The Cloudsdale Chronicles

by Boltstrike58

Recovery

Bow was as good as his word, getting Swift to the hospital in record time. It probably helped that Swift was fairly skinny by pony standards, and thus, easy to carry. Swift was processed quickly, since his injuries weren't too bad. Thankfully, nopony questioned why he was still wearing his pants in the hospital. Swift himself found it kind of odd that they didn't ask to see his Cutie Mark, considering they were used as identifiers among ponies, but he didn't complain.

After a quick exam, it was determined Swift had a mild concussion, along with some pretty bad bruises, but luckily, nothing else. He'd have to stay in bed for about a day, and they wanted to keep him for that day so they could observe him and make sure nothing unforeseen occurred. The hospital sent a message to the weather factory, letting them know that Swift would be out of commission for a little while.

In his hospital room, Swift laid his head back onto the pillow, and took several deep breaths, while the nurse monitored him for any changes. Relief was the main emotion coursing through the pony right now. If Bow hadn't come along, he probably would've been in much worse shape, and without a witness, the three ponies might've gotten away with it. Now they'd be out of the weather factory for good, making his job that much easier.

A knock at the door drew his attention. He lifted up his head, and turned towards the door. It slowly opened, revealing a pair of white pegasi with blond manes, wearing blue uniforms. Swift recognized them as officers of the Cloudsdale Police Department.

"You're Swift Wing?" asked one of them. Swift nodded. "Good. We're here to get your statement regarding the assault those three idiots committed on you."

"Oh, yeah. I forgot about that," replied Swift. Internally, he felt a bit more joyful. Hoops, Dumb-bell, and Score would not only lose their jobs, they'd be going to jail, and he'd never have to see them again. This was turning out better than he'd expected.

"We've already arrested those three," continued the officer, "thanks to the call we received from Mr. Hothoof. You'd better thank him, by the way. He's fully prepared to testify and say that he saw them attack you, and that anything you did to them was just self-defense. Are you willing to do the same?"

"Absolutely," said Swift. It wasn't like those three were part of some pony mafia.

"Alright, if we could just get your signature here." The officer held out a sheet of paper and a pen. Swift took the pen between his teeth and signed, thankful that he'd practiced writing this way. Satisfied, the two pegasi turned and left, leaving only a card with the address of the station on it in case Swift needed anything further.

Swift leaned back into the bed, and would've fallen asleep, had another knock at the door not interrupted him. The nurse pony opened it up, revealing his newest visitor, Bow Hothoof. There was also a second, lighter blue pegasus standing behind the stallion, and Swift tried not to give away the fact that he recognized her.

"Hey there, buddy," said Bow, trotting up to Swift's bedside. "I'm glad to see you're still in one piece." He gestured to his companion. "This is my wife, Windy Whistles."

Swift had to bite his tongue to stop himself from saying "I know." He reached out and bumped his hoof against the mare's. "Nice to meet you," he croaked out, before coughing a couple of times.

Windy quickly passed Swift a glass of water. "Here, you'll wanna drink up."

Swift obeyed without hesitation, draining the glass in a couple of quick gulps. "Thank you," he breathed once he was finished. "And thanks for saving my hide back in that alley."

"Oh, that was nothing," Bow insisted, scratching the back of his head with one hoof. "I was just passing by. I did what any good pony would've done."

"But you're not just any good pony, sweetie!" replied Windy, giving her husband an affectionate nuzzle. "You're the biggest, strongest, best stallion ever!"

Swift smiled a bit at the display. "I'm sure you've already learned it by this point, but my name is Swift Wing. Nice to meet you."

"Glad to meet you, pal," said Bow. "I'm sorry those three idiots felt the need to pummel you like that. I'm honestly surprised they've managed to keep their jobs at the weather factory this long. Luckily, they're getting what they deserve."

Swift nodded. "Stupid losers. They didn't even really have a good reason for it. Yeah, I know, there's really no good reason to corner somepony and beat the snot out of them, but even disregarding that, their whole motive was stupid."

Bow raised an eyebrow. "What was the reason they gave you?"

"They'd been getting on my nerves at the factory," Swift continued, "bumping into me and trying to get a rise out of me. Probably so I'd get in trouble when I retaliated. When that didn't work, I guess the best thing they could think of was to send me here." He scoffed, rolling his eyes in the process. "Idiots."

