With a Little Help From My Friends

by BillyColt

Chapter 3: More Kites, that Other Guy, and Ritardando Doing Something Music-Related

Chapter 3: More Kites, that Other Guy, and Ritardando Doing Something Music-Related

A few days had passed since the rain, and Raincloud was bored out of her skull. Rules (and a lack of horsepower) prevented her from covering the town in rain again, so now she was delegated to menial jobs like breeze-making, when she even had a job at all.

And it was a rather hot day. She hated hot days. But she had a way of coping with that – a dark cloud right above her. It amounted to a handy piece of portable shade.

She was on a hill, overlooking the town of Hoofton. From there she could see most of the town, and a good deal of the grassy expanse that lied to the east.

Then she realized something. Bright, sunny day. Air was still. That meant-

“Raincloud?” a voice asked. It was Kite, with her kite.

“Hello, Kite.” Raincloud said in a flat tone of voice. “Let me guess, you want wind?”

“Well, I don’t know how to fly a kite without a breeze.”

Raincloud struggled to suppress a groan. “Fine,” she said, stretching her wings and beating them, creating a small breeze which Kite promptly threw her kite into, all while Raincloud grabbed her source of shade to keep it from blowing away.

“Thank you.” She said cheerfully, watching the kite as it sailed into the sky.

Raincloud looked up at the kite in the sky, and then down at Kite the pony. She had always wondered why she liked kites that much. They held no interest to a pegasus, but perhaps earth ponies (possibly unicorns, too) were more easily amused. After all, Raincloud could fly – she didn’t need a colorful paper proxy.

“Kite, can I ask you a question?” Raincloud asked.

“Sure, why not?” Kite asked, craning her head, but not losing any control over the kite.

Raincloud sat there in silence for a bit. “…Nothing. Nevermind.”

“Okay…” Kite said, focusing her attention back on the Kite.

Raincloud had decided that there was no answer Kite could give that wouldn’t annoy her. Some questions, she decided, are just best left unasked.

But she guessed it just figured that the pony named Kite would like kites. But she wondered why she put up with the repeated requests for the wind needed to get that thing in the air.

She shrugged to herself. Why not?, she figured.

A. A. A. A. A. A. A. A.

That was the sound you were going to hear at Gold Standard’s shop that day, because Ritardando had taken it upon himself to tune the very-neglected piano. This isn’t about him.

Gold Standard was behind the counter, counting up the coins in the register and checking them against a sheet of paper that had recorded all the merchandise sold – had to ensure that the numbers added up. They did. At the end of the day she’d count up the inventory and make sure there were no further discrepencies.

Constable Brownie walked in, and surveyed the few ponies going about their shopping. “Well, I don’t stop a shoplifter on the way in.” she said, approaching the counter. “Either I’m not doing my job properly or it hasn’t been a problem.”

“No problem at all, Constable.” Goldie said, shutting the cash register. “Though I wonder why you’re so concerned with what happens in my store?”

“I have to enforce the law. All crime is my business.”

A. A. A. A.

That was starting to get very annoying (seriously, you ever hear someone tune one of those things?).

“There’s another thing I wanted to talk to you about.” Brownie said. “About your employee.”

“He hasn’t been robbing me, if that’s what you’re asking.” Goldie said dryly.

“It’s not that.” Brownie said. “It’s just that I saw him yesterday, sneaking around the old abandoned theatre.”

Gold Standard looked at him. Ritardando stopped tuning.

“I wasn’t supposed to do that?” he asked guiltily.

“It’s been closed. The area’s off-limits.” Brownie said.

“Sorry… I didn’t know. I just thought, that, well…”

“It’s alright, Ritardando.” Brownie said, trying to calm him down. “It’s just that old abandoned buildings like that aren’t safe.”

“Oh, okay…” Ritardando said, going back to the piano. “I won’t do it again.”

“That’s all I wanted to hear.” Constable Brownie said. Gee, Ritardando sure did act guilty a lot, didn’t he?

Gold Standard looked around. All the shoppers were gone. “Where’d the costumers go?”

“The terrible piano music drove them away.” Said a deep, sarcastic voice. It was Phoenix.

“It’ll sound good later.” Ritardando called. “I hope…” he added quietly.

“What are you doing here?” Constable Brownie asked suspiciously.

“The same thing that everypony does in a shop. I shop.” Phoenix replied dryly. “Where do you keep the medicine?”

“Over there…” Gold Standard said, indicating a shelf towards the back of the store.

“Thank you,” Phoenix said in a tone of voice that barely indicated any thankfulness at all. He went off towards the shelf in question while the other two watched. Ritardando, meanwhile…

A. A. A. A.

“KNOCK IT OFF!” Phoenix shouted. Ritardando promptly stopped and cowered near the piano.

“I will not have you talking to my employees like that.” Gold Standard said sternly.

Phoenix huffed. “I was just about to leave.” He said, taking a box off of the shelf and walking to the counter. “Oh, and I have one of these.” He said, producing the discount coupon. Gold Standard gave a shocked stare to Ritardando, who shrugged.

“Is something wrong?” Phoenix asked, annoyed.

“No…” Gold Standard replied. Phoenix paid his money and then left the store.

“How…” Goldie asked, “how did you get him a discount coupon?”

“I gave it to him,” Ritardando said simply.

Constable Brownie found the events as odd as Goldie did. “Well,” she said, “I guess there are things I should be doing instead of standing around talking. Good day.”

“Bye…” Ritardando said as she left. He looked at Goldie. “Thank you for standing up for me.”

“Oh, don’t mention it.”

“Well, thank you…” Ritardando said, returning to the piano.

A. A. A. A.

You get the idea.