Call of Weather Duty

Skye peered over the edge of the cloud and saw dozens of ponies below punching their way through various cloud formations. He looked straight ahead and saw the patch of clouds he'd be working on in a few moments.

Standing on the cloud with him was a mare by the name of Cloudchaser. She had been his tour guide today through the weather factory. Her body was a light lilac shade, but was completely offset by her wild cerulean mane and tail. She looked like one of those troublemaking ponies he was warned about.

"I arranged the clouds in a basic pattern for you. Some are elevated higher than others. Remember, you're not here to break records or get showy on me. I just want to make sure you are able to bust these clouds, and then we can move on to some harder stuff." Her voice was informative without bearing the stern tone of a teacher.

"Got it." Skye spread his wings and stepped closer to the edge of the cloud. "Ready!"

Cloudchaser was holding a pocket watch in her hoof and waiting for the seconds hand to reach the top. "We're required to time all new weather ponies to get a feel for their cloud-busting abilities. This way we know where we can send you and how effective you'll be. Don't worry too much about the time though. You can request to be re-tested whenever you'd like." She smiled and raised her hoof into the air. "Almost time!"

Skye lowered his body and wriggled in place. "Just say the word!"

"Three!"

His eyes narrowed as he tried to determine which cloud would be vaporized first.

"Two!"

The wind isn't too bad right now; shouldn't be a problem to fly straight.

"One!"

Skye's tongue licked over his lips. His body was ready.

"Go!" Cloudchaser shouted as the stallion eagerly pushed away.

The first cloud was straight ahead. Skye thought back to the days of basics of cloud-busting. "A forward motion of the hoof into the cloud while flying will destroy it. If hooves are extended while flying through a cloud, the pony will pass through with no noticeable damage on the cloud. Touching or punching a cloud while not in motion will activate any weather effect associated with that cloud. So, my job here is to start swinging!" He grinned and pulled his right foreleg back for a jab.

The cloud burst from sight as Skye punched his way through the first cloud and steered himself directly for the second puff ball. This one was a storm cloud.

"Grey in color indicates a weather cloud. Rain, snow, or ice can fall from these clouds and are used to regulate seasons as well as maintain balance in Equestria. These are thicker and need a lot more force to bust apart. Sometimes two passes are needed for the really heavy ones. Heh. But I'm taking this guy out in one swing!" He flapped harder and accelerated.

"Nice job on that first cloud, Skye! Excellent form!" Cloudchaser yelled from off in the distance.

Skye readied his right hoof once again for another punch. This cloud was a lot bigger up close. He spiraled his body toward the cloud and swung forward. His hoof punctured the surface as he focused his mind. The cloud burst in an explosion of water vapor and fog as he easily passed through and readied for the next cluster.

"Whoa… I thought for sure he would have needed at least two hits to clear that storm cloud." Cloudchaser nodded in approval and eyed her pocket watch.

Skye's hooves swung wildly as he darted through the smaller clouds at the end of the course. His body flipped upside down as he finished the last cloud by bucking his hind legs through it and quickly swerving his flight path back to Cloudchaser. Behind him, the remnants of cloud dust were absorbed into the air. The patch of sky he was given had been cleared.

"Hey, not bad! You're a natural at this weather stuff!" She cheered as he skidded to a stop back on the large cloud he originally launched from.

"Thanks! I've actually been doing this for a while in New Jockey. We never had an official weather pony assigned to us. Usually somepony from Cloudsdale would come now and then, but they never really kept up on the day-to-day weather." He sat down on the puffy cloud and stretched. "I decided I would start learning how to take care of the weather myself. Long story short, I sent a bunch of letters to the weather team here and requested to be New Jockey's weather pony."

"Alright, hotshot, you can bust clouds, but let's see how well you can activate their weather effects." She clapped her hooves together and a team of weather ponies quickly moved more clouds into place. "Pegasi have good eyes, so now we're going to test your visual perception from all the way up here in the sky. Your job is to water the 4 crop fields below. Don't worry; these are inactive farmlands, so even if you mess up you won't hurt anypony's hard work. This exercise won't be timed, since it requires a bit more precision."

