Fallen Skye

Skye swung his hoof harder than usual and watched as the cloud burst in front of him. The water droplets sprayed against his face and drenched his mane. The grouchy pegasus continued destroying the storm clouds above the homes of New Jockey. It had been six days since he left Cloudsdale. Six days since he last saw Rainbow Dash.

Down below, Fox Chase and Reynard were watching as the blue blur tore through the storm clouds. Patches of sunlight poked through the grey blanket draped over the earth. The brilliant rays were soon upon Chase's eyes.

"He's been back here for five days and still hasn't said a word to us, Reyn. Not sure how I feel about that." Chase was shielding his eyes from the sun. Reynard yipped and danced around in an attempt to get Skye's attention. "Calm down. He knows we're here. He'll come around sooner or later."

Skye shook his mane dry of the water and exhaled. "That's enough for now. I can finish off the next cluster later." He looked down and watched as Chase and Reynard walked down the dirt road back to the farm.

. . . . . .

With the sun setting, Skye had finally given up on his weather duties for the day. Only a few more days were left for his scheduled time in New Jockey. The flight between Cloudsdale and New Jockey was becoming easier on his wings, but that still didn't fix the biggest problem on his mind.

Rainbow Dash.

Skye knocked several times on the door to Chase's home and waited until he heard the sound of hooves and paws scurrying toward him. The door swung open to a grinning Chase. Reynard rushed out the door and pranced around Skye excitedly.

"We knew you'd come knocking sooner or later." Chase remained in the doorway.

"Y-yeah. Can I come in?" Skye watched Reynard dart between his legs.

"Course! I wasn't going to let you sleep outside every night, ya know?"

Skye immediately dove onto the couch. He flexed his sore forelegs, while Chase hopped onto a chair next to a cluttered desk covered in papers and scrolls.

"You got a letter, Mr. Popularity." Chase smirked. He grabbed the scroll in his mouth and flung it over to Skye, who reached a hoof into the air to catch it.

"I'll read it in a sec - Look, I'm sorry I've been avoiding you. Things in Cloudsdale are getting a bit… uncomfortable."

"Ouch. And all before that… thing you entered. The Pegasus Rough N Tumble?"

"The Cloudsdale Rumble…" Skye rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, that!"

"Rainbow Dash and me were supposed to be partners, but now I'm not even sure if we're still friends." Skye paused. "I don't want to go into a lot of detail, but we had some cider together, went back to her place, and made a real connection... Then the next morning she was gone and the only thing she left behind was a note…"

"Not a good note I'm guessing." Chase leaned back in his chair.

"I-I don't know what I did wrong. She even gave me a present for the competition." Skye touched a hoof against a lens on the goggles around his neck. "This is still too much for me to talk about. Sorry…"

"Ah, not a problem! Sounds to me like your mare friend just got a little spooked over what happened. I won't pry for details, but I will say that you need to shrug this off and get back in the game!" Chase jumped out of his chair and enthusiastically raised his forelegs into the air. "First rule of gaming is to never stop, my friend! Role Play would be giving you the same advice. Just press on and try to fix things."

"But I don't even know what I did wrong!" Skye pleaded.

"Okay, but what did you do right?" Chase objected. "Start there!"

"Well… we had cider, she showed me her house, her collection of books-"

"Stop! Books? What kinda books are we talking about here?" Chase paced back and forth in thought.

"Those Daring Do books-" Skye sprung up on the couch. "I almost forgot! She has a mint condition Daring Do vs. Equestria arcade game in her room! It was magnificent…" He wiped the drool forming at the corner of his lips.

"This is all good stuff! We know her weakness! Rule two of gaming is to always find a weakness!"

Skye scratched his head. "You're just making these rules up… and putting them in a random order!"

"Rule number three of gaming; shut up Skye Shot and let me think!" Chase stomped his hoof on the ground. "I got it! Get her a book in the series that she's missing!"

