Two droplets of salt water fell from the green-coated mare’s red cheeks. Her heavy heart was anchored down to her stomach as she stared at the picture below her.
Fifteen years…
Fifteen…
years…
We were together so, so long….
The mare brought the picture close to her chest and let a stream of salty rivers flow down her cheeks in internal misery. Her heart burned tremendously as thoughts of her ex husband went through her mind.
How could you let this happen…? You… Ugh, I hate you sometimes, Sunny… It sucks, though… We were so, so close…
So close…
Mrs. Skies felt more tears trickle down her face, hug her chin, and splash onto the picture frame below her. Her heart sank as she sobbed over her expected divorce with the stallion of her life. Through blurred tears, she looked at the sweet, memorable photo. He… was holding her. His smile was wide and his eyes were full of love as she dug her head into her chest. They were in love…So deeply in love.
Oh… If only you could hold me like that one more time… Kiss me gently on the neck… Tell me how much you loved me just one…more...time…
At that point, the river of the mare’s salty tears intensified as she cried harder. Her beloved was gone forever and there was nothing she could do about it. What ached the most in her breaking heart was the fact he was still alive… breathing, feeling, and moving on with life, yet she couldn’t be with him. She couldn’t see him, near him, or talk to him…
The shattering victim sniffed dripping mucus back into her running nose and slid her left hoof beneath her eye, wiping away some tears. Her heart rate went up as her depression carried on. Although it had been months since she’d last seen her ex, she still had a heavy ache in her heart. Her life had changed so dramatically…and it hurt so, so bad.
No! Keep it together! With anger filling her soul, the mare angrily slammed the picture onto the ground beneath her. As the piercing sound of shattering glass pierced her ears, Mrs. Skies felt tears running down her face. Damn it… I’m going to have to replace that…again.
With a long sigh, the upset mare threw her head back and gazed at the cloud ceiling, trying hard to relax her body and think positively. Her hooves made their way up to her temples and started to gently rub them.
Just concentrate on work…Get your business done, and you might not have to stay late again… ugh, now where was-
Mrs. Skies’ sudden trail of thought was rudely cut off by a door swinging opened and smacking the wall next to it. Although the mare flinched, she wasn’t all that shocked at the sudden entrance. The little mare before her had a cherry red mane with a light pink body. Her eyes were magenta and little, white freckles were neatly arranged on both her cheeks. Mrs. Skies raised an eyebrow.
“Yeah, just barge your way in the damn office without knocking.”
The little mare was taken aback by her boss’ sarcastic tone and lingering anger. A blush arose to her cheeks and she spoke up shyly.
“I, ummm… M-Mrs. Skies… There’s sort of a problem with the c-cloud-making machine, and I was just wondering if-“
“And this is my problem because…?”
The little employee gulped and behind her wings.
“W-well…you sorta run the place and I just thought-“
“Well, you know what? It’s not my damn problem! Want it fixed? Find a mechanic!”
“I-it isn’t my responsibility and I-“
“Well if it’s not your responsibility, then don’t bitch about it! Let somepony else deal with it!”
“B-but…” the mare had tears swarming her eyes.
“No buts! Now go find somepony to fix the problem!”
The little mare nodded and quietly whimpered “Yes, ma’am” before fleeing the room with tears running down her face.
“Jeesh…” Mrs. Skies mumbled as her office door was closed. “Some ponies are just too damn sensitive…”
The mare looked back at the door and again felt tears swelling in her eyes.
The periwinkle stallion let out a hot, exaggerated breath as he looked down at his assignment. Familiar demands were written in his boss' cursive. Unsurprisingly, the ink was fogged by dried tears of a heartbroken mare. Ever since the predicted divorce, Rainbolt noticed the liquid stains on his assignments. It was obvious to nearly every worker at that point that there was something wrong with Mrs. Skies. She'd been spending additional hours in her office after the sunset, was far less talkative, and much more of a downer. Although she'd never been too springy or loquacious, she had still dramatically changed in personality. Some employees felt bad for her misfortune, while others remained angry at her for her harsh treatment, despite the situation she was going through. Rainbolt specifically had sympathy for her. He too had experienced the pain of being left by a significant other.
In the back of the dinky office, Rainbow Dash was tucking herself away beneath the puffy covers of her orange sleeping bag. That week was increasingly hard to get through for her, considering the fact spring break would be the next week. Every second lasted nearly a minute as the thoughts of a full, marvelous week away from school circled within her mind. The fact that it was a Thursday night made her even more excited. As much as the filly cherished sleep, she knew it'd be a challenge to fall asleep that starry night.
To Rainbow Dash, Mrs. Skies shift in behavior was unacceptable, even under the circumstances. She had always been Dash's aunt. and to rudely cut Dash off just because the love of her life left her was inexcusable. In her mind, just because Mrs. Skies heart was broken, didn't mean she had to go around an break Dashie's. She missed spending time with her aunt...she missed when she actually acted happy to be around her. Maybe when Mrs. Skies' heart was repaired, she'd talk to Dash again and they'd again be adopted family members. Until then, Rainbow would just have to wait for the return of her unrelated relative.
In the silence of the night, Rainbolt took out his pencil and immediately started at his work. The only benefit from the entire situation was the fact Mrs. Skies left much later. He didn't have to rush into the assignment and risk making a mistake for his boss to angrily correct. She'd come in an hour or two after he arrived and got started. He'd take his time and make minimal mistakes. Although the stallion enjoyed having more time to get at least something done to present to his boss, he did despise it when she'd noisily come into the room in the midst of his daughter's sleep. Nearly every time Rainbow would wake up, and nearly every time she woke up, she'd have complications going back to sleep. One night it even took her a little over an hour.
