10
Clouds
Immediately after the attacks, the Equestrian Air Force, with plenty of assistance from Cloudsdale, Stratusburg, and other pegasus cities, worked to complete their preparations for retaliation. The pegasi fervently shaped three cloud megastructures—superclouds, as many began calling them. They made one in each city to house themselves on their journey across the Celestial Sea.
For the better part of two and a half weeks, the pegasi toiled: harvesting water from the nearby ocean; using the weather factory to create clouds of all shapes and densities; shipping the clouds to the three cities in giant lumps; forming, molding, and shaping the clouds to make walls, floors, and rooms.
The superclouds were, in one word, colossal. Just short of the size of Cloudsdale, they cast shadows which covered swathes of the city in darkness. While the citizens were still there, they gaped up at the beginning framework from windows and streets. Many pegasi were excited in spite of the imminent war. The structures they were creating were stuff of legend from the times of the three tribes.
At first, the superclouds were referred to by their city, but they soon earned more personal names. Fillydelphia's supercloud was named after the admiral who commanded its forces, Typhoon. Baltimare' supercloud was dubbed Cyclone in the same fashion. Manehattan's supercloud was affectionately named Thunderhead, as it was the main force of the Equestrian Air Force. Its mission was to liberate the Griffish Isles and flank Griffonstone from the north, while Typhoon and Cyclone were to butt up against the Griffon Kingdom's western coastline and keep the bulk of the griffons occupied, and, if possible, to invade Griffonstone and end the war in a matter of weeks.
Though given an express order by Princess Twilight to evacuate and well-compensated by the charity of the nation, there remained about a tenth of the population in each city, for one reason or another. Most of the pegasi, who were the vast majority of those who stayed, helped with the construction of the superclouds, and those who were able to fight joined the Equestrian Air Force. The few unicorns and earth ponies who stayed behind were either owners of the various big businesses with which they couldn't bear to part or had complete faith the griffons wouldn't dare attack such fortified bastions.
The arrival of the tens of thousands of pegasi transformed the cities into beehives overnight. Pegasi zipped and soared to and fro, almost always with tools or a cloud. They worked endlessly, moving this cloud here and shaping that, forming a window here and there a door, rows of thick pillars lining the outsides, and one giant landing platform underneath it all that was reminiscent of a hat's brim. Buildings, now practically extensions of the ground, were used extensively. The top floors were frequented by pegasi who had removed high windows to feel as though they never truly left the sky.
The only time a pegasus wasn't working on the titanic construction project was when they were in training just outside the cities. The Wonderbolts had been dispersed among the three cities teaching the numerous volunteers. Fighting a larger and naturally more lethal enemy, the volunteers learned how to maneuver themselves to attack the neck and wings of an opponent, letting gravity ultimately do the work. Many lessons were simply in how to avoid the griffons' swipes and stabs. The Wonderbolts would stage mock air battles a few yards above the ground or clouds and have the pegasi spar against one other. The volunteers then rotated with other volunteers between construction and training, and thus the cycle continued until the superclouds were completed. Then it was only training, all day, every day, for the remainder of the week. The Wonderbolts were then rounded up and sent to Manehattan, as they were assigned to Thunderhead.
After the training and construction, all of the pegasi were issued padded uniforms. The main parts of the uniforms were made of warm sky-blue fabric, and they covered everything from the neck to the hoof, leaving the wings and tail free. Cloud-white armor pads complimented the uniforms, protecting the shins and undersides. A sky-blue helmet and muzzle guard, along with a white-tinted visor, completed the ensemble. Each squadron had its unique patch sewn onto the uniform's flanks, acting like cutie marks. The Wonderbolts, being a branch of the elite EUP Guard, received similar armor but with cosmetic differences. The Wonderbolt colors of blue and gold replaced the standard azure and white, and a large yellow lightning bolt adorned either side of the helmets.
But, after those three weeks, nothing eventful happened. The pegasi mostly sat around buildings or their superclouds, waiting for the order from Princess Luna to move out. Since they expected word at any time, serious training never really resumed. The first day of waiting was tense as every pegasi kept their eyes skyward, but the following days somewhat lulled and even bored them.
For Rainbow, everything hadn't much more than a nice diversion. The superclouds were awesome. The training, although grueling at times, was fun. The armor was the coolest thing she had ever seen, and she wore it proudly from the first day. Yet, even with all of the excitement happening, Rainbow found it hard to concentrate or enjoy herself much.
