Chapter 3: Wing Power Hour
Flying Through the Storm
Chapter 3: Wing Power Hour
“Six point three!”
Six point three! I thought. Really?! I groaned loudly, feeling very frustrated over my initial wing power results. I trotted over to Flitter and waited for the rest of the pegasi to get finished with their speed tests. Even that big muscle-bound pegasus with the tiny wings had a higher wing power than I did! Flitter skipped along happily with her measly five point zero score, looking rather pleased with herself. My ears perked up as I heard Blossomforth’s name being called. The white pegasus stepped up to the track and revved her wings, shooting forward in a blur of white. When all was said and done, Twilight Sparkle called out her results.
“Eight point zero!” She said happily as Spike marked down the number on his clipboard. I groaned even more, drawing a curious stare from Flitter. Sighing, I motioned for my sister to join me on the other side of the track, away from the rest of the group.
“You alright Sis? You seem frustrated,” Flitter said.
“You saw Blossomforth right?” I asked. She nodded as I continued. “Well, apparently she used to be his marefriend back in Cloudsdale.” Flitter’s eyes widened.
“Oh really? I knew it! I knew you liked him,” She said ecstatically. I waved her down, trying to keep her quiet so nopony would hear.
“Look, alright I admit it. He’s kind of cool, even if he is a bit of a jerk,” I said. “So yes, I kind of like him. And it seems Blossom still has a bit of a torch for the old lug.”
“So what are you gonna do?” Flitter asked. I sighed and then stared at her, grinning.
“I’m gonna beat her wing power score Flits. I’m gonna show him who the better flier, the better marefriend is.” I said, puffing my chest out proudly. Flitter laughed.
“Silly filly, that’s not how it works. But I can see you’re determined to do this,” She said. I giggled with her, thinking about my plan. Yes, I knew it was ludicrous and that it might not work, but if it did… then maybe it would impress him enough to sway him my way instead of Blossomforth’s. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Fluttershy had been called to the line and was breezing along like a feather down the track. I couldn’t hold back a laugh at the irony. This was one pegasus I wouldn’t have to beat in wing power! Fluttershy looked panicked and scared of something. After she crossed the line, I thought I could hear Rainbow say “Point Five” to the shy yellow mare. I grimaced, realizing that my laughter might have been construed as being a bit mean as I watched the scene unfold. Fluttershy had burst into tears and run off, leaving Rainbow Dash standing there watching after her. Before I could say anything, I was interrupted by a feminine voice behind me.
“Cloudchaser?” Blossomforth asked. Flitter’s eyes widened as she looked over her shoulder. I turned and smiled.
“Oh hey Blossom,” I said casually. I motioned to my sister. “Flitter, this is Blossomforth. Blossom, this is my sister Flitter.”
“Nice to meet you,” Flitter said quietly, staring daggers at me. Blossomforth smiled and shook her hoof.
“Likewise. I umm… I had asked Cloudchaser if she wanted to go out to dinner with me tonight, and you’re invited to if you want to go,” She said. “I was planning on going out, but my normal company skipped out on me for the evening.” Flitter shook her head.
“No, I think I should probably go home and take care of the uh… dishes, right the dishes!” She exclaimed. I facehooved.
“Oh well, then some other time then? It’s just that I’m kind of new to Ponyville and I don’t have very many friends and I thought…” Blossomforth started to say. Flitter smiled.
“Definitely some other time, but Cloudchaser is definitely free!” My sister replied. Blossomforth’s eyes lit up.
“Great! I’ll pick up around… eight-ish?” She said. I nodded casually. “Great. It’ll be like a girl’s night out. I’ll see you then!” The white mare smiled brightly and trotted off, leaving me and my sister alone. I turned on Flitter and poked her in the side.
“Hey! Ouch, what was that for?” She said.
“Dishes?! Really? You’ve got to do the dishes? I can hardly get you to touch any house chores, and here you are saying you want to do the dishes?!” I shouted angrily. Flitter smiled weakly at me.
“I thought maybe you might appreciate getting to know her better without me there. You know, scope out the competition? Besides, you don’t know her all that well. She might not even be interested in him still,” She said.
“Interested in who?” A very familiar voice from behind us said. I turned about, seeing Thunderlane standing there. I froze for a moment, wondering how much he had heard if anything.
“Oh uhm, nopony. Flitter’s just talking about some guy she’s going out on a date with is all,” I said quickly.
“Oh. Gotcha. Who’s the lucky stallion?” Thunderlane replied, grinning.
“Winter Storm. He’s on the Weather Team as well,” Flitter replied. “We have a date this Saturday.”
“Ah, I know him. I mean, I’ve met him. Seemed like a nice guy,” The grey stallion said. “Listen, umm… Chase? Can I talk to you for a second?” I gulped. He wants to talk to… to… to me? I thought, freezing in place at the question. I managed a nod and a wave to Flitter. My sister winked at me and started on her way. I stared after her, watching her go. I didn’t even feel Thunderlane’s hoof poking me in the side until about the third or fourth time. I glared at him.
“You alright?” He asked. I nodded again, remaining silent. “I ah… I wanted to ask you something.”
“I… I’m fine. What did you need?” I said.
“Well, I saw you talking to Blossomforth earlier…” He started to say before I cut him off.
“I just was trying to introduce myself and make friends with her, that’s all. I didn’t know you two used to… you know,” I said, turning away. Thunderlane’s ears drooped.
“Oh, so you heard about that?” He said. I nodded. “Right, well… I’m glad you two are getting along. Just friends though right?” He looked a bit nervous. I cocked my head at this. What was he talking about?
“Right… we’re just friends. What’s gotten into you?” I said.
“Oh, nothing nothing. Just forget I said anything. That actually wasn’t what I wanted to ask you, I just saw her and you know… it just sort of came up,” He said. “I was actually wondering if you wanted to hang out some time with Rumble and me. I’m sort of supposed to take him to this amusement park Saturday and wanted to know if you wanted to come. I mean, if we’re going to give this whole friend thing a shot, we have to actually get to know each other.” My heart leaped out of my chest. He was asking me to go somewhere with him? Granted, it was with him and his adorably cute little brother, but still! I felt a jab of pain in my chest at the whole ‘friend’ remark, but I knew it was only because of our deal. There was nothing saying I couldn’t try to advance that friendship to something more.