Alright, Rainbolt.... the stallion spoke to himself within his mind. It's nearly ten-thirty.... Mrs. Skies probably won't be back for a good hour or so... If you're lucky, she won't be as bitchy tonight...Ugh...when's she going to get over this whole divorce thing... Or, I mean, at least stop taking it out on her employees! Rainbolt sighed and thought back to when he was first dumped by his dear beloved. You can't really be talking, Bolty.... You were just as bad when you were heartbroken. Heck, you used to yell at Dash when she was only one! Rainbolt felt tears swelling in his eyes from the awful memories. He turned around and glanced at his daughter, who was on her side facing the opposite direction. She'd only been asleep for a few minutes, and was already snoring away. Slightly, he smiled, with wetness still in the corners of his yellow eyes. I doubt she even remembers how awful you used to act... I still feel bad about that sometimes... I guess I can't really blame her... I went through the exact same thing and acted just as bad... If it took you nearly a year to get over somepony you were dating two years...imagine how awful she must feel and how long it will take her heart to heal.... The stallion's eyes darted at his reflection in the metal cup that held his writing utensils, and then back at his daughter in the corner. Already, she had shifted into a new position. She was so cute when she slept... Rainbolt sighed, envying his daughter, and looked back to his work. Just...don't think about it...right now you have a responsibility to live up to...Now...where was I...?
Rainbolt looked at his work below and gnawed at the eraser-end of his pencil. He'd barely figured out anything on his map, but did put nearly three hundred clouds above Canterlot to use to base the rest of the towns around it. If his calculations didn't add up, he'd have to go back and again plan his thinking, but from the few major towns he'd charted out and determined a plausible total of, three hundred clouds for Canterlot seemed like a very good approximate value. Hopefully, the rest of the towns would work themselves out and no problems would get in his way.
Alright... So, if Canterlot has approximately three hundred clouds, and Manehattan has two hundred-thirty, then Ponyville must have.... The stallion flipped his pencil around and wrote out some math on a handy-dandy piece of scrap paper. His calculations gave him the number he had originally estimated. One hundred-twenty! Ha! Just like I thought! The stallion beamed brightly as he wrote down some numbers on his chart of all the town names, and then narrowed his eyes at a rather particular town. But, wait....If Fillydelphia has two hundred, then... Again, the stallion scribbled down some calculations and threw his hooves up in frustration at the results. Damn it! Seriously...? Seriously! But if Ponyville had one hundred-ninety clouds, it wouldn't add up right in comparison to Manehattan! In aggravation, the stallion threw his head into his hooves and took in a few deep breaths. His anger took a minute to subside, but through the assistance of some positive thinking and deep inhales, Rainbolt finally lifted his head. His multihued mane was sticking up from having his forehead pressed against his hooves.
Alright...just... Go all the way back to the beginning and redo your math... I just don't see how I could have already messed up! Ugh, I'm a failure.
Flipping his pencil back around, the pegasus used the pink nub at the end of his pencil to erase his original game plan entirely. Starting over sucked. The stallion hurt a little inside just knowing he wasted fifteen minutes of his life doing math that was utterly pointless. Taking in a breath, Rainbolt again started his long, complicated math equations.
Great job, Rainbolt. You tried taking your time and now you failed.
The stallion sighed and glared at the evil task before him.
Okay, just start over and… wait! I think I know where I went wrong! All I forgot to do was-
Suddenly, the stallion’s thoughts were disturbed by the loud sound of a door slamming opened. Rainbolt tensed up as sweat bullets formed at the top of his brow.
Oh crap! Oh crap! Oh crap! It’s Mrs. Skies…She’s early… Holy crap, she’s going to be pissed when she sees I haven’t done anything! Just…Look at the wall in front of you and stay calm…
As reassuring as his thoughts were, Rainbolt still felt his heart rate dramatically rise as hoofsteps approached him at a steady rate. He swallowed a pit of saliva in his mouth as the being drew nearer to his chair.
“G-good evening, ma’am…”
“I wasn’t aware I switched genders…”
It was that moment Rainbolt’s heart stopped for one moment. His pupils shrunk and sweat dripped down his nose. Instead of the feminine, slightly-annoyed tone he expected, he received a masculine, yet stoic voice from behind him. Rainbolt turned around and was agape to be looking into a deep set of purple eyes.
“Moonstruck…” Rainbolt gasped at his brother.
“Rainbolt.” Moonstruck replied with emotionless eyes. On his back rested a medium sized cardboard box with opened flaps. That detail wasn’t the most significant to Rainbolt at the time.
For a brief moment, the two simply stared at each other. Rainbolt was baffled. He hadn’t had guests at work for months, and even then, it was usually Surprise or Dreamscape. Out of all the ponies in Equestria, he never once expected his brother to visit.
“Why are you here…?” Rainbolt whispered as softly as he could.
“Oh, you know…” The white-coated stallion said in a much louder tone. He slid the box off his back and smiled. “Just dropping off some of your old stuff from when you were like, I don’t know, five or something.”
Rainbolt glared at his brother.
“And you mean to tell me you couldn’t have given it to me when I was at home?” the stallion hissed.
“Well, I would have but somepony’s a bit too stubborn to cough up their address, but everypony in the family knows you work for weather.”
