State of Lincoln
Equestrian Reservation
SulferHoof
8:47 am
Rainbow stared blankly at the blue flight-suit that had been hidden at the bottom of the dresser drawer. She slowly pressed her hoof into it feeling the familiar breezy silk material. Sighing gently she started to pull it out and allowed it to unfold, while she looked at the yellow lightning bolts that decorated the chest of it. She then rested on her bed and started to try and pull it on... only to hit a snag... particularly as she pulled it up closer to her flanks.
“Stupid... come on... fit!!!” She growled attempting to pull the uniform on, but the formally form-fitting uniform appeared to be just a bit too small. After another few minutes of fruitless tugging and cursed she let go of the uniform allowing it to spill back onto the floor while she fell backward in bed. Pressing her hooves into her face while she attempted to process whether she wanted to cry or scream in rage.
Luckily she didn’t have to decide as the sound of a hoof knocking on her bedroom door was heard. “Rainbow, honey? I just finished breakfast...” Her mother spoke from the other side.
Rainbow grumbled to herself kicking the disused uniform under her single bed before trotting out of her room. The first thing she experienced was the smell of her mother’s mustard green omelets, the second was hearing her father's cough and hiss of his inhaler. “Morning mom... dad....” She mumbled trotting over to the opposite side of the table from her father.
Bow Hothoof looked up from the newspaper. “Morning trotter, sleep well?” He asked raising an eyebrow.
Rainbow watcher her mother plate the omelets from the iron skillet and set them down on the table. “I guess so.” Rainbow said as she started to pour some ketchup onto the omelet.
The two older ponies looked at one another with a look of concern. Seemingly as if they were thinking about how to disarm a land mine. After a few moments of unspoken conversation, it seemed that they had decided who should speak first. Though Windy certainly didn’t look happy she had pulled the short end of the stick.
“...Well, maybe you could fill out some more job applications.” Windy Whistles said gently to her daughter.
Rainbow rolled her eyes annoyed. “Not this again...I have a job...” She muttered through her mouthfuls of the omelet.
“Rainbow... that... place is beneath you! Is that really what you wanna do for the rest of your life?! Until somepony gets a lucky buck to the side of your head?!” Bow shouted.
“Well, I don’t see you complaining when my winnings paid for your inhaler dad! Fighting is what I’m good at!” Rainbow stopped eating to shout at them. “And I definitely didn’t see you complaining mom when I bought groceries and those cooking sets!”
“Rainbow it’s not about the money! You're a flier, not a fighter! You're a Wonderbolt!” Windy pleaded tearing up.
“I’m not anything! I gave up my right to be a flier when I turned my back on my team because I valued her orders more than them and the whole of Cloudsdale!” She shouted getting up from the table.
“Rainbow...” Bow tried to get up but started to hack and cough struggling to reach his inhaler on the table.
Windy quickly rushed over to her wheezing husband grabbing the inhaler and pressing it to his mouth. The poor stallion breathing it into his damaged lungs. With Rainbow not even looking back too upset to look at either of her parents, despite the medical emergency.
“Me... a Wonderbolt... what a joke...” Rainbow muttered trotting to the front door of the emergency shelter. “I’m going out...” She slammed the door behind her.
———————————————————
After leaving her home Rainbow had quickly put her mind on jogging. Exercise was one of the few things that could take her mind off her thoughts. The pounding of her hooves and heart beating in her ears always drowned out the darker thoughts. But just because it drowned out her thoughts didn’t mean the scenery brought much cheer. Sulferhoof was a far cry from Ponyville or Cloudsdale.
The faint smell of bad eggs was a constant reminder of the sulfur mines upwind of the settlement. While the dusty and barren badlands around them were nearly absent of green, the only exceptions being a few cactus. But the worst part of it all was the homes many ponies lived in. Identical boxy dirty white dwellings all lining the unpaved road, some had three rooms, but most had only two, despite many of them holding families within. Most who had three rooms had to buy the extension themselves as being placed on the waiting list was akin to waiting to win the lotto.
