Passengers, luggage and locomotives.
For a town such as Ponyville, the platform never had so many ponies standing on it shoulder to shoulder. The many conversations drowned out the station’s clock tolling fifteen to noon, but fortunately, the conductor’s whistle captured everypony’s attention.
“All aboard to Fillydelphia!”
Once the passenger car doors slid open, three dozen ponies shoved their way inside the carriages, allowing the remaining crowd to spread out under the increasingly dimming sun. Five minutes later, the train chugged down the line only for another to take its place.
Twilight paced back and forth, “Where in Equestria is Rarity? Didn’t I tell her to be here at least thirty minutes early?”
“At least thirty times this week,” said Applejack with an eye roll. “I thought you sent Spike over to help with her luggage.”
“I did! Ughh! If we miss this train, the next train to Manehattan doesn’t leave for another two hours and we’ll be completely off-schedule.” Twilight pulled out a long parchment. ““I already reserved a carriage to take us through Central Trot before sundown today. If we miss that, we’ll—”
“—be late for dinner with Aunt and Uncle Orange at that fancy place,” Applejack finished, placing herself in Twilight’s path. “Don’t you fret, Sugarcube. They won’t be upset if we’re a might late.” Under her breath, “Hopefully.”
She then turned toward the train station’s wall where Rainbow leaned against it, her usually vibrant colors dimmed by the overhang’s shade. The daredevil mare had that look of a prisoner who never had a visitor until noticing Applejack’s staring her way.
“Hey, Applejack! Um, you need me to find Rarity for you?”
The cowpony winced. “Well, I… that’s okay, RD. I mean, your, um… I’ll ask Fluttershy instead.”
Rainbow glanced at her cast. “Oh. All right.”
Three words, that was the most Rainbow had said all morning. Then a smile, one more painful to exert than her injured wing but it was enough to shoo away the orange mare. After all, she would be staying behind so it made little sense getting involved in their affairs. Besides, she’d have to get used to not getting to converse with her friends. This moment served as good practice although a part of her wished they would bug her about staying behind once more, even if her answer would be the same.
From her left approached a moving stack of handbags and suitcases, its owner strutting beside them wearing a silk mauve dress and a matching colored flower hat.
“Apologies for being fashionably late,” Rarity spoke, “but I had some last minute packing to do.”
Suddenly, the mountain of luggage collapsed onto the platform, as did the courteous small dragon.
“Anything else I can do for you?” Spike wheezed.
Rarity patted his head. “That will be all for now.”
Twilight counted the baggage as a burly stallion placed it on a cart. “You need this much, Rarity?”
“I must be ready for every occasion. You do realize we’re not coming back until next Saturday?”
More like next month.
Rarity levitated a sheet, and then took out a pair of just-for-show reading glasses. “There is one item I want to discuss before we leave. On your schedule here, there is an event tomorrow that I would like to have removed for—”
“Oh, no! What did I specifically say on Wednesday?” Twilight rolled up the parchment and waved it like teaching stick. “This schedule is final except in case of emergency!”
“But this is an emergency,” Rarity replied, adjusting her glasses.
“That’s what you said about the other thing while we were cleaning up yesterday!”
Withholding her laughter, Applejack whispered to Fluttershy and Pinkie, “Here we go again.”
Then came the whistle followed by the call for the Manehattan Express. Rainbow trotted from the shadows to beside one of the many openings to the train. She yearned for acknowledgment one last time. Maybe that would be enough to tide her over until their return.
First up were the two bickering unicorns. Rainbow waved them a goodbye, receiving a cursory mumble before Twilight and Rarity continued their scheduling squabble.
That’s okay. They’re... busy.
Up next was Pinkie Pie - now there was a pony that could make a scene out of a simple farewell. Unfortunately, she had a sleeping Spike on her back but that didn’t stop her from delivering a quick grin before stepping into the passenger car.
Better than nothing, I guess.
Applejack, an honest pony but straight to the point- Rainbow expected nothing more than a tip of the hat. However, she stopped right in front of her; maybe she was the designated ‘I’m staying behind with you’ pony!