Rainbolt sighed and stared at his vexation. “You know what? Just set the stuff down and go! If my boss knows I had a guest during work hours, I’d be in deep trouble!”
Moonstruck simply shook his head. “I didn’t fly all the way out here from Mother’s so you could immediately kick me out!”
“But I didn’t ask you to come here! Just go! Before Mrs. Skies kills me or Dashie wakes up!” Rainbolt then paused for a moment and stared at his brother. “Wait…why were you at Mom’s house?”
Moonstruck smiled. “You know, just going through our old things. When Mother found a box of your old stuff she volunteered to deliver it to you, but… What kind of gentlecolt would I be to make her fly all the way out to your home… wherever it may be?”
Rainbolt rolled his yellow eyes and sighed.
“Just go. I need to get to my work and concentrate… Thanks for dropping off my stuff, though…”
“Oh, I’m not leaving. Why would I go when we haven’t even got to catch up…?”
“Seriously! My boss will flip out if she sees you here. Just saying, she’s turned into a total bitch since her husband dumped her.”
Moonstruck did nothing but chuckle.
“Oh, Bolty…you really think I’m afraid of a middle-aged mare with temper management issues?”
“No, but I am! Last week she nearly fired me because I spilt a little coffee on her desk! If she found out I had a guest, she’d kill me! Now go!”
This time, Rainbolt semi-aggressively pushed his brother away from him and pointed towards the door. The thought of his most significant recent conversation with his brother was the only thing keeping the authority in Rainbolt’s tone. For the first time in his life, the stallion actually believed his brother wouldn’t harm him. If Moonstruck were to make an attempt, or mere threat to lay an unloving hoof on his brother, Rainbolt wouldn’t have hesitated to give him a harsh reminder of their deal.
Again, the white stallion simply chuckled.
“I haven’t seen you in ages and the first thing you want to do is rid me away?”
“I saw you last year!” Rainbolt whispered in a harsh hiss. “Just go! We can talk some other time if you want to that bad!”
Moonstruck simply shrugged. His brother grunted and swiveled around to face the direction of his work.
Just ignore it… Maybe it’ll go away if you do.
With no more words spoken, the stallion went away at his work with a frown. Concentrating on the math below him wasn’t easy with another pony staring down from over his shoulder. His brother’s shallow breathing could be heard from the mere inches his was away from Rainbolt. The working stallion dug his teeth into his pencil in attempt to relax. He stared at the numbers below him, neatly written out on the chart. Making sense of the numbers had never been such a challenge. The only subject his mind could concentrate on was the pony lingering behind him. He didn’t look back to see where exactly his brother was, but he didn’t need eyes to sense the presence of his sadistic sibling.
Slowly, Rainbolt tried to at least act as if he was concentrating on his work. Maybe, that would show his stubborn brother he really wasn’t in the mood for chatting.
Come on… Just right down a number or something…Do fake math….
Hesitantly, the stallion wrote the number twenty-three down on his scrap piece of paper.
So far, so good…
Rainbolt then drew another number next to it. He chose eight for simplicity and proceeded to act as if he was doing math. Moonstruck lurked over hum. Sweat began to form on Rainbolt’s forehead as two detached numbers looked him in the eyes.
“So…this is your job…?” Moonstruck asked after only a short minute of silence.
The stallion let out a heavy sigh.
“Yes, now leave so I can actually work!”
“Hey! I didn’t come all the way here, spend twenty minutes looking through files to find where your office is, and then deliver your stuff just so I could immediately leave!”
“Wait…” The younger brother’s ears perked up and he looked up to Moonstruck with confusion in his pale eyes. “How’d you find the employee files for the factory?” The stallion then thought for a moment later. “And how in Equestria were the employee files easier to find than my office?”
“Easy! The pony that runs the front desk has a whole list of them! Silly fellow just tossed the book into an unlocked drawer!”
Rainbolt sighed. “You know...that guys’ our bookkeeper! If you keep going through his stuff, you could possibly mess something up and Mrs. Skies would turn into even a bigger bitch than she already is!”
“Wow, I’m sure your boss would just love to hear all the kind words you have to say to her!”
“Moonstruck, I’m serious just…go…please…?”
The stallion smirked. “You’re a stubborn one, aren’t you, Bolty?”
Rainbolt frowned.
Come on, your boss’ll be here any minute…Just… I don’t know… Force him out. Ugh, and it’s just so, so weird when he calls me Bolty. Look at the crap you start, Firefly!
“You know what? No! You’re leaving right now!”
With his final command said, Rainbolt rose from his seat and pressed his front hooves against his brother’s chest in an attempt to push him out of the room. Moonstruck, however firmly placed his hooves in the cloud layer beneath him. His younger sibling struggled to push his brother a mere inch. After a moment of pushing, Rainbolt got back onto all fours. There was a dull ache in muscles from his failed attempt to move his stubborn sibling.
“You haven’t grown any stronger, have you?”
“Hey!” The stallion cried. “I’m getting a little stronger…I think…”
Rainbolt blushed sheepishly and dug his hoof into the ground.
“Oh, yes, because you’re just so masculine!” The white pegasus teased in a mocking tone.
“Hey! Shush it! My daughter’s trying to sleep!” Rainbolt whispered harshly.