“S-S-sure. Sounds like fun,” I said. Thunderlane grinned.
“Great! I’ll see you later then,” He said, flying off to join his little brother. He carefully helped the colt onto his back and took off. I watched as the two flew off, smiling. I skipped along home, feeling like I was on top of the world. It wasn’t a date at all, but it was a chance to hang out with him. My mind drifted as I trotted along, thinking about what Thunderlane had said about Blossomforth. Was he still interested in her? If so, why would he care if I was talking to her? Granted, Blossomforth hadn’t told me anything I didn’t already know about the grey pegasus, and there seemed to be something he was still hiding from me. I couldn’t place a hoof on it at all. Maybe he was scared Blossom was telling me his secrets? It was true they had been close. I sighed as I opened the door to my house and stepped in. Flitter was sitting on the couch, reading a book. I didn’t get two steps into the doorway before she was upon me.
“So… how’d it go?” She said happily. I shrugged and smiled.
“He um… wants to hang out with me this Saturday at some amusement park with him and his little brother. So I guess I’m going to miss your date after all,” I said. Flitter squealed with delight.
“He asked you out?! Oh that’s awesome Sis!” She said, flitting about me ecstatically.
“It’s just us hanging out Flitter. It’s not a date. Having the kid around kind of negates that,” I reminded her. “At the very least I can get to know him a bit better.” I looked up to the clock, noticing it was nearing seven thirty. Blossomforth would be arriving in a half hour for our little girl’s night out, and I was feeling distinctly sweaty and unkempt from the day’s training. “Flits, I’m gonna go shower up and get myself clean. If Blossomforth shows up, just have her wait for me alright?” I said trying to change the subject. My sister nodded, her ears-down glare indicating that I was going to be more thoroughly interrogated in the near future. I did my best to ignore that look and trotted upstairs.
I stepped into the roaring shower, letting the questions and worries about Blossomforth roll off me with the sweat and dirt of the days exertions. As my body relaxed into the pounding spray, my mind drifted to the upcoming theme park ‘date’ with Thunderlane. I smiled, wondering if he’d maybe be nice and buy me popcorn or ride the theme park rides with me. Even with Rumble present, I was pretty sure it was going to be a good time. Besides, maybe if Rumble liked me it might help my chances. I sighed, turning off the shower and stepping out into the steamy bathroom. Grabbing a towel with my teeth, I stripped the water from my coat. Once I was reasonably dry, I turned my attention to preening my wings and brushing out my mane and tail. A few moments later I looked myself over in the mirror. I felt… good. It was definitely a lot cleaner than I’d been in a long while.
As I trotted back downstairs, I heard voices coming from the living room. I peeked in, seeing Blossomforth sitting on the couch talking with Flitter. Both mares smiled at me as I came around the corner, Blossomforth ruffling her wings as she jumped off the couch.
“Oh hey Cloudchaser. I was just getting to talk to your sister while I was waiting for you,” She said, smiling. I smiled back and Flitter gave me a very weird look. I shrugged it off and waved.
“Hey. You ready to get going?” I asked. Blossomforth nodded and walked up to me, admiring my mane.
“Sure. Wow, hey you look really nice by the way,” She said, trotting past me towards the door.
“Oh. Thanks?” I said, looking back at Flitter. Her expression was… urgent. She started waving her hoof at me and mouthing something. I couldn’t quite make out what it was. I waved back at her and moved to follow Blossomforth. The white mare was waiting patiently outside of my house.
“So, I hope you don’t mind, but we’re eating a little fancier than normal tonight,” She said. I cocked my head at her. “Pokey Pierce has a new restaurant he just opened up. It sounds so delicious.”
“S-Sure,” I said, trying to process what was happening. Eating out at a fancy restaurant for a girl’s night out? I thought we’d just go down to like SugarCube Corner or someplace like that, I thought. Something wasn’t adding up. I followed Blossomforth down the main road of Ponyville. The wind had picked up into a light breeze, and I ruffled my wing feathers at the cold.
“You cold?” Blossom asked.
“Um… just a little I guess. Wind is a bit cold and I just took a shower…” I replied. Blossomforth shifted and trotted beside me, extending one of her wings over my back.
“There, that should help,” She said calmly. My eyes widened at this action. What was she doing? Wasn’t that only something for --- Oh. Oh…. Oh no no no no, I thought. All at once my mind began to race with everything that had occurred up until now. Thunderlane’s reaction to my talking with Blossomforth. The compliment. Flitter’s expression and her urgent message. The fancy restaurant. This… this wing she had laid over my back.
I’m on a date, I thought, my face flushing red as I turned away from Blossom so she wouldn’t see it. So stupid! All this time she… she wasn’t interested in him at all. She was… she was interested in me?!
“Cloudchaser?” A voice from beside me broke me out of my thoughts. I looked over at Blossomforth. She smiled and removed her wing from my back.
“Y-Y-Yes?” I asked shakily.
“We’re here,” She said, motioning ahead of us. I looked forward, noticing we had indeed arrived at the establishment of Horsia’s, a restaurant that appeared to be quite high class. We entered the polished wood doors and stood in the lobby. The host at the counter, a very distinguished looking unicorn stallion, looked up, smiling.
“Good evening ladies, how may I help you this evening?” He said, his thick accent indicating that he was from Prance.
“I have a table for two. It’s under Blossomforth,” My unexpected date said. The host looked down at his book and nodded.
“Mmmm, nyes... This way, ladies,” He said, whisking two menus out and trotting elegantly into the main room. We followed the host through the crowded restaurant and I did everything in my power to keep from bolting out in a panic. Instead, I followed the white mare as we were led to a private booth in the back of the restaurant. The host seated us and advised that our waiter would be along shortly.
“I hope you don’t mind the accommodations,” Blossomforth said, looking over her menu. “It was all they had at the time.”
“R-R-Right,” I replied. Blossomforth looked up at me and smiled.
“Are you alright Cloudchaser? You still cold?” She said. I shook my head, looking away from her and out at the crowded restaurant.