“Rainbow, could you do me a favor? When you see that Flying fella again, tell him to go easy placing rain clouds over the farm. Big Mac’s a bit worried about flooding. I told him there was no way that was happening with all the trenches we dug but just in case. Thanks!”
Work? For pete’s sake, Applejack! “Fine but you owe me —”
The cowpony had already left, with Fluttershy taking her spot.
“Rainbow, be nice to Angel.”
The brash mare snorted. “I’ll try, but I’m not guaranteeing anything.”
“Remember to tell Nurse Redheart about the medicine.”
“I’ll try to move up my appointment.”
Fluttershy stared at the wooden planks below her hooves. “Um, Rainbow? I know you’ve already made up your mind but… well, I—”
Rainbow nudged her onto the railcar. “It’s all right. Just promise me you’ll have a great time.”
Her friend nodded and then inched closer. A hug, that could’ve been the only explanation and despite the cast and crowds around them, Rainbow would accept it without hesitation.
The train door suddenly slid closed, splitting them apart.
Moments later, she saw all her friends one last time, waving goodbye from open windows as the locomotive tooted its horn while laboring away from the station. Clear smoke soon enveloped Rainbow and when it cleared, she saw them no more. Even so, she ran to the platform’s edge and watched the Manehattan Express take her friends to a new adventure while another train arrived to take even more ponies to places beyond Ponyville. Despite the continuing hustle and bustle of departing passengers behind her, Rainbow only heard the fading whistles of the locomotive that just left until its caboose disappeared into a tunnel. Then, the last glimmers of sun vanished, leaving her under a sea of pale grey.
“Have fun, you guys,” she whispered.
Something wet trickled down her cheek, followed by another splashing on top of her head. In seconds, ponies around her ran for any type of protection from the water bombardment.
“What in Equestria? It’s not supposed to start yet!”
Rainbow stared upwards, finding what looked like a greyish dot flailing his hooves at a darker gray blob. Then, the two figures flew into the rain-producing cloud, splitting it into pieces and ending the shower.
Not even a whole day and there’s problems already. Great. I better figure out Fly’s deal before he really messes up my skies.
Where is he?
Rainbow slouched on the chaise lounger by the window, her eyes glancing at the murky clumpy clouds shifting across the sky. She had been keeping count on the number of layers, knowing that the stallion temporarily in command wouldn’t arrive until the patrol placed the requisite number to keep the rains going once they began.
She checked the clock on the wall; it was three hours after scheduled sundown.
Ugh! They should’ve been done about an hour ago! Don’t tell me he ditched me!
She could do nothing except clutch on a pillow and sigh. Usually, Fluttershy’s cottage lacked much noise other than from the nature surrounding it but even that was gone. Angel was somewhere in the house although Rainbow hadn’t seen him in hours. A brief back-and-forth would’ve been welcome, something to take her mind off the friends that, by now, were probably enjoying a fancy dinner in a ritzy Manehattan restaurant.
It’s all right. I’d probably be eating yucky food and wearing fancy clothes… with my friends. Rainbow hugged the pillow tighter. This isn’t much fun at all.
Then came a knock, a magical sound that sent her spirits soaring. Maybe it was one of her friends, coming back to be by her side after all. She trotted toward the door, asking who was here at this hour.
“It’s Fly!” the visitor responded.
So much for that slim hope, but at this rate, Rainbow would’ve welcomed the most boring pony in Ponyville. Before opening the door, she searched for the right state of mind; there was no way she would show any signs of weakness.
“You’re late,” a frowning Rainbow barked as she blocked his path. “Already starting off on the wrong hoof.”
Swift pushed up his goggles. “My bad, Rainbow. Um—” He tried going around her to no avail — “I had some, um, problems.”
“What a surprise,” she deadpanned. “All right. Get in here and tell me.”
Rainbow directed him to an easy chair diagonally across from the green couch by the window. After she sat down, Swift pulled out a few sheets from his satchel and placed it on the coffee table.
“What’s that?”
