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Baron-Engel — Unfit for flight

Published: 2013-11-25 16:53:46 +0000 UTC; Views: 5429; Favourites: 83; Downloads: 104
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Description

While Luna and Celestia are discussing Applebloom’s future, link other ponies need to take care of the weather. Now that I am a Reservist Weather Pony in my Equestria dreamscape link I now have more reason to go flying. Reservist means I usually do less than fifteen hours a week of weather work. However I am not prohibited from working additional hours if I want to, and the extra bits are nice.

    So in the name of building experience with my fellow team members and increasing the cottage bank account I have been volunteering to help cover full-time weather team members when they’ve needed to take time off. Usually it is just for an hour or so, and my boss Rainbow Dash doesn’t mind. As long as the work gets done and everypony gets the bits for the work they did she’s fine.

    After a couple weeks of doing this I was starting to know most of the members of the local team fairly well and was starting mesh with them.  I was beginning to learn how each of them operated and what their individual quirks were. At the same time they were learning how to work with me. 

    Even with all my volunteering I was still only adding maybe six hours a week to my payroll on average. However as I was clocking out one afternoon, I’m not yet rated for evening weather work, Thunderlane approached me.

    "Yo, Skybrush! Can I ask a favor of ya?”

    “What do you need?” I asked the dark gray stallion.

    “Well my little brother Rumble is going to be in a school play ya see and he wants to me to be there, but I would be getting off about the time the play is starting. There is no way I’m going to show up for my little bro’s performance all sweaty from work. Also there is this one filly in the play and her big sister is going to be there for the performance, and I wouldn’t mind making a good impression with the big sister, ya know.  So can ya come in cover and for the last two hours of my shift? I know you’re working early in the morning so you’d have comeback to work but I’d really appreciate it!”

    “Sure Thunderlane I can do that.” The stallion patted me on the back with a wing.

    “Thanks! I owe you one.”

    Thunderlane was correct, I was scheduled for three hours of weather work early next morning. There was some planned evening low-level stratus cloud cover, fog, which would need dispersing by late morning.

    The schedule said I’d be working with Blossomforth and Dew Drop. At the appointed time I arrived at my destination; Dew Drop was already there and had started work. I joined in and we started dispersing the fog.  About ten minutes later Blossomforth arrived on the scene. Now I’ve always felt that Blossomforth has one of the more unfortunate color combinations for a pony. That magenta and green mane and tail do not compliment her light dove grey body. However this morning she was even more off-colored, and really didn’t seem to be all there.

    We were hovering and discussing our next move when suddenly Blossomforth got this look of horror on her face.

    “Excuse me!” She then suddenly turned and stuck her head into a cloud. What followed was the sound of a pony becoming reacquainted with her breakfast, and what was left of her dinner. This went on for about two minutes. Look out below!

    When she finally pulled her head out of the cloud she was looking even more color challenged and obviously distressed.

    “I’m sorry guys, but, but I think the vegetable soup I had last night was no good. I hate to leave you guys hanging but I am not up for weather handling. Can one of you cover my shift?”

    Dew Drop was already on schedule all day so after a moment deliberation I agreed to cover for Blossomforth. Besides this would give me nine hours on the clock. I could see the bits already!

    After jotting down Blossomforth work schedule into my work journal we sent the mare home before she did the Technicolor yawn on some poor pony below.

    The rest of the day was spent flying up and down the length of the valley helping out weather related business. About midday Rainbow Dash showed and pitched in with the workload. She’d been up at Cloudsdale delivering a pile of boring documents to the Weather Service.  The rest of the day was a blur of activity as we flew from one weather assignment to the next.

    At about five in the evening we were wrapping up or work for the day when Dash suddenly had an idea. We were flying together in formation with myself as wing pony when my boss spoke up.

    “Hey Brick ya thirsty? I’ve got lemonade in my icebox at home. Want a some?”

    I had long since emptied my water bottle and except for a brief lunch I had been going since the early morning. In fact this was the most flying I had ever done in one day so lemonade sounded really good. A quick change in course and we were headed to Dash’s place.

