Transfer
14
The golden doors that were the doorway to the Wonderbolts' academy both excited and intimidated Rainbow Dash. The building was a rather exquisitely constructed and designed building. It was rather medium sized, but large for a resort; it looked to be about 20 stories high. The outer coating decorated the walls a pure white marble, contrasting and highlighting the gold plated doors and windowsills. The iconic Wonderbolts crest was adorned on the top of the building's wall, outlined in gold and silver.
Even the patches of grass and gardens that bordered the concrete walkway were elegantly crafted with two smaller replicas of the main crest on either side of the walkway, centered out on the grass patches. The prismatic plants that surrounded them were well-kept and vivid, adding a nice touch of variation in color. Rainbow wondered how they suspended the grass and plants on a cloudbed, seeing as they have no soil. Perhaps it was a form of magic spell, or maybe it was simply enchanted nutrient-rich clouds.
Spitfire gently touched down at the base of the walkway, tucking in her wings and starting to walk towards the resort. She looked up at Rainbow and motioned an "okay" as she touched down herself on the smooth concrete path.
"Pretty nice place, yeah?" Spitfire said, looking around and surveying the surroundings. "Just wait until you see the inside," she said teasingly, punctuating her sentence with her signature charismatic smile.
Rainbow managed a smile and nodded as they reached the doorway, Spitfire reaching her hoof towards an identifier pad. She quickly tapped in what looked to be an electronic gesture code, her hoof sliding up, down, sideways and tapping various things on the touchpad. The touchpad display shimmered a lime green and locked away back into the marble casing, slowly sliding the golden doors apart.
They walked into the opening lounge for a breeze of air conditioning and jazz music to brush through them. The first thing Rainbow picked up on was the sheer resemblance to the exterior design of the building, following close to the white and gold color scheme as well as keeping a modern touch. However, the floor was carpeted in a light blue to match the Wonderbolt colors, emblazoned with their signature yellow bolt design in the middle.
The room itself had the nostalgic air of a university campus lounge, but lacked the socialization and constant chatter that filled the air. A few white sofas and a love chair surrounded a gold table and a large TV hanging on the wall. To the right, a mini food bar and kitchen was found, but empty at the moment. Breakfast had just ended and been cleaned up, she guessed.
"You like it?" Spitfire asked, looking towards Rainbow. "I'll give you a little tour around, later," she added.
"Sure," she replied coolly, stifling her excitement.
"Why don't we look into getting you a room, too? It's usually for members only, but hopefully I can pull some strings and get you in, yeah?" Rainbow nodded. "I'll call up our manager; why don't we head up to my room for now?" Spitfire suggested.
"Sure, why not?"
"Alright, follow me this way."
Spitfire led Rainbow down a long, Wonderbolt-blue carpeted hallway littered with large framed posters and wall-mounted trophy cases. The hallway led to another set of golden doors that opened to reveal the elevator.
They stepped into the marble and blue elevator, as Spitfire tapped the 20th floor button and subsequently the close door button. Spitfire spoke up as the doors slid together for the elevator to begin its ascent to her room.
"Hey kid, you haven't been talking much since we left," she acknowledged. "You sure you're alright? We can always talk it through - I've been through what you're going through right now."
"That's okay," Rainbow declared after some thought, bringing up a hoof to run it through her unkempt mane. "I just... Need some time."
"Oh, do you want to be left alone?"
"No, no," she insisted. "I'm fine, I think. Don't worry!"
The elevator abruptly came to a halt at the sixteenth floor. The doors slid open, revealing a familiar white and blue stallion that skipped a beat in her heart. A towel was draped around his neck and his mane was waterlogged and stuck to his forehead. He, like Spitfire, wasn't dressed in his regular Wonderbolt attire. Man, if I were accepted in, I would always wear my uniform, Rainbow thought.
"Hey, Soarin'," Spitfire said. "Why were you in the spa level by yourself?" she asked, looking around him and observing the large, yet empty pool room. Rainbow immediately took notice of the backlit pool.
"What? A stallion can't just relax in the spa without a mare?" he asked in his best innocent voice. He nodded towards Rainbow. "Hey, aren't you-"
"Yeah, she's the one," Spitfire cut him off. "The same pony from the Gala and the flier competition a while ago."
"Hey, yeah! Your name was... Rainbow..." his voice quieted as he tried to think. Rainbow interrupted.
"...Dash. Rainbow Dash."
"Oh, okay, Rainbow Dash. Nice to meet you, again." He lined himself up next to them as the doors closed. "Hey, why are you here anyway? ...Spitfire?" he asked, looking around Dash to Spitfire. Rainbow shuffled back.
"Would you mind?" she asked, nudging Rainbow on her side. She shook her head in response. Spitfire averted her attention towards Soarin' again. "I found her in the Glades, sleeping. I couldn't just leave her there. She saved our lives, remember? We still owe everything to her, eh Dash?" she concluded, giving Rainbow a playful punch. She smiled at remembering that day - the day where she saved the lives of three Wonderbolts, Rarity, performed her second Sonic Rainboom in front of a thousand ponies, and won the Best Young Flier Competition. That was a pretty good day for Rainbow. She was already starting to miss her friends, but she would get over it soon enough, maybe.
The doors slid open, as Soarin waved a goodbye and stepped out of the elevator, walking the opposite way towards his room. They slowly walked out of the elevator; Spitfire seemed to have somthing on her mind. She shook her head.
"Anyway, let's make that phone call, yeah?"
~
Beep... Beep... Beep...
"Y'ello," the deep voice on the other end answered.
"Hey, it's me."
"Spitfire," he said in acknowledgment. "What do you need?"
"Well, you see... I brought in a friend who's-"
"You know how I feel about guests."
"You don't understand, I found her in; oh! Maybe you know her?"
"Who." It was hardly a question.
"Rainbow Dash! That one pony who saved us in the Best Flier Competition this year!" Rainbow's ears swiveled around at the mention of her name.
"Oh, that pony..." the deep voice quieted. "She can stay, but tell her not to expect free housing." Spitfire smiled
"Alright, thanks!"
"Yeah." He hung up, and Spitfire locked her phone again and put it back down on the granite countertop.
"He said your own room wasn't free, and I can't pay for you. Got any money on you?"
Rainbow shook her head. "Left all of my bits at my old home," she mentioned. "So nope." Spitfire thought for a minute before drawing a quick conclusion.
"Well, I guess you're staying with me."