“Oh, I’m sorry…wouldn’t want her knowing the truth about you!” With no hesitation, Moonstruck dug his hooves into the cardboard box and pulled out a little memento from Rainbolt’s foalhood. His eyes went wide upon seeing it. A deep shade of crimson invaded the stallion’s cheeks and he instantly tried to snatch away the beloved item from his brother’s hooves. As if he were again an immature colt, the stallion raised the item way above his younger brother’s head. His wings outstretched and allowed him to gain altitude, making the precious memory even more out of reach.
“’Ooh, look!’ ” Moonstruck mocked, holding the little doll up in the air. It was a light shade of blue with googly eyes and a lacy, white skirt around its waist. It was about as tall as a ruler, and was ragged, stained up, and old. “’Mrs. Snuzzles looks so pretty today with her fru-fruey skirt and little sunhat! I shall play make-believe with her and do her mane! Oh, if only I had real friends to satisfy my social needs!’”
Rainbolt’s blush didn’t subside as he flew up and snatched the toy away from his brother’s grasp. Moonstruck was giggling to himself while his brother wore an irritated frown.
“Really? You’re going to laugh at me for how I was when I was only five!”
“Oh, come on, Bolty! Take a joke! It’s not my fault you’re like, ninety percent estrogen!”
Rainbolt sighed and rolled his eyes.
“Yeah, yeah…Now please, please leave before Mrs. Skies comes in here and-“
At the moment her name was spoken, the office door swung opened to reveal the subject at hoof. The green-coated mare’s eyes were puffy at the eyelids, and her cheeks were a light shade of pink. Her eyes widened at the sight of uninvited company. She gaped at the sight before her and already felt anger brewing within her.
“Rainbolt…” Mrs. Skies started in a very angered tone. “You have three seconds to explain to me why you have a guest during work hours…”
The stallion gulped and glared at his brother and cleared his throat. Her tone was surely loud enough to wake Dashie.
“Ma’am… I didn’t invite him… He invited himself and I swear I tried to get him to leave!”
“Oh, so you apparently have enough friends that ponies just visit you without an invitation I see! Mr. Popular over here’s too wrapped up in conversation to properly escort his guest out of the factory!”
“No, Mrs. Skies I swear I tried to make him leave! H-he just-“
“Oh, yes. Because a stallion like you would totally just make company leave him in the long hours of the night when you should be working! Ha! Do you think I’m really that gullible?”
Rainbolt shrunk back and gulped in the presence of his boss.
“N-no, ma’am of course not!”
“Well then, maybe you should think before you-“
“Actually.” Moonstruck stoically interrupted. “Rainbolt’s telling the truth.”
The sudden disturbance in the two-way conversation caused both Mrs. Skies and Rainbolt to look in Moonstruck’s direction. All the ponies could hear Dash tossing and turning in her sleep, awaking slowly from the noise.
“And who the hay invited you into this conversation?”
The stallion smiled.
“Me. Just as I invited myself into my brother’s office. You know, it’s not cool to just jump to conclusions. No wonder Rainbolt thinks you’re a bitch!”
Instantly, the employee looked away from his boss’ face and gulped. Sweat formed and was running down his nose, forehead, and onto the cloud floor beneath him. His heart speed increased as Mrs. Skies approached him.
“Oh, so I’m a bitch now, am I? Is that what you’ve been saying about me?”
Rainbolt backed up and looked up. His boss’ eyes were on fire as her eyebrows scrunched closely together.
“O-of c-course not, I umm…j-just said you weren’t in as good of a mood as usual a-and I… was only saying it as a warning, I wasn’t trying to insult you, I p-promise!”
The mare shot her employee an “I don’t believe you” look and forced him back into the corner even further.
“I don’t believe you, Rainbolt! I honestly think you would call me a bitch!” She frowned. “And if you think I’m a bitch, I will show you how much of a bitch I can be!”
With no warning, Mrs. Skies flew up, over her employee and near his desk. There, she picked up his work and held it up. With a smile.
“Since you think I’m a bitch, let’s see how much of a bitch I am when I destroy…all…your…work…?”
As the mare observed the paper closer, her eyes went wide and she gaped.
“Y-you haven’t done anything yet?”
“Well, I did, but then I, and he…and…y-you know…”
“No, I don’t freaking know! All I know is you should have made progress by now and you shouldn’t have had any damn guests!” This time, the volume in Mrs. Skies’ voice could have been heard in another country. “You’re being lazy and irresponsible!” The mare slammed the paper back on her employees’ desk, causing everypony in the room to flinch. “I want this all done by morning, and I don’t want a single error in the whole thing! Am I making myself clear?”
Rainbolt looked up at his boss. Tears were invading his eyes, but he still raised a hoof to his forehead and gave his boss a proper salute.
“Yes, ma’am…”
“Good!”
With that said, the mare stormed out of the office, slamming the door behind her. At that point, Rainbow was well awake. Her head still rested on her pillow and she looked up at her two relatives. She forced a smile at them before rolling back onto her opposite side and trying to go back to sleep. She was too used to her “aunt’s” bitchy behavior and too tired to ask why her uncle was suddenly present.
“My goodness…” Moonstruck said agape. “You were right, she is a bitch!”
“Yeah, no thanks to you! What the hay was that about?!”
Moonstruck shrugged. “Just wanted to see if you were right…”
“Yeah, well, I’m right, now go home and leave so I don’t get fired!”
The stallion simply smiled, ignoring his brother’s commands as he stared at the door where Mrs. Skies had previously stormed out. His eyes remained glued on it as he thought of the mare.
