The next weekend...
After arriving at the weather factory at least ten minutes before time, Storm sat down at his usual spot in the lobby of the factory, right next to the water cooler. Before Storm left home, his father had told him that Tornado was going to arrive later than planned today, due to some 'maintenance works' at his home in south Cloudsdale. However, Storm was actually happy that Tornado was going to arrive later; things between them haven't got off to a good start, with Tornado practically bullying him and disciplining him like they do in the Equestrian military, which Storm absolutely hated. But then again, maybe Tornado's discipline, no matter how tough it is, was going to pay off in the end. Maybe Tornado was actually trying to help Storm to be a better weather pony. Storm's train of thought however suddenly derailed, and Storm glanced up at the clock which hanged above the reception desk, and noticed the time, which was just nearing 8:55 AM, before crumpling up the plastic cup he had just finished drinking from and throwing it into a trash can which stood right next to the reception desk. Where the hay is he? Storm asked himself, looking around to see if Tornado was coming.
"Am I late... Am I buckin' late." said a rather frantic-sounding voice. Storm turned around and watched Tornado trot through the revolving doors, and into the lobby, panting heavily. Tornado wiped the sweat off his forehead, then turned to face Storm, a glare forming on his face. "YOU! GET UP ON THE DOUBLE!"
"Yes sir..." said Storm, standing up out of his seat.
"I see you came here...like a real stallion would." he sneered, before turning to face the receptionist. "June, sign me in, alright?"
"Yes sir." replied the receptionist, taking out a clipboard and writing down his name on it.
"Alright..." begun Tornado, turning away from the receptionist, and turning back to face Storm. "You ready?"
"For...what?" gulped Storm.
"I want you..." he smiled, his eyes fixed on Storm. "To make a proper cloud, alright? One that won't self-destruct like last weeks, am I clear?"
"Yes sir." Storm sighed. "I'll try my best, but I won't guarantee it'll go great."
"You what..." Tornado begun to growl threateningly.
"I said that I'll try my best, but I won't guarantee it'll go as planned..." gulped Storm, backing away towards the couch.
"IT WILL GO AS PLANNED!" shouted Tornado, in a voice loud enough to scare the living daylights out of anypony in the lobby, including the receptionist, June, who sat furthest away from where he was standing. Perhaps the thing that Storm hated most about Tornado was his attitude, having already endured Tornado's raging once before. Before he arrived at the factory, he had hoped that he'd finally get on Tornado's good side, but these hopes seemed to have gone down the drain. "YOU HEAR?! No guarantees! None of that bullcrap! You will do it, Stormfire! You will, and that's a promise!"
"yes... sir..."
"Let's go, now!" he yelled almost psychotically, making Storm cringe even more. They both walked down the corridors leading to the cloud-manufacturing facility, Tornado leading the way while Storm followed close behind. After Tornado swiped the keycard through the lock in the door, it slid open, allowing them to enter the facility. Storm gasped as they entered; the facility seemed much bigger than it was last week, and it had already started operations. He was also expecting to see the Tornado Team in action today, but he knew that his shift would be over just before the team came back to the factory. While Storm looked over the railing, watching the facility in action, Tornado watched him from the stairs which led to ground level, a less-than-pleased expression on his face. "HEY!"
Storm jumped up in shock, snapping out of his daydreams. He turned around and saw Tornado looking at him from the stairs.
"Sorry, sir..." he smiled awkwardly. "I was just checking out the view..."
"Just get the buck over here..." growled Tornado. "NOW!"
Storm did as he was asked, and trotted up to the stairs, before following Tornado down them to ground level. The bell suddenly rang, and Storm left Tornado's side, and along with the other weather ponies, walked up to the podium, on which Snow Cloud was standing on.
"Good morning, everypony." she said in her usual, friendly voice, which oddly enough reminded Storm of one of his elementary school teachers back in the Griffon Empire.
