Missing in Action
Water droplets fell and bombed their rainbow colored target below. Rainbow Dash looked up and noticed the increasing number of grey clouds. She blinked as several more drops careened from above and struck her face. Her forelegs instinctively cradled the box against her chest as she looked for cover.
"This is so weird. We never have thunderstorms this high up…" Dash winced again as the drizzle became steadier. Beads of liquid flew from her wings as she took off in search of shelter.
. . . . . .
Force and Chem were standing outside of Forecast's office, as the foreman shouted and pounded his desk behind a closed door. After a lull in the commotion the door creaked open. Cloudchaser exited the room. Her muzzle was hardened with an expression that could vaporize every cloud for miles. She ignored the stallions and galloped down the hall.
"Get in here, you two…" Forecast spoke firmly.
Chemtrail's smug expression remained as he flapped into the room and took a seat on the chair in front of Forecast's cluttered desk. He straightened the foreleg sleeves on his leather jacket and leaned forward. "You called for us, sir?"
Force slowly entered and nosed the door shut behind him.
"Would either of you like to explain why a class 7 thunderstorm is approaching Cloudsdale? I know Force had a hoof in this matter. Only he could whip up a storm of this quality so fast."
"We wanted to run a few training exercises to prepare for the Rumble. Nothing more, sir." Force placed his forelegs on the top of Chem's chair. "I thought we were much further from the city; my sincerest apologies. It was a miscalculation on my end. We'll clean this up immediately."
"The worst of the storm is rapidly approaching Cloudsdale. I'm dispatching all available weather ponies to assist in disassembling this disaster. I've placed Cloudchaser in charge." Forecast looked over to Chemtrail and narrowed his eyes. "Training or not, careless actions like these will get you both removed from the factory team. Threatening the safety of Cloudsdale and her ponies will not be tolerated."
Chemtrail nodded and gently pushed a strand of hair away from his eye. "Understood. We'll make sure Cloudsdale's safety is of the utmost importance. I'd never want to cause harm to a fellow pegasus." He lowered his head and grinned.
"Dismissed. Now go clean up the mess you made!"
. . . . . .
Rainbow glided over the railing that separated the view of Equestria from the balcony tables at the pub. Clenched tightly against her chest was her fresh Daring Do book from Skye. Wet hoofprints marked the floor as she gently placed the book on a stool and shoved it into a cubby-hole under the bar. "I guess I can just wait here until it's safe to leave." With her gift secure, Dash shook the water from her body and huffed in frustration. The rain outside was becoming stronger as the darkest clouds from off in the distance moved closer to the city.
"I guess all I can do is look around town and see if I can find him." She ran a hoof over her mane and felt a few droplets of water slide down her neck.
A deep sigh left her chest as she considered her options.
The silence was broken when an automated shrieking sound from off in the distance perked Rainbow's ears to attention.
"That's the weather factory siren! Not good!"
. . . . . .
A loud siren erupted from the weather factory and struggled to overpower the rumbling of the approaching thunderstorm. All of Cloudsdale was engulfed in the bellowing cries of the factory. The strong winds had pushed the eye of the storm within a dangerous proximity to Cloudsdale, and it now threatened the safety of the entire city. Natural disasters never occurred this close to home. Thanks to the oversight of Chemtrail and Force Majeure, Cloudsdale was about to be consumed by the grey ocean of clouds rolling closer each second.
The night sky was filled with shadowy outlines of pegasi quickly leaping from the city and flying toward the darkness ahead. The storm was still far enough away that a skilled effort could prevent harm, but Forecast didn't want to take any chances. Any pony with wings and the ability to bust a cloud was taking off.
Cloudchaser squinted and slid her goggles down over her eyes. After a few blinks she was ready to take off. Her wings expanded and she took a step forward.
"Wait!"
A voice caused Cloudchaser's head to twist around. Rainbow Dash was leaning against her and panting.
"What the heck's going on, Cloudchaser?" A drop of rain splashed onto Dash's muzzle.