"It's lucky you showed up when you did, Bow," chimed in Windy. "Otherwise, there would've been nopony to corroborate Swift's story. They might've managed to get away with thrashing him."

"I'm more concerned about what they would've done to him," Bow replied. "Seriously, they were talking about breaking his wings. Those ponies may be stupid, but they're also just plain cruel."

"Yeah, but luckily, we don't have to worry about that," said Swift.

Bow opened his mouth to reply, but before he could, the nurse returned to the room. "I'm sorry to disrupt everyone," he said, "but this patient requires long periods of rest. He'll probably be getting out tomorrow."

"Alright," replied Bow. He turned back to Swift. "Why don't you come visit us after you get out? We'd love to chat some more." He scribbled down the address on a piece of paper, before passing it over.

Swift took the note, trying to decide if he'd take them up on the offer. Sure, the couple might be a bit overbearing, and related to Rainbow Dash, but they seemed like nice enough ponies. He supposed there was very little risk in visiting them.

"Thanks. I will," he promised. "Hopefully, I'll be in better shape next time you see me."

Bow and Windy then turned around and trotted out of the room, leaving Swift alone with his thoughts. The crimson pegasus then settled his head onto the pillow, and closed his eyes. After everything he'd been through, he was looking forward to some sleep.

---

The next day, Swift was released from the hospital, with instructions not to take any intense jobs at the factory for the next few days. He was also supposed to fly as little as possible to avoid straining his injured muscles. Barring anything unforeseen, Swift would be completely fine. Since he'd been excused from work that day, Swift had decided to take up his rescuer on the offer.

Bow and Windy's house wasn't hard to find, sitting on the south side of Cloudsdale. It resembled a lot of nice suburban homes from back on Earth, though this one had the distinction of everything beneath being made of clouds. The house itself was fairly small, and Swift briefly wondered how cramped Rainbow Dash must've felt as a filly, since she loved flying so much. Keeping her contained inside must've been a nightmare.

Swift swallowed as he trotted up to the door. He knew that this visit had little chance of exposing him, unless he said something really stupid. However, at the end of the day, he was still a socially awkward pony. Even if he'd already met these two before, he was still nervous he'd embarrass himself. Still, at least they wouldn't be asking any questions he couldn't answer.

He raised one hoof and knocked. It only took a couple of seconds before Windy answered the door.

"Oh, Swift! I'm glad to see you're out of the hospital!" she exclaimed. "Come in, come in! We've been hoping you'd visit!"

Swift strolled into the house, while Windy went off to find Bow. Swift recognized some of the interior from the episode "Parental Glideance," although he'd only watched that particular episode once. Naturally, the walls were covered with photos of Rainbow Dash, some featuring her with racing medals, some of her in her Wonderbolt uniform, and a hooful of foal pictures. Swift smiled a little, briefly wishing he'd had parents as doting as Rainbow's. Then again, that would've gotten annoying after a while.

Soon enough, Windy and Bow strolled back into the living room. "Swift, buddy!" exclaimed Bow. "I'm glad to see you're still in one piece!"

"Mostly thanks to you, but that's beside the point," Swift said with a smile. "Are you sure there isn't some way I can repay you? I pretty much owe you my health, if nothing else."

Bow shook his head. "Like I said, I just did what any good pony would've done. Knowing that you'll be okay is reward enough for me. Come on, let's sit." He gestured over to the couch.

"Oh, let me go get some snacks!" insisted Windy, scurrying out of the room.

Swift obediently took a seat on the couch, while Bow took the chair.

"So, even though I protected you, we don't know much about each other," said Bow. "Let's share some of our stories. You wanna start?"

"Well, there's not a lot to tell, admittedly," said Swift, mentally calling up his rehearsed story. "I've been on the move throughout Equestria for the last couple of years. I tried living in Ponyville for a while, but unfortunately, that didn't work out. Then I came to Cloudsdale, got a job at the weather factory. That's about it for me."

He looked up at Bow, only to see the stallion had frozen in surprise. Swift wondered why, until he realized he'd mentioned Ponyville. It didn't take a genius to figure out exactly what had caught Bow's attention.