"Morning, ma'am." they all spoke in unison, including Storm, who quickly turned back to see Tornado standing there, giving him a threatening glare. He cringed, and turned around to look at Snow Cloud, trying for once, to take his mind off impressing Tornado.
"Before we start the morning shift, I would like to make you all aware that the 1100 gallons of water we collected from Lake Maresco had been depleted..." Snow's friendly smile disappeared off her face, and was instead replaced by a stern glare. "Who made 175 clouds instead of the expected 75?"
The weather ponies, including Storm, begun to chuckle to themselves, which caused Snow's glare to somewhat soften, although it still remained on her face.
Suddenly, a stallion's hoof shot up. The others, including Storm and Tornado, immediately turned to face the stallion, who much to Storm's surprise, was Blue Skye.
"Blue Skye?" asked Snow. "I didn't expect that from you... You're one of our best weather ponies."
"I'm sorry, ma'am." he sighed in reply. "I came in late last week, and somepony told me that it was 175 we had to produce."
"Well, that's understandable." replied Snow. "Next time, if you're unsure, you should go and ask me. The same goes for all of you. If you need help with something, ask me or Tornado."
"Yes ma'am!"
"Anyways, get to your stations, and prepare yourselves. Today is going to be a long day, for all of you. The boss wants to see a big improvement in your performance. Is that understood?" she instructed the ponies. "Tornado Team, I expect you all to collect 2200 gallons of water this time, twice as much as last week."
"Yes ma'am!" the ponies on the Tornado Team replied in unison. Snow smiled at nopony in particular, before taking out a remote control and pressing the red button on it.
"Alright, stand back everypony." spoke the leader of the Tornado Team through his headset, a light gray stallion with a white mane. The other weather ponies all backed away, including Storm, who hovered in the air watching the Tornado Team prepare for takeoff.
"Three..."
"Two..."
"One..."
"GO!"
Storm watched in delight as the Tornado Team trotted outside, as fast as they possibly could. They then took off into the air, the hatch closing behind them as they did. Storm's delighted smile however disappeared, after realizing that he may not get to see the Tornado Team coming back. After the Tornado Team flew away, the remaining weather ponies then turned to face Snow, including Storm.
"Alright." she begun. "I want the rest of you to make as many clouds as you possibly can with the water we've got left, alright?"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Okay." she smiled. "Get to work, everypony."
"Yes ma'am."
The weather ponies then left the podium and walked away to their stations, except Storm, who stayed behind and looked around confusedly. What exactly was he supposed to do? Where was he supposed to go? And most importantly, where was Tornado?
"Storm, get your lazy flank over here, on the double!" he shouted from behind him. Storm immediately turned around, to face Tornado standing at least twenty feet before him, motioning for Storm to follow him. He then led Storm through the facility, occasionally turning to glance at Storm, who was busy checking out all the different machines. Despite having seen them before, Storm had never seen them at close-up. Tornado managed to crack a slight smile as he watched his 'student' check out all the different machines that he was going to work with in the future. Maybe Snow's right... Maybe I am being a bit too harsh on the kid... However, his smile did not last particularly long, as he came to the conclusion that to ensure that Storm performs as well as he could, he needed to be strict and harsh to him. Before they both knew it, they had reached Storm's station, which was the station they had worked on the previous week.
"Alright, sir." begun Storm, putting on his game face and standing as straight as he possibly could. "What are we doing today?"
"I already told you. Make a cloud, that won't explode everywhere like last week's."
"Oh." replied Storm. "My bad."
"Get on with it, recruit." growled Tornado. "What are you going to do first?"
"Press the 'on' button on the console." replied Storm, glancing over at the console which operated the cloud tank.
"Good." said Tornado, watching Storm fly over to the console and pressing the red 'on' button. The tank whirred to life and begun to fill up with water, and a few seconds later, that water soon poured through a pipe going through the tank, and into a much larger tank which stood beside it. "And remember, you screw this up, you're outta here. And that is a promise, Stormfire. Understand?"
