Bedsheets, twisted into an unkempt mess, shifted as the buzzing of an alarm clock woke the individual wrapped within. A crimson foreleg shot out and prodded around the night stand in a vain quest for the snooze button. A frustrated huff preceded the untangling of sheets and the emergence of one very drowsy Skyrocket. He promptly gave the alarm a solid thwack, silencing the clock.
He flopped out of bed, neglecting the sheets and proceeded immediately to the bathroom just down the hall. The airy cloud flooring made no noise, but the sound of running water replaced the silence as he stepped into the shower. After drying off he took wing and enjoyed a lazy glide downstairs and into the kitchen. He pulled out a bottle of milk from the refrigerator, a bowl from the cabinet, and his favorite oat cereal from the pantry, filled the bowl, and wolfed down his breakfast in silence. He finished and looked around the kitchen.
On the fridge, a picture of his family was held up at a skewed angle by magnets. His mother had him in a hug while his father tousled his mane. He stared at it for a couple of minutes, his expression blank, before he rinsed off his empty bowl and set it to dry. He trotted to the door and made his way outside.
For the first time today, he smiled. He always loved the view from his porch. He could see all of the fields from this angle, and the forest stretched out for miles, the peaks of the Appaloosan Mountains just visible above the treeline. Not taking his eyes from the view, he proceeded to step off his porch into freefall.
He flipped lazily over so he faced the sky above. As he fell, his wings twitched, and he resisted the urge to scratch the itch that had begun at the base of his primaries. His smile turned from calm and free to eager and adventurous in a flash, and he immediately rolled over and snapped his wings open, taking in the morning sky.
Just as he expected, he spotted stormclouds heading in from the direction of the badlands. Weather out there was not maintained by pegasi, so free roaming weather had a tendency to roll in from that direction.
One thing he had learned when he was just a colt was that he could always tell when natural weather was about. He just… felt it. It was an itch at the base of the wing, or a tingling of his feathers, or sometimes his ear would start twitching every few minutes. It had taken years, but eventually he began to distinguish weather patterns based on the tick he got. Nopony in town questioned him anymore when he claimed, “Storm’s comin’; I can feel it in my feathers!”
He banked towards the low, rumbling clouds. They had settled over Gemstone Gorge, which was only frequented by Sparkhorn. Where else would he get the gems for his magic and crafting? The harvest season was about to start and any rain now would bog down the fields and make collecting the crops much more tedious, so he had been tasked with keeping the skies clear. The gorge would be a great place to channel the runoff, and it might turn up some more gems for Sparky. Win-win in his book.
He accelerated towards the nearest cloud, face splitting in an idiot grin as he delivered a literally flying kick to the first small thunderhead, breaking it apart and enjoying a second morning shower. He took aim at another, smaller cloud and bucked it just so, which sent it spinning into its neighbor, bursting both and drizzling water over the gorge below. He continued his antics, toying around with various maneuvers and tricks he had invented to make the work more entertaining, and before long, a single, rumbling cloud remained.
He hovered next to it, rubbing his chin with one hoof as he thought of a better plan than breaking it here. He flew around and proceeded to push. After about twenty minutes of moving the cloud, it was tucked behind his home in the “yard” where he kept clouds for emergencies or special occasions.
Sparky would just love this one.
Skyrocket had sprawled himself on the couch inside as soon as he finished his work for the day, happy it was done before noon. On the living room table was a tray of carrot and celery sticks, one of his favorite snacks. He was contentedly munching on some celery, sticking out like a cigar with leaves for smoke, and reading the latest Power Ponies comic, when the door opened and two pegasi flew in with large satchels, a mare and a stallion.
Skyrocket turned and his face lit up as he lept from the couch, snack and comic forgotten, to barrel into both and pull them into a hug. Both registered a brief moment of shock before giving each other knowing looks and smiles.
“Glad to see you too, bud,” the stallion said as he tousled his son’s mane.
“Welcome back from your run! Did you get anything cool?” Skyrocket eagerly asked.
“I did get this for you…” the mare dug through the satchel and pulled out a tube, which she handed to Skyrocket. “Picked it up while we were in Canterlot.”
Skyrocket’s eyes widened.
“You went all the way to Canterlot this time?” he questioned as he opened the tube and pulled out the contents. His voice rose several decibels as he asked his next question. “And you got me a Wonderbolts poster?!” Not just a Wonderbolts poster, there was a signature in the bottom right. Fleetfoot.
The stallion frowned.
“Trade Winds, you’re going to spoil the boy. That can not have been cheap…”
Trade Winds rolled her eyes.