“Blossom?” I asked, turning back to the white mare. She looked at me expectantly. “Are we… are we on an actual date-date?” There. I said it. I just need to know, please just tell me, I thought. Blossom’s expression changed from one of happiness to one of confusion.
“Why would you think that Cloudchaser?” She said sweetly. I swallowed hard.
“B-B-Because of all of this. This fancy place, you putting your… your wing over my back,” I choked out. Blossomforth chuckled.
“I was hoping that maybe if I was really really nice to you, you would sit back and let me have Thunderlane all to myself,” She said, sighing. My eyes widened. What, I thought. “Sorry if you thought I was a fillyfooler though. I guess the wing thing was a bit overboard.”
“What.” I said flatly, beginning to feel anger seeping into my eyes as I stared down the white mare.
“What, you think I didn’t notice how you looked at him? It’s pretty obvious to everypony. Well, almost everypony. That stallion wouldn’t know a mare that’s interested in him if she bit him. Though, come to think of it...” Blossomforth trailed off.
“So you… you asked me to come out with you to tell me all of this?” I said. Blossomforth shook her head.
“No, I asked you to come out to try and be your friend, Cloudchaser. But, seeing that you figured out my nice plan, I guess that won’t be necessary,” She said politely. “You see, as Rainbow Dash would say, here’s the scoop: I still love him, and I’m not going to let some scrubby little underpowered excuse for a pegasus take him away from me.” Her voice was calm and collected. She wasn’t even acting angry about this!
“But didn’t you break up with him when you moved here?” I asked, clearly confused now. Blossomforth sighed.
“No. He broke up with me. It’s not like I wanted to, but he didn’t think a long distance relationship would work out. But I got him here now, and we can go back to the way things used to be,” She said. I started to speak but was interrupted by the voice of the waiter, who was there to take our drink order. I glared at Blossom as I ordered water for myself. She returned my glare. The waiter trotted off, leaving us in our hostile silence.
“Why? Why try to be nice to me then?” I asked, breaking the moment.
“Because, I can see that he genuinely likes you. He would not stop talking about you all weekend,” She replied. My heart leapt up into my chest. He did?! I thought. “So I figured that when he and I get back together, you and I would have to be friends.”
“You say that as if you’re certain that he won’t pick me instead,” I said angrily. Blossomforth coughed.
“Please. I’m a much better looking mare by far,” She said. “Plus, I am the better flier miss six point three wing power.”
“We’ll see about that,” I said, gritting my teeth angrily at her.
“Oh? Is that a challenge then?” Blossomforth said, grinning. I nodded.
“Sure is. I’m going to beat your wing power score and then show him how good I am,” I said. The white mare laughed, beating her hoof against the table.
“That’s really funny,” She said between laughs. “You really think you’re going to beat me?”
“I don’t think Blossom, I know it,” I said. “Now if you’ll excuse me. I think we’re done here.” I stood up, storming away from the table and out of the restaurant. I’m sure I turned some heads as I stormed out of the restaurant, but I didn’t care.
If she wanted a challenge, she was going to get one.
**********************
The sharp whistle blew in my ears, sounding the call for me to take off from the starting line. Two days had passed since my confrontation with Blossomforth. When I had showed up the next day at training, she acted like nothing had ever happened between us at Horsia’s. Even Flitter still couldn’t believe what had transpired. My belated understanding of her warnings was correct, however. She had assumed that Blossomforth was trying to come on to me by taking me out to a nice dinner and all. However, as the days passed I noticed that Blossomforth’s attitude toward me had taken on a bit of a sinister spin to it. When she wasn’t off giggling with her girlfriends and cooing over Thunderlane, who seemed to be completely oblivious to everything going on, she was making snide remarks about my flying.
I sped around the track, thinking of only one thing as I came to a rest at the finish line. The past two days had been the most grueling training I’d ever done in my entire life, and I wasn’t about to stop there. While somepony else was busy giggling with her friends, I was doing wing-ups and strength exercises. As I watched Twilight’s speed test device count up the wing power, I silently hoped that it had all been worth it.
“Seven point zero!” Twilight said happily. “Much better than yesterday Cloudchaser. Well done.” I breathed a sigh of relief. Seven point zero in just two days wasn’t bad, right? I hoped that I could keep up this kind of pace though. At this rate, I was going to crash hard at some point. I nodded and moved away from the track, letting the next in line have their chance to test their wing power. A snort from behind me drew my attention.
“Nice try Cloudchaser, but let me show you how it’s done,” Blossomforth said. Her friends giggled as the white mare stepped up to the line. The whistle blew and she took off with a flash. I groaned when Twilight called out her results of “Eight Point Five!” Blossomforth shot me a rather smug look as I trotted off, nearly running into another pegasus. Apologizing profusely, I hurried away, not letting any other pony see the tears that had begun to form there. I found a shady spot near a tree away from the field and began to cry. Why am I even bothering? I thought, feeling my warm tears drip down my face. It’s not like it’s going to matter. He said it himself… friends, right? So why am I so hung up on him? Why can’t I stop… stop thinking about him?
“Cloudchaser…?” A soft voice from behind me murmured. I ruffled my wings and turned back for a moment, seeing the cyan form of Rainbow Dash. She had a concerned look on her face.
“G-Go away Rainbow Dash,” I stuttered. “Just give me a minute and I’ll be back out there.”
“No, I think you’re done for the day,” Dash replied softly. “You’ve been pushing yourself pretty hard the past two days. I mean, when was the last time you actually took a break?”
“I’m fine. It’s nothing I can’t handle,” I said defiantly. Dash sighed and shook her head.
“Listen, I don’t know much about all this sappy mushy love stuff, but I’ve known Rarity long enough to know how to spot it a mile away,” She said, sitting down next to me under the tree. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“I… I…” I started to say. To be honest, I was a bit surprised. This wasn’t a side of Rainbow that I was accustomed to.
“Look, I know I come off all big and tough sometimes, and I know that’s intimidating, but you can talk to me if you need to. After all, what good would the Element of Loyalty be if she wasn’t loyal to everypony she considered a friend?” Dash said. I turned away for a moment and sighed. Several moments of silence passed between us.
