4. Storm
Under Our Wing
Chapter Four
Storm
Twilight awoke with a muffled groan crossed with a sigh. Through her close eyelids she could feel light form the morning sun beaming onto her face through a window.
“Dashie,” she groaned, rolling away from the light. “Go close the blinds; I want to sleep in.”
“Heh, I thought you didn't like sleeping in?” Rainbow quipped, though to Twilight's surprise it wasn't from in the same bed, the voice coming from elsewhere in the room. Begrudgingly, she opened her eyes. Sure enough, the pegasus was nowhere to be seen across the bed, but rather sitting at the window which allowed the incriminating light beam to pass through.
“I thought you didn't like getting up early,” Twilight shot back sleepily, yawning and stretching, spreading out across the bed as her mind started waking up.
Rainbow chuckled. “No, I don't. I just woke up a little while ago and... well, I couldn't get back to sleep.”
Frowning, Twilight pushed herself into a sitting position on the bed. “Is it about what we talked about last night? Is it bugging you?”
“No, no; nothing like that. I know we'll talk about it.” Rainbow's feathers bristled. “It's the air; there's one heck of a storm coming.”
“How bad?”
Rainbow stretched her wings out, feeling the air around her. “Pretty bad. I'm sure it's nothing to worry about, but the resort better not try to send anypony to stop it. This feels completely different from the storms we get from the Everfree back in Ponyville.”
“It's probably residual corruption from when Sombra was in control. He's done a lot of damage to the environment. Still, I'm sure it's nothing to be concerned about,” Twilight mumbled, falling back down into her pillow and lifting a hoof. “Now close the blinds and get back here; I want to sleep in and you are not allowed to be up before me.”
Rainbow smiled and pulled the blinds down over the window, bathing the room in a cool shade of darkness before walking over to the bed. “What would happen if I ever did get up before you?” She asked, clambering beneath the covers.
“The world would probably end,” the unicorn answered blearily, hooking her hoof around Rainbow's barrel and dragging them closer together until she could rest her head on the pegasus's shoulder. “Now be a good pillow and shush.”
“I told you you're cute when you're tired,” Rainbow whispered, kissing the tip of Twilight's horn gently. The unicorn sighed in response.
“What happened to being a good pillow?”
“I got bored; a pillow is not the most entertaining job in Equestria.”
Twilight rolled her eyes. “And I thought we both agreed you were cute too?”
“Only for you,” Rainbow corrected. “You're just all around adorable to everypony. The only difference is that they know they can't have you.”
Giving a mischievous smile Twilight closed her eyes and asked, “And why not? If I'm so adorable surely I should share it with the world?”
“'Cuz you're my adorable egghead, and everypony knows if they try anything they'll have to answer to me,” Rainbow answered quietly. “And they know you'd vaporize them if they tried anything on me,” she added.
“Hmm... true. Now will you shush?”
Rainbow chuckled. “Yeah Twi, I'll shush now.”
Twilight reached up, patting Rainbow on the head. “That's a good pillow.”
-_-_-_-
The pouring rain was pounding against the glass window Twilight sat behind watching the storm rage outside. Thunder boomed through the valley while lighting illuminated the sky in bright, threatening flashes of white. The wind howled fiercely outside, as if begging to be let in. The sky was totally black, not a single shred of Celestia's sun shining through the depressing cloud cover. The downpour was so thick Twilight could barely see ten meters out the window, the rest covered in a haze created by the large droplets of water.
“Quite the storm,” Rainbow mentioned casually, making Twilight jump slightly as she entered silently from the kitchen she had been in. Rainbow chuckled at the unintentional scare, settling down next to the unicorn. They sat together in the spacious living room of the colossal house they occupied.
“You said it would be this morning,” Twilight noted, leaning her head against her wife's shoulder.
Rainbow smiled. “And here I thought you were too sleepy to remember anything I said.”
“When am I ever too tired to remember something?” Twilight shot back. “I also remember promising to talk about something later, and it is later.
