Life Is A Runway

by Split Scimitar

Into the Light

Back in New York, a muggy system is passing through, which creates a temperature/humidity spread of 90/90, uncharacteristically hot even for New York City. Nevertheless, when I return to the boutique, I head in and call for the other passenger leaving, Twilight.

A tough goodbye, the girls share all the hugs before we head home so they can gather their things. With plenty of time before we need to be there, we take our sweet time making our way out. Naturally, I have a stick, to which both girls, surprisingly fast packers, bust me.

“Max!” Twi exclaims. “I thought you were gonna quit!”

“Yeah, you promised us!” Pinkie adds.

“Two things. 1. I’m one step closer to divorce, I need one right about now, 2. I made no such promise.”

“Yeah you did!”

“When?”

“Uh…”

“Thought so. If you’re ready,” I say as I take one last huff, “we can head for Kennedy.”

The car ride is unusually quiet. The radio is off, so the loudest thing in the car is the A/C; not even Pinkie is willing to speak.

When we hit the heavy traffic, I sigh audibly and go with the flow, since I have about 15 miles to the airport.

“Max,” Twilight says nervously, “you know just as much as I do that Pinkie and I both understand where you’re coming from, but smoking?”

“Do you know what those do to you??” Pinkie asks.

“Do you have any respect for your body?”

“I know the symptoms, I know the dangers. That’s why I e-smoke. Haven’t had a real cigarette since I was 23.”

“You mean to tell me you’ve been smoking e-cigarettes this entire time?” Pinkie asks.

“Yes. Haven’t we had this conversation before?”

“That doesn’t mean we don’t have a valid point in reacting like we did to seeing you smoke.” Twi responds quite quickly.

“I have a stash from before I ever knew Rosalina. I’m trying to be rid of it, so sorry if you see it a lot, but I’m trying to get rid of them, and I’m just pacing myself to consume them at a non-rapid rate.”

“Okay,” Twi responds, “but that doesn’t mean you’re completely out of the woods. E-cigarettes are by no means safe.”

“Fair enough. I don’t enjoy smoking real cigarettes anyway.”

“I think you’re missing Twilight’s point Max. We’re upset and have every right to be. Just because you smoke e-cigarettes doesn’t mean you can call them safe and smoke to your heart’s and lungs’ content. There are still a lot of risks involved.”

“And I know that not just Pinkie or I can vouch for this. Rosalina and Applejack too say that it makes you kind of unfun to be around.”

“That’s a good thing then.” I half-snap back. “I was only quitting because Rosalina wanted me to. Now I can start digging away at that big stash again.”

“How big is your stash?”

“I have boxes of them that take up almost a whole bedroom.”

“How much did that cost you?”

“I don’t remember off the top of my head.”

“That’s money you’ll never see again.”

“Actually, I can. Here’s the money.” I say taking a huff so big, I think I cut the stick’s life in half.

Exhaling the contents of that breath makes a cloud so thick, both girls audibly object. My sly hands turned off the A/C and locked the passenger window switches, so I’ve effectively hotboxed them. But it’s just harmless water vapor after all.

I repeat the big huffs at least three more times, so just as we get into view of Kennedy, I keep the car as clouded as possible. Right before we reach the terminal loop, I turn the A/C back on and open the windows.

“What were you trying to prove with that??!” Twilight asks angrily.

“That you had nothing to worry about. None of that secondhand water vapor posed any danger to anyone.”

“Max, when we met, I thought you were gonna be an awesome friend, but I guess I may have been wrong.” Pinkie adds with a somber note.

“Mission accomplished.” I mumble to myself. “You’ve finally pushed them to their breaking point.” I then tell the two of them, “I’m sorry I did that, but I cannot apologize for being a smoker.”

“And to think I met someone who understood the value of living a wholesome healthy life doing what he loves!” Twi adds, clearly hurt.

“Sorry to disappoint. You guys are like family, so I guess it was inevitable for me to let you down. Welcome to my family I guess.” I say as I park in the drop off zone.

“I can’t believe you’re doing this!” Twi furiously claps back. “You think that by disappointing us, that we’re officially full-fledged family members?”

“Not when you put it like that.”