“Jet Stream, you hardly see Skyrocket, so we should at least make sure when we do get to spend time with him he’s happy!” She turned up her nose indignantly, peeking at him out of the corner of her eye. Wait for it… Jet Stream let out a long sigh, then smiled at her knowingly. Works every time!
“So what are you up to today, bud?” Jet Stream asked as he walked with his family over to the couch. They all sat down, Skyrocket wedged in the middle. He was almost a grown stallion, but he could never get enough time with his parents. They loved him so much, but were gone so often…
“Well, harvest is coming up, and my wings itched something fierce at the base,” he explained as he gestured to his wings, “so I knew there had to be some thunderheads rolling in. Nothing too major if you break them up.” Jet Stream wrapped a foreleg around his song and gave him an encouraging shake.
“That’s my boy! No weatherpony around like my Skyrocket,” Skyrocket beamed at the praise while his father continued, “and a good housekeeper. The living room is looking great. But I’m guessing I don’t want to take a look at your room, eh?” This received a sheepish chuckle and nod.
“It’s okay, honey,” Trade Winds giggled. “Your room, your rules, since you run the house.”
Skyrocket straightened up as he remember something. He had wanted to ask his parents as soon as they got home.
“Hey, how long are you guys staying? The harvest festival is tonight and Sparky and I have this awesome display we’re getting ready and…” his voice trailed off as he watched the smiles fade from his parents faces. “You have another run to do, don’t you?”
Both parents frowned. They had been tasked with more and more routes to deliver mail and ship packages, since they were the only pegasi family in town. Being a farming community, the majority of the population was earth ponies. Sparkhorn’s family was one of only two unicorn families. No trains crossed the Appaloosans to Edgewood, so mail had to be delivered by air.
Trade Winds gave her son a soft hug and stroked his mane. He returned the hug briefly before pulling away and getting up from the couch. His parents shot each other looks of concern.
“Thanks for stopping by, and I love the poster mom!” he said as sincerely as he could. It was hard to keep up the smile, and it was not his usual beaming grin, but it was genuine. “Stay safe. I’m going to go meet up with Sparky so we can get things ready for tonight. Maybe somepony will take some pictures of the display so I can show you guys…”
His head drooped a bit. Jet Stream got up and placed a reassuring hoof on Skyrocket’s shoulder. Trade Winds stood up as well.
“As soon as we free up, we’ll use the all the bits we’ve been saving up and go on a proper vacation, an adventure, just like you’ve always wanted.” He smiled warmly, trying to cheer his son back up.
Skyrocket managed another smile and pulled them into one more hug. He broke it and made his way to the door, turning around as he opened it.
“Stay safe, guys. Love ya.”
“We love you too, son.”
The sky was just as clear and vibrantly blue as it was after he had cleared those clouds this morning, the sun at its peak and bathing the land in warming light. The fields shone a brilliant gold and the grassy hills beyond the farms were a green almost as vivid as his emerald eyes. But it all seemed just a bit dimmer to him right this moment.
He flew aimlessly for a while before turning to head to the willow by the creek. He was still flying his with the sun at his back when he spotted the fittingly electric blue mane of his best friend within the canopy of the tree. He was sitting on one of the branches that extended over the creek.
And next to him he spotted a patch of burgundy and amber.
His previous mood forgotten, his lips curled into one of his signature mischievous grins. He carefully controlled his descent, keeping his wing beats as quiet as he possibly could. Now just a dozen feet above the tree, the gurgling of the creek drowned out the sound of flapping feathers but not their voices.
“...getting really good at this Summer. I could never write something this clever and meaningful,” Sparkhorn finished, holding a sheet of paper in his magic. His companion giggled softly. It was Summer Sonnet. Skyrocket swore he could hear her amber cheeks blush to match her mane.
“Thanks… it took me a while to finish it, but I found some really good motivation,” she said softly. She was not a terribly shy girl, but she was quite soft spoken, and had a hard time sharing her feelings. Sparkhorn seemed as clueless about the earth pony as always.
“It’s certainly romantic, and in a much more meaningful way than…” he switched to a fake haughty accent, “roses are red, blah blah,” he finished with a chuckle. “What was your inspiration?” She began shifting nervously, trying to find an answer that would not give her away just yet.
“Well… I just know someone very special who always knows how to make me smile.” Sparkhorn quirked an eyebrow, and she giggled at the familiar sight. “And laugh.”
Sparkhorn smiled warmly and responded, “Well, he is sure one lucky stallion then. I’m almost jealous.”
Skyrocket facehoofed hard enough that it made an audible smack.
Two pairs of eyes shot upwards and he realized the jig was up. Whoops! Plan B!
