//------------------------------// // chapter 25: Hearts Bared // Story: Ponyville Days // by Cirrus Sky //------------------------------// The alarm played its regular tune, a fanfare that matched the knight helmet shape of the plastic surround. Spike groaned and slapped at it, he had a day off from lessons today and didn’t need to wake up. Rainbow and Twilight certainly wouldn’t be up for a long while. Awake, the boy buried his head under the covers and tried his best to sleep on. Eight am was too early on a day off. “No use.” He mumbled fifteen minutes later, his body and mind alert. “Breakfast I guess.” Clad in dual tone striped purple pyjamas and barefoot he padded through his morning routine, carefully disposing of a chocolate wrapper in the study wastepaper basket to hide the evidence of his sneaky snack. Headed to the kitchen he stopped to fetch the local paper from the porch. Breakfast without adult supervision always meant two bowls of sugary cereal (Today: Reese’s and Lucky Charms) a pair of pop-tarts and a mug of coffee. The sugar would buzz him a little but he always argued that a growing boy needed plenty of it. Polishing off the sugar and artificial flavouring mess he grabbed a quick shower and afterwards there was yet still no sign of his sister or her girlfriend. Settling onto the sofa to read in peace, Spike was surprised by the door being knocked. “Twilight didn’t mention anyone arriving before nine.” He mumbled, looking to the clock. * On the doorstep in the early morning sunlight Dath stood, shuffling on his feet. “We came too early.” He looked side to side and at the closed curtains on the second storey. “Well, if no one answers, we go and get breakfast in that bakery with the cupcake on the roof.” Firefly smiled and went to unlatch the break on her chair. “We are quite a bit early, sorry.” “No matter, we are both early risers.” He tactfully didn’t mention her panicked sobs that roused them both from sleep. The door clicked and they both faced it. “Oh, hey.” Spike said as who the visitors were registered. “They’re still asleep, but do you want to come in?” He stepped back and held the door open wider. “Lazy bones are they?” Firefly manoeuvred her chair closer to the threshold, “Dath said we were too early.” With a little extra help from her husband she entered the house. “Yeah, they were up late talking and must be sleeping in.” Spike shrugged. “Want some breakfast? I’m pretty good at most things. Mom made sure I was good at cooking.” “Sounds like your mom is a canny lady.” Dath replied. “We usually have toast and eggs. Over easy.” “If that’s ok with you?” Firefly added. “Sure thing. You want coffee or anything? There’s a table in the kitchen.” He led the guests through and began preparing breakfast. * Blue, that was the first thing Twilight saw when she woke up. It was slightly confusing to see only a field of blue when you first open your eyes. Then she realised it was Rainbow’s shirt. “Doy, Twilight... brain is so slow in the morning.” She mumbled, burying her face in the soft, warm fabric. “Is it morning now huh?” Rainbow whispered, woken by the movement. “Ugh, slept in my clothes.” “Yeah, me too...” Twilight snickered. “You’re giving me bad habits.” “Shyeah... Miss study all night on coffee and a stiff chair.” Rainbow tugged her egghead into a hug. Sounds from downstairs filtered up, along with the smells of a cooking breakfast. Rainbow gave a contented sigh. “What was that in aid of Rainbow?” Twilight looked up at the happy rose eyes. “Just thought, this feels like home. Y’know... That moment when it settles in and then you realise it’s happened?” She drew Twilight into a kiss. “I think we’re going to need to make some more space for me.” “Ohmygosh. Ohmygosh! OHMYGOSH!” Twilight squeezed Rainbow tightly and rolled over so she lay under the pilot. “Really? You really want to move in?” “Yeah babe, don’t think I want to wake up alone again.” Rainbow was smiling from ear to ear, mirrored by Twilight. “It’ll be cool to live in town instead of way out in the middle of nowhere with only the interstate as company.” As suddenly as she rolled Rainbow onto her, Twilight was wriggling from under her and fleeing the room. “I gotta go tell Spike!” She shouted as she ran. * The sound of running feet and excited shouting from his sister caught Spike’s attention away from a general conversation about Ponyville. “Someone’s happy.” He managed to comment before a joyful blur of purple swamped him. “She’s moving in Spike!!!!!” Twilight sang, spinning her little brother around before noticing the two slightly bemused guests. “Uh... Hi...” She said sheepishly. “So you guys have heard the news then.” Rainbow drawled lazily from the doorway. She had chased her girlfriend down the stairs and noticed her parents before the librarian. “Congratulations sweetie.” Firefly smiled and raised her orange juice in toast. Dath couldn’t help but offer a smile also. “Thanks mom, dad. Now come on Twi’ shower and change, a whole day and night in the same outfit doesn’t only hurt Rarity.” She led the now blushing girl away. “Well, that was news.” Spike chuckled as they went back to their breakfast. * Showered and dressed in fresh clothes, the couple arrived for their own breakfast. Much later in the day a pair of cars rolled up in the parking lot of Spectrum Airfield. The sky blue dodge and purple Capri halted in the set aside spaces that Rainbow had painted up for her friends. After some arranging they were all out and ready for the grand tour. “I will be the first to demand a look at the actual new planes and helicopters.” Firefly called, rolling on ahead towards the footpath. “I was hoping to see the collection.” Dath said evenly, looking toward a large hanger with “Museum” painted on it in tall letters. Firefly pulled a face. “Not the junkers... I want new shiny things!” She halted as the others caught up, a cross-roads in the path was ahead. One path led across to the museum hangar, the other towards the newest addition to Spectrum; The Med-evac emergency station and the trio of new helicopters and a gleaming new plane. “I have an idea.” Twilight smiled, “I will go with Firefly to the new facility, I recently read about all the new equipment you got, Rainbow, so I can answer questions on that. “Rainbow, Spike, you can show Dath the museum and the workshops.” She pointed