"I'd like to be timed, Cloudchaser." Skye said with a smirk. "I always had my friend Chase time me when I had to water his fields."

"Oh, uh, okay then. Get ready!" She stammered, as her hoof quickly brought the pocket watch back to attention. "Three!"

You think I'd forget all your hazing, you fox-faced punk.

"Two!"

Always pushing me harder and harder; like you could do better than me! His hooves dug into the cloud once again as he readied to take off.

One!"

Then again, without a pain in the flank like you I probably wouldn't even be here in Cloudsdale.

"Go!" Her voice was muffled as Skye took off in a blue blur toward the first cloud.

"Changing a normal cloud to storm cloud is a real mystery among ponies. Pegasus ponies have just as much talent with the weather as a unicorn has with manipulating the magical properties on the ground. Still, no normal unicorn has ever been able to copy what we can do!" he laughed as he skidded to a halt and placed his hoof into the cloud.

The white of the cloud changed slowly to a dingy gray. Skye removed his hoof and watched as water droplets clung to the fur on his fetlocks. He swung his hoof dry and gently clamped both forelegs onto the cloud.

His wings slowed in flapping speed as he eyed the crop square below and adjusted the cloud over the general area of the field. "Okay, almost… just a bit more to the le- no, the right! Okay, let her rip!" The cloud dripped rain droplets down through the air and splashed onto the dry dirt below. Soon a steady stream of rain was quenching the land. With a satisfied nod, Skye darted to the next cloud.

"He really does know what he's doing. I might have to tell Forecast about this…" Cloudchaser smiled while watching Skye fine-tuning and activating the remaining weather clouds to water the earth below.

. . . . . .

Skye yawned and continue flapping his wings as the sun set behind him. The outline of his body created a pony-shaped eclipse on the orange horizon. New Jockey wasn't much farther now.

"A few days back home… Feels like I've been gone for ages, but I don't even think it's been a week!" He rubbed his tired eyes and pushed himself higher to clear a tall tree poking up from the ground. He swooped back to his normal altitude and saw a pony down below. "Is that who I think it is?" An evil grin curled on his face as he descended.

A tan earth pony was trotting along the path. His scruffy orange mane was bouncing off his head and neck. The tip of his orange tail ended in a white pattern similar to that of a fox's tail. Oddly enough, a fox was also running by his side. His golden eyes looked down at the ground as a shadow from above loomed over his body.

"Did ya miss me, Chase?" Skye shouted as he dive-bombed the innocent pony.

Chase turned his head and grinned. "Get him, Reynard! Take that pegasus down!"

The fox jumped onto Chase's back and propelled himself up into the air at Skye's face. The pegasus yelled into the curled up fox around his head. Chase jumped to the side as Skye crash landed onto the ground and created a trail of dust behind him. The fox jumped from Skye's muzzle and shook the dirt from his orange and white coat.

"Nice work! 'Anti-Pegasus Fox Cannon' is officially a go!" Chase laughed as he stopped next to the crumpled up Skye. "You almost got me though. Maybe next time, don't give yourself away by yelling."

"Yeah, and I would have gotten you if I wasn't worried about hurting Reyn! You do that on purpose! Next time I'm just going to crush that little-"

The fox was giving big, watery eyes, while a paw was placed on Skye's muzzle.

"I swear you manipulate him for your own good! He knows I'd never hurt him…"

"We're a team! Just like you and the clouds, or whatever it is you do around here. Sleep? Oh! It's crash, right? You're getting better at that every day!" Chase laughed as he rolled on his back. "Seriously though, nice to have you home."

Skye preened his wing and spit a feather out. "You don't know the half of it. I sent Role Play a letter last night about how crazy those Cloudsdale ponies are. You would hate it."

"Not quite as simple as us small town ponies, eh?" Chase dusted off Skye's cutie mark. "You had a little something there."

Skye jumped back and growled. "Hooves off! I don't trust you! You and that overgrown cat of yours are always scheming something! You could have planted a bomb on me or… or worse!"

