Storms are my addiction
Nervous, so very nervous! Cloudchaser couldn't shake the feeling. Being chosen by Spitfire for a mission was a rare honour. The other cadets would eat their wings if they knew. The problem was, that no one had mentioned what sort of mission this was. All the she knew, was that involved flying.
Clouds and feathers, the Cloudchaser thought. She didn't like waiting rooms. It was like going to the dentist. At least with dentists she knew where she she stood. Here - she didn't know what to expect.
"You may enter," a slightly metallic voice said.
Great, Cloudchaser thought, As if I'm back at flight school.
The room she entered did resemble the principle's office, in so much that it was small and uncomfortable. Bare walls, no pictures or decorations of any sort, just a single cloud desk behind which a white pony stood.
"You're a unicorn," Cloudchaser was unable to hide her surprise. The other gave her a cold look, then demonstratively walked to the front of the desk, eyes fixed on the pegasus.
Way to make a good first impression, Chase! she said to herself. This might well end up being the shortest mission of her career. That, and the last, by the looks of it.
"Cloudchaser," the other said, ignoring the remark. Her voice was high, like that of a filly. In fact her entire appearance was that of a model. "I am told you are in the top tier of cadets this year."
"Yes, ma'am!" the pegasus replied in typical Academy fashion. "Third best, ma'am!"
"After Rainbow Dash and Lightning Dust," the unicorn noted. As expected she had access to Cloudchaser's file. "Why did you choose to join the Academy now, though? You're older than most cadets. You could have tried last year and would have made lead pony for certain."
"I am a lead pony, ma'am!"
"We both know what I mean," the unicorn narrowed her eyes a fraction.
"I chose to remain closer to my sister, ma'am! I did not think her ready to start living on her own at the time, ma'am!"
"Say 'ma'am' one more time and I'll tear your wings off," the unicorn said. She didn't raise her voice in the least, but Cloudchaser could feel this was no idle threat. "You performance is mostly consistent, although you tend to drop you speeds in certain circumstances," ice blue eyes stared at the pegasus, as if drilling a hole in her forehead. "Tell me about your coltfriend."
"I.." The question caught Cloudchaser totally unprepared. How did the unicorn know? They had been so careful all those months. Not even Spitfire knew, and she knew everything that went on at the Academy. "I prefer not to to talk about my personal..."
"Talk," the other ordered softly, sending chills down Cloudchaser's spine. The pegasus swallowed.
"There isn't much to tell. We are close, we like each other, we thought we were being discrete."
"By air jockey standards, maybe," the unicorn interrupted with another icy remark. "Are you serious, or is this another of your flings?"
"I don't have flings!" Was this pony trying to provoke her? Just what sort of briefing was this exactly? Definitely not something having to do with the Wonderbolts, that was for sure.
"Right, that was your sister," the unicorn continued unapologetically, "your other problem. To be honest, I don't think your cut out for this. A few years ago you might have shown promise, but now..." she waved a hoof. "Still, orders are orders, and I am required to give you the chance, despite my thoughts on the matter."
Thank Celestia! Not that it made any difference in the long run. Cloudchaser knew the unicorn's type. Relying solely on looks, ponies like her had all the ego of Rainbow Dash, but none of the skills. Their way to a position was through a well crafted series of flattery and backstabbing, and once they got there, they made pretty damn sure to destroy any potential competition the first chance they got. On the bright side, since the outcome was already predetermined, there was no point in Cloudchaser taking any hay from her anymore.
"What exactly is 'this'?" the pegasus asked, regaining her composure. "I was told everything would be explained upon arrival. And just who are you?"
The reaction made the unicorn take a step forward. She is doing to kick me out, Cloudchaser thought. Might as well be now than after the mission. At least this way things remained somewhat civil.
"This is the mission you were sent to do," the white pony said. "Highly recommended, at that. The problem I see is that you are too good."
"Eh?" Cloudchaser blinked. She certainly hadn't expected such a response.
"You have a stable relationship, a sister you take care of, a nice home in Ponyville. You even teach yoga when you are not chasing clouds. Ponies like you tend to burnout quickly in our line of work."
Our line of work? Cloudchaser was smart enough to hear the unspoken, yet even so, she had difficulty believing it.
