A/N: I know, it's been so long since my last update! But I'm sure a lot of Fanfiction authors (almost all of them, really) understand how a busy week at school can drain the life out of you.

I'll do my best to update more often in the future!

The Storm

Summer storms. They may not have the biting rain and cold of winter storms, or even the freezing severity of snowstorms, but summer storms always had the thunder and lightning and oftentimes the wind to make it all beautifully dangerous.

At Piston Peak National Park, the firefighters both admired and dreaded summer storms. More often than not, a lightning storm equaled another fire. Blade always stayed extra-alert when storms came through. He had to be the first one to check out the severity of the fire, after all.

But when he saw the developing stages of this storm, Blade foresaw a long night ahead of him and his team.

As a teenager learning masterful helicopter flying skills, Blade took a significant amount of time studying signs of severe weather patterns. While watching the developing stages of an incoming storm, Blade noticed dark cumulus clouds and occasional flashes of lightning. But he also saw the winds picking up, and those clouds approaching at a rapid rate. That was a clear sign of a severe storm approaching. By the time this storm reached its mature stage, there would be lightning, thunder, rain, wind, the works. Who knows when the dissipating stage would arrive?

Blade hurried to the patrol tower, switching on his radio. "Patch, come in."

"I see you comin', Chief." Patch said. "I'm on my way down."

Good ol' Patch. She's probably had her eye on the weather reports. Blade waited at the bottom of the tower, eyeing the swaying treetops nearby. Patch came down at a quickened yet calm pace. Blade took this into account when he asked an inevitable question: "What's the status, Patch?"

"Severe. Level T-3, T-4." Patch said. "Winds are at a steady fifty miles an hour, but they're gusting at sixty. Very heavy rainfall, a little hail. Aircraft are advised to fly around or above it."

"So we're going into a storm shelter lockdown?" Blade guessed.

"Yes, sir." Patch said.

"Sound the alarm." Blade ordered. "I'm flying down to the lodge to alert Jammer."

"Copy that." Patch did a U-turn and returned to the tower. Blade started towards the runway to take off. Patch's announcement sounded just as he turned towards the lodge.

"Attention aircraft and jumpers. We are officially in storm shelter lockdown. I repeat, we are in storm shelter lockdown. Secure your hangers and head to the main hanger. Repeat: secure your hangers and head to the main hanger."

Jammer spent so long at Piston Peak that he also knew when a huge storm would hit. By the time Blade reached the lodge, Jammer already alerted the staff and campers. But when Blade gave Patch's report, Jammer increased the safety efforts and called Muir in to be housed at the lodge's station. Once Jammer assured him that everyone would be safe at the lodge, Blade flew off to return to base. The winds definitely picked up, making it a little difficult for Blade to keep himself steady as he flew. The extra control input he had to put forth usually exhausted him, and he let out a sigh when he could finally put his full weight on his landing gear back on base. Rain stung at his hide and beat repeatedly on his roof. All the hanger doors were shut, even the door to the garage. Whenever a storm hit, the base took it seriously. Every hanger remained locked down while everyone retreated to the safety of the main hanger. Even when Cad had cut their budget, they made sure that the main hanger stayed secure and strong. It was their only defense against the storm.

"Chief!"

Blade paused on his way to the main hanger when he saw Patch come up to him. "Why aren't you in the main hanger?" Blade shouted over the wind.

"I just got a call from Dusty and Sky!" Patch called. "They're on their way here!"

"Why in the heck are they trying to come now?" Blade demanded.

"Something about being released early." Patch explained. "They're heading our way!"

"Where are they?" Blade asked.

"I just got off the radio with them." Patch said. "They said they were approaching the park."

"All right. Get in the main hanger!" Blade ordered. "I'll give them a call." Patch nodded in understanding and hurried off to the main hanger. Blade moved closer to the tower to hopefully get a better signal, and he switched on his radio. "Ranger 301 calling Crophopper Seven. Chief to Crophopper and Riley. Do you read me? Over." Blade waited a moment. If Dusty and Sky were almost at the park, they should be able to hear him. "Ranger 301 to Crophopper and Riley. Do you read me? Over."

