Chapter 2 – A Rainbow Pegasus
*****
I started my job today. It wasn’t…the best of jobs, but I figured I should take what I can get. Besides, it gets me closer to the Starlight Flight Team, my favorite team of all time. Only because I know someone who worked for them was I able to get in. I told them I would be reliable, smart, and most of all likeable. I guess the last thing isn’t something you can really guarantee, but I’ll do my b…
“Hey, you!” A voice called to a small teal pegasus who was busy writing on a scroll. The pegasus jumped and dropped the quill from her mouth, turning to face the voice calling it.
“Y-yes?” The pegasus squeaked. She was in a locker room. The various names of famous pegasi athletes were printed on each one. The room was dank and moldy…hardly the condition she was expecting of her favorite team. Celestia forbid if she had to deal with it for a long period of time.
“You’re the new one, aren’t ya?” From the shadows of the dark room emerged a gryphon. She looked like a bald eagle with a lion’s body. Not the strangest thing she’s ever seen. The pegasus nodded slowly with a hint of fright in her eyes. “Well, don’t let me catch ya hangin’ around the track at night again. Get your stuff done and head home, all right?” The pegasus nodded again. The gryphon started to leave.
“W-wait! Hold on!” The pegasus’s voice was harsh and cracked easily. She ran up to the stranger. “That’s right I’m new here…but I don’t have any idea what I’m doing. They said I was a ‘Team Assistant’?”
The gryphon growled and turned her head. “Look just show up tomorrow at nine and make sure you’re ready to work. The team captain will explain what to do.” She began to leave again but hesitated. “By the way…what were you doing all day anyway?”
“I was told to hang..I mean familiarize myself with the stadium. Then they left me alone.”
“Uh huh. Well…” The gryphon turned around to face the pegasus. She moved her face closer and squinted her eyes. “Whoa, am I seeing right? Do you have two different colored eyes?”
Indeed she did. Her left was violet and her right was maroon. “Y-yeah, I do. My friends used to always call me ‘Jinxy’…because they said I was cursed.”
“Cursed, huh? Now don’t be bringing any bad luck to the team or I’ll have to personally throw you out.” The gryphon glared at her before stomping off.
“Yeah sure! Aheh…” Jinxy cowered a little and closed her eyes.
“See you tomorrow! Oh, and name’s Gilda! Don’t wear it out!” She yelled out to her before she took to the sky with a screech.
Jinxy’s eyes cracked open. “Wait a minute…Gilda? As in…Gilded Gilda, the fastest racer in Starlight?” She grinned wide and squealed, placing her hooves to her mouth. “Wow! She’s so much cooler up close…kind of a jerk, but who cares, right?!”
She looked around for somepony to answer her, but she was alone. She sighed and hit her hoof on the pavement. “Right…”
*****
The next morning…
“All right! So there you have it! Are you clear on what to do?!” Dash was pacing back and forth with her wings and head held high, looking off into the distance. After a moment of silence, she swung her head to face the ground. “Well?!”
There on the ground was her pet tortoise, Tank, staring blankly at her. It gave her a slow blink.
“Good! If anypony comes close to my home you’d better show them what you’re made of! A pet of Rainbow Dash’s is nothing to be trifled with!” She grinned at him. “Right?”
Tank’s head retreated to his shell. A few seconds later it returned brandishing a Viking helmet and a flail in its maw.
“All right! That’s what I’m talking about! …and it makes me wonder what you do in your spare time, but whatever! Now it’s time to…” Dash turned her head to face a single suitcase a few meters away from her. “…go.” Her upbeat attitude melted away. Mixed emotions coursed through her system as she tried to convince herself it was the right idea. She bit her lip and sighed, slumping to the ground. “Ugh, this is tougher than facing off with a dragon. Half of me wants to stay here and the other half wants to go.” She stomped her hoof on the grass. “So stupid…I wish this was easier!”
“Oh, Rainbow Dash!” An ultrafeminine voice called to her. She immediately recognized it as Rarity’s and turned her head to the left. “Guess who finished your flight suit!”