“Sparky and Summer…”
“Sky, what are you…?”
“Sittin’ in a tree…” Sparkhorn’s eyes widened a bit and he glanced at Summer, who was blushing furiously, eyes glued to the creek below.
“Don’t even think about it, featherbrain.” Magic hummed.
“K-I-S…” ZAP. “Yeow! Alright, alright! Yeesh.” Summer giggled, the blush beginning to recede. It disappeared completely as a crimson blur took the unicorn next to her right off the branch and barreled into the creek with a loud splash. She blinked a couple of times as the tussle began before rolling her eyes, planting her head in her hooves, and watching with a knowing smile.
“Why you dirty…” Zap, zap. “Hold still!”
Skyrocket, ever the mature stallion, stuck his tongue out and bucked into the creek, splashing water all over the unicorn. Sparkhorn yelped as he felt the residual energy in his horn channel through the water and give him a shock. He crouched down before leaping at his friend.
Skyrocket was too preoccupied with pulling his hooves from the muck of the creek to dodge the tackle. They went tumbling through the water, trading dominant positions repeatedly before clashing skulls with a resounding clonk.
Both sat on their haunches in the water, panting, as they got their dazed senses under control. Each stared the other down for a few seconds before they burst out laughing. They looked towards the bank under the tree to see Summer Sonnet sitting with a hoof on her hip, patiently waiting for the boys to finish.
They made their way out of the water, and Skyrocket shook himself off, Summer Sonnet laughing at Sparkhorn’s cry of protest.
“Did you boys have fun?” She covered her mouth with a hoof as she giggled some more. Both responded at the same time.
“Always!” They gave each other a look before chuckling. Skyrocket motioned for Sparkhorn to continue while he moved over to the willow and sat against the trunk.
“Thanks for hanging out with me this morning and reading over my poetry,” she told Sparkhorn. “Are you going to the harvest festival?” His response was a slightly cocky grin.
“Not to start, no.” She deflated a little. “But I’ll be good to go once I get our little show set up.” She smiled up at him.
“I’ll save you a seat on my picnic blanket then.” She positively beamed as she turned back towards town and began cantering away. “See you then!” she called as she waved to him.
He waved back until the fields obscured eye contact. He jumped a little when Skyrcoket leaned in conspiratorially. He did not hear the pegasus get up and move to him.
“She liiiikes you.”
“What? What are you talking about?” Sparkhorn asked, genuinely confused. The response was another facehoof.
“So you’re telling me you can see when mares hit on your dad, or when my parents are in the mood when even I can’t, but you can’t tell when someone likes you?”
Sparkhorn looked at him quizzically as he responded, “Well of course she likes me. Friends are supposed to like each other, right?” This received an aggravated huff in response.
“She likes spending time with you, right?”
“Of course, and I like spending time with…”
“And she shares her poetry, which is super important to her, with you before anypony else, right?”
“Well yeah, but that’s what happens when I’m a trusted confidant, and…”
“And she said she wrote that one for someone special, shared it with just you, and was fidgeting and blushing the whole time.”
Sparkhorn opened his muzzle to retort but it died in his throat. His jaw went slack and his eyes lost focus. Skyrocket grinned smugly as he watched the gears turn in his friend’s head. For a brilliant young stallion, capable of crafting wonderful magical tools and the electrical gems to power them, he could be pretty slow. He could read other ponies’ intentions quite well, except when it came to himself. That’s what Skyrocket was for.
“Mull that bit over while we get to work. You get the launchers in place this morning?” he asked. Sparkhorn shut his muzzle and nodded mutely. He had moved them there first thing this morning, before he met with Summer. “Awesome. I’ll grab the rest of the gear and meet you there. This is gonna be so cool!”
That afternoon the village saw very little of the pair of young stallions. When they were seen, they moved crates with the labels covered over and unnervingly wide smiles on their faces. Anyone paying much attention would determine that they were heading out over one of the hills on the edge of town, one with a sheer side facing outwards. What they could not know was that the launchers mentioned at the creek were set up at the base of said sheer hill.
After a few hours of work, the sun was hovering not far from the western horizon. Both checked and double checked their work before Sparkhorn bid Skyrocket farewell and headed home for a brief shower before making his way to meet with Summer Sonnet. He rinsed off and loaded his saddlebags with the potato salad he had prepared to share at the festival.
The last rays of the sun were visible as he trotted to town center and made his way to the small park the town used for public events. Music was playing and ponies were dancing, songs ranging from country to old rock and roll. He couldn’t resist a bit of hip-swaying to a guitar solo, and he walked with eyes closed for a bit as he wandered over to where he assumed Summer would have set up.