A voice came from the static. "Crophopper Seven responding. Kinda hard to talk right now, Chief!"

"Last I heard, you and Raven were on the way here in this thrice-damned storm!" Blade snapped. "What are you thinking?"

"Blade, can we discuss this when we land?" Sky chimed in on the channel. "The worst of this storm is right on our tails!"

"You can't turn around?" Blade asked.

"This wind is giving me enough of a hard time as it is!" Dusty protested. "Besides, we're flying over the lodge right now!"

Blade groaned. "All right, come straight to base. I'll meet you here. Hurry it up!"

"Roger that! Crophopper Seven signing off!"

Blade stared into the rain and the clouds, scanning the skies for any spots of red and white. This would be a hairy operation, but better to get Dusty and Sky in a secure, safe place until the storm passed. When Blade finally spotted the racer, he saw Dusty desperately trying to fly faster than the wall of rain and hail coming behind him.

"Champ, you read me?" Blade asked in his radio.

"Yeah! I can just make out the runway!" Dusty had to shout to be heard over the wind and static.

"Good. Now listen up." Blade ordered. "This runway is going to be slick when you touch down, so try and slow your speed before you hit the asphalt."

"Uh, I don't do well with slick landings." Dusty warned.

"I'll keep an eye on things from my vantage point." Blade assured. "Just get down here!"

"Roger that." Dusty began his descent, his landing gear popping out of his pontoons. The winds pushed him around a bit, but Dusty managed to touch down on the runway. Blade wasn't kidding; the water on the runway made it so slick that Dusty began hydroplaning when he tried to apply his brakes. Luckily, Blade kept alongside him and threw his hoist, catching one of Dusty's pontoons. Blade slammed on his brakes. Though he slid across the ground several feet, Blade came to a halt and forced Dusty and Sky to do the same.

"Thanks!" Dusty called over the wind.

"Don't mention it! Let's go!" Blade ordered. Immediately, that wall of rain crashed onto them. The wind blew so hard, the rain seemed to come sideways. Blade guided Dusty and Sky towards the main hanger, and he pounded on the door. Maru forced the door open and allowed their comrades inside before he and Avalanche slammed the door shut again. Sky, Dusty, and Blade were soaking wet, but at least they were in shelter.

"Role call!" Blade called in an authoritative tone. "Windlifter."

"Here." Windlifter replied.

"Cabbie."

"Present, sir."

"Dipper."

"I'm here!"

"Smokejumpers! Dynamite."

"Right here."

"Drip."

"Hey!"

"Avalanche."

"HERE!"

"Blackout."

"Aquí!"

"Pinecone."

"Righ' here, Chief."

"Maru."

"Yep."

"Patch."

"Accounted for."

"And Dusty and Sky."

"Present."

"Drenched, but arrived safely."

"Good." Blade twirled his rotors to shake the water off them. "Now, Crophopper and Riley, care to explain why you thought it was a good idea to come flying over here in the middle of a severe thunderstorm?"

Sky wrung out her braided hair. "Mayday insisted."

"Yeah, when he heard you guys had a major storm coming, he practically ordered us to come out so we could help with the cleanup in the morning." Dusty explained, shaking his wings a bit to get the water off. "We tried skirting around the storm, but it caught up to us on our way towards the park."

"Well, remind me to thank him tomorrow." Blade said. "But you two really should have waited until the weather cleared."

"And miss out on hiding in the main hanger?" Sky said with sarcasm in her voice. "What are you all doing in here anyway?"

"Protocol whenever there's a strong enough storm." Blade explained. "The main hanger is the most secure, ergo the safest place to be when severe weather hits."

"Who came up with that?" Dusty asked.

"Chief before Blade." Maru piped up. "He ended up flying right in the middle of a storm like this and nearly smashed into the side of a mountain. Ever since, he's insisted on this to keep everyone safe."

"Good thinking." Sky mused. "But how long are we going to be in here?"