"But, as I said - orders are orders," the unicorn said, making her way to the other side of the desk. "You mission, is simple. You will be acting as a support pony. In this case, that means you will have the authority of a lead pony, but not determine the flight path. Your role will be to make sure your flight partner arrives safely at her destination. I advise you to expect anything along the way."
The pegasus nodded.
"You're smart enough to know not to mention this to anypony, including Spitfire," the white pony stressed on the last. "We leave at sunset from the Academy's west point. Don't be late."
"Just one question," Cloudchaser said, causing the unicorn to raise a brow ever so slightly. "Who will my flight partner be exactly?"
"Wasn't it obvious? I would."
* * *
Unicorns can't fly! Cloudchaser took another bite of her almond salad. She always resorted to almonds when worried or confused. Right now she was both. The morning's "briefing" had turned out quite unusual, to say the least. In retrospect she should have expected something of the sort. Organizations with no names, that had the power to pull her from the Academy, were always into absurd things. But still, unicorns can't fly! It wasn't possible, even using magic. The most they could do was flap about like a butterfly, or float a few moments like a bubble, but that wasn't flying. They wouldn't make ten wing lengths without getting in trouble. And that was even not taking factors such as weather into consideration. Unicorns were just not suited for that sort of thing, just as pegasi weren't meant to do aura magic.
"Hey, Cloudchaser," a pink pegasus swooped down at her table. "Have a moment?"
"Sure, Wild Flower," Cloudchaser smiled, taking another bite. "Love or flying?"
"That obvious, huh?" the other smiled guiltily.
"Pretty much," she pushed the salad aside. Being slightly older, cadets often came to her for advice. Being the best available flyer also helped. Well, there was Lightning Dust, but she still wasn't too approachable.
"Now, I know technically it isn't..." Wild Flower began.
"Asking active members for advice isn't brown nosing," Cloudchser interrupted. "As long as that's the only reason. And definitely don't ask Soarin."
"How did you..." Wild Flower gaped, looking at her in utter amazement.
"Agility tests start next week," Cliudchaser said smugly. Truth was that she had been asked the very same question a few days earlier. "Better hurry, though, or the others will beat you to it. With luck you might even get Spitfire to give you a few pointers."
"That," a stern voice said from above, "is highly unlikely."
Both Cloudchaser and Wild Flower instantly stood to attention, as the captain of the Wonderbolts slowly made her descent. She was in full academy uniform, complete with her ever-displeased expression.
"Fleetfoot is free though," Spitfire said as she sat at the table. "Go tell her I sent you, while I have a talk with Chase."
"Yes, ma'am!" Wild Flower saluted then flew off as fast as she could. Spitfire waited for a few moments, then took off her glasses and started cleaning them with a small white hoofkerchief.
"At ease, Chase," she said breathing on the left lens. "I've treated fairly so far, haven't I?"
"Yes, ma'am?" Cloudchaser said nervously. This was never a good way to start a conversation. Am I in trouble? she thought.
"I've had you train with the best, allowed you to take time off, when you shouldn't, overlooked a few incidents, even had you go on active Wonderbolt missions," cleaning done she placed the glasses in her pocket. "Isn't that right?"
"It is, ma'am! Thank you, ma'am!" the lilac pegasus was quick to answer. She didn't like the direction this conversation was going, not one bit!
"So, I'd like you to listen very carefully to what I'm about to tell you," Spitfire leaned forward. "Be very careful."
"Have I done something wrong, ma'am?" droplets of sweat appeared on Cloudchaser's forehead.
"Oh, definitely," the other said with a stern expression. "But I don't care about that hay. If you didn't have what it took, I would've kicked you out ages ago."
Well, that's nice, Cloudchaser thought. She did wonder, though, what sort of trouble Spitfire was referring to.
"I'm talking about your latest mission," the captain clarified. "When some unicorn I know hay about barges into my office with high enough clearance that would make Soarin dizzy, and then asks you by name, I'm bound to get worried."
"Oh..." That sounded serious.
"And don't get me started on the file she had on you," Spitfire waved a hoof. "Hobbies, interests. Half the things came as a total surprise, and I am supposed to know everything about my cadets! Your addiction, your coltfriend... I didn't even know you had a coltfriend!"