She continued to jog down the road seeing Blue Streaks Stable, the only official bar in the settlement, and the only place she wouldn’t go... despite the booze. It wasn’t overly impressive just a large old west styled shed that Spitfire had turned into a Stable. The sign was just painted on a large board with some string lights around it so it would be visible at night. Even from the distance, she could hear Surprise playing her saxophone. It almost looked and sounded inviting, which is why she took a hard 90 degree turn to the right towards the badlands.
Once one got out of the settlement the noise just seemed to die off leaving only the winds blowing over the rocky terrain. It was so... depressing. She slowly climbed up a dusty hill and sat down for a moment looking over the settlement. After taking a moment to collect her thoughts she finally said something, despite their not being anyone around to hear.
“What a dump...” She mumbled as she rested in place waiting for nothing in particular.
Eventually, she grew bored of sitting in place and started to make her way back down the hill. A singular goal in mind, Bulk Biceps improvised gym. The sound of her speedy trot and heartbeat filled her ears, drowning out her thoughts.
———————————————————
Rainbow lifted the rusty dumbbells up and down, the aches in her foreleg muscles making her almost smile. Like her trots, it was just another way to drown out her feelings. Up, down... up, down.... then after 20 she would move onto the leg press. 20 leg presses, then followed by 20 weighted crunches. Yet despite these workouts, she couldn’t quite lose her gut. She certainly had muscle, Score's missing teeth could attest to that. But that stomach never seemed to go away.
“Rainbow?” The familiar gruff voice of Bulk Biceps broke the blue mare out of her stupor.
She looked up at the bulky white stallion. “What?” She said rudely, not happy somepony had interrupted her workout.
The stallion kept his face slightly turned to the left hiding his left cheek as he looked at her. “I’ve been meaning to talk with you, I know what you’ve been up too at night.” He said eyeing her with his right eye.
“What about it? Money’s good.” She mumbled setting the dumbbells back down.
“Ponies get hurt in those pits Rainbow! How do you think it makes me feel that you're using my equipment to help kill yourself!” He growled stamping his hoof into the ground, cracking the dry earth.
“Kill myself? That money from the pit is keeping me and my parents alive.” She chuckled while making her way to the leg press. Brushing off the stallion.
“Ya, they pay the bills... until some pony manages too nail you in the wrong spot! Then what happens to your parents?!” He follows her to the leg press.
Just as she moved to load up the 50-pound weights into the press a powerful hoof stopped her. “I’m not letting you use my equipment Rainbow...not so you can kill yourself..” He said evenly his right eye twitching. “I refuse to serve pit fighters here...”
“Pit fighting is what I’m good at...what do you expect me to do? Work at some retail store for less than minimum wage? Ya right.” She rolled her eyes at the stallion.
“I know it’s not ideal, but ponies are working their way up! My sisters Lotus and Aloe are already assistant managers at Massage Envy!”
“Ya, after working for peanuts for years. I’m surprised the fried flank sisters even got the job in the first place.” Rainbow rolled the 50-pound weight side to side on the ground.
“...Be very careful how you describe my sister's Rainbow...” Bulk's right eye twitched he didn’t take kindly to them being insulted.
“Hmf, not many ponies put money in that can over there.” She motioned her head over to a tin can set on a small stool, labeled $1 a Session. “Most ponies don’t even stop by, they just don’t care about working out after a long day working for the man.” She shrugged before giving him a toothy smile. “Oooor....”
His eye twitched again “What...”
“You sure you wanna hear it? You could just as easily let me go back to my reps.” She glared at him that toothy grin being wiped off her face before pressing it into the stallions. “Are you really gonna turn away your only paying customer?”
“Say it... I DARE YOU.” His eye twitched as he slowly turned his head to face her. That deep red scar tissue covering the left side of his face becoming visible.
“They don’t come because every time they see you, they just see an overcooked two-faced... monster...” She said in a low gravely voice.
“...Rainbow... leave... NOW....” His right eye visibly twitching as he barely contained his rage.
