You Can't Take The Sky From Me

by FailcopterWes

Chapter 1: A Storm is Coming

Chapter 1

Rainbow Dash groaned. Her head buried in her pillow. There were noises, loud ones, that wouldn’t stop. Straining her weary limbs, Dash pushed herself to her hooves and stumbled towards the door. The sound was definitely knocking, not urgent knocking, but insistent.
“Just a second” Rainbow managed to call out. “What time is it?” she muttered to herself. To her relief, the knocking had subsided. Rainbow allowed herself a moment to collect her thoughts and glance around the room. It was a mess, shelves had been knocked down and a pot of paint had fallen, smearing the clouds that formed the floor.

Clouds, so she was in Cloudsdale, the floating city of the Pegasus. But that did not answer how the room got to be in such a mess.

The knocking restarted. Rainbow Dash recoiled slightly at the sound, her head ached. Eventually, she reached the door and tugged it open.
“What is it?” Dash groaned. She looked out to see a grey pony, with a blonde mane, standing outside. “Oh, hey Ditzy”.
‘That explains the knocking’ Dash thought to herself, judging by the somewhat unfocused look on the pony’s face, she wouldn’t have been surprised if Ditzy had been knocking with her head.
“Delivery!” Ditzy chirped, her voice was somewhat flat, as if her vocal chords were out of tune. She dunked her head into the pack that hung from the strap across her back. A moment later her head re-emerged with a small package dangling from her mouth. She placed it on the floor and nudged it towards Dash with her snout. There was a moment of silence where Ditzy stood in the doorway, smiling and staring at Dash. At least, she appeared to be staring at Dash, but her right eye had decided the ceiling was more interesting and drifted upwards for a better look.
“Uh, thanks” Rainbow Dash said eventually. “Uh, and Ditz, seriously, see somepony about your eyes It’s really creepy”
At that, Ditzy’s wayward eye drifted back into place.
“I keep meaning to, but the nurses down in Ponyville all start giggling when I go down there”
“Why not try somepony up here?” Dash asked. Ditzy raised an eyebrow, causing the eye beneath it to become fascinated by the tip of her snout. “Just as bad, huh” Dash answered for her, getting the message. “Well, maybe the princess can help you out next time she’s in town”
“Hey, why are you trying to change me?” Ditzy snapped suddenly, spreading out her wings like a startled eagle. “Just because I’m slightly different I’ve gotta fall in with the rest! Well how about no! How about you take your thingy and leave me be!”

Rainbow Dash took a step backwards at the suddenness of it all, she had never seen this pony angry, or even displaying any emotion other than absent minded wonder.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Dash stammered, realising she had hit a touchy subject “Sorry, Ditz, I didn’t mean anything. I just...”
Ditzy’s face fell. She lowered her head and let her wings fall limply to her sides. Without another word, the grey pony turned and slowly plodded away. Rainbow watched her go, it was a strange thing to watch. Other ponies walked and flew past, occasionally bumping into her, but none paid Ditzy any attention.

Dash felt a wave of guilt building inside of her. As Ditzy turned the corner, Dash rolled her eyes and flew after her, calling out her name. She quickly reached the corner and looked around. After a moment, she spotted Ditzy heavily sitting down at the edge of a cloud. Rainbow approached slowly and stood beside her. At this range, Dash could see tears forming in Ditzy’s eyes.
“Do you know what they call me? When I’m not there?” Ditzy sobbed. “Derpy. Derpy Hooves”. She stopped to sniffle for a moment, letting a few tears roll from her eyes. She pointed a hoof at her rolling eyeball “And it’s all ‘cause these things can’t keep straight”.
“Ditz, I had no idea” Rainbow Dash said quietly, placing a reassuring hoof on Ditzy’s shoulder. She shrugged Rainbow off.
Dash glanced around, nobody was paying any attention to the miserable mailmare.
“Hey, Ditz” Rainbow Dash nudged her shoulder with her snout “Hey, come on back to my place. Have something to drink. You...look like you need it”

Ditzy Doo looked up at Rainbow Dash, her eyes streaming with tears. She managed to remain focused long enough to say:
“S-seriously?”. Rainbow Dash nodded. “You mean it?”. Dash nodded again. Ditzy looked down again for a second, before pushing her haunches up in the air and standing. Her wings flapped happily for a moment as the grey Pegasus pony took a second to observe her newfound friend. “Okay!” she chirped.