“I think… I think you’re right. I’m gonna go home and lay down,” I said, moving to get up. Rainbow’s hoof shot up and stopped me before I could go anywhere.
“Cloudchaser. I meant what I said. If you need to talk, just let me know alright? I can’t promise you any answers, but I can at least be an open ear,” The cyan mare said. I nodded wordlessly and turned away from her touch, launching myself into the open sky.
I made it home feeling drained and tired. The amount of training I had been pushing myself through compounded by the attitude of Blossomforth had just left me numb and grey. Immediately I crawled upstairs and into my bed. It felt… safe. I thought about what Rainbow Dash had said, and realized I probably owed her at least some explanation about what was going on with Blossomforth and me. I’d barely spoken to Thunderlane the past two days, and I wasn’t even sure where he stood on all of this. Did he know about Blossomforth and her attempt to make friends with me just to ensure that I would sit idly by while she got him? I sighed weakly as I hugged my pillow, thinking about everything that had been going on since I met the dark grey pegasus.
I cried so much that I didn’t even hear the door open to my room. The only thing I felt was Flitter’s hooves rubbing along my side. Slowly but surely, my tears began to subside.
“I heard what happened,” She said softly. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“Stupid,” I replied. “I’m so stupid. He’s not going to want me over her. Did you see how easy she made it look Flits? I’ve been working nonstop for two days and she’s barely lifted a wing!” Flitter smiled weakly at me.
“You’re not stupid Cloudchaser. You’re not. Blossom’s just mean,” She said. “You still have that little date with Thunderlane to look forward to this weekend right? Maybe you can talk to him about all of this then.” My eyes widened, considering the prospect of telling Thunderlane about what Blossom was doing.
“I… I don’t know. I mean, they were friends and all, and I don’t want to…” I said. “I don’t want him to think I’m being petty over this.”
“Chase, look at what she’s doing to you! There’s nothing petty about it. She lied to you to try to get you to be friends with her just so she could steal him away! I think he deserves to know about it,” Flitter said firmly. I sighed and nodded.
“Alright, alright. I’ll talk to him about it. But what about this wing power stuff? How am I going to do this Flitter? It’s only been two days and I feel like my wings are just going to fall off,” I said. My sister grinned.
“We’re just going to have to get your head back into the game, and get training!” She said excitedly. “Now I have just the thing to get your mind off of old grumpy Blossomforth.”
“What’s that? A two-by-four to knock me out with?” I deadpanned. Flitter giggled.
“No silly, ice cream!” She cried out, grabbing me by the hoof and practically dragging me down the stairs to our kitchen. She sat me down and plopped a bowl in front of me, heaping it with gobs of chocolate ice cream. I giggled as she sat down at the table across from me.
“Thanks Flitter. You always know how to cheer me up,” I said, taking a lick of the cool dessert. Flitter smiled in return.
“Anytime Sis. Anytime,” She said as she began to work on her own bowl of ice cream. We sat there for what felt like hours, talking about little things and gorging ourselves delicious ice cream. As I gazed up at the clock, a light snore drew my gaze to my sister. She had nearly fallen asleep in her final bowl. It was late, but I felt a little better about my current situation. Talking with Flitter all evening had really helped reinforce my decision to see this thing through to the very end.
Hearing my sister mumble in her sleep, I decided it was time for bed. Moving the bowls to the sink, and heaving my sister onto my back, I slowly made my way upstairs. I carefully deposited Flitter onto her own bed before climbing into mine. As I closed my eyes, I thought about the upcoming weekend and my chances with Thunderlane.
**************************
The rest of the week went by in a flash. Blossomforth spent the rest of week giving me the evil eye and didn’t talk to me at all. I didn’t mind. I was too busy training with Flitter and Rainbow Dash to care. The day after my little encounter with Blossom, I had gone straight to Rainbow Dash and asked if she wouldn’t mind giving me a few pointers, to learn from the best so to speak. Dash was enthusiastic about it, but I could tell even her mind was on other things. Mostly, it was Fluttershy. It had been several days since anypony had even seen the timid pegasus. I could tell that her absence was wearing heavily on Rainbow, being that she was one of Fluttershy’s closest friends. However, even distracted, Dash’s skills and experience told, and by the end of the week I was making eight point five wing power! I was so excited that in celebration Flitter and I went out to dinner at Horsia’s on our own that Friday.
I awoke slowly as my vision focused on the clock. I hadn’t set the alarm clock the evening prior because it was a Saturday, and we usually slept in. My ears cocked, hearing a sharp rapping sound downstairs. Wha…? I thought as I got up, feeling very groggy and light-headed from our late night’s festivities. I glanced over at Flitter, who merely rolled over in her bed. The sharp rapping sound continued as I trotted down the stairs.
“I’m comin, I’m comin,” I shouted out as I opened the door, coming face to face with the stallion who had made his way into my daily thoughts. Thunderlane held up a hoof, smiling.
“Umm… hey?” He said. My eyes widened as I realized how terrible I must look, with bed mane and bent feathers, unshowered and half asleep. So I did what came the most natural to me at the time. I slammed the door in his face. It was a kneejerk reaction, sure. I could hear Thunderlane’s confused cry from outside.
“Just give me a second. I need to clean up,” I cried as I ran back upstairs. Trying to brush your mane is never an easy or quick task for those of us without cheaty unicorn magic. In my haste, I somehow ended up losing where the brush went off to. I made my way back downstairs and opened the door once more. Thunderlane smiled.
“Hey,” I said.
“Hey to you too,” He replied, before giving me a funny look. “Trying out a new look there Chase?”
“Huh?” I asked, confused by what he meant. The grey stallion stepped up next to me and reached in with his mouth. Oh, what is he doing? Oh Celestia! I thought as he reached behind my neck and yanked something away. I looked up sheepishly at the brush held in his teeth. He spat it out into his hooves and grinned.
“I think you somehow got this stuck,” He said. I sighed, taking the brush and tossing it behind my back into the house. I’d let Flitter handle it when she got up. I closed the door quickly and smiled.
“Sorry,” I said. “I guess was in a bit of a hurry.” Thunderlane laughed.