“The report I gave to the Committee this afternoon.”
“Huh?” She flipped through the pages, her eyebrows slanting downwards. “Why did you do that? I’ve never bothered with that kind of stuff.”
Clutching his hair, “My bad. I’m just used to doing—”
“Yeah, yeah. Just give me a sec.”
While she’d rather hear from him than read, Rainbow couldn’t overlook what other eyes had already seen. She expected scathing criticism but instead found a simple and factual description of what happened today - mishaps at the Cloud Factory, certain ponies that made expected mistakes and others that caused trouble. Nothing came as a surprise, especially how the newcomer tried handling each situation.
Rainbow crumpled up a page and then chucked it at Swift’s face.
He snatched it with his mouth. “What was that for?” he mumbled.
Crossing her hooves, “Are you sure you can handle this?”
“Eh?”
“How often do you deal with problems with your Brayside team?”
He raised a limp hoof, “Well, um, my team’s a lot more experienced and yeah, there’s one or two troublemakers but—”
She threw another crumpled sheet; he avoided it with a slight head tilt. “Thought so. Your squad all but runs itself. Well, my patrol’s no cakewalk. You gotta be on top of this job at all times. You gotta know what you’re doing. You gotta be a strong leader and honestly, I don’t think that’s you.”
His head slumped, and she took that as the stallion folding like a lawn chair at her rebuke.
“I know I can do this,” he responded an octave lower. Swift then stared right at her. “Maybe I’m not the best leader out there but Ponyville trusts the team and I to bring them rain for quite a while. Sure, we’ll have our wipeouts but shoot, we’re pulling this off, no matter what happens.”
That sudden burst of determination, where did that come from? Her perception of Swift Flying was becoming more of a puzzle - a welcome one that could keep her busy until her friends returned from Manehattan.
“Rainbow, if there’s anything you could do to help me, though, I’m all ears.”
Smirking, “You wanting help from me? Hmmm. Tell you what. I will, but on one condition.”
His pupils retracted, “What condition is that?”
“I want to know exactly what the deal with your name is.”
Swift leaned against the seatback. “C’mon! Can’t it be something else? I don’t like—”
“Take it or leave it, Swift.”
He covered his ears, hissing as though acid spilled onto his coat. Rainbow cackled with glee, her hooves banging on the cushions. How she wished he’d reject as an excuse to say his first name again!
“Fine,” he muttered under his breath, “but try not to laugh too much.”
“N-nno promises,” the out-of-breath mare said.
Swift stared at the ceiling, a more preferable sight “My name comes from both my mom and dad, ‘S’ Gale and Cloud Flying. Do you know why they did that? Because they really—” His face writhed “—love each other, I’m a symbol of that and they just have to tell everypony about it. Friends, strangers, it doesn’t matter who, when, and where. The worst was my first day of school when they told the whole class. That was the worst week I’ve ever had, all the teasing about my name.”
“And you let them get away with it.” She snorted amusedly. “What a foal.”
His ears drooped. “Yeah, whatever. Anyways, at least I got a break from it when I earned my cutie mark.”
“Oh, really?” She stretched across the lounger on her stomach. “C’mon. I wanna hear that too!”
Swift shut his eyes, searching for the words to match his memories.
*** Start Flashback ***
A young gray colt sat at the end of a table, watching the clouds pass by beyond the paned windows. All around him was the Saddlecloud Flight School’s cafeteria, a square area with several pillars supporting the high ceiling. A few colts and mares stood in line for whatever slimy goop the cafeteria staff dared to call food but most were already munching down their grub while chatting with their classmates.
He wanted none of that, at least not right now.
“I’m not Swift,” the colt grumbled under his breath. “That name is dumb.”
While he wasn’t on speaking terms with his mom, he did accept the meal prepared for him, a simple but delectable daffodil sandwich. Swift took it out of his knapsack and went for a bite.
Suddenly, a pair of hooves yanked away his meal. Three shadows towered over him but he didn’t look back - Swift already knew they were same bully trio that had bugged him the most this first week of school.