"You used to live in Ponyville?!" exclaimed Windy, coming out of the kitchen with a plate of fruit balanced on one hoof.

"Yeah..." Swift ventured, trying on purpose to sound more confused than he really was, "why? Did you two used to live there, or—"

"Well, no," replied Bow, "but our daughter lives there. The amazing Rainbow Dash!" Bow then pulled open his outer jacket to reveal a t-shirt with Rainbow's Cutie Mark on it. "Bet you didn't know we were the parents of a Wonderbolt and the bearer of the Element of Loyalty!"

"No, but wow!" replied Swift, stuffing as much surprise into his voice as he could. "Now that I look at your pictures, I do recognize her..." He figured informing them that he knew Rainbow Dash was safe enough.

"Oh, you met her?!" exclaimed Windy again, taking a seat in the recliner next to her husband. "How is she? Amazing, right? Tell us, how's she doing?" A frown briefly replaced the enthusiastic smile on her face. "We haven't had the chance to fly down and visit her for a while. Honey, we really should get on that."

"I agree," replied Bow, "but first, tell us. Is she doing alright? Still flying with the Wonderbolts? How incredible is that! Our daughter is just awesome!"

"W-well," Swift stammered, "I don't know her very well. We bumped into each other a couple of times while I was living in town, which I think is kind of unavoidable in such a small town, but that's it. I wasn't really close friends with Princess Twilight or any of the other bearers. She seemed to be doing fine to me. She was a nice enough pony."

The couple's faces dropped in disappointment, but only for a second, as they soon sprang back into their overjoyed smiles.

"Nice enough?!" Windy replied. "Why, our Rainbow Dash is the nicest pony of all nice ponies!" She whipped out a megaphone. "OUR RAINBOW IS THE NICEST—" She stopped, seeing that Swift was plugging his ears with his wingtips. "Oh, I'm sorry. Force of habit. We're trying to learn not to cheer every little thing Rainbow does anymore, but it's hard to break that routine."

"I'll bet," replied Swift. "Still, she is a great pony. I was there when the Wonderbolts spread Sombra's mind control to Cloudsdale. If it hadn't been for Rainbow and the others, I'd still be brainwashed."

"Oh, that sounds nasty!" said Bow. "We were out of town for a business trip that day, so we didn't get caught up in that, but we heard all the details. It sounds terrible."

"Believe me, it was." A thought suddenly occurred to Swift. "What do you two do for a living? I just realized I never asked."

"Well, back in our younger days, Bow and I used to work in the weather factory," replied Windy, "but after years of that, we both moved into desk jobs. Managing what weather is gonna be sent where, on which days, you know?"

"That's how I recognized those three idiots beating down on you," Bow continued. "They've been working there for years, doing just enough work so they don't get fired, but never enough that they advance. Their little tussle with you was the worst thing I've ever seen them do. Even if they somehow get found innocent (which won't happen, but if it did), they'll never be welcomed back there."

Swift was surprised they didn't bring up how the three bullies had picked on Rainbow Dash at flight camp, or even when she'd come to Cloudsdale for the Best Young Fliers Competition. Perhaps they simply didn't know. He considered informing the couple of it, but then reasoned it would raise more questions, as well as get him in trouble with Rainbow Dash. It just wasn't worth it.

"So is there anything else you can tell us about yourself?" asked Bow. "With a name like Swift Wing, I'm honestly surprised you're not a racing pegasus."

Swift shrugged. "I guess my parents thought I might be, but I never had any interest in that kinda stuff. I learned enough to fly, but that level of physical activity just isn't for me." Mentally, he briefly wondered if he should've chosen a different name. He knew from the show that ponies did occasionally change their names, like with Mrs. Cake, but he didn't know the details.

"I understand that," said Windy. "Not everypony can be Rainbow Dash, after all!" Then, realization dawned on her. "I did it again, didn't I?"

Swift chuckled a little. "I don't know what it's like to have foals, but I'm guessing it's hard to stop yourself from praising them all the time."

"If you're a good parent, it is," said Bow. "Our Rainbow Dash was always such a competitive pony, always aiming for the highest peak she could find. I guess we always just wanted to do our best to build up her confidence, so we always praised her hard work."