"We tried to be discrete, ma'am," Cloudchaser sighed. Well there goes that secret.
"Worst of all, I have no bucking idea what they want you for!" Spitfire made a sign to the waiter to bring her something to drink. As commander of the Academy, her tastes were well known by all staff, and soon enough an orange cocktail found its way on the table in front of her. A single hoof point at Cloudchaser and a second joined it. "Have some," she said taking a large gulp. "Purely regulation, if that's what you're worried about."
If there was something Cloudchaser was worried about, it definitely wasn't the drink. Everything else aside, she was technically off duty. At least as far as the Academy was concerned.
"Who exactly are 'they', ma'am?"
"Haven't the foggiest," Spitfire finished her drink in one gulp, then ordered a second. "That was the first thing the unicorn said. 'Don't try to find out who I am'. Of course, I wasn't taking any of that. Asked a few friends and contacts to tell me more. Got zilch, of course. They are part of intelligence, that much is clear. Apart from that, only Celestia knows. And I have no intention of asking her. Not unless things get out of hoof."
Made sense. It was no secret that Wonderbolts were in high demand, be they past, present or merely cadets. Their presence alone was enough to give any organization a boost, and their skills were second to none.
"I did manage to learn two things, however," Spitfire was whispering again. "The unicorn you'll be flying with," the disdain could be felt several tables across, "is called Cold Light. As you might expect she doesn't exist either."
"Is it possible she could fly?"
"No idea. I've seen some really cool toys come and go. Nothing that extreme. My guess is they'll be testing something, and you'll be the test subject."
"Great," Cloudchaser sighed.
"And it gets better," Spitfire took her second cocktail. "You'll be flying through Everfree skies. Cheers."
* * *
Sunset was moments away. Cloudchaser looked at the horizon and slowly began exhaling. Yoga always helped her relax. The trick was not to think of anything. Difficult for a pegasus, twice so for her.
"I am a dark and stormy knight," she said calmly looking into the distance. "The clouds are my allies."
She did one final stretch before going to her neatly folded uniform. The Academy's west point was pretty bare. Not so much a place than a marker, it had no practical purpose. It was neither isolated enough for meetings, nor was it dangerous enough for dares. All in all, it just happened to be the westmost point of the mountain the Wonderbolts Academy was on.
As Cloudchaser started putting on her uniform, a white flash burst next to her. Teleportation spell, she thought. You could have at least bothered walking here, you lazy filly!
"No uniform," the unicorn said in the way of greeting. "Nothing that could link you to the Wonderbolts."
No, not ominous at all, the pegasus started taking her uniform off again. What's next? Do I write a farewell letter to my sister, just in case? She could still, quit, of course. It was the easiest thing in the world. She had a good life - calm home, troublemaking sister, coltfriend, even yoga classes - and she wanted to keep it. What would the consequences be, though? If first impressions were to be anything to go by, the unicorn might do more than have her kicked out of the Academy.
"Is there anything else I need to know?" Cloudchaser tried to sound neutral
"In a moment," the unicorn replied, looking down from the edge of the mountain.
Curiosity tempted Cloudchaser to look down as well. Better judgement prevented her from doing so. Seconds later two pegasi flew in from the direction of the main Academy building. Even from a distance Cloudchaser could recognize the unmistakable features of Spitfire and Whiplash. For the captain to be here, the mission had to be big.
"I really don't appreciate you proofing out of my office while I'm talking!" Spitfire said on the verge of shouting. She seemed really pissed.
"Punctuality is a virtue," the other said, not in the least impressed. "Could we get some cloud cover, please?"
"I don't like what you're doing, Cold Light!" the Wonderbolt went into the unicorn's face. "If you think that a piece of paper is enough to let you do what the hay you please, you have another thing coming! Whiplash knows enough bureaucratic stuff, that it will take princess Celestia herself to clear it, and since its night..."
"Just following orders, captain," the unicorn interjected. "If you want to call it off, that is your right."
Although she was fuming, Firefly said nothing. For several long seconds the two started at each other, until the unicorn looked away. Secretly Cloudchaser smiled. Way to go, captain! You show her!
"Deal with this, Whip," she said to the mustached pegasus who had arrived with her. "I have things to do. And you there, Chase," she shouted to Cloudchaser. "Come back with both wings, you hear?"
