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Description
Prologue: Chains in the Darkness

Darkness filled the cavern. Of course, with a complete absence of any source of light, this was always the case. But, for the caverns sole inhabitant, the darkness was not the pressing issue. For Hurricane, the chains that bit into her wings, the bindings that held her in place, and allowed her no freedom to move around, were but a mild irritation at best. The guards that occasionally came in, with 'fresh' water and stale oats, while aggressive, and ever changing, never raised more than a token amount of frustration in the bound pegasus. What drove her crazy, the one thing that tore at her insides, was the fact that here, in this airy chamber carved by the magic of Celestia herself, she could not feel that which she loved. Deep under the Camel Hump mountain range, in her pony-made jail cell, she could not feel the weather. In the chilly, deathly silent cave, she once more pondered how she had gotten there.

Four hundred years ago, a pegasus was born with abnormally large wings. At first, she seemed normal, save for the impressive wing span, that even in a filly was as large as an adult ponies own, but as she began to grow, it seemed clear that she was more than just a pegasus. From a young age, she played idly with the clouds with more skill than some of the best weather pegasai were even capable of. By the time she was ready to go out on her own, she had already been guaranteed a job with the Canterlot weather team. Everything seemed to be going well for the pony, aside from the teasing she received at an early age. While the names she was called were in no way imaginative, Wingspan and Gigawing being the two that seemed to stick, the pony took them in her stride, happy to know that she could, if she wanted, completely remove the air from under a pegasus as it flew, or mess up the unicorns' manes with a simple flap.

However, as is the whim of Fate, things were not to end well. After many decades of work, the pegasus began to get frustrated. Every other pegasus she was set to work with tended to see her as a free ride, since she performed to her own standard, and would often simply do the work of both members of the team; she was a perfectionist, and had set herself a standard that no-one else could even hope to achieve, even those who were able to wield magic. Hurricane suspected that even Celestia herself would have had to genuinely put effort into meeting her self imposed demands. After several weeks of rational thought and analysis on her part, she decided that she could, with a small assistance from a magical artifact that allowed her weather-molding powers to function while she slept, take control of every single act of weather in the entirety of Equestria.

She presented her idea to the heads of her field, the illustrious Commanders of the Sky; a group of four pegasai that were considered the best in their fields. Lady Illaina Proudmane, commander of the Celestial Guard, Professor Neighton Downs, founder of the Cloudsdale School for Gifted Fliers, and teacher of everyone who's anyone in the air, Commander Mig Messerschmitt of the Wonderbolts, and perhaps the most important of all, Captain Lightning Dash of the Canterlot weather team. At the head of the table, looking rather bored by the whole affair despite maintaining her regal air, was Princess Celestia.

"Now, then, Miss... Hurricane. This idea of yours. Do we really need to discuss it, or can we simply label it as outlandish and foolhardy, and be done with this ridiculous meeting?" Downs asked, staring down his muzzle at the young, large winged pegasus, whose hoof clacked nervously against the marble clad floor.

"Now now Neighton, let's not berate the gal! let her have her say! While the idea might be poppycock, I do love a gal with spunk!" cried the blue lycra-clad pegasus, his moustache, twirly and black, waggling as he spoke. It was all Hurricane could do to stop herself from giggling at the sight of it.

"I was simply trying to hurry things along, Messerschmitt... Unlike yourself, I actually have pressing matters to attend to," the professor replied, adjusting his tall top hat idly. The armour clad female guard, Proudmane, said little, merely scribbling something onto a piece of paper. She slid the paper across to Dash, before slowly trotting away. Hurricane, who had been avoiding the male, finally set eyes upon the only pony in the whole of Equestria that she genuinely feared. Lightning Dash was a legend in his own lifetime, he had seen to it that the chaotic storms that occasionally beset the lands had ceased, it was by his hoof that Gale Valley had been quieted, and the Thunder Planes had been renamed the Serene Fields. When she considered all of her standards and all of her power, it was as nothing compared to him. Secretly, she suspected that he had at least some royal blood in him, with his regal blue mane, short, jagged yellow hair and rugged, firm jaw, with a fierce scar just underneath his left eye.

"It seems that many here have already made their decision. I must confess that I do believe that, while you posses the strengths and skills alone, the burden would be too much for you. You also mentioned using the Brace of Living Sleep in your plan. I am sorry, Hurricane, but I cannot allow such a dangerous artifact be used. Unless Mr Dash would like to add anything else, I'm afraid we will have to reject your proposed idea," Celestia commented, her tone, to Hurricanes ears, soft but a little bit patronising. She turned to look at Lightning, who snorted idly, and spoke just one word.

"Pathetic," the bound pegasus muttered, her word almost lost amid the clinking of the chains. There came a gentle drip of water on stone, one that reminded her so painfully of the last drops of rain, and she came to realise that her memories had caused her to begin crying.

