Chapter 1
Six months. That was the last time he had laid eyes upon her. He had hoped that leaving Manehatten would have stopped her from coming back. But no. There she was, sitting no more than ten feet away from him. After a very, very long six months.
The dark blue pegasus shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Why is she here? He thought with alarm. Shouldn’t she be back in Manehatten? His musings were interrupted by the waiter returning with his meal: A small dandelion sandwich with a nice garden salad.
Trying to clear his mind of the mare sitting two tables away, he attacked the food. The sandwich was superb, the soft dandelion and sweet bread blending better than he even though possible. The salad was excellent too, the vegetables fresh and crisp.
He attempted to make a mental note of the beautiful weather they were having today. He desperately tried to glance happily up towards Celestia’s radiant sun. He struggled to internally compliment the weather pegasi on their excellent job of clearing the sky of clouds. He endeavored to admire the brisk wind lightly gliding through the center of town, sending a delightful chill down his spine. He did all he could to admire this absolutely gorgeous day in Ponyville, but his eyes always inevitably traveled from the golden sun or the green grass or the magenta flowers to the pegasus mare.
Everything seemed to make him think of her. The brilliant sun shining down on her illuminated her beautiful yellow coat. The brisk wind fluttered her sea green mane and tail magnificently. Even the pink fragrant flowers in the vase in front of him looked like they would be perfect nestled right behind her ear. He got up, leaving his half-finished sandwich behind. He couldn’t stand looking at the pony he had met and fallen for six months. Not after what had happened…
Manehatten had been exceptionally cloudy when Cloud Twister first arrived. Must be why they called me in. he thought to himself. After a mix-up in the weather factory, Manehatten had been given triple the amount of clouds than they needed, causing major weather conditions all across the city. Frantic and understaffed, the weather team stationed in Manehatten had mailed out letters requesting help to other weather teams all across Equestria. Cloud Twister had answered the call, and by the number of pegasi on the train coming into the city, so had others. Now, he was trotting briskly down the street towards the weather building.
Cloud Twister had never visited Manehatten before, but he immediately fell in love with the metropolis. Unlike his hometown Ponyville, Manehatten was busy and felt full of life. Skyscrapers looming over him, massive crowds pushing around him, and taxis darting past him gave him a feeling of excitement, as if the city itself promised great things for everypony here. The smell of food vendors scattered across the great city made Cloud Twister’s mouth water. More than once he had wanted to stop and eat a hayburger, but he had stopped himself; he didn’t need to be late on the first day.
Finally he spotted the weather building. It was identical to all the other structures in the city, with its shining windows, a flat roof, and weathered edges. The only difference was the large banner strung across the entrance with the words “Thank you weather teams!”. Hearts, smiley faces, and other various shapes were scattered across the placard. Cloud grinned at the friendly welcome before pushing open the door to the building.
Inside, it was busy. Pegasi flooded the room, their voices bouncing off the marble floor, creating a great, incoherent murmur. Most stood in a line at the register, but a few were chatting in groups or admiring the paintings along the far wall. Cloud decidedly walked to the end of the line, glancing about the room. It was simple but elegant, with etched glass in the windows and an abstract floor mural. Most of the paintings were of nature scenes, and had little variability. What Cloud Twister found most impressive were the ponies in the room. Though they were all pegasi, they were all very different. Some had the harsh accent of Manehatten, others the posh speech of ponies from Canterlot. The various mane and coat colors of the ponies turned the small room into a massive, living rainbow. The unique cutie marks displaying ponies’ special skills only added to Cloud Twister’s awe. The fact that all these ponies from all walks of life and the furthest corners of Equestria were gathered here to help out filled Cloud with pride for his homeland.
Finally he reached the front of the line. Behind the register stood an old, tired looking unicorn with thick glasses and a grey mane tied back into a bun. When he gave her a smile, she merely stared at him.
“Name?” she said in a thick Manehatten accent.
“Cloud Twister, ma’am.”