"A really nasty storm is headed our way. Apparently it's from a training exercise that got out of control. Forecast is declaring this an emergency, and sending every pegasus pony in to tear this monster apart." Cloudchaser's eyes grew as a crack of lightning sounded behind her. "Sorry, Rainbow, I have to go. We can talk later!"
"Just a sec." Rainbow pleaded. "Have you seen a stallion around here with a silver mane?"
Cloudchaser shook her head. "I don't think so. The only pony I know around here with a silver mane is-"
"Skye Shot. Yeah, the weather pony from New Jockey." Rainbow stomped a hoof in frustration. "Where is that guy?" She muttered to herself.
"Sorry, haven't seen him. There are so many ponies going into that storm that I wouldn't be surprised if he was already in the thick of it. He definitely seemed like a go-getter when I ran some training with him."
A throat was cleared behind Rainbow and Cloudchaser. Both mares moved to the side.
"Excuse me, girls. We have a storm to clear up." Chemtrail smirked. His goggle straps were waving in the wind. "I suggest you stop flapping your jaws and start flapping your wings."
Cloudchaser nodded and kept her head bowed. "My apologies! We'll leave right away!"
Force flew overhead and vanished into the stormy haze that was beginning to drift over the edges of Cloudsdale.
"Thank you, Cloudchaser." Chem walked in between them and spread his wings. "You too, Rainbow Dash. Shake a hoof."
Rainbow glared and lowered on all fours into an attack position. Her wings shot open. Light blue feathers were knocked loose as the wind blasted over the trio. "Not if you talk to me like that! I don't care how high-and-mighty you think you are!"
Chem smirked and trotted further ahead. His front hooves tightened his goggles in place as he readied his body for takeoff. "You sound a lot like that silver-maned moron. What was his name again?"
Rainbow's eyes were firmly locked on Chem's face as she considered giving him a very aggressive hoofbump to the snout. Her fantasy was interrupted by Cloudchaser trying to diffuse the tension.
"Everypony take it easy! Rainbow, you need to respect your superiors! Chemtrail, you'll have to excuse her. We're just a little overworked today. All this to deal with after a full shift? It's been rough…" Cloudchaser was standing between both ponies with her forelegs extended. She was hoping to break up a fight before it even begun. There was a time and a place for everything. The safety of Cloudsdale was the only thing on her mind.
"His name is Skye Shot! He's twice the weather pony you'll ever be! Now get out of my way! I have a storm to bust!" Rainbow snorted and flapped into the sky.
"And where is this amazing weather pony, Rainbow?" Chem sneered. "I'd hate to miss him in action. If he's truly as capable as you say then even I may learn a trick or two from him."
"He's…" Rainbow's ears lowered and her anger was instantly replaced by a gut wrenching pang of worry. "Probably in the storm right now! You'll see! I'll find him myself!"
"Worst case I'll always see him at the Cloudsdale Rumble, right?" A strong gust of wind caused Chem's long mane to wrap around his face.
Rainbow's attention wandered to her hooves as she blankly stared down. Luckily, her wings continued to keep her airborne. "Y-yeah…"
"Best of luck, Rainbow Dash." Chemtrail laughed, kicked his body off the cloud, and unfurled his wings. With a few powerful flaps he was on course to enter the lightning-streaked disaster in the distance.
"I'll find him." Rainbow sighed and launched into the sky alongside Cloudchaser. "I have to…"
. . . . . .
Rainbow Dash shook the water from her soaked mane and flew into the factory entrance. She decided to waste no time and immediately left the cleared skies to search the factory for her friend. The storm had been disassembled faster than the pegasi could have hoped. With the combined efforts of Cloudsdale's best weather pegasi the city was safe once again. An eerie silence was now resting over the streets.
"Hello? Anypony here?" her voice echoed down the hallway. The lighting barely cast her shadow on the floor.
