Adventures in the Weather Patrol

by Blade Star

Epilogue - A Short Break

And so Dewdrop and I cashed in some of our holiday time. Packing our bags, the pair of us flew north for our little getaway. We decided to fly there ourselves, rather than taking a train from Ponyville station, or an airship from Canterlot. I’ve always wanted to do something like that, even when I was back on Earth; travel somewhere myself, rather than with some guided group. We simply packed our saddlebags with food, clothes and a few other essentials and headed north.

The two of us ended up taking a rather hotchpotch route. Starting from Ponyville, we flew past Canterlot, stopping in the city briefly for lunch. I also took the opportunity to drop in on Dad at his office. He was having a fairly quiet day, having spent the past week or so arranging for the captured changelings to be repatriated back to their homeland. There was even some talk that he might have a part to play in a future Equestrian-Changeling embassy here in the capitol.

He was glad to see the both of us. He’s actually warmed up to Dewdrop quite well, just as my brother has. While he initially treated him with no small amount of suspicion, on this meeting, he greeted him like family. In particular, he thanked the young stallion for looking out for me during the incursion.

The three of us headed down from the castle to the city proper for lunch. My dad has a habit of having lunch at this little Griffon place in the lower part of the city (effectively the wrong side of the tracks). He regularly goes there for what he described as ‘the best ribs this side of Appleloosa’. I was a vegan long before I became a pony, so they didn’t exactly strike my fancy, never mind Dewdrop’s. But the Griffon proprietor had a plentiful vegetarian menu for pony customers as well.

After lunch, we continued on our way, stopping at Cloudsdale when it began to get dark. We checked ourselves into a little motel in the town a little up the road from the weather factory and stayed the night.

The next day, we continued on our way north. The train would have got us to the Empire by now, but the two of us had already had way more fun than a simple train journey. Every now and then, we’d land somewhere to rest up and get our bearings, be it a small town, a clearing in the woods, anywhere we could safely set down.

We ended up tenting it that night, within sight of the breath taking Neighagra Falls. And the morning after, the two of us half flew, half dived down into the pooling water below for a quick dip.

After that, we wrapped ourselves up in the warmest clothes we had and prepared to head through the icy tundra of the Frozen North. We decided to give Stalliongrad a wide berth in the end, as we’d both heard more than a couple stories about the place. Luckily for us, the weather wasn’t too bad. The uncontrolled snow storms were light for the most part, and easy enough to navigate around. It was beautiful in an eerie sort of way. The tundra seemed to stretch on forever, just snow and ice. The only blot on the map was the two of us, flying through the cold, clear blue sky.

Before too long, we came upon the glittering jewel of that place; The Crystal Empire. We saw the Imperial Palace first, jutting up high into the air. And as we drew nearer, coming under the protection of the Crystal Heart, the air grew warmer and the icy wind became a gentle breeze.

Touching down at the gates of the city state, we shed our heavy overcoats, earmuffs and hats and soon found ourselves on the crystalline streets.

---

The two of us spent the next few days in the city, playing tourist. With its comparatively recent return to the world, the Crystal Empire has more than a few sights to see. Aside from the huge palace, there were the markets, selling trinkets you couldn’t find anywhere else, the ancient library, and the beautiful crystal berry winery. At the latter of these, we got a guided tour around the place and purchased more than a couple of bottles, both for ourselves and for our friends back in Ponyville.

A lot of our time though, particularly after we’d gotten over the initial amazement that comes with arriving at a strange new place, we spent up on a cloud somewhere, looking out at the landscape, just talking. One night, the two of us slept up there. With the warm temperatures afforded by the Crystal Heart, it was quite comfortable. At the same time though, the cold weather beyond made the sky clear and crisp, with millions of stars glittering each night.

We got even luckier that night. I was just beginning to doze off next to Dewdrop, when he hurriedly nudged me awake. After blearily coming to, I saw what was up. Dewdrop was pointing skyward. Following his hoof, I saw the amazing trails of light and fire and magic; Equestria’s equivalent to the Northern Lights. The brilliant steamers danced across the inky blue sky, covering it with crimson, gold, green, and indigo, seeming to shimmer and reflect against the snowy landscape. It was incredible to see, lasting for a about five or six minutes, before silently vanishing as quietly as it had come.