The memories of that night were still fresh. Whenever Celestia and Luna were mentioned, images of their bloodied bodies flashed in her mind. She had nightmares about fire and smoke which left her gasping for air. Those feelings of despair and loss still fermented in her chest. For her, that night lived on perpetually. She could sometimes forget for a little while, but the memories and feelings would always return. There was nowhere else for them to go.
The argument, too, echoed in her mind. Turning it over and over in her head, she knew she was in the right. If she and the other pegasi hadn't gone, she reasoned, the death toll would have been much higher, the griffons would have stayed much longer, and, she would think with a shudder, Princess Luna might not be alive. Still, the argument left a heavy feeling in her chest, no matter how much she justified herself. She winced at the memory of calling her friends cowards. She wanted to go back badly that night, to make amends, but a fear formed before she could return: what if they wanted nothing to do with her anymore?
With the air forces having an abundance of free time on their hooves, these thoughts and memories occupied Rainbow's mind constantly. She spent some of her time wandering around Manehattan, trying to clear her head. She got to see all of the iconic sights with ease—Times Square, Bridleway, the Statue of Liberty—and, while enjoyable, the eeriness of sparsely populated streets didn't quite help dispel her worries. Most of the time, she would hang out with Soarin', just listening to him talk about this or that.
One part of her wanted to share her troubles with him to relieve herself, at least a little, of her guilt and regret, but the other part had already stuffed all of the emotions in a closet in some far corner of her mind, shutting the doors enough to be concealed but leaving them just barely open so she wouldn't forget. Listening to Soarin' helped her put the anxieties out of mind, if only for a few hours or so.
Presently, the Wonderbolts rested atop the head and torch of the Statue of Liberty. It had been another uneventful day. Most of the Wonderbolts were sitting or lying down, lazily chatting with one another. A spare few were on edge, anxiously awaiting any word from Princess Luna, Spitfire among them. She hovered around and talked quickly with those who would listen.
Rainbow, who still wrestled with her thoughts, simply laid down, looking eastward at the dimming sky, watching as the scattered clouds slowly faded from cream to pink to orange. She wanted to sleep—she felt she could—but her mind would not silence itself. Trying to distract herself, she traced the distant horizon. Griffons were sitting just beyond there, waiting for them. She tried to guess how many griffons there could be when a certain griffon popped into her head again: Gilda.
She groaned, her mind again burdened with worry. She had remembered Gilda when she first arrived in Manehattan but since tried to clear her mind of her faraway friend. The same questions she had then peppered her now. Where was Gilda? Is she okay? Why hasn't she tried to contact her? She wasn't with those who attacked Canterlot, was she? Is she dead? Hopefully she was okay, safe somewhere, wherever that was. She closed her eyes, her heart cursing her mind for causing it distress.
"Damn it!" Spitfire stopped pacing the sky. Rainbow and the rest of the Wonderbolts started and looked at her, their conversations cut. Spitfire hovered down and sat, looking somewhat defeated. "I dunno what the hell is going on anymore, 'Bolts! I hate just sitting here! We've been ready to move for a solid week now!"
She huffed in frustration and gestured south. "I've heard it's because Typhoon and Cyclone aren't ready yet, but they've got nothing to do with us! They're not going to the same part of the Kingdom as us, nor are they in the same operation! We're the best fliers—and fighters—in Equestria, and we haven't seen a single damn griffon since Canterlot! What the hell is Princess Luna thinking?!" She shook her head, tapping her hoof angrily. "Another thing..." She stood and paced around the statue's head. The pegasi formed a semicircle with their captain as the center, talking quietly amongst themselves.
She stopped and faced them, and they hushed. "Notice something off about our numbers?" Some looked around themselves, counting under their breath. Others simply shrugged. Spitfire groaned. "We're missing all our cadets!" She started pacing again. "They were here for the first day, then they were shipped off to Filly and Batimare." She stomped on the ground. "That's our team! They're our birds! We should be fifty pegasi strong, not twenty!"
She stood and scoffed to herself. "I'be been told it was to spread out the talent across the superclouds, but why the hell would they do that instead of focusing all the best flyers here? We're the brunt of the invasion force, the knife's edge, the spear's tip! We're the ones taking on the Isles and the whole northern half of the damn Kingdom! Cyclone and Typhoon are just a diversionary force!" She looked at their faces as though expecting cheers of assent, but the pegasi either simply nodded or returned blank stares.
She sighed and sat back down. "Sorry 'Bolts." She breathed in and slowly exhaled. "Just needed to get that off my chest. It's just..." She hit the ground with her hoof. "Why don't we move out now? We could catch them off-guard. Hell, if three weeks were enough for us, they're probably just waiting to ambush us over open waters. I mean, are we just waiting for them to attack us or something?"
