Life was too perfect in Ponyville, but no one thought anything of it. Everything was taken for granted until something began to happen in the skies that the pegasi couldn't control, leaving everypony to wonder what will become of them.
The skies darken, the clouds gather, and rain begins to drench all of Ponyville. The pegasi claim that the winds are too strong for them to fix whatever is going on. This wasn't just another passing rainstorm. Something terrible is about to happen, something that we are well acquainted with here in our world, but to the citizens of Ponyville, it might as well spell the end. Everything they've taken for granted, gone, and they can only cower in fear as it's taken away from them.
"Have we got everything on the list Spike?" Twilight Sparkle and her dragon companion paused for a moment by the town's fountain to go over a rather lengthy list of things to purchase they had prepared earlier that morning. The sun beat down on Ponyville, creating an uncomfortably humid day. Not many ponies were on the street, and if they were, they seemed to be rushing to get inside. Spike jumped up to sit on the stone ledge around the water, attempting to get closer to the cooling mist drifting from the fountain's spray while scanning the list. It contained a variety of objects from bottles of ink and parchment, to apples from Sweet Apple Acres. The list also demanded of them many other tasks, like dropping this off here and there.
"Almost everything, we promised Rarity we would bring her a few of those quills from earlier." Spike responded and starting digging through their shopping bag. "Luckily we have just enough." He brought out three purple feathered quills triumphantly, then put them back in the bag. He gave the smallest of smiles, imagining what Rarity would say when he hand-delivered the precious feathers, then quickly stopped, no wasn't the time for that.
"Let's not keep Rarity waiting then! Climb on." Twilight bent her knees to allow Spike to clamber onto her back. He did so with a bit of difficulty, a bit slippery from the fountain water. Then they set off down the path to the Carousel Boutique. Since they wouldn't arrive for some time, Twilight took the time to think. She did this often, not even knowing what to think about, she'd would just... think. Some might say this was a dangerous hobby to follow when walking through Ponyville, but nopony was outside their homes today, so there was no need to worry too much.
It was closer to autumn now, so most ponies would expect the weather to be cooler and more pleasant. However the last few days have proved quite the opposite. The annual Running of the Leaves was approaching fast, nopony will want to run in this heat! The leaves wouldn't fall properly, fall would be ruined, then winter! All of the seasons would be mashed together and everypony would be miserable! Then-
Twilight's panicked train of thought was interrupted when a blue pegasus suddenly landed in her path, calling out her name as she kicked up dust. In the split second it took for the pony to land and Twilight to realize she was there, they crashed into each other, sending quills, parchment rolls, and ink bottles tumbling on the ground. Twilight managed to barely keep her footing. Not the same could be said for Spike, as he had fallen off onto the cobble.
"Rainbow Dash! You should really watch where you're landing next time!" Twilight looked back at Spike, who brushed himself off and glanced up at Dash then to Twi, telling her he was alright.
"But this is kind of an emergency!" Pacing eagerly on the path, Rainbow looked more excited than scared considering what she just said.
At the sound of the word emergency, Twilight suddenly directed all of her attention on her rainbow maned friend. She immediately began mentally listing off possibilities. Something had gone wrong and it would probably fall on her and her friends shoulders to fix it. It was her duty as the Princess of Friendship and that of her friends of course to be sure everypony was safe from whatever odd thing seemingly just popped out of the ground.
"I mean it's probably not an emergency. I just wanted to get your attention." Dash sheepishly smiled, rubbing her hoof against the back of her mane. With an annoyed sigh, Twilight gestured for her to continue. "So, yeah. Something weird is going on with the weather, none of the pegasi in Cloudsdale can figure out. I figured an egghead like you would know what's going on."
"For the last time Rainbow Dash, I'm just well-read, that doesn't make me an egghead. I suppose I'll be able to help though." An eagerness swept through her, causing her wings to extend and start to lift her into the air. "Where is it?"
"Just follow me."
"Lead the way, and hurry, it could be something dangerous!"
"I just thought to tell you something weird is going on. Don't freak out." Dash started along above the clouds, smirking back at Twilight as she followed a bit further behind. "Can you keep up rookie?"