That strength in her voice…that tone, that attitude! That intimidation and her way to make others feel bad! Holy crap…she was so beautiful…
Suddenly, Moonstruck felt heat rise to his cheeks as he stared at the door. Rainbolt stared at his brother, who was in deep hypnosis.
“Umm…you can go now…”
Moonstruck smiled a bit and felt an odd sensation building in his chest. His eyes fell half-closed as he wondered deeply into the events of a few minutes ago.
“Yeah…I’m going to go… and you know…talk to her….”
“What? Talk to… Oh, no! You’re not getting me in anymore trouble than you already have!”
“No, I’m not getting you in trouble…don’t worry…”
“Then what are you-“
“Bolty, listen; yes, she was a complete and total cunt. She was intimidating, bitchy, and worse than any mare I’ve ever seen…but, she’s perfect…”
“Wait…what…? You’re not saying that you….”
Moonstruck simply ignored his brother’s question and his ears perked up. His wings sprang up and he turned to his brother.
“Wait! She’s not leaving for the night, is she?”
“I don’t know! She could be going back to her office or-“
With no further answer said, Moonstruck flew out of the room as quickly as he could. In a mere second, the pegasus was gone. The stallion’s office door swung opened and remained that way. Rainbolt let out a long sigh and simply turned around to again get started at his work.
Moonstruck flew a few feet out of the door before catching the sight of the bitchy boss. She had already made it all the way to the other side of the factory room, near the exit. Suddenly, the love-struck stallion’s eyes widen upon the sight. His heart started to pound as his lips curled into a smile. Usually, his emotions were balanced evenly, and he normally never felt strongly for affection. The sudden rush of the positive emotion made him feel like unstable jell-o.
Come on! You can’t lose her! The stallion spread his wings and started off after her. This is a rare occurrence, and the possibility of ever seeing her again is slim….Although, with my priorities, I’d much rather come back and risk getting Rainbolt in trouble than not see her again. Then again, Rainbow would be devastated and pretty pissed at you. Oh, that niece… She’s such a sweetheart… Don’t take her happiness away for your own greedy desires! Just slow down and consider your options…Oh, what options? You take the opportunity now or…Wait! That’s perfect!
In a flash, Moonstruck turned around as fast as he possibly could. His mane flew back as he again entered Rainbolt’s office, who had already figured out his cloud count for Canterlot. He’d only flown around fifteen feet away from his brother’s office before reentering. Without a word, he quickly stuck his hoof in the box and pulled out a large piece of cloth before zooming back out. This time, Rainbolt didn’t even look back. He simply continued at his work as his brother came in, and then raced back out of the little room.
As fast as he could, Moonstruck soared down the hall. The mare on his mind was already gone. His speeds increased as he flew faster and faster to meet her. He felt his heart beating quickly as he flew. Sweat dripped down his nose as he continued to fly towards his sudden crush.
By the time Moonstruck arrived at the exit to the factory, his wings ached and his face was red from the heat building in it. He opened the door, and zipped down the narrow, short hallway, through the lobby, then right out the front door to the lobby. The cool, early spring air hit him like a ton of bricks. The atmosphere was cool, crisp, and pleasant. Stars freckled the night sky, and within it, was a little, green figure, slowly flying towards her home.
Nice! You didn’t miss her! Now…take a deep breath. Act calm. You’re some socially awkward pony who can’t talk to mares…then again, you’ve had very few romantic feelings in your lifetime. Your little experience won’t come in handy in this situation… Ugh, Moonstruck…you’re also not stupid! You don’t even know the bitch and you already think high of her… Then again, it’s hard to find a mare with her attitude. Oh, her attitude…It’s so awful and bitchy and so….perfect.
At that moment, Moonstruck again felt heat rising to his face. The corky, cute vibe that most mares set off was a complete turn off to the stallion. The fierce, bold, brutal vibe that vibrantly glowed off the gorgeous mare melted Moonstruck’s heart. She was so unusually bitchy and so bold in personality. Never before had the stallion felt so attached to somepony he’d known for such little time.
Come on, Moonstruck! Don’t be a wimp! Just go up to her! What’s the worst that could happen? She cusses you out?The stallion smiled and felt his wings spring up. That’d actually be sort of hot… Moonstruck shook his head.
Purging the thought, Moonstruck flapped his wings and flew up towards the mare as fast as he could without being too loud. His heart speed increased. Nervous certainly wasn’t an emotion he was used to. As he drew nearer to the pegasus above, he gained speed steadily. The sweet air ran through his mane and helped cool his nerves. Luckily, Mrs. Skies wasn’t too far ahead; maybe twenty-five feet at the very most. He continued traveling skywards towards the mare. As he came closer to the beauty, his pulse rose and his . Suddenly, he saw Mrs. Skies freeze in the night sky.
Oh, shit! She probably heard me! Just… keep on going…
Increasing his speed, Moonstruck drew closer to closer to his crush. He felt a little bead of sweat roll down his nose as he approached her. When he was only a few feet away from her, she turned around. Her eyes went wide when she saw him.
“What the hay are you doing following me?” she screeched. Her cheeks were visibly stained with tears, and glittered under the moonlight.
Moonstruck instantly acted to be taken back.
“Following you? Who, me? Oh, I wouldn’t!” He smiled to the mare. “It’s just an odd coincidence that we happen to take the same path home.”
Mrs. Skies raised an eyebrow.
“Oh, really? Then why are you exactly coming up behind me, huh? Is there some reason for that, Mr. Stalker?”
Oh, you’re so cute when you’re a bitch!
