//------------------------------// // Flight // Story: fyre-flye // by uhrora //------------------------------// fyre-flye I - 6 Flight On the ground, Octavia was stirring. "Rarity! How long was that spell supposed to last?" Rainbow Dash asked, frowning at the gray earth pony. This damn fed sure broke out of magic fast. They could only be thankful that an earth pony had been sent after them instead of a unicorn. Without the land or atmosphere, earth ponies and pegasi were really out of their elements. The Coltpanion was sitting beside Twi, who was breathing easier after some rest—and some chalky dark green potion that Rarity had given her. It was meant to jumpstart a unicorn’s magical battery, restoring it to full power more quickly. “Oh, it’s not a spell,” Rarity informed Rainbow Dash, her eyes still on Twi. “Just a brew.” “No, I meant–” But Rarity wasn’t paying attention. “A client gave it to me on Celestinium a few trips ago. He assured me it had nothing to do with A.B.R.A., so don’t worry,” she directed towards the other unicorn. Twi shook her head. “I don’t even know what that is.” “Alternative Buyers and Resellers Association,” Pinkie informed her. “Euphemism for the black market,” Rarity added with a sneer. “A truly despicable group of creatures.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Save it for your clients. I meant the spell on the fed! She’s moving.” Rarity glanced over, noting the restored motion in Octavia’s legs. "Oh, not this again. Not very long, I'm afraid. I just used enough to get her to sleep immediately.” “We should return her to Persepony,” Twi spoke up. Everypony else was silent. "Are you crazy?! She…" Rainbow Dash trailed off as she heard the sound of hooves approaching. She jumped to the entrance of the cargo hold, then realized it was Applejack, Big Mac and Soarin. "They're coming. And they don't look too relaxed. We gotta ditch her here.” "She’ll die!” Twi protested. “The Outer Rim is terraformed, you know,” Rainbow replied flatly. “Soar!” she called to her husband as he approached. “Help me out here!” She flew to Octavia’s side and looked down at the pony. Her eyelids were fluttering. Sliding one arm beneath the fed, Rainbow began to lift her into the air. Soarin landed beside her, chest heaving, and took up Octavia’s other side. Applejack and Big Mac were quick behind him. "Giddyup, you two! We gotta close the doors!” the captain was shouting at the pegasi. Pinkie began to bounce up and down. “Get rid of her, get rid of her!” Her eyes were still wide and trained on Octavia. “I want everypony ready for the sky,” Applejack ordered as she trotted to the airlock control. She was still panting from the run. “Did you get... burnt?” Rarity asked, sniffing slightly. The captain chose not to answer that question, merely flicking her singed tail at the Coltpanion with a scowl. "Well, you came back in one piece. Luckily, so did poor Twi here. You know, she was nearly blown to bits by that rude government agent on board. She worked wonders with her magic and saved Pinkie, Rainbow Dash… all of us, I presume." Rarity looked towards Twi, whose cheeks had reddened. "Well, at least that's what Rainbow Dash told me, anyway." “Impressive. Now, orders, ponies. Rainbow and me on the bridge. Mac, you get Derpy into the engine room. Soar will take Pinkie here back to her brother and stay with them and ‘Shy in the infirmary.” Big Mac nodded and took off, running up the stairs to find Derpy. “And us unicorns, darling?” Applejack shook her head. “You just get to your shuttle.” She watched the pegasi as they lowered Octavia to the ground a fair distance away from the ship. “That’s a real nice way to treat a killer!” she shouted. “At a gallop, kindly, before Gilda’s hunting instincts kick in!” “No task for me to do?” Rarity pressed. “Ain’t part of my crew,” Applejack informed her, lowering her voice. “Especially as you’re the one who says so all the time.” “I certainly have done my fair share of—” Applejack turned to face Rarity, exasperated. “Here’s a task: take Twi to your shuttle and tell some funny little story about a colt you bucked.” She snorted, rolling her eyes. “What else would you do, Rare?” The unicorn stiffened. She was silent for a moment. “This is because I called you heartless earlier, isn’t it?” she asked quietly. Soarin and Dash came flying back towards the ship, and Applejack closed the airlock door. “I haven’t the foggiest,” she snapped, imitating Rarity’s accent. “Get to your shuttle. Take Twi. And stay there. Might be a bumpy ride.” She turned to the pegasi. “Rainbow, with me. Soar, get the Doc and Pinkie to the