Dash turned and led the way, with Ditzy trotting up beside her after a metre or so. The walk was short, but Dash managed to get a little information on the lazy eyed mare in that time. Apparently she was from Lonpony, which explained the slightly unusual accent. She had moved to Cloudsdale aged twelve with her parents, who had subsequently been caught by a creature of the Everfree Forest, and never been seen again. And now, seven years later she manages to get by through her low paying job and the attention of somepony she called her “special friend”.
When they reached Dash’s residence, they noticed she had left the door open on the way out, and the package was still lying on the floor. Rainbow picked it up and took it into the living room, where she placed it on the little table there. Ditzy followed and sat herself on the floor. Dash flashed her a little smile and then went to close the door.
“So, what do you want? I’ve got juice, water, the usual stuff” Rainbow called. Ditzy thought for a moment.
“Erm, have you got anything stronger?” she asked carefully, not wanting to push her luck too far. Rainbow Dash glanced out the window quickly, checking nobody was watching. A memory drifted back from the night before. It was of her friend Twilight Sparkle, she was very drunk.
“I think I might have some left here somewhere” Rainbow said, searching through a cupboard near the table. “I think I went through most of it yesterday”
“Oh, it’s okay if you don’t have any...” Ditzy said absently, having noticed the blue hue the clouds in the ceiling had been painted.
“Nah, I’ve got some. I just have to keep it safe. Y’know” Dash admitted “I’m not exactly allowed to have this stuff for another year”
“How old are you?”
“Seventeen” Dash called, moving towards another cupboard. “Since yesterday”
“Happy Birthday!” Ditzy called back. She received a slightly confused look from Rainbow Dash for her troubles “Y’know, for yesterday and stuff”.

Dash smiled.
“Thanks Ditz. I think the drink’s in here” Rainbow said, opening a cupboard.

Out of which fell Fluttershy.

The yellow Pegasus pony sprawled out on the floor, her pink mane tangled in her delicate wings.
“Fluttershy!” Rainbow Dash cried out, taking a step back “What’re you doing in there?”
“Me, oh, I was, ah, I was” they yellow pony tripped over her words as her shyness overwhelmed her in this awkward situation. “I was tired and you were asleep so I ... eep”
“Flutty!” Ditzy cheered. She hopped up and bounced over. “Hey, Flutty!”
‘Flutty? That's a new one’ Rainbow thought to herself, a look of confusion crossing her face.

Fluttershy pulled her head into her shoulders, clearly embarrassed. Ditzy, however, was cheerful.
“Remember that pony I mentioned, the special friend?” she asked, pushing her face towards Rainbow Dash. Dash nodded slowly, mentally guessing the next sentence. “Well, my little Flutty here is that pony!”
After finishing her exuberant declaration, Ditzy leaned down and nuzzled Fluttershy’s mane. Fluttershy slowly poked her head back out from under her mane, stroking a hoof over her head to keep the unruly pink hair in order. She giggled quietly to herself on the floor.

Dash was confused.
“Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute” Dash said, one hoof against her head. It was too early for stuff like this. “How long has this been going on?”
“oh, about erm, a while...” Fluttershy mumbled herself to a halt. However Ditzy was happy to take over the conversation.
“About five weeks!” she announced. Fluttershy smiled and slowly began to pull herself to her hooves. Rainbow Dash quickly looked into the cupboard Fluttershy had fallen from.
“There it is!” she exclaimed, thrusting her head into the cupboard and emerging with a bottle in her jaws. “I’m gonna need this”. She set it down on the floor, flipped open the lid with her hoof, and took a swig.
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough of that?” Fluttershy asked timidly. Rainbow put down the bottle and eyed her suspiciously. “Sorry” Fluttershy apologised immediately. There was a moment’s silence, in which Ditzy had sidled right up beside Fluttershy and begun to rub her head against Fluttershy’s neck. She giggled, finding the neck rub ticklish. She suddenly stood straight and stared at Rainbow Dash. “I’d rather you didn’t tell anyone about us, y’know, the animals might get upset”

Rainbow had to stop herself from giggling.
“The animals are the least of your worries” she laughed.
“If you tell anyone, I’ll tell what you did with Twilight last night” Fluttershy hissed, her face stern.

Dash stopped mid chuckle. She tilted her head slightly.
“Actually, I wish you’d tell me. I can’t remember a thing.” Dash admitted "Well, I remember something about a chocolate cake, and Pinkie was involved in that, I don't know". Fluttershy moved over to her and began to whisper in Rainbow’s ear. As each second of whispering passed, Rainbow Dash’s face became more and more shocked. She held a hoof up to her mouth to stop herself from screaming. Fluttershy backed away, a contentedly malicious smile playing across her lips for a second.