The largest spun him around so he could see his buff tan frame. “How you’re doing, Swift? It’s your buddy, Pad Lock. When will you tell us that lovey-dovey story again?”
Swift said nothing.
The second colt, a tall but slim pony, furiously rubbed his hair, “Poor Swift! I think mommy and daddy needs to tuck lover-pony in!”
Again, he remained silent.
Finally, the last colt, the heaviest looking of the trio, placed Swift in a headlock, and then pointed at some fillies sitting together at another table. “So, which one are you gonna marry? I can ask for their names to help you out!”
“Whatever,” he mumbled.
Pad Lock began chewing on Swift’s sandwich. “Is that all the little foal has to say? What a lame-o! Fruit Tart! Barrel Lift! C’mon! I see some colt with a tasty pie! Time for dessert!
All three gave him a shove before leaving with a cocky laugh.
Seconds later, Swift grumbled as he peeked into his lunch bag for whatever he could salvage for a meal.
“Milk and carrots? Really?”
Swift pushed it aside before slouching on the table. Already, he could hear the poor classmate whining about his stolen baked treat along with the murmurs from others wishing somepony would do something about these bullies. He heard similar talk for five straight days but that’s all it was. Nopony took action and for whatever reason, that riled him up almost as much as hearing his name. Swift grabbed his lunch bag, his instincts urging him to ignore his inhibitions.
Just let it go. If I try anything, I’ll… “Eh?”
He noticed the troublemaking three making a trip to the table three rows from his position. The group of at least five students sitting there was those he knew, the colts and fillies that had trouble flying. Usually, an adult kept an eye on them but today, nopony stopped the bullies from belittling them. Heads sunk and tears fell but that only intensified the taunts, as did a flame that lit within his chest.
This isn’t wicked at all! Shoot! I wanna do something but… I just can’t!
Then, one from the group rose up, a redheaded filly with an orange coat. She held her lunch tray up but just as she went for an attack, the largest bully pushed her onto the floor.
I can’t take this anymore!
With all his might, Swift tossed his leftover lunch at the trio.
Splash! The milk carton exploded, dousing his targets with white liquid mixed with uneaten vegetables. Those in the room gasped while he, for an instant, sensed thrilling accomplishment. They deserved what they got, consequences be damned.
“Who did that?” Pad Lock bellowed, his voice echoing across the cafeteria.
Everypony pointed in Swift’s direction; even the sun decided to shine brighter in his area. The three steaming-red colts powered up their wings, making his trembling appendages unfurl.
What should I do? What should I do?
“Fly!” the redheaded mare shouted. “Fly away!”
Instincts taking over, Swift blasted upwards, avoiding their tackling attempt. He then propelled forwards, searching for an exit but finding fixtures and pillars. After zipping past a support, he hid behind it for cover but his swinging tail might as well been a flare in a dark room. His pursuers immediately called out his location and in an eye blink, tried pinning him against the pillar.
“Ahhhh!”
Swift dove straight toward the floor, waiting until the last second to level off. The largest bully belly-flopped through the table, launching half-eaten lunches ten feet into the air. The other two split their routes, and hit the afterburners, their aim to squish him from both sides. His instincts slammed the brakes, and just like that, two pegasi crashed right in front of him before falling onto the floor.
Oh, shoot! Did I just do—
“Look out!” a bystander said.
Barrel roll! There went the fat colt with a failed lunge but how was he pulling all these moves? This was no time to ponder; all three bullies came for another go at him.
Exit! Where’s the exit?
He zigged and zagged through the pillars, the only way to stymie his capture while searching for a doorway. The trio countered by splitting their efforts, attacking him from all directions but once more, inner impulses guided him; somersault, flip, spin, dive and roll. With every attempt, what was lightning flashes slowed to a baseball pitch. Dodging became easier, at least until Pad Lock managed to grab his tail and toss him straight at a pillar at bone-crushing speeds.
Swift stretched his wings wide, slowing him down just enough that his hooves took the brunt of the impact. They bended but not only held, but then propelled him in the direction of an open doorway.
