//------------------------------// // Another Dawn // Story: Echoes of Loyalty // by Silent Whisper //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash greeted the morning the way she always did: with a deep, cat-like bow. She stretched her wings and let out a sigh, feeling the last bit of tension and aches melt away with the sun. It was a good morning to be alive, and her City came alive with her. Golden beams of sunrise touched the tips of spires, stretching to the heavens. True, few ponies were out and about at this hour, but it wasn’t the ponies that made Rainbow Dash’s heart sing. It wasn’t quite the view, either. It was the energy of the City, the thrill of her job, and the joy of feeling alive, above it all. Whistling to herself, she waved a hoof to the window overlooking the City itself. The glass wavered for a second, then melted like a sheet of water. A breeze rustled Rainbow’s mane as she stepped to the edge of the window-sill, taking in the fresh dew-dripped air of the morning. It was a breathtaking view, of course. Twists of skyscrapers rose to pierce the heavens themselves, wrapped in thick dollops of cloud. The majority of the cloud cover began about twenty floors down, making the City look as though it were resting on top of a cottony sea. Rainbow knew that, of course, the City continued beneath the clouds for miles downward, but nopony really went down there anymore. No pony that mattered, anyway. She crouched, feeling her hind legs tense like a coiled spring, artificial fibers woven through her muscles making her as strong as any earth pony. Unlike an earth pony, she didn’t need new lungs to be able to thrive in the thin air, and she didn’t really need the magnetic-grip shoes to cling to the walkways when the wind picked up. When all else failed, she had wings to catch her. She leapt into the sunrise, and for a moment, before gravity took hold, all was still. The crops growing up the side of the building blossomed and bloomed, each tiny bud opening to greet the dawn. Solar panels wound their way up and around her window, one of the many rooms in the apartment buildings. Unlike the earth pony and unicorns, though, she got one of the few outer rooms. There were no rings of hallways to let her into the elevators that snaked their way up and down, like one of the many blood vessels of the City, but that suited her just fine. She could fly, and neither earth ponies nor unicorns got to start off their day by jumping out of a window. The calm was broken only by gravity’s gentle insistence. Rainbow let it tug her down for a few heartbeats, towards the Underneath and the darkness, before she unfurled her wings and levelled out her freefall into a controlled glide. This was her City, and the darkness wouldn’t win her over that easily. She grinned as she looped her way towards the garage. On a whim, she blinked, powering on her visor for anything of interest. Colors bloomed in the corners of her vision, data looping on the sides of the screen. The display zoomed in on a speck on the distant horizon, floating on the breeze. Looked like another early-bird pegasus. For a brief moment, she wondered where they were flying. Nopony’s jobs started that early, not even the Underneath workers. The only reason Rainbow Dash was up that early was because she wanted to get a bit of riding done before her actual shift started. Rainbow angled herself downwards, towards one of the many domes in the pod-like garage. Seven, six, five, four… a few mere moments before she’d have impacted the glass, it melted away to reveal her bike. Flying was great and all, but if you wanted to go fast, you got yourself a hoverbike. Or, rather, you saved up for one, and hoped somepony with a permit lost their mind and decided they didn’t want theirs. Or, in Rainbow’s case, you managed to convince your higher-ups that you needed it for work, and that you were worth the cost of building a new one. It was the only thing more beautiful to Rainbow Dash than the City itself. It curved organically, sinuously, and thrummed with power the moment Rainbow set her hoof on it. Sure, anypony could theoretically own a bike, but this one? It was made for her and it recognized her, down to her DNA. She unclipped her earpiece and hooked it into her ear before grabbing for her helmet. With a subtle whir, her bike powered on. A telltale glow of blue mana flickered to life beneath it as she settled herself atop it. Rainbow Dash was ready to ride. As if on cue, her earpiece chirped in time with her engine’s revs. Seven beeps. 