“I sure hope Rarity will see sense by the time you come back from Europe. If she thinks you’re the real deal and not just a crush of hers, she’s making a really big mistake.” Twi says as she angrily grabs her suitcase and heads straight into the terminal, not bothering to say goodbye.

“I don’t know what caused you to become like this, but I hope that whatever’s causing it gets a swift cake to the face.” Pinkie says on the verge of tears leaving in much the same way as Twilight.

As the red mist descends, I get back in the car, leaving the terminal with such fury that all four tires (AWD car) start smoking. Furiously, I have a few huffs as I race back to Manhattan to pick up our next passengers.

Apple and Dash meet me at home with their bags ready by the time I get there, we load in less than 30 seconds and the two hop into the back, prompting me to quip,

“Guess I’m an Uber driver. Shoulda used the Rolls.”

“No thanks.” Applejack responds. “I don’t like ridin’ in that thing.”

“What do you have against it?”

“As soon as that door closes, it’s like you’re shut out of the world.”

“Why might that be an issue?” I ask, though I suspect I know the answer.

“I don’t like being disconnected from the world around me like that.”

“You feel disconnected because you’re not driving, you’re “floating on a cushion” instead?”

“Pretty much.”

“No lie, I feel the same way. But it has quite a beast under that hood, and it is supposed to iron out bumps and not compromise the quality of the ride. My Rolls Royce friends like to say “if you work at Rolls Royce and use words like “handling” or “sporty,” you’d be fired.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow adds, “but it’s mated to a slushbox.”

“Says the person too afraid to drive a manual because she thinks she’ll spin out. Then again, you do drive a Mustang.”

AJ laughs, as Dash says “Hey, at least I upgraded. I got a color more… me.”

“Velocity Blue?”

“Oh yeah!” She says showing me a picture of her new car from her Insta Ponygram.

“Dude, I have one in that color. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Three pedals, dummy.”

Rolling my eyes, I join the freeway again, glad that traffic is lighter. Since I have RD and AJ, I keep my foot down to keep them from falling asleep. They still do though, as when I park, I brake a little extra hard to jolt them awake. Popping the trunk, I grab their suitcases and give them hugs goodbye, but when AJ and I embrace, she says, “take care of Rarity, will ya’?”

“Well, I’m not here to fuck spiders.” I quip as I look back at a Qantas takeoff.

“What?”

“I’m not here just to fly her.”

“Well, I think she might be, uh… realizing some things about ‘ya.”

“Okay, I have to ask,” now wary of us spending too much time in the white zone, “does she really have a crush on me?”

Taking a deep breath, she sorrowfully responds, “yes. She does.”

“Great. And Rosalina’s here too.”

“Yeah. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be. Twilight told me she thinks Rarity’s making a big mistake. For everybody’s sake, I hope she’s right.”

“Aw, don’t get all con-twisted about it. She really does like you.”

“I think she wants me for my money.”

“Horseapples. Just show her a good time.”

“Alright.”

“Bye Max.”

“Later.”

Back in Manhattan, Sunset and Fluttershy are due out, so we take our time. Sunset turns on the radio once we get going, and Fluttershy has an earbud of her own in, so I don’t do any talking.

Rinse and repeat with AJ and Dash, and I return to Manhattan to see Starlight and Rosalina talking about life as Rarity whizzes away, working on some of her day 1 sales that need adjusting.

“Hey Max.” Starlight calls with a wave. “Join us?”

“Alright, what’re we having?”

“Brooklyn style pizza. Some leftover from when you took Pinkie and Twilight.”

“Okay. What’s on it?”

“Just plain cheese.”

“Yeah, alright.” I say as I look for a good slice.

As we finish the box, Rarity emerges and takes a slice on her late lunch/early dinner break.

“How’re the adjustments going?” I ask curiously.

“Splendidly. I guess I forget how many of my customers are bigger sizes than I usually do.”

“That’s nice. How many do you have to do?”

“I’ve completed 5 of them, and I think I have about a dozen more or so to go.”

“Okay. Rosalina leaves tomorrow at 10, so I’ll take her right before morning rush.”

“Don’t forget I leave at 10 tonight.” Starlight adds.

“Yes, yes of course. Say, how long have you been a regular in this world. I mean when was your first trip?”

“It’s been a few years I think.”