"She already has all of them…" Skye slumped forward on the couch.

"Really? Dang! That would've been perfect…"

A light bulb went off over Skye's silver mane and he immediately perked up. He rubbed his hooves together excitedly and aimed his grin at Chase. "I think I know what to do."

"Eh?"

"One of her books is in really bad shape! I could go get her a new copy and give it to her as a present! Maybe that would at least show her that I still want to be friends."

Chase nodded and glanced at the letter on the couch. "Now that you're in a better mood, why don't ya open the letter? It was addressed from Dash…"

Skye's heart stopped as he slowly reached for the letter. He flicked the band off from around the scroll. His eyes hurriedly scanned the scroll from top to bottom. "She'll be waiting…" He spoke softly to himself. "Chase, my friend, I need to make a small detour to Manehattan!"

"Those wings of yours are going to break off soon." Chase sighed. "But I think I understand what you're plotting. That's probably the closest place to shop. Just make sure you buy her the best copy you can find."

"Can I have some money?" Skye squeed.

"Don't they pay you in Cloudsdale?!" Chase's voice boomed out in protest.

"My bits are in my locker at the factory! I'm not going to carry them back and forth each time I-"

"Fine, fine. But you owe me!" Chase trotted into another room and shouted. "Does Rainbow have any available sisters? I can take repayment in the form of mares!"

Skye slammed a hoof against his face and groaned.

. . . . . .

The curtains of the hospital room swayed in the breeze as an orange filly squirmed in the bed. Her purple mane was resting against a large fluffed pillow. An expression of defeat was lingering on her face. Like all pegasi, this filly hated to fail. Worst of all, she was on display for everypony in the hospital to see.

"This… stinks." She huffed.

"It's about to get a whole lot stinkier for ya, squirt." Dash was leaning against the doorway with her forelegs folded over her chest.

"R-Rainbow Dash!" The filly exclaimed with trembling eyes.

"Scootaloo, what in the name of Celestia were you thinking? The doctor told me everything that happened!"

"D-Dash! Don't be upset! I-I only wanted to-"

"Get your cutie mark - ya I know." Dash clopped over to her and hopped onto the end of the bed. "And now you have a broken leg. Not as awesome as you wanted this week to turn out, eh?"

Scootaloo's eyes welled up with tears.

Dash sighed and moved herself up the bed to lie next to Scootaloo. "C'mere, kiddo." Dash wrapped a wing around her and cuddled the filly. "I'm not here to yell at you."

"You're not?" Scootaloo questioned.

"Nah… I've hurt myself plenty of times doing stunts. Though it's been a long time!" Dash declared confidently.

"I just feel so lousy being stuck here in bed. I'm gonna have to wear a cast on my back leg for a while." Scootaloo pushed the blanket aside to show off her newly acquired leg cast. "Even when I can go back home I'm going to have to rest up a lot and try to stay off my leg until it's all better."

"I won't let ya rot away here all by yourself." Dash awkwardly looked away. "I could… probably get some books or something from Twilight's place if you wanted to read."

"Eh… I don't know about that. Reading?" Scootaloo stuck her tongue out in disgust.

"All the cool ponies like to read now and then. Besides, what else can you do here?"

"Do you ever read?" Scootaloo sounded much more intrigued now.

"I've opened a book now and then. Ya know, just to pass the time." Rainbow blushed a bit.

"Well, if you think Twilight has some good-"

Dash's face lit up. "I'll come back tomorrow night with some books! It'll be so awesome!"

Scootaloo rested her head against Dash's side. "So, does that mean you're leaving now?"

The blue wing remained around Scootaloo. "Not a chance. Tonight we can just catch up a bit." Dash smiled and nuzzled her injured friend.

. . . . . .

Skye's head jerked to the doorway every time a pony entered the second floor of the pub. He was seated at their table and waiting for Dash. Her letter made it sound like she would be checking the pub each night to see if he was there. That was a good sign that maybe there was hope for their friendship after all.