infirmary.” Soarin nodded. “Tell him Octavia’s dead.” “You want me to lie?” Rainbow asked. Applejack sighed. "Wasn't aware it was a lie. I suppose no killin’ gets done on my ship when the killers are away.” Wishful thinking. Feds didn’t give up easily and Applejack expected her crew would be seeing Octavia again. “Now, get along. Let's get this ship going.” "Celestia's piss!" Rainbow Dash swore from the bridge. A vessel was approaching them—she could see that much on the screen. And it was a big one. Rainbow remembered Gilda's love for ships and expected this was one of her fleet. Many of the ones she owned were old, renovated warships from the rebellion. She collected them like AJ collected bruises. "Go!" came the voice of the captain, who'd appeared behind her. Applejack buckled herself into the co-pilot's seat. "I am going,” Dash replied, irritated. “But I'd feel much better going fast if Derpy was in the engine room. We need a little boost here.” Dash banged her hoof against the com button again, sending a call to every com on the ship. "Derpy, we don't got all day! Get to the engine room now!" There was silence a few moments, and Rainbow tried to stay calm, even as the screen continued beeping—faster as the gunship closed in upon them. "Derpy. Derpy. Derpy. Der-" "Right here!" came a frantic call from the engine room's com. "Ready!" "Everypony hang on or buckle up. Whichever's faster. We're going now," Dash shouted to every com yet again. She flipped a switch and placed her hooves on the control yoke. Sereinity began to lift off the ground, burning hot before shooting into the air. It was shaky at first, and the pilot grit her teeth. As soon as they broke atmo it'd be a smooth ride. On the screen, the gunship began to follow them up into the sky. "Derpy, we're being chased," Rainbow called to the engine room. "Can you boost us any more? Not full burn. But a boost." "You think Gilda won't follow us into the black?" AJ asked. "Not sure.” Rainbow Dash’s concentration was on the scattering of monitors before her. “But she's probably not on the ship in case she needs to send out another. We're faster than that big old warship. Especially past atmo. Those ships were made for ground-level combat, not a space race." "Positive?" "Ask Derpy if you don't believe me," Rainbow Dash challenged. "Derpy, you there?" "Yup. Just gave the boost. Now it's your turn!" Derpy said with glee. "Here we go." She flipped another switch quickly and the fire propelling them up burned brighter. Their speed increased, and the gunship began to fall behind on the screen. "That's more like it!" And then, a blast rocked the ship. It had hit the side of Sereinity, and nearly flipped the whole ship sideways. Rainbow Dash leveled it, but her focus was on the damage done. "Everything's fine so far," she said. "Nothing's out. We—" Another blast. The lights flickered on and off, and the alarm screamed into life, beeping to get the pilot's attention. This blast had been stronger, pushing Sereinity upside down. Rainbow Dash pulled it into a barrel roll, struggling to keep the ship on path. "Almost out of atmo. We just have to—" "What's the alarm for?" Applejack yelled. "What got hit?" "Shuttle. Got blasted. It's still hanging on. They’re using curveballs to—" "Which shuttle?" Applejack’s face was pale. "Oh, no. No, no!" Rainbow Dash cried as the radar begin to beep again. Faster this time. "Which shuttle?" Applejack demanded. The words she’d spat at Rarity came back to her, accusatory. Just get to your shuttle. What else would you do? "Empty one!” Dash snapped. The captain sat back, relieved, as the pilot continued: “Not a big deal. We have bigger problems." Rainbow pressed the com, addressing both Derpy and the captain. "Heat seeker." Applejack groaned, pressing her head down onto her hooves. "Today is not my day." "Any ideas?" Rainbow barked as she continued to watch the heat seeker approach. As it grew closer, the ship’s alert system beeps increased in speed. "Oh, hay. I don't know nothin' about flying, Rainbow Dash. That's your own little ‘verse." "We fire up the banged shuttle, drop it in the seeker’s path, the seeker goes to it. We try to get away fast enough so the thing doesn’t blast us too. Or we try full burn and crisp that missile up nice. We have to wait for closer range then, though. And no second chances. It might blast us that way too.” Applejack lifted her head. "Any chance we can make it out of atmo before it gets to us?” “Even if we did, that wouldn’t stop it. Unless we get all cozy up against the nearest star, which isn’t exactly a foal’s flight away. It’s...” Rainbow