//------------------------------// // Chapter 21: Pay-Off 1 // Story: Piece by Piece // by Eltirions //------------------------------// 12 December 1008 Shrouded was not necessarily happy about his posting. But it could be worse. Currently, his assignment was patrolling the front carriages of the train. At the current time of day, he would not appreciate that; he still didn’t, but the cup of warm coffee made up for a lot.  To his right was a small strip of land and then a big river, which they had headed north past for some hours now, if Shrouded has his geography right. The Rainbow River was one of the Empire’s bigger rivers, and flowed down from the mountains into the western part of the Empire, before continuing into Stalliongrad and towards the sea. The river certainly looked big, and they hadn’t changed direction in some time, so all signs pointed to this being the right river. A glance at the clock told Shrouded it was almost seven. Moon, but even with this coffee he felt tired. Still, he resumed his watch, stepping out of the carriage onto the small balcony-like platform that connected the front carriage with the one he was in. Because it needed to be patrolled too, he spread his wings and flew up to the roof of the train, making sure to steady himself before touching down again. Thank Moon for enchanted horseshoes. The sun was, of course, not yet up at this time. Shrouded, being a thestral, wasn’t especially bothered by this; like most of his kind, he preferred the night to the day, and his vision was not obscured by the darkness like that of other creatures was. Thus, he was able to see Rainbow Falls the moment it came into view in its full glory, though there were enough lights lit in the city that a pony of another tribe would have been able to discern much the same as Shrouded could from this distance. In front of him rose up a cliffside, some one hundred metres high if he had to eyeball it. The river to his right obviously flowed down from it, if the massive rainbow-coloured waterfalls falling down from the cliffs were any indication. On its own, it was an impressive sight. But there was more, which made it all the more intriguing to watch. An entire cloud city constructed around the many waterfalls - Shrouded counted three big ones and seven smaller ones, and probably countless more that were too small to be viewed from here - with, from the looks of it, seven layers reaching from the riverside at the bottom of the cliff to the top of the falls, with a tower rising above the upper level, its roof almost touching the actual clouds, though that was more likely than not a trick of the distance. As the train came ever closer and closer to Rainbow Falls, more details became clear. Thousands of little lights from houses and other buildings cut through the darkness of the early morning, illuminating the cliffside they were built against. The buildings, from what Shrouded could tell from this distance, looked to be built in a style that seemed to mix Crystallian and traditional pegasi architecture, the latter of which Shrouded was quite familiar with, having been trained in the Lightning Bolt Academy for Pegasi in Stratusburg. The lowest level looked more industrial; there were several factories to be seen, with chimneys also made of clouds - one of the wonders of Pegasi magic - from which more clouds - of smoke, not of water and ice - rose up into the sky, cleverly diverted away from the levels above them by something Shrouded couldn’t see yet. Maybe it was a device of some kind, or maybe there were pegasi managing it. The levels above that already began to look more residential: the buildings looked smaller, though it was hard to say for certain when everything was white and so far away yet, but Shrouded could definitely see more lights there, and the silhouettes of pegasi too. The second level could have been a mix of industry and houses, but the third and fourth were definitely primarily meant for houses, with apartments clearly visible. The fifth level looked to be filled with the least amount of buildings, and instead Shrouded saw vague shapes that might be statues, as well as some large and stately buildings - museums? - and some buildings that were definitely mansions for the rich.  