"Yes sir." Storm gulped, before turning back to watch the water fill up the second cloud tank. He then pressed a green button which said EVAPORATE underneath it, and watched the water evaporate into steam, before that steam faded away to reveal a small ball made of cloud dust. Storm pressed yet another button, which opened the lid of the cloud tank and allowed the cloud ball to hover out of it.
"Don't buck this up." growled Tornado. "UNDERSTOOD RECRUIT?!"
"Yes sir." replied Storm, trotting up to him, before turning to face the cloud ball which hovered before him.
"Good." Tornado grinned menacingly. "Do it, Storm. Make me proud."
"Yes sir."
Suddenly, Storm begun to trot towards the cloud ball, which hovered between the two cloud tanks. Just before he reached the edge of the platform on which they were standing on, he outstretched his wings and took off into the air, before beginning to fly around the cloud ball, increasing speed the longer he flew around it. Back on the platform, Tornado watched Storm try his hardest to shape the cloud ball into a proper cloud, seemingly becoming more and more nervous.
However, just before the cloud could be fully shaped, Storm stopped his flying and flew back to where Tornado was standing. He turned to glance at the cloud, which formed back into a cloud ball.
"Sorry, sir." replied Storm, wiping some sweat off his forehead with his hoof. "I can't do this. I don't want to screw up the cloud."
"Sure you can. You damn well can." chuckled Tornado. "And you wanna know why?" At that point his smile turned into a cold, angry glare, which made Storm cower in fear. "Because I bucking said so! Now get out there, and make me proud!"
"Yes sir..." Storm gulped, feeling a surge of nervousness roar through his body.
"GET GOING! THAT IS AN ORDER!"
"Yes sir..." replied Storm, trotting off towards the edge of the platform, his eyes fixed on the cloud. Moments before he reached the end of the platform, he begun to flap his wings and took off into the air. Just before he reached the cloud, he stopped and turned to look at Tornado, starting to shake uncontrollably.
"I haven't got all day, recruit!" he yelled.
Storm gulped, before rather hesitantly beginning to fly around the cloud. As he flew around the cloud quicker and quicker, Storm turned to glance a couple of times at the forming cloud, which seemed to expand and contract in all directions. He then turned to look at Tornado, who was motioning for him to slow down, and did so, but kept on flying. Eventually the cloud begun to resemble something that looked like a normal cumulus cloud. Storm eventually stopped his flying, and wiped the sweat off his forehead, before turning to look at the puffy white cloud before him. He then turned to look at Tornado, who walked over to him.
"Wow..." he said. "I must say... I've underestimated you, recruit."
My name's Storm... said Storm to himself, before landing in front of him. "Thank you sir..."
"It wasn't perfect though. Your timing could be better..." replied Tornado. "And the cloud is quite uneven..."
"Oh. Sorry." replied Storm, turning to face the cloud, which begun to fade away.
"You have a lot to learn, recruit." said Tornado. "You have a hay of a lot to learn. Meet me here after lunch, and I'll show you something a lot harder than making a simple cloud."
"I'm so gonna screw this up... i'm so gonna screw up." said Storm to himself, picking at some vegetables with a fork. His body was shaking uncontrollably, almost as if somepony gave him an electric shock. He turned to glance at the table two tables to his left and saw Tornado sitting with Snow Cloud and some other high ranking factory workers, before turning to face the clock, which hung above the cafeteria. The time was 12:35 PM, which meant that Storm had 25 minutes to finish his lunch. 25 minutes to prepare himself for whatever he was doing next with Tornado. Although Tornado had praised him for making a somewhat proper cloud (which was something Storm never expected him to do), he also said that he will be doing harder things than making ordinary clouds after lunch. His optimism begun to disappear the more he thought about it, and was replaced with a sense of fear and nervousness. Although in a way he was looking forward to whatever it was he was going to be doing, he was also scared of failure.
Just then, he felt his wing being tapped. Storm immediately turned around and noticed Blue Skye standing behind him.
