Chapter 6: Topsy-Turvy Tornado Day!
Flying Through the Storm
Chapter 6: Topsy-Turvy Tornado Day!
*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP*
My eyes flew awake and I grinned widely. I looked over at the clock. It was flashing 6:00 AM. Time to get up and face the big day, I thought as I clicked the alarm off. Today was the day every pegasi in Ponyville had been waiting for. Today was Tornado Day.
The past two days had been a complete reversal of my entire life. I was officially dating Thunderlane! Despite what had happened with Blossomforth during our date, the stallion was more than willing to go the distance and accept me as his marefriend. I was just so happy!
I got out of bed and pushed on my sister to stir her from her loud snoring. It took me several minutes but she finally got up, grumbling about her beauty sleep. I giggled as we made the trek downstairs. After a quick bowl of warm oatmeal, we began our journey to Highland Reservoir. The air outside was crisp and cool as we flew along, finally arriving at the large reservoir that had been chosen to funnel the rainwater to Cloudsdale. The Ponyville pegasi were all in attendance, waiting patiently for Rainbow Dash to get things started. Spitfire held herself off to the side, next to Twilight's giant machine that would record the wind power. The Wonderbolts captain smiled beneath her sunglasses at the gathered pegasi.
I scanned the crowd for Thunderlane, but it seemed that he hadn't arrived yet. I blinked when I saw Rumble making his way through the throng of pegasi. He flapped his little wings as hard as he could, stopping in front of me. He breathed hard, looking up at me.
“Hey, little guy, where's the fire?” I said. Before the smaller pegasus could answer, Rainbow Dash called out to the assembled ponies.
“Alright, Ponyville,” Dash shouted. “Are we ready to do this?!” The pegasi roared back in affirmation. I looked down at Rumble, smiling as the noise died down.
“Now then,” I said. “What in the world is going on?”
“It's Thunderlane, Cloudchaser,” Rumble said. “He's --” A voice cut across the clearing, cutting off the younger pegasus.
“Rumble, where's your lazy brother?!” Rainbow Dash called out. Rumble's eyes widened, glancing back at the chromatic mare.
“He's got the feather flu. He's down at Ponyville hospital,” Rumble replied. I gasped.
“He's what?” I said. “Is he alright?” I heard Spike in the background, saying that he wasn't the only one that was out. I glanced around the clearing, scanning for a certain white mare. Blossomforth was nowhere to be seen either. Of course she would, I thought. I narrowed my eyes at the smaller pegasus next to me.
“He's... alright, just coughing a lot,” Rumble said. “He told me to tell you that he was sorry he couldn't be here for the tornado.”
“I have to go see him,” I said, turning to Flitter. “Cover for me would you? I need to get going.”
“Umm... you can't,” Flitter said. “Haven't you been listening to what's going on?” I shook my head. I had stopped paying attention to anything else beyond wanting to see Thunderlane and make sure that Blossomforth didn't have any ulterior motives for not being here either. Flitter groaned. “We're down eight pegasi with the feather flu. If you leave now, we might not have enough of us to get the water up to Cloudsdale!” I blinked, and sighed. She was right, of course. I couldn't just leave to let Cloudsdale not get the water they needed to provide rain. It was my duty as a weather pony. In the back of my mind, a tingling sensation told me I had a duty to Thunderlane as well. But that would have to wait. Tornado now, Thunderlane... later.
I glanced upwards. Rainbow Dash had flown above the crowd and was speaking again.
“Okay, everypony! Let's give it all we got! On the sound of the horn, we take off!” The chromatic mare yelled. I grimaced, slapping my flight goggles onto my face. I looked over at Flitter, who had done the same. Winter Storm stood beside her, ready to go as well. I watched in anticipation as Spike moved over to the large horn that would start the event. The little dragon took a deep breath in and exhaled as hard as he could. The horn sounded off, and I flapped my wings, taking to the sky amidst the other pegasi.
The joints of my wings began to burn as I pushed myself forward, the wind all around us howling and roaring. I flapped harder and harder, the air around me beginning to form into the tornado that we were trying our best to create. My flight goggles fogged up slightly as they adjusted to the change in pressure. Drops of water flowed upward past me and I grinned widely. We were doing it! We were getting the water to come up! This was going to work! I couldn't wait to see Thunderlane, to tell them how awesome we were.
Then everything went to pot, so to speak. The water in the center of the funnel began to wobble, droplets falling back to the ground below. I grunted, my wings feeling quite tired under the stress of prolonged flight. The tornado was breaking up. We weren't going to make it. Finally the funnel broke completely and I went spinning towards the ground. I hit with a grunt of pain, my head spinning from the impact.