“Is that first name Cloud, last name Twister? Or the other way around?” said the mare, turning away to shuffle through a load of papers.
“Erm, yes. The first, one I mean.”
“Hometown?”
“Ponyville.”
“Hmmm…ah yes, here we are,” she said, pulling out a page with her magic. “Cloud Twister. You're in charge of storm clouds.”
“Yes ma’am,” said Cloud with a beaming grin. “Mostly cumulonimbus clouds and castel-“
“You’re with group B,” The unicorn cut him off, shoving a slip of paper into Cloud’s face. “They’re about to have orientation, floor three, room seven. Next!”
Bewildered, Cloud Twister stumbled out of the line. He glanced at his paper, which appeared to be some sort of ticket with a bold red B stamped on it. He looked around the room, and, after finding the stairs, climbed up to the third floor of the building. Finding room seven was easy, as a large gathering of ponies stood outside, lining up to get in. At the front of the line was a pegasus inspecting the tickets, ensuring the ponies were in the correct group. As Cloud Twister approached and flashed his slip of paper, the pegasus gave a nod and went to the next pony.
Entering the room, Cloud saw that it was even more bare than the lobby. The walls were white and undecorated, save for a single photograph of a beach and a banner with the weather team logo. Folding chairs in several rows occupied the center of the room, and a white board stood near the front. Already most of the seats had been taken, but with a quick look around Cloud located one near the back of the room. He sat down and waited for the upcoming orientation.
A tap on his shoulder startled him, and he whipped around with wide eyes to see who or what had touched him. Behind him, he saw the grinning face of a pegasus he knew very well.
“Celestia, Thunderlane, you freaked me out.”
“Ha! You should have seen yourself,” said the dark grey stallion with a laugh, taking a seat next to Cloud Twister. “You looked like you had seen a ghost!”
“Shut up,” muttered the blue pegasus. “I wasn’t scared, just…surprised.”
“Pssh. Sure, you weren’t scared, and I’m going to be the next princess.”
“Quiet!” hissed Cloud. “It’s starting!”
As they were whispering to each other, a chestnut stallion had walked to the front of the room. With big bushy eyebrows and an even bushier mustache, the pegasus looked like some sort of Wild West bandit.
“Greetings, ponies!” said the stallion in a booming but not unkind voice. “My name is Maverick, and for the next month I will be in charge of all of you. As you probably know, we are going to be controlling the storm clouds and other severe weather clouds. As such, there are certain precautions that must be taken.”
Maverick proceeded to discuss safety procedures and the various types of clouds they would be working with, as well as the duties and delegations Group B would have. He concluded the lecture with the formation of teams within the group to maintain order.
“Cloud Twister, Thunderlane, you’re in team 5,” said Maverick. “You’ll meet your other teammates this afternoon.”
“Alright!” said Thunderlane, pumping a hoof in the air. “Looks like we’re gonna be together all month, buddy!”
Cloud Twister rolled his eyes and feigned annoyance. “A whole month? With you? I’d sooner poke my eyes out.”
“Aw, shut up,” said Thunderlane with a playful punch on the shoulder. “You know you wouldn’t be able to live without me."
Cloud snorted. Loudly.
After a quick lunch at a restaurant across the street, Cloud Twister and Thunderlane flew to where they would meet the rest of their team, at the same room where the orientation had been. Already a few more groups were chatting casually while more ponies flew in to find their own teams. Now, instead of the folding chairs were small tables with corresponding team numbers on them. Cloud and Thunderlane went to the table marked with a big number five. Already two ponies were there, a mint green mare with a pink and blue mane and an all black stallion with a bright yellow mane. Cloud waved as he approached the pair, and received two smiles in return.
“Hiya!” exclaimed the mare as Thunderlane and Cloud Twister swooped in. “My name’s Berry Cake, and this here is Moonshadow.”
“Hey,” said the stallion with a nod of his head.
“Hello!” replied Cloud. “I’m Cloud Twister, and he’s Thunderlane. We’re from Ponyville.”