“Oh! Lemme see it!” Rainbow stood and approached her.
“Patience, darling.” Rarity was carrying a white suitcase with her. She lowered it down in front of Dash and opened it. The pegasus picked up the folded suit inside and unfurled it.
The suit was a bright white and had rainbow-colored bands around the hooves and neck areas. A giant rainbow lightning streak traveled up the underbelly just like the Wonderbolts’ suits did. On the flanks were two replicas of her cutie mark and complete with it were a pair of goggles.
“This looks amazing…why white?” Dash titled her head.
“Ahaha! Silly…white is the color of perfection! You can’t go into such a place with nothing less!”
“Yeah, but white dirties easily and it doesn’t really match my coat.” She looked at herself.
Rarity gritted her teeth a bit, “Well, I guess if you really don’t…”
“But it’s fine!” Dash smiled. “I know I’m no designer…we learned that a while ago. Plus, I’m leaving today so there really isn’t any time left to change it.”
Rarity gasped and her eyes widened. “You’re leaving now? But what about the…uhh…you can’t just leave, Rainbow! There hasn’t been enough time to say goodbye!”
Rainbow sighed and lowered her head. “Rarity, I just wanna make this quick and painless. If I stay any longer…I’ll change my mind.”
The unicorn inched closer and put a hoof on Dash’s shoulder. She took a deep breath, and then embraced the pegasus. “We’ll miss you.”
“Yeah…I know. None of you want me to leave…b-but I’ll come back. I promise! I just need to experience something new, you know?”
Rarity pulled away from her and nodded. “I understand completely, but you must come back, okay? We’ll never forgive you if you go and do something rash.”
The cyan pegasus laughed softly and turned her head. “Don’t worry about it. I’ll be fine.”
*****
The next morning I got up to take a shower. I could still smell the odor from the locker room on my coat. No matter how much I brushed and soaked myself in soap, the smell persisted. I guess I’ll fit right in. I still can’t believe I met Gilda. Today, I’ll be meeting the captain! Comet Tail… He’s so dreamy~ Of course there are the other five…
Jinxy looked at a nearby clock on her bathroom wall. She squeaked and leapt out of the shower. “Oh no! How could I lose track of the time?! Fifteen ‘till nine?! I can’t even brush my mane in that time!”
She rushed to get herself dry with a nearby towel, and then she glanced in a small nearby cabinet mirror. Her dark cerulean mane was frazzled. It would take another ten minutes to fix. She groaned and brushed herself as best she could.
Two minutes later it didn’t look much better, but was passable. She dropped the brush and dashed to her room to grab her papers, quills, and various odds and ends she always liked to bring with her. She looked at the clock again.
“Ten minutes!? Shoot!” She barged through her front door and into daytime Las Pegasus. Hundreds of ponies were walking the streets. A bead of sweat trickled down her face. She looked to the sky and it didn’t fare much better, but it would get her there on time. She glanced at her wings. She stared at them for a few seconds and sighed, walking towards the streets and joining with the crowd.
I’d rather be late…
Jinxy would trot, canter, or even gallop if she could, but since the city is too crowded during work hours, it isn’t legal to go faster than a walk on the ground. She hung her head with a noticeable frown on her face, silently cursing herself. Her eyes turned to all of the ponies around her. A lot of them were sporting business suits and ties, but occasionally she would spot some colorful ones with spiky mohawks and piercings. Everyday though she would find some in the nearby alleyways looking out into the streets with dimly lit eyes and shining teeth. She knew more than anypony to stay away from those kinds…especially the ones wearing black neckbands.
Jinxy shivered and walked a bit faster. No matter how much she tried to ignore the city, it bored into her ears and mind. The sounds of drilling, coughing, and the everlasting chatter of ponies discussing business, the forecast, and the party they had last night. She kept her ears folded as often as she could to dampen the noise. She figured she would be used to it by now, but she knew it would take decades.
She could already feel ten minutes had gone by as she approached the stadium. It was the Starlight’s Grand Speedway, a place she often attended as she watched her team do their amazing races.
