Flying With the Dusty Bolts

by Pony Bones

Dusty Apples

Mirage couldn’t contain his excitement he looped and rolled like a fresh graduate of flight school, “I’m going to Sweet Apple Acres, I’m going to Sweet Apple Acres!” He spelled it out in the sky with his dust trail, SWEET APPLE ACRES.

Then he realized, “Shoot, I’ve only got three days left after wasting that first day and I’ll be traveling most of today and the return flight so it’s more like two days. I’ll have to shorten the travel time.” Thus saying he tore off like a shot, he always enjoyed a challenge, what were the chances he could make it to Sweet Apple Acres before mid-morning while carrying Lyra’s dragon heartstrings in his saddlebag? As long as Applejack was waiting for him when he got there he would push himself as hard as possible to make it happen.

He was a foal, but a good looking foal; why else would a gorgeous earth pony like Applejack fall for a pegasus like him? He smiled putting on his Rainbow Bans laughing to himself, “Ridiculous.”

The miles flew by in a rush and he regretted his decision before he had reached his quarter flight mark, wheezing like a bellows he panted, "Buck me, flying is for the birds." Mirage reached the outskirts of Sweet Apple Acres two hours before lunch in a panting sweating wreck, landing in the orchard he started walking toward the farmhouse to catch his breath and dry off not wanting to make a scene.

He hadn’t taken five steps when he was ambushed from the side, his assailant had jumped onto his back and his sight filled with wheat golden hair accompanied by an ecstatic drawling voice and suddenly he didn’t care if Applejack saw him this way.

“Merahge ya came, Ah didn’t think ye’d be back so soon!”

Mirage felt like he was levitating a foot off the ground as his head swum, “How could I not make time for my bride to be?”

Applejack leaned down and put her face in front of his upside down with a coy smile, “Mmmmmhhhhmmmm.”

Mirage carried Applejack ponyback style back to the farmhouse, “How’r tha Dusty Bolts doin’?” She asked hugging him tighter, Mirage breathed deliberately,

“Honestly not good.” He hated talking to Applejack about his team but he knew he couldn’t and shouldn’t keep it from her, she cuddled closer to his ear and asked softly,

“And’ how’r you doin’?” Mirage bucked himself mentally, if only he could tell her, how could he tell her? Hey Applejack I killed a dragon? No, but he knew he had to one way or another; he fidgeted with the buckles on his saddle bags checking to make sure they were still closed.

“Well things are better now that I’m with you.”

She gave the same teasing, “Mmmmmhhhhmmmm.” When they got to the farmhouse Applejack hopped off Mirage and said, “Ya smell lahk Wahnona after a rain storm pardner, ye should go clean up.”

Applebloom came galloping out of the farmhouse, “Big brother Merage, big brother Merage!” She attached herself to his cannon with a vice like grip, Applejack blushed slightly,

“Woah there sugar cube, he ain’t yer brother jus yet.”

Granny Smith leaned out her bedroom window shaking her cane menacingly “Will ya’ll shut yer traps? Yer cuttin’ inta mah nap tahm!”

Applejack rolled her eyes, sighed, and shouted back, “Granny ya sleep most of tha day anyways, besahds we got ya them ear plugs fer a reason!”

Mirage winced as Granny Smith hurled her cane with lethal accuracy in Applejacks direction knocking off her hat. “Don’t ye git snippy with me yung filly, when yer mah age ya take advantage of all tha sleep ye can git.”

Applejack put her face in her hoof, “There’s just no talkin’ ta her.” Picking up her hat and dusting it off Applejack and Mirage made their way indoors with Applebloom still clinging like a leech to Mirage.

Mirage made his way to the bathroom, looking down at Applebloom he said, “Big brother Mirage has to scrub the desert out of his mane.”

Applebloom grimaced and replied, “Ah was wondrin’ what that smell was, Ah’m never movin’ to the desert now.” Applebloom said retreating to her room, Mirage chuckled to himself,

“That’s one way to get rid of a filly.”

The Apple family bathroom was nothing special, but one thing or another had prevented Mirage from having a proper bath or a shower for the last three months, even the shower he had taken yesterday was only to wash off the dragons blood, and to him this shower felt like a little piece of Paradise. He indulged and took his time, reveling in his lack of responsibility for anything, he stepped out of the tub feeling better than he had in a long time, his coat had lost its former dinginess of salt and dust that he had borne like a badge of honor.