The exit!
In seconds, he was out of the cafeteria and into a hallway with pale green lockers on both sides.
If I can just get outside or find the principal’s office—
Out of time. The bullies started chasing him down the narrow corridors, each one indistinguishable from the other. He was going too fast to read the door signs to find a safe destination but not fast enough to pull away from his pursuers. His heart seized, realizing coming to this area was a mistake; he should’ve stayed in the roomy cafeteria until the adults arrived. His only hope was to find it after the next bend but instead, he eventually ran into a dead end. He skidded to a halt, and then turned around.
“You’re trapped, twerp!”
The trio stood shoulder-to-shoulder several feet away, their stance that of bulls ready to charge at its target. One way or another, somepony’s going to hit the lockers and he’d rather it be they than him. He had no red cape but maybe a taunt would do.
My head must be in the clouds!
He gulped, swallowing his fear before leaning forward.“Come on and get me! Come and get it!”
“Pound him!”
In union, three ponies blasted toward him, their forms becoming a blur. Swift sprinted right at them, wings extended. He motioned upwards, causing the fat colt to block that route.
Now!
Swift slid right under Pad Lock’s hooves, using his own to trip the lead bully into a flip, collecting the other two. At full speed, all three banged right into the lockers, the force loosening the many doors and unleashing an avalanche of heavy tomes on top of them. For a few seconds, the pile shifted as though one of them tried to continue the chase but he eventually collapsed and joined the others in their moaning and groaning.
Finally, the young gray colt could slump against the lockers and catch his breath. “Did I just do that?”
“You totally did!” replied an approaching perky feminine voice.
Into his sights appeared the redhead filly, grinning from ear to ear. Behind her was those she tried to defend with those that watched in the cafeteria steadily flowing into the dead-end corridor.
“I was gonna whack some sense into them but you beat me to it.”
“I wasn’t really trying to,” he said, scratching his hair. “When they pushed you down, I… well, it just—”
The filly tittered as she flicked one of her braids. “Oh, I see. You were standing up for me.” She leaned to within inches of his face. “That was sweet of you.”
The crowd whooped and hollered for a kiss, but he was having none of that. “No! Don’t! Cooties! Anything but that!”
She pulled back, giggling. “Awwww. Well, doesn’t matter. I wasn’t going to kiss you anyways. Name’s Surfing Blossom. And you are?”
Before he could elaborate, somepony within the crowd shouted it out. That got the others to chant ‘Swift’ repeatedly in a way that should’ve been acceptable to him.
But it wasn’t. Every incantation was a painful needle injection to his flank. How he wanted it to stop and it did, thanks to Blossom slamming a lunch tray against the lockers.
“Quiiiiiiii-ettttttttttttt!”
In an instant, the corridor turned into a library, its occupants stunned by the filly’s shrill roar. For all the pain he just inflicted on the bullies, she might be capable of more. That poor piece of plastic snapped in two like a twig!
She extended her orange hoof to him, the fury in her orange eyes gone. “I’m sorry. I forgot you’re that pony that was teased about their name. So, what do you want everypony to call you instead?”
“Fly,” he replied as he got up on all fours. “Just call me, Fly.”
Blossom winked. “Ok! Oh, by the way, nice cutie mark!”
“Eh?”
That couldn’t be - his flank was empty real estate this morning! When he checked, there it was in full display, an inverted bolt over a cloud. Another surprise, the shape and colors came from both his parents! Surely, that would only give them more ammunition to embarrass him but for now, this was receiving everything on his wish list on Hearts Warming Day.
“My cutie mark!” Swift hovered in random directions, his hooves busting a move. “Most wicked day e– oof!”
Swift believed he bumped into a wall but rather, it was a bearded stallion wearing square spectacles. His towering presence had every pupil trembling; a few whispered that big trouble was coming.
“‘S–sup, C–counselor Ruler.” Swift wiped sweat off his forehead. “I—”
The stallion pointed at the crime scene, “You’ve injured your fellow classmates, you’ve caused a major disruption and you’ve damaged school property! Now—” In a hushed tone —“what do you have to say for yourself?”