“Nice! Do you like it here? I mean, more than enough to actually become a full-fledged citizen of the US?”

“Yeah. I do actually. It’s a nice place for me to escape if I need to.”

“Where’s home?”

“Burlington, Vermont.”

“Why there in particular?”

“Reminds me the most of home.”

“That’s awesome! I told Princess Twilight too that I would love to visit Equestria someday.”

“I definitely recommend it, though I may be biased seeing as I’m from there.”

“Fair enough. I say the same thing about this world.”

“And your point would be very valid.”

“Hey, right back at ya, if I get the chance to go. Equestria sounds nice.”

We chuckle then turn to Rarity, whose completed adjustments return to the mobile rack so she can take them back out to the shop floor.

“How does your Rarity compare to ours?”

“Actually, there are quite a few striking similarities, mostly in how she managed to open a boutique in one of the biggest cities in our worlds. I’d say I’m not surprised, since there is an exact copy in my world.”

“Sure.”

“Okay.” Rarity then says out of her office. “I have only two more adjustments and then I’ll be all caught up. Starlight, when do you leave?”

“10:00 PM.”

“Okay, so we don’t have to take you until after dinner.”

“Yeah.”

Soon, we drop off Starlight, who bids us farewell with a hug and a promise of salutations to Princess Twilight. Rosalina, Rarity and I then head into Times Square to enjoy some cheesecake from Roxy Diner to cap off the first weekend of shop operations for the new Manhattan boutique.

Next morning, the three of us are up to get Rosalina to JFK in time for her 10:00 am departure to Honolulu on Hawaiian Airlines Flight 51. Because of morning rush, we leave Manhattan together but switch cars, so I’m taking the Phantom to Kennedy.

As Rarity takes her Lexus one way, I head the other way and make for Kennedy, the differences in driving feel throwing me for a whirl, feeling like a cushy magic carpet, even when I put my foot down.

When we reach terminal loop, my chest starts to hurt as the moment of departure has finally arrived.

“I said this the last time, I’ll say it again. I hate this part.”

“I know, but at least the roles are reversed.”

“Yeah.”

“By the way, I think Rarity has a crush on me. Don’t be surprised if sex ends up on the table.”

“I kind of picked up on it.”

“Here’s your evidence of an extramarital affair.” I say with a slight waver.

We both exchange sorrowful looks and one last hug as I see her off, not getting into the car until she walks through the automatic double doors. With that, I pop an Advil, put my foot down, and see what Rarity needs/wants me to do, since it’s just us now. Fingers crossed.

---

“Good, you’re back,” Rarity says opening her front door for me, “I want to take my car to Europe.”

“You don’t want to just rent a car?”

“Why? We can just use mine. I like my Rolls Royce.”

“I won’t argue, though why do you say you like the Lexus better?”

“I like the way it drives, but a Rolls Royce is a Rolls Royce.”

“Wish I could say. I’ve never been a backseat passenger in one.”

“Really?”

“In my life, I’ve always been a driver. I guess my perceived skills as a pilot transfer to an automobile.”

“Well, I want to get there early, so we should leave tonight.”

“Let’s do that.”

“Then get to sleeping!”

---

KHPN GREKI NELIE SPENO MANCH ENE TOPPS USBAM RENNY NAPLO YAY RIKAL 5300N/05000W 5400N/04000W 5400N/03000W 5300N/02000W LIMRI DOLIP CRK EVRIN EGKK

Gotta go to Gatwick, Heathrow can’t accommodate us. Cleared as filed.

Initiate engine start procedure.
2 alight and stable.

Hydraulics and computers normal. No anomalies.
Control surfaces, electric trim: check.
Set flaps 3 for takeoff.

“Westchester Airport ATIS information Papa, 2234Z, wind 170 at 11, visibility 9, sky clear below 12,000. Temperature 22, dewpoint 15, altimeter 30.31. ILS and visual runway 16 in use. Landing and departing runway 16. Notices to airmen: runway 16 touchdown zone lights out of service. ILS Runway 16 CAT II not authorized. Advisory: all VFR aircraft contact clearance delivery prior to taxi. Advise on initial contact, you have information Papa.”

“Westchester ground, Rarity 5, information P, ready to taxi.”