If only his Dusties could see him now swaggering like a big city pegasus when they were still wallowing in their squalor, he shoved the thought back down, it had been too long, he owed himself this little favor and it wouldn’t help to beat himself over it.

Staring at his reflection he hardly recognized himself, the Dusty Bolts had made him hard, all the fat had been stripped from him leaving nothing but lean muscle. The scars of his accidents complimented it all with their pale jagged lines across his hide, but the biggest change had to be his eyes, he stared back at himself with a tired smoldering anger as if asking himself, “What the buck are you looking at?” This made him more irate, he shouldn’t be like this his mother Celestia rest her soul had raised him better.

Without even realizing it he had wound back to smash his reflection when there was a knock on the door behind him,

“Ya done in there pardner?” Big Mac asked, looking down at his hoof Mirage asked himself mentally, what am I doing?

“Yeah, I’m coming out.” He answered coming back to himself; he passed Big Mac awkwardly on his way out lost in his thoughts.

Initially he had relied on his anger to focus it and lead his Dusty Bolts with a tenacity few other pegasi could comprehend but now he was dependent on it. It was a problem to him now, and he couldn’t give up. Giving his team anything less than his best was out of the question, he had to be above scrutiny and now his hatred had lead him down a dark path he didn’t want to acknowledge. What could he look to if not his hatred to lead his team?

His reverie was broken when he almost walked into Applejack coming around a corner. “Well look who’s prettier than a fresh bottle of cider on a hot day.” Applejack said teasingly, as comfortable as Mirage was coming out from his bath he practically melted into Applejack.

Nuzzling her he felt her frayed and matted mane and joked, “Well one of us has to make an attempt at looking like we’ve seen a bathtub.”

Applejack gave an annoyed scowl, “An what’s that suppos’ta mean?”

Mirage looked back in mock ignorance, “What I’m saying is, we should spend some time combing your mane, I think you’d look that much better.”

Applejack blushed again, “Well normally Ah don’t spend tahm on trivial stuff lahk that, Rarity’s always tellin’ me ta take better care of mah looks, just this once maybe.”

They went to their favorite place of all the porch swing and settled in for a peaceful afternoon, Applejack rested her head on Mirage’s shoulder as he stroked her mane with her apple wood brush. They passed the hours just sitting there, as Mirage brushed the stringiness was slowly replaced with shimmering golden locks.

Applejack looked up at Mirage and said, “Ya wern’t completely honest when ya told me how ya were doin’ earlier.” Mirage should have known, Applejack was the embodiment of the element of honesty, there was no hiding it from her, he had to face the music.

He answered slowly picking his words carefully, “Applejack I’ve done something horrible and despicable.”

Applejack sat up interrupting the brush in half glide, “Well tell me bout’ it, it can’t be that bad.”

There was no easy way to put it so he laid his cards out on the table as they were, “I killed a dragon for its heartstrings in cold blood.”

Applejack didn’t look half as shocked as Silver Lining, then again he wasn’t covered in dragon guts, she gazed into his eyes with a steely glint in her emerald eyes as if weighing his words, while Mirage waited anxiously. “Hmmmm, well Ah don’t have much ta say ta that one, it seems ta me lahk ya realahze just how apallin’ what ye’ve done was. Sounds more lahk ya should let it go.”

Applejack leaned back and Mirage continued to brush, that wasn’t half as painfull as he thought it would be, and what Applejack had said was true, if he didn’t let it go it could impair his ability to lead more than the act of the killing itself.

But there was no denying he had an anger problem, what would he do if he lost control and hurt Applejack or his team?

Applejack as if feeling his thoughts snuggled deeper into his wings, “Don’t let it git ta ya too much sugar cube, ah believe in ya.” That was all Mirage needed to hear, he kissed her now silky mane and rested his chin on her head holding her close, giving a pensive sigh and putting the thoughts out of his head for Applejacks sake.

The next thing Mirage knew alarms were going off in his head, he didn’t know when he had fallen asleep but he jolted with a spook as Granny Smith shouted in his ear, “Supper’s ready git it whal it’s hot!”