"You got me! I never thought you would have realized that I learned unicorn magic overnight and harnessed the power of magical explosions." Chase put a hoof on his forehead and sighed. "You're jumpier than usual, Skye. You sure you're okay?" He nuzzled up against Skye and beamed. "I worry about you, buddy!"

Skye pushed Chase aside and made a gagging motion with his hoof. "I take that back. You wouldn't hate Cloudsdale. Cloudsdale would hate you!"

"No way! Everypony loves me! I'm just so adorable!" Chase grinned as Reynard poked his head over the pony's mane. "See?"

"As much as I hate to admit it, you're a lot better company than some of the pegasi I bumped into. The stories I can tell you…" Skye sighed.

"And I wanna hear all about them! How about we eat first? You're probably exhausted. I mean you did spend a whole day flying across half the country." Chase trotted away down the path. Reyn hopped off Chase and jumped onto Skye's back. The fox gave a happy yip and swished his tail.

"Good to be back." Skye winked at Reynard and followed after Chase.

. . . . . .

Both ponies were sitting on an old couch in a cozily lit room. Chase was holding a sandwich between his hooves while listening to Skye's stories of Cloudsdale. The ponies of New Jockey didn't get out too often, and when they did they usually traveled to Manehattan or Fillydelphia. Central Equestria was considered a whole new land for most ponies on the eastern coast.

"I can't believe you actually met Rainbow Dash. I think some ponies here would pay good bits for a chance like that!" He took a bite out of his sandwich and swallowed. " So… was she… ya know…"

"Ugh, please don't make me answer this question, Chase." Skye facehoofed.

"Hey now! This is your bestest buddy in the whole world! Just between us. From one pony to another. So?" He squeed and leaned closer to Skye.

"She was… pretty attractive." Skye mumbled.

"Hmmm? Didn't quite catch that, old pal. Did you say Rainbow Dash was pretty active? I mean, I'd hope so. She is a pegasus after all." Chase gave a sly grin.

"I said attractive and you know it! Though her attitude is kinda rough. She's definitely not a mean mare, but she is more full of herself than you are sometimes." Skye grabbed an apple off the table and took a bite. "The apples out there are way tastier too. Some place called Sweet Apple Acres has the best apples I've ever tasted!"

"Wow. I considered the apples out here to be pretty tasty. Where's that place exactly?" Chase tossed his sandwich onto the table and hopped off the couch.

"Ponyville," Skye stated. He quickly stole the entire couch and laid down. "I'm gonna sleep good tonight!"

Chase rubbed his muzzle and ignored the theft of his seat. "Ponyville, huh? Funny, I'm actually headed that way soon myself."

"What the heck are you doing trotting off to Ponyville?"

"Trotting would be too slow, I'll probably gallop."

"Ugh, you know what I mean!" Skye placed a pillow over his head and groaned again in frustration.

"Ponyville is hosting a talent show for animals. It makes sense if you think about it. Ponyville has been a popular destination lately. Princess Twilight Sparkle made quite a name for that town. Tons of ponies want to go there and walk the same path a princess once did. More importantly, it isn't far from Cloudsdale or… Canterlot. We could…" Chase stopped and looked at Skye with an empty stare.

"Chase, no. We're not going to bug Role Play in Canterlot. His last letter said he was really busy. I mean we didn't even hear from him for a few months at one point!" Skye spoke with the pillow covering only his eyes. "He needs space."

"Yeah, and I need answers!" Chase shouted. "A few spells backfire and he leaves us behind to start a new life in Canterlot? That doesn't sit well with me."

"I'm sure he has his reasons. He's never been one to just abandon somepony. Canterlot has tons of resources for his magic. I'm sure he's busy reading every book he can get his hooves on. Let's just give him some more time alone. At least he's finally writing us." Skye threw the pillow into Chase's face. "Hey, are you listening to me?"

The pillow bounced off Chase's head and landed behind him. "I am! It just bugs me… I hope he's alright."