He had nothing to give, especially after such a verbal assault. Then, he caught a glimpse of Surfing Blossom among those that got bullied in the cafeteria. No more tears, just smiles and in that moment, it all made sense.
“I, I wasn’t trying to, um” — Swift took a tall stance — “I had to do what I thought was right.”
Ruler grabbed him by the hoof. “We’ll see what the principal has to say about that!”
*** End Flashback ***
“Did you get in trouble?” said Rainbow, leaning at the couch’s edge.
Swift slouched on the easy chair. “Two weeks detention.”
She banged the coffee table. “That’s totally unfair! Don’t tell me your parents grounded you too?”
“Actually,” he let out an amused snort, “they were cool with it. Mom wanted me to ask Blossom out.” He stuck out his tongue. “My pop gave me this really long speech about pegasus pride. Pfft. That’s so old scho—”
“Aw, yeah! Good ol’ pegasus pride!” She stood up, chest inflated and hoof over it. “Be strong! Be fast! Be tough! Earn that pride! Keep it! Use it! Be the best, for you, for all pegasi!”
Swift shrugged. “All these years and I still don’t get it.”
Rainbow crumpled another page, and let him have it - he swatted it away with ease.
“What was that for?”
Sitting back down, “Because you missed the lesson. You think what you did that day was all about doing the right thing?”
He nodded.
“Wrong! It was about defending your pegasus pride by teaching those bullies a lesson! Well, don’t worry. Once I’m done with you, you’ll totally get it.”
One crumpled piece of paper, two and three, Rainbow went on the attack. Swift leapt from his chair and slid backwards over the wooden floor, avoiding the projectiles.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! What are you doing?”
She pointed at the wasted ammunition, “Lesson’s starts now! Defend yourself!”
“Eh?”
Rainbow opened a ream from a nearby shelf. “Throw it back!”
The stallion took a step back. “Really? Don’t you think this is— ah!”
In came an endless barrage and all he could do was avoid. Papercuts sting and he didn’t want one tonight but this mare had the hooves to heave these paper balls with speed. Her cast, it was mere wardrobe with how hard she was trying to hit him.
“Stop” — She tossed five all at once — “moving!”
He continued dodging, much to her chagrin. It was time to unleash her weapon.
“You’re mine, Swift!”
He froze in place, leaving him wide open for easy pot shots. One grazed his cheek, the paper’s edge slicing through his flesh. Swift body rolled, grabbed himself a crumpled ball and threw it at his assailant.
“Ow!”
Oh, how wrong that was of him and yet, satisfying like gobbling a tub of ice cream. He hit her again, right on the muzzle.
“Hey! Not the face!”
He broke out a laugh. “Y–you said to defend myself, right?”
“En garde!”
In moments, Fluttershy’s living room turned into a winter wonderland but with white paper zipping through the air rather than frozen mush. Whatever objective Rainbow had for this exercise was but a distant memory. Her chortles threw off her aim and made her a large target but her joy was that of a filly in a playground chasing down a colt playmate.
Then, the floor beneath her hooves vanished and she fell. Rainbow tried flapping her wings but a strong force was pushing her downwards. Green, a wide patch of it, she was gonna crash! Her mouth opened to yell but a voice immediately shattered her hallucination into pieces.
“Rainbow! Rainbow!”
She was back to reality, lying flat on the floor with a closeup of Swift’s trembling blue eyes.
“Are you all right?”
Rainbow rubbed her eyes, “Darnit. I already chucked those pills and it still hit me.”
Swift’s folded left wing began twitching. “What did?”
“Ugh. I don’t know. It’s like… I wonder.” She rose up. “They day I crashed, I don’t remember anything that happened. Maybe my head’s trying to and that’s why keep feeling this weirdness.”
His appendage trembled even harder and his breaths became raspy.
“Darnit, Fly! Whatever I have is not contagious so stop acting all scared and stuff! Besides, I’ll finally have an answer tomorrow.”
“T–tomorrow?”