Dash gibbered quietly to herself for a few seconds before tilting her head back and shouting up towards the stars. Fluttershy cowered behind Ditzy, who remained unfazed by the outburst.
“Why did you let me do that?” Rainbow said “You know I’ve been trying to avoid Twilight and her...stuff.”
“I don’t know Dash, you seemed to enjoy the way she... studied you” Fluttershy giggled.
“Oh, no, no!” Rainbow groaned.

Fluttershy suddenly noticed Ditzy had wandered off, and followed her over to the table in the middle of the room.
“Aren’t you gonna open it?” Ditzy declared, nudging the small package she had delivered earlier.
“Just a minute, I’m still trying to get my brain past what happened last night” Dash said, staring into space.
“Well, I delivered it for you, so it might as well be opened” Ditzy mumbled.
“Actually, if you don’t mind me saying” Fluttershy began timidly “I thought you worked with that removal company”
“Yeah, they went bust and now I’m back with the post” Ditzy confirmed.

Knocking started on the door. It was frantic, as if a woodpecker had been attached to somepony’s hoof with the specific intention making as much noise as possible.
“Miss Dash!” called a voice, one cracking with urgency. “Miss Dash are you in there?”
“Yeah, just a sec!” Dash called back. She trotted over to the door and tugged it open. Outside stood a rather flustered looking Pegasus, one sporting green fur and a rather messed up mane. “Yeah, what is it?”
“Miss Dash, you’re needed at the Weather Centre now, it’s an emergency” the Pegasus said, the words tripping over themselves as she raced to say her part.
“What’s happened?” Rainbow enquired.
“I’ll explain on the way, but we need to move now” the Pegasus said.

Dash nodded, she understood the gravity of the situation.
“Alright guys, you stay here. I’ll be back later” Dash called back to Fluttershy and Ditzy. She turned back to the Pegasus in the doorway. “Okay, lets go”.

They took off immediately, heading straight for the very top of the tower at the top of Clousdale.
“What was that all about?” Ditzy asked as she nudged the door closed after them.
“I have no idea” Fluttershy replied quietly. “But I think we had better be ready for trouble”
“I don’t like trouble” Ditzy sqeaked. Cowering slightly. Fluttershy smiled and trotted over.
“I know you don’t” she said, as she gently nuzzled her partner’s cheek.

The two Pegasus ponies flew towards the Weather Centre. Dash had to slow herself so she could still hear the other Pegasus, who was already struggling to keep up, explain the situation.
“Where’d this storm even come from?” Rainbow asked.
“Nopony knows! But it was first spotted around the Everfree Forest.”
“Seriously? Everything bad seems to come from there, it’s like that place has a grudge against us”
“Now is not the time for jokes, Miss Dash” the green Pegasus snapped as they reached the Weather Centre entrance. Rainbow Dash glided in, setting down and rushing past the two security guards on station. She pushed into the control room to see Pegasus ponies rushing everywhere. One, an old grey colt who sported an impressive moustache, hurried up to Rainbow Dash.
“Ah, you’re here” he said in his thick Germane accent. “Have you been briefed?”
“Yeah, big storm. How does nopony know how this happened?” Rainbow exclaimed.
“It just appeared. And it’s accelerating towards us” the colt explained.
“Alright, alright” Dash said, placing a hoof to her forehead, trying to quell the headache that had sprung up. This was not what she needed right now. “Erm, who else knows about this?”
“We are yet to release a statement about it” the colt informed her.
“Alright, start telling people to bunker down. How long have we got till it hits?”
“If it continues at its current acceleration it should be upon us in three hours, however we suspect it will be slowed by the topography of Sweet Apple Acres”
“Applejack’s orchard?” Rainbow said, louder than she meant to. She glanced around apologetically and then cleared her throat. “Okay, send a team to assess and hold back, by any means. If we can slow it enough the storm may dissipate”
“Hurricane” the colt said sharply.
“What?”
“It’s a hurricane” The colt explained. “It’s much worse”
“Same orders apply, get some people out there, as many as can be spared” Rainbow ordered. “I’m gonna take a few people and warn Ponyville. That’s gonna get hit badly, they should get out of there soon or bunker down for the worst. We may need to move Cloudsdale too, if we have time”

The colt nodded. Rainbow Dash turned to go, before stopping and yelling “And who let Sootaloo in here?”