"Yes, ma'am!" came the reply. At least I know I have the captain on my side, she thought. Little good it'll do me while I'm flying with that thing, though.
Whiplash looked at the sky, then at the unicorn, then at the sky again. There was a multitude of clouds left from the day's practice. Flying up he grabbed two smaller ones and dragged them to the ground. Cloudchaser arched a brow skeptically. Somehow she imagined 'cloud cover' to stand for something more impressive. The way it stood, the clouds could barely cover a pony.
"Thank you," the unicorn said patiently. Whiplash got the hint and quickly flew off. That only left Cloudchaser. "Now I can give you details."
Riiiight! Just when there conveniently aren't any witnesses to hear our conversation.
"We'll be silent flying," the unicorn said. "I'll levitate and you'll steer a wind current in the right direction. You know how to steer wind currents?"
"Sure," Cloudchaser replied, although she was still trying to wrap her mind round the concept. Levitation wasn't used for that! If it were that simple there would be flying unicorns all over the place. "Are you sure about this?" she asked. Cold Light might be the epitome of dislikable, but Cloudchaser wasn't going to let her fall to her death.
"Don't get distracted by details," the unicorn said, and to Cloudchaser's utter amazement grabbed a cloud and climbed on as if it were nothing. That's definitely new the pegasus thought.
That was Cloudchaser's cue. Extending her wings, she was about to jump in the air, when a sharp remark interrupted her.
"Stop!" Cold Light said sharply. "Silent. Flying," she dragged each word. "No wings, no sound, no talking unless it comes from me."
"You expect us to float aimlessly on cloud pieces, guided only by wind currents?" Cloudchaser narrowed her eyes. "You went through all that trouble to get me, only NOT to have me fly? I'm sure there are others, far better suited to..."
"We don't want others," Cold Light cut her short. "We want you." The statement was like an order, yet it succeeded in its intent. With a mental sigh Cloudchaser hopped on the second cloud.
Can't be worse than what it's been like so far, she thought, then started looking for a suitable air current. It had been years since she had done this sort of thing. In fact the only time she had bothered was in weather school. The unicorn had to know that, she had to know there were far better current wranglers out there. Why then did she so insist on her?
"I'll need to fly a bit to get the current started," she said in the hopes Cold Light would change her mind about the approach or pegasus of the mission. Much to Cloudchacer's dismay, she did neither. A simple nod granted the Cloudchaser the approval to proceed.
Way to go, Cloudchaser, she said to herself. Should have quit while I had the chance. with a sigh got on with it.
Floating in air was said to be one of the greatest sensations a pony could experience. For a pegasus, not so much. In this instance, it was not the boredom that got to Cloudchaser. She had yoga for that. Rather, it was the uncertainty of it all. Flying with a unicorn, she thought. Disappointingly anticlimactic.
"How long until the Everfree Forest?" Cold Light asked.
"At this speed, two hours, at least," Cloudchaser replied. "Would be faster if I just..."
"How long before we get out of the Academy's sight?"
"Ten minutes, maybe five. It's night, so I doubt anypony is watching."
"Somepony is always watching," Cold Light said with the certainty only gained through personal experience.
"Ten minutes then."
"Good. Will give us more than enough time."
"Time for?" This isn't good, this isn't good!
"Time for you to tell me the truth about what happened when you got your cutie mark."
"It's a boring story," Cloudchaser tried to play it down. "I'm sure your experience was a lot more interesting."
"I know about your addiction."
"Big deal. Half of all pegasi are adrenalin junkies. If we weren't, the Wonderbolts would hardly exist," the pegasus paused for a moment. This was one topic she preferred to avoid. "Beside I teach yoga now."
"I wasn't talking about what's written in your file," Cold Light said. Suddenly Cloudchaser felt the blood being drained from her face. "I'm talking about your other addiction. The one that started when you got your cutie mark..."
* * *
"Come on, Ditzy!" Cloudchaser flew round her friend. "It'll be wild! I hear the fillies from Cloudsdale do it all the time! They even make storm clouds so they could walk on them!"
The small grey filly looked at her skeptically. "I don't know," she didn't sound at all convinced. "What if something goes wrong? Miss Mare said it's dangerous to fly so close to the Everfree Forest."