“Or what? Your gonna fight me?” She bumped her hoof against his steeled barrel. “Or maybe you’re gonna call your sisters and treat me to a triple horror feature...”
The rage coming off the stallion was almost enough to singe hairs. “L-Leave now... Rainbow!” He was visibly trembling trying to contain himself.
“Fight me!” She flares up her wings instinctively, going this long without doing something was allowing the memories and thoughts to come back. “Make we leave you overgrown frea-“ Rainbow was cut off with an inconsistently dainty hoof slamming into her muzzle sending her sprawling from the tarp-covered shelter. At that moment she smiled as the memories were drowned out by the ringing from that buck to the face.
She just laid in the dirt for a moment before chuckling as she sat back up. “Finally got you to punch me... now let’s see you make me leave!” She got back to her hooves.
Bulk stomped out, snorting almost like a feral animal while he turned his head to the right, the rage making his scarred face even more imposing. “Leave!” He roared barely holding onto his self-control.
“Bring it Roid Rage!” She yelled his hated nickname before slowly circling him.
At that moment two things happened... Bulk Biceps saw red... and a symphony of pain pushed bitter memories out of Rainbow's mind.
———————————————————
It had been hours since her scuffle with Bulk, and the pain was already dulling as the memories started to leak to the surface again. The silence of the barren Badlands around her certainly didn’t help either, but in the distance, she saw the familiar solution to both her problems. Lights coming from a large crater could be seen, with the voices of ponies being heard cheering. The Pit was the one place she truly felt her thoughts being stamped out. The cheers, the bucks, then booze, all worked together to drown out her feelings.
Once she got to the edge of the crater she took a moment to take it all in. Ponies sat or trotted around the gentle slopes, some killing about near the makeshift bar, while others placed their bets on a chalkboard. All this happening under the lights of oil lanterns, but the most important part of the pit was at the bottom. Two ponies could be seen in the makeshift ring, Score was currently circling the reigning champ Troubleshoes who just stood in the center with a look of blank resignation. He didn’t even bother to look directly at the pudgy grey stallion, almost looking bored about the entire thing.
Just as Rainbow was trotting down into the crater Score made his move rushing at the behemoth of a stallion. He started to pound his hooves into his side but Troubleshoes barely even moved. It was almost like watching a foal try to play fight their father. By the time Score realized he was boned the brown stallion sent him sprawling into the crowd with the barest flick of his foreleg. Everypony watched before giving him roaring applause and cheer, but the stallion seemed so disinterested with the whole affair. Simply trotting through the crowd presumably to get his winnings.
Rainbow watched him go before heading to the board to see who was fighting tonight. Eventually, she reached the board and looked it overseeing the list and assorted odds, she wasn’t suicidally stupid like Score. Trying to fight the king of the ring for the prize money is a great way to be put out of commission for weeks. She briefly looked back at Score who was being dragged to an impromptu medical tent, one punch left him unconscious, with a face swollen like he was poisoned by a manticore.
Shaking her head she focused her eyes back on the board looking for upper mid-range fighters. Her eyes ran over the board and centered on a good target. Hoops, that stallion had some decent odds, and she wouldn’t feel too bad about bucking a few teeth out of her bully. “Hey! Poindexter! Put me on the board, and set up a match with Hoops!”
The off white pimple-faced stallion behind the improvised counter turned to her with an unamused expression. “That’s not my name...” He grumpier irritated at the blue prismatic mare.
“Come on Pizza cheeks~.” She chuckled using another one of his hated nicknames. “I’m just trying to get some money.”
“Ya ya....” He rolled his eyes pushing his glasses up his muzzle. “Say my name right and I’ll consider it..” He looked at her annoyed by her antics.
“Fine, Gizmo no need to get you tail in a knot.” She rolled her eyes while the stallion sighed.
Gizmo mumbled writing something down on a small piece of paper before passing it to Snails. The young colt rushing off to notify Hoops he had a challenger. “Give it a few minutes...” Gizmo mumbled as he started to add the blue mare to the board.