Dash suddenly trailed off. The beeping seemed to be blocking her thoughts. She needed to focus, to think! Wait—nearest star. Her eyes raced between two displays. Stars. What else could generate that kind of light and heat? Well, that was an obvious one. Every foal in the ‘verse learned about how Celestia and Luna created the stars in the sky with the magic from their horns. If that was possible—even if it wasn’t entirely true—then maybe, just maybe, a unicorn’s horn could do something similar. “Rarity! Twi!” Rainbow Dash yelled over the com, her voice booming throughout the entire ship even as the beeping became unbearable. “Get to the bridge, now. Like your life depends on it. ‘Cause it does.” She glanced back to Applejack, hoof back on the controls. “We’re going to magic up a little star.” Before Applejack could reply, there was a flash of lavender light. When it dimmed, the two unicorns were standing in the bridge. Rarity looked queasy and Twi exhaled as her horn’s light faded. “I don’t even have time to ask,” Applejack groaned, shaking her head. “We got a heat seeker on our flank. Need you two to create a little heat for it to seek. Between us and the missile, to one side of the missile, whatever works that saves our hides.” The beeping was increasing. Rarity’s face was blank, but Twi nodded. “Understood. Rarity, I don’t have all my magic yet. If you lend me some of your power with an amplification spell or something, I can use it to get rid of that thing.” The Coltpanion was hesitant. “I don’t...” “I’ll use an absorption spell,” Twi said quickly. Rarity nodded. Both horns began to glow their respective colors, Rarity’s icy blue looping around Twi’s horn as if being drawn in, encapsulating Twi’s own magic. Beepbeepbeep. “Any time, now!” Rainbow snapped. “Wait. Make sure you know where you’re aimin’ that thing,” Applejack advised. “Now, don’t blow up the monitor. You gotta make sure it’s actually outside, not just the place on the screen—” “I’ve done this before,” Twi cut in, smiling. She closed her eyes. The beeping increased to a sharp whine and the bridge was filled with a sudden flash of light. Everypony was blinded, even as the ship was rocked with an explosion from behind. Rarity shrieked and Applejack swore. As the light faded and their vision restored itself, they realized that the beeping had stopped. The ship was steady. “It... it didn’t hit us.” Rainbow was incredulous. She stared at the monitor, where the heatseeker was still burning up in purple sparkles that began to fall to the dusty ground. It looked like fireworks. “Of course it didn’t,” Twi said, catching her breath. She sat down on the floor, wiping her forehead with the back of her hoof. “Because I hit it.” “They’re backing off!” Rainbow announced with glee. Sure enough, the gunship had stopped in its course. “Yeah, didn’t expect us to have guns, didja?!” Applejack turned around in her swiveling chair slowly. “We... don’t have guns. Or at least, we didn’t use to,” she said, staring at Twi. “Let’s leave the bridge to the professionals, dear,” Rarity said quickly, shooting Applejack a glance. She nudged Twi to her hooves and the unicorns left. Rainbow Dash was too elated to care about AJ’s concern. “We’re good!” she cheered into the com, over the entire ship. “We’re fine now.” They sailed on, silent until breaking atmo. The peaceful black engulfed them, and Applejack took one last look down at Whitefoal. “I reckon I should just be thankful to be breathin’ still,” she muttered. “Plus. That was so awesome!” Dash exclaimed. “Wasn’t it? I can’t believe Twi just bombed a bomb.” The words she’d heard from Octavia’s mouth earlier—that Twi was Celestia’s pet—were forgotten. “You and me both.” Applejack shook her head. “So, to Borears?” “Ha. Yeah, right,” Rainbow Dash laughed. “Fuel station, please. We got a blasted-out shuttle and some other dings on our ass.” AJ frowned. "What? Now, back when we were avoidin’ gettin’ blown up, you said it was nothing." "It was nothing at the time. Compared to everywhere else it could have hit? We're lucky they just got the empty shuttle, especially since Gilda's been on Sereinity a bunch of times. She knows the layout and everything. You'd think that…" She trailed off, as if realizing something. "…that Gilda was just warning us. That she’s not done with us." There was an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of Applejack's stomach, but she didn't feel like focusing on that now. It was more important that she still had a stomach to feel. "R.D., why would she send a heat seeker if she weren’t after us for real? That woulda blown us