Aerial Dreams

by BNuts

6. Wings and the Storm

“Leads, the captains asked me to brief you while they start mustering our forces,” the stallion in the bomber jacket said. “I’m Wind Rider, former-Captain. The records I hold are unimportant.” He pulled down a wall-map.

“We have intel that a category ten superstorm is bearing down on Cloudsdale. Ideally we would stop or divert the storm, but we don’t have the time or numbers. You will not engage the storm. Your mission is to help the citizens evacuate Cloudsdale, and get out before the supercell hits. Your lives, and those of the citizens, are the only priority.

“Brief your squadrons. You deploy in fifteen minutes.”

* * *

As Aerial sprinted for the barracks, she thought about the seventeen days since she had seen Windwalker and she had become Sun Lead. In that time she had focused on training with her squadron, especially since the stallion Fast Clip joined, rounding out their numbers. Now, being called into action was their first chance to really prove themselves.

* * *

The wind near Cloudsdale was already at a normal storm’s strength despite the tornado being many kilometers away. “Forget proving your mettle,” Aerial said. “Split into pairs and help get those ponies clear. We’ll regroup at the staging area,” she shouted to her squadron. They nodded understanding, then flew off, except for Hasty Hoof, who was Aerial’s wingmare, as before.

They dove in, directing anypony they met to the extraction point, where Cloudsdale’s police force had pulled busses into a sheltering formation. Some Pegasi would be able to leave on their own once they got someplace that was sheltered better from the wind, while others would have to leave on the busses. More than once, Aerial had to snatch a foal from the air and return him or her to his or her parents.

The wind howled higher, throwing earth clods, and larger things, through the air. Aerial climbed clear of the buildings, and saw that the tornado was much closer than Wind Rider had led them to believe. “Where’re those reinforcements?” Aerial wondered aloud, although she could barely hear her own voice.

Looking around, Aerial saw that Pegasi were still streaming out of Eastern Cloudsdale, yet the southeastern corner, closest to the twister, was already being shredded away. She looked at Hasty and the others, desperately ushering ponies to the northwest. She looked back at the tornado, through all the dust and trees and her goggles. We won’t make it!

There was one way. Maybe. Something that’d come up during one of their training sessions, only it could only be used in certain situations. But then, the risk was negated when the city was already starting wither, and the tornado hadn’t even landed yet. I have to try, even to slow it down a little!

Aerial flew out to where she started to really struggle to fly, then made the first slightly-curving dive. She swung back up and around, climbing to her limits before swinging around again, on the same axis, to dive again. She repeated this, rotating on the opposite axis to the twister to create a system that would have an opposing rotation. After five passes, accelerating after each completed loop, Aerial created a weak purple and pink spiral that was the only thing standing between the superstorm and Cloudsdale. She hurried to strengthen it, pushing herself beyond her every limits.

And then the superstorm tore her from her path, and everything was a confusion of sky, cloud, and ground.

Darkness came.