It brought her back to her younger days. She would almost always wear her team’s colors and even sing out their anthem. Mum always used to tease me about doing that, but she always praised my voice once I got into it. I wonder if it’s gotten any better since then…not like anypony’s there to hear anymo…
“Hey!” A voice broke her thoughts and she snapped her head up with a gasp. She saw it was Gilda…again. “Do you know you’re five minutes late!?”
Jinxy cowered like she always did and nodded. “I-I still haven’t gotten used to…”
“Go meet the captain! She’s on the track and don’t…do it again!” She firmly shoved the pegasus by her left shoulder. Jinxy stumbled.
“You got it! I-I won’t be late again, Gilda!” She said as the gryphon took off. The pegasus continued to cringe even after she left. Her words were like daggers to her ears and chest. “Okay, she’s slowly becoming less cool by the day…” She whispered to herself as she trotted into the stadium.
She galloped onto the track as soon as she could. She immediately saw somepony standing in the middle…and that pony was: “Comet Tail!?”
He was just like she always saw him. He wore the Starlight uniform, a pitch black uniform with silver streaks trailing down the body. Silver hooves and neckline, and on the flanks a white six-pointed star. He was maskless at the moment. Her eyes gleamed as she could see his blue spiked mane, his perfect gray coat, and his wondrous sapphire eyes. Jinxy couldn’t help but squee in delight as she stopped in front of him.
“Well, if it isn’t our newest assistant.” The stallion smiled at her.
She smiled back. “Yes! I’m ready to work as hard as I can!”
Comet Tail looked her over and chuckled. “Had a rough morning?”
Her eyes cracked open and she laughed nervously. “Well…”
“Haha! Your mane says it all. So did you get the stadium’s layout memorized like Flare told you to do yesterday?” She nodded to him. “Okay, then. Tell me where to go if I need a drink.”
Instantly Jinxy pointed towards a doorway directly to the west. “The break room is over there and up the stairs. First door on the left.”
“Good job.” He smiled. “Now what if I’m in a hurry and don’t have time to grab my uniform? Where would that be?”
She pointed towards the small south-western doorway. “Locker room is over there. Can’t miss it!”
“And the training equipment?”
“It’s all stored in the eastern storeroom!”
“Wow, you didn’t mess around yesterday did you? Most new assistants can’t even tell me where the bathr…”
“It’s across the hall from the break room!”
This time Comet burst into laughter. “Okay okay so you know where everything is.” She nodded. “Let’s start off with your first task.”
*****
Eight hours later…
Jinxy was busy cleaning the locker room. I can’t believe it…first friggin’ task is cleaning this dump. She sighed and looked at her work. She had managed to clean almost everything but the individual lockers, but she was running out of time. Maybe he’ll give me another day to finish it. Hope so… She continued to scrub the floor. I wonder if all of this cleaning is in preparation for the big race next month…not like anypony would see the locker room.
“Wow!” She heard a voice and she looked up to see Comet Tail again. Her heart leaped in fear. “This looks great! It reminds me of the first time I stepped in here. I was impressed…now, I’m even more impressed.” He smiled.
“I-I’m not done yet. I didn’t get the lockers or under the benches. If I can have another day to finish up, I’ll have this place looking better than you’ve ever seen it!”
“And I believe it!” He looked her over and could see she was pretty dirty. “But for now why don’t you shower up and head on home? You’ve done better than any assistant I’ve hired so far.”
His words were a huge weight off her shoulders. “Oh, thank you, Captain! I…”
“I’ve already sent the money to your home. You don’t have to thank me. Just try to get a good night’s sleep. You’ll need your energy.” He spoke briefly and emotionless.
She nodded to him and Comet quickly left the locker room. His brisk exit made her feel guilty. Did I say something wrong? No…maybe he was just late for something. She gasped. Maybe he really wasn’t impressed with my work. She glanced around the room. Then I’ll try harder than ever tomorrow! She stood and grinned. This pony’s gonna show them what she can do!
*****
Ugh…trains are so boring. How could anypony stand riding in one of these things anyway? Well…I guess if you can’t fly.