"Blah!" Cloudchaser waved a hoof, her face twisting in a grimace of disdain. She didn't like their teacher at all. In fact she didn't like school at all - all that time cooped up in that small room, not being able to fly. Little wonder most of her parents' friends sent their fillies to Cloudsdale schools. "Miss Mare is stupid!" she said adamantly. "And she always complains that my mane isn't in order."
"Well, you mane is messy," Ditzy chuckled.
"No it's not! It's just wild, like me!" Cloudchaser smiled, half closing her eyes in an attempt to look cool.
"Wild or not we've been out for ever," the grey pegasus let out a bored sigh. "Maybe we should go home."
"Yeah home," Cloudchaser said bitterly. She didn't like home much either, not with her sister getting all of her parents' attention. Being home either mean having to listen of all the 'incredible things' Flitter had done that day, or she having to babysit her. And babysitting was the worst!
"Hey, how about we just fly at that one?" Cloudchaser pointed at a nearby storm cloud.
"Cloudchaseeeer" Ditzy groaned.
"Just one cloud! It will be fun, I promise! We'll charge at it together, then pull up right before we hit it. Come on, I dare you!"
That was something Ditzy would never let slide, and Cloudchaser knew it. In part, she felt guilty for resorting to such tactics, but when fun was concerned, there were no rules.
"Fine," the grey pegasus rolled her eyes.
"Great!" Cloudchaser grinned triumphantly. "Rules are your hooves have to touch the cloud! First one to chicken out is a winged mule!"
Challenge made, challenge accepted, the fillies thrust towards the cloud as fast as their wings would carry them. As usual, Ditzy held a slight advantage. Clumsy on ground, she was a real daredevil in the sky, very much to Cloudchacer's chagrin. This time, however, the lilac filly was determined to win, no matter what it took. Forcing her wings to the point of pain, she darted forward. Her advance was less than a hoof, but more than enough. With the cloud approaching rapidly, there was no way Ditzy to reach it first.
Lightning flickered through the cloud, giving Cloudchaser an additional adrenalin boost. Fear at this point only added to the thrill. She could smell the lightning bolts, feel the intense wildness of the Everfree cloud. Twisting her entire body, the filly flew up scraping the cloud surface with her hooves. A slight tingling sensation passed through her body, cousinly her instinctively to pull her legs up. It wasn't like anything she had experienced before. Her mind exploded with feelings so intense they were beyond words. Her entire body shook, as the rage and freedom of the storm cloud passed through her.
"Wow," she managed to whisper flying over.
Indecisively, she extended a leg, letting her hoof touch the cloud surface once. The sensation was back, just as wild and addictive as before. The initial shock was gone now, leaving only the sweet infinity of freedom pulse through her.
"This is wild!" Cloudchaser shouted as she put her other hooves in the cloud. "Told you it would be great, Ditz!" She glanced behind her, only to see she was alone. "Ditz?"
* * *
"She nearly drowned that day," Cloudchaser said quietly. "Afterwards she never was the same."
"You're talking about her eyes?" Cold Light asked with the concern of a block of ice.
"Not the eyes," Cloudchaser said bitterly. "She just changed. For half an year she would hardly fly, and never when other ponies were around. At first I thought it was to spite me. I thought she would never forgive me, so I stopped seeing her. Then there was flight school, my sister grew up... Ditzy and I just drifted apart."
Distant thunder sounded as the two small clouds floated through the night sky. Cloudchaser didn't like to be reminded of the way she got her cutie mark. Even now, after she had parched things up with Ditzy, the memory remained unpleasant.
"Did you save her?" the unicorn asked.
"I don't know. At the time I thought I did, but she swam to the surface of the cloud on her own. I just pulled her out and flew her to Ponyville."
"And you both got your cutie marks. First in your class, if I am not mistaken."
"You know, let's change the subject."
"Let's," the unicorn said and without warning zapped her cloud with a ray of white lightning. Unused to such pressure the cloud burst into hundreds of tiny bits, each quickly dissolving in the air.
The surprise did not end there. Instead of falling, Cold Light remained in the air, extending her fore-hooves forward. Threads of light flickered in through mane, before fading away.