“Omigosh I loooooove Ponyville!” cried Berry. “It’s so cute and rural, way different from Cloudsdale, right Moon?”
The stallion grunted in the affirmative.
They continued to talk, discussing topics such as favorite foods and the upcoming Equestria Games. Another pony, a lilac mare with a white mane named Amethyst, soon joined their small group, and the conversation continued.
“Is this team five? Oh my goodness, I’m so so sorry for being this late!” said a voice behind Cloud Twister.
Turning around, he laid eyes upon the most beautiful mare he had ever seen.
She had a coat the color of jasmine that made Cloud’s heart leap. Her mane was a light blue that fell down her neck like a waterfall. Her eyes, a turquoise color, almost perfectly matched her hair, and reminded Cloud of some mysterious, beautiful depth of the ocean. They were not only beautiful externally, but when Cloud Twister looked closely enough, he could see a spark of life in them. It filled him up with emotions he had never felt before. She had a soft, curving face that exuded the same happiness and love that her eyes did. She wore a smile of slight embarrassment at her tardiness, and Cloud found it adorable. Her slight blush did not help to stop her cuteness. Cloud looked back into her eyes. Those gorgeous, lovely eyes…
A thwack on the back of his head brought him back to reality. Rubbing his wound, he turned to Thunderlane, who made a slight movement with his eyes at the mare. Cloud whipped back around.
“Well?” she said with a quizzical grin. Cloud gave a silent squeak of sheepishness and turned red as he realized that while he had been admiring her she had asked him a question.
“I- I, uh, I’m sorry, wh-what…” he stammered before Berry Cake swooped in.
“No, the seats open!” she said happily. Cloud breathed a sigh of relief and made a mental note to thank Berry later.
“Wonderful!” said the mare with a giggle as she sat down next to Cloud Twister. He blushed again, but out of her proximity rather than embarrassment. “I'm sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Sunshower Raindrops, but most people just call me Raindrops.”
“What a lovely name!” sang out Berry Cake. “I’m Berry Cake, and this is Moonshadow, Amethyst, Thunderlane, and Cloud Twister.”
“Hello everypony!” said Raindrops. “Again, I’m so sorry for being late. I ran out to get a hayburger, but the place was packed! It took forever to finally get to the register.”
“Where’d you go?” asked Cloud Twister, almost clamping a hoof down over his mouth. Stupid question, stupid question, arrrrggh! he mentally shouted. Why would you ask that, why, why…
“Oh, some place named Hoofbrau. Why?”
“Because he and I went there for lunch yesterday!” cut in Thunderlane. He gave a laugh. “How funny that we ate at the same place out of all the restaurants in Manehatten?”
“Yes, very interesting!” replied Raindrops, giggling.
“It was Cloud’s idea, y’know,” added Thunderlane. “This guy’s got an eye for good food.”
“Oh, is that so?” she said with a grin in Cloud Twister’s direction.
“I wouldn’t say I have an eye for food…” stuttered Cloud.
Raindrops gave a laugh before resting a hoof on Cloud’s. “Well, I think that you made a great choice with that restaurant anyways. Those hayburgers really were great.” She moved her hoof away, but the spot on his foreleg where it had been felt warm and tingly. It was by no means unpleasant.
The group, now with Raindrops, kept chatting away. Cloud Twister eventually shook of his amorous stupor and was able to speak normally, even with occasional glances in Sunshower’s direction. He noticed though, out of the corner of his eye, that she seemed to be stealing looks towards him as well. She also used many hoof motions while speaking, many times ending with her hoof touching his forearm and leaving another fuzzy feeling.
After about an hour of getting to know everypony, a pony walked to the center of the room, proclaiming that the real work would begin tomorrow. For now, she told them, go back to your hotel rooms and rest.
“Awwww…” said Berry Cake. “It was so great meeting all of you. I don’t want to leave!”
“It’ll be fine, Berry,” said Amethyst, blowing a strand of her mane out of her eye. “We’ll see you tomorrow!”