“I wonder where Dashie went” Ditzy said absently.
“The Weather Centre” Fluttershy told her. “It sounded important”

Then, as if on cue, Rainbow Dash burst through the front door.
“Guys, you need to go” she said, panting between words. “Storm’s coming, big one”
“How long do we have?” Fluttershy asked, getting up slowly from Ditzy’s side.
“Couple of hours, at most” Rainbow said. “Go lock up your homes. Then get back up here. Cloudsdale’s the safest place for this”
“How big is it?” Fluttershy asked, the tone of fear creeping into her voice.
“Biggest storm we’ve ever seen. Three times the one last year. It is going to wreck everything it touches”
There was a moment of silence.
“Are ponies going to get hurt?” Ditzy asked slowly. Rainbow Dash nodded solemnly.
“Yeah” she breathed.

With a little squeak of fear Fluttershy got to her feet, trotting quickly to the door. Ditzy trailed after her, but flew in a different direction when outside the door.

Once they had gone, Rainbow checked around. The house could be fortified at the last second. And with that thought she shut the door and bolted towards the apple farm.

Fluttershy gently landed outside her home. She glanced around, noting the quiet in the air. The chickens had all cowered inside their little henhouse and clucked reassuringly to one another.

They could sense something was coming.
“Angel” Fluttershy called out. “Angel, come here”.

After a moment, a little white rabbit popped up from under a pile of leaves. It twitched it ears and bolted towards Fluttershy. The little rabbit grabbed her leg and tried to drag her into the house. He was panicking, he could tell what was coming.
“Angel, calm down” Fluttershy commanded gently “I need you to get every animal into the basement as fast as you can, and then barricade yourself in there”. Fluttershy stopped for a second, having seen the little rabbit stare up at her, as if she had all the answers. “Storm’s coming” she finished.

Ditzy Doo nudged open the door to her home, glancing around for things that needed to be secured. As she was still in Cloudsdale, the walls were made of fluffy white cloud, but the floor was wooden. The house was sparsely decorated, a small cupboard and a table were the only real furnishings. And on top of the table, a young filly sat.
“Mummy!” Dinky yelled, jumping off the table. Temporarily forgetting she had not got wings, Dinky leapt from the table, and she crashed onto the wooden floor in front of her googly-eyed mother.
“Hi, Dinky” Ditzy declared to the room at large as she wandered further inside.
“What’s going on?” Dinky asked, as she pulled herself out of the crumpled pile she had become upon landing. She trailed after her mother, trotting quickly to keep up.
“Uh, we got to make everything secure” Ditzy declared. “Even the toaster”
“What’s gonna happen to the toaster?”
“I dunno”

Dinky twirled on the spot briefly, checking that the floor was still holding.. Sometimes she wondered just how much brain her mother really had, and how much of her head was really made of pastry.
“Well something’s gonna happen” Dinky theorised, still twirling “Otherwise we wouldn’t have to strap it all down”

But Ditzy didn’t reply, she just went over to the table and began to clear it, placing the plates in the cupboard to be stored.
“Hey, what happened to breakfast?” Dinky yelled, distraught at having the plates she laid out put back without use. She saw her mother turn away from the cupboard and plod towards her, eyes rolling into place. And then quietly, Ditzy held her daughter close.

Sweet Apple Acres rolled away beneath Rainbow Dash as she tore through the sky. The air battered her face as she got faster and faster. In the distance, she could see the storm clouds beginning to form over the horizon.

She didn’t have long.

Below her, Applejack slid into view, happily bucking away at the trees in her orchard. Beside her, little Applebloom was bouncing, undoubtedly pestering the poor mare about her cutie mark. Rainbow Dash turned sharply and darted towards the ground, pulling up at the last second so she didn’t crash, and inadvertently shedding several trees of their apples with the disruption she caused as she barrelled past. With the immense lack of grace she was known for, Rainbow Dash skidded to a halt beside Applejack, who very nearly kicked her in surprise.
“...there’s gotta be somethin’ ah can do to get it...” Applebloom ranted, now forgotten by her sister.
“Watch where you’re flyin’ there Sugarcube. ’Specially after last night” Applejack said jovially “What’s ahll the hurryin’ for?”

Rainbow Dash stood there for a second, panting, out of breath, she had rushed to get here and forgotten to keep her energy reserves up. Applejack saw the wild eyed look on Rainbow Dash’s face and leaned forwards, concerned.
“What’s wrong?” she asked the Pegasus.
“...because now Canter Sell has hers an’ she’s gettin’ ahll high ’n’ mighty about it...” Applebloom continued in the background.