“Oh really?” Rainbow asked.
“What, you didn't think I forgot, did you?” Twilight asked accusingly.
Rainbow shook her head. “No, no, I just-” she was cut off by the sound of knocking temporarily overpowering the sound of the raging wind outside.
“Who'd be out in a storm like this?” Twilight asked as she stood and made her way to the door. Rainbow shrugged and followed.
The door was shaking in its frame at the shier force of the winds outside, rattling as it was buffeted by rain. In a magical glow is was pulled open cautiously; only a tiny crack as Twilight peered through to see who it was. Instantly recognizing the ponies standing on the other side, she flung the door wide open, motioning hurriedly for the visitors to come in.
Rainbow watched from the door between the living area and the front hall as three ponies paraded into the house, the oldest wheeling a trolly filed with everything from candles and food to blankets and towels and sheets. Two young foals followed him, one a unicorn colt and the other a pegasus filly. The door was promptly slammed shut behind them under the control of Twilight's magic.
“Silver Hoof? What are you doing here in weather like this?” Twilight asked incredulously, magically drying herself from the water that had been blown inside when she opened the door.
The stallion shook most of the water out of his coat, brushing his sopping mane out of his face as he looked at her. “The resort asked us to make sure our guests were prepared for the storm; extra blankets and towels, some spare food and emergency candles in case you run out. We were hoping to get it done before the storm got here, but we ran out of time.”
Twilight frowned as she took towels from the cart and passed them to the three ponies in front of her. “How many more cabins do you have to go to?”
“None; this is the last. After this we can go home. The resort gave us the day off tomorrow in exchange for making the runs,” Silver Hoof explained, thanking Twilight as he took the towel from her magic and began drying himself, his children doing the same.
“You could stay here until the storm ends,” Rainbow offered casually, craning her neck and looking out the windows next to the door. “I don't know where you guys live, but it's at least a twenty minute walk back to the hub of this cabin branch, and that's in good weather.”
Silver Hoof shook his head quickly. “No, we couldn't impose on you any more than we already have.”
“None sense; we couldn't force you to go back out in weather like that. You're more then welcome to stay until the storm clears up,” Twilight assured, gather the used towels and placing them to the side to be laundered later. Silver Hoof still seemed uncertain, looking between Twilight and the storm raging outside. His foals, however, had already made up their mind.
“Really? We can stay here with you?” Neon Bolt asked excitedly, running up to Twilight and looking up at her in shock and awe. She giggled a little at the display. The pegasus filly was doing the same to Rainbow, giving her the same look as her brother was to Twilight.
“We'd have no problem with it; there's more than enough food. It's up to your father, though,” Twlight said, motioning to the still indecisive stallion standing at the door. The two foals rushed over to him, giving him the most pitiful, pleading eyes they could muster.
“Please?” They begged in unison, drawing out the word in long, high pitched whines.
“Well...” Silver Hoof trailed off, pawing at the ground nervously. “You're sure you're okay with it?” He asked again, glancing away from his children and to the two mares standing in front of them, both nodding lightly with a smile.
Silver Hoof switched his glance back out the window. In the time they had been talking, the rain had started coming down even harder then before, the sound of it pounding against the glass windows was nearly deafening. A crack of thunder tore through the sky, briefly illuminating the seemingly endless black abyss of clouds above them.
“Just until the storm clears,” he sighed, watching as his children cheered with excitement and scampered over to their respective idols.
“Oh my gosh I'm staying with Twilight Sparkle! This is so cool!” Neon gushed, practically vibrating as he looked at Twilight with wide, excited eyes.
“Please, Rainbow Dash is where it's at,” Misty shot back with her usual disinterested voice, though her facade of calmness was cracking just being near the pegasus she idolized.
“She can't do magic!” Neon shouted, standing defensively between his sister and Twilight.
Rainbow and Twilight shared an amused glance as Silver Hoof rubbed his face, sighing heavily.
