As much as I wanted to, I couldn't spend the time with Zann to repeat our fire tornado. Rainbow needed me to help with the various weather patterns being spewed from the Everfree. After a couple of weeks of dealing with the forest's shit, Rainbow and I rested within her office. We could hear the rest of the weather crew recuperating in the change rooms.
Why do they even have those, they don't wear clothes?
"Have you ever showered after a gym class?"
Yeah, and I remember Tommy trying to make a little... oh. I get it now. The cushion I ruined slipped out from under me as my aching muscles caused me to spasm. I looked over at the mare draping herself across her desk. <<What unholy mutation of a storm front will the fucking forest throw at us next?>> I groaned.
"'The mating trees'? 'Bad off clouds'?" Rainbow murmured, lifting the next week's work schedule from her face. "Oh, wait. Ya mean the Everfree?" I nodded. "That should be the last of it, assuming the last few years' pattern holds."
<<Oh, good.>> I rolled back onto the cushion. Laying on my back, I watched as my twitching legs caused my paws to flop about. <<Rainbow? I can't feel my anything. Is that normal?>>
"Hmmhm."
<<Oh, 'kay. Are we going to the spa later?>>
For a minute, only rustling paper was the only response. "... What?" Rainbow moaned. "Why would we want to do something so girly? All they do there is manedoes and hooficures. And that weird muddy mask thing. And hooficures."
<<Ya said that one already.>>
"I just hate ponies touching my hooves."
<<I know.>> I tried to roll back onto my stomach, but failed miserably. <<But that's not all that they do there.>>
"How would you know?"
<<I go there with Lulu sometimes. Lotus can work wonders with her hooves.>> I sighed. <<Anyways, they've got steam rooms, mineral baths, a couple of well trained masseuses. One the crew here works there as a masseur on his day's off.>>
"Really?" Rainbow shifted to look at me. "Who?"
<<Snowflake- no, wait. Whats-his-name, the big white guy with tiny wings?>>
"Bulk Biceps?"
"Yeah?" The stallion leaned in.
Rainbow looked over at him. "You work at the spa?"
"Yeah."
"You know that I don't go there, but I'm thinking I might give it a try." Rainbow gave me a tired glance. "Anything good for sore muscles?"
"Try the steam room and a massage." Bulk leaned against the doorjamb. "While the massage is decent for temporary relief, what you really want is the steam room. The moist heat helps relax muscles better than the dry heat of a sauna."
<<Ask if there's anything for pets.>> I groaned.
Rainbow rolled off her desk. "Anything for pets?"
"Yeah, but there's no deals going right now." The massive stallion stepped from the office. "Anyways, I'm on my way to the spa for a session. You wanna come with we?"
I managed to flop my way onto Rainbow's back. <<Onward, my noble steed.>>
"Sure, we're up for something new."
Rainbow and I lay on the massage tables doing our best to imitate puddles of goo. I have got to remember to thank Bulk somehow.... I rolled an eye to look at Rainbow.<<This was a good idea.>>
"Hmhmm." Rainbow nodded. "Why didn't I do this sooner?"
"Oh," A soft voice called, "hi Rainbow." Fluttershy stood in the doorway, with Lulu poking her own head in. "I didn't know you came here."
<<It's her first time here.>>
"We needed it after dealing with the Everfree's rogue weather." Rainbow agreed. "We followed Bulk's suggestion on what to do here. Really helps with the muscles."
Lulu chuckled. <<Well, damn. Guess you won that little bet.>>
I gave a languid wave at the evolved form. <<I'll collect my winnings later.>>
"What 'good reward'?" Rainbow asked.
<<We trade favors, mostly.>>
"And what did you win?" Rainbow ignored Fluttershy's lowercase stare.
<<She's gonna get me a shiny rock from the bottom of the pond.>>
Rainbow blinked. "But it's just a rock?"
I shrugged. <<So's a diamond, when you think about it.>>
"How long?" We both turned to Fluttershy. She was pointing a hoof at me, but was staring at Rainbow. "H-how long have you been able to...?"
Rainbow and I shared a look before the prismic mare answered. "Not for very long." Rainbow slid off the table and made her way to her friend. "I did want to tell you, but I wanted to wait until after dealing with this period of rogue weather. I was hoping to tell you during this cider season."
I blinked. <<You were going to wait until fall?>>
Fluttershy looked at me. "Cider season starts next week."
Rainbow nodded. "AJ ferments the barrels over the winter." She readdressed the yellow pegasus. "But I was seriously going to talk to you about this. Half of this is guess work for me. And I can only understand Leo." I hopped down and joined my mare at her side. "You remember the talk we had with Luna?"
"Yes?"
Rainbow scooped me up with a wing, placing me on her back. "We've got a Soul Bond. I don't know how, but we do." Rainbow placed a hoof onto Fluttershy's shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this sooner." Rainbow pulled Fluttershy into a hug. "I need to ask, though. Can you help me get better at this? I don't want to step on your hooves with your special talent, but, since I'm stuck with this, I want to get the most out of it I can."
"I..." Fluttershy hesitated. I could tell Fluttershy was on the fence about this, so I hit her with my best attempt at a Baby-Doll Eyes. "... For a friend, yes. After cider season." She leaned back to look Rainbow in the eyes.
"Just please don't go making Soul Bonds with other animals without their permission..."
The week passed without incident, and I was racing Rainbow to Fluttershy's cottage. I blitzed to the door, stopping just shy of headbutting the thing. I gave a quick series of rapid knocking before Rainbow rocketed up into Fluttershy's bedroom. Conner managed to open the door as a squeal sounded from the above windows. We both looked up to see Rainbow pushing Fluttershy through the air. Hooking a paw around Conner, I threw him forward and hurriedly try to close the door. Pushing my head against Conner's rump, I launched myself into an Extreme Speed.
Using careful nudging, I was able to steer Conner to the line up at Sweet Apple Acres. When we needed to stop, I rushed around in front of Conner and spent a minute trying to decelerate. We were able to skid to a stop at the end of the line of tents.
<<Please don't do that to me again.>> Conner begged. He looked a little green, his fur still swept back from the wind. <<That was terrifying! How can you stand doing that all the time?>>
I shrugged. <<I'm used to it. What did it look like to you?>>
He gained a distant look in his eyes and began to hum. <<... I think I saw a box?>>
I raised an eye brow, but we were rejoined by Rainbow and Fluttershy. I decided to drop the topic in favor of curbing Rainbow's alternating complaints and over-blown complements of Applejack's cider. I spent the next five hours keeping Rainbow from annoying our neighbors in the line. We eventually managed to get to the front of the line.
Rainbow dropped her bits into the coin box. She eagerly looked to her upcoming mug, but, just as I expected, they ran out of cider. Granny gave back the bits Rainbow had given. While Applejack gave her apologies to the rest of the crowd, I did my best to soothe Rainbow's frayed nerves.
<<She has to have more for tomorrow, right?>>
"Nope, that's it for the month." Rainbow murmured to me, watching the crowd of disgruntled ponies begin to disperse.
<<That's bullshit!>>
"What?"
Pinkie hopped into view, Zann staying by her side. "I said 'this month's batch was perfection'!" She hooked a hoof around Rainbow shoulder. "And with Vince and Cy being able to help out, there'll be more for next month!"
I could see Rainbow starting to lose her cool when Pinkie's words filtered to her brain. "Hey... What if she had more than-"
She was cut off as what sounded like an ancient Oldsmobile honked its horn. Us canines all looked down the road in expectation.
The Brothers had arrived.