“What... what happened?” I said. “Anypony get the number of that bus?”
“We didn't have enough wing power to generate a strong enough tornado,” another pony near me said. I groaned, rubbing my wings and stretching them out. There was no way I was going to be able to keep this up. Even I had my limits. I scanned the crowd for where Rainbow Dash had landed. She was next to Twilight, talking. The lavender unicorn had a concerned look on her face as she was trying to convince Dash to not continue forward.
“No! One more time! I gotta know we gave it our all!” Rainbow Dash cried out. “If I'm going down, I'm going down flying! C'mon, ponies, let's make this happen!” I grinned, flexing my aching wings. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew that Thunderlane was cheering me on. My thoughts drifted to the stallion, hoping that he was okay beyond the bout of feather flu. I knew however, that he would want me to give my best, to do all I could to make this happen. The pegasi around me must have been feeling the same, for they roared to answer Rainbow's call, taking to the sky once more. I beat my wings once, lifting into the air beside them.
I flapped hard, falling into line again to begin forming the tornado. I pushed forward, the changes in air pressure warping the air around me. The funnel formed out of that pressure, bringing us ever closer to the breaking point. The water in the center of the funnel wobbled violently, the tornado threatening to throw us out at any moment. This was it. We weren't even going to get the water out of Ponyville, let alone all the way to Cloudsdale. If this attempt went badly, then we were finished. There wouldn't be a third try.
Then something happened I never could have expected. A yellow and pink blur zipped by me, nearly knocking me out of the wind tunnel. I shook my head, trying to focus on what it was. I heard somepony near me shout “What was that?”
“I think it's Fluttershy!” Another pony said. Fluttershy?! I thought, putting another surge into my wings. I had to keep going. If Fluttershy could put her all into this, I was going to do the same. The water in the center of the wind funnel began to flow upward once more, looking more cohesive every second that we flew. I grinned widely, the spray of the water and the rush of wind blasting my goggles as the column of liquid shot out of the funnel like a cannon. The Ponyville pegasi let out a collective cheer as the tornado began to disperse naturally. I hit the ground right next to Flitter, who was smiling brightly.
“We did it!” Flitter said. I glanced up at the sky, noticing Fluttershy. She was still flying around in circles. Rainbow Dash zipped up and stopped her with a cloud, bringing her back down to earth. Fluttershy looked shaken, but happy. Flitter smiled.
“Great job, Fluttershy, that was awesome!” She said. I nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, we couldn't have done it with out you,” I said. Fluttershy beamed at the compliment. Rainbow Dash looked even happier as Spitfire appeared next to her.
“Nice work, Rainbow Dash,” the Wonderbolt said. “You might not have set a new record, but you showed a lot of guts.”
“Thanks, but if you wanna talk guts, then you've gotta give it to my number on flier... Fluttershy!” Dash replied, pointing at the yellow mare. “Let's hear it for Fluttershy!!” The group roared loudly for the shy mare as they lifted her up above the crowd. I smiled and cheered myself, until a tap at my shoulder shook me out of my reverie. I turned my head, seeing Spitfire.
“Good to see you, Cloudchaser,” she said. I nodded, noticing Flitter standing off to the side.
“Captain Spitfire,” I said. Spitfire chuckled.
“Just Spitfire is fine,” the fiery maned mare replied. She pulled out a pair of sunglasses and put them on. “That was some good flying out there. I'm impressed.”
“Thanks,” I said. “But really, we wouldn't have gotten there without Fluttershy. She really made it happen.”
“She did indeed, but I was watching more than just her,” Spitfire said, adjusting her sunglasses. “I was watching you, and I was impressed. If you ever think you want to try more than just being a weather pony, then give us a call.” She removed a card from her flight suit, hoofing it over to me. I scanned it quickly. It was a card for the Wonderbolts Academy.
“You mean...?” I said. Spitfire chuckled.
“Yeah, I mean it. You've got guts, Cloudchaser,” she said. “Now, I've gotta get back to Cloudsdale. Got a lot of paperwork to get done. You think about it, and apply if you think you're ready.” I nodded as the orange mare zipped away into the air. I looked at Flitter, squealing.
“Oh Celestia, Flitter. Did you hear that?!” I shouted. “The Wonderbolts Academy!” Flitter grinned.
“That's great, sweetie, but aren't you forgetting something?” She said. I hopped up and down in place, happy as can be.