Most ponies were home by now. Only the night crew was scattered around the various labs and offices. Once Luna's moon was in the sky there wasn't much need for a pony to be awake. Even the weather team needed to take time off. Rainbow Dash was clinging to a slim hope that perhaps Skye had returned to the factory.
There was no sign of him during the entire storm operation.
"You in here, flyboy?" Dash poked her head into the scheduling room. Nopony there. She flew in and sat in front of the New Jockey weather chart. "Clear skies for at least the next few days. Then he has to be around here somewhere!" She flew over to his locker and placed a hoof on the white hard hat that was hanging from the dented metal door. "His hat's cold. Guess that means he wasn't in the factory before the storm hit." She sighed. "You don't exactly have a lot of places to go around here!" She smacked his hat from the hook and watched it spin on the floor. "Jerk…" Her words also fell to the floor as she sulked out the doorway in defeat.
"Rainbow Dash? Pulling a late nighter?"
Rainbow looked up and saw two stallions proudly standing before her.
"You…" She narrowed her eyes. "Just leave me alone. I'm not looking for trouble."
Force stepped forward and held his foreleg out. "Neither are we. Just here to fill out some reports for Forecast. This storm was our fault. A terrible misunderstanding. I went a little overboard during a training routine. Thank Celestia nopony was hurt." He waited for Dash to bump his hoof.
Rainbow pushed his foreleg away and flew past him. "Sorry, I'm really not in the mood for that. I'm having a bad night."
"Still can't find your friend? I don't think I saw him helping up in the storm either." Chemtrail laughed and trotted down the hallway. "I will give you credit though; you were there for your city, Rainbow Dash. You helped keep Cloudsdale safe. For that, I commend you." His words almost seemed sincere. "But don't think for a moment that occasional acts of greatness allow you to revert back to your lazy self."
Rainbow Dash ignored the advice and continued flying in the opposite direction. Only the flickering light from above remained with Force and Chemtrail.
"How dare you ignore me," Chem muttered. "You'll be the next one knocked out of the sky, my good mare."
"All in good time." Force yawned and hurried down the hallway toward Forecast's office. "Let's just hand in these reports and get some sleep. We can worry about her crash landing later."
. . . . . .
Tap. Tap. Tap. "Psst. Hey!"
Scootaloo groaned and rolled her head to the side. A loud snore escaped from her tiny chest. The blankets were swaddled around her body. Only her cast was poking out from the covers.
Tap. Tap. Tap. "Wake up, squirt!"
The filly opened one of her eyes and saw a grinning Rainbow Dash hovering outside the hospital window. Scootaloo immediately opened both eyes and excitedly motioned for Dash to enter.
Rainbow pressed her snout under the open portion of the window and gently slid it up. She quietly landed in the room and made sure no doctors or nurses were coming down the hallway.
"You're safe," Scootaloo whispered. "Everypony else is sleeping. Only the emergency staff is up to check on patients if they press the buzzer for help."
"Sorry for coming over so late. It's kinda been a weird night." Dash jumped onto the bed and reached her mouth into her open saddlebag. Clenched between her teeth was the Daring Do book Skye had purchased for her. "Wanna finish it?"
Scootaloo beamed and nodded. "We don't have much left, right? This is gr- hey… Did you get a new copy? Where's that old book with all the pages falling out?"
"Oh. Um. Yeah, well, ya see, a friend of mine got this for me. He knew I was a big fan of Daring Do and wanted to surprise me." Dash quickly opened the book and turned toward the back. "Okay, we were on chapter-"
"He?" Scootaloo blinked.
"Yep. He. Chapter twenty-"
"He who?" Scootaloo leaned closer and pulled the book away from Dash's face.
"A friend of mine from Cloudsdale. Real nice fella. Now, can we please focus on finishing this book? I could use a solid 8 hours of sleep once we're done." Rainbow Dash lifted the book up once again and started reading.
"Is he from the Wonderbolts?" Scootaloo forced the book away from Dash's face once more. "I don't think you ever mentioned him before."