to bits something good. Nah, she just got mad and dumb, that's all." And she told herself to believe it. "Mac?" Fluttershy was waking up again. The Doctor had found her, slumped over on the ground. Other than a few bruises, though, she was fine. Simply exhausted from the effort. It was going to be hard for her to stay immobile long enough to heal. "Eeyup. Hey, Sharp. We're back from the job," Big Mac told her. After Dash had announced that they were out of danger, he’d headed straight to the infirmary. He was standing watch there again, as the Doctor fed Pinkie small bites of cold griddlecake one bed over. Soarin had returned to his bunk, looking exhausted. From the way he held his wing, it was obvious he had overexerted himself. "The job,” Fluttershy repeated. “W-with Gilda?" Her eyes widened. "Oh, dear. Um, how did that go?" "Tried to ambush us. Didn't work.” Big Mac shrugged. “We got paid." The pegasus looked down at herself. She was strapped to the bed with the infirmary harnesses. "Um… why…" "You’da fallen on the ceiling otherwise. Gilda chased us. We got hit, had to do some rodeo tricks. But we're all in the clear now, up in the black." "Also, I didn't want you falling over again," the Doctor added. “No matter how smooth the sailing is from here.” "Definitely not!" Pinkie said. "After all, you did that to save me. You could have really hurt yourself, you know." She seemed to be regaining some of her pink coloring, and her mane and tail had curled somewhat. Fluttershy wasn’t sure if anypony else noticed it, or if the several hours the two ponies had spent together in the infirmary had just made her keenly aware of Pinkie’s appearance. Even if most of the hours had been a hazy blur for the pegasus. "And... and Octavia?" Fluttershy asked hesitantly. "Gone. Rest easy," Big Mac told her. "Everything's fine, and we’re on the move again." "Oh… okay. So nopony got hurt on Whitefoal?" "Eenope. 'Cept Gilda and them.” Mac paused, the hint of a smile on his muzzle. “Coulda used you, though, Sharp. Had a sniper job and didn't do much good with it. You’da gotten it done much quicker." "You're a good shot, Fluttershy?" Pinkie asked, blue eyes wide. "Oh… N-no. I'm really not," the pegasus stammered. "Eeyup," Mac corrected. "Sure is. A sharpshooter, this one. Where d'you think I got her nickname from?" "Wow. You seem so gentle! I guess the most dangerous ponies can sometimes be the ones who seem the most harmless." Pinkie smiled widely—perhaps a bit too widely. "You don't need to worry about danger, Pinkie," the Doctor was telling her. "We're safe now.” Pinkie's smile faded and she regained the haunted look that sometimes lingered on her face when she was alone. She looked around the room—at the vial of sleep medicine the Doctor had used, at the extractor still resting after removing Fluttershy's bullet. Everything was clean and white. "Safe," she repeated, her voice quieter now. "I thought I'd never get out. I thought they'd take me, that you couldn't find me, that even if you could..." "I will never stop looking for you," the Doctor told her. "No matter how far you go. But I'm going to make sure you never have to go far away from me again. I’ll make sure you’re safe." He embraced his sister in a hug, and she hesitated before reciprocating, her face still expressionless. "Me, too!" Fluttershy announced, tears streaming down her cheeks. Big Mac blinked, taken aback by her emotional display. "And I won't let the captain dump you off anywhere!" she continued. "I think we should help anypony who needs help." There was the army medic in her—the one who had once tended to a Harmony soldier who, unwounded, might have killed her. "Speaking of which. I think I'd better go talk to him about that," the Doctor said, releasing his sister. "I'll be right back, Pinkie." She nodded, and he left. "I… I let Octavia out," Twi admitted. They were in Rarity's shuttle, after the violet unicorn had asked if she could talk to Rarity in private. There were some things she needed to confess, and this mistake with Octavia was just the tip of the iceberg. The Coltpanion lounged with her floating cup of tea on a claret-colored sofa, and Twi sat across from her on a small stool. "Oh. My," Rarity replied, with only a minor expression of surprise. "Well, why did you do that, do you suppose?" "I don't know." Twi looked down at her tea. Rarity had insisted on brewing a pot for the two of them despite Twi’s protests. Rarity made it just like the tea of the Core planets. Just like home. "I think I was… I was raised to trust the law. A bit more than the other ponies here," she said with a