-_-_-_-
“What was it like? Being the Princess’s student, I mean. It must have been so awesome!” Neon asked excitedly, bouncing in his chair across the large table from Twilight and Rainbow.
The storm was proving to be more severe than initially thought; it had been getting nothing but stronger throughout the day, and it was quickly decided that Silver Hoof and his family would be staying for dinner (after some hesitation on Silver Hoof's part, and some 'encouragement' from his children). While the resort had asked Silver Hoof himself the make sure their patrons were prepared for the storm, they had asked his wife to help with damage control during the storm, reducing as much of its power as possible.
“Honestly? Lonely,” Twilight answered solemnly, grabbing another forkful of salad and chewing thoughtfully.
“Lonely?” Neon asked quizzically, “how could it be lonely? I bet all the other students were crazy about you!”
“Right, crazy,” Twilight muttered quietly. “Let's just say it wasn't what it was cracked up to be.”
While Neon Blitz continued to question Twilight about everything and anything she'd ever done involving magic, Rainbow was rapped up in her own conversation with Misty Skies. Apparently, the calm and collected filly had a soft side, one which was quickly exposed as being around her idol chipped away at her outer shell of self-proclaimed coolness. Rainbow got a sense of deja vu with how the filly acted, but quickly brushed it aside.
“You've met the Wonderbolts?” Misty gasped loudly, dinner forgotten as she stared wide-eyes at Dash.
“Met? I've saved the Wonderbolts,” she proclaimed proudly, bolstering as much of her ego as she could.
The filly fell silent in shock.
Silver Hoof, meanwhile, sat quietly, his gaze transfixed out the window. The storm hadn't let up at all; the clouds were still so thick it could be mistaken for midnight. Not a single ray of light, from sun or moon, could penetrate the thick black blanket covering the sky. He dreaded having to walk home in the storm raging outside, but they would have to leave sooner or later.
“It's pretty bad out there, isn't it?”
Silver Hoof jumped in his chair as a voice directed at him broke through. He turned, seeing Twilight looking out the same window, having finally convinced Neon to eat instead of keep talking. He nodded in response. “We should probably be leaving soon; the carriage service between this branch and the lobby closes soon.”
Twilight frowned. “In this weather? Are you sure?”
“We don't have much of a choice,” he sighed sadly, standing from his half-eaten meal, “Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Whoa whoa whoa,” Dash spoke up suddenly, putting her conversation (though Twilight would have called it bragging) with Misty on hold. “You're thinking of leaving in this weather?”
“We have to; we need to get home.”
“No offence, but I'm the head of the weather department back in my town, and not even I would go out in this weather unless I absolutely needed to,” Rainbow said, “A storm like this can seriously injure ponies, even if you're not in the air with the crazy wind currents.”
“As true as that may be, we don't have any other options,” Silver Hoof said firmly, motioning for his kids to follow him to the front door, which they did begrudgingly after a few moments of resistance.
“You're more than welcome to stay the night; you said you didn't have to work tomorrow,” Twilight offered as she followed them to the front room.
“Thank you for the offer, but we can't impose on you any more than we already have,” he declined as politely as he could, even with the pleading stares of the children that he could see out of the corner of his eye.
Twilight gave him an honest smile. “It's not an imposition at all; we have more than enough rooms and we're the ones asking you.”
Silver Hoof glanced nervously out the window at the raging storm then down to his children and their begging eyes. “Well...” He looked to the storm again, rain and wind pounding the window and door behind him. “If you're sure,” he relented with a sigh, much to the joy of his children.
Twilight smiled kindly. “We wouldn't have it any other way.”
“Besides,” Rainbow added, “this place is awesome! It's got everything!”
Misty Skies and Neon Bolt cheered loudly, each imminently returning to their respective idols and once again battering them with questions.
“Alright alright,” Twilight shouted above the noise. “Come on, let's see if we can find you three some rooms to sleep in tonight, hmm? I think there's couple rooms up on the third floor you can have.”