"Are you ready to order, sir?" the pegasus waiter asked. A bottle of cider was held between his forehooves. "Perhaps get yourself an appetizer while you wait?"

"No…" Skye's voice was weak. "I'd just like to wait a bit longer for her…" His gaze was cast over the balcony. He was certain that he hadn't been waiting too long.

His first night back in Cloudsdale brought back the all too familiar feelings of loneliness and isolation.

. . . . . .

Scootaloo was resting her back against Dash's stomach as the two read the torn pages of Dash's favorite book. A lantern of fireflies created an aura of flickering light around both ponies.

"Are we going to finish the book tonight, Dash?" Scootaloo said with a yawn.

"I dunno, we've been overdoing it lately. I think you need to get your sleep! Otherwise you'll never get as strong as yours truly." Dash closed the book. She carefully realigned the torn pages and placed the book on the night stand. "How about we get some sleep now. We can read some more in the morning."

"Can I read Daring's parts again?" Scootaloo's enthusiasm for reading was almost rivaling Dash's.

Dash laughed and rubbed Scootaloo's mane. "Yeah, yeah, I guess I'll let you have all the fun."

"Okay. Goodnight, Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo closed her eyes and laid her head back against Dash's chest.

"Night, squirt." Rainbow kissed Scootaloo's head and nestled under the covers.

. . . . . .

The pub was becoming quieter and quieter. Ponies were stumbling away from their tables and carefully walking down the steps one hoof at a time.

"Sir, the pub's closing soon…" The waiter set a plate of apples down on the table. "Compliments of the house."

Skye's head was resting on the table with his forelegs firmly wrapped around to cover his face. The sweet smell of the apples didn't even interest him. Placed in front of him was a neatly wrapped box with a note resting on top. The words From Your Flyboy were scribbled on a tag hanging from the gift.

"Sir?" The waiter hesitantly asked.

"I'll go now." Skye lifted his head and sniffed. Droplets of tears were scattered on the polished wood. He pushed his chair away from the table and hopped off.

"You're forgetting your-"

"Just toss it. I don't need it anymore. Sorry for taking up a table all night." Skye's trot from the table turned to a gallop as he pushed the door open to the stairwell.

. . . . . .

Rainbow opened her eyes and shivered as the cool winds of the night blew over her body. The thin blanket didn't insulate much heat. She carefully removed herself from the bed and gently rested the snoring filly's head onto her pillow. The window pane was slowly pushed down until the thud of wood caused Scootaloo to roll over and grumble.

"Guess I lost track of time." Rainbow yawned. "I'll come back tomorrow and check on ya." She stretched and lifted off the ground. As she flew past the door her eyes caught a glimpse of the calendar. Her shaking hooves covered the gasp that nearly escaped her pale face.

"Skye! He was supposed to come back today!" She quickly and quietly closed the door before zipping down the hospital hallway.

. . . . . .

The clouds looked like they were glowing in the dark from the intense moonlight. Skye's black hooves dug into the puff as he readied to launch himself into the air. Cloudsdale's grandiose skyline loomed behind him as he gritted his teeth and stopped the tears from streaming down his face. His wings shot out from his body and were fully splayed for takeoff. Dark blue feathers swirled in the wind around him.

"I never should've come back. I've been an outcast here since day one. Some ponies just don't belong in Cloudsdale."

Skye leapt from the cloud and aimlessly soared away from the city.

. . . . . .

Rainbow pounded on the door to the pub. She pressed her face against the glass. Inside, ponies were wiping down the bar on the first floor. The workers inside shooed her away and returned to their duties.

She slammed her hoof harder to get their attention. Finally, the waiter who had seated Skye trotted over and cracked the door slightly.

"Ma'am, we're closed for the day." He whispered with his snout sticking out the door.