Rainbow Dash was still catching her breath, and just pointed instead. Applejack turned to see the thick clouds spitting lightning down upon the horizon. She fell silent, leaving only Applebloom talking incessantly in the background. After a moment she turned back.
“Just how big is that thing?” she asked.
“Biggest ever” Rainbow said “and this is the first part of town it’s gonna hit.”
“Sweet Celestia” Applejack muttered “Are we runnin’ or hunkerin’ down”
“...Ah really want mah mark because – hey! Are you guys listenin’?” Applebloom spouted, to no avail. She eventually noticed nopony was listening and wandered off to find her older brother.
“It’s your choice AJ” Rainbow Dash told her. “We’ve got the Doc to help with evac for anyone who wants to leave. But anyone else has to build a fort and ride it out”
“You sure about using the Doc?” Applejack said “He’s a mite...eccentric, isn’t he?”
“He’s our best chance if we ‘re gonna run” Rainbow reminded her “He knows the mountains like the side of his hoof, he can take us into them and stick us up in a cave there”

There was a moment’s silent thought from Applejack.
“Ah’m stayin’” she said resolutely. “Ah won’t abandon the orchard”.

Rainbow Dash nodded.
“Okay, if you’re sure. You’d best start tying stuff down” she said. She then moved closer. “And, if either of us don’t make it through this, it’s been fun”. Rainbow leant in and held her neck around Applejack’s, a pony hug.
“Whaddya mean by that?” Applejack said, as Rainbow turned away and kicked off into the sky.

The next stop was Twilight’s library. If anypony new the theory of storm survival, it was her. The brainiac had more books in that home of hers than she had hair in her mane. Upon arrival, she found Pinkie Pie hopping merrily around near the entrance, whilst Spike chased her, apparently after the scroll attached to her tail. Rainbow had to raise her voice to be heard over Pinkie’s excited squealing.
“Guys!” she shouted, bringing Pinkie to a sudden stop. Spike barrelled into her, snatching the scroll and torching it with the green flames that sprung from his mouth at his will. Rainbow Dash had never quite understood how the little dragon got the scroll all the way to Canterlot by burning it, but assumed it was best left alone.”Do you know where Twilight is?” she continued.
“She’s in the bath. She got covered in cookie dough” Spike told her. Rainbow Dash had a brief mental image of Twilight heavily throwing up a yellowish brown substance, another bad memory from last night, that could easily be mistaken for cookie dough.
“Speaking of baths” came the high pitched voice of Pinkie, who was gazing at her legs. After a second she turned to a door and yelled “Twilight, my knee’s pinchy!”
“Oh come on!” came the exasperated cry of Twilight, as the door opened and a little alligator was launched out, landing on Pinkie Pie’s face.
“Hey Gummy! When did you get here?” Pinkie grinned from ear to ear at the small reptile attached to her face.
“How does he keep getting in there?” Twilight Sparkle demanded, standing in the doorway to her bathroom. “Oh, hi Dash” she added, smiling weakly at the Pegasus.
“Nevermind that guys” Rainbow Dash said, stepping forwards. There’s something important I’ve gotta tell you all”
“Oh, oh, are you ill?” Pinkie chirped, bouncing in place. “You found an egg? Something funny landed on your head? I love these guessing games!”
“No Pinkie, it’s nothing like that” Rainbow Dash paused for effect, but then started talking when she realised Pinkie was about to guess again. “We’re gonna get hit by the biggest storm Equestria’s ever seen. And it hits in just under three hours”
“What?” Twilight said, apparently in disbelief. “Why wasn’t anypony warned about this earlier?”
“Weather Patrol just picked it up, and we can’t stop it” Rainbow explained.
“What’re we going to do?” Pinkie squeaked. Gummy trembled on her head.
“The Doc is taking ponies to the mountains, hopefully they can shield us from it” Rainbow explained to the disbelieving ponies “It’s either that or bunker in for this thing, however long it lasts"

Twilight bowed her head in thought. Pinkie bit her lip. Spike looked somewhat dazed.
“When does the evacuation start?” Twilight asked after a period of uncomfortable silence.
“Doc leaves in an hour and a half” Rainbow told her. “Are you gonna go with him?”
“Well I couldn’t possibly go!” Pinkie declared “Not without Gummy”. She indicated the little reptile on her head.
“He can go with you, Pinkie” Dash said, not even bothering to ask why she had thought the little alligator was not allowed.
“Oh, that’s great then!” Pinkie bounced up into the air, launching Gummy off her head and up into the air. “Come on Twilight, let’s get going!”

Twilight emerged from her little thought bubble.
“Spike, pack your things, go with Pinkie” she said, distracted.
“Wha...what’re you on about Twilight? Aren’t you coming too?” Spike cried.
“No, I can’t leave with these books in danger. Some of these things are too precious to be bested by a storm”
“Gah! No! You can’t do that! You’ve gotta come too!” Spike bawled. The emotional dragon grabbed Twilight Sparkle’s leg. She shook him loose. “Tell me which ones you need, I can carry them for you! I’ll send them to the Princess to look after!” Spike demonstrated the last bit with a gout of green flame and a nearby encyclopaedia “Just don’t stay here!”
“Spike...” Twilight began.
“But you’ll die!” Spike practically screamed.