“It’s alright. Come on, we’d be better get going. Rumble’s been waiting for us,” He said. Sure enough, the ecstatic and adorably cute colt was waiting on the side of the street, buzzing about with his cute little wings. His eyes lit up when he saw us.
“Oh, you’re that girl Thunder – mmph mmmph!” Rumble started to say before Thunderlane’s hoof silenced him.
“Rumble… you remember Cloudchaser don’t you?” The older stallion said with an air of authority. Rumble quieted down and simply nodded.
“Hey there Rumble. You ready to have some fun today?” I said, nuzzling the little colt on the cheek. His expression turned to one of disgust.
“Eww, girl cooties,” He said, sticking his tongue out. I chuckled.
“Someday kid you might not think that’s so bad,” I said jokingly as we trotted along the street for a bit and then took to the sky. The Pony Land Amusement Park was located outside of Ponyville, and was about a half hour flight from the small town. The park itself was situated on the side of the Canter Mountains, and contained just about every ride imaginable. Rumble’s eyes were aglow as we landed at the front gate of the park. As we made our way to the ticket counter, I started to pull out my bits to pay for my entry. Thunderlane put a hoof in front of me as I went to hand them to pony at the counter.
“Hold on, I can get it. I did ask you to join me after all didn’t I?” He said calmly. I felt the heat rising in my cheeks as I stared away.
“Oh… O-Okay…” I said softly as he dropped the bits on the counter. The ticket counter pony handed us our tickets and we entered the park. Thunderlane turned to his little brother, who was clearly excited to be here.
“Alright Rumble, now you need to stay close to Miss Cloudchaser and me, you got it little bro?” He said. Rumble nodded ecstatically. “Great. Since you’re the guest of honor, whattya wanna do first?”
“The rollercoaster!” Rumble exploded, almost as if he’d been waiting for Thunderlane to ask that very question. He pointed up ahead at the far end of the park where an ominous structure loomed over the entire park. I could hear the screams from the massive rollercoaster from here at the entrance.
“Are… are you sure that’s safe?” I said shakily. While going fast and going high is part and parcel of being a pegasus, there’s just something about being strapped into a car doing those things that sort of terrifies me. Mostly the being strapped in part. Thunderlane chuckled.
“Oh come on Chase, its fine. You’re not chicken are ya?” He said, patting me on the shoulder with his forehoof. I glared at him.
“Nopony calls me a chicken and gets away with it,” I replied. The stallion’s eyes lit up.
“Oh? Well I think I know how to call a chicken. Clouuuudchaser… Here Chase Chase Chase!” The grey pegasus crowed before rolling over in a fit of laughter. I growled. That jerk! That’s not very funny at all! I thought angrily.
“Alright hot shot. You’re on, let’s do this thing,” I said. Thunderlane grinned.
“Last one to the line has to sit in the middle!” He shouted, galloping off with Rumble on his heels. I stomped in anger and galloped after them. Moments later I found myself standing in line, being danced around by Rumble who was gleefully shouting ‘Cloudchaser’s in the middle! Cloudchaser’s in the middle!’ as Thunderlane grinned widely at me.
“What’s so funny?” I asked him. He shrugged and continued to grin.
“You are sometimes. You get so… I dunno uptight I guess over little things. It’s kind of funny is all,” He said.
“Excuse me? You’re the one who called me a chicken, and then ran away while making chicken noises,” I replied. The stallion sighed.
“And that’s just all in good fun Chase. You gotta relax some time,” He said. My expression hardened. He scowled and continued. “Alright, look. I’m sorry for calling you a chicken. If it really bothers you, I won’t do it again.” I blinked. He… apologized? I was confused at this turn of events.
“Fine…” I said finally, pushing a smile onto my face. “Sorry, this whole week has just been…” I trailed off, looking ahead of us. The line seemed to go on forever. Apparently this was the most popular attraction in the entire park.
“Tell me about it. Blossomforth’s been nagging me to hang out with her all week,” He said, sighing. My ears perked up at this. Did he sound… unhappy about that? I couldn’t tell. I decided to chance it.
“Umm… is that a bad thing? I thought you two were friends,” I said cautiously.
“Yeah, we are but I mean I made plans with you and all and there was no way I was going to ditch my little bro here,” He replied. Wait… what? I thought.
“What do you mean?” I asked. Thunderlane shrugged.
“I dunno, she asked me to go to lunch with her today and I told her no. You’d swear she thinks we’re still dating or something,” He said. The line moved forward a few inches, relatively speaking that is. There were still ponies stretched farther than the eye could see, both in front and behind us in the line.
“And… you’re not…?” I said nervously. Thunderlane blushed.
“No, no… not at all. I mean, she’s nice and all, but it was never going to work out,” The grey stallion said. Rumble groaned below us.
“When is the line going to move?” He said, stomping his feet angrily. “I wanna get on the ride!” I giggled.
“You’ve got to be patient little guy. Everypony will get their turn on it, just wait alright?” I said, smiling. While not clearly satisfied with my answer, Rumble nodded and calmed down at least. I looked back up to see Thunderlane smiling at me.
“You know, he really likes you,” He said.
“Who? Rumble?” I asked. Thunderlane nodded.
“Yeah, he said you were pretty,” He replied over the cries of his little brother shouting ‘I did not!’. I blushed, feeling the heat rising in my cheeks.
“Well, he’s a very cute little colt, that’s for sure,” I said. “Your parents must be so proud of both of you.” I realized the moment I had blurted out that last part that I had said something wrong. Thunderlane turned his head away for a moment, going silent. “Hey… what’s wrong? Was it something I said?”
“It’s… it’s nothing. Don’t worry about it. Look, the line is moving,” He said, his voice dull and flat. We stepped forward, inching our way closer to the rollercoaster. I felt pretty bad. Obviously, it had been the mention of his parents that set him off, but why? Not to mention, he had stopped talking in general, only smiling occasionally as Rumble chattered away at everything he saw. Even after getting off the rollercoaster, which was as hair raising and terrifying as I thought it would be, he didn’t talk much. We took a short break while Rumble went and played on a few kiddie rides. I decided to prod a bit and find out what was wrong.