“Rarity 5, Westchester ground. Runway 16, taxi via… M K L.”

“M K L, runway 16, Rarity 5.”

Taxiing out, I do an audible departure brief and taxi checklist, since Rarity is sitting in the first class cabin. Then it hit me: this is my first time heading to Europe since before Melody was born. In that timeframe, I’ve been to the UAE, Japan, Kenya, St. Maarten, Australia and New Zealand, plus Canada and Mexico.

“Rarity 5, will you be ready for takeoff upon reaching runway 16?”

“Affirm.”

“Rarity 5, roger, monitor tower 118.57.”

“Monitor 18.57, Rarity 5.”

I tune the tower and slow down slightly to be able to take the final turn before the runway.

“Rarity 5, Westchester tower, runway 16, line up and wait.”

“Line up and wait 16, Rarity 5.” And with that, I do the before takeoff and runway items in a combined flow before taking the runway.

“Rarity 5, runway 16, cleared for takeoff, remain clear of New York Class B airspace.”

“Cleared for takeoff 16, clear of the Class Bravo, Rarity 5.”

Brakes on, spool up. Short field takeoff.
Power set, gauges in the green.
Brakes off, rolling.

80 knots.

V₁

Rotate.

V₂

Positive rate, gear up. Immediate left turn to heading 360 per CPDLC. Stay below 3,000 to remain clear of New York Class B.

“Rarity 5, contact New York departure, tally ho!” Flaps up.

“Over to departure, au revoir, Rarity 5.” “New York departure, Rarity 5 off Westchester, 2,000 climbing 8,000.”

“Rarity 5, New York departure, radar contact 3 miles NE Westchester airport. Climb and maintain 15,000.”

“Position checks, Climb to 15,000, Rarity 5.”

---

“Rarity 5, proceed direct, St. Anthony.”

“Yay, Rarity 5.”

Receiving that clearance 3 hours into our flight, I settle in nicely and check on Rarity, who has been fast asleep since takeoff. Good on her, since she can acclimate. It was close to midnight when we left.

Once in touch with Shanwick, the controller for the North Atlantic (as Oakland is for the Pacific), I have a coffee and relax as best I can admiring the clear, full-moonlit night glistening over the Atlantic. Oh how serene.

In the distance, where London is calling and Paris is waiting for us, I sip away at another cup of coffee, since Rarity laid claim to all the tea. At least she doesn’t live in Boston.

---

“Rarity 5, descend and maintain FL250.”

“Down to 250, Rarity 5.”

As I adjust the FMS for the descent, I move my checklists and books around, getting out my charts and whatnot for the arrival.

“Good morning, darling!” Rarity calls unusually chipper from behind my shoulder.

“Hi Rarity. We’re beginning our descent into London now. Make your decision to sit here with me or back in the passenger cabin within the next 10 minutes. Once that seat belt sign comes on, you’re staying there until we park.”

“Darling, I already know where I’m going to sit. I want to record the landing.”

“Is the lighting gonna be good enough? We’re expected at 6:30. If I remember, that’s right around sunrise, plus or minus a half hour.”

“Does the internet work?”

“Yes, but not for long.”

“You might want to subtract that half hour.” Rarity says a few minutes later. “Sunrise today is 6:10.”

“Shit. I might be landing when the sun is in my face.”

“Rarity 5, turn right heading 150, vectors to VASUX for the VASUX 1G arrival.”

“150, VASUX 1G, Rarity 5.” “Ok, let’s brief the arrival procedure. Rarity, can you hold this please?” I ask handing her my coffee cups.

“Okay, VASUX 1G (VASU1G) arrival into London Gatwick. This is an RNAV 1 arrival, requiring dual DME Receivers or GNSS, of which we are equipped with the latter. Currently on radar vectors, but we can expect a direct clearance. From VASUX, track 040° to DISVO, then track 051° to TELTU, cross at FL130 (13,000) at or below 250 knots. From TELTU, track 080° to HOLLY, cross at or below 220 knots, then expect clearance to WILLO, cross at FL070 (7,000) at or below 220 knots. Those altitudes are for planning purposes, as the actual descent clearance will be as directed by ATC. Our altimeter will be set based on the hPa scale, standby for transition altitude, which will be given by ATC. Arrival brief complete.”