"Was there a dark blue stallion here? Silver hair? G-goggles?" she swallowed.

"Oh, you're… Just a moment please." He kept the door ajar and vanished from sight. When he returned he handed Rainbow the package.

"W-what's this?" Rainbow's voice cracked in worry.

"We had to kick him out a little while ago. He brought this with him but left it on the table. I didn't want to simply throw it away... I think he wanted you to have it. Good night to you."

Rainbow's eyes watered as she snatched the gift and watched the door close shut once again.

"I can't believe I forgot today was the day…"

. . . . . .

The wind whipped Skye in the face. Despite the stormy conditions ahead, he did not reach for the goggles.

Skye slowed down as he spotted two ponies waiting further ahead. "Ugh, what now?" His wings remained outstretched as he glided toward the silhouettes in the distance.

Then it struck him.

"You!" he growled angrily.

Flapping in front of him was Chemtrail and another stallion. Skye's eyes focused more on the strange new friend accompanying the resident bully of Cloudsdale.

"I was hoping you'd fly back this way sooner or later, Skye Shot. Gives us some time to… talk." An evil smile curled onto Chem's face. His long white mane was blowing with the wind as the weather conditions around the ponies worsened.

"I'm not here to talk. I'm leaving Cloudsdale. Goodbye."

"Not joining us for the rumble?" Chem looked over to his friend and laughed. "This is the pony I wanted you to meet, Force."

Skye's eyes remained narrowed as the rust-colored fur on the new pony's body was combed by the relentless wind. His mane and tail were a disgusting grey; much like murky seawater. Stamped on his flank was a red hurricane swirl. Chem's friend, Force, looked almost as cruel as Chemtrail himself. There was no love in his eyes. No emotions whatsoever. Just a smirk aimed at Skye.

"This is the pony who hit you? You weren't kidding when you said he was a second-rate weather pony. I feel even worse for you knowing that his grubby hoof actually scratched your face." Force laughed and flew closer to Skye. "And now you're running away from Cloudsdale?"

"It's none of your business. Now get out of my way!" Skye snarled and swung at Force.

Chemtrail dashed forward and grabbed Skye's foreleg, clamping it tightly between his hooves. "I told you not to side with her. I warned you that she was a poison to this city! No, you didn't listen to me. You went off with the pretty mare just like everypony else would. That's when I knew you weren't special. You're just like the rest of the ponies who kiss up to her. Disgusting!" Chemtrail violently tossed Skye backwards.

"I've been through enough today! I don't feel like dealing with you or any of your cronies!" Skye shouted.

"Ever heard the saying an eye for an eye, Skye Shot?" Force moved his neck to the side until a crack was heard. "The funny thing about having a real partner is that they have your back at all times. Yet here you fly alone…"

Skye felt his stomach turn as Force and Chem started circling around him. He had never been in an aerial conflict with either one of them before. He had no idea what to expect. Nevertheless, a cocky look remained on Skye's muzzle as he tried to show no signs of fear.

"If you're leaving Cloudsdale, how about we give you a taste of the Cloudsdale Rumble right here? You can get your results a week ahead of time!" Chem cackled as a bolt of lightning flashed down behind him.

. . . . . .

Rainbow was sitting on a bench outside the pub. She ignored the storm off in the distance and focused on the box resting on her lap. Her hooves fiddled between unfolding the note and pulling the ribbon from the box. She hummed and untied the ribbon with her teeth.

"I'll open the box first…" Dash confirmed to herself.

She snickered at the words on the tag and felt a bit more at ease when the lid was slowly pulled away.

"A brand new 'Daring Do and the Quest for the Sapphire Stone' book!" She excitedly hugged the book against her chest and squeed.

. . . . . .

Skye darted backwards as Chemtrail attempted to strike. Both ponies braced themselves against the wind and examined one another.