“Oh yeah... bed. I'm beat,” I said, the strain of the intense flying starting to catch up with me. I was tired, really tired. It was to be expected after what we'd done. “In fact... I think I'll just take a nap... right here.” I flopped over, closing my eyes happily and sighing.
******************************************
My eyes fluttered open. I felt warm. I glanced around, realizing I was in my own bed. I sighed. What a morning, I thought. I looked out the window, noticing that it was dark outside. I groaned. Had I really been out all day long? I pushed myself out of my bed, stretching my legs. I figured I'd walk downstairs and see if I could find out what everypony was up to. I started forward before I realized I'd forgotten somepony important. Thunderlane! He was still in the hospital!
I shot down the stairs in a flash. There was nopony around at all. I had thought maybe at least Flitter would have been home.
“Hello?” I called out. “Anypony there?” No answer. I shrugged. Maybe she went out with Winter to celebrate, I thought, heading over to the door. I pushed it open and stepped out into the street. Dark, ominous clouds formed overhead as I made my way into town. It was strange. I couldn't see anypony else around. Usually even at this hour there were ponies heading home or out to eat. But there was just... nothing.
I trotted down into the main square. Wind blew old papers and cans by, but there were no other signs of life. Where did everypony go? I thought. I grimaced, glancing up and seeing the Ponyville Hospital off in the distance. Thunderlane! He's gotta still be at the hospital, right? I thought. I started walking towards the structure, my eyes shifting back and forth as I looked for somepony, anypony to talk to. After about what felt like an hour of walking, I looked back up at the hospital. It was still pretty far away.
“What the...?” I said aloud. “But the hospital isn't that far out there.” I shook my head. Maybe I had taken a bigger tumble than I'd thought. I kept going, finally reaching the doors of the hospital in what felt like mere seconds. I blinked, and I was in the lobby. There was nopony in the waiting room, nopony at the receptionist's desk. The halls were just... dark. I trotted down one of them, somehow instinctively knowing exactly where I was heading. A patient's door sat in front of me. The name Thunderlane was emblazoned on the chart next to the door.
I pushed open the door. The room was bare except for a patient's bed in the center of the room. A faceless grey stallion was laying on his side on it. I stepped inside, closing the door behind me.
“Thunderlane?” I called out. No response. “Lane... this isn't funny. You had better tell me what's going on or I'll -”
“Or you'll what?” A soft smooth voice said from behind me. I wheeled about, seeing Blossomforth standing there. “You'll cry and run home to mommy?”
“Blossomforth! This is your doing, isn't it?” I said angrily. “What's going on here?” Blossomforth tittered, flapping her wings and landing next to the stallion in the bed.
“Please... I couldn't do any of this by myself,” she said. “Are you so thick to realize that this is just a dream?” I blinked and then facehoofed. Of course. She was right, of course.
“So if this is a dream, why in the world am I dreaming about you?” I said. “I mean... that's kind of weird.”
“You're dreaming about me because you're not sure what to do about me,” Blossomforth said.
“And Thunderlane?” I said. The mare nodded gently.
“You love him, right?” She asked. I looked away for a second, feeling the blush heat my cheeks but I nodded all the same.
“Y-Yeah. I do,” I said. Blossomforth chuckled.
“And yet, here you are... just sitting here sleeping while I could be doing Celestia knows what to him,” she said. My eyes widened. She was right. I never got over to see Thunderlane at the hospital!! I had to get there, and make sure that he was safe!
“How do I wake up?!” I asked frantically. Blossomforth's chuckle turned into a full on laugh. She placed a hoof on my shoulder.
“Oh, Cloudchaser... so adorable,” she said. Her voice suddenly changed, somewhat resembling Flitter's voice. “Now wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up....”
************************************
“Wake up!” Flitter's voice cut through the dream as my eyes shot open. My sister was sitting on the bed next to me, prodding me gently. I groaned.
“Flitter? What time is it?” I said, my head pounding. I had a major headache. “Where am I?”
“You're home,” she said. “You alright? You kind of passed out back there.” I nodded.
“Yeah... a glass of water and an aspirin wouldn't hurt though,” I said, rubbing my forehead. Flitter nodded, handing me a glass filled with pure cool and awesome water. I downed in one gulp and took the aspirin, sighing. I was already starting to feel a little bit better.
“Feeling better?” Flitter said.
“Much,” I said. “How long was I out?”
“Just a few hours. You must have really stressed yourself over the tornado,” my sister replied. “Winter and I had to carry you home.”