"Until the storm blows over, hopefully in the morning." Blade said. "Tomorrow, we'll survey the damage and work with Jammer and the rangers for cleanup."

"For now, we stay in here, where it's nice and warm and dry." Drip said.

"Until the power goes—" Cabbie didn't get to finish his sentence when the something crashed outside, and the lights flickered and turned off. "—out." At once, all the vehicles in the room switched on their lights.

"I'll get the lanterns." Maru sighed.

"I'll help." Sky offered, joining him at the shelves.

"Drip, Blackout, start grabbing some of the heat lamps." Dynamite ordered.

Soon, the firefighters gathered around a small circle of heat lamps and lights to wait out the storm. Sticks and other debris tapped against the walls and windows, just a little harder than the pounding rain and hail. The door rattled and shook, thankfully remaining locked. Lightning flashed in the windows, making the room light up briefly with every strike. Any conversation held during the storm had to pause for the thunder drowning out people's voices.

Drip jumped when a louder round of thunder echoed in the air, and what must've been a tree branch slammed against the outside of the hanger. "Man, I hate storms like this."

"It's not that bad." Sky shrugged. Everyone jumped a little when tree debris hit the roof. "Okay, it's bad."

"You two flew through that storm." Cabbie noted, looking back and forth between Sky and Dusty.

"Yeah, you got no room to talk!" Drip added.

"Well we've had to deal with storms like this back in Propwash." Dusty said. "We've even gotten tornadoes every once in a while."

"Ugh, I hate tornadoes." Drip groaned.

"You only say that because you take Wizard of Oz too seriously." Dynamite rolled her eyes.

"In all seriousness, you two don't usually fly around in storms like this, do you?" Maru asked the two racers in the room.

"Of course not usually." Dusty assured. "Just when the situation demanded it."

"I think the only other time we flew through a major storm was during our first Wings Around the Globe Rally." Sky pointed out.

"Oh yeah! I remember that." Dipper piped up excitedly.

"I remember somethin' about you two crashing in that storm." Pinecone noted.

"Yeah. Not our brightest moment." Sky admitted.

"I was still afraid of heights at the time, and the storm just knocked us right into the ocean." Dusty chuckled nervously.

"It's a wonder you two didn't come out with some kind of trauma." Blade said.

"Actually, we were a bit traumatized." Sky corrected. "We just didn't know it for a while. It took several months before we got over it."

"How'd you manage that?" Blackout asked.

"It's kind of a long story." Dusty shrugged.

"Please, do tell." Maru encouraged. "Anything to kill time until morning." Everyone else got comfortable, ready for a good story. Dusty and Sky exchanged a look and then shrugged.

"Okay." Sky began. "It was the day before Thanksgiving, and Dusty and I were in the middle of racing practice when the storm began to roll in."

"We weren't exactly a fan of storms in the first place." Dusty continued. "But that was when we figured out just how much crashing in the ocean affected us."

Dusty and Sky whooped and laughed as they flew through the obstacle course. Skipper kept an eye on them from above, keeping close watch on their form.

"Tighten those turns!" Skipper called. "Let gravity work for you!" He watched the pair clear the silos and head towards the river. "All right, knife-edge those trees. And Sky, watch out for the branches!"

Sky just managed to duck her head, and she felt just a few leaves smack her skull. "Thanks, Dad!"

Skipper continued to follow the racers. Then, he noticed the light darkening. He glanced to the cloudy skies, and he saw the previously white clouds turned gray and seemed to grow darker. "Hey Dusty. We should head back to the airport. Storm's rolling in."

Dusty and Sky looked up worriedly. "Uh….s-storm?" Dusty swallowed, fighting to keep his voice from going up an octave.

"Don't worry. The winds are low for now, but we should head home before we get caught up in the storm." Skipper said.

"He's right." Sky nodded, gripping the handlebar tighter. "Let's go.