“Lane?” I said cautiously, drawing his gaze. “I… I’m really sorry. I didn’t ---“ He held up a hoof, cutting me off.
“It’s alright. I said not to worry about it. It’s just bad memories is all,” He said. “I don’t want to get Rumble upset.” My ears drooped.
“Oh,” I replied, not really sure what to say next. “I… I just wanted to… If you need somepony to talk to, I’d be willing to listen.” Thunderlane stared at me for a moment, and then smiled.
“I… I think that would be okay,” He said, placing a hoof on my shoulder. I felt myself blushing, overreacting to the simple physical contact. “You know, you really are kind of cool Chase. Thanks.” I smiled.
“Anytime,” I said. “Can I… Can I ask you something?” He cocked his head.
“Yeah, sure. What’s up?” He asked. I sighed. Here goes nothing, I thought. I started to confess, to tell him everything that had happened with Blossomforth. At least, that’s what I’d like to think I was going to do. What I actually said was…
“Are you gonna eat that?” I said, pointing at the bag of popcorn he had picked up. The stallion, albeit confused, simply smiled and handed the bag over. As I popped a few into my mouth, my mind raged at my mouth. Stupid! Just tell him already! The voice in the back of my mind said. I shoved the voice back. I can’t! I just can’t do it!
Rumble returned shortly thereafter and we headed over to another set of rides in the park. The rest of the time was spent laughing and talking about training and work. To be truthful, it was really really nice. It almost felt like… well, a date. At the end of the day, we began filing our way out of the amusement park to head back to Ponyville. Rumble declared that he wished to be flown home by me this time. I guess in the end the little guy really did warm up to me, despite his fear of girl cooties. Thunderlane smiled and allowed the colt to ride on my back.
I grinned and flapped my wings hard, following behind Rumble’s older brother as we sped towards home. We arrived back in town as the sun was going down. Luna’s moon arose high in the sky within minutes, bringing with it all the wonders of the evening. As we trotted along, I felt rather happy and slightly confused by the day’s events. All I could think of was the stallion’s response to the comment about his parents. I sighed, deciding that I would have let him be the one to bring that up, no matter how how curious I was. I also thought about what the pegasus had said about Blossomforth. Maybe there was some sort of fate shining down on me, and I would have a chance.
Moments later we arrived at my house. I gently transferred the sleepy Rumble to Thunderlane’s back, and he smiled at me as I moved to open my door.
“Chase?” He said. I turned back to him.
“Yeah?” I asked.
“I had a good time today. Thanks for coming with. We should totally do this again sometime,” He said.
“I… I’d like that,” I said, pushing open the door and stepping inside. The lights were all off, and I could hear the faint sound of crying from upstairs. My eyes widened.
“Flitter?” I called out, turning from a trot into a full gallop as I raced up the staircase. I opened the door to our bedroom, finding my sister curled up in bed. She was sobbing into her pillow.
“Flits?” I said softly. “What’s wrong?” She looked up at me with puffy red eyes. I could tell that she had been crying for some time. Her mane was disheveled and tear stains littered her pillow.
“I’m so stupid…” She said quietly. I sat down next to her, laying a hoof on her shoulder.
“No, you’re not. Now tell me what’s wrong right now,” I said. A nagging feeling in the back of my mind told me I already knew the answer to this.
“My… my date with Winter. It was going so well and then… then he thought… oh Cloudchaser I should have seen it coming,” She managed to choke out through her continued sobs.
“What happened with him?” I asked coldly. I swore silently to myself I would find the snowy stallion and have words with him if he did anything to harm my sister. Flitter rested her head on the pillow, looking up at me.
“He… he said that he had heard that I was… you know… easy,” She said, her cheeks flushing red with embarrassment. “Chase, he only wanted to go out with me to… you know.” I growled.
“That jerk. Flitter, you can do better than that guy. You’re not stupid, not at all. Stallions are just jerks,” I said, trying to do my best to cheer my sister up. I pulled her into a hug and we stayed like that for what felt like hours. Eventually Flitter had calmed down enough to tell me more about her date. It had apparently started off quite well. Winter Storm had been the perfect gentlecolt, even bringing her flowers for their night out. Things had gone well until the end of the night, when Winter had popped his question. I sighed.
I wondered where the rumor had come from. Even when we were first setting our hooves in the dating pool growing up, Flitter had been a modest, almost chaste pony. Even when she did date, she wasn’t a party animal like some of our peers. I reminded myself that I would need to have a little chat with the stallion, but at that moment Flitter was all that really mattered.
As sleep welcomed us, Flitter had begun to feel a little bit better. I could still hear sniffles coming from her bed as she fell asleep, and I really couldn’t blame her. Stallions were jerks; there was just no two ways about it. I began to let my mind drift off into the day’s events with Thunderlane. At points, he seemed to be genuinely caring and very nice to be around. At others he was cocky, aggravating, and even… brooding. All of it left me feeling very confused. I began to really wonder how strong my feelings ran for him. Certainly he was a good friend, but would he be something more? And does he even feel the same way? I thought about what Spitfire had said, how I should seize the opportunity and try to find love. What if she was wrong? What if I was just setting myself up to be hurt, just like Flitter had? I was conflicted, and I couldn’t sleep because of it.
I trudged down the stairs silently and headed into the kitchen. Finding nothing appealing in the refrigerator, I sat down in the living room, staring out the window into the night sky. Luna’s moon was high above now, shining its beauty all across Equestria. I smiled as I looked up at the brilliant panorama that the Princess of the Night had created for us. It gave me pause as I wondered how any pony could ever have disliked such a thing. I silently gave my thanks to the Lunar Maiden for the wondrous night. Lost in my thoughts, I almost didn’t hear the knock at the door.
I turned about and walked into the hallway. Another knock came at the door. I looked up at the clock. It was nearly one o’ clock in the morning. Who could that be at this hour? I thought. I trotted to the doorway and opened it up. Standing on the other side was a very bedraggled looking and obviously sleep deprived snow white pegasus. Winter Storm looked nearly as bad as Flitter had. His mane was in horrific shape and his coat was dirty and unkempt. I glared hard at him as he fiddled with his hooves in front of me.