The two of us slept in each other’s embrace that night, on a soft cloud far above the glittering city, and yet far below the brilliant stars.

---

We spent a couple more days in the Crystal Empire, before returning home along a different route.

Instead of heading due south, we decided to follow the train tracks home. The route was typically fast by the express train, but it would take us a couple of days to cover the distance. We ended up flying low through Galloping Gorge (not to be confused with Ghastly Gorge, which is south of Ponyville), testing ourselves against the strong air currents.

We then went a little out of our way when looking for somewhere to rest, heading a little to the west to reach Vanhoover. On the way in, much to our surprise, we ran into their local weather team, headed by Cloud Skimmer. I’d not seen him since we all flew up here months ago, when that rogue storm from the north threatened to engulf Equestria’s most northern city.

Surprisingly, he recognised us both, in particular Dewdrop, whose hare-brained scheme had in part helped to avert disaster. He was with his local squadron doing some light snow work in the area around town. The two of us explained what we were up to, and he kindly recommended us to a small hotel run by his younger brother. The kind stallion even got us a little discount as thanks for our help.

---

Finally, we reached Ponyville the following afternoon, having been away for just under two weeks, including our little journey back and forth. The place was just as it always was, quiet and idyllic, yet bustling with ponies I knew well. It was market day when we touched down. Bones was looking after the Apples’ stand and quickly came over to greet us.

“Lizzie! Dewdrop! You’re back!” he called out, running over to us both. “How was your break?”

“Oh great,” I replied with a smile. “Once I get the pictures developed, I’ll show you some of the sights.” I’d had the forethought to bring a camera with me; a bulky thing due to Equestria’s limited technology, but still capable.

“Well Ah’d hang onto it if I was you, sis,” Bones replied. “There’s gonna be one impressive show tomorrow, and Ah for one want pictures.” That piqued my interest.

“Oh, what’s that then?” I asked.

“There’s a big ceremony happenin’ at the castle tomorrow,” Bones explained. “Princess Celestia is gonna award medals to Starlight and the others for helping to beat the changelings, and she’s gonna officially sign the peace treaty with Thorax.”

“Wow, you’re gone for two weeks and everything happens at once,” I said. Still, it was better news than the last time Dewdrop and I had been away from town. “You going to that Bones?” He nodded.

“Yeah, sure,” he replied. “Ah wouldn’t miss it for the world. Ah’d like to meet that Thorax fella. And it’ll be nice to see Princess Luna again, under better circumstances. So, you two gonna be there?” Dewdrop and I looked at each other before nodding.

“Sure, we’ll be there. Hey, tell you what. Dewdrop and I will come meet you and AJ up at the farm. After the ceremony we can all go get lunch together again.” Now Bones really smiled.

“Now that sounds like a plan, sis,” he said. “Ah’ll see you tomorrow then.”

---

The next day, we were all due to meet up at Sweet Apple Acres. Dewdrop, Bones, Applejack and I would then all head down to Twilight’s castle together. I’d done my best to make myself look presentable. I figured that this wouldn’t be a black tie event, but that I ought to make some effort. So, I’d gone for my good luck charm. I was wearing my silk red flying scarf, pinned in place by the old brass badge of the Royal Flying Corps.

You know, looking back on it all, I’d say I’ve had a couple of adventures that might make Great Uncle Algernon jealous. Travelling to a new world aside, I’ve learnt to fly, been involved in everything from rain squalls to full blown tornadoes, I’ve helped hold off a devastating snow storm, I’ve nearly been hit by lightning while trying to save a friend’s life, fallen in love, helped a friend of a friend get into work at last, crash landed behind the lines, fought off a zombie outbreak, and even taken the first step toward becoming a Wonderbolt if I wanted.

It’s a lot to happen in the space of a few short months.

I arrived at the farm with both Dewdrop and Fluttershy. My pegasus roommate was keen to spend a bit more time with me after my two week absence. And it was nice to have us all together for once. The three of us had quite enjoyed our little flight over here. We'd briefly stopped by my parents' house on the way over. To my surprise, I'd found that their 'dog', Charlie, was still there. I'd assumed that the disguised changeling would want to go home, but he'd apparently, like Strong Shield, decided to keep his cover, despite their respective transformations. I guess it would be quite weird for ponies if they found out the Alsatian Collie cross was actually a changeling that my Dad had known about for months, even if he was friendly.