"Hi." he begun. "Mind if I sit here?"
"Go ahead."
"Thanks." Blue replied, sitting next to him.
"So..." begun Storm. "Did you really make 175 clouds yesterday instead of 75?"
"Yeah, it's not something I'm proud of." he chuckled awkwardly. "I usually don't make that much clouds... but even us high-ranking ponies screw up."
"You're high-ranking?" asked Storm, his ears perking up.
"Yep." smiled Blue.
"How long have you been working here?"
"I've been working here full-time since I turned 17." replied Blue. "Although, it hasn't been going very well for me lately... The boss is putting on a lot more pressure on us lately than he usually does. Anyways, you seem pretty nervous. What's up?"
"What's it to you?"
"Sheesh, dude. Just tell me what's going on, alright?"
"I'm worried, okay?" replied Storm. "About impressing Tornado..."
"Ah. Tornado used...to be a sergeant in the Equestrian military." replied Blue. "He may seem rough and tough outside, but once you get to know him better, he's a really nice guy."
"He used to be a sergeant?" asked Storm, recoiling back in shock. "I mean, he did mention that he used to be in the military... but seriously, I didn't think he'd be so high-ranking."
"You'd be surprised to know he fought in the Griffon War around fifteen years back... but he doesn't like talking about it, dude. It gives him too many bad memories..." replied Blue. "And it's best we don't talk about it either... especially when he's sitting so close to us."
"I guess..." sighed Storm.
"Just..." begun Blue. "...try your best. You'll find that Tornado isn't that bad."
"Alright, recruit." begun Tornado, smirking slightly as he watched Storm walk up to where he was standing. He seemed fairly nervous, but he decided not to let his nervousness get the better of him, especially since Tornado was standing right in front of him. "You ready?"
"Yes sir." replied Storm. "Just a question. What are we going to be doing now?"
"Well..." he begun, smirking slightly, before pulling out a picture from the saddlebag he was wearing on his side, which looked to be recently printed. "I was hoping to show you how to make this."
Storm's jaws dropped and he looked at the picture in utter shock. The image was of a dark, towering cloud, building up over the mountains to the north of the city. However, what caught Storm's eye was a flash of light in the distance, which was obviously a lightning bolt. "This was taken last week..." he smirked. "Remember that storm?"
"How could I forget?" sighed Storm, remembering the day when he heard over the news that a river near Ponyville had overflowed due to the heavy rain, and that train service to Canterlot and to northern towns and cities had been disrupted due to a tree which fell on the railroad.
"This was a cloud that went out of our control and built up over the mountains to the north of the city." explained Tornado. "It was supposed to be a localized thunderstorm, that was supposed to grow and develop over Ponyville County, but things... don't always work out too well."
"Alright..." said Storm. "So, you expect me to make that?"
"No, but I do want you to make a storm..." replied Tornado. "Nothing too serious, just a normal single-celled thunderstorm. That is, if you're up for it."
"Of course I am, sir." replied Storm.
"Good. That's what I love to hear from weather ponies, especially from newbies like you." he explained. "Follow me, please."
Tornado led Storm across the weather factory and up to the hatch from where the Tornado Team flew out of the factory, and pressed several buttons on the keypad next to the hatch.
"Stand back. That's an order."
"Yes sir." replied Storm, stepping back and watching the hatch open, revealing a beautiful blue sky, with a large cluster of white cloud in the distance, around five miles from their current location.
"You ready?" asked Tornado. "Or are you too much of a sissy?"
"I am ready, sir..." replied Storm, the feeling of nervousness returning to him.
"Good." he smirked, outstretching his wings. "Very good."
Maybe I'll get on his good side... sighed Storm, also outstretching his wings. "Let's do this..."
"Alright then, sissy." Tornado grinned, much to the chagrin of Storm. "You fail this and I will absolutely pulverize you."
"Yes sir..." replied Storm, gulping. Tornado turned away from him, still wearing his trademark grin, before beginning to flap his wings. Storm did the same, and watched Tornado take off into the air, before he took off into the air as well. They both then flew out of the factory, towards the cluster of clouds in the distance.