nervous laugh. "I didn't think she would try to get Pinkie. I thought she and I could just disembark at Whitefoal. I wanted… I wanted to give her another chance. And I really thought I could help her get home." "Well. You were doing it for the right reasons," Rarity said. "Even if, perhaps, it was the wrong action." "The thing is, I only opened the door." Twi looked puzzled. "She was already untied. But… who could have done that? I don't understand…" "That is odd. But, such things have a tendency to happen. Perhaps you trusted her for her perceived weaknesses and overlooked her true abilities." Twi nodded slowly. "I… I guess so." She sighed. "It's just that… Well, I'm not usually… All my life, I've been the one with the answers. Even as a filly in school, my hoof shot up before I even heard the end of the question. It didn’t matter. I was one of the best initiates in my magical training. But it seems like ever since I've been here—on this ship—I haven't had any idea what I'm doing. It's different. I'm just… full of questions. I have no answers. I just don’t think I’m meant for this kind of constant travel. I should have gotten off on Whitefoal, too. I guess I thought Octavia and I..." She shook her head. “Oh, it’s so stupid.” “We’re all susceptible to pretty faces,” Rarity said with a knowing smile. Twi’s cheeks reddened. “Wh-what? No, that’s not at all what I’m saying!” “Don’t be embarrassed. It’s perfectly normal. I—” “I’m not a fillyfooler!” Rarity frowned. “Frankly, I couldn’t care less what sort of ponies you favor. I’m not in the business of judging others; I was simply joking. Though, of course, it is true that an attractive face is easy to fall for. How else could I make a living?” Rarity shook her head. "I’ve gotten off topic.” She took a sip of tea. "I don’t believe you should have disembarked. You said you received a magical training? Well, it’s obvious you have, after that last display.” Rarity smiled. “Then we're like sisters. At my training House, we had very close ties to the local Temple. And you must know as well as I do that the only way to live is through questioning." "Yes, of course," Twi responded. "But not being able to come to a conclusion—that's frustrating." "Oh, darling. If you really want to live a life with only answerable questions, then perhaps you should return to Persepony, or one of the other Core planets. There's nothing wrong with that kind of life. Billions of ponies do it. It's stable, being on the ground. But in the sky, you learn to live differently. Every day, you look quite directly into the eyes of infinity. All that black hides so much. Just as in fashion, dear; black is very slimming. It hides fat. Anyway. We may never know all of the secrets of the universe.” She laughed a tiny bit, wary of such a cliche. “We may even find more questions than answers. But for some, that really is the only kind of life." Twi had nearly finished her tea. "Is that… is that why you did it? Took to the sky? In a small ship like this, instead of a luxury liner?" Rarity smiled elusively at the other unicorn. "Oh, it's one of the reasons. I'm sorry if I've been a bit long-winded. I suppose I get sentimental after a good life-threatening danger." "No, it's fine. But… the thing is…" Twi took one last sip of tea. "Even if I wanted to return to the Central Planets—which I'm not saying I do, because to be honest I really don't know—I can't. Because I'm from there." "That’s no reason you can't return," Rarity said. "Why, I'm from the Core as well. I choose not to live there, but I do love to return. If not for the shopping—oh, and the clients, of course—just for the civilized feeling you can only really get in the Core. I've had some wonderful memories there. Eventually, I am sure I will settle down there. Perhaps I can retire in a lovely lake house or in New Canterlot, design clothing…" "I have something else to tell you," Twi said, clearly uncomfortable. "Um… my real name is Twilight Sparkle. I'm—" "Oh, I already know, dear." Rarity waved one dismissive hoof at the other unicorn. Twi froze. "W-what?" "Well, 'Twi' isn't exactly the most mysterious alias, to be perfectly blunt. And I did hear about your disappearance. Besides, I've seen pictures of you before. You're not exactly anonymous." She smiled, amused. "Even out here. We're not all savages, you know." "Oh." Twi sighed. "Please don't tell the others who I am. I..." "No explanations are necessary. Like I said before, I won’t judge you for who you are. You don't need to worry about your secret, Your Highness." "Captain. I need a word," the Doctor said, after locating Applejack in