//------------------------------// // High tale // Story: Short stories about ponies and whatnot // by shutaro //------------------------------// “'Course I'm right! Now let's go fuel up! Kicking all that tail has made me hungry.” Lightning Dust opened the entrance to the base’s mess hall, and Rainbow Dash followed her a few moments later. As the two of them waited in line for their food Rainbow Dash spotted some regular members of the Wonderbolts in the cafeteria: Blaze, High Winds and Surprise sat at one of the tables and had an early meal too. She tapped Lightning Dust on the shoulder and wiggled her eyebrows in the direction of the veteran flyers. Lightning Dust’s eyes went wide with fan-girlish glee, and Rainbow Dash was quite sure she heard a little squeal, too. She grinned as she remembered all too well her first meeting with the team after the best-young-flyer competition almost two years ago. After they got their grub Rainbow was just about to sit down at the first free table as Lightning Dust wrapped a wing over her shoulder and pulled her up again. “Hey, I’m lead pony, so you follow me. I know where we will eat today,” she whispered and pointed to the free seats at the table of the the Wonderbolt veterans. For a moment Rainbow Dash wanted to point out how uncool this kind of geekish behaviour was, until she remembered the Grand Galloping Gala. She had no right to call Lightning Dust out on this. “Ma’ams?” Lightning Dust had led them right to the seats next to Blaze and High Wind. “Permission to sit here? With you?” Her voice was just a little bit wobbly with excitement. “It’s a free country, have a seat,” Surprise grinned over to them. “As long as you don’t ask me for an autograph.” Lightning Dust’s face fell for just a moment. “Because I’d have to get those from my locker right now, but I can’t leave my pudding with those two here.” Surprise pointed an accusing spoon at her comrades. “They are regular dessert thieves and sweet snatchers!” The atmosphere at the table was light and cheerful, and Lightning Dust got exactly what she had apparently hoped for: sharing a table with her childhood heros. Rainbow got what she wanted, too: a relaxed meal with some nice ponies, plus the realization that she had become quite accustomed to being around her stars. Being a Wonderbolt was still a major dream, but meeting one... she had talked to Spitfire this morning, no reason to get worked up about it. She had met the captain of the team quite often by now: at the best-young-flyer competition, the gala, even at tornado day. “You’re awful quiet there, cadet.” Rainbow Dash needed a second to realize that Blaze had spoken to her. “I’m sorry, ma’am,” she answered. “Got lost in thoughts of home.” Surprise snorted a bit of laughter. “Oh, somepony ‘s homesick. So cute.” The others laughed too, and Rainbow joined in after a moment. “So, where are you from, Rainbow Dash?” “Born in Cloudsdale, but I’m from Ponyville. Little town on the railroad to Canterlot. You probably don’t know it.” High Winds looked at her fellow team members. “Ponyville? By the Everfree?” Rainbow Dash nodded. “Of course we know Ponyville. It’s only the site of our greatest victory!” Surprise beamed at the chance to tell a story. “A few days more than year back we three were on standby when we got the order to intercept a dragon that was attacking Ponyville! It was a giant beast, taller than their tallest buildings! It had already stolen a huge amount of valuables and was rampaging through the town, it even had a pony in his clutches. But we did a few close flybys and drove it back to it’s mountain!” Blaze chimed in, “I did my patented Bold Blazing Cutter and shaved some of the scales from its neck. Then we — did a short course around the mountain for another swing, but the monster was already gone. We had totally scared it off!” They did a three-way-highhoof, “Wonderbolts ROCK!” and laughed. Lightning Dust was almost fawning over them, but Rainbow Dash remembered Spike’s birthday a bit different. She was torn between her loyalty to the little dragon and not wanting to call her heros out for their … exaggerated tale. She was still brooding over this when Spitfire entered the mess hall. “All cadets, closing meeting for this mornings desas ... training session is on in fifteen minutes.” She walked up to the table. “Blaze, High Winds, Surprise. Your wing is on in half an hour.” The Wonderbolts nodded to their captain. “Lightning Dust, Rainbow Dash, didn’t you just hear me? Closing meeting in fifteen. Go, go, go!” “Ma’am! Yes, ma’am!” Both cadets jumped from their seats and saluted as Spitfire went to get something to drink herself. Lightning Dust was already gone by the time Rainbow Dash had collected her plate and cup on her tablet, as usual without waiting for her wing pony. Rainbow Dash stood up and was about to leave, but then she turned around. “Ma’ams, if you ever find the time, you should visit the Ponyville library. It’s one of two sights our town has. It’s really special because one of librarians is a baby dragon with purple scales and bright green spikes. A real nice guy, not a monster at all, his name is Spike.” Surprise raised an eyebrow at that. “What’s the other sight of Ponyville?” Rainbow Dash waved her wing dismissively and turned to leave. “Oh, you don’t want to bother with that. I know you’ve seen the old water tower already.”