Description
Prologue: Chains in the Darkness

Darkness filled the cavern. Of course, with a complete absence of any source of light, this was always the case. But, for the caverns sole inhabitant, the darkness was not the pressing issue. For Hurricane, the chains that bit into her wings, the bindings that held her in place, and allowed her no freedom to move around, were but a mild irritation at best. The guards that occasionally came in, with 'fresh' water and stale oats, while aggressive, and ever changing, never raised more than a token amount of frustration in the bound pegasus. What drove her crazy, the one thing that tore at her insides, was the fact that here, in this airy chamber carved by the magic of Celestia herself, she could not feel that which she loved. Deep under the Camel Hump mountain range, in her pony-made jail cell, she could not feel the weather. In the chilly, deathly silent cave, she once more pondered how she had gotten there.

Four hundred years ago, a pegasus was born with abnormally large wings. At first, she seemed normal, save for the impressive wing span, that even in a filly was as large as an adult ponies own, but as she began to grow, it seemed clear that she was more than just a pegasus. From a young age, she played idly with the clouds with more skill than some of the best weather pegasai were even capable of. By the time she was ready to go out on her own, she had already been guaranteed a job with the Canterlot weather team. Everything seemed to be going well for the pony, aside from the teasing she received at an early age. While the names she was called were in no way imaginative, Wingspan and Gigawing being the two that seemed to stick, the pony took them in her stride, happy to know that she could, if she wanted, completely remove the air from under a pegasus as it flew, or mess up the unicorns' manes with a simple flap.

However, as is the whim of Fate, things were not to end well. After many decades of work, the pegasus began to get frustrated. Every other pegasus she was set to work with tended to see her as a free ride, since she performed to her own standard, and would often simply do the work of both members of the team; she was a perfectionist, and had set herself a standard that no-one else could even hope to achieve, even those who were able to wield magic. Hurricane suspected that even Celestia herself would have had to genuinely put effort into meeting her self imposed demands. After several weeks of rational thought and analysis on her part, she decided that she could, with a small assistance from a magical artifact that allowed her weather-molding powers to function while she slept, take control of every single act of weather in the entirety of Equestria.

She presented her idea to the heads of her field, the illustrious Commanders of the Sky; a group of four pegasai that were considered the best in their fields. Lady Illaina Proudmane, commander of the Celestial Guard, Professor Neighton Downs, founder of the Cloudsdale School for Gifted Fliers, and teacher of everyone who's anyone in the air, Commander Mig Messerschmitt of the Wonderbolts, and perhaps the most important of all, Captain Lightning Dash of the Canterlot weather team. At the head of the table, looking rather bored by the whole affair despite maintaining her regal air, was Princess Celestia.

"Now, then, Miss... Hurricane. This idea of yours. Do we really need to discuss it, or can we simply label it as outlandish and foolhardy, and be done with this ridiculous meeting?" Downs asked, staring down his muzzle at the young, large winged pegasus, whose hoof clacked nervously against the marble clad floor.

"Now now Neighton, let's not berate the gal! let her have her say! While the idea might be poppycock, I do love a gal with spunk!" cried the blue lycra-clad pegasus, his moustache, twirly and black, waggling as he spoke. It was all Hurricane could do to stop herself from giggling at the sight of it.

"I was simply trying to hurry things along, Messerschmitt... Unlike yourself, I actually have pressing matters to attend to," the professor replied, adjusting his tall top hat idly. The armour clad female guard, Proudmane, said little, merely scribbling something onto a piece of paper. She slid the paper across to Dash, before slowly trotting away. Hurricane, who had been avoiding the male, finally set eyes upon the only pony in the whole of Equestria that she genuinely feared. Lightning Dash was a legend in his own lifetime, he had seen to it that the chaotic storms that occasionally beset the lands had ceased, it was by his hoof that Gale Valley had been quieted, and the Thunder Planes had been renamed the Serene Fields. When she considered all of her standards and all of her power, it was as nothing compared to him. Secretly, she suspected that he had at least some royal blood in him, with his regal blue mane, short, jagged yellow hair and rugged, firm jaw, with a fierce scar just underneath his left eye.

"It seems that many here have already made their decision. I must confess that I do believe that, while you posses the strengths and skills alone, the burden would be too much for you. You also mentioned using the Brace of Living Sleep in your plan. I am sorry, Hurricane, but I cannot allow such a dangerous artifact be used. Unless Mr Dash would like to add anything else, I'm afraid we will have to reject your proposed idea," Celestia commented, her tone, to Hurricanes ears, soft but a little bit patronising. She turned to look at Lightning, who snorted idly, and spoke just one word.

"Pathetic," the bound pegasus muttered, her word almost lost amid the clinking of the chains. There came a gentle drip of water on stone, one that reminded her so painfully of the last drops of rain, and she came to realise that her memories had caused her to begin crying.