Returning to the green couch, “I was able to move up my next appointment with Nurse Redheart. Even better, I think I can convince her to take off this silly cast. Isn’t that great?”
Swift plopped onto his chair. “Wicked, I guess.”
“You sound excited,” she muttered.
“Nah, nah. I just… need to catch my breath. Hey, um, how about that help you promised me? You know, so I can be a better leader out there?”
Rainbow moaned aloud. “Fine. Just make sure you’re paying attention because I’m only going to bore you once.”
He had no problems with a lecture; it would keep his mind busy listening to every syllable rather than thoughts emerging into his consciousness. Soon, he realized that no matter how much new material Rainbow was giving him, he couldn’t forget her momentary seizure. Every time she asked if he was listening, he answered with a simple ‘Gotcha’. Eventually, she caught wind of this habit, so she blabbed some gibberish.
“You got that, Fly?”
“Eh? What was that all about?”
She lazily tossed a pillow at him; no surprise that he caught it. “Just seeing if you’re paying attention. Now, where was I?”
“Dealing with the Cloud Factory,” Swift said.
Rainbow continued down a list of need-to-knows, especially the ponies he would deal with for the upcoming days. If anything, this was an excuse to air her grievances about just about everything about her job and on those within her patrol that gave her issues. She had enough material to talk nonstop for half an hour.
“...but this is the most important thing to remember. Keep an eye on Thunderlane and Raindrops at all times!” Pointing at Swift, “at all times!”
He snorted. “Believe me, you don’t need to tell me twice. With them and all the other problems I had today, I had to push the rain’s start time from sunrise to noon tomorrow.”
“Noon?” she said an octave higher than normal. Then, a sigh. “Well, I suppose that’s not too bad. You know, my appointment at eleven so maybe I can quickly check up on you afterwards.”
“Eh?”
She pressed on her cast, “See? Almost can’t feel anything. I should have enough in me to fly, dontcha think?”
“Fly?” His left wing went into spasms and the air around him became mountain peak thin.
“What’s wrong with you now?” She got up and waved her hooves across his eyes. “Seriously, are you getting sick or something?”
He feigned a cough. “Um, could be. Maybe I should just… catch some early z’s just in case.”
She checked the time; ten o’clock. “Are you sure? I wasn’t quite finished yet.”
He walked toward the door, “No worries. You gave me enough to work with.”
“Ha! Hardly! Well, I’ll be sure to tell you more tomorrow. Something tells me I won’t be cleared to come back right away so maybe we can hook up after work, say my place? You do know where that is, right?”
Swift lowered his goggles, “That really wicked place floating a few miles from here? Yeah, I personally checked that it’s anchored in place. Something told me you’ve have my head if something happened to it.”
“Darn right,” she said, chuckling. “I’ll give you a little credit for having some of your priorities straight.”
“No prob. Later, then.”
With a door click, Rainbow was left alone in the middle of the living room wondering why he wanted to leave so suddenly.
Why is he getting all freaked out like that? She tossed herself onto the lounger and clutched on a pillow. I know my friends were worried about me but he just got here. Does he know something?
Rainbow slapped her forehead.
I’m reading too much into it. Fly’s just kinda weird, that’s all.
She checked the world past her window, the outside’s colors dim and uninviting. Manehattan at this hour must be glistening with more hues than her tail, she thought, and her friends must be bathing in its glow.
They must be having the time of their lives, without her.
Then, a crumpled sheet smacked her ear.
“Hey! Who did that?”
Angel stood atop the coffee table, pointing at the endless wasted ammunition littered across the floor. He spoke some gibberish which, based on his subsequent motions, was a rant about not picking up the trash.
“I’ll clean up later,” she moaned.
The rabbit popped her with another rolled-up sheet.
“Why you little—”
She lunged at him, but rather than catch a rabbit, the table toppled from under her, sending her rolling onto the hardwood.
“Ugggggh! Angel!”
He delivered one last hit before scurrying up the staircase, tittering all the way.
Rainbow buried her head onto the paneling. “Just one more night. Just one more night.”