Around fifteen minutes later, the two Pegasi arrived at the clouds, and while Tornado inspected them to see if they are good enough to be turned into a thunderstorm, Storm simply hovered in mid-air. He looked on at Tornado, a sad glare forming on his face. Storm had tried his hardest to impress Tornado, and so far, it wasn't going anywhere; Tornado still treated him poorly. He even begun to have thoughts of quitting the Weather Team and maybe getting another job, but Storm then remembered what Blue Skye told him; to try his best.
"Alright, recruit." begun Tornado, flying back to where Storm was standing. "These clouds are just perfect for a thunderstorm."
"Uh-huh..." Storm nodded awkwardly.
"So..." Tornado sneered. "You ready?"
"Yes sir..."
"Good." he replied. "Let's do this."
"Sir?"
"What?"
"Is it true that you used to be a Sergeant in the Equestrian military?"
"How do you know about that...?" an angry glare formed on his face, which caused Storm to cringe.
"Uh...Blue Skye...told me." stuttered Storm, shaking slightly. "I was just curious!"
"Blue Skye told you, huh?" Tornado sneered, before suddenly getting into Storm's face. Storm recoiled back in shock. "BULLSHIT! HE TOLD YOU ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH DURING THAT WAR, RECRUIT. YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I HAVE LOST BACK THEN..." his glare suddenly turned into a sad frown, one that didn't go unnoticed by Storm. "My brother..."
"What about him?" asked Storm.
"I was there when he died..." sighed Tornado, some tears beginning to roll out of his eyes. "We...were in our tent, when suddenly, we heard an explosion. So, I stepped outside to see what it was, and then I realized that our boot camp was being bombed. While everypony else either ran for cover or tried to fight back, I tried to get my brother... but before I could do so..."
"A bomb landed right beside a gas tank right next to it, blowing it to shreds..." explained Tornado, crying slightly. "The last thing I remember... was seeing his body, or at least his severed limbs flying through the air amidst some debris... then, something hit me hard on the head, and I was knocked out almost instantly. I was in a coma for three days at the Grifescy Military Hospital, a building that had been abandoned by its original occupants before the war and had been used by the Equestrian army ever since... and after I woke up... a doctor came into the room... and told me... he was dead. When I finally regained my strength, he took me to the morgue on the top floor of the hospital... and I got to see the body bag he was in... We had a funeral three days later. He was only eighteen, Stormfire. Only eighteen..."
"Gee, sir..." said Storm, putting his hoof on his shoulder. Tornado turned to face him, a less-than-pleased expression on his face. "I'm sorry for your loss..."
"Eh, bullshit," he replied, wiping his eyes free of tears. "I betrayed him... I betrayed my mother... I told her I'd keep him safe at all costs... And so, after my service in the military was over... I left the Guard in Canterlot, not wanting to get involved in any wars or any situation where I witnessed death... and I joined the weather team over here."
"I'm sorry for what happened, sir," replied Storm. "I really am."
"It wasn't your fault, recruit."
"I know, but still...you could say that I've been through the same thing."
"What do you mean?"
"My father," sighed Storm. "...was in that war too."
"Wasn't every stallion in Equestria in that war?" scoffed Tornado.
"I don't think so," replied Storm.
"What was his name?"
"Blazefire."
"Blazefire, Blazefire, Blazefire..." Tornado muttered under his breath, trying to recount the names of some of the stallions he served alongside. "Never heard of him."
"He was killed in action a week after I was born," replied Storm, sighing sadly. "I never met him, yet he still holds a special place in my heart."
"That's nice," replied Tornado, seeing he was almost in the same boat as his 'student'. "I'm sorry for your loss as well... But we have extremely limited time here."
"You never told me about any time limit."
"Well, you've got one now," sneered Tornado, turning to look at the watch on his hoof. "Right now, it's 2:20. Your shift ends at 2:45, am I right?"