Eventually, the stallion turned around giving her an annoyed look as they waited. The tension could almost be cut with a knife, luckily the mossy maned colt scampered back. “Hoops says it’s on!” He smiled innocently.
Rainbow tossed the colt a silver dollar which he quickly enveloped in his magic. “Place 200 on me to win Greasy Cheeks!” She slammed a bundle of crumpled bills on the counter.
Gizmo rolled his eyes taking note of the amount before slipping it behind the counter. “Your fight will be in 10 minutes.. try not to get too much of your blood on the front row. We have some well-to-do ponies here tonight, I'd like to make them regulars.”
Rainbow just gave him a cocky grin before nodding her head. “Forget that! I’ll give them a show!”
———————————————————-
Rainbow slowly swished her tail as she and Hoops circled each other in the ring. Each sizing the other one up while ponies cheered around them in a frenzy daring their champion to take the first swing at their opponent.
“Well well, if it ain’t Rainbow Crash, shouldn’t you be at home shoving snack cakes in your face? I didn’t think a fat flank like you would be this far from a couch!” He laughed while Rainbow ground her teeth.
“At least I don’t look like a budget horror movie villain! Can’t protect your pretty face in the ring? What do they call you now? Avocado face?!” She struggled to not let him get to her, but old scars from her foalhood were being drudged up just by seeing him.
He chuckled at her admittedly weak insult before finally taking a swing. Which she quickly countered with a block, but the power from his attack as still felt. No doubt she would have a welt on her right foreleg tonight. The burning sensation made her smile as she rushed to his side and swept her his legs from under him. “What was that Hoops? A bug bite!” She chuckled while the stallion slammed into the ground.
He growled and snorted working his hooves back under himself. “Hmmm, filly’s luck butter tub!” He quickly stood up circling her, while she watched bemusedly. He shook his head before rushing her again to which Rainbow attempted to block. But this time he dove the left brushing past her, she had a split second to realize what was coming next. Just before she could move out of the way he bucked her with his two back hooves sending her sprawling into the wire fence around the ring.
She grunted in pain feeling the rusted metal fence dig into her skin. She was likely going to have to visit the free clinic to get a tetanus shot. But just as she started to pull herself from the wire she felt another hoof slam her in the back of the head, causing her slam face-first into one of the metal posts. She could hear the ringing in her skull while her brain rocked inside. Hacking a bit of blood she shakily pushed herself off the fence, as she did so, she saw a familiar light turquoise face staring at her in the crowd.
While she froze looking into the gamboge eyes of the oddly dressed spectator she almost forgot she was in the middle of a match. Luckily Hoops was happy to remind her, grabbing her wings roughly and swinging her back down to the dirt. Doing so she felt her disused wings nearly pop out their sockets. While she gasped for breath she attempted to get her hooves back under herself again. “This is what I’m fighting tonight? Damn! I thought the flight school dropout he-she could at least throw a decent punch!” He laughed watching the mare flop around on the ground like a fish trying to catch her breath. “Awwww did fatty mare fall down, maybe I should call a crane?!” He bucked her in the side knocking her down to the dirt. The scarred bully grinned watching her struggle to catch her breath. “What’s wrong, low blood-sugar wide load? Maybe she needs her insulin!” The crowd started to laugh along with him.
Rainbow finally managed to get to her hooves while Hoops was entertaining the crowd with his jokes about her. She continued to struggle to properly catch her breath but smiled seeing his flanks were facing her. Before the stallion heard his fans warnings over the laughing the blue mare bucked him where the sun didn’t shine. The cringed as they could almost hear the crunch before the stallion crumpled to the ground. Once his fans overcame their shock they started to boo such a low blow. “No rules in the pit!” She laughed the ringing in her head nearly deafening her. “Let’s see if I can fix that ugly face of yours Hoops!” She straddled his barrel and proceeded to slam her forehooves into his face, over and over again.