"Lose the cloud," she said as if nothing special had happened, then flew forward.
It took a few seconds for Cloudchaser to work out what was going on. Holy Celestia! she thought. That uni is flying! She is really flying! She would never had believed it, if she hadn't seen it with her own eyes.
"You are getting distracted," came the disapproving yell from ahead. Even amazing Cold Light managed to be a pain. Well, for one thing, she certainly wasn't going to win any popularity contests... or speed races.
Leaping from her cloud, Cloudchaser proceeded forward. Catching up, she slowed the pace. No point in exerting herself needlessly.
"What are you?" she asked as she flew alongside the unicorn.
"Just very very good," came the reply. There was no boasting or malice, just a matter-of-fact statement. "Tell me about your sister," Cold Light abruptly changed the subject.
Whoa, where did that come from? Cloudchaser asked herself. "Well, I care about her a lot. Used to drive me crazy when we were younger. I had it in my mind that she was mom and dad's favourite, so..."
"Not that," the unicorn interrupted. "Tell me why you almost killed her."
* * *
"Cloudchaser!" her mother said sternly. "Where do you think you've been, young filly?"
"Oh, mooom," Cloudchaser sighed irritated. "I was just flying about."
"The entire night?! Without even letting us know?!"
"Gee, I forgot, ok?" she went directly to the kitchen. "Sheesh. Can't a mare go out without having to face the solar inquisition?"
"Don't you hold that tone with me, young filly! There is a word for that, you know!"
Cloudchaser rolled her eyes as she got an apple from the fridge. By the sound of things she wasn't going to eat it here.
"This isn't the first time you've done this!" her mother chimed on. "You're never where you're supposed to be, and even when you are you are causing trouble! Just this month I've received several complaints about you from flight school. Bullying a pegasi?"
"I'd hardly call pointing out weaknesses bullying," Cloudchaser took a bite from the apple. It was sour. "She's a lost cause anyway. The sooner she realizes that, the sooner she'll quit."
"The poor filly has been crying her eyes out because of you! What's worse you've got your sister to join in the bullying!"
"Hey, what Flitter does is her business!"
"It wouldn't be if you didn't stop being such a bad influence! Everything Flitter does is to impress you! Celestia knows why she sees you are a role model! Not once have you done anything positive with you life. I know fillies your age with jobs and places of their own!"
"Is this is what it's about?" Cloudchaser snapped back. "You're kicking me out? Well why didn't you say so? Would have saved me the trouble to constantly come home and pretend I like it here! You know what, I think this is something we finally can agree on. I'll take my stuff and find a place of my own. That way at least I wouldn't have to listen to you all the time!" Raging she headed for the door. "Actually, keep my stuff! I don't need it! I don't need anything in this rotten place."
Before her mother could come up with a response, Cloudchaser had gone outside, slamming the door behind her. Bad influence, bully, nothing positive in my life, she grumbled internally trotting nowhere in particular. Who does that mare think she is anyway? Just because she gave birth to me doesn't mean she can control what I do!
"Why do I even bother!" she said out loud in the middle of the street. "It's not like anypony can understand!"
"Sis?" a timid voice asked from behind.
Cloudchaser turned around briskly. Sure enough, Flitter was there, her eyes wide with concern and fear. The stupid thing has probably never seen anything remotely traumatic in her life! the elder pegasus though. My talk with mom probably looked like the end of the world for her.
"I heard you in the kitchen," Flitter said, delicately trying to avoid the subject. "Are you really going to leave?"
"Absolutely!" Cloudchaser spat on the ground. "You can take all my stuff."
"But you can't!" Flitter protested. "You can't just go and..."
"Look, sis, mom and dad don't want me, they definitely don't need me, and nopony in that house understands me!"
"I do!" Flitter made a step forward. " I mean I want to understand you!"
Hearing that, an evil glint appeared in Cloudchaser's eyes. So, she wants to understand, does she? In that case I might as well show her.
"You really want to understand?" Cloudchaser asked, although she knew the answer. Her sister nodded energetically. "An you are not scared of the consequences?"
That question caused some hesitation, but not enough for Flitter to quit. The filly shook her head, trying to appear determined. The response was good enough for Cloudchaser, who flew into the air.