as she spoke. Spike nodded eagerly but the Dashes paused and looked at each other. “That sounds like a good idea Twilight!” Firefly made the decision by wheeling herself towards the new building. “Ok, um, da... Sir. If you’d come with me.” Rainbow scratched the back of her head, a nervous habit, then began to lead the way. * The smell of fresh paint, sawn wood and new carpet filled the new unit; it was a month away from the opening and still wasn’t stocked with furniture or any real equipment, just the bare bones. Twilight held the door open and sniffed the scents of hard work completed well always were pleasing. Firefly rolled in and took a sweeping look around the open-plan space. “Nice, reminds me of old mission control back when I was coastguard.” “Really? You have rescue experience?” Twilight stepped closer to the chair. “Oh yeah, a few years serving there until I got into the testing gig.” The older woman shrugged and pointed to her knee. “I’ve been thinking of getting back into it, what with this leg of mine.” Twilight nodded. “Rainbow has been talking about hiring on new pilots. She’d jump to give you any job. I’m sure.” Twilight’s gaze remained on the leg. “Um, if you don’t mind me asking... How did it happen?” * “So how did it happen?” Rainbow looked at her father, they were not quite the same height, she had to angle her head a little else be glaring at his nose. They had just entered the hangar where all her ‘air museum’ was. The aged and slightly dusty planes sat in neat rows. Spike had been distracted by Flitter requesting help with unloading office supplies at the admin block. The young teenager eager to show off for a pretty girl. “The accident?” Dath asked, resignation in his voice. “Yeah. What happened?” Rainbow stalked over to a stack of crates and sat down. A listening pose write clear across her. --- The test plane taxied along the runway, it had been a great test so far, now for the finishing display. The plane was supposed to be capable of VTOL as well as the old fashioned landing manoeuvres, with extra movements in hover mode. Sat at the viewing zone, Dath smiled indulgently; it was a treat to watch his wife fly with planes no one had conceived of when they had first learned. His job was consultant, to sit and advise what the military would want, how it would act and react, the capabilities these new aircraft would have to have just to even reach a saleable point for the air force. Firefly though, she was something else, almost able to get any crate flying with intuition. A stellar pilot. “I’m going to go for a hovering landing folks. I’ll put her down in the circle.” Firefly’s voice sounded over the radio, confident and merry. The telemetry and other readings carried on cycling through on the screen. Dath hadn’t any real idea what they displayed or where to monitor. He was just about to ask when a buzzer sounded off. “Uh oh” sounded over the radio the exact moment all the readings went dead. There was just enough time between alarm and the dead screen for Dath to see the altitude. 50ft, barely anything. People had survived falls from buildings that far with barely a scratch. But then, those who fell from buildings were not strapped to several tons of metal and flammable liquids. He rushed to the window, to see what was going on. Perfect timing to see the tangled wreckage hit the floor. Time enough to see Her try and eject, only to find another fault in the plane, a fault that meant the canopy didn’t fly free. A canopy that was angled in just a way so that her leg hit it, propelled by the force of the ejector seat. Time enough to see the seat not gain altitude for an effective parachute. Time enough to watch as his wife, her leg hanging in a sickening manner it was never supposed to, strapped into a seat hitting the floor from a height just bad enough to be dangerous. Time enough to see the uselessly deployed parachute settle over her limp form like a shroud. Time enough to watch his whole world come to an end. --- “They rushed me to the hospital, I was pretty out of it by then.” Firefly explained, twisting a little of her hair in her fingers. “I was very lucky.” Twilight nodded, no words able to express her thoughts. * Tears dropped, landing with little plips on the concrete floor. Rainbow scrubbed at her face, was shocked to see her father crying. “I thought she was dead Stripy... I thought I’d be calling you for a funeral.” His voice was rough with emotion, his face almost ashen and certainly aged more than Rainbow had ever seen. She let his old nickname slide, just this once. “Dad...” Rainbow stood from her makeshift seat and tentatively drew closer. When there was little space between them she grabbed him around the waist. “Daddy...” Rainbow let her tears run free then, burying her face in his jacket, his old aviator jacket that still smelled and felt like it had when he’d carry her home late from a ball game. “Stripy, I was worried I would lose you too, that you’d blame me.” He hugged her closer. “Dad... I thought you hated me, for, for the liking girls thing, for ditching on the air force... For ditching you guys.” It was like the flood gates had been opened, seeing her father cry it had hit home to Rainbow. All she had missed, all she had never seen as a kid. Now she was an adult, living a long time away from her parents, growing up and into herself. “I never could hate you Rainbow! Stripy, you were so brave, how could I hate anyone being so brave? To be so true to yourself despite my expectations... I was shocked, disappointed about the future I saw for you never coming true and maybe disapproving of Gilda as a partner...” He held her a little away, so she could see him point around the hangar and outside to the airfield. “Look at all this! Look at what you achieved! You turned a little local airstrip into something worthy of those developers at Lockheed! You have helped people and are still doing it.” “You’re proud? Really?” Rainbow looked up, trying to catch his eye. He looked down with a smile and laid a kiss on her forehead. “Kiddo, I am one heckuva proud father.” The tears had stopped for both of them. “Now, can I get that tour of all these tasty machines you’ve got here eh?” * When they met up later, Twilight and Firefly were surprised and happy to see Rainbow and Dath walking up to them hand in hand, smiling and laughing.