Rainbow was staring out a window looking at the dull scenery passing by. She heard the sound of magic activating across from her. Her eyes pivoted to see the strange white unicorn sitting across from her. Her mane was wild and in two different shades of blue. She was eating some kind of strange vegetable Rainbow’s never seen before.
“Hey…” Dash quietly called to her. The unicorn glanced in her direction with two magenta eyes and mouth wide open. “What is that stuff anyway?”
“You wanna try some?” She levitated the vegetable closer to the pegasus. “It’s Oshinko.”
Rainbow eyed the…Oshinko. It looked like a pickle to her. She gently pushed it away with a hoof. “No thanks. I…ate before I left.”
The unicorn shrugged. “Your loss.” She brought the food back to her and took a bite. Rainbow continued to stare out the window. She could hear both the sounds of the pony munching away and her own stomach growling. Dash groaned and stretched out on the cabin bench. Bored and starved, she stared up at the ceiling as thoughts of her decision still prodded her mind.
Just then a familiar green vegetable floated in front of her face. “You sure you don’t want some? I don’t think I can eat it all myself.”
Dash rolled her eyes. “Fine.” She leaned her head up and chomped the pickle out of the air. She chewed on it for a moment. The flavor was fairly intense. It was nothing like she’d ever tasted. She swallowed. “Hey, that’s pretty good actually.”
The unicorn giggled. “I thought you might like it. I always like to bring some when I travel…which is like all the time.” The unicorn laid down in a similar fashion on her bench and the two looked at each other. “Hm…Tell me if I’m wrong…but you’re running away from something, aren’t you?”
“Psh…like you would know.”
The white mare was taken aback slightly by Dash’s snappy response. “Well, yeah, I guess you’re right.” She bit into another pickle and gave the pegasus another one to munch on. “You just don’t look like you want to be here.”
Dash stared at the food floating above her muzzle. “It’s a little more complicated than that.” She took a bite.
The unicorn leaned on her hoof. “Lemme guess…Chasing dreams? You know trains only carry so much baggage. You have to learn to let some things go. Lose some friends and trust that you’ll make new ones. I learned that the hard way.” Rainbow closed her eyes to think about this. “So where you headed?”
“Las Pegasus.”
“No joke? That’s where I’m going!”
The pegasus gazed at her with half-open eyes. “You’re kidding…”
“Yeah! I was hired to work on the Starlight race there. Those always attract large crowds…and crowds means money, my friend.”
“Starlight?...and I’m not your friend.”
“Hey hey, okay. Starlight is Las Pegasus’s home racing team. It’s weird you haven’t heard of them.”
Rainbow heard of something about them before. They were known as some of the fastest fliers in Equestria…not as fast as the Wonderbolts though. “Aren’t they all show?”
“No…these ponies are way fast. They don’t really advertise themselves outside of Las Pegasus, but they’re really huge to the ponies living there.”
“Yeah, right.” Dash bit off another section of the pickle. She spoke with her mouth full, “I bet I could beat’em.”
“I’d like to see that. Too bad they only race other teams.”
Dash just realized something and she swallowed. “Wait a minute…are they the only racing team in Las Pegasus?”
“Yeah! Why?”
Dash thought about who the letter was sent by. “Don’t tell me a pony named Comet Tail races for them.”
“Comet Tail!? Are you kidding!? He’s their team captain! Why? Did you get recruited or something? You look like the athletic type.”
“…uh…maybe…”
“No way!” The unicorn sat up. “What are the odds of that, huh? I heard they never recruit new members…well, obviously not ever, but it sure is rare.”
“Really?” Dash sat up as well, taking the pickle into her mouth.
“Mhm! You’re one lucky pony!” The mare pointed at her.
Rainbow rolled her eyes and turned her head, chewing on the pickle. The two sat in silence for a while. The unicorn could tell Dash wasn’t happy with the way things were going. So she stood and crossed seats over to Rainbow. She held out a hoof. “Name’s Vinyl Scratch.”
The pegasus looked down at the hoof and pressed her own against it. “Rainbow Dash.”