“That’s a strange question. I just thought it would be a bit more entertaining to fly with a partner rather than unaccompanied.”
“Oh yeah? Well you can just go find somepony else to talk to! I’d rather be alone!”
With a harsh push, Mrs. Skies continued off into a different direction. Moonstruck simply smiled at her as she went off into the night sky alone. Ignoring her request, the stallion flew after her, catching up to her in little time.
“What’s got you so steamy? Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, eh?”
Mrs. Skies glared at the stallion before sticking her muzzle up and continuing on.
Ooh….I like it when they play hard to get…
With a smile, Moonstruck went after the mare with determination in his heart.
“Got a name, Sweetheart?”
The mare simply continued on silently. This time, however she didn’t fly ahead. She remained flying next to the stranger in an awkward silence.
“Come on, don’t be shy. I’m sure you’ve got a name…”
Quietly, the mare choked out the answer in the crisp night.
“Sunny Skies…”
“Sunny? Your name contradicts your personality pretty well. Is there a reason you’re bitter?”
“I…I don’t want to talk about it…” she replied quietly, sniffling at the thought.
“Well, private information certainly isn’t something I’d force you to share with me…” he smiled. “Here, take this…” The stallion held out a purple piece of cloth for her. She looked at it oddly for a moment before raising an eyebrow. “It’s rather chilly out tonight. Thought you might need something to warm yourself up.”
Mrs. Skies hesitantly took the present from her newly found friend and unraveled it. She smiled lightly and slung the soft scarf around her neck. She looped it around twice and wore it casually.
“Thanks….”
“No problem. Keep if it you’d like.”
“You’d just…give me your scarf?”
“Well, it’s not mine.” Moonstruck confessed. “It’s Rainbolt’s. His marefriend bought it for him because she thought it’d make him look good. He never told her that he hated it, but he did tell me.” He smiled. “I don’t think he wants a memento of his ex. My mother tells me how heartbroken he was when he got dumped. Poor sucker had it pretty bad.”
Sunny looked away with a frown.
“Yeah… I can relate.” She said under her breath.
“What was that?” Moonstruck asked, even though he already knew what she was referring to.
“I…I…got a divorce a while back… It hurt really bad… I still does…”
“Oh…really? Why would somepony ever abandon a mare as lovely as you? Or was the stallion to blame in this case…”
The mare sniffled. “I-I don’t know….It was a lot of stuff, I guess…I just really hate him….And…how can you call me lovely when I’m kind of…not?”
“Lovely comes in many forms, Sweetheart…”
Mrs. Skies smiled, blushed and looked away. She hadn’t been complimented in such a long time, it was almost foreign. She did like it, though.
“Thanks… you’re umm…a real gentlecolt.”
“It’s all due to upbringing, my dear.”
As the two continued to fly in the night sky, they smiled because of each other’s presence. Their hearts beat calmly as the situation brought comfort.
“So… How much further away is your home?”
“Not too far…” Mrs. Skies replied with a tad bit of disappointment in her voice. “I live pretty close to the weather factory.” She smiled at Moonstruck. “It was kind of nice to have somepony to talk to for a change…even though our conversation wasn’t that long or anything.”
“Wasn’t it? I guess we could all use a little somepony to keep our minds occupied.”
“Yeah…it feels nice to get my mind off…certain topics.”
“Yep… “ Moonstruck looked down at the cities below the clouds. His heart rate increased.
Come on, Moonstruck! This is the perfect opportunity! Just…ask her out or something… Are you crazy? You just can’t jump into this….Still… A broken heart is the most naïve kind…
“You know…” Moonstruck continued. “Maybe this doesn’t have to be the last time we meet up…”
“What do you mean…?”
“I mean, I think we should get together sometime. Obviously, your heart needs a way to recover and your mind needs to find new topics to set on. I think socializing would be the most obvious solution, and well, maybe I could assist you on being part of that solution…?”
Oh my gosh, why can’t you simply say, “How about we go out on a date?”
“Do you mean like…you want to hang out…?”
Both pegasi were blushing deep shades of red.
“Well, I mean, yes… Maybe not ‘hang out’ but, you know…”
“Date…?”
Moonstruck gulped. Fear. What a strange emotion. It definitely wasn’t something he was used to feeling.
“In a sense, yes. I know your divorce was but mere months ago, but if that jerk gets to happily move on, then you deserve the same.”
“I...don’t know… I mean… I’m not completely over it, and I don’t even know if he moved on yet….”
“Either way, you don’t deserve to as miserable as you are. We’ll try it once, and if you still feel shattered afterwards, I’ll drop the attempt if it pleases you. The worst that could possibly happen is no change whatsoever…”
“Well…I guess…”
“Good! Now… I’m sure if you spared some time and got off of work early, I could bring you to my house and we could spend some hours getting to know each other better. I could cook, if you want….”
“Oh, that sounds nice… but I mean… Isn’t it kind of a big step to invite me over to your home soon?”
“Don’t worry about it! If you can trust Rainbolt spending a full night at your pride and joy unattended, then I’m sure you could trust somepony of the same upbringing.”
“Well…I mean…” she smiled. Even with the risk of being violently murdered in somepony’s basement, there was always a chance she would be repaired once again, and that was something she wanted more than anything. “Sure…I-I’d love to…”
Slowly, Rainbolt lifted his groggy head from the short night’s rest. The entire night consisted of doing his working, redoing his working, rechecking his work, triple checking his work, unlocking the bathroom for his daughter, and then checking his work once more. At long last, he fell asleep at nearly four in the morning. Waking up by seven to get his daughter to school wasn’t an easy task.