The sixth level, then, was the most interesting so far. It, unlike the others, looked very martial. Instead of the rough edges - if there were railings or anything similar, which Shrouded doubted, they weren’t visible from here - there were clearly defences on the sixth level. Battlements and towers, whose roofs almost touched the seventh level, at least the parts of it that were cloud-based, and from whose peaks hung banners, a rainbow ending in a white horizontal stripe. Shrouded snorted. Very inventive. The seventh and upper-most level of the city was located at the top of the cliff, and probably extended some way back, but that was not visible from Shrouded’s position, of course. What was clearly visible was perhaps the city’s most eye-catching thing after the waterfalls it took its name from: a tall tower, perhaps one-third as high as the cliff it was built on (or next to, Shrouded couldn’t see from this angle), also made of clouds by the looks of it. It wasn’t nearly as large as the Crystal Palace, but it could certainly pass for one of its lesser towers, if it had been covered in snow. Like the level underneath it, the seventh level also looked like it had battlements and towers, but unlike the sixth level there was a wall these stood on. Of course, it’s connected to the ground up there, so they’d want a wall. All in all, it was one of the most impressive cities Shrouded had ever seen. Ayacachtli covered more space still, and it would always be the most dear city to Shrouded’s heart, but Rainbow Falls looked like how a pegasus would have built Ayacachtli, how it straddled the cliffside and waterfalls, so much like the cavern-homes of Shrouded’s youth. And, he’d read that there were actually some caverns in the cliffside, the most important of which were the massive stairs that led from the top of the cliff to the bottom, allowing non-fliers to access all the parts of the city, something Ayacachtli lacked, seeing as there was no need to build bridges or stairs in a city used almost exclusively by thestrals. Rainbow Falls wasn’t, or if it was, was at least designed with the expectation that non-fliers would be visiting constantly. Ayacachtli wasn’t. How that reflected on either city, Shrouded didn’t bother to spend much time thinking about. He had more important duties than looking at the city until they arrived there. |-x-X-x-| 12 December 1008 I hate alcohol. Of course, that she rarely got drunk - and had only legally been able to do so for seven months - did nothing to help either. With a groan, Sweetie Belle finally opened her eyes. There was something lying on top of her. Correction, someone. ‘’Morning, Sweetie.’’ ‘’Scootaloo,’’ Sweetie said. ‘’Why are you on top of me?’’ Scootaloo gave her a stupid grin that hadn’t changed a bit in all those years Sweetie had known her. ‘’Well, you were drunk last night,’’ she began. ‘’I’ve noticed,’’ Sweetie muttered under her breath. Scootaloo continued as if Sweetie hadn’t said anything. ‘’And it was getting late - or early, technically - and so AB and I decided to get you to your bedroom.’’ Sweetie’d had a suspicion that was where she was, but she hadn’t bothered to confirm it yet. Now it had been confirmed for her. ‘’And just what happened then?’’ Scootaloo shrugged. ‘’I dunno. We were both drunk too, so I think I fell asleep on top of you.’’ ‘’And Applebloom?’’ ‘’Next to you,’’ Scootaloo said with a smirk. Sweetie turned her head sidewards and sure enough, Applebloom was draped on the other edge of the bed, with one half of her body already bungling out of the bed, snoring very softly. ‘’Ah.’’ Scootaloo shifted. ‘’Want me to get off?’’ Sweetie, despite her hangover, managed to raise an eyebrow at her. Scootaloo, after a few seconds, began to chuckle. ‘’Alright, so I could have worded that better.’’ ‘’Yes, you could have,’’ Sweetie agreed. Scootaloo rolled her eyes, then rolled off Sweetie, which allowed her to turn and stand up. Sun, but she felt terrible. ‘’I am never ever drinking with you two again,’’ Sweetie curtly informed Scootaloo. ‘’Sure you aren’t.’’ The pegasus had the gall to smirk after saying that. Sweetie summoned up her pillow with her telekinesis and threw it at Scootaloo. At least, that was the idea; instead, the pillow wonkily shot past Scootaloo and hit the door, which actually made a slight yet noticeable noise at the impact. ‘’Really?’’ Scootaloo asked. ‘’Really.’’ ‘’Really,’’ Sweetie deadpanned. ‘’Urggh…’’ Applebloom groaned. Sweetie turned around to see Applebloom raising her head, one eye half-open and the other still closed. ‘’Good morning, Applebloom.’’ ‘’Consarnit Sweetie, not that loud,’’ Applebloom said as she brought her hoof up to rub at her forehead. ‘’Ah’ve got a headache from here to Coltfoalnia.’’ ‘’Sorry,’’ Sweetie apologized with a softer tone. ‘’It’s alright.’’ Then why did you- never mind. Sweetie shook her head in a vain attempt to clear away her headache. ‘’Breakfast?’’ she suggested after a few moments of silence. ‘’Good idea,’’ Scootaloo remarked. ‘’I’m starving.’’ Applebloom made a noise that could charitably be interpreted as agreement, and so the three of them made their way downstairs. Pinkie must’ve cleaned up after we went to bed. There was no sign of yesterday evening’s celebrations to be seen in the living room, which would be quite impressive if Pinkie hadn’t been the one who organized the party. Since she had, Sweetie wasn’t in the least surprised by this. ‘’I don’t have much,’’ she admitted as they entered the kitchen, ‘’but I can make some eggs, if you want. Does that sound good?’’ ‘’You’re cooking?’’ Scootaloo asked. ‘’Are you sure that’s a good idea?’’ Sweetie snorted derisively as she got the eggs out of the fridge. ‘’I took lessons with my mum.’’ Rarity had never had the time to teach her to cook, which Mum had been very disappointed by. The first week after she’d arrived in Hoof City, Sweetie had been forced into having a crash course in cooking for herself, and when someone actually was there to help her to do it, it went surprisingly well. She’d never be a master chef, of course, but she could cook well enough to save her own life, and that was what mattered for now.  ‘’Eggs sound nice,’’ Applebloom answered Sweetie’s question. ‘’Dunno what kinda drinks ya’ve got, but Ah’d like a juice.’’ ‘’Yeah, I’ve got orange and apple juice.’’ ‘’Apple juice, then.’’ I shouldn’t have bothered. ‘’Gimme a glass of that too,’’ Scootaloo said as Sweetie poured two glasses of apple juice, then obliged Scootaloo’s request and filled a third glass with it too, before passing two glasses to her two friends and keeping one for herself. ‘’Ah’ll set the table,’’ Applebloom offered after she’d taken a swig of the juice. ‘’Thanks,’’ Sweetie said with a smile. ‘’I’ll just stand here and watch,’’ Scootaloo quipped dryly, which earned her a slightly cross look from Applebloom. Sweetie didn’t mind. As long as Scootaloo wasn’t getting in the way or distracting her from cooking, she could do what she liked in the kitchen. Right. Fill the pan with water, make sure the eggs have a little hole in them, then put them in the water. Sweetie’d found that mentally repeating the steps to herself as she cooked made it easier to remember what she was supposed to do. In hindsight that seemed rather obvious, but she’d never really thought about it before. ‘’So, how about that Twinkle?’’ For the love of- |-x-X-x-| 12 December 1008 ‘’My lady, we’ve almost arrived at the city.’’ Rarity didn’t bother to open her eyes as she replied: ‘’I shall be up momentarily. Thank you.’’ ‘’Of course, my lady,’’ the voice of the servant said through the door. ‘’The Princess and Commander Rainbow are already awake.’’ Of course they were. Rarity had slept well enough, but only for a few hours. They’d stayed up late last night - perhaps it had even been today already, she couldn’t recall with any certainty - and afterwards Rarity had probably lain awake in bed for an hour or so, churning over the events of the past days in her head. But that could all wait for later. Right now she had to prepare for their imminent arrival in Rainbow Falls. She got out of bed, fixed her appearance as best she could in a few minutes’ time, then left her room and made her way through the train towards the carriage built for eating. Rainbow and Flurry were sitting in one of the booths together, their breakfast before them. Flurry wasn’t eating it, though, and instead looking out the window. ‘’Good morning, darlings,’’ Rarity greeted as she sat down on the other side of the booth. ‘’Did you sleep well?’’ ‘’Hi auntie!’’ Flurry chirped brightly. ‘’I had a nice sleep! How about you?’’ ‘’I slept well enough,’’ Rarity replied, before turning towards the waiter. ‘’I’d like some toast bread with orange juice and an omelette, please.’’ ‘’Coming right up, my lady.’’ And with that, the waiter retreated. ‘’So,’’ Rarity restarted the conversation as she turned back to Rainbow and Flurry, the former of which was steadfastly avoiding looking at her more than was strictly necessary, ‘’Flurry, are you excited for Rainbow Falls?’’ ‘’Yeah I am!’’ Flurry replied excitedly. ‘’It’s gonna be so cool!’’ ‘’Definitely,’’ Rarity agreed. ‘’I cannot wait.’’ ‘’Neither can I,’’ Rainbow remarked. ‘’How long left again?’’ ‘’I’ve no idea,’’ Rarity replied truthfully. ‘’I think an hour?’’ ‘’Less,’’ Rainbow said. ‘’I hope.’’ ‘’We’ll see.’’