“Great,” I said. My mind drifted back to the events of the dream. I had to decide what to do about Blossomforth? I grimaced. “Well, I think I'll be alright.” I slid off of the bed, grinning.
“Good. Because you got a visitor downstairs waiting for you. Rumble came with us,” Flitter said. I nodded, my thoughts turning to the colt's brother and where he was at. “Don't you have somewhere to be?” She winked twice. I blinked.
“Oh that's right, I was going to go see Thunderlane,” I said. “Stupid passing out.” Flitter rolled her eyes.
“There's a problem though,” my sister said. I raised an eyebrow. “When we were carrying you back, we saw a certain somepony headed towards the hospital.”
“Blossomforth,” I said angrily. “What is she playing at?”
“I don't know, but what are you waiting for?” Flitter said. “Go get Thunderlane, you goof!” I nodded, heading downstairs to look for Rumble. He was waiting in the living room next to Winter Storm. I trotted over to the two.
“Rumble,” I said. “Let's go see your brother, alright?” The colt nodded excitedly as he buzzed his little wings.
“Follow me!” He squeaked, trotting away. I kept pace with him, making our way to Ponyville Hospital, which was all the way on the other side of the town. My mind couldn't keep off of what Flitter had said. Blossomforth was headed to the hospital? Why wasn't she at the tornado day this morning? What was she trying to do to Thunderlane? Too many questions filled my mind, as well as the events of my impromptu dream. Before we knew it, we were at the hospital. The receptionist was extremely nice, pointing us down the hall and up the stairs where the stallion's room was. Rumble and I stalked down the hallway.
I knocked on the door to Thunderlane's room, not getting any response. I sighed.
“Thunderlane?” I said, pushing open the door. My eyes widened at the scene I was witnessing. Blossomforth hovered over next to the stallion's bed. Thunderlane lay in his bed, sleeping soundly. The white mare's head whipped around, placing a hoof to her mouth and making a 'shhh' sound. She looked like she'd been crying. I roared in the back of my mind. The white mare made her way over to the door and followed me into the hall. Rumble made his way down to the waiting room, giving the two of us a little privacy.
“What are you doing here, Blossomforth?” I said coldly. Blossomforth turned her head to one side.
“I... I couldn't do it,” she said. “I wanted to, but I couldn't.”
“Couldn't do what?” I asked. Blossomforth sighed as she hung her head.
“I... I wanted to hurt him,” she said. “I wanted to make sure that if he couldn't be mine... that he couldn't be yours either.” My mind raged. WHAT?! I thought angrily. Blossomforth held up a hoof, stopping me from yelling at her. “But I couldn't do it. I... I'm sorry, Cloudchaser. I got here... and I was ready to just... to just do it... and something stopped me. I started thinking about everything, and about you and me. I never meant to take it as far as I did.”
“What are you saying?” I said, glaring at the mare curiously. Blossomforth tried to smile.
“I'm saying, I'm sorry. For everything,” she said. “I've had a lot of time to think about it, and I was so horrible to you. Thunderlane doesn't deserve a mare like me.” I sighed. I had come to an impasse, it seemed. I wasn't certain if Blossomforth was just trying to play me or not, but her words certainly sounded sincere. The events of the dream played out in my mind. The dream 'Blossomforth' said I hadn't figured out what to do about her yet. But I think that I knew what I needed to do. I decided to chance it. The only way that things would be better between us was if I made the first move. I lifted a hoof and grabbed the mare, pulling her into a hug. I think I surprised her, because she let out a little squeak when my hoof touched her. I held her there for several moments.
“It's okay,” I said. “It's okay. Everything's just fine, alright. I forgive you.”
“J-J-Just like that?” Blossomforth said. “But... but... I was so horrible... to you and your sister.”
“Just like that,” I said. “It's alright.” I knew that she was being sincere. Blossomforth was shaking and sobbing against me. I stroked the white pegasi's mane, trying to calm her down. “Blossomforth?”
“What?” The mare said, choking out the words. I smiled.
“Thank you for deciding to do the right thing,” I said. “Are you going to be alright?” Blossomforth hesitated, and then nodded. “Good. Tell you what. Thunderlane's asleep still. Let's go get a bite to eat. To be honest, I'm famished.”
“I... I'd like that,” Blossomforth said. I motioned for her to follow me. We made our way back to the waiting room where Rumble waited patiently.
“Rumble?” I said. The colt looked up. “We're gonna get some food. Are you hungry?” The colt shook his head.
“I should be here for when big brother wakes up,” he said. I chuckled softly.
“You sure? He looks like he's going to be out for a while,” I replied. Rumble nodded. “Alright, well I'll tell you what, we'll bring you back something.”