As Rainbolt opened his yellow eyes he heard…paper shuffling?
The stallion’s ears swiveled as he tried to detect the sound. As the sound continued on, the pegasus lifted his head. His multihued mane stuck to his forehead and drool stained his cheek. What a night.
“Morning, Rainbolt!” a gleeful voice sang as. In an instant, Rainbolt turned his head to meet eyes with his boss. She was…cheerful. There was no disdain or anger towards the world in her sparkling eyes. Rainbolt cocked his head and stared at her. She hadn’t shown the slightest hint of happiness in months and now she was…happy. Her sudden mood shift was a bit…creepy to Rainbolt.
“What’s wrong?” she asked with a smile. “Didn’t expect to see me in such a good mood?”
“Well…no... Not really…”
“Well I am!” she chimed brightly.
“Well…I’m happy for you. What’s gotten into you?”
She giggled. “Nothing special. It’s just yesterday your brother flew me all the way home! It was the sweetest little thing!” she sighed happily. “And tomorrow, we’re going on a date! Well... I don't know if it's a date-date, but I'd like to believe it is!”
“A what?!” Rainbolt asked in shock. “You can’t go on a date with my brother!”
Mrs. Skies frowned at her employee.
“And why can’t I?”
“Well, I mean… it’s my brother and-“
“And you think it’s awkward for me to be dating your family member? Come on, Rainbolt! It’s not that big of a deal, okay?”
“It has nothing to do with that! I just really think you’d be making a mistake!”
“A mistake?” She asked, almost laughing. “He’s one of the sweetest gentlecolts I’ve ever met! Sure, it’s kind of sudden, but I’m happy and I don’t want to change that!”
“Ma’am… listen; I can’t control you, but I really think you should listen when I say this is a bad idea!”
“Oh, and you suddenly know about love, huh? I think you’re just jealous because he’s having an easier time getting a mare than you, and he’s better looking!”
Rainbolt sighed. She certainly was stubborn.
“I, umm… I don’t think he’s better looking…Also…” Rainbolt shut himself up. He'd need much more time to absorb everything to make a proper argument. Sudden information received when one is only half-awake isn't easily processed. “I need to get Dash to school…So…”
Rainbolt’s boss nodded in approval as he changed the subject.
“Good… Now… I’ll be in my office. Also…” She smiled. “You did really well with weather yesterday! Keep up the good work!”
With a bright smile and cheerful tone, Mrs. Skies happily trotted out of the office with a skip in her step.
She seemed so happy…and yet, Rainbolt hated to see her and Moonstruck together. He knew the twisted mind he had. He knew of his inner desires, and the thought of him with anypony was scary to him.
“Wow…” a delicate, sleepy voice said from behind him. Rainbolt turned around to meet eyes with his beloved daughter. “She was in a really good mood…”
“Yeah...” Rainbolt agreed hesitantly.
With a smile, his little girl got onto her hooves and stretched out her body. Her wings unfurled and she yawned widely. Rainbolt smiled at his daughter, despite his internal stress.
“Mornin’, Sweetheart… It’s weird seeing you awake this early.”
Dash’s pink eyes darted towards the clock on the wall. It was nearly seven-ten in the morning.
“Yeah… Aunty Skies came in humming really loudly… I guess that kind of woke me up… And then…” Again, Dash’s mouth opened wide and she yawned. “When she saw I was awake she gave me a noogie and told me how amazing the morning was.”
Rainbolt sighed.
“Yeah… your uncle stopped by here last night.”
“He did?”
“Yeah… He thought Mrs. Skies was pretty so he decided to ask her out…”
Dash’s eyes went wide and she smiled.
“Really?”
“Yeah…” he sighed. “I love seeing her in a good mood, but…”
“But now this means Mrs. Skies could actually be my aunt by marriage!”
Rainbolt rolled his eyes with a frown. Of course Rainbow would find it a positive thing. If it meant her "aunt" was happy again, that’s all that mattered.
“Yeah…she could… Now, I packed you a breakfast and your brush. Get ready for school and we’ll leave at seven-thirty!”
“But Daddy!” Rainbow whined as if she were seven again. “All we’re doing today is watching a movie! Do I really have to go to school? Besides, it’s just today and then it’ll be spring break!”
“You’re right! All you have to do is watch a movie and then get a full week off! That sounds so dreadful!” Rainbolt mocked in a playful tone. “How will you ever survive?”
Rainbow grunted.
“But Dad! I’ve already seen the movie, it’s a Friday, I think I have stomach pains, and Windy’s a bi….scut…”
“Sorry, Dash, but I never got free days off when I was your age, so neither are you!”
Rainbow sighed with a frown. “Fine... you… thing...”
Rainbolt rolled his eyes and chuckled.
Just let her go… Get her to school, and then you seriously need to talk to Mrs. Skies again…This is bad…
“Alright, I’ll get your breakfast….”
Rainbolt quietly made his way over to his desk and pulled opened one of the wooden drawers. In it rested a banana, some granola bits, and room-temperature box of apple juice. Rainbolt took out the breakfast items and tossed them to his daughter. The first item was the banana, which she caught in her mouth. The next item was the bag of granola bits, which Rainbow caught in her hooves after fumbling it. And lastly, he tossed the juice, which landed safely on her sleeping bag. Dash smiled.