"He's fine. He's off becoming a knight, I'm the new weather pony here, and you're playing with animals or something – we've all got our hooves full!" Skye sat up and snickered.

"Playing with animals…" Chase grumbled. "Reynard's going to take first place in that competition and then you'll be the one crying while I'm swimming in bits!" He trotted back to the couch and shoved Skye aside. "Okay, back to Rainbow Dash. Did she-"

"No more! I can't answer any more of these questions, Chase!" Skye yelled. "Just let me get some sleep! I have to get the weather under control around here. It's been awhile since we've had any rain."

"Are you… heading back to Cloudsdale after you're all done here?" Chase was drumming his hooves against the couch cushion.

Skye nodded slowly. "Yeah… but I'll be back. We'll be able to hang out more next time."

"Yeah, sure." Chase lowered his ears and stayed silent for a few moments. "Sorry, it's been a little lonely here without you and Role. Guess I was starting to get a little depressed. I miss all of us getting together and playing down at the arcade like the old days."

Skye placed a hoof around Chase and hugged him tightly against his chest. "Awww, is the foxie all sad?" he teased, while ruffling Chase's mane with his hoof.

Chase shoved Skye off the couch and put his hooves in the air. "There's just no sympathy from you! Wanna go, tough guy? We can throw down right here!" He narrowed his eyes and smiled. "We're long overdue for a playful little fight."

"Your fights are hardly playful! You almost broke my wing off last time we had a scuffle!"

"Heh. Cute on the outside and deadly on the inside! That is the way of the fearsome earth pony!"

"Gimmie a break! Next time I'm back in town I am putting you in your place, fox face."

"Technically only my tail is colored like a fox, so you're nickname is not only lame but also incorrect." Chase stuck his tongue out.

Skye swatted at Chase and reclaimed the couch. "I'm not about to start calling you 'fox flank.' That would just be weird…" He shuddered and pulled the blanket from the back of the couch over his body.

"How about… 'foxbutt?'"

"Goodnight, Chase…" Skye said trying to erase that last comment from his mind.

. . . . . .

Chase lifted his face from the pillow and listened to the sound of rain beating against his window. Sure enough, beads of water were striking the glass and slowly sliding down. His body shuffled across the bed before his hind legs finally made contact with the floor. One final stretch of his stiff body and he was ready to tackle the day.

Outside, Skye was busily pushing clouds from the surrounding skies and building a thick cover of grey clouds over New Jockey. Most of the town was getting soaked minus the outskirts Chase and Skye walked along yesterday. Everypony was inside their homes, but some colts and fillies had their faces pressed against the windows as they watched their new weather pony hard at work.

Chase ran out the front door wearing an orange raincoat with two rubber fox ears on the hood. "Looking good up there! They really trained you well!" He shouted up through the pouring rain.

"I've been doing this for years, Chase!" Skye's tongue was hanging out as he carefully aligned a large storm cloud next to another. He tapped the cloud with his hoof and watched another section of the cracked ground below absorb the much needed water.

"I was gonna time you, but I figured I'd give you one relaxed day up in the clouds." Chase laughed.

Skye rolled his eyes and punched another storm cloud to life. "You're such a considerate pal. Get back inside before I send a lightning bolt through you!"

"Rubber raincoat! I'd absorb it and only grow stronger!"

"That isn't how a raincoat works! Now get back inside!" Skye shouted.

The earth pony trotted back into his farmhouse and threw his wet raincoat onto the ground. "Somepony has to cheer you on." Chase smiled and shook the stray water from his body. "Maybe then you'll come back more often to visit us simple folk."

. . . . . .

"So you're leaving?"

The morning dew was still clinging to the grassy meadow behind Chase and Skye. Celestia had only begun to raise the sun.

"Yeah, it's a long flight back ho-" Skye stopped and looked at Chase. "Back to Cloudsdale."

Chase gave Skye a playfully smack on his chest. "You can have more than one home, pal. I don't mind if you like Cloudsdale. I just want you to be happy."

"Cloudsdale's a cool place, but I don't think it will ever make me forget what we have here." Skye gave a reassuring grin to comfort his aching friend.