“Okay...” Rumble said. We left the colt sitting there. I knew that he'd be alright waiting for his brother. It was admirable really, the amount of devotion that the colt showed. I smiled at Blossomforth, and with that we left the hospital.
***********************************
“Feeling better?” I asked. Blossomforth sat across from me at the cafe, digging into her salad with a fervor I'd never seen before. The mare chanced a smile, and I gave her one in return.
“Yeah... I'm alright. Thank you again for the meal,” she said. I waved a hoof.
“Oh, it was nothing,” I said. “You looked like you needed to get out of there.”
“About that... I'm sorry again,” Blossomforth replied. “You... You didn't have to do that. Not after what I've done to you.”
“Blossom... I told you. I forgive you. It's water under the bridge,” I said. I smiled. “You're not bad, Blossom.”
“I... Thank you,” she said. “You're far too kind for somepony like me.” I chuckled.
“Just... you know... chill out a little. Although, you are probably going to need to apologize to Flitter,” I said, putting a hoof to my chin. “I'm not sure how she's going to take this.”
“I want to apologize, I really do. I just... I thought a lot about what happened this past week. I never meant to hurt you, Cloudchaser,” Blossomforth said. I smiled, forking in another mouthful of salad.
“Hah, I already told you, you silly filly. Stop apologizing to me. We're cool,” I said. I flagged down the waiter, asking for an order of hay fries to go for a certain pegasus colt. I thought about it for a moment, figuring that hospital food must suck, so I ordered another for Thunderlane. We paid our respective bills and made our way out of the cafe. I bid goodbye to the white mare, telling her to meet me at my house later so we could talk to Flitter. I trotted along happily. Things were looking up! Blossomforth was being nice, and I had a stallion to see!
The receptionist was quite kind again, pointing out that Rumble had migrated from the waiting room over to Thunderlane's room. I nodded, making my way over to the stallion's room. I knocked softly, hearing somepony inside call to come in. I pushed the door open, seeing Rumble sitting on a chair next to Thunderlane's bed. My coltfriend was sitting up, a smile on his face as he saw me.
“Chase!” He said. “Where've you been? Rumble said there was a bit of excitement up at the tornado day.” I chuckled, leveraging off the cartons of hay fries onto the table.
“Yeah... you'd never believe it, but Fluttershy saved the day,” I said.
“Fluttershy? Really?” Thunderlane asked, graciously accepting the carton. He began to munch on the fries. “Man... I tell you, this is so much better than the hospital food.”
“Well, yeah. Hospital food is kind of bad,” I said, rolling my eyes. “Rumble? Would you mind maybe giving me and your brother a little time alone? I need to talk to him about something.” The colt nodded, taking his own carton of fries out of the room. I turned my head back to Thunderlane. “So... feather flu, huh? You contagious?”
“Not now, no,” Thunderlane said. “At least by what the doctor said.” I grinned, reaching in and giving the stallion a peck on the cheek. He blushed a little.
“Good,” I said. “There's... something else I needed to discuss with you. While you were sleeping... I ran into Blossomforth.” Thunderlane's eyes widened.
“What? What happened? Is everything alright?” He said. I lifted a hoof as he tried to push up off of the bed, stopping him.
“Hold it, lover boy. Everything's just fine. In fact... she actually apologized to me,” I said. “It was... strange.”
“She apologized? What do you mean?” Thunderlane replied. I grinned.
“Yeah... she said she was sorry for everything. I... I believe her too. We went out to eat, and talked about some things,” I said. “I think everything's gonna be just fine.”
“I... Wow. She really said she was sorry,” Thunderlane said. “Was... not expecting that.” I chuckled.
“So... when you think you're going to get out of here? You still owe me dinner, remember?” I said, prodding the stallion.
“Tomorrow maybe? Do you maybe want to do lunch instead?” He said. I nodded.
“Sure. That'd be fine,” I said. “Just... I dunno... come around the house at noon?”
“Alright,” Thunderlane said. “Noon it is then.” I reached in close, hugging the stallion.
“I'll let you get some sleep then. You want me to take Rumble with me? He can't stay here all by himself,” I said. Thunderlane put a hoof to his chin.
“Sure. He can stay over. I'm sure he'd enjoy that. He really likes your sister, you know,” he said. I nodded, standing up from his bed. I trotted to the door and opened it, letting the colt know what was going on. Rumble was more than happy to come stay with us for the night. We said good night to the receptionist and started on our way back to my house. When we arrived, a certain white mare was waiting there for us. She smiled as we appeared.