"I guess that'd work," Soarin' said from the front. "It'd explain why the whole coastline's evacuated."
"But not why we have Thunderhead," Spitfire said, pointing to the supercloud. "Or Cyclone or Typhoon." She shook her head. "What are we still doing here?" She looked at the Wonderbolts and waved a hoof. "As you were."
The Wonderbolts hesitantly resumed their conversations, though more hushed. Spitfire, with a final resigned sigh, returned to her route in the sky. Rainbow had not moved. She had barely listened to the tirade or any of the idle chat. Her pensive mind still traced the trodden routes of Gilda and that fateful night. She didn't know why she kept thinking about any of it—it wasn't like anything could change—but all of her worries and anxiety melded together into a murky fog that prevented her from thinking of much else.
She felt a soft nudge on her shoulder and glanced up. Soarin' was crouched next to her with a half-smile. "You doing alright?" Rainbow shrugged and looked east again. Soarin' sat down, clearing his throat. "I mean really. Are you alright?" Rainbow looked at him questioningly, and he sighed. "I'm asking because whenever we talk, well..." He scratched his head. "Usually I'm the one talking, and you just kinda listen." He looked at Rainbow. "And I know that's not, well, you. I'm just wondering if you're doing okay."
She turned away from him, laying her head on her hooves. "I'm fine."
Soarin' hesitantly laid down. "I'm worried about you, Dash," he said quietly. Her ears lowered slightly. He opened his mouth to speak but shook his head softly. He looked at the horizon. "Well," he rested his head down and closed his eyes. "If you need somepony to talk to..."
Rainbow debated with herself. The closet of memories slowly began to open, and she didn't know whether to shut it up or share it all. They were her problems to deal with, not his, not anypony's. But what good would keeping these emotions inside do? She glanced at Soarin', whose eyelids flickered closed occasionally. She sighed, and Soarin' looked at her. She nudged the door in her mind open.
"I don't know what I'm doing here, Soarin'." She paused, half expecting him to say something, but at his silence, she continued. "I mean, I know there's a war to win and ponies to avenge and..." She sighed again, putting her head back down. The image of her old Element of Loyalty taunted her mind. "I feel like I'm... like I'm just running away."
Soarin' put his wing around her. "Running away?"
In a rush of emotions, the door slammed open. Rainbow told him everything—the argument, the smoke, the heat, Twilight, Luna, Gilda—and Soarin' listened intently. Whenever her voice began to break, she would pause and breath as not to cry in front of him, and Soarin' would give a reassuring hug. When Rainbow finally finished a while later, her chest felt lighter, and her mind finally acknowledged how tired her body was. Soarin' hadn't said anything the entire time, his wing still around her. Rainbow smiled and put a wing over him. "Thanks for listening," she said quietly.
Soarin' nodded and smiled back. He opened his mouth to speak, but the Wonderbolts behind them began to hush. Rainbow, blushing, glanced behind her, but they weren't staring at her and Soarin' but at something beyond them. Soarin' and Rainbow looked ahead at the horizon and squinted.
"Do you see anything?" Soarin' whispered. Rainbow shook her head.
Spitfire walked past them to the statue's edge, squinting. "Hmm. Did something just flash?" The other Wonderbolts muttered softly to each other. A tiny speck appeared on the faint horizon. "Does anypony else see that?" Spitfire asked again.
Soarin' and Rainbow slowly stood up. There were murmurs of assent, and they all continued to stare. Other groups of pegasi across Manehattan had noticed the flash and the speck, and soon an unsettling hush came over the city.
Rainbow's eyes widened. "Is... is it getting bigger?"
Spitfire jumped up. "It's headed right for the city!" The speck soon began to move off to one side and all at once was a blur. The tallest building in Manehattan shuddered, and a gigantic puff of orange and black rose. Rainbow felt an odd sensation in her lungs as she was pushed away from the city, causing her and a few others to stumble. Immediately after came the horrible thud and crack of the explosion. Pegasi scattered from the building, their screams and yells lost in the tumult. The Wonderbolts quickly regained themselves and started panicking, talking loudly over one another.
"What the hell was that?!"
"What just happened?!"
"A meteor?!"
"Not at that angle!"
"Is everypony alright over there?!"
"It was so fast!"