Dusty turned, following Skipper back to the Propwash Junction Airport. He tried to keep his speed down, not wanting to seem in a rush to get home. Sky gripped the handlebar on Dusty's back so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Skipper and Dusty landed, and the winds began to pick up. Rain drizzled down. The citizens of Propwash Junction noticed the incoming bad weather and began preparing for it. Skipper and Sky bid Dusty goodnight and hurried home.

The full brunt of the storm hit during dinner. Sky tried to focus more on her mashed potatoes and green beans, but she couldn't stop herself from jumping in fear at the round of thunder right above the hanger.

"You okay, kiddo?" Sparky asked.

"Yeah. Fine." Sky nodded hurriedly.

"Skylar, you're going to be all right." Skipper assured.

"I'm not a child, Dad." Sky droned. She jumped again when lightning flashed in the window. Her grip tightened around her fork.

"Skylar, you have PTSD." Skipper explained calmly. "It's normal to have this kind of reaction to what caused your trauma."

"We'll just do the same thing we've done every time there's a storm." Sparky said with a comforting smile. "Put in your music and redirect your attention to something else."

Sky nodded in understanding, continuing her meal. Soon after finding she had some PTSD from the storm over the Pacific, Sparky and Skipper worked with Sky to help her calm down whenever a storm came. This was mostly to reduce the stress she felt during storms because she often had panic attacks. After dinner, Sky retreated to her bed and put her headphones over her ears. With her music overshadowing the thunder and rain, Sky could dive into a book she recently started. After a few chapters, Sky almost forgot about the storm.

Later that night, Sky saw movement out of the corner of her eye, and she pulled off her headphones. "Dad? Sparky? Where are you going?"

"Storm's getting a lot worse." Skipper said, he and Sparky preparing to leave. "You hear that bell?"

Sky listened. Amidst the wind, thunder, and rain, she could hear a loud ringing at a frantic, repetitive pace. "Yeah."

"That's a distress signal." Skipper explained. "Back when the town was first built, they installed bells that could be operated manually, so that if there was a major storm or other emergency and someone needed help, they just had to ring the bell and someone would come."

"Skipper and I always go out to help people during times like this." Sparky added. "I think that bell is coming from the Cessna living near Honkers. She's got a couple kids, you know."

"You're going out there?" Sky asked worriedly.

"Skylar, we've done it before." Skipper assured. "We'll no doubt have to do it again. It'll be fine. You just go back to your book."

Sky nodded. "Okay. Be safe."

Skipper and Sparky nodded and rolled outside. The wind buffeted against them, but they braved the storm and slammed the door shut behind them. Sky forced herself to put her worry aside and turned her music back on. She knew her father and Sparky could handle themselves, especially if they've done this before.

But halfway through a song, Sky's music shut off, and she realized her player's battery died. Sky groaned in irritation, but tried to read her book instead of listening to the storm. But, apparently, the storm wanted to be heard. Thunder rattled the windows. The wind shook the door. Lightning lit up the room and blinded Sky for a split-second every time it came. Rain came down so much it gave new meaning to "raining cats and dogs."

Then the power went out.

"Sure. Because I'm not suffering enough!" Sky shouted at no one. She huddled under a blanket, trying to block out the noise of the storm. "Well this night can't get any worse."

Sky heard another bell ringing out. Amidst all the storm noise, Sky heard those bells at least a dozen times already. It seemed that a lot of people were having trouble.

I wonder if Dusty is okay. Sky thought. Her eyes widened at the thought. What if the storm tore the roof off his house or something? What if he needs help? Does his hanger even have a warning bell? It's a bit newer compared to the other homes in Propwash Junction.

Sky knew she couldn't rest without knowing Dusty was all right. She hurried to the radio in the corner, but suddenly remembered the power was out. Sky tried her personal flight radio, but the signal couldn't break through the storm and all she got was static. Now she had a real problem: she worried greatly for Dusty's safety, but the only way she could check would be to go through the storm. Fear and concern seemed to have a boxing match in her stomach, and she decided the only way she could decide what to do is to flip a coin.

The coin decided Sky had to go out into the storm to check on her friend.