Rainbow Dash took tot he air, flying to the staircase and motioning for the family to follow. “Come on, guys! Just wait till you see the bedrooms in this place! They're incredible!”
Silver Hoof chuckled quietly as his children raced after the pegasus, chasing her up the stairs and around the corner to one of the many hallways on the second floor. “Thank you again, Twilight.”
Twilight shook her head as they both started up the steps as well. “There's really nothing to hank me for.”
“Still,” the stallion insisted. “Not many ponies would offer their cabin for simple workers like us, especially on their honeymoon.”
“Well then, I guess it was a good thing we were your lest check, isn't it?” Twilight joked with a smile. Silver Hoof started to reply, but cut himself off suddenly as he ran over tot he cart he'd brought with him and started rummaging around.
“Oh darn it, I know it was in here somewhere...” he muttered, rooting through towels and candles.
Twilight quirked her head tot he side as she watched the stallion search. “Um... Silver Hoof? What's wrong?”
“Ah-ha!” He cried victoriously, pulling hi head back with an envelope secured in his teeth. “I knew I had it. We got some mail for you earlier today, but nopony wanted to take it in the storm. Since you were on my list of houses to check, I thought I'd bring it for you.”
“We got mail?” Twilight asked, a little surprised as she accepted the letter into her magic.
“Sorry, it must have slipped my mind with everything that happened,” the stallion admitted sheepishly, bowing his head.
Twilight just chuckled. “Don't worry about it, at least I have it now. I wonder who sent it...” she trailed off as she examined the envelope, it had the address of their cabin on it, and the return address for somewhere in Ponyville. With a gentle flick of her horn the envelope was opened and a letter was extracted.
-_-_-_-
“Your room's right there,” Rainbow said, pointing to the door on her left and looking to the small pegasus filly next to her. “And you're in the one next door,” she added, looking to the unicorn colt standing on the opposite side as his sister.
They both ran to their respective rooms, opening the doors and dropping their jaws in sync. Rainbow chuckled at the response, watching as they slowly but surely made their way into the bedrooms and looked around in a level of shock and awe that could only be achieved by a child.
“This is awesome!” Came the unified cry from both rooms.
“It's all yours!” Rainbow called into the rooms, laughing as she turned and started towards her own bedroom.
“Rainbow Dash!”
Rainbow paused as she heard the shriek from downstairs in the unmistakable voice of her wife. “Twi? You alright?” She called, even as she made her way at a quickened trot to where the voice had come from.
“Get down here, now!” Twilight yelled back, “There's something you need to see.”
As though sensing the urgency, the grandfather clock int he entrance hall struck 9 PM, the loud tolls of the bell echoing through the house as Rainbow raced down the halls. The clock stopped just as she reached the top of the stairs and jumped down them without a second though, fanning out her wings to catch herself just before she hit the floor. Twilight sat on her haunches, wide eyes transfixed on a piece of paper hovering in front of her. Silver Hoof was looking at her nervously.
“What's going on, Twi?” Rainbow asked cautiously, slowly approaching the seemingly frozen unicorn.
Twilight's head snapped up. “I-it's a letter from Rarity,” Twilight explained shakily.
Rainbow raised an eyebrow. “Okay... and?”
“Just... read it,” Twilight insisted, flipping the paper around and passing it into Rainbow's hooves.
Rainbow's eyes trailed back and forth across the page, slowly making their way down as a look of concern spread across her face. “WHAT!?” She shrieked as she read the final line, holding the paper tightly even as her hooves shook. “This... this can't be true! She'd never...”
“I didn't think so either...” Twilight admitted sadly. “She should be okay but...”
“Why?” Rainbow filled in the gap Twilight left behind. “There has to be something we don't know...”
Silver Hoof shuffled around awkwardly. “Um... excuse but... if you don't mind me asking-”
“We do mind,” Rainbow snapped, placing a hoof against her head. “Sorry... look, are the carriages still running to the lobby? We need to get home.”