"He's a…" Rainbow sighed and closed the book. She tossed it at the foot of the bed and crossed her arms. "Why do you care so much anyway? Friends can do nice things for me, ya know!"
Scootaloo smiled and nuzzled against Dash. "Because I like hearing stories about you and your adventures the most! You're the coolest, most awesomest pegasus in all of Equestria! Daring Do has nothing on you, Rainbow Dash!"
Dash's heart melted as she once again wrapped her wing around Scootaloo and pulled her closer. "Jeez, how can I say no to that? Okay, fine. I'll tell you everything. But keep this between us! It's… embarrassing for me!"
Dash told Scootaloo everything. How Skye and her first met at the banquet for the new weather ponies, the evening in the training facility, their unofficial date at the pub in Cloudsdale, and even how Skye spent the night at her house. Scootaloo really was like a little sister to her, so Rainbow was able to confide in the filly. It did feel good to tell somepony the entire story from start to finish.
"And now you can't find him?" Scootaloo pouted.
"Right. I searched all over the usual spots in Cloudsdale. He's from pretty far away, so I doubt he would have flown all the way back home. This whole thing is my fault for not waiting for him like I promised. I just lost track of time." Rainbow rested her head on the pillow.
"I'm sorry… It's because I kept bugging you to visit me." The filly looked away in despair.
"Aww c'mon, you know how my mind can be all over the place sometimes! This isn't your fault. Tell ya what; once I find him I'll bring him with to visit you!" Dash was hoping to shift the conversation into a happier tone.
"Okay! I'd love to meet him!" Scootaloo cheered and quickly covered her mouth. "Oops. I'll be quieter…"
"Once the Cloudsdale Rumble is over I'll have a lot more free time. I'm having a hard time focusing on anything else right now." Dash leaned forward and carefully picked up the book.
"Are you scared?" Scootaloo asked.
Rainbow Dash stayed silent. Her eyes remained on the book as she contemplated the question.
"You can tell me. I promise it'll be a super sister secret!" Scootaloo squeed.
Rainbow snickered and flipped through the pages. She was still dodging the question.
"Rainbow Dash?" Scootaloo grew concerned over the silence of her friend. The filly was peeking out from under Dash's wing.
"I am scared. I'm scared I'll never see my partner again."
. . . . . . A few hours earlier . . . . . .
Skye's eyes were barely open as he continued falling. The darkness of night had overtaken the sky, and gave him little visibility to calibrate his senses. The twinkles of lights below were getting closer as the stars faded above him. As if accepting his fate, Skye only watched as he fell from above in a crumpled heap. The last few weeks flashed before his eyes.
"I have to get these wings out. I have to fly… If I don't, then I'm a goner. This is my only chance… C'mon, Skye. You've pushed yourself through so much here. You promised Role that you'd become a great weather pony, and you promised Dash that you'd be her partner for the Rumble. Get it together!"
"Easy, flyboy, you won't last long up here if every little thing gets your feathers in a twist." Dash threw her apple into the air and opened her mouth. With a loud chomp, juices from the apple sprayed onto Skye's face. "Guess I should be going. Enjoy your party! I'm sure I'll see you around the weather factory."
"Rainbow Dash… Now I'm the one keeping you waiting." Skye shouted in pain as he tried to strain his sore muscles to extend a wing. His labored breathing intensified and caused him to enter a coughing fit.
"But if you take me to the weather facility you'll be able to count on two hooves!" She squeed.
Skye rolled away again and groaned. "I just want to take a nap. Come back later."
She nudged him and protested. "Come on! I'll take you out for a round of cider if you just show me where it is! You don't even have to come in. Free cider… with me!" she boastfully reminded him.
"That's where it all began… Like I could have said no to that adorable smile." Skye gritted his teeth and forced his wings to unfurl slightly. "Would things really have been different for me if I would have said no?"
"Can I tell you something?" She lifted her head to meet his face.
"Uh, sure." The stallion leaned forward and waited.