“You’ve got a lot of nerve coming here,” I said coldly. “Give me one reason why I shouldn’t buck this door right through your face.”
“I… I can’t. I just… I wanted to tell her…” He said nervously, trying to fight through his words. “I wanted to say I was sorry.”
“You’re sorry? Really, well that makes it all better than doesn’t it?” I said angrily. The snowy stallion looked at me sheepishly.
“It does?” He asked quietly. I snarled.
“No!” I shouted. “No it doesn’t make it all better. You were a complete jerk to my sister.”
“I know, and I realize that… I just… please, I need to talk to her. I’ve been flying around all night thinking about what I… what I did,” Winter said.
“After what you did, I’d be really careful of whether my sister ever wanted to see your face ever again, you jerk!” I said. Winter nodded weakly.
“And she shouldn’t. I was… I was out of line, and I shouldn’t have…” He said trailing off. “I just wanted to apologize to her. Then if she never wants to see me again, so be it.” I sighed.
“Cloudchaser?” I heard Flitter’s voice from behind me. Oh great, I must have woken her up, I thought. “What’s going on?”
“Go on back to bed sweetie, I’m taking care of this,” I said without looking back at her. Flitter let out a soft gasp when she saw who was at the door.
“W-W-Winter? What are you doing here?” She asked. I cut off the stallion before he could answer.
“He was just leaving,” I said. Flitter sighed.
“No…” She said softly. “I want to hear what he has to say.” I looked back at her.
“Are… are you sure?” I said. Flitter nodded and Winter let out a sigh of relief. I glared at him. “Alright. Come in.” The snowy stallion stepped inside and we moved to the living room. Flitter looked at me nervously.
“Can… can we be alone for a little bit?” She said to me. I looked at Winter Storm, who fidgeted nervously with his forehooves.
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll be in the kitchen if you need anything alright?” I nuzzled my sister’s neck and trotted into the kitchen... well… mostly into the kitchen. I made sure I was close enough to the living room to hear the two. I wasn’t about to totally let this jerk be alone with my sister where I couldn’t be there in a pinch to save her. As I listened, I heard Flitter begin to speak.
“Talk,” She said curtly. I could feel the tension emanating from the living room all over the house.
“I… I just… I wanted to say how sorry I was for… well, you know,” I could hear Winter begin to say. Flitter snorted.
“You’re sorry? Do you have any idea how embarrassing that was? You practically came out and asked me if I slept around!” She shouted at him, quite loudly. Loud enough that I don’t even think I needed to be this close to hear her.
“I know… And I know that it was wrong for me to ask you that…” The stallion started to say.
“Do you know how long I spent tonight crying my eyes out over you? Huh? Do you?” Flitter said angrily. “And here you are, and all you have to say is sorry? Where did you even get such an idea?!”
“I… I heard something about it from Blossomforth. I’m so stupid for thinking that you would… I don’t even know why I thought that you would be like that alright?” Winter replied, sounding very frustrated. “I just… I wanted to apologize. I’ll leave now.” Blossomforth?, I thought angrily. Why in the world would she be making things up about Flitter? Especially nasty rumors like that? I heard the shuffling of hooves from the living room. My thoughts were interrupted as I realized I might be caught.
“Wait,” Flitter’s voice cut across the silence like a knife through butter. Winter’s hooves stopped. “Blossomforth? And you actually believed her? She’s got some nerve, making gossip about me.” I heard a sigh come from the stallion.
“I don’t know. I thought maybe... I really like you Flitter and I don’t know what came over me. You’re very pretty and… I just really wanted to be with you,” He said. “It was a stupid idea, and I let my hormones get the better of me.” A moment’s silence occurred between the two ponies.
“You… you really like me?” Flitter finally said.
“I… I do, yeah. You’re really nice, and I feel horrible about what I did. If you could find it in your heart to forgive me I –“ He started to say before he was interrupted by a shuffle of hooves that ended in him mumbling through something. I dared a peak, keeping as quiet as I could. She was kissing him! I pulled out of the room before I could be seen as Flitter pulled her mouth away from the snowy stallion.
“I really like you too, Winter. I… I forgive you. As stupid as you are for listening to what Blossomforth said, I forgive you,” She said quietly. “Would you like to start over?”
“I… Sure,” Winter said.
“Good. You can take me to dinner tomorrow to make up for it,” She said, her voice bright and sweet. “And no talk about that until at least the third or fourth date.” I heard the stallion sputter at this. I almost burst into laughter myself.
“Wha --?” Winter Storm started to say. Flitter chuckled.
“Cool it, stud. I was making a joke. Let’s just put it on the backburner alright? Take it slow?” She said.
“A-Alright. Flitter, what about your sister? She sounded really mad at me,” He said. I sighed, deciding it was time to reveal myself. I stepped into the living room, smiling.
“Let’s just say that if you ever do hurt my sister, we’ll be having words,” I said, causing the already white stallion’s face to turn even whiter. Flitter frowned.
“Were you eavesdropping?” She said. I nodded.
“Sorry…” I said, sighing. I turned to Winter Storm. “I’m sorry I yelled at you.”
“It’s okay… I probably would have yelled at me too,” He said, chuckling nervously. “I’m sorry for everything, and for keeping you two up all night over this.”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. I couldn’t sleep anyways. Other things on my mind, you know,” I said. Winter Storm nodded.
“I uh… I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then Flitter? Does seven o’ clock sound alright?” He asked. Flitter nodded.
“That will be fine,” She responded. Winter trotted to the door and opened it, leaving with a wave of his hoof. Flitter stepped up beside me and poked me in the side.
“Ouch!” I cried out. “What was that for?”
“For eavesdropping, remember?” She said. I grinned.
“Hey, I always got your back Flits, just remember that,” I said. Flitter nodded and grabbed me into a hug. I smiled and leaned back into her embrace. Blossomforth could wait, right now only Flitter mattered.
“I know you do Sis, and thank you,” She said.
