One Last Flight

by Prismfire Productions

Winds of Change

-20 years ago-

For Pinkamena Diane Pie, it was an utterly normal day. She shielded her eyes as she scanned the skies, for what, she did not know. Her arms, unusual for a girl of her class, rippled with slender, yet iron muscle. Once, when she had gotten used to walking, her father had brought her out to move a small pile of rocks; they were little more than pebbles and she'd needed help that day. Now eight years old, those same rocks posed little more than a warm up for her. While not readily apparent, her strength was such she'd easily picked up a bully by the scruff of their shirt during recess, earning her the nickname "Dynamo Diane."

She was in the middle of clearing out the east fields when her father, and farm owner, Igneous Pie came rolling up in his pickup. By this time some high, light grey clouds had begun to roll in, accompanied by a light breeze starting to blow made Pinkamena know a storm was going to come up. It was then Pinkamena knew what had caused her earlier apprehension, because she felt this was going to be a gullywasher at the very least.

“Nice work Pinkamena,” Igneous said as he scooped his daughter up in a tight hug. “You never cease to amaze me with how strong you are getting. As a reward for all your hard work, and your good grades, I have bought something that I know you will like.”

“Oh?” Pinkamena asked looking at her father as she brushed some of her long, dark pink hair from out of her vision. “You didn’t have to do that dad…”

“I know my little Dynamo,” Igneous chuckled at his daughter’s reaction to him using her schoolyard nickname, the look of shock making him smile more. “You honestly think I don’t get phone calls from the principal every time you have a fight? Seeing as you only target bullies, that is the only reason why I never punish you. Now for your gift…”

Igneous walked his little girl back over to his truck and opened the passenger door. When he did, a Yorkshire Terrier looked up at Pinkamena with an adorable expression as its tail happily wagged. Pinkamena cutely squealed as she picked up the two toned Yorkie and held it, the dog giving its own form of puppy kisses by licking Pinkamena’s face repeatedly, making her giggle.

“His name is Otto,” Igneous said as he helped Pinkamena and her pet into his truck. Once he made sure that they were secure, he climbed into the cab of his rusty, trusty F100 and started it up. The shocks were worn out from the heavy loads over the years, so every bump felt like a bucking bronco as they carefully made their way back towards their home. As they did, both father and daughter noticed the sky darkening to the point it looked angry.

With the farm spanning five acres in every direction, and being relatively flat, it was easy to see anything coming on the horizon no matter which way you looked. Glancing towards the southwest, the clouds seemed to billow, swirl, and thicken as a sickly green started to advance across the sky. Deep down, both Pies knew that could only mean one thing; a supercell was in the process of forming, and with it the chance of a tornado.

“That does not look good, dad…” Pinkamena said with obvious worry in her voice as the clouds continued to grow and approach. By this point, the dust in the fields was being kicked up into mini dust devils, each causing Otto to bark and the ride just that more tricky as Pinkamena door again. “Think we will get a tornado out of that or will it miss?”

Igneous paused for a moment while he carefully considered how he would answer, and to avoid a rather large hole that nearly swallowed the right rear tire. “I hate to say it, but it looks like it is coming this way… and it could be bad. Listen to me carefully, grab only what you need and meet me, your sisters, and your mom in the living room. We will head there together to ride this out ok?”

“Ok daddy…” Pinkamena replied as she held Otto close for comfort. By the time they reached the house, rain had started falling in thick sheets, and hard enough Pinkamena was soaked just covering the ten feet from the truck to the porch. Her mother Cloudy Quartz was standing in front of the television with the other Pie sisters, whose names were Marble, Maud, and Limestone, as the weather alert blared:

THE NATIONAL WEATHER CENTER IN CLOUDSDALE HAS ISSUED A ***TORNADO WARNING*** IN EFFECT FOR THE FOLLOWING COUNTIES:

APPLELOOSA. PINEVILLE. ROCKVILLE.

UNTIL 0459PM LOCAL TIME.

***AT 0447PM, DOPPLER RADAR PICKED UP ON A FUNNEL LOCATED 7 MILES SOUTHWEST OF APPLELOOSA AND MOVING NORTHEAST AT 35MPH. RESIDENTS IN THE WARNING AREA ARE URGED TO TAKE SHELTER IMMEDIATELY AS A LIFE THREATENING TORNADO IS IN THE VICINITY, SOFTBALL SIZED HAIL AND FLOODING RAINS ARE ALSO POSSIBLE WITH THIS STORM***

Forecaster Windy Whistles

Just as if someone had called upon the devil, the winds and rain reached a fevered pitch. In addition, the unmistakable beat of bouncing hail on the tin roof made Pinkamena’s ears hurt to the point she had to cover them as she bolted to her room.

She know she was against the clock, and with a tornado approaching and the rest of her family waiting, she grabbed the most cherished thing that she could not live without. There, sitting on her bed, was her plush alligator Gummy. Where she had gotten it slipped her mind, for now, due to the flood of adrenaline that was coursing through her body.