So she pulled on a waterproof windbreaker and her hiking boots, grabbing her goggles just in case. Sky paused at the door, her fear returning. But fear for her friend eventually came through, and she opened the door just enough to squeeze out. She took off running to reach Dusty's home as fast as possible. She noticed Leadbottom heading towards a home ringing its bell, and Brodi darting off to another one. Every time her boot hit the ground, it hit a puddle, and water splashed up around Sky's jeans. With all the rain coming down, she became thoroughly soaked in less than a minute. The wind blew her jacket hood off, and the rain drenched her face and hair while waterlogging her goggles.

The second she reached Dusty's door, Sky began banging on it with her fist. "Dusty! Hey Dusty! It's me, Sky! Open up!"

The door opened, and Sky dove into the hanger. Dusty shut the door after her and locked it. Sky shed her wet jacket and boots, water dripping from her hair.

"Hey." Dusty greeted.

Sky noticed Dusty shaking a little, his eyes wide and darting around nervously. "Oh my gosh. You're scared of the storm too!"

"What? No." Dusty scoffed, but the tremble in his voice gave him away.

Sky laughed a little. "All this time, you've been telling me you weren't scared at all, and you're just as much of a coward as I am!"

Dusty sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I know."

"It's okay." Sky assured. She shivered a little and sneezed.

Dusty grabbed a towel from one of the shelves nearby and handed it to Sky. She wrapped herself in the warm, fluffy towel, sitting on Dusty's wing and scooting close to him. The two racers sat in darkness, hoping the storm would pass soon. They heard more bells, but they silenced once help came.

"Sounds like Skipper and Sparky are on top of things." Dusty noted. "They did this same thing the last time we had a major storm like this, back when I was a kid."

"I saw Leadbottom and Brodi helping out too." Sky said.

"Good." Dusty nodded. "Then everything will be fine."

The two of them jumped at another round of thunder, and Sky huddled closer to her friend. They continued to listen to the bells ringing, ever thankful that Skipper, Sparky, Leadbottom, and Brodi were out there to help.

One of the rounds of bell-ringing sounded much closer than the others. "That's Martha's home." Dusty realized. "She lives just down the road."

"I thought she went out of town for an emergency hospital call." Sky said.

"She has kids." Dusty reminded her. "A teenager and a couple younger ones. It's a good thing they found the emergency bell."

Sky nodded in agreement. But several minutes passed, and the bell continued to ring. Usually, the bell kept ringing for about ten minutes before somebody arrived to help. But twenty minutes passed, and the bell continued.

"Something's wrong." Sky said. "Maybe nobody can hear the bell."

"The storm's gotten worse." Dusty mused. "Maybe everyone else is staying inside for safety's sake."

"You think the kids will be all right?" Sky asked.

"Well, maybe they're just scared." Dusty suggested. "I mean, Martha won't be able to come home in this weather. The roads have gotta be closed, it's so dangerous."

Suddenly, Dusty and Sky heard breaking wood and a loud crash. The bell at Martha's home stopped.

"That didn't sound good." Dusty gulped.

Sky hurried to the window, but she couldn't get the proper angle to see anything. Even if she did get a good angle, she could barely see a thing through the sheets of rain. The warning bell started up again, more frantic. "Did that sound like a tree crashing?" Sky asked worriedly.

"Yeah, but we're not anywhere near the forest." Dusty's eyes widened. "Wait a minute. Isn't there a big elm tree in their backyard?"

"The kids like to climb it all the time." Sky came to a sudden realization. "You think so?"

"At the very least, part of the tree could've broken off and hit the house." Dusty said.

Sky groaned in agitation. "We have to go check on those kids." She quickly shook the extra water off her coat and pulled it on. "The house might not be safe."

"You're right." Dusty nodded. They moved to the door and Sky pulled it open.

Lightning cast spooky shadows and thunder shook the racers' ribs.

Sky slammed the door shut. "On second thought….."

Dusty swallowed. "Great. What are we supposed to do?"

"Well I don't want to go out there!" Sky snapped.

"Those kids might need our help." Dusty reasoned. "They're still ringing the bell."