"Just be sure to keep up, kiddo," she said with a half smile and shot off into the distance. Of course, she wasn't flying at her full speed, just enough to give Flitter a hard time following. The goal, after all, wasn't to lose her.
It was amusing to watch her kid sister persevere. She had a good flying technique, but not the stamina needed to maintain intense flights. Exhaustion was written all over her face, but she persisted nonetheless. Looking at her, it did seem she wanted to keep Clouchaser from leaving. Her determination almost made Cloudchaser reconsider her decision... almost. There was nothing that could make her return home! She would starve before she even considered it!
"Where... are we... going, sis?" Flitter asked, breathing heavily as she tried to keep up with the pace.
"It's not far," Cloudchaser replied. She could already see a wall of dark clouds in the distance. Not as many as there had been last night, but definitely enough for a quick thrill. Just looking at them, made Cloudchaser shiver with excitement. She craved the sensation, the fury of the storm.
"You see those storm clouds?" she asked, speeding up. "Meet me there!"
There was no point in keeping an eye on Flitter anymore - she was old enough to take care of herself. All that mattered was the storm.
Moving in closer, Cliudchaser could see the clouds were untypically uniform. Leave it to Everfree to surprise with a chunk of order, she thought. One couldn't call this a storm by any definition!Rather it was the dormant seed of one. Still, where there was a will, there was a way.
Cloudchaser flew above the cloud blanket. From up here the clouds looked like a tightly knit mosaic. According to the teachers weather class, a few gently kicks in the right places were enough to break the clouds apart. The pegasus, however, was in no mood for gentle. Besides, all the lessons applied to normal clouds, nopony dared teach anything about storms.
Speeding up again, she sliced through the storm clouds, the lower half of her body submerged below the grey surface. The crackle of lightning sounded behind her, along with a low rumble. Music to my ears, she ploughed on. Several thunderbolts struck the ground below, as the storm started to take form. By the time Cloudchaser had finished her first "slice" the clouds had begun to crash into one another, fighting for position. The winds, now having to deal with obstacles blocking their path, increased their strength, determined to pass through.
Perfect! Cloudchaser rejoiced, turning around for a second run. She was going to bring out the full fury of the storm! Lightning flickers jumped onto her mane, trying to take hold, before falling off back into the sky. Their bites felt like a peasant caress.
"I am a dark and stormy knight!" Cloudchaser shouted, exalted by the storm raging around her. "I gallop on storm clouds and leave lightning in my wake! And I..."
"Cloudchaser!" A distant voice made her snap out of the moment. "Sis, where are you?"
Buck! Flitter! Cloudchaser felt her heart shrink. She had completely forgotten about her sister! The filly wouldn't survive the storm! She never was supposed to come this far in! Cloudchaser had hoped that a thunder or two would scare Flitter, force her to fly away crying. Not in a million moons did she expect the kid to actually go on with this!
"Get out of the storm, Flitter!" she shouted dashing in the direction of the voice. Stupid, Flitter! Why did you have to follow me! Couldn't you have remained home, with your plushies and your ribbons?
"Sis!" Flitter's voice sounded again. "I can't see you, sis! I am scared!"
Not another Ditzy, not another Ditzy! passed through Cloudchaser's mind. She had already lost a friend to the storm, she wasn't going to let it claim her sister!
"Hold in there, kiddo!" she shouted piercing though the clouds. "I won't let the storm hurt you! Sis is going to find you and we'll go home together!"
* * *
"We'll go home together," Cloudchaser said quietly. Even now the words would still get stuck in her throat.
"Well you did, in the end," Cold Light noted.
"Yeah, in the end. She was trembling so much she couldn't talk for hours. I was so frightened I took her straight to the hospital," the pegasus shut her eyes for a moment. This was one of the her painful memories. Yoga had helped her accept it, but not fully forgive herself. "There was no shouting when I brought her home that day. No talking either. Mom just looked at me and moved aside so I could enter. Flitter was all shivers. The moment she saw mom she started crying. She didn't blame me or anything, in her mind she still thinks I saved her from the storm," Cloudchaser took a deep breath. "I left the very next day. Left a note this time, so no pony would worry."
"You picked up yoga, if I'm correct?"