Pinkie gasped. Rainbow Dash suspected she had finally grasping the possible consequences of the situation. Gummy flopped down onto her head from his impromptu flight.
“But Spike!” Pinkie said, pulling Gummy off and placing him on the floor “We won’t die, we’re the most important ponies around here! Nopony’s mean enough to write a story like that!”

Rainbow Dash facehoofed. She was growing tired of Pinkie Pie, between believing she was in some sort of book and her usual ridiculous behaviour she was beginning to try Rainbow Dash’s patience. She could see Spike wasn’t taking it too well either. He glared incredulously at Pinkie. And Pinkie beamed back, radiating innocent happiness.

It was Twilight who broke the strangest staring match in the universe.
“Spike, go” she commanded, a tone of reluctant authority in her voice.
“But...”
“GO” Twilight growled. Her horn began to glow a soft purple. Spike backed away obediently. Once Spike had neared the door, she turned to Pinkie and quietly said “Pinkie, make sure he stays safe. I was there when he hatched, and I want him to be around when I expire.”
“Okie dokie loki!” Pinkie cheered. “Come on Gummy!” she called down to her pet reptile “We’ve got to go pack!” With that she bounded out the door, followed by the tiny alligator, which padded along at its own pace.

Rainbow Dash stepped closer to Twilight Sparkle, lowering her head to look her in the eye.
“Are you sure about this, Twi?” Dash asked.

Twilight nodded.
“AJ’s staying too” Dash told her “You might want to go see if she’ll let you cut up some of the trees, strengthen this place up a bit”

Twilight finally met her friend’s gaze.
“Yeah, I might just do that” she said. Then she came forwards and nuzzled the side of Rainbow’s face, before moving in for a neck hug. “I guess this is goodbye then”
“Hey, nopony’s saying that!”
“Cloudsdale’s going to move away, it won’t go near a hurricane” Twilight began “Yes, I know it’s a hurricane, not a normal storm. The Princess Celestia warned me it was coming, but I tried to hide it from Spike. I’ve been preparing myself to go down with the books since yesterday afternoon.”

There was a moment before she recognised the look of shock on Rainbow’s face. It was the same look she had worn the night before the drinks had been knocked back in force.
“That’s why I got so drunk yesterday. I was scared” Twilight continued, looking up at the ceiling for a second. And then back to Dash. “Rainbow, that thing’s magical; it was brewing way before it became physical.”

Rainbow Dash nodded briefly, trying to hold up the demeanour her post required, tried to be official, but then dove into a neck hug with Twilight, who just stood there. And then, Rainbow turned to go.
“Tell Doc to drop by before he leaves” Twilight called after her, before turning back to her books.

Meanwhile, in Canterlot, Princess Celestia was busily filling out paperwork when she sensed an incoming message.

She looked up just in time to receive an encyclopaedia to the face.

Rainbow Dash trotted out of the door, glancing around at the current evacuation efforts. Everywhere ponies dragged suitcases and calmed whining fillies. Over in the square, Lyra and Bon-Bon were arguing, something Rainbow Dash had never seen happen before, but there was no time for that. She readied her wings for take-off.
“Rainbow!” shouted a considerably Scolttish voice to her left. Rainbow Dash steadied for a moment and saw a large brown colt galloping towards her. He skidded to a halt beside her, clearly showing the hourglass cutie mark on his flank. “When should I start moving them?”
“Give them an hour and a half Doc” Rainbow Dash instructed him. She could have sworn the Doc changed voice nearly every time she had talked to him, and little details on his face often changed too. “But no more” Rainbow Dash added “And Twilight wants to see you before you go”
“She staying here, isn’t she?” the Doc said, somewhat worried. Rainbow nodded. The brown colt nodded back and ran past rainbow into Twilight’s house. Dash looked up to the sky, calling out to the trio of Pegasus that had returned a few metres away. The evacuation route was clear, and they could begin as soon as everyone was ready.

They tried to ask for instructions of what to do next, but Rainbow Dash had already vanished in a multicoloured streak into town.

“Rarity! Rarity, you in there?” came the loud shouting from the door, as an irate cyan hoof beat upon it. “C’mon Rarity, please!”

