The Race
Jason jolted awake, having just exited a strange dream he was having. Dash must have already been awake, because she was wearing a look that was a mixture of confusion and worry.
"Bad dream?"
"Strange dream. I just got run over by a giant monkey on a unicycle. Strange doesn't even begin to describe it."
"What's a unicycle?"
"Like a bicycle but with one wheel."
"Oh." How she knew what a bicycle was, Jason had no idea.
"So I hear you're hiring some new member of the weather patrol today," He nuzzled her "Who's that lucky pony?" He smiled.
"Oh, well he's this tall, handsome stallion,"
"Oh is he?"
"Yeah, and he has an annoying sense of humor."
"Why thank you. So does this stallion have a good shot at the job?"
"I believe he does, if he stops referring to himself in the third person."
"And I don't even have to go through the whole interview? Man, I had my resume ready and everything."
"Actually, I still have to ask you a few generic questions, but you definitely have a hoof in."
"Oh do I? Looks like I'm in good with the captain of the Ponyville weather team."
"I wonder why that is."
Jason laughed. "Stop acting so iritable, Dash. Loosen up. I mean look at the positives, you're in a warm bed with a hot stallion, you have a nice job, nice friends, you're in bed with a hot stallion," She punched him. "AND he has a personality."
"You're too much."
"Hey, come on, you love having me around." He looked out the window. "So how's the weather looking today?"
"Pretty good, it could end up a tad overcast by the end of the day, which would give us something to do." Her stomach grumbled. "Guess I'm going to go get some breakfast."
"Guess I'll be obliged to get up also, then."
"I guess so." Neither of them moved.
"This bed is just a really soft trap. I never want to leave it." Dash shoved him out of the bed. He got up to his feet and smiled at her. "You saved me kind mare, and I am forever in your debt." He laughed and left the room before she had time to come up with something to say back.
Jason had a few more apples for breakfast, to the same, monotonous flavor that he was quickly starting to tire of. Dash walked in, and he floated over an apple. "Oh hey this reminds me," he shifted back to his changeling form and looked at the cut on his side. It had become a white colored scar. At least, he assumed it was a scar. He turned to Dash. "How does it look?"
"Good? How does it feel?"
"Fine, I guess." He smiled. "I believe I owe you a race." She pulled off a huge grin.
"You're right. Now I can beat you at your full potential."
"Yeah, but hey, I might surprise you, you never know."
"I doubt it."
"Just eat your apple." Jason looked around, having nothing to do. "I wish I didn't make all of those explosives in one go..."
After Dash had finally finished her apple, they walked out her front door, and lined up in her yard. "Okay," she started, "So the course will go from here to that cloud, then around Applejack's barn, and finally between Carousal Boutique and Sugarcube Corner, so that you end up back here. Got it?"
"Um, sure?"
"Ready?" She dropped her shoulders and widened her stance. "Set?" Jason attempted to mimic her starting position. "Go!" They both shot off the line, headed strait for the cloud. Dash arrived about a body length ahead of Jason, and widened her lead after she made a near-impossibly sharp turn. Jason was forced into a wider path, and continued to lose ground. He put on a burst of speed, and banked around Applejack's barn, starting to gain back on Dash. He had managed to close the gap back down to only a few body-lengths before the final curve, where she made another maddeningly sharp turn, and continued to hold the lead. Jason growled, and started to try to close the gap again. Dash's house was fast approaching, and he was closing the gap too slowly. Dash crossed through her yard and cheered, banking up to try to quell some of her speed, before turning to find Jason.
"Looking for me?" She jumped, and turned around to see a panting Jason.
"Close, huh?"
"Unbelievably so." He shrugged, still breathing heavily. "So how did I shape up to the greatest flyer in Equestria?"
"Pretty good, I'd say, not that I tried all that hard."
"Well how about we go discuss this and that new job over some food?"
"Do you ever stop eating?"
"Is that a trick question?"
She laughed. "Fine, we'll get food. Where do you want to go?"
"Honestly? The only place I know of is Sugarcube Corner, and we've gone there every single meal we've had out, so maybe we should do something new. I have to insist that we go somewhere you want to go, because food makes no difference to me anymore."
"That's really getting to you, huh."