"I decided to change my life," Cloudchaser flew on a bit closer. "Yoga was just the first thing I came across, so I joined. That and a band." The unicorn turned her head, giving her the 'really?' look. "It was a phase. Wasn't that good with music anyway."
"And so you grew to become everypony's older sister," it wasn't certain if Cold Light meant that as a insult or a compliment. "Getting your own place, taking in your sister when she asked. Even at the Academy - most go to you for advice, despite there being far better choices."
"Wow, thanks," the Pegasus grumbled. For a moment she had forgotten how malicious the unicorn was.
"You're still addicted, though. If you don't deal with it, on day it will come back to bite you in the rump."
Seriously? To 'bite you in the rump'? "I'll try to keep that in mind," she said struggling to stifle a chuckle. "Although, since you already know, I might as well start packing my saddlebags."
"Not my call," Cold Light said blankly. "It's good to have weaknesses. They help you improve. Although, I cannot say I approve of your choice of coltfriend. Then again, I am not to judge other's taste, no matter how terrible it might be. Just make sure he doesn't become a liability! He looks kind of fragile."
"Talking of liabilities, what about our mission?" Cloudchaser said, then cleared her throat. "We've been flying aimlessly for quite a while now. Do we get to actually do anything, or what?"
"That depends," the unicorn said.
The two continued flying in silence for several minutes. The clouds were quite near now. The smell of lightning filled the air, making Cloudchaser's mane tingle. She could feel it was going to be a big one - a nearly perfect storm. A deep desire in her shouted out, luring her towards the storm. You know you want it, a pesky little voice said. It's been weeks since you felt anything more than kid's lightning.
"Depends on what?" the pegasus asked trying to clear her head.
"Depends on you," the other replied. "We can turn around and go back to the Academy," a slight pause. "Or we can go into that storm. The choice is entirely yours?"
"Oh?" Cloudchaser frowned. If something sounded too good it usually wasn't. "Just like that? What about the mission?"
"There never was a mission," Cold Light stopped in place, her entire body covered in a faint white glow. "Look at this as an interview. A position recently opened in our organization, and you were among the candidates suggested to fill it."
The Pegasus stared at her in disbelief.
"Oh, come on," Cold Light frowned. "Even you would can't believe that we would take you on a real mission! It takes months of preparation even for somepony within our circles. You show some promise, but on the whole, are clueless as a filly!"
Sure, rub it in, why don't you? the Pegasus grumbled mentally. It was hard to believe all this had been an act. The briefing, the flight mission, the scene at the Academy... Could it be that Spitfire was in the loop? Knowing her most probably not. The Wonderbolts captain could be a lot of things, but a good actor wasn't among them. If she seemed pissed, she probably was. Cloudchaser could picture her sitting in her office, yelling her head off at subordinates and furniture alike. Should she learn all this was an elaborate interview, all Tartarus would break loose.
"What happens if we enter the storm?" Cloudchaser asked.
"We continue to fly until I run out of magic and plunge to my death," Cold Light replied in the mist casual tone possible. "You will be expected to catch me before that, and carry me safely back to the Academy. "
"You are crazy, you know that?" the pegasus ventured a laugh, uncertain if this was meant as a joke or not. For some reason it sounded like the latter.
"You have to be crazy to join the agency," she smiled for the very first time since Cloudchaser had met her. "It also helps to be broken. But I guess even perfect ponies, as yourself, deserve a chance every now and again."
That sounded suspiciously close to a compliment.
"What if I don't want to join?" she considered.
"You will," as always, Cold's answer was plain and simple. "Our boss always gets what she wants. So are we going to taste some storm or not?"
That was a trick question, but Cloudchaser suspected the unicorn was aware. Otherwise she would have hardly asked it. Looking at things from perspective, there was much more than met the eye. For one one thing she definitely wasn't the malicious social climber she pretended to be. She had planned everything since their first meeting, making Cloudchaser do exactly what she wanted. Scary, but at the same time, incredibly thorough. The question was how should Cloudchaser react now?
"The hay with it!" the pegasus shot towards the clouds, followed a short distance away by Cold Light. "I am Stormwalker - a dark and stormy knight!," Cloudchaser yelled as her hooves touched the a first cloud's surface. "And storms are my addiction!"