7am, on the dot. If the City was a living creature, then Twilight Sparkle was its heart. The broadcast hummed to life as Rainbow Dash released the break, leaving wisps of cloud in her wake. “Good morning, [Rainbow Dash]!” the voice chirped into her ear, as lively as anypony she’d meet on the street. She was more than a stranger, though; she was personalized, tailored to each individual’s desires. A part of Rainbow felt that she’d somehow lucked out and gotten the best possible Twilight. There was something about her. She just got Rainbow, in a way that nopony else did. “It’s a beautiful Tuesday here in the Upper Reaches of the City. You have five new messages, three of which are from a resident you’ve told me to ignore.” Rainbow laughed as she followed her visor’s highlighted path across the arches and rooftops, making a lazy loop above shops and residences. “Lemme guess. Zephyr Breeze?” “Who else?” Twilight’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “We’ve reached a milestone, though. He’s now officially misspelled your name for the four-hundredth time! Congratulations!” Pixelated confetti showered across Rainbow’s visor. Rainbow smirked before shaking her head, clearing her screen. “Yeah, yeah. Hey, I’ve got a great idea. You should totally send his Twilight a reply! Make it look like he’s reached an achievement. Oh, but don’t say it’s from me, or mark it as an official response or anything.” “Noted. Shall I read you the two remaining messages?” “Sure, fire away.” Rainbow turned on her blinker. Nopony was out on the roads and pathways above the main spires of the buildings to see it, but she liked the methodical click anyway. Twilight hummed, and a trail of dots made their way across the bottom of Rainbow’s visor. “Message one, from Spitfire. ‘To whom it may concern, and by whom I still mean you, dammit.’ Then there’s a moving picture of a pony rolling their eyes. Would you like me to display it onscreen?” Rainbow laughed. “No thanks, I think it’s the emote she always uses.” “Affirmative. She’s quite fond of that one. Continuing, it reads, ‘I’ve been going over what you said last week, and I was wondering if you’d be willing to reconsider my offer. It may not be as-’, and then there’s a little money sign, followed by a gemstone sign, and then a golden leaf symbol, and then it continues ‘-as some of the other offers you receive, but I’d appreciate it if you let me know when you’re available. An RSVP would be appreciated. Hell, send it through the mail, then I’d finally get to see your legendarily crummy hoofwriting!’ And then her signature. Specifically, the one I initially flagged as a threat to your life.” “Yeah, yeah. I’ll reply to that later,” muttered Rainbow, turning on the other blinker and going the opposite direction it indicated. “Just… remind me later. After work, or something. “Are you sure? I could send an automatic reply right now, you know,” Twilight let out a few quiet beeps. “I’m sure she’d appreciate it if you told her whether or not you were interested right away.” Rainbow shrugged, coasting over a grocery store, watching the open sign blink to life. “Yeah, well, not even your systems could write something that she’d consider an acceptable answer, and skies forbid she finds somepony else to flirt with. I think they’d either faint dead away or take a running leap with their wings shut if they didn’t know what to expect from her.” “Shall I add it to your calendar?” Twilight’s voice sounded almost amused. “The date? Eh, sure, why not, pencil it in on Friday or something, and remind me later to tell her I’m available then. You said there were two messages, right?” “That is correct. The second message is from the Administration.” “Shit.” Rainbow took her hoof off the gas, and let the hoverbike coast to a stop. She let a slow breath out before blinking a few of the idle data screens on her visor away. “Well? What’s it say?” “‘Golden Oaks Apartment. 34th and Belle. 5pm.’” “Shit,” she said again, revving the engine idly. “Did they say how many?” “I think they’re leaving it up to you again, and expect you not to disappoint them. By my estimate, that’s exactly two more than you’re comfortable with. I’ll give you the exact number I’ve calculated to be sufficient later, as you’ve requested.” Rainbow sighed, and stared down at the sensual curves of her bike. Her hoof gently rested against the top, brushing it reverently. The things she did to feel alive. “Alright. Thanks, Twi. Connect me to a radio station. I don’t care which one. And set an alarm for... 4, I think. Yeah. 4.” “Connecting you to Hoofbeats Radio, now playing “Griffons Don’t Dance” by the Hive Five.” An upbeat jazzy tune faded into the background of her headset, making the corners of Rainbow’s mouth lift slightly. Twilight let out a satisfied chirp, before turning down the music again for a moment. Her voice stuttered for a moment before she whispered. “And… just... let me know if you need anything, [Rainbow Dash]. I’m always here for you.” “Will do, Twi. Thanks for being here,” Rainbow said softly, but the swell of the music drowned out her words. It was okay, she reasoned, slowly accelerating her bike again. It didn’t matter if Twilight heard it. She was just an assistant, and everypony knew A.I.s didn’t feel things like gratitude or friendship. Even if a part of Rainbow wished they could.