A few of the more squeamish members of the crowd started to avert their eyes as the mare waled on the stallion's face. This wasn’t even a fight anymore, but they couldn’t do anything until the other either one screamed uncle or passed out. After a few minutes, with the crowd watching wide eyes as the mare attempted to cave in the barely conscious pony's face, somepony finally spoke up. “That’s enough! If you don’t stop you’ll kill him!!”
Rainbow looked up her ears swiveling to find the source of that familiar voice. But quickly raised her right hoof getting ready to ring that bloody faced stallions bell. But just as she was about to finish him a hoof grabbed her right leg. “Please! That’s enough Rainbow! One more hit and you’ll kill him!”
She growled in response turning her head to come face to face with somepony she hadn’t seen in years. “So? When you enter the ring you take that chance!” She started to wrench her foreleg out of Lightning Dust's hoof.
“Rainbow! Stop! Look at him!” Lightning Dust begged while Rainbow glanced down at the stallion. His eyes swollen shut, with his lips, split open and bleeding, his fur wasn’t normally such a... vibrant red color when this match started. He just whimpered, weakly crying from the sheer amount of pain coursing through his body.
“So what? He has two choices, pass out or scream uncle....” She growled as her hoof shook. “I’m not throwing the match so this pile of manure gets off easy.” She continued to pull her hoof out of Lightning Dust's hooves.
“So what! A few dollars is worth killing him over!” Rainbow finally turned her head to look at Lightning Dust. She hadn't changed a lot since the last time Rainbow had seen her, beyond a small nick in her left ear. The only other major difference was the bright orange coveralls that hugged her body.
“Its actually a few hundred dollars, and considering some of us gotta bring home the Haycon for our families!” She shoved her face into the mares. “Unless you’re willing to cover the loss! Let go!” She screamed, but Lightenings hoof squeezed the blue mares foreleg harder.
With a look of pure determination on her face Lightening Dust opened her mouth. “Gizmo! If Rainbow won this match what would be her cut!” She looked over at the pimple-faced stallion who sighed closing his eyes.
“About 413...” He said in a voice that conveyed he wasn’t liking where this had ended up.
Lightening looked back at the blue mare with an unbroken look of defiance. “....not even $500.....and you willing to......” She shook her head and glared at Rainbow. “Fine! How about I give you an even $1000 if you walk away!”
Rainbow's eyes narrowed. “A solid G? Nopony on the reservation has that kinda money... if your gonna lie to save this useless lumps life, your gon-“
“Who do you think Gizmo was talking about when he said to put on a show you thick-skulled dunce!” She motioned to a nervous group of ponies, a familiar young dragon, and a teary-eyed Gryphon currently cowering in her talons unable to watch, all wearing similar orange coveralls.
Rainbow stared at them all before slowly looking back. “...I want it in cash....” She pressed her muzzle against Ligjtenings. “Otherwise you’ll look worse than him.....”
“...fine! Gabby!” She looked over at the shaking gryphon who had only just managed to peak from her talons. “Go to the ATM and withdraw from my account...” She tossed a debit card to the gryphon.
“W-what’s the c-code?....” She asked nervously barely managing to catch it.
“First part of my old mailing address.” She said while Gabby nodded and quickly took flight. Likely eager to get away from the violence she had just seen. “While we wait...” She turned her head back to Rainbow. “Let’s have a chat... how about we get a drink?”
Rainbow finally pulled her self off the whimpering puddle of a stallion. “Ya.... sure... Hoops smells like he pissed himself anyway.....” She sighed and grumbled. “I need a drink...” She started to limp out of the ring with the orange suited mare.
———————————————————-
The two ponies sat the bar drinking some questionable hooch silently. Neither one making a move to speak as soon as the drinks were ordered. The only thing breaking up the silence was the lower tier fight that had started in the ring, after Hoops had been dragged away to the medical tent. It wasn’t nearly as intense, but it kept the locals entertained, which kept the bits moving at least.
Eventually, Lightning Dust spoke up, looking unsure of what to say. “It’s... been a long time Dash....” She finally muttered out looking up from the mug of oddly... green liquid.