“Cloudchaser!” Blossomforth said. I lifted a hoof.
“Hi,” I said. “You... might want to come in after me, alright? Give Flitter a little time to cool off first.” The white mare nodded, looking apprehensive.
“You sure about this?” She said. I grinned.
“Of course I'm sure,” I said. “You'll be fine.” I trotted up to the door, pushing it open and stepping inside. “Flitter? You home?”
“In the kitchen!” I heard my sister call out. I sighed, motioning for Rumble to head into the living room. Blossomforth came in behind me silently. Flitter appeared in the hallway, her joyous expression immediately turning to anger.
“You,” she said venomously. Her wings flared out. I lifted a hoof to stop my sister.
“Wait, Flitter, she --” I started to say as my sister launched into the air behind me and landed on the white mare. Blossomforth squeaked loudly as Flitter tackled her to the ground. She lifted her hooves in front of her face, blubbering beneath my sister's weight. I groaned, reaching out with my mouth and grabbing Flitter by one of her wings. She yelped and fell off of the other pegasus, glaring at me. Rumble leaped out of the way, buzzing his little wings to land in the living room.
“What'd you do that for? It's Blossomforth, remember?!” She said angrily. I pointed at the mare in question.
“And you're scaring her,” I said. Blossomforth was curled up, tears forming in her eyes. Flitter's eyes widened.
“Oh Celestia, I'm so sorry,” she said, trotting over next to the frightened mare. Blossomforth nodded mutely as Flitter helped her up.
“Flitter... Blossom's come to apologize,” I said. I motioned to Blossomforth to back me up.
“Y-Y-Yeah... I... I'm sorry,” the white mare said softly. Flitter's eyes immediately turned from angry to compassion. I smiled.
“Oh,” she said. “I... It's okay then. I'm sorry too. I should have thought before I... you know,” she said.
“Pounced on me?” Blossomforth asked. Flitter nodded, giggling a little. Blossomforth joined her, laughing as I rolled my eyes.
“Fillies,” I said. “Alright, look. I've gotta get to bed. I'm tired as all get out, and I've got a date tomorrow.” Blossom looked up at me, her laughing stopping.
“With... with Thunderlane?” She said. I nodded.
“That's... not going to be a problem, right?” I countered. The white mare sat there for a few moments and then finally shook her head.
“No. I don't think I really truly loved him, anyways. I think I just wanted him because you did. I... I saw the way he looked at you that night. When you were on your first date... he's yours,” Blossomforth said. I smiled softly as she started to tear up a bit. I grabbed her, pulling her close into a hug.
“Hey now... stop it with the waterworks already. One of these days, you're gonna find yourself some stallion or even some mare, and everything's going to work out fine,” I said. “Trust me.”
“I... Okay. You're right,” Blossomforth said. “I... I'm gonna get going then.”
“Would you mind some company? It's kind of getting dark out,” Flitter said. “I could walk you home, if you'd like. Think of it as 'I owe you for not getting so freaked out for when I nearly creamed you in the face'.”
“I'd like that...” Blossomforth said softly. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” Flitter said, turning her attention to Rumble. The colt was standing in the living room, frozen in place. “Now, you go right up to bed alright, Rumble? I'll be home soon to tuck you in, but let Cloudchaser get her sleep alright? She gets a little grumpy if you wake her up.”
“I do not!” I argued. Flitter rolled her eyes.
“See what I mean?” She said. Rumble nodded slowly. I facehoofed.
“Is everything alright, Missus Flitter?” The colt said. Flitter chuckled loudly.
“Kiddo, I think everything is more than alright,” she said. “Come on, Blossom. Let's get you home.” The white mare nodded as the two left. Rumble started up the stairs and I followed after him. The colt stepped into the spare room and plopped onto the bed. I stayed and watched him for a few moments. I was going to leave but the colt called out to me.
“Cloudchaser?” He said. I poked my head back into the room.
“Yes, Rumble?” I asked.
“Are you gonna be like my new mom?” The tiny colt said. I couldn't help it, I laughed. I trotted into the room, sitting down on the bed next to him.
“No... I don't think it's anything like that, kiddo. But I can be your sister, if that's what you want,” I said. “So can Flitter. You know that.”
“I... I do,” he said.
“Listen... Rumble... Thunderlane told me about... well, you know who,” I said. Rumble looked away for a few moments.
“I don't hate them,” he said softly. Almost too soft, I could barely hear him.
“I'm sorry?” I said. “What was that?”