Trotting up to the house, I found Applejack waiting for me. Like me, she wasn’t too gussied up, and was dressed in her usual cowpony hat, with her blond mane and tail tied up in a…well, ponytail, with red ribbon. The two of us greeted each other; we’ve actually become quite close friends since Bones took us all out on that double date. I asked her where Bones was. She told me he was just getting dressed, having been working in the north field with Big Mac all morning, and apparently busy with spell last night.

In the distance, I heard the clock in town begin to chime. We’d need to get a move on if we were going to get there on foot. So, I trotted upstairs to ‘encourage’ him to get his arse in gear.

I passed Granny Smith, who was sleeping peacefully in her rocking chair. Walking through the kitchen and the front room, I trotted up the stairs to the landing and quickly found myself at Bones’ door, which was open.

It was the same odd mix of the agricultural and academic that I’d seen before when I came here with Starlight, with books lining the few shelves in the room, while a lasso hung off of one of the bedposts. Bones was currently standing in front of his desk, which was still cluttered with books, papers and his own jotted notes, looking at his reflection in the mirror. I noticed that, in keeping with more traditional manners, his hat was currently resting on a nearby hook fixed to the wall. Clearing my throat, I caught his attention. He smiled as he turned to me.

“Oh, hey there, sis,” he said in his usual easy going way. “What brings y’all up here?”

“It’s time we got a move on, Bones,” I replied. “AJ and the rest of us are waiting on you.”

With some small amount of surprise, Bones looked at the small alarm clock that sat on his bedside table, noticing the time with a start.

“Oh horseapples,” he cursed, before turning back to me. “Ah’ll be down in a minute or so. Ya can take off if ya want; Ah’ll catch up.”

I hesitated for a moment before agreeing with him. I knew for a fact that Bones could, in a pinch, use a teleportation spell to get somewhere almost as quick as I could fly. His record I think was from the farm to the train station in one jump, although that damn near exhausted him.

Heading back downstairs, I was careful to creep past the still snoring Granny Smith and back out into the yard. Dewdrop, Fluttershy and Applejack were still there.

“Where’s Bones, sugarcube?” Applejack enquired. I quickly explained.

“He’s gonna catch us up in a minute or two, AJ. But if we want to get to the castle on time, we better head off now.”

And so the four of us set out along the dirt path toward Ponyville. Glancing back, I saw Bones throwing on a waistcoat and a collar. He’d probably join us in a minute or so. It was odd for him to be late though. Usually he was as organised as Twilight. When I went upstairs, he seemed to be a little lost in thought. I guess he still has a lot on his mind.

We soon came to the fence that marked the edge of the farm and soon found ourselves on the main road into town. Passing the school and a few houses, we soon crossed the square by town hall and were shortly in front of the huge crystal castle. The windows had all been repaired or replaced and there was virtually no sign of any damage. It’s amazing what those Royal Engineers can do in a fortnight.

As we reached the threshold, we were joined by Rainbow Dash, who dropped in with her customary swiftness, causing both Dewdrop and Fluttershy to let out surprised squeaks. Our small group soon laughed it off though.

I found myself smiling as we trotted inside. Here I was with all my friends; the mare who first took me in and looked after me when I arrived here, the one who helped me get my first real job in Equestria, and the stallion who I cared for most.

Like I said before, I’ve had many adventures here in Equestria, both in and out of the Weather Patrol. But I think my biggest one is just beginning.

Author's Note:

Proofread by Sweetolebob18.

And so we finally reach the end of this little trilogy. I'm planning on rewriting a good portion of my first story 'My Family and Other Equestrians' next, so expect to see it crop up in your feed some time in the next few months.

Before you go though, there is one more mini chapter for you to glance at. It's really just a fun idea I had that I wanted to write down. After all, who doesn't love playing with the fourth wall from time to time?

Comments

[Alaborn]

"The two of us ended up taking a rather hotchpotch route."

Hodgepodge is not a word I expected to be written differently in British English.

[Blade Star]

8708693 I googled the two variants out of curiosity, since my proofreader said the same thing. Apparently hotchpotch is just one of many words that got mutated or altered in American English. US spellcheck doesn't recognise it in any case.