"Look!" Rainbow shouted over the din. The tallest building was leaning, slowly at first but gaining momentum. The Wonderbolts again hushed, staring in stunned horror as the brass head on top picked up speed and descended below the skyline. The creaking and groaning of the building reached Rainbow in a muffled silence. It collapsed in mere seconds but seemed to stretch on for minutes. A voluminous cloud of debris slowly rose up from the ground, taking the building's place. More pegasi flew about like bees around a hive disturbed.
For a while, no one spoke. The grey cloud spread and thinned out, covering the city in shadow. Rainbow glanced at Thunderhead and was relived to find it untouched. It hung directly over Manehattan but seemed to be out of harm's way for now. Other pegasi gathered underneath it, and it appeared to her as though they were trying to heave it skyward.
Another flash caught Rainbow's eye, and her insides grew cold. She and others turned to see another speck. No one said anything. The speck turned into a blur and struck the city again. Another fireball, another shockwave, another explosion, another cloud.
Another flash.
Spitfire finally came to her senses and whirled to face her squadron. "Everypony!" She hovered and pointed. "Thunderhead! Now!" The Wonderbolts, surprised to hear a voice so close to them, scrambled to get their helmets on. Spitfire climbed upwards, the others following suit.
Another explosion sounded off below them. Spitfire leveled out and flew towards Thunderhead. More and more pegasi coaxed the supercloud up, and it was picking up speed. It had already ascended a hundred or so feet. As they drew nearer, Rainbow could feel something hurtle past underneath her, and it made her feel woozy.
The explosions and destruction soon became so loud and so common that no one bothered to yell over them. The Wonderbolts joined seemingly every other pegasi in Manehattan beneath Thunderhead. They each found a spot and began pushing upwards. After only a minute, Rainbow was surprised to find her almost playing catch-up with it. The whole thing had to have weighed several thousand tons, yet it was still a cloud and heeded the pegasi's will.
Rainbow glanced down and nearly faltered when she couldn't see Manehattan through the shroud of debris. The blurs plunged into the city, emitting bright flashes of orange which lit the grey cloud. Rainbow could still feel the shockwaves and hear explosions as strong as before. They had to have been hundreds of feet in the air by now.
A shrill whistle pierced the noise. Rainbow jerked and whirled around, seeing Spitfire a ways off, motioning to one side of the cloud. She turned and arced upwards, and a slew of Wonderbolts followed. Rainbow found herself flying up to keep parallel to Thunderhead's underside. She pulled up at its end, shielding her eyes from the sun, and turned to face the side of the supercloud.
She sped to a nearby pillar Soarin' was at and braced against it. Almost immediately, the cloud gave with the collective force, and it began to move slowly away from the shore. More pegasi joined the Wonderbolts, eventually allowing the cloud to cease its ascent and gain forward speed. Sounds of the city's destruction were now small pops, and shockwaves were no longer present.
"Alright, everypony!" Spitfire yelled out. "That's enough!" One by one, the pegasi stopped and landed on the cloud. Rainbow and Soarin' both dropped out of the sky and landed on their backs next to each other, panting heavily.
Soarin' nudged Rainbow, chuckling softly. "Ha... heh... we... we made it... heh..." He sat up, offering a hoof. "Doin' alright?"
She couldn't help but laugh a little too. "Yeah." She took his hoof and sat up. "I'm still... still wondering about... what the hell those were..."
"Everypony to your squadrons!" Spitfire's voice rang out at the cloud's edge. "Gather 'round here! We'll need a headcount!"
Rainbow looked at Soarin', whose grin quickly became a grim line. Her half-hearted smile too faded, and the two trotted towards Spitfire. Small groups began to form in parallel lines in front of her, and they began calling out names, sending pegasi to round up amblers. The Wonderbolts were reunited, none lost, and they sat directly in front of Spitfire. Nopony talked. Rainbow and Soarin' caught one last glimpse of the smoldering city as it slipped beneath clouds.
An officer flew overhead and whispered something to Spitfire, and she nodded. "We need to tell the Princesses about this." Rainbow perked up. Spitfire turned to the officer. "Pen a letter. Tell them what happened. Get it to them before morning." The officer saluted and flew away. Rainbow, with an idea forming, walked closer. Spitfire muttered to herself. "What were those things...?"
"Ma'am," Rainbow said. Spitfire turned around and looked somewhat irritably at Rainbow. "I, uh, I-I volunteer to get the letter to the Princesses, ma'am."
Spitfire squinted. "What?"
"W-well, I mean I'm the fastest flier here, ma'am. I could get it to them and be back in an hour, tops."
"That may be," she said quietly, "but you're not a messenger pony, you're a soldier." She sighed and pointed to the rest of the Wonderbolts. "Get in line, Dash."