“I said, I don't hate them,” the colt replied. “My parents. I don't hate them. I just... I miss them.”
“Well... I know I'm not your mom, Rumble. But I'll make you a promise,” I said. “And it'll be the best promise in the world, and you know why?”
“Why?” Rumble said, looking up at me.
“Because it's a Pinkie Promise. And believe me when I say, nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise,” I said. “So... cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” I remembered to close my eye on the last motion. “I promise that I will always, always be there for you. No matter what. If you need somepony to talk to, or somepony to help you out. I'll be there. After all, what are sisters for?” Rumble sat there, silently processing this new information. The colt reached up and grabbed my foreleg in a hug. I stroked his mane and smiled.
“Thanks, sis,” he said.
“Any time, little bro,” I replied. “Now get to sleep, and don't let Flitter catch you up in the middle of the night. I can't do anything to protect you from her wrath.” I chuckled. The colt nodded and laid his head down on his bed. I yawned loudly. It was time for me to get to sleep myself. Trudging off to my own room, I fell over onto my bed and was out like a light bulb within moments.
****************************************
Warm sun filtered into my room as I opened my eyes. The beautiful morning shimmered, and I pulled myself out of bed. No time like the present! I thought as I glanced up at the alarm clock. Seven thirty. Seemed like a great time to get up. Flitter didn't seem to think so, as she was still slumbering soundly in her bed. I giggled softly. I tip-hoofed down the hall, peeking in on Rumble. The colt was also still quite asleep. I had full reign of the house for once!
I trotted down the stairs, humming to myself. Even though it had only been two weeks since all this crazy stuff had started, it felt like a great weight had been lifted off of my shoulders. Things were finally looking up.
I pranced around the kitchen, yanking out pots and pans, a song bubbling in my heart. I couldn't help it. I shook my hips back and forth, hearing the beating of the drums. I set a pot of water on the stove and spun about happily.
“Oh oh oh woke up today, feeling the way... I always do,” I belted out. I didn't care if I woke up Rumble or Flitter this morning. I was feeling way too good. “Oh oh oh, hungry for something that I can't eat... but then I feel that beat!” I shook and shimmied around the kitchen, popping a small bag of oats into the boiling water.
“The rhythm of town, starts calling me down... it's like message from Celestia!!!” I sang, grinning widely. “So oh oh oh pulling me out to the smiles and the roads that I love!” I pushed open the kitchen window, letting in the morning sun. Ponies were already milling about the streets, getting ready for early morning market. I was perhaps a little too cheerful when I waved at a few of them.
“Good morning, Ponyville! Apple pies on a windowsill... Every night is a fantasy... Every sound's like a symphony!!” I sang happily. I really couldn't help it. Today was going to be a great day. I had a date, and not only that, I didn't have to worry about anypony ruining it. It felt bad to think of it that way, but it was true. I was happy however that Blossomforth and I had made up, and was looking quite forward to becoming her friend.
I swung around, putting a little more hip into my action than I thought I had, slipping off of my hooves and spinning down to the kitchen floor with a loud *thud*. I laughed heavily as I picked myself back up. A thunder of hooves came rumbling down the stairs. Flitter appeared in the kitchen doorway, her eyes wide.
“What happened?” She said. I giggled.
“Sorry, Flits. I got a little carried away, but since you're up...” I pointed at the stove. Flitter sighed.
“Fine, I'll finish breakfast,” she said, hopping over to the pot. She turned down the heat and grabbed a large spoon, stirring the thick and hearty oats. The smell of cinnamon filled the air. Seconds later, a blue pegasus colt fluttered into the room. Rumble was drooling. I giggled some more.
“Something smells really good!” He said. I patted his head.
“Good things come to those who wait, little bro. Come on, let's let Auntie Flitter finish up while we hang out in the living room,” I said, glancing up at the clock. Still plenty of time to go before my date with Thunderlane. I sauntered out of the kitchen towards the living room after the blue colt. Flitter snarled at me as I left.
“But you're five seconds older than me!” She shouted. I chuckled. Yeah, life was looking way up. Now all I had to do was see Thunderlane later on, and everything would be totally awesome. I could even tell him about Spitfires – oh. I forgot to tell him about the Academy, I thought. Guess I'll have to tell him later. My thoughts were interrupted by Rumble, who zoomed past me. I grinned, running off to hang out.
**********************************
A knock came at the door. I glanced up from the couch. Rumble was upstairs, sleeping after a highly eventful game of hide and seek. I hadn't had that much fun in ages. I could get used to having a little brother. We had even gotten Flitter to join in, even though she hadn't wanted to at first.