***************************
Monday morning came in a rush. Flitter’s start-over date with Winter went far better than she had ever expected. The stallion lived up to his promise and was the epitome of a gentlecolt. I was happy for my sister; she deserved a guy who could be there for her, even if he was a little dumb some times. I was still very concerned about the fact that Blossomforth had been spreading rumors about her, but I had managed to convince my sister not to find the white pegasus and tear her limb from limb.
The journey down to the park was a silent one. I was wondering what Rainbow Dash had in store for us this last week before the tornado. Flitter appeared to have Winter on the brain, judging from the goofy grin that kept showing up on her face. I silently reminded myself of my challenge to Blossomforth. Since my encounter with Thunderlane over the weekend and the revelation that she had talked badly about my sister, I found that I cared more than ever about beating her to win over him. I needed to show Blossomforth I wasn’t a pushover. To show myself that I could do this.
Rainbow Dash waved as we trotted into the park. The rest of Ponyville’s pegasi had slowly begun filtering into the training area. I caught sight of Blossomforth, the white mare surrounded by her giggling girlfriends. She locked eyes with me for a moment, giving me a wink. I snarled silently, wondering what lies she was spinning to everypony next. There’s nothing you can do right now Cloudchaser, I thought. You just have to be strong, and beat her without stooping to her level. I turned away and flew over to Dash, who was getting everypony lined up for their morning wing power tests. I had yet to see Thunderlane yet and was wondering where he had run off to.
“Oh hey Cloudchaser, how you feeling this morning?” Dash said casually. I smiled.
“Feeling right as… well rain I guess,” I said, giggling. “Hey, you seen Thunderlane this morning?”
“Hmm… Nope. Can’t say that I have,” She replied, looking over at Twilight. “Twi? You seen Thunderlane yet?” Twilight looked up for a moment and then back to her checklist.
“Let’s see,” She said, murmuring under her breath. “No, he hasn’t checked in. I’m sure he’s just late.”
“Thanks guys,” I said as flew back to join Flitter in line. She had quickly located Winter and was hanging around him. I smiled and waved as I landed next to the two pegasi. Quickly and quietly, each Ponyville pegasus stepped up onto the track and sped off, getting their wing power results recorded by Twilight and Spike. I grimaced when Blossomforth did her own test, getting a nine point zero wing power. My name was called shortly after and I shot off like a rocket. I thought about everything that had led up to this point, and used all of it to strengthen my resolve. As I surged past the speed tester, I felt better and more determined than ever. I can do this, I thought. No, scratch that. I will do this. Even if he wasn’t around to see it happen, I would make it happen anyways.
“Nine point zero!”
-----------
Next Time!
Cloudchaser continues her quest to be the best! Will she be able to step it up before tornado day approaches? Will Blossomforth continue being the Queen Meanie? Will we ever learn anything about the mysterious Thunderlane? Find out next time on “Flying Through the Storm: Chapter 4: Stepping Up”
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Th-Th-Th-That’s all folks! <- Classic!
Good chapter by the way, can't wait til they divluge into Thunderlane's past; about his parents or any other conditions he has and also about his brother- Rumble.
1208755
Thanks!! Yep, I can't wait to get into that myself.
Great job man i knew i wouldn't be disappointed by your work
Cant wait for more!!!!
LOVE IT! i would love to see this fan fic featured on EQD. I'm sure it would of course. Please bring another installment soon! i've probably commented on every chapter so far but I love the story. YOu're so lucky to have an awesome story. I posted a 1st chapter of a fan fic i made and i haven't had any reads...
oh well. KEEP WRITING!!!!
A good chapter, bringing in some conflict as well. Just wondering though, how does everypony know about Cloudchaser's feelings for Thunderlane? I thought it was pretty okay with Flitter and all, but not so much with Spitfire (who she didn't talk to much) and Rainbow Dash.
Love having more of Rumble in there. He's one of the best foals, even though he only got one speaking line in the show. Made Blossomforth seem very evil. She needs to chill, maybe do some squats with Roid Rage (who I now am sure isn't Winter Storm) or something.
And as for EQD, you should if you feel it can pass their standards. Even if it doesn't, they'll tell you why not, so you can make it even better!
If I ever were Cloudchaser, I'd do the following things:
1. Empty my glass over Blossom's head in the restaurant.
2. Punch Winter in the face before closing the door.
3. Obliterate Blossom during the nearest training session.
And there I was thinking I wasn't hotheaded. Then again, siblings have a special place in my heart. A link thicker than water, with the only person you can trully trust, rely on and look up to.
As for EQD, give it a shot, but I do advise to send it to a grammar nazi friend for inspection. There are tiny errors here and there of grammar and punctuation nature, and the pre-readers are picky as hay when reading. The rule goes that more than 5 or so errors totally gives you a strike. They want pristine works, quality writing, not interesting plots or genius character development.
Carry on!
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Well. I have a regular editor who is quite excellent (Wire is a great editor no lies) and so he goes over every chapter for brushies before it even gets posted.
The news is that I kind of sort of already pulled the trigger and submitted it. So wish me luck!
Thank you for the great comments and whatnot.
The character development is strong in this one. I love it! dl.dropbox.com/u/31471793/FiMFiction/emoticons/misc_Lyra2.png
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Thanks!!!
Awesome scoots chicken ref!! am I the only one who noticed that?
I absolutely love how you portray Cloudchaser, especially in regards to Flitter, such a sweet, caring sister! Can't wait to see more! This is excellent!
Wish it was possible to give more than a simple thumbs up and a favourite to show my appreciation for an incredible story. Oh well,
.
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Aww.. thank you!
I've been neglecting this lately. I'm currently working on the rewrites of chapters 1 - 3, chapter 4 is finished and ready for edits, and so is chapter 5. So at some point, expect stuff to happen... but atm I'm also working on the largest, most ambitious chapter of my FOE story + a crossover... soo yeah.
1812945 No worries. Take your time and make this AWESOME!!! Better to wait for best thean to rush and settle for less.
I assume Cloudchaser makes it. Considering she, Thunderlane, and Snowflake make it into Wonderbolt Academy.
Moar
Please
Pretty Please
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Yes. More will be coming at some point. Hopefully soon!
2049265 Makes me happy.
Like the chicken scootaloo reference. Other than that...