“Yeah, I know who you are. Your boasting reaches places you’d never think…even Las Pegasus.”
“Guess so.” She smiled at Vinyl.
“So! You made your first friend on this trip. How’s it feel?” She smiled back at her.
“Good actually.”
“Great!” She activated her horn again and little pamphlet came flying at Rainbow. “Here’s where I’m staying. I figured you could use a place until you’ve found your own.”
Dash took the small pamphlet. “Grand Cirrus Hotel? Wow, I didn’t even think about having a place to stay…are you sure?”
“Yep! Eleventh floor. Room sixteen. Don’t hesitate to knock. Heck, I’ll leave the door open for ya.”
Rainbow eyed her suspiciously. “Okay…?”
“Hey, I’m gonna check to see what they have to drink on this borefest. I’ll be back later. It’s a long ride there.” Vinyl slid off the bench and made her way out of the small cabin. “At least six more hours!” She yelled as she walked down the hall.
Dash didn’t respond. Instead, she looked down at the pamphlet she was holding. Six hours…she would be that far from home. A part of her still wished she could turn back now. She opened the pamphlet and read some things about the hotel. “Eleventh floor is where all the suites are…fancy.”
*****
Whew! Finally out of that place. I think it’s gonna take two showers to get the gunk out of my coat. It sure wasn’t the best thing to start out on…hope it’ll get better. She sighed in relief and smiled as she made her way back home. At least I’ll start making some bits, it’s been a while since I had something good to eat. Maybe I’ll go for giant salad…with all of my favorite vegetables…chopped up and seasoned to make anypony’s mouth just squeal with delight. Not to mention pure apple juice! I’m so sick of having to survive on Poison Apple…I’ll be glad to get off that stuff.
Jinxy continued to fantasize when suddenly somepony smacked right into her. She lost her balance and with a swift tumble, she fell on her side and hit her head on the pavement. A piercing flood of pain screamed into her head as she jerked her head back. “Ouch! Hey! Watch where you’re going!!” She yelled out as she tried to stand.
“Omigosh, I’m so sorry! I was in a hurry and I can’t seem to find this place and…I just don’t even…” A brash voice rang in Jinxy’s ears. She was helped up…her vision was blurry beyond reason.
“Just be c-careful where you walk! You might hurt somepony. Ow, my head…”
“Oh, you’re hurt! Lemme see!”
“Just get out of my way!” She shoved her assailant out of the way and spread her wings. As she made her escape, her vision slowly became normal again, but the pain persisted. Jinxy shot a glance over her shoulder to see a shocked cyan pegasus with a messy manecut. The pain made her jerk her head back and she continued walking forward. “Stupid pegasus…urgh!”
She heard ponies talking all around her.
“What’s with that pony’s wings?”
“They’re so…ick!”
“It’s the kind of thing you’d expect to see in this city.”
Jinxy realized quickly that she had opened her wings. She quickly folded them and trotted off in tears.
*****
Jinxy shut her front door. She stared momentarily at the ground. “Gypsy, you idiot...” She dropped her bags and immediately entered her bathroom. She looked at her wound in the mirror. “Great…bleeding. It’s just the icing on the cake, isn’t it? That careless pegasus…what was with her mane? If I see her again…” She opened the mirror to pull out a kit with some medical supplies in it. “Watch it get infected…that’s just what I need.” She began fixing herself up. Eventually, she managed to bandage it. “There…good as new. Ow…still hurts though.”
She returned to the main room of her home and saw something in her door’s mailbox. “Must be the mon…ey…” Her vision slowly began to blur again and she felt dizzy. “Whoa…” She stumbled around a bit. “I need to lie down…” She stumbled towards her bedroom and immediately collapsed onto her bed. Her ears began to ring and whine…she could only hear her breathing. “Oh…Oh, great…” She squeezed her eyes shut. “I’m gonna be fine…gonnabefine…gonnabefine.”
Eventually, her eyesight returned and her other symptoms calmed as well. “Just…gonna sleep, I guess.” She chuckled and closed her eyes. “Gotta get my…rest…”