A steady ticking of a grandfather clock denoted the seconds pacing by. From the adjoining kitchen emitted a low whirring and clacking as the refrigerator emptied and refilled its ice dispenser. A faint hissing of the thin curtains showed that the front windows were open just a crack each to let in the breeze of a fragrant spring morning.
Wild Fire absorbed, piece by piece, each of the quiet sounds, scents, and sensations that filtered through her house; solemn, serene, and thick with emptiness.
She couldn’t remember when, exactly, she had stumbled home late Monday night or early Tuesday morning but it had been after Lucky had already turned in for the night. And he had been gone, too, the following afternoon when she had regained consciousness, cramped and knotted up on the floor of the dusty room beside their bedroom. She couldn’t even remember going in there.
She had spent the rest of that afternoon recuperating between painkillers, hot herbal tea, and a long soak in bath. Hours later she awoke for the second time that day. The bath had gone cold and she could hear Lucky Clover’s hooves stomping up the stairs.
Their day apart had done little more than give him more time to simmer and when the arguing broke out again his finely crafted vitriol had rocketed about in her still tender mind, reigniting all the aches that had begun to subside. She gave as good as she got, though, and eventually they had separated to different floors of the house, him to their bedroom and her to the couch.
Early this morning she was briefly awakened by a kiss on her forehead. Lucky had ran his hoof through her mane as he told her that he would be away on a run for a few days, taking lumber up to Canterlot before returning with a load of supplies for Rich’s shop. He had smiled at her and asked her to promise to be careful on Thursday’s ascent.
All she could do at the time was groggily nod. Above his sleepy smile she could see how puffy and red his eyes were.
Wild yawned and stretched with feline-like grace before dropping her forelegs over the edge of the couch. The rest of her grudgingly followed along as she began a slow walk towards the kitchen only to halt mid-stride at the sound of a note sliding underneath her front door. Trotting over to the window she caught sight of a dark blue, constellation marked flank turning to leave.
“Hey, Star, wait up!”
Star Hunter froze and limpingly turned around.
Wild gasped. Hurriedly she undid the bolt and pulled her front door open. Just beyond her doormat stood her team leader, grinning like a foal that had just been caught halfway in a cookie jar, with his left foreleg pulled up in a sling. “What in the hay happened? What about our ascent?” she admonished.
“It’s nothing, really. Just a tiny fracture; Nurse Redheart cleared me to fly but advised against doing any heavy work for a few days. Good thing I let you guys do all that.” He grinned bashfully.
“So Cici clocked you one, did she? What did you do,” she said, more as a statement than a question.
“Well for one thing, she apparently doesn’t like being called Cici,” he muttered. “A-anyway,” he quickly added, “it really is nothing. I was just trying to push her a bit and she decided to push back. Problem was that she was the one with the weights to back it up,” he ended with a smirk.
“Riiiight,” she intoned. She could always try to get the true story from Cloudchaser later. “Anyway, what’s this about?” she asked, poking at the note on the floor with her hoof.
“Just a few things about getting the newbie ready for tomorrow. Nothing, big really.”
“Care to give me the short version? It’s too early to read.”
“Wild, it’s nearly ten.”
She stared hard at him, her half lidded eyes capping a darkening frown.
“Okay, well. Basically her gear arrived last night. I ran into the courier on my way back from the clinic and opened the door to the office so she could bring everything in. I was just hoping I could have you meet up with Cloudy and get her to try them on and go over the preflight things. You know everything from the miner’s perspective and all.”
“I suppose that’s easy enough. Also I doubt you’re looking for a matching pair,” she pointed at the sling.
“Now that you mention it I bet it would be pretty difficult to do the ascent in a wheelchair. I mean, Snow could probably pull me along like a chariot or something—“
Wild Fire plopped a hoof over Star’s mouth. “As hilarious as that thought is I don’t think he’d go for it. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I should start getting ready if I’m going to walk across town before lunchtime.”
It was just a few minutes past noon when Wild Fire knocked on the door to Roseluck’s shop. She had noted the mare’s absence as she had trotted through the market stalls on her way. So, despite the Closed sign sitting in the window, she was not surprised when moments later the door popped open to reveal the red maned proprietor in a dirt smudged apron holding a watering can in her mouth.
“Mrrh.” Rose bent to set the watering can down. “That is, sorry. I was in the back doing some maintenance and inventory. Are you here to see Cloudchaser? Or are you looking for something to nibble on?” she asked winking slyly.
Wild snorted. “Still single, huh?”
