AlwaysDressesInStyle's Ponyville CiderFest '23 Interactive App Stories

by AlwaysDressesInStyle

Overcast

Hook: Thistle Whistle is a pegasus with a very unique phobia. She’s terrified of clouds. Did I mention she’s a pegasus?

Story #248
Title: Overcast
Keyword: Cloud
Character: Thistle Whistle
Hero/Villain

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You don’t normally do house calls, but Thistle Whistle’s a special case. She leaves the house a few times a year, and only under very specific circumstances. You check the sky and it’s partly cloudy. You consider it to be a pleasant day, as would most ponies. It’s not too hot, nor too cold. The clouds are giving the right amount of shade, and there’s a gentle breeze blowing.

You knock on her door and the slats on the blinds move as Thistle looks outside. She’s not looking to see who’s calling on her, rather her eyes on the sky. You hear hoofbeats approach the door and she unlocks it. “It’s open,” she calls as her steps retreat back into her house.

“Good morning, Thistle Whistle. How are you doing today?” you ask politely.

“I was doing okay until I looked outside.” She whistles nervously at the end of her sentence. “It’s very cloudy out there today.” It doesn’t matter if the clouds are stormy thunderheads, white and fluffy cumulus clouds, or wispy cirrus clouds, she’s terrified equally by all of them.

On the surface, it seems like an irrational fear, yet her deep-rooted phobia stems from a traumatic event when she was a young filly. Periodically, she opens up about what happened on the fateful day she experienced rapid lift due to a thermal under a cumulus, a meteorological event known as ‘cloud suck’. An older, stronger pegasus would’ve had a chance of breaking free, but young Thistle was trapped in the storm cloud for hours, exposed to lightning, frigid temperatures, and a wall of precipitation.

You’ve brought some show and tell today: a little bit of cloud. Gathered by the de facto head of the pegasi, Star Catcher, she’s entrusted it to you to use as therapy for Thistle Whistle. You’re not sure it’ll help, but it’s worth a try. Legend has it that thousands of years ago, ponies relied on a mythological two-legged beast known as ‘Megan’ to solve all of their problems. But she’s long gone, if she ever existed at all, and it’s to you to solve this mare’s problems as best you can.

“I think today we’re going to try having you face your fears head on.” You open the container with the cloud and Thistle jumps backwards in terror as the fluffy white wisp floats toward her. She tries hiding under her dining room table as the cloud drifts toward the ceiling.

You sigh as the cloud dissipates and Thistle curls into the fetal position on her floor. This has been a complete and utter failure. You pull Thistle off the floor and help her calm down, apologizing profusely for bringing a cloud into her home.

Your therapy session with Thistle is interrupted when Green Apple pounds on the door to Thistle’s house. “Thistle, we need your help! An updraft just took Minty’s balloon! She’s trapped up there!”

You look at Thistle Whistle. She rocks on her hooves and whistles. “Can’t Star Catcher go get her?”

“She’s visiting Butterfly Island with Skywishes. Morning Monarch, Royal Rose, and Honolu-loo are already chasing after Minty,” Green Apple explains.

“Honolu-loo’s just a filly.” Thistle pales, remembering what happened to her all those years ago. She turns to you and asks, “What do you think I should do?”

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[CHOICE]

>Thistle Whistle should go help rescue Minty and prevent what happened to her all those years ago from possibly happening to Honolu-loo. (hero)

>Thistle, there are clouds out there. The other pegasi can handle it. (villain)