    Rainbow Dash’s cloud house looked like a cross between a Greco-Roman temple and a Las Pegasus stage show prop, rainbow generators and all, although one of the generators was on the fritz.

    The interior was less extravagant in fact it was rather Spartan for furnishings. However every available inch of wall space was plastered with Wonderbolts memorabilia. 

    In a kitchen that obviously got very little use there was an icebox that was mostly empty except for a container of lemonade that Dash had purchased from a vendor in Ponyville. A couple minutes of scavenging produced a couple of mostly clean tumblers. With cups found we retired to what would be the living room. There were a couple of very small Roman-style couches to rest on. In a short time we were resting our wings and talking about work, the Wonderbolts and life in general. This went on for the next couple hours.

    It was after sundown and I had decided I had better be heading home. I thanked Dash for the lemonade, placed my goggles on my head and prepared to fly out the door. Suddenly there was a sharp, stabbing pain in my left wing and it seized. Fortunately all I did not make it out the front door. I did make some fascinating noises though.

    Now RD can come off as being rather insensitive to other ponies’ problems but when it comes to flying and injures she’s all business. Dash was quickly over by my side triaging my case.

    “Okay Brick what happened? Where does it hurt? Has this happened to you before in the last day or so?”

     Dash then began to examine the area under my wing and along my back. In quick order RD had her prognosis.  “Well the good news is that you didn’t pull or tear anything but you’ve strained a wing muscle and it’s pretty badly knotted up. Unless we fix this you’re unfit for flight.”

 

To be continued. 

 

      

 

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Comments: 47

Dgs-Krieger [2014-02-24 23:52:49 +0000 UTC]

Nine hours of continuous flight. Bloody hell.

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Baron-Engel In reply to Dgs-Krieger [2014-02-25 03:37:45 +0000 UTC]

They I pushed myself way to hard.

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NuvolaVolpe [2013-11-26 16:37:24 +0000 UTC]

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Kelazi5 [2013-11-26 05:32:28 +0000 UTC]

I'm curious, is the furniture in Rainbow Dash's house made of wood and metal like the stuff found in other Ponyville homes, or are they specially made pegasus furniture that won't fall through the clouds? 

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Baron-Engel In reply to Kelazi5 [2013-11-26 06:18:36 +0000 UTC]

No most of Dash's furniture was made of traditional materials. Although it was of generally lighter construction. After all it stills needs to hauled up there. What keeps items from falling through the floor is the fact that Dash's cloud house is constructed from structural clouds. No I can not take claim for inventing the idea. The fan-fiction "Flight of the Alicorn" had them and my subconscious apparently latched on to the idea. Structural clouds are stable, sturdy, naturally occurring aerogels that are harvested by pegasi in Equestria. They are a carefully managed resources to assure a reliable supply of them are available for future needs.

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K4nK4n [2013-11-26 04:53:06 +0000 UTC]

I don't want to think of the consequences of a "vomit cloud" raining...

Poor guy, I sprain my muscles lots of time at work so I know how he feels. Carrying 10 bags of golf clubs can do that. Rich businessmen love golf.

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Baron-Engel In reply to K4nK4n [2013-11-26 05:52:20 +0000 UTC]

Are you golf caddy by chance?

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K4nK4n In reply to Baron-Engel [2013-11-27 03:22:18 +0000 UTC]

No, I work as ground support at the airport. Carrying luggages are just 1 of my many duties, and bags of golf clubs are the heaviest.

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ironman658lm In reply to K4nK4n [2013-12-04 03:04:53 +0000 UTC]

That made me laugh so hard! lol

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K4nK4n In reply to ironman658lm [2013-12-05 00:27:53 +0000 UTC]

Why?

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ironman658lm In reply to K4nK4n [2013-12-05 00:43:04 +0000 UTC]

Ground crew carrying golf bags. Sorry, it's just, so stereotypical to have at an air port lol

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Baron-Engel In reply to K4nK4n [2013-11-27 03:26:43 +0000 UTC]

Yeah I could see that.