"Yeah, so we should go." Sky said.

"But the storm!" Dusty protested.

"I know!" Sky groaned.

Sky hated that Dusty actually brought up a legitimate point. Their fear of this storm dredged up bad memories, and they couldn't stop feeling scared even when they knew someone might need them. Even if they managed to get out the front door, would they be much help if the storm made them so scared?

Sky glared in determination. "Come on, Dusty! What's it going to be? Are we going to hide in here like a couple cowards? Or are we going to get out there and help those kids and prove that we are professional racers who aren't afraid of anything?"

Dusty glared too. "We aren't scared of anything! Let's go!"

Sky threw open the door. But at the sight of the storm again, she slammed it shut once more. "Dang. Maybe we are cowards."

Dusty glanced in the direction of the bell. "I bet those kids are really scared right now."

Sky locked eyes with Dusty. An understanding passed between them, and she smiled a little. "You with me every mile of the way?"

"You kidding?" Dusty scoffed. "I'm with you every inch of the way."

The door flew open again, but this time, Dusty and Sky ran out into the storm. The rain drenched them in seconds, but they fought the wind to reach Martha's home. Thunder and lightning made them jump every time, but they kept going. They only thought about Martha's kids, and they listened for the warning bell. It still sounded, loud and clear, and Sky began to wonder what held up her father and Sparky to prevent them from helping.

Finally, they reached the house, and they discovered the top half of the elm tree had indeed broken off and landed right on the roof, caving some of it in. Sky ran up to the porch to try the door, but it was locked tight. She pounded on the door furiously.

"Hey! Jacob! Amelia! Lisa!" Sky shouted. "Open up!"

"They probably can't hear us!" Dusty shouted over the wind.

"Then we gotta find a window!" Sky ran around the side of the house, Dusty close behind. They found where the tree had broken some of the house, including where a tree branch went right through a window. Sky jumped up on Dusty's wing, standing near the tip. Dusty caught on, and he jerked to one side to throw Sky up in the air and towards the tree branch. She managed to grab the tree branch, and she tried to pull herself up. But the branch suddenly broke through more of the glass, jerking Sky down and almost knocking her off. Dusty prepared to catch her, keeping a close eye on his friend. Sky managed to keep a tight grip, and now she had a wider opening to get inside. Carefully climbing past the broken glass and pushing through the torn screen, Sky made it inside and started searching for the kids.

"Hello!" Sky called. "Anybody in here?" Sky rounded a corner, and she nearly crashed into a brown-haired teenage boy coming down the hallway.

"Skylar!" the boy cried, his brown eyes full of worry.

"Jacob, where are your sisters?" Sky demanded.

"We were up in the attic." Jacob explained, stumbling a bit over his words. "We didn't think it would be that bad, but then a branch broke the window! We didn't know where Mom was, so I started ringing the alarm bell. Then part of the tree fell through the roof!"

"Where are your sisters now?" Sky repeated.

"They got stuck in the corner of the attic. The tree is blocking their way!" Jacob shook a little.

"Jacob, it'll be okay." Sky assured. "Go to your room and go to the window. It's broken, so be careful. Dusty is just outside. Tell him to meet you at the front door and both of you wait for me!"

Jacob nodded hurriedly and sprinted off. Sky ran towards the stairs that led to the attic. It took a few minutes to find them since she hadn't babysat for Martha in a while. But she made it to the attic and found Jacob was right: the tree fell right through the roof and blocked off a section of the attic spacing. Sky heard the girls, and she began digging through the rubble and tree branches to find a clear spot. She eventually found one and guided the girls through the tree branches and to freedom. Sky lifted the youngest toddler in her arms and grabbed the nine-year-old's hand, leading the way down to the front door. They got outside and saw Jacob and Dusty waiting for them.

"Hold onto my wing!" Dusty called. "We're going to my hanger!"

Sky wrapped Lisa in her jacket and helped Amelia sit up on Dusty's wing. Then she lifted up Lisa into her arms and she and Jacob held onto Dusty's wing. Dusty guided them through the storm and back to his hanger. Once they were safe and dry, Dusty locked the door and Sky hung up her jacket.