“Rarity 5, descend and maintain FL150.”

“Down to 150, Rarity 5.”

“Darling, why were you telling me all that?”

“Just standard procedure, ma’am.” I say with a definite accent.

The shocked expression on her face when I look over at her says it all.

“Did I say something offensive?”

“No, no. Not at all.” She says blushing.

As we pass the flight levels, I hit the wall. Breaths are now exhaustive (haha) efforts as if I’m trying to breathe at altitude.

“Rarity, how you holding up?”

But Rarity is asleep. Oh well, we’re not that high. Just in case.

“Dublin Center, Rarity 5. Request lower altitude.”

“Rarity 5, Dublin, descend and maintain FL100.”

“10,000, Rarity 5.”

“And Rarity 5, did you have a pressurization failure?”

“…Negative, Rarity 5. Just for the sake of a continuous descent.”

“Rarity 5, Roger.”

At 10,000, speed below 250, landing, pulse, taxi lights on. Seatbelt sign on.

“Ladies & gentlemen, as we begin our final descent into London Gatwick, please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts securely. Return your chair backs and tray tables to their full upright and locked position. Please also at this time lower all aisle armrests, open all windows, and stow all loose articles for landing, thank you.”

“Alright, Max. I think I’m going to head back.”

“Do you still want to film the landing?”

“Of course.”

“Wait, from the cockpit or from the cabin?”

“Darling, can’t we do both?”

“I think I put in a few GoPro mounts around the cockpit. If you want a wing shot, I find the last row works best, or the rows right behind the third emergency exits.”

“Okay.”

“Plus, you’ll have plenty of opportunities for each type of shot. After Gatwick, we’re gonna land in Le Bourget, then in Shannon so we can get US Pre-Clearance.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Plus, Shannon is like the last airport before open ocean, so it’s a convenient fuel stop. BA’s A318 flights use it.”

“Okay… I guess I’ll…”

“Rarity 5, proceed direct VASUX, maintain 250 knots.”

“Direct VASUX, 250 knots, Rarity 5.”

“I’ll just record the landing from the cabin. It’ll be a nice piece for my travel blog.”

“You run a blog?”

“Well, it’s a vlog actually. “Street Chic.””

“And you discuss fashion and… other things?” I ask at half my normal speed.

“The show that keeps you ahead of the curve, so you’ll be the first girl on your block with the most glittering and glamorous frocks in fashion!”

“Is that your opening line?”

“Why yes. Yes it is. I don’t do much of it now that I have three boutiques to run and keep track of, and I did bring in a relatively small audience for my stores.”

“That’s… nice.” I sigh out as I keep focused on flying.

“Darling, are you okay? You seem a little… out of it.”

“I’m fine. My body’s on roughly midnight anyway. I still have a couple hours left in me.”

“Okay then. I’ll talk to you on the ground. I’ll be waiting for you.” She says in a sultry voice as she leaves, gently stroking the circuit breaker panel on her way out.

*MASTER CAUTION*

“Oh crap. What happened?”

*Cabin Pres Fail*

“Is ΔP still in the green?”

Checking the cabin pressure system, the FLT ALT and Landing Field Elevation are normal, but ΔP is steadily climbing.

“10,000. Why would it be climbing?”

Then it tapers off. Sure enough, it starts to come back down, at a slightly faster rate than it was climbing.

“Rarity 5, descend via the VASUX 1G arrival. Cross HOLLY at FL070, expect clearance to WILLO at HOLLY.”

“VASUX 1G, HOLLY at 7, Rarity 5. Request… FL080.”

“Rarity 5, approved as requested.”

“Rarity 5, thanks.” And with that, I set the altitude bug to 8,000.

---

“Rarity 5, crossing HOLLY, cleared visual approach runway 8R. Contact Gatwick tower on 124.225 at HOLLY.”

“Cleared visual 8R, tower at HOLLY, Rarity 5.”

I have a few miles before HOLLY so I configure. Approach speeds: approach speed will be 140 knots on the approach, but we’ll stay at 180 for now. Flaps: set to 1. We’ll be landing just outside of noise abatement critical time, but we’ll still try to keep our reverse thrust to a minimum. Nose-wheel steering and anti-skid: on. Auto-brakes, set to medium. Doing a visual approach, maintain at least VFR conditions and in a continuous position to land using normal maneuvers or have the runway and/or environment in sight at all times.” “Gatwick tower, Rarity 5, at HOLLY, visual 8R.”