Mirage’s vision was still blurry and he was sure one eye hadn’t opened completely yet, he looked down at his hooves. Applejack had left he looked back up at Granny Smith and drooling out of the side of his mouth he stated the meaning of the universe, “Huh?” Wiping his spittle with his hoof he spotted Applejack and Applebloom nickering over the edge of the porch. “Ok, kick me while I’m down.”

Applejack giggled behind her hooves tearing up from holding back her laughter, “Oh ya don’t have’ta worry bout’ that sugar cube, we took good care of ya.”

Applejack was a horrible bluffer Mirage already knew they had pulled some sort of prank, feeling his face and mane then scanning his body and seeing nothing he gave a playful glare at Applejack, “Alright, what did you do?”

Applejack wiped the tears from her eyes with her hat and put it back on her head saying, “Oh it wasn’t me, it was Big Mac here.”

She said pointing a hoof in her brothers direction, her brother rolled his eyes, “Yeah, thanks a lot sis.” He had a goofy beret and painter’s apron, with a paintbrush in his mouth, a palette in his hoof, and an easel with a linen canvas. There in oil paints and larger than life was Mirage’s sleeping countenance. A very fine piece of art for a country pony, Mirage looked the picture over and said,

“You realize I’m gonna’ get you back right?”

Applejack laughed again, “Heh heh, ye can trah sugar cube, but ye should be careful pullin’ a fast one on an Apple clan pony.” As she said this Big Mac stepped up to Mirage eclipsing his view of the sun, Mirage stared back coolly he was used to dealing with Sand Blast, he could take Big Mac. Big Mac was a big softie anyways, it was all a farce and he played right along.

Big Mac made a convincing squint and spat off the side of the porch hoofing his nose,

Granny Smith brandished the ladle she had used to wail on the triangle, “If ya’ll are done runnin’ yer gobs, ya better git ta tha table afore Ah eat it all. Ya wouldn’t want yer dear Granny ta die from combustin’ would ya? Move yer caboose!”

For the Apple Family all meals were sacred, everypony gathered at the table and there was always a lively conversation, but more than that there was enough food to feed the garrison at Canterlot Barracks.

The next few days passed in a blissful daze, the kind that only a love struck pony knows about.

Before Mirage left he took the heartstrings to Lyra, he wasn’t looking forward to the transaction at all. Lyra thanked him profusely for his risk in procuring them, “Celestia above how’d you get your hooves on these? Steel strings just don’t have the same depth of animal hide strings, it’s something ponies don’t like to acknowledge but how else do they think they can enjoy violins, drums, or pony pipes for crying out loud they’re made exclusively from sheep’s stomach, preferably a deceased one but never the less.”

Mirage felt the bile rise in his mouth, “Please don’t mention it; really, I’d rather not remember how I got them.”

But before Mirage knew it he was flying back to Appaloosa not at all looking forward to going back to weather duty, but as with all things his discipline took over and he slapped his bulging gut courtesy of the Apple family home cooking. “I’ve had enough of the easy life for now, it’s past time to get back to my Dusties.”

Comments

[Pony Bones]

Author's note, This chapter was a chore to write, if it shows it's because I don't do that sappy romantic trash. This is actually my first attempt at it so let me know if it sucks and any recommendations for improvement, I tried to keep the dialogue as true to life as possible so I'm hoping that makes up for the lacking heartthrob scenes. The accents were also murder to write and slowed the whole thing down even more, on a side note, I don't think I've shared what the inspiration for this story is. Well in Reno they have an annual International Championship Air Race, personally I am not at all fond of flying, pilots, or their egos, but for all of that I still admire their nerves and skill. Much of the cynicism and saltiness comes from the mentality of two tours in Afghanistan and all of the aggravation that comes with it. No matter what you do nothing prepares you for what you experience there.

[Flutterstrucked]

I'm sorry, but Romance and most sappy things aren't my strong suite, you may have to ask another author that you think would be best at giving you advice, hope you have the best of luck, but I don't think you did bad to be honest, I was just saying that because I may not have the best opinion

[Pony Bones]

1327168 Thank you for the feedback, sometimes it seems like I'm writing this story for myself.