"Everyone okay?" Sky asked.

"Fine." Jacob nodded.

"I'm okay." Amelia said.

"I'm cold." Lisa sneezed.

"I've got some heat lamps." Dusty said. "Sky, there are towels and blankets in the closet over there. You guys can spend the night here."

"When will Mommy be back?" Amelia asked.

"Probably in the morning." Sky said. "Too dangerous for a taxi to be driving right now."

"She's gonna come back soon, right?" Jacob asked. "How am I going to explain the fact that our roof is broken?"

"Jacob, it wasn't your fault." Dusty said, pushing some heat lamps into the center of the room. "Your mom is no doubt worried about you guys, and I think she'll be more concerned about your safety rather than the storm damage to the house."

"Here, dry off." Sky handed out towels to each of the kids and helped Dusty dry off as well. Once everyone was just damp instead of soaking wet, they gathered around the heat lamps and cuddled under warm blankets.

"Thank you." Lisa said.

"Yeah, thanks for the help." Jacob said. "This was crazy."

"I'm just glad we could get you guys out of there." Dusty said. "It wouldn't be safe to stay in a broken house."

"I wonder where Dad, Sparky, and everyone else are." Sky said.

"We'll see them in the morning." Dusty assured. "We should get some sleep."

"Tell us a bedtime story." Amelia requested sweetly.

"Racing story." Lisa added.

"Okay." Sky nodded. "Dusty, you pick the story."

Dusty thought for a moment. "How about the time El Chu taught us indoor racing?"

"The next morning, there was a lot of damage to a lot of buildings." Sky finished the story. "Almost leveled the town. Luckily, we managed to regroup with everyone and get an idea of how bad it was."

"Turns out we had gone into the storm right after Skipper declared it a state of emergency." Dusty added. "He, Sparky, and everyone else were hiding out in their homes to wait out the storm. They were a little worried when they didn't see Sky at home."

"Martha came home and got the kids." Sky said. "But the power was still out. Some of the folks had gas-powered stoves that were still in good working order. We decided to just start cooking and have a town-wide Thanksgiving dinner so none of the food would be wasted. Took a week's worth of work, but we managed to fix up the town. Practically rebuilt it, really."

"Wow." Dipper breathed, in awe much like the rest of the firefighters.

"So you aren't afraid of storms anymore?" Maru asked.

"Not after that." Sky said.

"Of course, we would always try to avoid flying through such severe storms." Dusty added. "But it's stupid to be so afraid of bad weather."

"From an aircraft's perspective, that's actually a legitimate fear to have." Cabbie noted.

"Yeah, but that fear would hinder our performance in our jobs." Sky reasoned. "That's not acceptable."

Another round of thunder boomed right above the hanger, shaking the windows. More rain dumped onto the roof. "Well that storm ain't stopping for a while." Blade sighed.

"Better get comfortable." Dynamite warned. "Looks like we're spending the night in here."

"Wouldn't be the first time." Maru shrugged. "Remember that big ice storm?"

"Now that was bad." Cabbie nodded. "Chief nearly went ballistic."

"Maru was just pushing his luck." Blade reasoned.

"You threatened to lock me out of the hanger and let me freeze to death." Maru droned.

"Well that sounds like a good story." Sky said. "Let's hear it." Everyone else agreed.

"Maru, you know that story best. Go ahead." Blade offered.

"All right. Well, this was several years ago. It was also the middle of winter, so the only ones on base were me, Patch, Cabbie, Windlifter, and Blade. A huge blizzard began rolling in, so we took shelter in the main hanger. The next day, we were completely snowed in. Even down at the lodge. Avalanche had to be called in to help clear a pathway for everyone."

"But we were stuck in the main hanger for three days." Blade pointed out.

"That doesn't seem so bad." Dusty shrugged.

"Trust me." Blade cast a look to Maru. "It was."

Sky laughed. "Well don't leave us hanging! Tell us what happened!"