Eventually, the door opened, and little Sweetie Belle gazed up from the floor.
“Hey Rainbow Dash, what’s all the knocking about?” she asked, staring at Pegasus in the doorway.
“I need to speak to your sister, now” Dash asked, somewhat out of breath, and pushed through into the house “Where is she?”
“She’s working, you can’t go in there without an appointment” Sweetie Belle recited, biting her tongue between her teeth as she recalled what her sister had told her to tell visitors.
“Don’t care!” Rainbow Dash said and barged through to rarity’s work area, where she was treated to the sight of her friend being given a manicure. “Working, huh?” Dash exclaimed.
“Miss Rainbow Dash, I thought I heard my little assistant over there send you on your way, but now you’re here...” Rarity began, but trailed off as she was interrupted by her little sister.
“I’m trying to get an assistant cutie mar-“
“Shut up!” Dash snapped “Do you have any idea just how close the hurricane is? I came to see if you’d packed yet!”
“Hurricane!” Rarity screeched, knocking over the pony working on her hooves with a well placed flail of her forelimbs. Sweetie Belle huddled into a ball, scared. Since the last storm, when she had been left alone in the house by her sister, the little filly had been terribly afraid of everything bad weather related.
“How did you not work that out?” Rainbow Dash said, disbelieving. “We’ve been rounding up the town to evacuate for the last two hours. The evac group’s leaving in five minutes”
“Oh dear Celestia, why didn’t we do this sooner!” Rarity exclaimed, hurrying back and forth in a panic. “The boutique simply cannot survive this without my help. Oh but if I stay...Do I have time to grab a few essentials?”
“Just, a bit of food and that’s all...” Rainbow Dash began.
“Alright, everypony!” shouted Doc outside “Let’s get out of here!”
“They’re leaving without us?” Sweetie Belle said quietly.

Rainbow rushed forwards, pushing Rarity to the door with her head.
“Come on, get going, now!” Rainbow grunted. Rarity squealed slightly.
“But I cannot leave my work to be destroyed!” she said.
“What do you care most about, your dress or your life!?” Rainbow yelled. The pony that had been manicuring Rarity’s hooves gave out a little yelp. “You get out too!” Rainbow turned on her, glaring the creature out of the room.

There was a moment of silence.

Rainbow Dash turned back to Rarity, calmer now.
“There’s too many ponies staying behind already” Rainbow quietly told her friend. “Go with Pinkie and Spike whilst you can still follow them. The Doc can help you find food out there. Just...please...go”

Rarity nodded.
“Come, Sweetie Belle” she said to her little sister, who trotted up to her side as she headed to the door. She turned in the doorway. “What are you going to do?”

Rainbow made her way out of the door and indicated the floating city of clouds above them.
“Me and Fluttershy are flying back up to Cloudsdale before it moves out of the way of all this” Dash told her. “Now get moving, they’re over that way”

Rarity trotted off, with her little sister in tow. Dash looked up towards her skyward home.

It was going to be a rough night.

“Flutty? Flutty? Flutty where are you?!” Ditzy Doo called as she roamed Cloudsdale. Pegasus ponies hurried this way and that, preparing the city to move. Ditzy tried to grab their attention with a wave of her hoof or a call, every time asking “Have you seen Fluttershy?”

Nopony had. And nopony was stopping to help look.
“Don’t leave me Flutty...”

Rainbow Dash glided over the mass of ponies gathered in the town square. Saddlebags bulged on every back and every single pony there was either consoling another as to their situation, or glancing nervously at the ever closer clouds in the sky. At the head of the group, Doc stood conversing with a few Pegasus ponies who had been designated to help with the evacuation efforts. He gave his orders with confidence, laying out the route they were to guide the panicked masses through on a map he had laid before him. But despite his air of confidence, Dash could see his back legs tremble slightly. She glanced back to make sure everything was in order with the main group and then dropped down beside the colt.
“You okay?” she asked.
“I’ll be fine” Doc said quickly “Just let me do my job”
“Alright, alright, just askin’. But if you can’t do it then I’ll get one of the others to lead them...”
“I can do it!” Doc snapped. He then backed down quickly “Just trust me, please.”

Rainbow stopped. She hadn’t seen him stressed before, but the strain was showing. But she still trusted him to do what was asked.
“Okay. I trust you” Dash said, lowering her head apologetically. As she did this, she noticed a little pendant around Doc’s neck. “Hey, what’s that?”
“Hmm, what? This?” Doc glanced down at the pendant. “Just something Twilight gave me ... to hold onto”.
Dash took a while to put her words together.
“I’m sure she appreciates you holding onto it” she eventually said. “Now you best get going, time’s about up”

Doc’s gaze suddenly focused, his face set, and he nodded sharply. He then turned to the masses before him.
“Alright everypony, listen up!” he shouted, instantly silencing the hundreds of voices that filled the space. “We’re going to be headed to just beyond the hills and around the mountains, where there’s some good cover and a place to hunker down. Now, I need everypony to stay close together, and for Celestia’s sake don’t wander off and get lost. Remember, those eight Pegasus flying around up there are guiding us too, so just stay within the area under where they’re flying and nobody should get lost. Everyone ready? Then lets go.”