Rose rolled her eyes and sighed. “That obvious, is it? Though I’m at a loss as to why considering somepony was out the other night telling everypony all about it.”
Wincing at the sudden change in tone, Wild Fire found a sudden interest in the ground at her hooves. “So, uh, I guess she told you about that, huh. Look, Rose, I’m truly sorry about that. I know it’s no excuse, but, I figured she already knew since she’s living here and all.”
“Why would she?” Rose protested hotly. “I mean, I’m not hiding anything and, by Celestia, you know I’m not the shy sort, but it’s not like I put out a sign or anything!”
At this Wild’s gaze shot back up. She backed up a couple steps from the doorway and looked pointedly above it at the “Rose’s Perfect Petals” sign before casting an arched eye in Rose’s direction.
“That’s not what that means!” Rose shouted. “Besides, that was your idea, remember?”
“I just came up with the name; you’re the one who put your name on it.”
Rose chuckled, “it seemed like a good idea at the time. I was pretty drunk.”
Wild Fire barked out a laugh in return and stepped back over to pat her friend on the shoulder. “We both were. You should come out with me and the gals more often; you don’t get out enough these days.”
“Now that I have the store as well as the market stall I’m usually on my hooves most of the day. I just get so exhausted anymore.”
“Have you considered maybe hiring on some help? You’re doing well enough, these days, right?”
“I’ve kicked the idea around some but haven’t made up my mind yet. Anyway, I should probably get back to my work,” Rose said, turning to look back into her shop.
“Hey, any chance you have any of those violets left? I was thinking of a picnic lunch today.”
“Sorry, fresh out as of yesterday. I have some petunias that I just started to cut if you’ll give me a few moments.”
“Sounds good to me! Oh,” she turned to fish out her bit pouch, letting it drop to the ground with a little jingle, “and throw in some of your rose oil, too, if you’re not out of that, too.”
“Oohh, trying to do something nice for Lucky?” Rose asked with a knowing grin.
Wild Fire was turned fumbling to close her saddlebag as she responded, “No, well, maybe later, sure, but this is for Cloudy.”
Roseluck’s other eyebrow shot up to meet its neighbor as she gaped at the pegasus.
Wild turned back around and jumped back a step at the shocked expression. “No, nothing like that; it’s her back,” she bit out. “She’s probably all torn up from training yesterday and we need her ready to go for tomorrow.”
Nodding, Rose replied, “You’re right about her condition, I’m afraid. She came home yesterday looking like she had tried to drink Froggy Bottom Bogg and failed. She spent most of the evening groaning in her room and when she finally got up today she went straight into the bathroom and hasn’t come out since. It’s a good thing I have the shop one to turn to.”
“Well, if you could just bag up those couple of things and take whatever it costs” – she kicked the bit pouch over towards Rose – “I’ll go on up and see about retrieving our feathery prune.”
Cloudchaser felt horrible.
The first reason was that she felt worn out by a rough night studded with nightmares. There was nothing she could recall clearly but she still felt a feeling of dread in her stomach. Not that her stomach needed much help feeling dreadful. That was a part of the second reason.
Between the strenuous laps of flying while carrying weights and the recurring heaving brought about by her condition the morning before her entire midsection, front to back, had become one giant cramp. With consistent effort and a considerable amount of cursing she doubled over to empty the tub before once again filling it with soothing, nearly scalding waters.
Her muscles were starting to unbind a bit again in the steaming water. As she reclined back in the tub she considered the final reason she felt terrible: she needed to apologize to Star Hunter.
True, he had been an inconsiderate featherbrain yesterday, but she was the one who came out swinging. She had been able to reign herself in but she had still gone too far. Her nightmares were the all too deserving proof of that, she thought glumly.
Cloudy’s head sprung to attention as the doorknob started to rattle. “I’m still in here, Rose!” she called.
Her jaw plummeted open as she noticed the lock beginning to fidgetingly turn. “What the hay do you think you’re doing?” she shouted. Hurriedly she spun about to lie on her stomach facing the door causing a thick swell of water to slop wetly over the rim of the tub.
A moment later the door cracked open and her dark maned coworker’s head popped in, grinning wickedly while holding the emergency key in her teeth.
“Wild Fire? What the HAY do you think you’re doing?” Cloudchaser fumed.
Wild dropped the key into an upturned hoof while continuing to beam toothily. “Don’t get your mane in a twist, new wings. Though, right now it does look a little more – melted popsicle-y than normal,” she chided. “Besides, it’s not like you’ve got anything that I don’t. Or do you?” she paused, raising an eyebrow.