“Oh yeah! I guess that’s true! But I still want big hugs from everyone before me and Moon leave!”
“Where are you staying, Cloud?” asked Raindrops.
“Oh, I’m not sure yet…I was thinking just some motel…”
Raindrops opened her mouth to say something before Thunderlane butted in. “Hey, I’m at this really swanky hotel near the city center, and I got an extra bed. Wanna crash with me?”
“Oh that’d be great! Thanks, ‘Lane!”
“No problemo,” said Thunderlane, before he was pulled into a big hug by Berry Cake. Cloud turned back to Raindrops. “Never mind, I guess I got a place!”
She smiled, but it wasn’t as full of energy as all her other smiles were. She almost looks disappointed… thought Cloud.
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow then,” said Raindrops, stepping in closer.
“Yep. See you tomorrow,” Cloud Twister replied, unsure of what to do. Suddenly she hugged him. It was nothing romantic, just a token of friendship, but it made Cloud Twister’s heart beat like mad. They held the embrace for a few moments before Berry appeared behind them and pulled them into a group hug. When they parted, Cloud said, “Oh, and since I won’t see you later, good night!”
Sunshower giggled. “Sweet dreams!”
With that, she flew off into the twilight, Thunderlane and Cloud, his heart full of joy, leaving soon after. As he settled into his bed that night, Cloud only thought of one thing: Sunshower Raindrops.
Over the next month, Raindrops and Cloud Twister grew close. They became nearly inseparable, often volunteered to partner up whenever a job was too much for just one pony to handle. Both pegasi learned much about each other over the course of three weeks. For instance, they learned that they shared the same passion for Sapphire Shore’s music and the same disgust for 10-gallon hats. They shared the same sarcastic humor, stubbornness, and outgoing nature, and thus shared a close friendship.
“Only a friendship,” muttered Cloud Twister to himself as he trudged away from the weather building. Today marked a week from the end of his stay in Manehatten, and he still hadn’t confessed his true feelings for Raindrops. Sure, he really enjoyed their close bond, but it wasn’t fulfilling. Every time he looked at her his heart ached, longing to be more than just friends, but, despite everything his heart had said over the past month, he still hadn’t been able to work up the courage to ask her out on a date.
“It’s no big deal,” he said, scolding himself. “It’s no big deal, but every time you go up to her, you freak out and clam up.” He sighed and kicked an aluminum can, sending it flying. Time is running out, he thought. I only have a week before she leaves, and then I might never see her again. I have to do this today.
“Hey Cloud!”
Buck. It was Raindrops. He recognized her melodious voice without even having to look up. Cloud Twister took a deep breath. Alright, this is your last chance. You can do this. Just ask her to go to a movie or something.
“Hi Rai-“ He froze. As he looked up, he saw that something was not right. First of all, Thunderlane was there. Thunderlane and Raindrops were friends, of course, but usually didn’t hang out after work. Secondly, both were flying oddly close to each other. Finally, Thunderlane was holding Raindrop’s hoof.
A wave of emotions hit Cloud Twister when he was them holding hooves. He felt anger towards Thunderlane but especially towards Raindrops for not once mentioning the fact that the pair were in a fact a couple. He felt confusion, almost believing that this was some horrible nightmare from which he could not wake up. He felt sadness, as he realized that he had missed his opportunity and that the love of his life was now with somepony else. But most of all he felt pain. Crushing, heart-wrenching pain. It felt like his heart had been ripped from his body and shattered in front of him, and that the pain from that experience shot through his entire body, coursing through every molecule of his being. It left him feeling weak, devastated, defeated.
“Hey Cloud, what’s up?” said Thunderlane, floating to the ground gently, hoof still wrapped tightly around Raindrops’. Cloud, with massive difficulty, put on a false smile. He did everything in his power not to look at Sunshower, feeling that if he so much as glanced at her face, he would have a breakdown.
“Oh, not much,” he replied. “I’m probably just gonna head back to the hotel and turn in.”
“What? But it’s only 5:00!”