Looking to the clock, Silver Hoof shook his head sadly. “I'm sorry but... they closed at 9”
“Then we'll fly, come on Twi,” Rainbow urged, stomping to the door before she was held back in a purple glow. She fought against it, but was ultimately powerless against her wife's magic. “What they hay, Twi? We can't just sit here and do nothing!”
“We can’t get back to Ponyville, either,” Twilight argued. “I know how you feel; I want to be back as soon as possible too, but without the carriage service and in this storm? There's no way we'd make it out.”
Rainbow stomped her hoof angrily as Twilight's magic released her. “Then what do you want to do, sit here and wait!?”
“What else can we do?”
“You seriously expect me to...” Rainbow trailed off as she looked at Twilight. “You expect me to sit around and do nothing!?” When Twilight nodded, Rainbow snorted derisively, turning and marching away down a hall. “Oh sure, let's just wait around here in our perfect little cabin!”
Twilight sighed, racing to catch up with her wife and calling after her. Eventually their voices faded into quiet mumbles, leaving Silver Hoof alone in the entryway with the discarded letter.
He eyed the paper sceptically, biting his lip. “It's not yours,” he muttered to himself, even as he took a step forward. “You shouldn't read other pony's mail.”
He plucked the letter off the ground and held it in his hooves, his eyes scanning the page.
Dearest Twilight and Rainbow Dash,
I apologize in advance for disturbing you two on your honeymoon, but I felt like this is something you should know.
It's about Scootaloo; she's in the hospital. They have her in stable condition, and she's going to be okay, so don't panic. But what's worrying is what happened to her. While making her rounds and ensuring all her animals were okay, Fluttershy found Scootaloo at the bottom of Ghastly Gorge, as though she'd fallen in.
We don't know how or why she was anywhere near the gorge, but the doctors have a theory.
They think she jumped.
-Rarity
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after that fucking cliff-hanger, you better not leave us hanging! also, i don't think she jumped. i think she was either pushed, or thrown in.
It is alive!
Damned cliffhangers!!! More I say!
It..... is...... ALIVE!
Damn...that was a real shocker...
Also, needs a bit of an editing run.
Have to agree with 5152153 here. It's a damn fine story, but it does need some polishing. If you're ever in need if full-time staff, I'd be happy to volunteer.
5152153
I know, I finished this not 30 seconds before posting. I got a little over excited that I finally made progress on this story I only gave it a cursory glance before uploading. In hindsight, not my best idea. I'll do a full edit when I have some free time.
You just gotta continue.
Just.. Wow.. Just gone through these four chapters so far and you have me caught in the web of the story, just wanting to know where this all goes >.<
There have been a few little errors through out like missing 't' for the and such, nothing too big but just sometimes see things like that in a few of the chapters (can't remember where exactly right now sorry >.<) BUT apart from that I had no issue with anything else.
I just can't wait for the next chapter!
Also.. Poor Scootaloo!
needs end " marks.
_____________________________
nonsense;
__________________
wrapped up
___________________
to the
___________
thank
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to the
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in the
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Yay! This fic hasn't fallen off a cliff.
Woohoo!
Just don't make us wait after a cliffhanger like that!!
Ahh, the infamous cliffhanger
thaddeusphipps.files.wordpress.com/2011/06/june_30_thaddeus_phipps.png
Waited over a year for this to update, totally worth it
Something tells me that Scootaloo wasn't doing much cliff hanging. #yesimthatfuckingawful
needs end " marks.
_______________________
Nonsense [is the proper word. None sense = not having any senses or ability to perceive surroundings [and even then isn't proper grammar]].
___________________
Move down a line.
______________________
wrapped
[rapped = to strike a hard surface with a series of blows [past tense of rap]]. Wrapped [in this context: wrapped up in] = is to immerse or absorb someone in something completely.
______________
to the
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lololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololololol
thank
oh...my poor scootaloo