"Yeah, it wouldn't be such a big deal if I didn't already know what the stuff tasted like."
"We could go to the Gilded Griffin."
"Sounds fine I guess." They both turned downwards, and started flying towards town. Dash landed in the square, and entered into a fairly rustic looking venue. Upon entering, Jason immediately noticed the absence of patrons in the restaurant. Deciding that they had just come in at a strange hour, he took a seat at the bar next to Dash. A pony that he assumed to be Lyra walked up, and passed them some menus.
"So how's business?" She seemed to flinch at Dash's question and sighed.
"Not so good. Bon Bon is kinda freaking out about it."
"Sorry to hear that..." Dash said. Lyra sighed.
"Just choose something for both of us."
"I guess I'll take two hay burgers and a side of some hay fries." Lyra noted down the order and nodded, retreating into the kitchen.
"What do they have in the way of music around here?" Jason asked.
"Well, we have these things that ponies call 'Dubstep' style, but it generally sounds like a bunch of wubs with the overtone of fingernails on a chalkboard."
"I know what you mean. We have stuff that's a lot like what you're talking about."
"Oh really? Anyway, then we have classical stuff, and this relatively new other music that they call rock and roll, which is my personal favorite."
"Same here, although rock has been around a lot longer than it has here. Speaking of music, what types of instruments are there that ponies could actually play?"
"We have lots of things with bows, like cellos and violins, then there's drums, and general wind and brass instruments."
"How about guitar?"
"Oh, well only unicorns can play those, so they tend to be fairly rare, but I guess they do exist."
"We should stop by a music store and see if they have one, cuz I could probably blow your mind with some of my planet's rock." Before anything else could be said, Lyra returned with their food and placed it on the counter. Jason nodded his thanks, and then when Lyra was out of earshot, muttered to Dash, "They seriously make burgers out of hay?"
"Yeah, what else would they make them out of?"
"Meat?" She laughed."
"Thats ridiculous."
"That's what I used to eat, and for the record, it was delicious." He took a bite. "All I know about this is that it's edible."
"You're saying you ate meat?"
"Yeah, but it's not like I do anymore, so it's not like I'm going to try to eat you or anything." She sighed and finished off her burger. "How do you eat that fast?"
"I do everything fast. Is it really that much of a surprise?"
"No, I guess it isn't." Jason took the final bite of his burger, and slapped a small pile of bits on the counter. "Lets go find that music store." He got up and opened the door, walking into the street. He looked around for a shop sign related to music, and saw one with a musical note. He checked to see that Dash was still behind him, and then entered the store. Just like the Gilded Griffin, the music store was pretty devoid of ponies. Jason perused the isles of music and instruments, before he found an instrument vaguely modeled after an electric guitar. He pointed to it and turned to Dash.
"The guitar, I take it?" She followed the direction of his arm to the instrument.
"Yup." Jason looked it over, before turning his attention to a primitive amp next to it, along with what almost looked like an overdrive unit. Jason flagged the storeowner over.
"Is that an amp and an overdrive unit?" She looked at him with a confused expression. He sighed. "Does that one change the tone, and does that one make it louder?" She nodded. "How much for the set?"
"Well I've been trying to get rid of those things from years after some crazy pony built them and sold them to me, so how about forty bits?" Jason turned and looked at Dash, who nodded her approval.
"Deal." He handed over the bits, and started taking the equipment off the wall. He strapped the guitar to his side, and did the same to the small amp and overdrive unit to his other side, although rather painstakingly. "He turned to Dash and nodded, and started trying to make his way out the door. Managing to not beat up anything too badly, he got outside and got ready to take to the sky.
"Rainbow Dash!" They both turned.
"Cloud Kicker?" Dash asked. Cloud Kicker seemed out of breath.
"The storm that we tried to subdue yesterday returned, and we need everypony's help if we're going to try to stop this one from destroying Ponyville. Raindrop says that it looks like a developing class G storm." The blood drained out of Dash's face.
"How developed?"
"It looks like around 60%"
"Alternis, take the stuff back to the house and close all the windows, then raise the house a few hundred feet." She turned to Cloud Kicker, "Let's go." They took off, flying towards the everfree.
Dash turned back to Cloud Kicker, and remembered one of Jason's human words. "What did the weather team fuck up this time?"