find a room filled with tables and a small eatery bearing a sky blue neon sign naming it as “Aileron’s Café.” A large window looked down onto the factory floor where some ponies used machinery to produce a large batch of clouds while others prepared to mix in the right amount of rainwater, snow, or hail for each storm.
There were various pegasi seated at tables throughout the room. Some were in the middle of a quick meal, some played board games, and most were just having idle conversations. There was obliviously more than one flight team awaiting their storms today. He looked around for somepony he knew and finally got a familiar pair of faces when he noticed Serenity and Thunderlane chatting over a plate of baked hay fries. He trotted over to the duo, noticing the stallions were joined by Ponyville mares Sassaflash and Rainbowshine. As Cloud approached Serenity took notice.
“Ah, Cloud you made it,” Serenity said. “Somehow I knew the special assignment Rainbow put us on was going to involve your test. We got ordered onto a storm to Jerkwater with a “mystery supervisor” as soon as we got here. It took all of about five seconds to figure out that was probably you on leg 3 of your exam.”
“We had a pool going on the first two, odds were 3-to-1 you’d bite it on the watch test,” Sassaflash noted as she quietly slid Rainbowshine six bits. “Oh course it was also 5-to-1 you’d quit on the flight test.”
Thunderlane slid Sassaflash 10 bits and Rainbowshine slid Serenity five. Cloud rolled his eyes, well at least that had to be partially a vote of confidence.
“Does she do those tests with everypony?” Cloud asked.
“Basically,” Serenity said. “Sometimes she swaps out Ghastly Gorge for a kamikaze down on deck run just above Foggy Bottom Bog. That one is even less fun.”
Suddenly an announcement came over the speaker into the cafeteria.
“Neighagra Falls Flight Crew, your storm is ready in hanger 4.”
Seven other pegasi got up from another table and left. Cloud looked over to the others.
“So that’s how we’ll know when the storm is ready huh?” he asked.
“Yeah,” Serenity said. “You have any idea when our one is ready to fly?”
“They told me about two hours,” Cloud said.
As if on cue his stomach rumbled.
“I don’t suppose you guys have eaten yet?” Cloud asked.
“Yeah, we eat after we got here,” Sassaflash said. “You can grab a bite, we’ve got time.”
“I’d be lying if I said that didn’t sound perfect,” Cloud said as he started to trot over to the cafe.
“I’ll get some weather route maps while you satisfy your need to feed,” Thunderlane added in.
---
For just a moment Cloud Breaker could forget about his test and just enjoy a nice lunch. As he walked up to the counter at Aileron’s he took a look over the menu. It was mostly simple sandwiches with options including the Buttercup-and-Mayo, Veggie Supreme, and the “Spectraflame Submarine.”
“What’ll have stranger?” asked the reddish-orange stallion behind the counter.
“I’m not sure yet,” Cloud responded. “What exactly is a Spectraflame Submarine?”
“Oh that’s a custom one only we make,” the cook replied. “Four types of flowers, lettuce, tomato, and a sweet heat coating of pure rainbow leftover from the factory.”
“Rainbows are edible?” Cloud asked.
“It’s an acquired taste but some pegasi like it,” the cook said.
Cloud thought about it for a second before thinking “eh, what the hay.” It couldn’t be any worse than that jalapeño-and-habanero one he had in Ponyville…Could it?
“I’ll have one of those,” Cloud said.
The cook assembled the submarine sandwich as normal then splashed a layer of liquid rainbow on top and topped it off. The colorful concoction looked quite appetizing as Cloud trotted back over to the table holding his plate with his mouth. Thunderlane had the weather maps out looking at possible courses when he looked up at Cloud’s meal of choice.
“The Spectraflame Submarine, you are braver than I thought,” Thunderlane said.
Cloud took a seat.
“Huh?” he asked before he positioned the sandwich in his hooves and bit in.
“Never seen a rookie eating pure rainbow before is all,” Thunderlane added. “You might want to take it easy with that thing.”
The sandwich did have a little heat to it but not much. Cloud took a much bigger bite.
“Oh this’ll be good,” Sassaflash said.
Cloud was starting to get nervous. Was it starting to get hotter in here? The sweet heat taste suddenly gave way to a mild burning sensation then a more severe burning sensation. Then the sandwich dropped the pleasantries altogether and switched to an intense fire feeling not unlike having your taste buds welded together. With a rapid change color from his normal green to a scorching red, and a few others in between, Cloud’s whole body felt like it was on fire.
“AHHHHHH!” Cloud screamed.
He took off toward a drinking fountain, turning it on immediately as he tried to extinguish the five-alarm blaze on his tongue. Serenity, Thunderlane, and Rainbowshine got in a good natured chuckle as Cloud humbly hovered back to the table.
“The cook didn’t warn you about the heat huh?” Sassaflash said. “Rainbows are made mainly of ice and food coloring but they mix in a little ghost chili and some other spices to discourage ponies from eating them. The liquid version does make one sweet hot sauce though.”
Steam was still flowing out of Cloud’s nostrils as Sassaflash continued to eye his sandwich.
“You goin’ finish that?” she asked.
Cloud rolled his eyes and shoved the plate over to her.