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Orca19904 [2013-11-26 04:27:03 +0000 UTC]

So basically you were stranded at Dash's place until you recovered?

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Baron-Engel In reply to Orca19904 [2013-11-26 05:51:18 +0000 UTC]

Eeyup!

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EarlMcClaw In reply to Baron-Engel [2013-11-26 14:07:58 +0000 UTC]

I bet that got Petina's imagination working. (Then again, is there ever a time it isn't?)

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Baron-Engel In reply to EarlMcClaw [2013-11-27 00:58:27 +0000 UTC]

Oh it does take coffee breaks but most times it is full steam ahead with her.

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EarlMcClaw In reply to Baron-Engel [2013-11-27 06:30:59 +0000 UTC]

Steam -- well, she could be described as a hot item. (But I better keep my mouth shut or she'll visit me again.)

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Baron-Engel In reply to EarlMcClaw [2013-11-27 06:44:40 +0000 UTC]

But I better keep my mouth shut or she'll visit me again.)

Petina giggles and smiles at you."Too late for that oh downy one! So you thing I'm a steamy, hot thing? Hmmmm." 

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EarlMcClaw In reply to Baron-Engel [2013-11-27 15:55:00 +0000 UTC]

McClaw grins. "Re-read my statement, oh acquisitive one. Nowhere did I offer my personal opinion of that description, only the possibility that it could be used."

(Dang. Dang. Dang. I so want to get a "pony sketch" from you. Right now I'm imagining your little household reacting to a visit from griffin-form McClaw.)

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rubbervixen [2013-11-26 02:12:05 +0000 UTC]

Ouchie!

Congratulations on building up goodwill with your fellow co-workers though.

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Baron-Engel In reply to rubbervixen [2013-11-26 04:02:22 +0000 UTC]

Ouchie!

Yeah charlie horses really suck!

Congratulations on building up goodwill with your fellow co-workers though.

I'll be able to cash it in later if I need a favor.

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EarlMcClaw [2013-11-26 01:21:35 +0000 UTC]

I'll bet you got chewed out for doing too much too soon.

So how did you get down from Dash's place? (And don't say "from a duck" or anything like that.)

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Baron-Engel In reply to EarlMcClaw [2013-11-26 03:58:39 +0000 UTC]

Well that will be dealt with over the next couple postings stay tuned.

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EarlMcClaw In reply to Baron-Engel [2013-11-26 14:00:56 +0000 UTC]

*fidgets in his seat, he's so eager*

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Uchihaninja [2013-11-26 01:03:03 +0000 UTC]

Ooh dang. Nine hours flying with only a few short breaks. Yeah, even for a pegasus, that would be pushing it. I'm glad it isn't anything worse.

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Baron-Engel In reply to Uchihaninja [2013-11-26 04:03:08 +0000 UTC]

Yeah I kind of pushed myself and I'm not young stallion either.

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ardashir [2013-11-25 23:42:24 +0000 UTC]

So you're stuck in Dash's house for the night? I can already hear the wheels in Petina's head turning as she considers the possibilities.

 

And with Blossomforth -- 'colors not found in nature'? This sounds odd given that we're talking about Equestrian pegasi here!

 

And then second from to on the right; look out below indeed! I hope nopony got a nasty surprise!

👍: 0 ⏩: 1

Baron-Engel In reply to ardashir [2013-11-26 06:30:51 +0000 UTC]

So you're stuck in Dash's house for the night? I can already hear the wheels in Petina's head turning as she considers the possibilities.

It will make for an interesting welcome party when I get back home.

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ardashir In reply to Baron-Engel [2013-11-26 16:22:53 +0000 UTC]

I imagine it will at that.

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TCPolecat7 [2013-11-25 23:23:25 +0000 UTC]

I keep imagining a charlie-horse on the wing for that. Owwie....