“Thanks, Dad!” she chimed as she opened her baggie of granola bits. Her father chuckled.
“No problem, Sweetheart, just remember to-“
“What’s that?” Dash interrupted.
Alright…she seriously needs to work on interrupting ponies…
“What’s what?”
“That.”
Rainbow’s cyan hoof extended out and pointed directly towards a small, cardboard box under his desk. Rainbolt blushed slightly and gulped.
“Nothing, Sweetie…It’s just nothing.”
“You sure?”
“Umm…yeah…kinda…”
Rainbow popped some of the nummy granola into her mouth. The sweet taste of nuts, vanilla, and cranberry all blended sweetly with the tasty chunks of granola.
“Show me.”
“It’s nothing, Rainbow…Just some stuff from when I was younger. It’s what your uncle dropped by last night…”
“Can I see it?”
At that moment, the thought of every embarrassing stuffed animal, doll, book, and item he had from many, many years ago flashed through his mind. He blushed deeply and looked at his daughter.
“I don’t think that would be a-“
“Pleeeaaase?” she asked pitifully.
Rainbolt frowned and took in a breath.
“Fine… But if you make fun of me in any way, shape, or form, I will be very upset with you!”
Sheepishly, he took the box out from under his desk and slid it over to Dashie, who was smiling widely. She set down her food and opened the cardboard flaps with a grin. She immediately started going through it. The first thing she pulled out was the same thing he’d been teased about the night before; Mrs. Snuzzles. Instantly, Dash looked up at her dad with a bit of confusion. Rainbolt blushed heavily and hid behind his hoof.
“Why did you play with dolls?”
“I…you know what? Yeah, I had a doll, but I was lonely, and I liked it, so…I mean…It’s embarrassing, but… it made me happy…”
“Oh…cool…”
Rainbow tossed the doll aside. Her father silently thanked the heavens for keeping her teasing at a minimum. Rainbow dug deeper into the box and pulled out another memento; a baseball cap with little wings attached to the side and a Wonderbolt’s logo on the top. Rainbow looked up at her dad, awaiting an explanation.
“I got that from my first Wonderbolt’s show.” He said proudly. “A little souvenir my grandma got me because it was my birthday.”
Rainbow nodded with a smile before placing it on her head. It was a little loose for her, but she still looked adorable in it.
“Wanna keep it?”
Rainbow’s eyes widened and she smiled brightly.
“Really?”
“Well, yeah. I don’t really need it anymore…”
Dash beamed brightly and tackled her dad into a loving hug. He fell to the cloud floor with a smile and chuckled as his little filly nuzzled his chest. He rubbed her back lovingly and returned the hug.
“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I love you so, so much, Dad!”
Rainbow’s daddy smiled and patted his daughter’s head.
“I love you, too, Sweetheart…”
With new-found excitement in her heart, Dash rushed back to the box with a smile and dug through it, avoiding all the useless-looking knick-knacks and books. It was then something…peculiar caught her eye.
“What’s this…?” she mumbled as she picked something up at the very bottom of the box. On it was a large, mouth-written note. She raised it up and out of the box looking over the note on top. The very moment she pulled it out, Rainbolt recognized the arrangement of colors and photos on the back of it. His heart nearly stopped as he swooped in a snatched the very familiar item from his daughter.
“Hey!” she exclaimed as the item was stolen from her.
“Rainbow!” Rainbolt’s face was a dark shade of crimson and his heart was about to explode out of his chest. “You can absolutely not see this! It’s not your fault but you can’t! You just can’t!”
Dash was rather confused by her father’s sudden outburst.
“Why?”
“Because, Daddy was a very curious fifteen year-old and he did some inappropriate things that you can’t know about! My mom found out and, umm…confiscated this…And I don’t even know why she’d keep it!”
Rainbow shrunk back as sweat dripped off her father’s reddened face. He’d been talking loudly at a million miles per hour. Rainbow was rather confused, but just sat there, looking up at her father.
“Oh my gosh! Don’t look at me! Just, brush your mane or something! I need to calm down…” Rainbolt took in several deep breaths as his daughter stared at him.
“But I haven’t even finished my breakfast yet!”
“I don’t care! Just give me one minute alone! Please!”
Hesitantly, Rainbow rose to her hooves and left the room, still rather bewildered by her dad’s actions.
Oh my gosh! I can’t believe my mom would even have this… Slowly, the stallion turned the magazine over. Thankfully, there was a huge sheet of lined paper to block the cover. Silently, he read the note.
Dear Bolty
Remember this? I do. Gosh, precious memories… You were quite a hoof-full, but we never expected you’d ever get into this kind of stuff! Your father and I were shocked. I know, there was some yelling, and some tears, but it’s over now. At least now you’re finally old enough to legally enjoy this!
XOXO,
Mom
Oh, Mom…why? Don’t you know I have a kid, like…what? Ugh…This is so, so weird! Why didn’t you throw this out ages ago! Rainbolt blushed heavily and opened one of his desk drawers, tossing the inappropriate memory into it and closing it. I can’t really take it home to throw it away, but I can’t leave it here at work… Mrs. Skies would flip out if she found it…. Ugh, just make sure Dash doesn’t see it… That’s so nasty… I’m not a curious little teenager anymore! For heaven’s sakes! The stallion’s heavy blush finally faded. Whatever…Just, come get it sometime after you drop off Dashie. While you’re here, you can try to talk some sense into Mrs. Skies…If not...you’re going to take a little trip to Manehattan.