"Of course I can! Stop thinking I'm incapable." Twilight's wings easily glided on the slight breeze, but Rainbow Dash deliberately kept a bit ahead by flapping more.Suddenly the two were thrown off course when a pegasi went zipping by them. Before any of them could say something in annoyance, she skittered to halt and went back to Rainbow Dash, panic painted over her face in thick paint.
"Rainbow Dash! I-it's getting worse! We can't control it! We need help!" she panted, tears starting to form in her big eyes.
"Calm down, what's going on?" Dash let her face change minutely in concern, but was internally freaking out. What happenedin the few minutes she'd been gone?
"The clouds! The wind! It's starting to spiral around, and the clouds are getting closer to the ground!"
Twilight lifted her head sharply upon hearing this extra tidbit. "Do they look like a funnel?"
"I-I think so..."
"Why? What's going on Twi?" Dash glanced over, once again confused on what knowledge she had hidden from them all
"I never thought something like this could happen but..." She shook her head in distress. "Ponyville is on the brink of facing it's first tornado."
Spike impatiently looked towards where Rainbow and Twilight had disappeared over the horizon. Storm clouds were beginning to advance towards Ponyville rather quickly, and he would prefer not to stand outside getting soaked. He glanced around, taking notice that the other ponies were glancing up at the clouds with faint smiles. They had a right to. A bit of rain would be amazing after the weather they've been having. The smell of wet grass, everything would be clean and damp.
He shifted uncomfortably as a few raindrops slid down his purple scales. They were quickly followed by some more.
"Excuse me," he tapped the leg of a passing mare, but she was going at full trot to escape the oncoming storm. "Wait!" he tried to run after her. Suddenly he stopped cold when a lazy roll of thunder echoed from far off in the distance. "Come on Twilight. Hurry." There had to be a place he could wait out the storm and not get drenched.
Another, more violent burst of thunder sent him scurrying down the path towards the Carousel Boutique. Bolts of lightning cut a deep wound in the darkening skies, causing it to howl in agony. Heavy winds started to buffet Spike to and fro, but he finally reached the Boutique. Something stopped him for a moment, probably the monster hoard of butterflies growing in his stomach. This wasn't the same kind of tingles as when he barfs out a letter, he was terrified of being trapped inside a building with Rarity during a storm. She couldn't see how scared he was!
"Spike?" he heard a voice over the shrieking of the wind. "What are you doing outside? Hurry come in!" Rarity had opened the door and was now pushing Spike inside, quickly slamming the door.
"Well Rainbow Dash and Twilight are out flying because something is really weird with the weather."
"This seems like a normal summer storm. I hope they've landed and are inside somewhere, flying in this weather could end horribly. Make sure you wipe your feet on the mat before coming in any further." the white unicorn turned around with a light flip of her mane. She went upstairs to the bedroom area of the boutique and called back down to Spike. "You can come upstairs! Sweetie Belle has been dying to show you something apparently."
"O-okay!" he braced himself as rapid blasts of thunder caused the windows to shake. Using a sudden surge of bravery, he made a made dash upstairs, nearly crashing into Sweetie Belle.
"Spike! There you are. Isn't it kind of funny that you picked here of all places to stay during this bad storm?" Sweetie grinned innocently, but her eyes gave away something much more malicious.
"I guess so. I was just waiting for Twilight to get back and it started to storm." Spike looked apprehensively at Sweetie Belle. "Did I interrupt something?"
Before Sweetie could respond, the lights sparked and went out. Rarity let out a yelp of surprise and briskly trotted into the hall.
"Downstairs, come on." she lead the way down the steps with increasing urgency.
"What's wrong Rarity?"
"There's a flashlight down here and I don't want you upstairs in the dark alone Sweetie."
"Rarity... this seems a bit intense for a regular storm..." Spike chimed in as he followed Rarity to the cabinet where a large roll of fabric tumbled out. He picked up the roll and pushed it back up.
"Thank you Spike, I just thin we've been without rain for such a long time- Sweetie look out!" Rarity was cut off when an extremely powerful blast of wind caused a ceiling beam to crack down the middle. Before Sweetie Belle could even look up to see what had happened, the board split, breaking the support for almost a third of the boutique, and crushing the small foal under a mountain of debris.