And at that, he turned and trotted wordlessly away from the crowd, which began to shuffle after him in a confused tide of colour. Rainbow Dash hovered above the crowd until they had all passed beneath her. Near the back she spotted Spike, sitting on Pinkie’s back, sobbing quietly into Pinkie’s mane. Pinkie herself gave a manic grin up at Rainbow Dash, who simply nodded back and glided off.

It was only after she was nearly out of town she realised she had not seen Rarity or Sweetie Belle amongst the evacuees. She shook her head and convinced herself that in the large crowd she must have simply not been able to pick out the purple and white combination as easy as the luminous pink she had spotted.

Halfway back to Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash noticed a grey blob floating around the empty sky. Pulling a mid-air turn that bordered on defying physics, Dash sped towards the object. As suspected, it was Ditzy, who was calling out for Fluttershy.
“Ditzy, get back to Cloudsdale, now!” Dash called as she approached.
“Not without Fluttershy!” Ditzy shouted back.
“Wha...where is she?”
“I don’t know! I’ve looked everywhere!” Ditzy cried, bobbing down in the air temporarily.
“Okay, okay, calm down” Dash sad hurriedly. “Have you checked her house?”

Ditzy froze in mid-air, dropped a few metres, then flew off in the direction of Fluttershy’s cottage. Rainbow Dash charged after her. Dash quickly overtook and raced ahead. She soon saw the cottage.

And behind it she could see the storm.

This was going to be close.

The wind beat against the shutters of the cottage, banging out a terrible rhythm. With each snap and bang the animals shuddered and twitched, holding onto one another in the dark. Wind howled outside their shelter, adding to the cacophony that swirled around them. Something snapped, something groaned, something creaked. The animals could hear their precious home slowly tearing itself apart above them. A clap of thunder sounded, and another.

Then they heard something.
“Fluttershy!” called a voice above the howling gale. “Fluttershy where are you!”
“No no no” whimpered a tiny voice amongst the animal throng. “Go away”
“Fluttershy, come on!”
“No no no, I can’t leave them.
“Flutty!”

Fluttershy’s head rose out of the animals. Another burst of thunder sounded above them.
“Ditzy...” she whispered. For a moment she forgot herself and stepped forwards, but a tug on her leg stopped her. She looked down, and in the gloom could make out Angel, holding on to her for dear life, silently begging her not to leave. “I can’t leave you Angel, but I can’t let the others get hurt because of me”
“Fluttershy, where are you!” called the voice again.

Then, with a thunderous roar of splintered wood, something smashed through the basement door. The wind blasted through after it, rattling the animals and whirling amongst them. Rain poured down and through the hole where the door once was, the pony could now see the pitch black sky swirling above the ruins of her once beautiful home.
“Flutty!” Ditzy yelled, seeing the yellow pony below her. Simultaneously, her and Rainbow dash shot to the door, reaching through to Fluttershy.
“Come on, get out of here!” Rainbow yelled.
“I can’t leave them!” Fluttershy squeaked.
“You have to! There’s no way you’ll make it otherwise!”
“But I don’t know what’ll happen to them”
“Don’t Flutty, don’t” Ditzy sobbed, as it dawned on the mare just what her partner was trying to do. Fluttershy turned to her, seeing her hold the doorframe with one hoof and reach out with the other, as the wind did its best to dislodge her. She turned back to the animals, then back to her friends.
“Come on! We have to go!” Dash yelled, “We have to - “

Comments

[Lightning Flicker]

Ohgeeze, don't let Twi die! Or any of the others...Gah! Please write more~

[FailcopterWes]

767511 Might kill her, might not.

Definitely writing more

[terrycloth]

"Go down with the books?" Well, presumably she has some plan at least to save them and isn't just being stubborn like Applejack. Maybe a force field?

[FailcopterWes]

768198 not saying spoilers

[ed2481]

Dang your title, I thought it was firefly

[FailcopterWes]

768533 I couldn't resist it. Firefly's epic. :P

[ed2481]

768573

Still that was very misleading, although i appreciate that people remember it

[FailcopterWes]

768577 well sowwy for the confusion.