- Polecat

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Baron-Engel In reply to TCPolecat7 [2013-11-26 06:47:21 +0000 UTC]

Yeah it hurt like hell. The weird thing is this is one of those times when I awoke from a dream and some aspect of it had carried through to the waking world. In this case I awoke with a sore, stiff back. I awoke and discovered I had been asleep at an odd angle in my bed. So at that point I started wondering whether because I had strained my back I had had a dream in which my back hurt, or in process of having the dream had I rolled over in my sleep into the awkward position and then strained it.

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TCPolecat7 In reply to Baron-Engel [2013-11-26 11:32:39 +0000 UTC]

Could always have been a combination of the two as well...

- Polecat

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Baron-Engel In reply to TCPolecat7 [2013-11-26 17:47:32 +0000 UTC]

Yeah, they need not be mutually exclusive.

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jardape [2013-11-25 20:16:57 +0000 UTC]

Technicolor rain in the future.
Yes those Blossomforth hair colors doesn't get well together.
Now i want to know how will you get home.

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Baron-Engel In reply to jardape [2013-11-26 06:26:50 +0000 UTC]

Poor Blossomforth has one of the most unfortunate collection of colors for a pony. As far as getting back to my cottage stay tuned to find out.

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jardape In reply to Baron-Engel [2013-11-26 10:46:17 +0000 UTC]

In the discusion on FA you mentioned that you didn't drink properly. You could try to drink water from cloud. I liked how in the fan-fiction "Off The Edge Of The Map" Rainbow Dash and Flutershy made water from clouds when they were thirsty because there wasn't any other drinking water.

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Baron-Engel In reply to jardape [2013-11-26 20:14:33 +0000 UTC]

Yeah could've but I didn't think about it at the time when my water bottle was empty I just kept on going. Unfortunately I fell into the trap that catches many folks when comes to dehydration. It is not they had no access to water it is the fact that they forgot to take the time and drink period.

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Ognimod [2013-11-25 19:32:48 +0000 UTC]

Sorry, I meant

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Ognimod [2013-11-25 19:32:15 +0000 UTC]

First thing first: Ouch!


Second: It's funny you mention "rainbow generators" because I wrote one in Revenge of the Puffs (which help me proofread for the English translation, many thanks go to him!) and it's a quite fortunate coincidence.


Third: "Now I’ve always felt that Blossomforth has one of the more unfortunate color combinations for a pony." Yeah. She was one of Hasbro's early toys that weren't in the show (I also remember the rather unfortunate Dewdrop Dazzle), at which bronies spent a good time yelling all sorts of inadequacies. The funny thing is that most of the toys now are variants of the Mane Six, which no one is happy with either.

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Gilhin [2013-11-25 19:14:13 +0000 UTC]

Ooof, that's rough.  Looks like some stallion's gonna need a wing-massage.

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Baron-Engel In reply to Gilhin [2013-11-26 04:01:02 +0000 UTC]

Stay tuned to find out more.

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Belvarius [2013-11-25 18:55:07 +0000 UTC]

Extra Cash = YAY!

Having to spend it all on unexpected medical bills = D'OH!

Ok, a little stretch there.  I guess this was a good reminder that your dream self isn't used to flying all day yet!  Though the end of this does leave me wondering if Petina and Carousel are going to pull a "and just where were you last night" routine on you.

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Baron-Engel In reply to Belvarius [2013-11-26 04:00:27 +0000 UTC]

Well you'll just have to stay tuned to find out.

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Snapai [2013-11-25 17:18:08 +0000 UTC]

I'm not particularly one for fanfic, but I -love- how your pictures always have a story behind them.

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Baron-Engel In reply to Snapai [2013-11-25 17:59:13 +0000 UTC]

I'm glad you are enjoying it. I don't know if I would call this fan-fic a comic or illustration with commentary, or even a blog but I thank you for your interest and comments.

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OfficerPony [2013-11-25 17:06:17 +0000 UTC]

wow, incredible skills u have :3

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Baron-Engel In reply to OfficerPony [2013-11-25 17:59:25 +0000 UTC]

Thank you.

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