Rainbow fiddled with the edge of the tablecloth between her hooves. "Well…"
The glow of the candle against her face reminded Skye of the night they first exchanged pleasantries. A night he had grown more fondly of with each passing day. She was the closest thing to a friend he had in Cloudsdale.
"When I knocked you down in the training room… I-I was really worried something bad was going to happen to you. Something really bad…"
"That was nothing. If you saw me now… Ugh. You'd be ashamed. Even I can't believe I let those two work me over like this. It's pathetic really. You always said I was sturdy and here I am about to splatter against the ground." Skye steadied his breathing and felt his muscles cramp as he begged his body to signal for his wings to work.
"I noticed you have a hard time keeping your eyes open when you fly really fast or the weather gets bad. I, uh, I thought these might help you out a bit."
Skye opened his eyes and watched as her light blue forelegs moved away slowly. A pair of old goggles was bunched up between his hooves. Skye just stared at the goggles and smiled. A gift from Rainbow Dash? She really did have too much cider…
"Well, don't make this weird! Try 'em on already!" Rainbow blushed a bit.
Skye slipped the goggles over his eyes. The brown leather straps were tight, but didn't cause any discomfort. There was plush layer of padding around the glass lenses so that he could wear the goggles without any strain on his face. They were great. No. They were perfect! Skye moved his head around and shifted his eye balls to grow accustomed to the new accessory. He felt his eyes water a bit as he took everything in.
"Are you… okay?" Rainbow asked as Skye lowered his head.
"Yeah, just got a little dust in my eye or something." He sniffled and forced a laugh. "You should've cleaned them first!" Skye bit his lip and tried to compose himself.
"So you like them?" Rainbow's smile slowly grew as she waited for Skye to answer. It felt like an eternity was passing between the ponies.
"I love them!" Skye loosened the straps a bit and lowered the goggles to hang around his neck.
Skye blinked as he watched the clouds vanish above him. A smile crept onto his battered face. "Funny. I finally get to test the goggles, and I can't even thank you properly. I just wish I could spread my wings and find you. I never should have left the pub in such a huff. Chase always said I was stubborn to a fault. If only I'd waited, I – we – could have sorted this whole mess out." The wind rolled the weak pegasus onto his stomach and he realized that time was almost up. He swallowed and pressed a shaking hoof against his muzzle.
Skye smiled and rubbed her shoulder. "It was worth it though. We got to have a nice dinner, some drinks; I got to meet the Wonderbolts! Things like this never happened to me in New Jockey. You don't know what it's like to experience so much happiness in such a short time."
Rainbow kissed his cheek and wrapped her arms around him tighter. "I think I have an idea what that much happiness feels like…"
Skye placed a hoof on his cheek and turned beet red.
"I'll never forget that night. If these really are my last moments alive, then I just want to have that repeat over and over." The tree branches below were all but reaching for Skye's body. He closed his eyes and tried to calm the rapid beating in his chest. Between the thoughts in his mind and the strain on his nerves, the pegasus could barely concentrate on anything. Just the sound of the wind pressing into his ears.
"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.
The tips of Skye's wings straightened out.
"I still have more to do! Even if I tear every muscle in my body… Even if I still wind up falling to the ground… I have to try! That's what Role Play wanted. 'Go out and live your own dreams.' My friends… I'd be letting them all down if I just gave up here… Not to mention I have a score to settle with Chemtrail!" Skye's eyes shot open as he felt a spark ignite in his brain. That spark was all it took to give a second wind to the battered weather pony.
His mouth opened as he screamed in agony and fully splayed his wings to catch the air that was rushing over his body. Like a kite caught in a tornado, his body whipped erratically through the air as he struggled to steady his flight path. Each flap of his wings caused his nerves to feel like another short circuit was on the way. He had no clue how much more his body could take, but that wasn't his concern at the moment.
"I'll be back, Rainbow! I promise!" His wings trembled as he tried to maintain a steady balance of flapping and coasting to ensure he didn't overwork himself. "I won't let you down…" Skye continued to push himself further from Cloudsdale.
/) To Be Continued (\