Cloudy continued to glare at the intruder.
Wild Fire rolled her eyes. “You’re just determined to not lighten up, huh? No matter. I’ve got some things to go over regarding our ascent tomorrow and I was thinking a nice picnic would be a great start. I’ll go ahead and wait downstairs and visit more with Rose. Come on down when you’re done being all pissy.” She smiled brightly and waved before closing the door.
Cloudy released the pent up breath she had been holding and hoofed open the drain valve.
After drying off and attending to her deflated mane Cloudchaser trudged down the stairs. As she reached the bottom she saw Wild leaning over the store counter and chatting amicably with the open door that led to Rose’s workroom.
“ – and Lucky never did find his last shoe; it’s probably lodged in one of those cement statues to this day.”
Roseluck trotted through the door with a clay pot held in her teeth. She set it atop a stack of similar flowerpots before turning to her friend. “I think you add a couple more guards every time you tell that, you know. Oh, hey Cloudy!” she said, waving a dirt-smudged foreleg.
“Hey, Rose. Sorry about the water upstairs; somepony startled me and I splashed a bit. I’ll clean it up when I get back.”
“I heard. Don’t fret over it, though. Wild may have all the tact of a rock but she’s at least good enough to offer to clean up the messes she creates. Right, dear?”
Wild Fire’s shrunken pupils flicked between Cloudchaser’s questioning stare and Rose’s more pointed one before she drooped her shoulders in defeat. “Fine. Is the mop still in the same place as before?”
Rose smiled warmly. “Same place as always. But that can wait till you get back, I guess. You were going to be walking back to the middle of town for lunch? You probably want to get going.”
“That’s true I guess. Come on, newbie, let’s hoof it.”
Cloudy leaned into a long stretch and flexed her wings. “Sure, I could use to get moving a bit. I’m all stiff after yesterday.”
“We’ll work on that later; for now you can holster the flappers and trot with me some.”
“Huh? But it’ll take twice as long on the ground,” Cloudchaser declared.
“I guess that’s the first thing, then. Look, kid, it’s not really a regulation or anything – more of a house rule that Star instituted when he took charge a few years back. No flying the day before an ascent. You’ll get plenty of a workout tomorrow; today’s a day to take it easy.”
Wild shouldered open the door and held it open for the other mare. “On my way over I saw a lyrist setting up to busk in the park. Maybe she’ll still be there and we can have some music with our lunch, how does that sound?”
Cloudy stepped past and out into the midday sun. She squinted and inhaled deeply the scents of greenery and sun warmed thatch. “That sounds perfect to me, Wild. Lead the way!”
Cloudchaser sat, contentedly chewing away on her second petunia sandwich as a chilled bottle plopped softly down beside her on the red and white checked sheet. Glancing up she watched as Wild Fire stepped around her holding a second bottle in her jaw.
Wild turned as she moved to the other side of the blanket. She flopped back on her haunches and dropped the second bottle. “Look what I found! One of the ponies in the bazaar today’s a lemon importer, so – ta da! Lemonade!” she grinned proudly.
Cloudy smiled softly. “You didn’t need to do that, Wild, thank you. You’ve got to let me cover next time, though.”
Strands of delicate, melancholy music breathed by in the gentle breeze from the minty unicorn reclining under a nearby tree.
Wild nodded over to the musician. “How about you tip our entertainment and we call it even? Sounds fair enough to me.”
Nodding rapidly with a glowing smile, Cloudchaser pulled her bit purse out of her saddle bag and trotted over to the busker.
The lyrist did not open her eyes at the mare’s approach but a smile brightened her muzzle. The sound of bits clinking into the nearby jar was acknowledged with a deep nod. As the musician’s head inclined Cloudy’s wide eyes were met by the faint green light pulsing from the musician’s horn in time with the plucking melody. With a whisper of appreciation she bowed slightly in return and strolled back across the soft grass to sit with Wild again.
“I never expected to see a street musician in a rural town like this. Is she somepony you know?”
Wild Fire shook her head and lowered the bottle she had been drinking from. “No, and I don’t know anypony who does, for that matter. The rumor I hear is that she just showed up in town a few months back near the beginning of winter. She comes out and plays every now and then when the weather is nice; it gives the town center a little more class, don’t you think?”
Cloudy opened her bottle and raised it in salute. “I can agree with that, I suppose. Buskers aren’t too uncommon in Baltimare or Manehattan but they’re usually more – um, unkempt.”