“Thanks dude,” Sassaflash responded before she dug in and a multi-colored smile crossed her formerly teal face.
“I’m going to go get a buttercup, lily and tulip,” Cloud said dejectedly.
---
A half hour later with all meals consumed the process of planning the flight continued. Before the five pegasi was a map of Central Equestria including both Cloudsdale and Jerkwater.
“So how does this test work?” Cloud asked.
“Rainbow plays by the same rules every time,” Thunderlane said. “You’ve got command of this mission. We’re mainly here for moving the clouds and a little friendly advice. If anything comes up you've got to handle it alone.”
“So what’s the main route to Jerkwater from Cloudsdale?” Cloud asked.
“The main route is west out of the city into the Unicorn Range,” Serenity said. “Mount Lusitano’s 25,000 feet so standard operating procedure is to go around it by cutting through the Calabrese Valley. That adds about an hour to the flight.”
“We’ll be tight on time,” Cloud said. “Let’s just go over the mountain and save the time.”
“The main pegasi flight path from Las Pegasus to Cloudsdale is 1,000 feet above the peak of Lusitano,” Serenity said. “The resulting winds would probably rip it apart. There’s a reason I didn’t just recommend that to begin with.”
“Listen and you just might learn something rookie,” Thunderlane said.
“True,” Cloud said. “Alright, it’s through the canyon then.”
At that point an announcement came over the speakers.
“Ponyville Flight Crew, Jerkwater storm ready in hanger 5.”
“Alright, let’s do this,” Cloud said, silently hoping Rainbow didn’t have any more surprises left on his test.
The team left the cafeteria and made their way toward the factory floor.
---
Meanwhile in Canterlot Twilight Sparkle stood on the platform at the city’s train station, changing trains after her morning journey into town. She wore a new dark blue pair of saddlebags labeled “Legal Documents” and stood alongside several royal guards. Slowly a ‘Friendship Express’ train chugged into the station. It had several passenger cars and some freight cars filled to the brim with railroad building supplies.
“Train 1010 now departing for Shining Time, Jerkwater, Mustangia, and points north,” said the Conductor. “ALL ABOARD!”
Twilight boarded the train with a smile on her lavender face.
---
Just outside Jerkwater a blue-tinted rainbow streak barreled into town as Rainbow Dash arrived to oversee the conclusion of Cloud’s testing. The sky was quite cloudy as Airheart and her team finished positioning the clouds from the Everfree over the small village. Rainbow surveyed their work, this would make for an interesting finale to her exam.
Stats
Page generated in 0.075 seconds
Total duration
979 users online
2,709,346 hits today, 2,454,720 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
I guess LittleShyFiM forgot to include Twilight leaving her saddlebags in the human world during his "sins" count.
oh that's mean, wild clouds from everfre as a challenge against cloud
Nice to see your health slightly better than that of a corpse. xD Things are heating up without doubt, and I can't wait to see. Only typo I found was this:
Sped* That's all for now.
When that happens to me, we usually just wipe off the sauce, no sense wasting the rest of it.
I have to admit, I chuckled a little at Shining Time, will there be any talking trains there?
Keep going! ;)
3416377
They are at least just normal clouds, no rain, no cotton candy makeup. Dash gets a big moment in the last chapter to make up for some of her jerkish nature in these.
3416500
Thanks, I've fixed it.
3416869
My personal reaction varies but than again I'm one of those "order everything plain" type of guys. That sandwich bit was fun, the original mid-section here had a scene with the reflection of Drone 9417 comes back to haunt him again but that bit was getting old (and it gets a conclusion next chapter anyway) so I came up with that instead. It was a fun little to do something different for a laugh. I like that bit at the end of it with Sassaflash wanting it that gives this fic's portrayal of her a little personality.
We don't get any talking trains in this fic but Equestria's such a fantasy kitchen sink it wouldn't be out of place. I loved that show as a kid and almost expanded that reference out with a street performer on the platform sinking the theme ("Reach for the steam, reach for the whistle. Go where the railway runs.") but thought that was pushing it. Guess we'll just have to do this instead...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yr44AFpRZzY
3416193
Knowning Twilight she's probably got multiple pairs of those things, "I always keep a backup to the backup to the backup Spike. We have to plan ahead for these things." Still odd she left it though.
3416193
Hmm yes, they did get turned into a backpack though, so perhaps whatever items were present inside wouldn't be anything special.
hmm... you seem to have mispelt my name in the proofreader's section in the description... its no problem at all, i just thought i'd point it out
you're welcome again for the assistance.
my main computer has a program that blocks most websites so i only now just got on
3497089
It's fixed. Sorry about that.
Thanks again for being this fic's silent guardian and a watchful protector. It's Dark_Night.
I Would have never had found this story had you not sumited it to my group... THANKS!
3712809
Wet one, it came with a lot of rain. Winds got up to a hurricane force just briefly. That was a good story, I got Page 1 but that was in part thanks to an epic courtesy shot from a reader of a the storm moving toward town in the form of the meanest, giant dark gray storm cloud you can imagine. I had a bunch of shots of the damage we also ran with it.
3712100
Thanks for commenting. I'm not actually sure who added this story to your group, I only added it to the main Queen Chrysalis group and it sort of took off from there in a good way.
3722317 No thank you for replying