“Yeah, I know, but work really tired me out today.” He faked a yawn.
“Hey,” said Raindrops in a hushed voice. Cloud forced himself not to look. “Are you ok, Cloud?”
“Yeah, I’m fine,” he lied. “Just tired is all.” Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Raindrops giving him a suspicious glare.
“Well, if you insist,” said Thunderlane. “Me and Sunshower here were going to go see a movie then probably head out to dinner.” With that, he turned to Raindrops and wrapped his wing around her, pulling her in to give her a light kiss on the cheek. Raindrops nuzzled him in response.
The display was too much for Cloud. Tears welled up in his eyes, and he quickly turned away to prevent them from showing. He spread his wings.
“Have fun,” he stammered in a cracked voice before taking off, flapping his wings to get as far away as possible. As soon as he was out of range, he began crying, low sobs gushing out from deep inside his chest. Tears streamed across his cheeks as he flew into the wind and into his hotel room. He didn’t bother closing the window. He didn’t care if anyone could hear him. He just collapsed on the floor and wept.
The next week was a depressing blur for Cloud Twister. Gone was the friendly, bubbly pony. In his place moped a shattered stallion. Cloud didn’t even try to pretend to be happy. He hardly talked to anypony, and only responded to any interaction with indifference and coldness. Even Berry Cake’s upbeat attitude could not shake the sadness surrounding Cloud.
The only thing that could drive Cloud out of his apathy was Raindrops, or more specifically, her relationship with Thunderlane. Every time he saw the pair together, he felt hatred, furious that pony he adored would run off with his best friend without never once mentioning Thunderlane with affection. Almost immediately after loathing, however, came guilt, as he realized that, if Raindrops and Thunderlane were truly in love, then that was the way it was going to be. These are my friends he thought to himself. I should be happy for them. Guilt soon turned into self-loathing and then, once again, sadness.
The worst part to Cloud was that Raindrops, ironically, seemed to be spending more time with him than with Thunderlane. During work, she would constantly try and chat with Cloud Twister and resume her friendship with him, ignorant that it was she who caused Cloud’s misery. Every gentle touch or accidental bump made Cloud’s stomach lurch, not with excitement, as they once had, but instead with heartache.
When the time came for Cloud to leave, he didn’t say goodbye. He simply gave an unenthusiastic wave toward his friends, boarded a train with Thunderlane, and returned home. On the ride to Ponyville, Thunderlane had mentioned to him that he and Raindrops had broken up a few days before, and that there had never really been anything between them. At that, Cloud’s heart had jumped with hope, which he promptly squashed. She obviously didn’t care about you, and it’s too late anyway, so stop trying to get your hopes up, he screamed to himself mentally. You never should have fallen in love. When he returned home, Cloud Twister withdrew from everypony, Thunderlane especially. Ever since then, he had been living every day with the pain of shattered dreams, untaken opportunities, and lost love.
“Cloud?”
Cloud Twister froze. It was her. No, no, no, no, no! he kept walking, moving faster than before. Please go away, please leave me be!
He prayed to the Royal Sisters that she would just drop it and forget about him.
“Cloud!” Buck. She had seen him. He kept moving, almost trotting now. Behind him, he heard a chair scraping and the clip-clop of hooves advancing rapidly towards him. He spread his wings, ready to take flight.
“CLOUD!” she thrust herself in front of him, blocking his escape.
“Oh! Uh, h-hey Raindrops!” he lowered his wings, and smiled, but his stomach pitched when he saw her. She was just as beautiful as she had been when he left Manehatten.
“It is you!” she cried happily, wrapping her forelegs around him. He blushed and pushed his despair into the corner of his mind. “I can’t believe it’s been so long since we saw each other last!”
“Yeah, it’s been a while,” he replied, still wearing the false smile and tearing away from the embrace.
“So, you gotta tell me what you’ve up to! How’s work?”
“Oh, uh, well, its good, I’m, uh, n-not up to much, really,” he stammered. “Just, you know, stuff.”