“Hah, I can see it now.” Wild gestured with grandeur, “The mayor’s new town slogan: ‘Ponyville: Even our homeless are pleasant!’”
Cloudchaser just rolled her eyes. “Maybe she’s just visiting family and loves to perform? A tip jar alone is not really enough to classify her as homeless. Besides,” she leaned in to whisper, “I think she can probably hear you from there.”
A dismissive hoof waved her way in response. “Sure, kid, whatever. Anyway, after this how about we drop by the office? Star told me that your gear came in last night and thought it might be a good idea to see if everything fits okay. If anything’s out of whack we still have time to haul it over to Rarity’s for altering.
“Oh, before I forget, nice work on Star’s shoulder, there. If somepony doesn't set him straight from time to time he gets a bit loony. What, did he try hitting on you or something so you responded a little more literal-like?”
Cloudy ran a hoof through her mane, “No, nothing like that. It was just a misunderstanding is all. He didn't mean anything by it.”
“Well for one I hear he got the notion that nopony calls you Cici and lives, am I right, slugger?” Wild Fire winked.
A momentary pall of terror washed over Cloudchaser’s face. Quickly she replaced it with a plastic grin and tittered slightly, “Heh, uh, yeah.”
Wild made a thoughtful sound in the back of her throat and stared into Cloudy’s rosy eyes for a moment before speaking, “Well, let’s go on and clean this up and get going then. I’d like to get everything finished up by nightfall so we can all get some good sleep tonight.”
After a final swig on her lemonade Cloudy stiffly rose to her hooves. Suddenly she dropped the bottle and clutched at her side, hissing sharply through her teeth.
Wild scooted over to sit beside Cloudchaser and gently pushed her hooves away from the cramp. Using the tip of her own hoof she pressed into the knotted muscle and rubbed small circles into it until it unbound. “Yeah, initial training is awful for everypony. It’ll be easier tomorrow, I promise; and every ascent after that. After we’re done checking your gear I’ve got something that should make your night a bit easier, too.”
Cloudchaser nodded gratefully and together the two gathered up the blanket and discarded their trash before trotting down the wide lane away from the bazaar.
A pair of golden eyes watched the two curiously as their forms receded in the distance. Putting her lyre aside the unicorn extracted a quill and some parchment from her bags and began to write.
Cloudchaser poked a hoof tentatively at the greyish heap of cloth before her; it looked rubbery but felt smooth rather than tacky. “Hey, Wild Fire? What’s this stuff made of?” she asked over her shoulder.
“No clue, honestly,” came the muffled reply. “Some sort of plant fiber hokum cooked up by earth pony horticulturalists. Whatever it is it’s light and warm; that’s what matters.”
Shoved up against the reception desk – a holdover from the previous lease holder Cloudy had been told – sat a massive box, nearly as tall as the sandy pegasus who’s back half was currently protruding upward from it.
“Do you, uh, need a hoof with that, Wild?” Cloudchaser smirked with a giggle. “Besides, shouldn't I be the pony responsible for hauling this stuff around?”
“No way, newbie,” replied the box. “I don’t need you wearing yourself out more than you already are.”
“But I—“
“No buts, missy,” interrupted the dark tailed backside. “Anyway, nrrgh” – Wild’s back legs pedaled futilely as the box began to rock – “I almost – got – it –“
A loud whump echoed through the building as the box toppled over sprawling half of Wild Fire out on the scuffed hardwood floor.
“See?” the box huffed, “I’ve got everything under control.”
The lamp, jostled precariously to the edge of the desk, toppled to the floor. With a soft popping sound the room dimmed; now only lit by the mid-afternoon light filtering through the blinds.
“Mostly under control, that is,” Wild concluded.
Cloudchaser began to whoop with laughter for a moment until her sides reminded her that it wasn't in their best interest. Reduced to groaning and chuckling she wiped a hoof at the moisture picking at the sides of her eyes. She composed herself as she watched Wild Fire back out of the box with a larger, brown pile of material in her jaws.
Wild dropped the suit beside the first one she had set down earlier and pointed a hoof at the first pile. “The grey one is your inner suit; that’s the one you’ll have on most of the day tomorrow. It covers you from throat to dock and has Velcro along the underside to hold everything together. Officially it’s recommended to try and not get the hooks caught up in your coat – realistically just expect it’ll happen off and on.” She turned slightly to indicate the second pile, “This is your outer layer. Your goggles are also wrapped up in there somewhere and I’ll fish that out in a moment. Since this one’s a lot heav—“
Cloudy stopped prodding at the brown suit and looked up at Wild Fire in confusion. “This – this doesn't look woven –“
Wild Fire pursed her lips and just leveled a half-lidded stare at her coworker.