“Come on in,” I called out. The door opened, and Thunderlane poked his head inside.
“Chase? You ready to go?” He said. I grinned, nodding.
“Sure thing,” I replied. We made our way out into the streets of Ponyville, heading towards the park. Thunderlane and I made small talk on the way. Ponyville's central park was fairly bare this afternoon. There were only a few ponies here and there. Thunderlane led me to the farthest part of the park. A picnic blanket lay on a hill nearby, a basket of food sitting in between two glasses of cider.
“Here we are,” Thunderlane said. “This is us.” I smiled softly, allowing the stallion to guide me to the blanket.
“This is... pretty amazing, Lane,” I said. “Do you always charm your dates like this?” Thunderlane chuckled, sitting down across from me. He offered me a glass of cider. I took a sip. It was cold and fizzy.
“Oh that's funny,” Thunderlane replied, rolling his eyes. “I just... I just wanted to make it a little special, that's all.” I rolled my eyes too, tagging the stallion on the shoulder with my forehoof.
“I'm just messing with you,” I said. “How are you feeling?”
“Better. Doing well,” the stallion said, taking a sip of his drink. “How's Rumble by the way? I didn't see him when I stopped in.”
“He's fine. I umm... sort of had a little talk with him last night,” I said, averting my eyes. “About... you know.”
“I... I see,” Thunderlane said. I nodded.
“He's a good colt, Lane. In fact, we made each other a promise. We're siblings now,” I said, smiling.
“Are you now? That's cool,” Thunderlane replied. “I... I can't thank you enough for taking care of him while I was sick.”
“No bigs!” I said, motioning with my hoof. “Seriously though. It's fine. It was a pleasure to have him.” Thunderlane nodded.
“I... I saw Blossomforth this morning,” he said. “She stopped by the hospital.” I raised an eyebrow at this.
“Oh?” I said. Thunderlane smiled softly.
“She wanted to apologize for everything. I don't know what happened to her, but it must have really turned her around,” he said. I chuckled nervously. I didn't have the heart to tell him that it was because she'd tried to hurt him.
“Yeah...” I said. “Well... I guess everything turned out okay then.” Thunderlane cocked his head at me.
“You alright, Chase?” He said. I sighed.
“Something happened after the Tornado Day,” I said. “Spitfire came up to me after we finished. Gave me a card for the Wonderbolts Academy.”
“The Academy?” Thunderlane said. “You mean... like for you to apply?” I nodded. Thunderlane's face lit up. “That's... that's awesome Chase! You should so totally go for it!”
“You really mean it?” I said. “I... I don't know. I don't know that I'd be able to do it.” Thunderlane rolled his eyes and edged closer to me.
“I think that... that you can do anything you set your heart too,” Thunderlane said. I blushed as he got closer.
“Then I think... I think I want to do this,” I said, reaching forward and pressing my lips to the stallion's own. His eyes widened and I felt his lips soften up to the contact. We held there for several long minutes, finally pulling away. I panted heavily, smiling. Thunderlane had a sharp grin on his face.
“I... I don't know how I know this, Lane... but I feel like... I feel like I've known you for forever,” I whispered. “I smile when I see you... I love being around you. You make me feel like I can do anything.” Thunderlane wrapped his wing around me, pulling me in close.
“I feel the same way,” he said. I rested my head against his neck, just letting myself hear his breathing.
“Lane?” I said.
“Yeah, Chase?” The stallion replied.
“I... I love you,” I said. I winced, waiting for it to go badly. This was only my second date after all! But somehow... I just knew. I knew that he was the one. I loved him. I wasn't going to deny it anymore. The silence was overbearing.
“Chase...” Thunderlane said. “I love you, too.” He reached down, pulling my chin up with a hoof as he kissed me once more. I'd never felt happier. Things were finally looking up for me. And those wings I cursed so much?
Well, they finally brought me happiness. I knew that no matter what, Thunderlane and I would face the world... together. The stallion that flew through the storm to save my life, saved my heart.
The End -
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Sequel at the Academy? I am so there. Not enough stories cover that period. Of course my head canon says Lightning didn't get thrown out, just reprimanded. Be interesting how you handle interpersonal polices of the Wonderbolts. Also I think Cloudchaser gets teamed up with Snowflake.
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Then let's see how Thunder feels about that.
This one felt a little bit rushed, no offence. The pacing was kinda fast.
Why do i sense a future disturbance in the Force?
Ah, there it is.
Lightning Dust? You have my attention.
Good story. Five outa five spikestaches.