Grabbing the plush and running back to the living room, she saw that her sisters already had their item of choice and their rain gear on. Her own rain jacket became a struggle, because the front door had blown in from a strong gust and battered them with a cold, stinging rain.

Time seemed to freeze for Pinkamena as she looked around, and realized that her dad and sisters had already taken off to the shelter. She tried to move, but no matter how hard she tried she seemed to be cemented to the spot she stood. Dark thoughts started to cloud her mind, even with her family being regular church goers, she was scared that the fact that she might die so young. Before she succumbed to the void, however, she was saved by hearing her mother calling for her.

“Pinkamena!” Cloudy Quartz had to yell to be heard over the winds that were increasing by the minute, but she knew her daughter had heard her when the terrified girl turned to her mother. “Come on, we have to get to the shelter!”

“I-I can’t move mom!” Pinkamena said as tears streamed down her cheeks. “I am too scared…”

A mother’s instinct is one of the strongest things in existence. They always knew when their little ones were in danger, and when those moments hit they unlock almost-superhuman strength to protect their cherished miracles. Even if the mother lost her life in the process, they feel like it was well worth the sacrifice knowing that she had ensured a long and healthy life for their child. This was one of those times, as in one strong motion, Cloudy picked up both Pinkamena and Otto.

Cloudy’s toned arm muscles, built and sculpted from a long, hard life on the farm, did not feel the new weight upon them. The pounding rain tried to slow her down as her visibility was reduced to near zero, but she knew how far she had to go as she fought on. It seemed like it took forever to reach their goal, but when they got there Igneous opened the door for them and they climbed down inside.

The shelter itself was twenty foot square, reinforced and designed in a way that minimized the suction effect in the event the door got blown off. As Igneous led his family to the furthest corner of the shelter, they heard it.

It started low and off in the distance, like the faintest whistle of the midnight train, before quickly building. The shelter, even with it being underground, shook as the sound of a powerful locomotive driven by howling demons thundered in their ears and heads. Nobody could talk, and even if they could they would not be heard as the door started to rattle.

Igneous kissed his wife and daughters before climbing up to where the door was. Being a bit curious, he looked out the bulletproof window and saw nothing but a swirling, solid black wall approaching.

“That is an F5…” Igneous thought as he saw his barn get engulfed. Running downstairs to the others, he gave them all one last hug. “I’m going to try and keep the door shut, no matter what happens, just remember I love you all.”

Cold fear set in as each of them got the meaning of his words. Each of the girls tried to jump up and run to her father, only to be stopped by Cloudy Quartz holding on to them. Pinkamena, despite being the second youngest, was able to wiggle her way free and bolt to the base of the stairs.As she did, she saw the void of no return break open the door and carry her father away.

“NOOOOO!” Pinkamena screamed as she was sucked under the metal staircase, which was her only saving grace from sharing the same fate as her father. As quick as it came, it left, the suction decreasing to the point that Pinkamena could freely move. The moment she heard the winds diminish, she ran outside, and the sight frightened her.

The house, truck, and every structure that has been standing were now gone, carried away in the vortex and only the house foundation remained. Rocks from the fields were now scattered around, each landing with a hard enough force to cause an impact crater. To Pinkamena, however, none of those things mattered as she let the rain beat down on her as she dropped to her knees.

The darkness from earlier returned thricefold, and unlike last time, Pinkamena willingly gave in to it. The stronghold that had been keeping her family together had fallen, and she knew it was only a matter of time before her more greedy relatives would descend on the farm to try and force her, her mom, and sisters out all in the name of profit. She was so wrapped up in her personal pit of despair that she did not feel her mother tightly hugging her as she was picked back up and carried down the stairs.

”Hush Pinkamena don’t you cry,
momma’s here with her lullaby.
Giggle at the ghosties and chase them away,
for that is a fight for another day.

I know that in your current state,
your heavy heart can’t take the weight.
But momma’s gonna to bring you cheer,
for I always will love you my dear.”

Cloudy Quartz kept softly singing to Pinkamena, gently rocking the sobbing girl in her arms until she fell asleep. She was hurt herself at the fact her husband was dead, and said a silent prayer for his soul, but she would mourn later. She knew she had to be strong for her girls, and that took top priority.

As for Pinkamena, the last thing she promised herself before falling asleep was to never let a tornado take another person that she held close to her heart. It also meant to give others more warning, or a better warning, so that no one would feel the pain she was feeling now.. It was a promise she swore to uphold and carry out... even if it killed her in the process. From that moment, she knew what she wanted to be in life. She no longer wanted to carry on the family tradition at the rock farm, no…

… she wanted to be a weatherwoman.

Author's Note:

I am, by no means, back out of semi retirement. I have been in a good enough mood to write the last few days and this is what I decided to do... Until next time , take care!

As always thanks to my editor Penalt for keeping me on course.

You can see what I offer on Patreon here

Comments

[The Bricklayer]

Okay, definitely tracking this, just because of what it's based on. Good start, by the way!

[Penalt]

Reminds me a lot of this tune. Start at 2:39 if the jump doesn't work right...

[Merula]

Tracking this. Now.

[Prismfire Productions]

8590031

8590262

thank you!