"Yes, sir."
"Alright. I think we can make the storm in the twenty-five minutes we've got left." Tornado replied. "You still up for it?"
"Yes sir," sighed Storm.
"Good," he replied, fluttering his wings. "Follow my lead."
"Yes sir," replied Storm. Tornado then took off, flying as fast as lightning towards the cluster of clouds a couple of hundred feet before them. Storm then flew off towards Tornado, observing with mild curiosity as the bank of clouds began clumping together as he flew around them. It was hard flying after Tornado due to his speed, but Storm pushed on nonetheless, not letting his exhaustion show. With them both now flying around the cloud in a circular orbit Storm turned to glance at the developing storm several times, noticing it becoming grayer and grayer until it eventually blocked out the sun and cast a dark, expansive shadow over the farmland below.
Suddenly, a flash of lightning cracked across the dark gray cloud, followed by a crack of thunder. Storm gasped in shock and stopped in his tracks, turning to look at the massive thunderhead right next to him. It stretched at least a couple of miles into the air, a feat he had never thought would be possible for him to accomplish.
"It's almost done, recruit," he replied after pausing in his tracks also. "We need to fly around it just a little bit more."
"Yeah," Storm yelled. "But don't you think it's a bit too dangerous to fly right now?"
"Yes... but to be a true weather pony, you have to look danger and fear in the face... and laugh at it," explained Tornado. "Do you consider yourself a true weather pony, Stormfire?"
"I honestly don't know."
"I'll take that as a 'yes'," he replied, before continuing his flying and Storm having no choice but to follow along. Storm flew after Tornado, and around the cloud, at least three times, when Tornado suddenly stopped. He turned to look at the cloud, and noticed a flash of lightning shine through the base of the cloud. The wind began to pick up rapidly and almost pushed Tornado back. "It's done now, recruit. We can go back to the factory."
"Alright, sir," replied Storm. " I think that'd be a good idea. That wind is beginning to pick up."
"I know," replied Tornado, however just before he could start fluttering his wings, the wind began to push him back towards the massive thundercloud right behind him. "Damn it."
"Sir... we should go," replied Storm, his heart beginning to beat at a hundred miles an hour.
"I know, recruit. It's just hard to get---" begun Tornado, being cut off abruptly when suddenly, the wind pushed him into the cloud. "Oh, fuck!"
"TORNADO!" shouted Storm, watching as the stallion disappeared from sight. Some lightning flashed through the cloud, followed by a rumble of thunder. He looked around frantically, not seeing Tornado anywhere, before flying through the cloud.
This was such a bad idea... Storm thought to himself, as he flew through the turbulent cloud. Rain lashed at him from all corners of the darkened sky, and lightning flashed in the distance, punctuated by loud cracks of thunder, louder than anything Storm had ever heard before. His heart beat at high speeds as he looked around in fear, trying his hardest to see if Tornado was anywhere. He had never flown through a thunderhead before and wondered whether Pegasi could actually fly through one without being struck by lightning. Suddenly, a dark shape caught Storm's left eye, which appeared to be falling down. He investigated it closely, just barely making out the shape of a Pegasus pony. "Tornado..." he said to himself, turning slightly to the left, before flying after the stallion, who seemed to fall down to the ground.
He flew out of the base of the cloud, amidst the torrential rain, towards Tornado, who fell towards the ground at high speeds. Storm increased his flying speed, trying to get to Tornado as quickly as he possibly could. Eventually, Tornado noticed him.
"WHAT THE BUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!" he yelled.
"TRYING TO SAVE YOU, DAMMIT!" shouted Storm.
"I CAN SAVE MYSELF!" replied Tornado. "YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING! YOU DON'T EVEN HAVE A BUCKING CUTIE MARK!"
"But I can help you..." Storm growled, turning his head to glance at his markless flank, before turning back to look at Tornado. Although Tornado's words hurt, he knew that saving him was the right thing to do, even though he himself didn't want to be saved.