"I can see the fear in those empty eyes of yours, Skye Shot. You're finally out of your element. No more big talk from you. No more room of ponies to step in if something goes wrong. Just you and the mess you created!" Chem rushed forward. He was too fast! Skye screamed in pain as a hoof embedded itself into his stomach.

During the instant Skye's breath left his lungs he finally remembered something about Chemtrail's friend. Force was most likely Force Majeure, the lead weather pony in charge of weather severity and natural disasters. You didn't have to look much further up the factory ladder to find him sitting on the top rung.

Skye felt his strength slide away even more. Two of the most respected and recognized ponies at the factory were now preparing the beating of a lifetime. Corrupt or not, Skye was out of his league against these weather veterans.

For a split second he wondered if he made the wrong choice by choosing Rainbow Dash over Chemtrail.

"Forecast warned me about ponies like you!" Skye choked on his words as Chem smashed another hoof across his face.

"Yeah? And I warned you about how Dash would leave you behind for something better!" Chem shifted all of his weight into another punch, but Skye launched himself above to safety.

"You can't run from us, Skye! This is the end of the road for you!" Chem shouted at the top of his lungs.

The dark clouds around Skye looked strange. He never stopped to question why a storm of this magnitude was so high up and so close to Cloudsdale. This wasn't created by ponies to water the earth or run a training exercise. Chemtrail and Force created this storm specifically to trap Skye.

Skye looked at his wing as a droplet of water fell onto one of his feathers.

"I thought it might be fitting for Force and myself to throw together a little homecoming for you!" Chem flapped his wings and took flight after the fleeing Skye. "When we first met I was curious about you and did my homework. I read all about that storm in New Jockey."

Skye's escape was cut short as Force appeared in front of him holding a crackling storm cloud.

. . . . . .

The book was safely packed inside the box as Rainbow unfolded the letter from Skye. His voice sounded in her head as she slowly read each line.

Dear Rainbow,

I hope you waited to read this until you got home like I asked.

I promise I'll try to keep this as short as possible. After all, I'm sure you're much more interested in reading that fresh Daring Do book! Hope I can borrow it when you're done!

This whole friendship thing seems to have taken a turn for the worse. Sorry about that. I'm not sure what I did, but I feel awful. The past week has been terrible for me. I haven't felt like myself at all. Even being home didn't cheer me up. Chase tried his best to lighten the mood, but I still couldn't get over what happened between us.

"It wasn't your fault…" Rainbow sighed and closed her eyes.

. . . . . .

The bolt struck Skye directly in the head as he felt every nerve tingle throughout his body. His wings struggled through the brief paralysis but kept him airborne long enough to continue formulating an escape route from his enemies.

"I'm impressed." Force flung the cloud to the side and joined Chemtrail in chasing the injured pegasus once again.

Needles of rain stabbed into Skye's face as he flew higher. "A regular storm would never be created this high up… There's just no benefit for Equestria! These two are breaking the rules…"

Force caught up and chomped down on Skye's tail. The blue pegasus yelped in pain as he was yanked to a halt. "I made this all for you, Skye. Think of it as a living scrapbook from-."

Skye's eyes shut tightly. "Don't say it!"

"That's right. I made sure to get every last detail correct. They didn't put me in charge of natural disaster control accidentally." Force grabbed Skye around his neck and held him in place. "That storm that almost wiped your village from Equestria was my fault. We needed a place to practice storm control and didn't realize there was a town nearby. If you wouldn't have stopped it, another pony would have. Don't go thinking you were anything special. You're not a hero."

Skye flailed and tried to break away in retaliation. "You monster! You're the one responsible?" He screamed. "I'll kill you!"

"Learn your place, cloud-pusher. You can and will be replaced. You're nothing in Cloudsdale." Force tightened his grip around Skye's throat.

Chem hovered in front of Skye's struggling body as Force held him securely in place. "I'm going to enjoy this…"

Chem pulled back and slammed Skye across his face once more. The impact dizzied his vision. He was quickly brought back to reality as he felt Chem's hooves smashed against his ribs and stomach repeatedly.