“ – and, this lining, is this – fur?” Cloudchaser whispered, her pupils nearly filling her eyes.
Wild sat back and crossed her forelegs. “There’s nothing to sugarcoat here. The outer coat hasn't changed much since pre-unification days. The corp has trade agreements with the griffon aeries for their – cast offs. Nopony has ever liked this part but unfortunately nothing else has been found yet that can withstand the mez as well.”
A creeping shiver oozed along Cloudchaser’s spine, “That’s just – I mean, eww.”
“You don’t have to like it but there’s no reason to disrespect the poor creatures that went into its making. Everypony knows that there are meat eaters out there and this is just a case of nothing being left to waste.”
Cloudy grimaced but nodded. “It’s okay, I can deal with that, I guess,” she gulped.
“Good,” Wild Fire nodded slowly. “Someday the plant labs will make something better for the outer suit but for now we just gotta deal with what we’ve got. That’s the other reason we don’t put these on till we’re in the strat: no reason to go upsetting the townsfolk. And Celestia help us if the town’s vet ever saw you wearing it; she’d go catatonic.
Anyway, like I was saying – Snow will carry these things up in his haulers when we ascend. Star and Flits meet with the weather team before each ascent to schedule for some high level clouds for us to use as a way station about a third of the way up. That gives us a place to gear up for the rest of the climb. Any questions so far?”
Cloudchaser shook her head.
“Okay then, kid, let’s go ahead and get you suited up to make sure everything’s in the right place.”
Wild Fire pushed open the door to the stairs and stepped back into the dim ground floor lobby. Peering about she saw Cloudy kicking her back left hoof in an attempt to dislodge it from the stretchy legging of the inner suit. She chuckled at the scene and shook her head. “I hung the outer coat upstairs. I’ll show you were we keep them in a moment – you know, if you manage to free yourself.”
“Yeah, yeah, laugh it up. Or, I dunno, you could give me a hoof real quick?”
Wild grinned and trotted over to plant her forehooves on the crumpled grey fabric. “Just try to not buck my teeth out.”
Cloudchaser grunted and hobbled away on her three unbound legs until the stubborn cloth finally sprung back to join the rest of the suit. “Nnn, there! A little tight around the ends, isn't it?”
Wild bit back the vulgar joke that came to mind and simply nodded. “That’s to help keep your warmth in. Even still, it’ll break in with time. Now come on, we’ll hang this up and get on our way.”
The evening sky was stained with waves of plum and peach as the ebbing rays of the sun melted behind the rustic houses. Pools of light bloomed out of a few windows along the road as the two mares made their way towards a darkened two story cottage. Wild Fire’s saddlebags were bulging slightly which, in the fading light, made her look a bit hippy as Cloudchaser jokingly pointed out.
“Hardy har, fluffy flanks. I’m carrying the groceries, what’s your excuse?”
Cloudy snickered, “Touché. You’ll have to let me in on how you keep yourself in such good shape some time.”
Wild nosed aside a bundle of celery aside to drop her key back in her bag. “You’ll be there in no time, newbie; scraping the mesosphere has its benefits.”
“I’ll say.” Cloudchaser whistled softly as she walked in behind her coworker. “Your house is gorgeous!”
“I’ve gotta give Lucky at least some credit, there,” Wild replied as she waddled into the kitchen to unload her bags. “He hauls freight and last summer was busy for the both of us so we did a bit of sprucing up. Some fresh paint and updated furniture really help a place feel cozy. Now why don’t you have a seat and make yourself feel at home. Food’ll be ready here in a few.”
She was relieved to not hear Cloudy pipe up to offer help again. It’s all well and good to be a helpful pony but it almost seemed a bit much. Still, she was impressed at how much spunk the kid showed; in her nearly ten years of scraping she’d seen more than a few new wings begging to be carried around after first training.
After storing her empty saddle bags on a peg in the pantry Wild Fire returned to start cleaning up the vegetables on the counter. There was more than she had intended to buy but Cloudchaser had insisted that she pay her back for today. It nagged at Wild’s conscience to think on the over a week’s worth of food she had just finished putting away but with how threadbare the saving’s account had gotten – she couldn’t help but accept. Lucky’s work had been steady enough since the roads were cleared at the end of winter but the home improvements that Cloudy had been remarking on earlier hadn’t been cheap – they had put a good bit on credit with the expectation that the larger autumnal starfalls would more than make up for it.