"Screw you!" shouted Tornado. "Screw the entire factory!"
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning erupted seemingly out of nowhere, striking Tornado in the wing. Storm's pupils shrunk to the size of pinpricks as he watched the lightning hit his instructor's right wing, before fading away. "AAHHHH! SHIT!"
"Tornado! NO!" Storm yelled.
After flying for several minutes through the violent rain, dodging several lightning bolts in the process, Storm managed to reach Tornado, his right wing looking more like charcoal. He looked down to see that they were falling towards a forest, which was at least a mile below them.
"Sir, grab my hoof!" Storm yelled.
"NEVER!" shouted Tornado, trying to push Storm away from him. He flapped both his wings, but the pain in the right one was too much for him to withstand. "AHH!"
"Please!" said Storm. "I don't want you dying. I need you. We all need you!"
"You what?" Tornado raised his eyebrows.
"You heard me, sir..." replied Storm. "I know how much you dislike me, but still... I can't let you suffer. And I'm sure your mother, brother and wife wouldn't want you to do so either. Please, sir. Grab my hoof."
Tornado sighed in defeat, before outstretching his hoof. Storm grabbed it, and pulled Tornado through the rain, before flying away from underneath the base of the cloud. The two landed in a clearing in the forest, right next to some train tracks.
"Why did you save me?" Tornado asked, trying to move his right wing. He screamed loudly, being in obvious agony.
"Let's just say that I didn't want anything to happen to you, sir." replied Storm. "And we need to get you to a hospital."
"Good idea..." said Tornado, hissing slightly in pain, before turning to look at the thunderhead they had both made. It was slowly beginning to dissipate, and the sun shone through the visible shaft of rain which poured out from the cloud. "Listen... recruit... I'm sorry if I treated you like crap."
"It's cool." smiled Storm. "And to be honest... I kinda deserved it. I need to work harder and better if I want to be a true weather pony."
"But you already are." replied Tornado. "What I saw from you today---you're something special, alright. In fact, you're by far, the best student I've had the pleasure of teaching. If it seemed like I don't like you as a student, you're wrong. The only reason why I treated you like that was that you perform as best as you possibly can. I see potential in you, recruit."
"Thank you, sir." smiled Storm.
"And thank you for saving me." he replied, as they walked along the railroad leading into Ponyville.
"No problem." replied Storm. "Like I said, I couldn't let you suffer. I can't let anypony suffer; it's not in my nature to."
"Mom, I'm home." replied Storm, walking into the house.
"Hey son!" shouted Equinox from the kitchen. Storm walked into the kitchen and noticed Mist and Gust sitting down at the table, his mother preparing lunch and his father being away at a weather pony conference.
"Hey Storm." said Mist, who was eating some hay fries.
"Hey sis." replied Storm, ruffling her mane playfully which caused her to giggle. "Hey Gust..."
"Hey blank-flank loser." Gust sneered. "How was work today? Did you fail whatever it was that he had in store for you?"
"Gust, leave your brother alone." growled Equinox, before passing Storm a plate full of hay fries.
"No, I didn't, Gust." replied Storm.
"You didn't?" he spat out his hay fries in shock. "You always fail everything!"
"Shut up, Gust." replied Storm.
"In fact, Storm did just the opposite." Equinox smiled at Storm. "I heard about what happened today at work, and I must say, I'm really proud of you, son. That was a really brave thing to do, especially to a stallion who was really harsh to you."
"Thanks, mom." he smiled bashfully, sitting down next to Mist at the table.
"Anyways, how is Tornado?" asked Equinox.
"Well, he's doing fine." replied Storm. "Just before I came back home, I got to visit him at the hospital in Ponyville. They said that he'll be fine."
"What did Storm do today?" asked Mist.
"Well, why doesn't Storm explain?" replied Equinox. And so, Storm explained to the entire family how he made peace with the instructor who bullied him and made his life a living Tartarus.