Seek the Horizon

by Thrawn1800

Stormclouds

The sun had already risen a good ways above the horizon when Nimbus flew towards Sweet Apple Acres. As he approached the farm, he saw that the raincloud had already begun to form. Its darkening, billowing folds were fed by the many pegasi flitting about, gathering smaller clouds from the surrounding skies and adding them to the growing mass. It grew ever darker and stormier with each new addition.

Nimbus quickly located and flew to the dark form of Thunderlane, who was hovering a ways above the cloud. He was directing two mares, nearly identical save for the styles of their manes. Twins, most likely. Sisters, at the very least. Thunderlane had sent them on their way, flying back down to the cloud as Nimbus arrived at his altitude.

“Hey there, Nimbus!” he said, waving. “Glad you made it! Any difficulty finding the place?”

“Nah,” said Nimbus. “It wasn’t hard to spot it from a distance, with the storm brewing over it.”

Thunderlane laughed. “Ready to get started?”

“Yep.” Nimbus looked down over the rolling cloud. “What do you need me to do?”

“We’re getting short on clouds. Could you gather some more water from the mill lake, over thataway-” He pointed to a small body of water, whose far-off waves glittered in the bright sun. “-and make it into some more for us?”

“Sure thing.”

Leaving the stormcloud behind him, Nimbus flew north until he was circling over the lake. The sunlight reflecting off of the water could blind him if he came in at the wrong angle. As fast as he was going to have to go, clipping something could send him straight into the water. After figuring out the best flight paths, he descended until he was just above the surface. He began passing over the water in long, sweeping arcs. Carefully angling his wings, he left a spray of mist in his wake. Pulling up and around in a quick turn, he passed over again, gathering the moisture and using it to start building a small cloud. It was hard work, and it taxed his wings with each sharp turn, but the cool water of the lake helped to soothe them.

As he was adding a fifth cloud to his growing collection, the same pair of pegasi he’d seen earlier flew up to him. Their manes, one long and wavy, the other shorter and fashionably spiked, were a bit mussed from the winds they must’ve been flying in around the storm.

“Hey there, Nimbus!” said the mare with a wavy mane. “I’m Cloudchaser, and this is Flitter!”

Flitter waved. Nimbus looked the two over again. They were so very alike, in coloration and bearing. He couldn’t help but ask.

“Sisters?”

Cloudchaser and Flitter giggled, each covering their mouth with a hoof.

“We get that all the time.” said Cloudchaser, smiling. “No, we’re not related.”

Nimbus chuckled. “You’re here for the clouds?” he asked, patting the top of one.

“Yep.” said Cloudchaser. “But we’re gonna need some more. Let’s get to it!”

And so they did. The two were marvelous fliers. Working in sync, they were able to quickly catch up to Nimbus. Once they had about two dozen good sized clouds, they were satisfied.

“This should be enough.” said Flitter. She grouped up a large number of clouds and began pushing them away, back towards the farm. The mare’s strength was very impressive. Cloudchaser quickly showed her own, taking another bunch of the clouds and following after. Nimbus had soon gathered his own set of clouds and, straining his wings at first, soon had them gliding towards the growing storm.

They worked hard to bring the much needed water to sky above the orchard. The erratic breezes stirred up by the passage of so many fliers tousled his mane and made some cloud detach from the main body of the storm. Gathering these up, he returned them to their place.

After about an hour of working on the stormcloud, he stopped to rest for a moment, pushing some strands of his mane out of his face. As he stood on the cloud, gently flexing his wings to try and relax them, he could feel the sheer weight of the thing. Despite hovering like a giant pile of cotton candy, it weighed more than several houses. Once he had the tension out of his wings, he took off again.

Before long, the immense rolling fields of clouds lay like a thick fleece blanket over the farm. Hovering some hundred feet above, Nimbus admired the beauty of their creation. Though not a particularly dynamic bit of weather, the gentle slopes of the budding storm had their own beauty. It wasn’t a very tall cloud, but since they were trying to water the farm, not destroy it - and one of the town’s major sources of food - that was probably a good thing.

Then, tilting and pulling in one wing, he made a slow spiral down until he was just under the cloud. Leveling off, he glided underneath it. Considering the storm from below, doing a final check for any thin patches that would be revealed by the sun, Nimbus recalled one of his father’s stories. The tallest storms he’d seen were unfathomably stronger than this one, and even the strongest and bravest pegasus alive would refuse to enter such titans. If only...

Coming out of his reverie, Nimbus flew up and around the cloud to join the group. The storm was already starting to create some gentle updrafts, so he kept his wings further closed than normal to keep himself from being pulled upward. As he joined the group, he smiled, returning a few hoof bumps. Thunderlane stood in front of the assembled pegasi, his usual grin on his face.