“Mhm... last time I saw you was... I think when you started the Washouts...” She mumbled drinking from her mug while she leaned on the rougher sawn bar.
“Ya... a lot changed since then...” She said gently.
“It really has...” Rainbow mumbled.
“What happened to you?...” Lightening finally asked the blue mare.
“What you think nimrod? The war happened...” She mumbled with a hint of a lisp.
“Ya... but I never thought I’d see you again... especially in a place like....” She looked over, seeing a mare stagger out to the desert and proceed to vomit into the ground before collapsing. “This...”
“Meh... it pays the bills... better than working in a factory for less than minimum....” She slowly swirled the mug tapping the bar motioning to Leaky Still she wanted a refill. Which was promptly given.
“So.... because you don’t want to work for $3.62 an hour, you bash ponies heads in?” She said incredulously, not quite believing what she was hearing.
“....Ya, pretty much.... 400 something for one fight? That’s better then what I’d ever get anywhere else! Besides dads, meds ain’t cheap...” She sighed.
“So you're doing this for him... aren’t you?” Lightening developed a more thoughtful look on her face, but the frown remained.
“Mom too... but mostly dad... the free clinic only can do so much... they're all I got now...” She leaned her head into her hoof on the bar.
“...What about the Wonderbolts?” The orange suited mare asked. “Can’t they help?”
“Me?.... the Wonderbolts? Heh..... that bridge is burned... I was excommunicated less than two hours before the Cloudsdale raid....” She chuckled darkly but the corners of her eyes seemed to moisten a bit.
“E-excommunicated?....” Lightnings throat seemed to dry hearing that word. “Are you sure?...” She swallowed.
“Very sure...” A small tear leaked out of her eye which she promptly wiped away.
“But... why? You were their star attraction...” She said a little louder then she meant too, unable to believe it.
“Spitfire and I argued about some orders from Canterlot... It ended with her ripping off my badge and telling me to leave....” She wobbled on her seat downing another mug of the sickly green fluid.
“Orders?...” Lightening was careful not to sound like she was trying to press but curiously slipped into how she said it.
“Mhm... From her majesty herself... she wanted the entirety of the Wonderbolts mobilized for a mission.... recruit to elite... regardless of training....” She started to look a little green under the gills while struggling to hold her mug steady.
“What could require so many ponies?....” Lightnings curiously was peaked, wanting to know what could have sent a mare so low.
“She wanted.... us... to confront the entirety of the... American Pacific Fleet...” Rainbow struggled out, having to pause a few times to hold her booze down.
“...With support from the Equestrian Fleet?...” She said a little too hopefully.
“...heh... that’s a good one... every foal knows by then the fleet was all but wrecked... like sending bath toys to fight... behemoths....” She mumbled settling with just staring into her mug.
“But... without support... that’s suicide!” Lightening nearly spat out her drink.
“Spitfire thought so too... she knew what was coming... and that order would have left Cloudsdale defenseless... I was too stupid to think otherwise...” Rainbow just watched the green sludge settle in her mug, having given up trying to bring it to her mouth.
“That’s why she ordered the evacuation of Cloudsdale... isn’t it?...” She asked while Rainbow nodded her head.
“She knew the Wonderbolts couldn’t stop what was coming... and she saw that order for what it was... a suicide mission to buy Sunbutt maybe an extra day... at best...” The tears just continued to leak out. “I called her a traitor... she said I wasn’t loyal... that I never understood what it meant to be a Wonderbolt...” She sniffed. “She tore off my badge and crushed it with her bare hoof...Nevermind tarnishing my uniform...” Hearing that last part made Lightnings heart stop, even her actions in the past didn’t warrant that.
“...You weren’t exaggerating... she really did it...” Lightening said trying to process it.
“Mhm...Not being dumb enough to try and fight the fleet all on my own... I flew home and forced my parents to pack the camping gear... and we ran...” She swallowed remembering her frantic confused parents when she arrived home that day. “...not more than 2 hours later... Cloudsdale Weather Corp was hit in a bombing... and you know what happened after that...”