. . . . . .

This whole time I've been in Cloudsdale I just wanted to do my best and make my friends at home proud of me. I thought being a weather pony was the most important thing in the world. I loved the feeling of being able to help Equestria.

I can't even remember how many letters I sent to the factory. Dozens! Chase was constantly buying more ink for me. Those days feel so far behind me now. But I won't forget them.

Just like I know I can't forget you, Dash! Which is why I really want you back in my life.

. . . . . .

Skye's face was swollen and bruised as Chem stopped to catch his breath. All three ponies were soaked to the bone from the torrential rain. Force released Skye and watched as he struggled to fly forward. He sputtered and grabbed his heaving chest in an attempt to comfort the pain surging through his body. Skye struggled to lift a hoof up to the goggles around his neck.

"They're still okay. Thank Celestia…"

. . . . . .

At first I thought you only wanted to be around me because you wanted to see the weather facility, but after a while I felt more of a connection with you. I kept trying to deny it. Rainbow Dash with some nopony from a small town? It just seemed ridiculous.

Then I thought maybe if there was even the slightest chance you'd want me around that I would go for it! I knew the odds were against me…

I can't fly well. I'm still learning about weather. I don't even know my way around downtown Cloudsdale yet. But despite all of that, I hope you'll at least keep me as a friend. You mean a lot to me, Rainbow. I've felt like a part of me went missing the same time you did.

I'll do my best at the competition to make you proud! I won't be a burden. I'll fly until my wings are bare!

Your "Flyboy,"

Skye Shot

P.S. Thanks for my first kiss. No matter what happens between us, I'll always cherish that moment.

The letter fell onto the ground as Rainbow covered her sobbing face. "I'm such a jerk…"

. . . . . .

Another bolt of lightning struck Skye in the back as his attempt to escape from the stormy arena of clouds was thwarted. His body was becoming so numb and damaged that new pain was barely registering now. Skye knew that he was in serious trouble.

"If I don't get away… I'm gonna…" He gulped and tried to focus his vision through his less swollen eye. "I have to get away."

His wings barely kept him in a straight line as he collided against the clouds and punched his way forward through the storm. His bloodied nose poured down onto his outstretched forelegs. A strong gust of wind blew Skye off course and disrupted him just long enough for Chemtrail to catch up again.

Everything seemed to slow down as Skye looked over his shoulder. Chemtrail had the look of a killer in his eyes. Force was nowhere to be found. At least, nowhere in the limited and blurry field of vision Skye Shot was working with.

It was then that Skye realized he would probably never see Rainbow Dash again. He took one last look at the grand city of Cloudsdale off in the distance.

"Farewell, Skye Shot." Chem smirked, while holding an unstably charged grey cloud over Skye's back.

The lightning flash could be seen from miles away. Skye's eyes rolled back as he felt his mind detaching from his body. Every feather, every piece of fur felt as if it was burning. The lightning blast faded and he could only watch the world around him as his muscles stopped responding one by one.

Then his wings finally failed to keep him airborne.

Skye spun downward from the storm clouds and watched a trail of charred feathers tear from his battered wings. His heart pounded as he struggled to regain control of his body. The wind roared over him as his speed toward the ground increased.

. . . . . .

The lightning blast in the distance sent a shiver through Rainbow's body. With the book clasped tightly against her chest she hopped off the bench. "I'm gonna snuggle his wings off when I find him!" She wiped her watery eyes with a hoof.

. . . . . .

Skye's ragged body continued falling. No pegasus would ever want to meet an end like this.

His forelegs shakily grabbed his goggles and slid them over his eyes. The stallion's eyes were so swollen that he had to loosen the strap just for the goggles to fit properly.

A tear slid down his eye and stuck against the inside of the lens.

"I'm still glad I chose you over them, Dashie."

/) To be continued (\