“Great job guys.” he said, gesturing around them with slight extensions of his wings. “Let’s set ’er off, then we’ll be done here.”

Starting from the center, the pegasi flew outward, occasionally stopping to prod at and, in some spots, jump on the dark grey clouds. Below, the faint pattering of rain on the ground grew louder and louder as the storm spread outward. When he reached the cloud’s edge, Nimbus stopped and perched on the wispy ledge, looking down at the ground. Because this was such a localized storm, the border between sun and shade was cast sharply over the countryside below.

Diving down over the edge of the cloud, Nimbus landed on the ground just beyond where the rain was falling. Looking back at the farm, he admired the storm. A shelf of grey clouds hovering two hundred feet above the ground. Pillars of rain would have seemed to hold it up if they didn’t shift and shimmer and sparkle as sunlight streamed in from the east.

Nimbus heard someone land next to him. Turning his gaze away from the rain, he saw that it was Flitter. She stretched out her legs and wings, and smiled at him. Then she looked up at the storm.

“You did great today,” she said, looking down at the ground then glancing up at him. She rubbed one foreleg on the front of the other. “Thanks for helping with the water. It made it a lot easier on me and ‘chaser.”

“No problem.” he said, smiling back. “Thanks for not leaving me to get all of it myself.”

“No problem.” Flitter glanced up at the sky, then looked back at him. “Hey, so… a few of us are gonna go grab some lunch. Did you maybe wanna come along?”

“I…”

Nimbus paused, thinking. He didn’t want to spend too much time in other ponies’s company, lest he let something slip. On the other hoof… he was getting really tired of being a loner. And he was hungry, after all.

“Sure. Sounds good.”

“Great!” Flitter pushed herself gently off the ground, wings fluttering to hold her aloft. “C’mon! We’ll catch up to them.”

She led Nimbus back to Ponyville, over the orchards and fields, and soon they were landing amongst one of the scattered groups of commercial buildings. Among the stores stood a restaurant that closely resembled a large brown barn. The big wooden sign that hung over the door declared it as the “Ponyville Tavern and Inn.”

Even outside, they could hear music playing and the muted murmur of a large crowd of ponies. Nimbus pulled the heavy wooden double doors open by their wrought iron handles, letting Flitter in before following. The murmur was instantly dialed up to a dull roar. Flitter told the headwaiter their party’s name, and she and Nimbus were let through and sent towards a large round table set back in one of the corners.

The rest of the weather team were seated around the table. Some had their noses buried in menus, others were talking and laughing boisterously. All of them had some sort of drink before them. Cloudchaser saw her friend approaching, and waved her over to an empty seat. Another chair was quickly found for Nimbus, who sat between Flitter and a stallion named Sightseer. A waiter brought them menus, then rushed over to another table as fast as walking permitted.

A while after the table’s food had been delivered, and they’d all gotten past their initial burst of ravenous eating, Nimbus found himself caught up in a conversation with Sightseer. Sightseer had recently gotten back from a trip to Saddle Arabia, and had been telling him and Flitter about the market town he’d visited on the edge of the desert.

“I’d’ve gone further, but me and my travelling companions were tired of flying.” he said.

“My mother said something similar, once.” Nimbus said idly, taking another bite of the enormous hayburger he’d gotten. When his mouth was empty again, he continued, affecting a slight accent. “‘You think you’ll never get tired of flying. It’s the absolute best way to travel. Then you have to fly a thousand miles in three days with barely any sleep, and you think your wings are going to fall off.’”

“Yikes.” said Flitter.

“Where was she going in such a hurry?” asked Sightseer.

“Oh, um…” Nimbus coughed, covering his mouth with a hoof. “She, uh…”

Nimbus was saved from answering by the timely arrival of the waiter with desert. The question was soon forgotten when both of his neighbors were enthusiastically downing large slices of peach pie. Soon, ponies were saying their goodbyes, paying for their meals, and leaving. Nimbus was among the last to leave, having taken his time with his own desert - a blueberry crisp with cream, his favorite. He waved goodbye to the last few ponies, then stepped out into the afternoon sunlight. He sighed, then spread his wings and beat them a few times before kicking off.

As he flew back over Ponyville towards the hotel, he silently chided himself for his carelessness. He’d gotten way too close today, and he needed to control himself better. His feelings for his parents - no. Best not to think about it at all.

Author's Note:

I'm sorry this took so long.

Does anyone know why it won't format???

Comments

[Vivid Syntax]

This was a cute addition to the story. It's great seeing Nimbus make new friends, and I like how you tie the last scene in with the main conflict.

[Thrawn1800]

10592250
Thanks! That last bit is what took me so long. I just could not figure out the end.