“Rarity 5, Gatwick tower. Wind variable at 4, altimeter 1007.1. There’s nobody in the queue. Which runway would you like?”

“1007.1, we’ll stick with 8R, Rarity 5.”

“Rarity 5, roger. Runway 8R, cleared to land. Traffic Boeing 747, correction 777 lined up and waiting runway 26L.”

“Cleared to land 8R, Rarity 5.” Flaps 2.

Runway in sight. Lower landing gear.

Speed 150. Flaps 3.

Flaps full. 1,000.

500.

200.

100.

50.

40.

30.

20.

10.

Touchdown. Spoilers up, brakes on. 2 in reverse. Minimum use of reverse thrust for noise abatement.

“Rarity 5, left CR, cross runway 26R, left J, then contact ground 121.8 for spot assignment.”

“CR, cross 26R, J, ground .8, Rarity 5.” “Gatwick ground, Rarity 5, taxi to parking.”

“Rarity 5, Gatwick ground. Are you familiar with the Uniform Ramp?”

“Affirm, Rarity 5.”

“Rarity 5, roger. Taxi to spot 232 via J T.”

“J T, spot 232, Rarity 5.”

After we park, Border Force arrive in two utility vehicles.

“Good morning, sir.” One of them greets upon the two of us disembarking.

“Good morning.” I reply in my half-asleep stupor.

“How was the flight?”

“Not too bad. Just a cell or two around Bermuda.”

“Where are you arriving from?”

“New York. Well, just outside of. Westchester, White Plains.”

“No worries. Passports/visas, please. And do you have anything to declare?”

“I’m carrying $1,500 US, and we have a car registered in the US that we will be driving.”

“Okay. The declaration amount is actually 10,000, so that’s fine. If you have a car, then we will need to inspect that for contraband.”

“Ma’am, do you have anything to declare?” Another officer then asks beginning the process with Rarity.

“Okay. That’s fine. Can you bring out your car please?“

“No problem. There are a few e-cigarettes inside, just so you’re aware. Our own baggage is also inside the car.”

“Thank you.”

I then back out Rarity’s Rolls Royce and open all the doors and boot.

“May I?” Rarity’s officer asks pointing to our bags.

“Please do.”

“Anything sharp or fragile in either bag?”

“There is a small bottle of perfume in mine.” Rarity says.

“Okay. For security reasons, I cannot allow you to touch anything as I examine your bag.”

“Sir?”

“Nothing sharp or fragile.”

“Okay. For security reasons, only I am allowed to touch your things.”

Nodding in agreement, I watch as my own bag is inspected.

“How long are you two staying?”

“A few days here, then we’ll head to France for a few days before heading home.”

“Alright. This bag is good. Let me take a look at the car, and then I can stamp your passport.”

As my officer digs into the boot and inspecting the carpets and upholstery thoroughly, Rarity’s officer joins in after finishing up with her bag. In about 2 minutes, we get our passports stamped, border force radio ahead to Signature Flight Support, and after welcoming us in, they leave while we wait for a vehicle to escort us out of Gatwick.

When their vehicle arrives, I have Rarity start the car while I talk to the driver.

“Top of the morning, sir.”

“And the rest to you, sir.

“You brought your own car?”

“I did. Request of my mate right here.”

“Oh yea? Well done.”

“When I return, will you just escort me back here?”

“Yes.”

“Alright. Saves us the time to get ramp passes.”

“Right. You ready to go?”

“Yes. Just wanted to ask about ramp passes.”

“Alright. Just follow us to the terminal, we’ll get you checked in, and you’ll be good.”

“We’ll follow you over.”

At the terminal, we check in, I get a tentative invoice, and after we get buzzed through the gate, Rarity squeals in delight as I join the main road, almost thrown off by driving a LHD vehicle in Britain. I kind of like it.

Author's Note:

ΔP is the differential between the aircraft’s cabin altitude and the outside air pressure at a given altitude. If it gets too great, the cabin could decompress or over stress the airframe.