Swift smiled, thinking about how Rainbow's upbringing had molded her, giving her the ego she was famous for. Rainbow was a good mare, but sometimes, she got a little carried away. He supposed he couldn't blame her, with parents like this. Ultimately, they'd done the best job they could've in raising her, and there was no shame in that.

"So what are you planning to do with your weather factory career?" asked Bow. "Hoping to move up into a manager job, like us? Or is this just a step on the road to your dream?"

Swift's expression shifted into a slight frown. "I'll be honest, I have no idea," he replied. "I only work in the weather factory because it was the best job I could get. I'm just not sure what I want to do with my life." Mentally, he was praying that they wouldn't ask about his Cutie Mark. While he liked these ponies, considering what Bow had done for him, he wasn't comfortable with revealing one of his deepest secrets to them.

Fortunately, Bow merely nodded in acknowledgement. "I understand. You're still young, not everypony figures out what they want to do with their life right away. Heck, it took me years to figure out what I wanted to do."

"Same here," said Windy. "It doesn't make you any less of a good pony, though."

That made Swift feel a little better. He'd always been depressed over his uncertainty about his future, but, apparently, from an outside perspective he wasn't all that different. He climbed to his hooves.

"Well, I'd better get home," he said. "They'll be expecting me back at the weather factory tomorrow, so I'd better get some sleep tonight."

"Alright," replied Bow. "I'll walk you to the door."

"Good-bye, Swift!" said Windy. "I hope you'll drop by again sometime! I'll make us one of my special deserts!"

Swift and Bow trotted to the door of the house. "Thanks again for saving my flank, Bow," said Swift. "If you ever need a favor, feel free to call me up."

Bow chuckled to himself. "Don't worry about that, pal," he replied. "You don't owe me a thing. I was just being a good citizen."

He opened the door and Swift strolled out, waving good-bye to Bow with his wing as he strolled away.

---

Swift briefly lamented that flying back to his apartment was out of the question. His wings hadn't been badly damaged by the bullies' assault, but he didn't want to disobey the doctors and accidentally cause permanent damage. At least walking gave him a chance to enjoy the sunset, what he could see of it between the buildings. Still, all he wanted was to climb into bed and shut down until tomorrow.

However, as soon as he reached the outside of his apartment, he noticed something that shouldn't have been there. A large crowd of ponies was gathered outside the building, many armed with cameras. The visible Cutie Marks he could see consisted of things like newspapers, cameras, and microphones, leading him to guess that they were reporters. Swift swallowed nervously, wondering if they were covering the story of him getting assaulted and were looking for him. That was attention he didn't want to attract.

Luckily, the crowd of ponies didn't even seem to notice him as he trotted towards the building. Instead, they were talking amongst themselves, and his ears managed to catch snippets of their conversations.

"Do you think she'd take a back door?"

"What's she doing here, anyway? It's just an apartment building."

"Are there any unicorns here that know the far-hearing spell?"

"I know we shouldn't follow her in, but come on—"

Swift quietly slipped around the crowd, making his way to the entrance. He opened the door and made his way to the staircase, beginning the long trek up to his apartment. He hoped that, whatever those ponies were here for, it had nothing to do with him.

Those hopes were dashed, as he reached the door to his apartment, and found a very familiar guest waiting outside.

"Er...I...hello, Swift," said Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Comments

[Lunatic God]

Don't blow it Sparkle

[Teraunce]

10809611
Indeed. Don't blow it. And you just gave him lots of attention he didn't want.

[Boltstrike58]

10809621
Not exactly. The paparazzi didn't even notice him

[GemiNiah]

Twilight: Heeeeey Swift...

Swift: -_-

[Kevin Lee]

10809666
Assuming they don't find out he was the reason for her visit.
But if they catch so much as a whiff, he'll never have another moment's peace as they try to devour every detail of his life. Paparazzi are a plague that locusts can only dream of being.

[Blue Cultist]

As unlikely as it may be, I do think it'd be cute if windy tried to set Rainbow up with Swift. not that neither of them would go for it, just a moment of windy being overbearing and thinking of grandfoals.

[Boltstrike58]

10848913
PFFFF! That would be pretty funny, mostly because they'd both be repulsed by the idea.

[Luckyfanisaac]

but they like seemed like nice enough ponies.

[mustangdrew4]

Sparkle, you goof.