Lightning Dust nodded. “I never saw it... being all the way in Appaloosa... but I heard... when they hit the factory... it caused the single biggest weather-related disaster in history... Cloudsdale was torn to bits...” She swallowed remembering when she had first heard about it.
“Say what you will about Spitfire being a flankhole... she pushed the civilians to pack up and leave just in time... if we had followed orders like I had wanted... they would have been all dead and we wouldn’t have even known... because we would still be flying out to our deaths...” She sniffed lowering her head down to the splintered wood bar.
“You hate yourself because what you thought was being loyal...”
“Would’ve killed at least 5,000 ponies... ponies I grew up with... ponies I saw every day on my way to the academy... ponies... I was supposed to protect...” She just stared blankly.
“You didn’t know... you were just as blinded by her as everypony else was...” She reached out a hoof and rubbed the mares back noticing the tight bandages covering her wings.
“That doesn’t excuse it though... I never thought about those ponies... all I thought about was the princess's orders... now look where it’s gotten us...” She looked back sadly at the pit fights going on. “Is this where our loyalty leads? Or did I just never understand it, to begin with... when ponies I’m loyal too have different orders...goals...who... what am I supposed to be loyal too?...”
Lightnings frown only deepened, as she was stumped herself, what could she say? This mare was once the famed element of loyalty, yet here she was questioning the meaning of her own element. “I don’t know Rainbow... the war made us all question a lot of things we took for granted... but is this really how you want to spend your life now?... spending the prime of your life... here?...” She motioned around the pit fighting arena, where numerous ponies could be seen cheering as two ponies attempted to knock their brains out in the pit.
“What of it? I’m good at fighting... it pays the bills...” Rainbow looked back at her, that bright spark long gone in the eyes of her rival.
“You used to be good... no...one of the best at flying!” Lightening shouted, not quite able to say that Rainbow just might even be better than her. Even by a little.
“So?... a lot of ponies used to be good at things... doesn’t matter here... most of those things are obsolete...” Rainbow said solemnly while staring back forward at the unattended tap, just leaking a bit of the bitter green stuff.
“Maybe for most...” A business card was placed down on the counter. Rainbow squinted her eyes struggling to read it in her unsteady state.
“What’s this?...” She asked with mild curiosity, seeing the brightly drawn small airplane on the card. “Gillam Bush-plane and Transport Services?...” She raised an eyebrow.
“They pay 12.50 an hour for newbie spotters.” Lightening smiled while Rainbow looked skeptical.
“Do I look like I could fly one of those things?” Chuckling in a depressed tone.
“You wouldn’t be the one flying it... with much of Equ... Lincolns towns tending to be separated by vast distances and unpredictable weather, many new settlements aren’t easy to reach... some parts of the year the roads are completely impassible! So they hire Gillam to fly in supplies much of the year, they also get work from the Fed to help map out the continent, along with reporting... chemical hazards...” Lightning Dust admitted.
“Ya ya... the potion....” Rainbow mumbled bitterly, trying to avoid being reminded about it, but looked a little more curious. “So what does a spotter even do?....”
“Simple... pegasi... along with other skyward races have awesome natural eyesight... so we’re hired to help guide the planes in... during flight and for landing...” Lightening said as a matter of fact.
“Huh... why not just use pegasi?” She seemed a little more thoughtful if a bit tipsy still from her drink.
“Simple... how many pegasi would it take to carry... I dunno.... just 900 pounds of supplies... for at least a few hundred miles?” She asked sarcastically while Rainbow thought about it and grimaced.
“Point taken... I dunno though...” Rainbow continued to look at the card, an unreadable expression on her face.
“Please just think about it... that’s all I’m asking...” She asked, knowing there wasn’t much else to say. "You've punished yourself enough here..."
Rainbow inhaled and slipped the card under her wing, just in time for Gabby the Gryphon to finally come back. “Ya... I’ll see if I wanna call them tomorrow morning...”