the bridge. She nodded. "Step right in. Rainbow Dash, get along. You deserve a break. Go find that husband of yours and make him thank you for saving all our hides. And vice versa, I bet." Once Rainbow had left, the Doctor tentatively took her seat. "What's this all about, Doc?" Applejack asked. "It's about us. Pinkie and me. You didn't leave us behind at Whitefoal, but then again, there wasn't really time to leave us behind at Whitefoal." "Sure wasn't." "Fluttershy seems fine. She's recovering nicely." "I ain't gonna dump you in space," Applejack informed him. "So… where are you going to dump us, then?" AJ turned to look out the front window. "Where's the safest place for y'all, you think?" The Doctor thought about it. "I really don't know. I guess the Outer Rim." "Nah. They'd eat you alive out there. Less you stumbled across some needy Luna-cult who won't slave you after you heal their sick." "Well, maybe that's what I'll do." Applejack shook her head. "It's a bad plan. You stay in one place too long, the feds come sniffin'. They're already sniffin'. Followed you out of Persepony, remember? No, the safest would be to move. And don't stop for long." "I don't…" "We don't stop for long. And we're not especially lookin’ to take on new passengers at the moment. Not with you and a whole host of other Alliance issues." "What, you mean…?" "I reckon I do. Don't mean you don't have to earn your keep, though, y’know. The closest we've ever had to a doctor on board is Fluttershy. You'd have reign over the infirmary. Keep us alive and we keep you on the boat. You become part of the crew." She hesitated, shooting him a warning glance. "Well, you stay in the passenger quarters with your sister. Keep her in check. Whatever crazy they put into her isn't to come out, y'hear? No more than it has already." The Doctor nodded dumbly. "You take orders from me. Soarin, if I'm out. Then Big Mac." "Yes." That was the only thing he could manage to say at the moment. "You do what we say. Even if it might not look too good to the law." The Doctor laughed slightly. "I think I've proved I don't have a problem going against Alliance." Applejack nodded. "Stealin' your sister right out from under their muzzles.” She smirked. “You sure do got a pair. That's a damn good thing. You'll need them out here." Just at that moment, the door slid open and Derpy flew in, panting. "Captain!" she gasped. "I went to check on Fluttershy and she was in tears and said she didn't want you to kick out the Doctor and his sis, and then said he'd come to talk to you, and I finally found you! Please, captain, don't kick them out! Just because he's a Core colt doesn't mean he's all bad!" Applejack laughed. "Now, calm down, Derpy. We were just talkin' business terms." "Huh?" Derpy landed onto the ground. "The Doctor's gonna stay on here. Fix us up when bullets hit. That sort of thing." Derpy grinned. "Really? Really and truly?" "Really and truly." "Yay!" Derpy nearly tackled AJ in a hug. "Thank you so much!" She let go and flew up higher. "Okay, I’ll cook dinner tonight. I’m making muffins!" Derpy flew back out of the room, humming to herself happily as she went. The captain shook her head. "Muffins again? Well, ain’t this been a day," Applejack remarked. "I've made so many ponies happy I think it just about makes up for me shooting all of Gilda's." "I don't know what that means, exactly, but I suppose I will learn. In time." The Doctor froze. “I mean, I’m not saying that I want to be part of this whole shooting business. But...” AJ snorted. "I get it, Doc." "Can I ask you a question?" "Shoot." The Doctor winced. "What made you change your mind? Why do you want to keep us on?" "Let's just say I know how it is. We ain’t got heaps of differences between us, really." "Why? Because you're on the run from the law, too? Or you used to be grounded and had to take to the skies? Or—" "Enough questions, now," Applejack interrupted. "Don't make me change my mind, Doc." "I won't," he said quickly. "Thank you again." "All right," Applejack said gently. "You better get back to your sister now." Big Mac returned to his quarters. Before he unlocked the door, he noticed a tiny corner of paper sticking out from under the doormat Granny Smith had sent him for Christmas. He pulled out the paper and unfolded it. There, in small, flowery mouthwriting, was a message. Thank you. Contact my fillyfriend in Persepony and tell her where I am. I'll make sure you get your ship. Mac painstakingly used his hooves to fold it into a tiny parcel, then turned around, changing destinations. He headed back to the kitchen to burn the note.