"One thing about your city in the clouds…" Chase blinked and raised his eyes to meet Skye's.

"Yeah?"

"Make sure that you go out of your way to make some new friends. I know how you like to go it alone all the time. You're only going to hurt yourself if you hold onto your life here. Go be 'Mr. Weather Stallion' there and have a good time. Role probably wants to hear your juicy stories about Cloudsdale; not you sleeping in a tree being miserable all day." Chase sat on the ground and allowed Reynard to hop onto his back. The fox poked his head up and waved at Skye.

"And when you get to Ponyville I want to hear all about the fox that put all the other pets in their place!" Skye reached his hoof out to Chase.

Chase slowly reached his foreleg up and popped it against Skye's. The two kept their hooves against one another's and gave one last nod.

"I expect to hear more about Rainbow Dash too, bird brain." Chase grinned.

"This again? Give it a rest, fox face." Skye turned away and slowly walked away. He sniffled and forced a laugh from his throat. "I'll see what I can do about Rainbow."

Chase wiped his teary eyes and stomped his hoof on the dirt in anguish. "We're fighting when you get back! We still have a score to settle!" He bit his lip and cleared his throat.

Skye's walk turned into a trot as he left his friend behind. His tears dotted the ground behind him. "I won't forget!" He spread his wings and took to the sky.

Chase and Reynard sat on the ground staring up into the morning sky as their friend slowly vanished in the distance. Reynard nuzzled against his chest. Chase wrapped his hooves around his furry friend and continued to hold back his emotions the best he could.

Eventually it was too much and Chase burst into tears.

"See ya around..."

. . . . . .

Skye was holding a quill in his mouth and scribbling information down on the weekly weather report. New Jockey was set for several days of sun now that Skye had watered the crops and brought the vegetation back to life. He rested the quill on the table and placed a hoof on a wrinkled corner of the parchment.

"I wonder which life I'll end up choosing… Just a weather pony in New Jockey?" His eyes fixated on several ponies throwing lab coats over their bodies. "Or also a life here in Cloudsdale at the factory…"

"We'd be sad to see you go, Skye." A voice at the doorway spoke.

Forecast was wearing a white lab coat and hard hat. His old body was in a fresh coat of paint. This stallion looked as if he were ready to jump away and start cloud-busting with the best ponies at the factory.

"Sir!" Skye straightened his body and politely nodded. "Thank you for the vote of confidence!"

"Let's take a walk."

Skye dropped everything he was doing and followed after the foreman. "Of course! Uh, where exactly are we going?"

Their hooves clopped down the hallway as other ponies jumped out of the way. Whether he was just a figurehead or not, Forecast certainly received a lot of respect from the other ponies working at the factory.

"Cloudchaser had a lot of nice things to say about you, Skye Shot. I guess I was wrong to think of you as such a rookie. I'll have to keep my eyes on you."

"I'm sure there's still a lot left for me to figure out." Skye blushed a bit and looked away awkwardly.

"How was your trip back home?" The old pony hovered over the ground and adjusted the hard hat on his head with his forelegs.

"Not bad." Skye was never good at explaining the finer details of his life when put on the spot.

"Nothing more to say on the subject? I thought you would have had all sorts of stories to tell me of your big homecoming." Forecast gave a hearty chuckle.

"I got to catch up with a very close friend of mine, but I'm trying not to think about it too much. Honestly, I miss being at home."

"That's a natural feeling. I would be worried if you were able to begin a new life here without some feelings of remorse. We'll make sure you get back to New Jockey often. After all, it'll be up to you keep them regulated."

Skye followed closely behind Forecast and noticed they were heading for an exit out the rear of the factory. "If you don't mind me asking… Where are we going?" He repeated. This time his voice was sounding more stressed.

Both ponies stepped away from the dark confines of the hallway and were instantly engulfed in the sunlight. Skye's eyes were forced shut as he watched Forecast spread his wings and jump off the cloud into the sky below.

"There's something you need to see, Skye." Forecast shouted into the wind.

/) To be continued (\