With a yelp she withdrew her foreleg from the artichoke it had been holding down to slice. Damnable thistle – if only they weren’t so tasty. Goldie had just brought her first harvest to her stall that afternoon and Cloudchaser had nearly pounced on them. It turned out that they’re one of her favorites, too.
“Is everything alright in there? Do you need a hoof with anything?”
Wild Fire sighed. That hadn’t lasted long. “No, thanks, I just poked myself on dinner. It’ll be just a few more minutes.”
With vengeful determination she turned her attention back to the prickly produce.
Cloudchaser dabbed at her plate with a chunk of bread before popping the lemon butter soaked morsel into her mouth, swallowing and sighing blissfully. “That was amazing, Wild.”
Wild Fire grinned as she gathered up the dishes. “Just like mom used to make, eh?”
“Thankfully, no; my mother could burn water,” Cloudy responded with a crinkled muzzle.
Wild chuckled as she strode into the kitchen balancing the tray of dishes on her back. After depositing the plates and cups in the sink she moved over to where she placed the rose oil. “Go ahead and stretch out on the couch there. It’s time we take care of that tension,” she called towards the other room.
“Erm, no, seriously, that’s not really necessary,” Cloudy said apprehensively. “And it’s getting late – I've got a hike to get back home as is.”
Wild opened her jaw to let the bottle plop down beside Cloudchaser on the sofa. “Look, kid,” she frowned down at the scrunched up mare, “the last thing any of us need is for your flight muscles to cramp up at seventy clicks into the blue. You would literally,” she stressed, “be pulling your team down. Now are you going to relax already?”
Cloudy gnawed on her bottom lip but scooted around on the couch until she was lying demurely on her stomach with her legs stretched out before and behind her. “I guess it’s just weird, you know? I've never had anypony give me a massage before.”
“It’s nice from time to time. There’s a spa out past Carousel that I go to from time to time. The pair that run the place do a pretty good hooficure but you can tell they were trained on ground ponies. They just don’t know their way around wings the way I do.”
Wild held the bottle between her forehooves and grasped the rubber stopper with her teeth, pulling it free. After some juggling with the bottle she managed to get her hooves oiled up and set the reclosed bottle on an end table.
She rose on her hind legs to loom above the other pegasus. “Trust me.”
“Sweet Celestia’s pearly pinions,” purred Cloudchaser, “can I keep you?”
Wild Fire chortled merrily, “Sorry, girl, these hooves are already spoken for. And see, you were all concerned over it being weird.”
A hoof waved from where it dangled near the floor, “I concede to your wisdom. You weren’t kidding about knowing your way around wings.”
Grinning, Wild continued to knead at the pale lilac puddle of pegasus. Over the past half hour Cloudchaser had morphed from a rigid pole of a pony to a much more malleable sprawl of limbs. “I oughtta, I used to do this every other day or so. So did Rose, for that matter.”
A questioning hum came from the mare beneath her hooves.
“Well, since you asked – I think – college speed fliers team. It’s just something teammates would do for one another to keep everypony limber. In the beginning I hadn’t the slightest idea what I was doing, to tell the truth. So I attended a weekend seminar that some health club was having and met an earth pony track runner from school who was in the same boat as me and –“
She trailed off as she noticed yet another scar running underneath the oil matted hairs she had been massaging. When she had noticed the first earlier she had mentioned it out of surprise. Cloudy just brushed the issue aside, though, and Wild had let it drop. With a tiny frown she traced this fourth scar with her eyes to where it disappeared beneath the oil free hairs on Cloudchaser’s abdomen.
Wild Fire’s ears perked forward and she glanced up as a soft snoring dug her out of her thoughts. Sitting back and wiping her hooves with a towel she just chuckled quietly and shook her head. “I’ll take that as a compliment,” she whispered. She grabbed the blanket she had used that morning in her teeth and pulled it from the back of the couch to drape over the snoozing mare.
She ghosted across the floor to the stairs, stopping to nose the light switch off. Stretching a bit to bypass a particularly squeaky step she made her way up to the second floor. She stood in the doorway to the master suite for a few moments, staring at the door to the adjoining room still standing ajar – Lucky must have left it open when he left.
She trudged over to the door and slowly pushed it closed.
Wild turned and walked over to crawl into bed, wrapping her legs around Lucky’s pillow and pulling it tightly to her chest before burying her face in it.