Now that a large part of the sky was revealed, Spike, already shaky from watching Sweetie get crushed, had to sit down and hold his head. A large funnel cloud had begun to touch down in the town square, and there were two small dots hovering near it, one blue and the other purple...
"Sweetie Belle!" Rarity screamed at the top of her lungs and galloped towards the hill of wood, stone and some furniture from the top floor. She started to move pieces out of the way to get to her younger sister. "Sweetie please say something!"
"R-arity..." she somehow managed to groan. A single white hoof was extended from under a plank of flooring. Spike dashed over to help move it, revealing a mortally crippled Sweetie Belle.
A large shard of oak had impaled the filly straight through her side, staining her cream flank a deep crimson. Every part of her seemed bruised and cut, swelling up in too many places to count. As she struggled to call out to Rarity, blood bubbled up from her throat, the wind whipping it across her face.
"Spike! Help me get this out of her!" Rarity cried out in hysteria, attempting to pull out the beam of wood. Heavy tears traced down her face as they pushed it out of Sweetie's stomach.
"Rarity... i-i-it hurts..." Sweetie Belle whispered, curling in on herself. Now that the beam was gone, there was a gaping hole going through her, letting her intestines start to pile onto the floor every time she even breathed. Spike had to turn away as Rarity collapsed to sit by her dying sister.
"I'm so sorry Sweetie.."
"I wonder if..." she winced. "ghost ponies can get cutie marks." Sweetie muttered with her last breath.
Rarity fought back tears and kissed her on the cheek. "I'm sure they can, and yours will be the best the world has ever seen..."
"A tornado? Those only appear when wemake them!" Rainbow Dash looked furtively up at the advancing cloud layer "Even then they're just maintenance to get water up to Cloudsdale or something." It would be only minutes before the twister touched the town. It would be only minutes before everypony would be enveloped in a thick woolen blanket of panic, blocking out any other feeling.
"I've only read about them. My book said that they only appear in another dimension!" Twilight glanced over to Dash, who was staring at her dumbfounded.
"Another dimension? You expect me to believe that when there is on apparently right in front of us?!"
"Yes! We have to warn everypony before it's too late! They have to get in their basements, stay away from anything metal-" Twilight was cut of by a bolt of lightning slicing right by the green pegasus who escorted them to this place. There was the smell of burning hair and flash and a scream of agony that was a mere second before she plummeted to the ground, wings held tightly against her body.
"Why are we still up here!? It's on top of us! Get on the ground!" Dash had to yell now to be heard over the wind tearing its way through.
"What about that other pony? Getting hit by lightning can be deadly!"
Without a moment's hesitation, Rainbow Dash held her wings close to herself and dived down to the ground below, unable to be seen through the torrential rain. Twilight followed, praying to Celestia for the pony's safety.
"She's okay!" Twi heard Rainbow Dash call out as she landed choppily. All of the dirt was now thick, deep mud, making it difficult to walk properly. "Just dazed and scratched up."
"Is there anyway we can bring her with us to whatever shelter we can find?"
"Rarity's place is the closest home of a friend. If we have the time we should try to get there." Rainbow offered a hoof to help the pegasus get up. She winced in pain a few times but made it into a standing position, casting a small grin at them to say she was all right.
"We'd have to get there quick. Come on, can you gallop?"
"I'll try. If I fall behind, don't wait. I'll find a place around here." the pegasus dipped her head.
Twilight started to run the best she could through the mud and looked back. The pegasus was following her, but the same could'nt be said for Rainbow Dash. The mare was staring straight ahead of them, unlike Twilight who was focused entirely on the ground, trying to find the cobbled path.
"T-twi..." she lifted a hoof and pointed towards the direction they were going. An enormous funnel cloud was descending rapidly down upon the town, already tearing the roofs off of buildings. "It's heading right for Rarity!"
"Then run! We have to warn her and get her out of there!"
Little did the ponies know, the were already too late to save the youngest member of the unicorn's family, there was nothing they could do, no amount of magic, flight, or hope could reverse their fates. They were all destined to be torn apart by the oncoming disaster.