She rolled her eyes and grinned. “Same old Cloud. I really do miss the Manehatten days, weren’t those great?”
“Yeah, they were okay...” said Cloud, kicking at the ground.
“Okay?? They were amazing! I met all my best friends there: Berry Cake, Amethyst, Moonshadow, Thunderlane, and especially you!”
“Yeah, yeah, I guess, it was pretty, uh, pretty good then.”
He turned towards her to see her grinning widely. “So I bet you’re wondering what I’m doing here?”
“Oh, uh, yeah.”
“Well guess what? I’m moving! To Ponyville!”
A shudder passed through Cloud. The thought of having Raindrops live near him, possibly seeing him every day…it was terribly wonderful. He
put on a smile, trying to hide his reaction, but she eyed him. “That’s great!” he added, with a slightly larger smile, but he saw that Raindrops knew something was amiss.
“What’s the matter, Cloud?” she asked with a smirk. “Don’t want me in Ponyville?”
“Erm, no, no I think it’s gre-“
She laughed. “Oh, come ON, Cloud Twister, I’ve known you long enough to know you’re a horrible liar. Come on, tell me!”
He shifted anxiously. “It’s nothing,” he said quietly.
“What, you think Cloudsdale will miss me?” she interrogated, giving him a playful punch. “Ooh, or do you think that Ponyville can’t handle me? Think I might blow it all up or something?”
“No, it’s nothing.”
“Well, if you’re not gonna tell me, I’ll keep guessing. Do you think that I might go wandering in the Everfree Forest all by myself?”
“Uh, no, I-“
“Did a future version of you travel back in time to warn you that my moving her would cause a disaster?”
"No, really, its-“
“Then you must be afraid that I’ll leave the oven on when I move here?”
“Raindrops-”
“Ughh, this is so hard! Come on, tell me tell me tell me tell me tell me tell-“
“MANEHATTEN! IT’S BECAUSE OF MANEHATTEN!”
Raindrops went silent as Cloud Twister stomped is hoof on the ground. “It’s because of Manehatten…” he repeated softly. Raindrops looked surprised.
“Manehatten? Wha-“
“When you started going out with Thunderlane,” said Cloud, unable to control the tears rolling down his cheek, “I…I was devastated.”
“But, why?”
“Because, because I love you, Raindrops,” he answered, choked. “Seeing you with somepony else…” By now his sniffles had turned into light sobs. He gritted his teeth as he failed to blink back tears. “And now seeing you again… I-It’s too much for me.” Raindrops stood staring at him, speechless, as he wiped a hoof across his face. “Well, there you are,” he said, turning away from her. “I-I’m sorry, I should just leave…”
With that Cloud unfurled his wings and took off into the sky, desperately trying to escape Raindrops. But she was faster.
“STOP!” she cried, taking off and throwing herself in front of the stallion, bringing him to a stop in the air. “Cloud, you-you have it all wrong.”
“Do I?” he snapped, trying to fly past the mare in front of him.
“Yes! Thunderlane and I- we were never a couple!”
Cloud stopped struggling. “What? But he and you…”
“It was an act,” said Raindrops with a bittersweet laugh. By now, she too had tears in her eyes. “You weren’t reacting to anything else I was doing, so Thunderlane suggested we try a more indirect approach. Heh, I probably shouldn’t have listened to him…”
“Wait, so…so you’re saying that…that you…”
Before he could finish his sentence, Cloud felt something soft and warm press gently against his lips. Startled, he went wide-eyed and, rigid but quickly sank into the kiss. He felt lightheaded and confused, but could not remember a happier moment in his life. Their lips locked, the two pegasi hovered in the air. Eventually, they gently pulled apart.
“Yes,” whispered Raindrops, wiping away a stray tear. “I love you, Cloud Twister. And do you reall-”
She was cut off when Cloud pulled her in for another kiss. After a moment, she playfully pushed him away and giggled. “I’ll take that as a yes then.”
Cloud smiled. “Yes, Sunshower Raindrops, I love you too.”