His assumption was validated when he heard a familiar giggle. He opened his eyes and stopped his little dance-walk as he saw her looking up at him from her picnic blanket. He blushed and chuckled a bit in embarrassment.
“Brought potato salad… eh heh heh…” he sank to the blanket next to her, rubbing a hoof down his face as he levitated out the food.
“I didn’t know you could dance,” she quipped. He snorted and shurgged.
“I hardly call that dancing,” he said as he lit his magic to test his reach. He could still just reach the trigger, and he smiled at his assessment. “And don’t ask if I can sing. I save that for the shower.”
This time her laugh was cut short with a snort, and she blushed heavily as Sparkhorn raised his eyebrow and smirked at her.
“Well that was cute…” he teased.
“Oh shush, you.” She brushed stray bits of her mane from her face. He thought back to what Skyrocket had brought up by the creek.
Their moment was interrupted as the music quieted and a voice cut in.
“Fillies and gentlecolts, welcome again to the annual harvest festival! I hope you’ve enjoyed your evening so far, but it’s about darn time we got us a proper show. Our local pyros have gotten together and prepared the newest and most breathtaking display yet for us, so give it up for Sparkhorn ‘n’ Skyrocket, the crazy stallions!”
Townsfolk whooped and applauded, and Sparkhorn waved an acknowledgement. The absence of Skyrocket only meant one thing to the townsfolk.
One buckin’ crazy stunt.
Everypony got comfortable as Sparkhorn stood and reach out with his magic. He felt his connection with the electric igniter solidify in his mind, and while one part of his will held that connection, another focused on charging a spell bolt. His horn fizzled, then jolted as a ball of static jumped from his horn and leapt to the sky, ascending a hundred feet before bursting with an actinic pop.
Skyrocket was standing eagerly atop the hill when he saw the discharge above town. He grinned from ear to ear and crouched into a ready stance, sliding a set of reactive goggles over his eyes.
There’s the signal. Three… Two… One…
Behind him, tubes spat out conical rounds that arced up to the sky above the town.
Show time.
Skyrocket was a split second behind.
He could see them accelerating ahead of him, and he raced to keep up. Too far, and it would not have the right effect. Too close, and he would be one crispy critter. So he chased them, letting them get their distance.
And then the fireworks went off.
He saw the flash before he felt the shockwave, the ear plugs he had inserted before leaving the hill saving his eardrums from bursting. His goggles immediately tinted to their maximum, preventing him from being blinded. His outstretched hooves broke the shockwave around him, allowing him to punch through the pressure wave.
So when he angled his wings and rolled through the embers, he left his own cone of turbulence behind him. white sparks faded to brilliant viridian and cerulean as they danced and corkscrewed into dazzling patterns, the gusts of his passing changing a static light show into a kaleidoscope of dazzling colors. Fireworks burst in his path, and he looped, barreled, and braked, demonstrating acrobatic skill that painted the sky in flashes of chemical crimson and gold, violet and amber.
He could not hear the cheers from below, or see the awed expressions on the faces of the townsfolk, but he could have cared less. He felt the shockwaves buffet him and saw the myriad colors trailing from his wings. He felt alive, and during one of the lulls in the show he took that precious moment to spot his best friend in the crowd.
Sparkhorn was wearing a matching idiot grin as their annual stunt went off without a hitch, the new maneuvers Skyrocket had invented and the experimental chemical blends working in harmony to create art painted on the canvas of an early night sky.
Now for the finale. Skyrocket was at the highest point of the show, and he watched the last volley arc below him, synched to form a descending, vertical columns of airbursts. Without hesitation, Skyrocket dived.
He barreled through explosion after explosion, rolling and weaving to make the most dramatic impact he could on the fireworks. The last was special though. A risky mix they had tested a dozen times to ensure it was perfect.
As the last rocket exploded, the flares lingered, and they clung to his wings as he flew through. He held his wings stiff and angled them to arrest his descent, approaching the ground at a dangerous speed. At the last moment, he snapped his wings up and flapped down hard, radiating a halo of iridescence above the park as he crunched to the dirt. His feathers were singed, his coat covered with bits of ash, and a few strands of his mane were burning, but his wide eyed, cocky grin eloquently displayed the number of bucks he gave.
He was glad he was wearing ear plugs when the crowd cheered this time.
The moon had risen well into the sky, and the festivities were beginning to wrap up. Skyrocket had joined Sparkhorn and Summer, giving his best friend a conspiratorial wink. Sparkhorn had simply rolled his eyes before they shared a hoofbump and included him in their conversation. As ponies packed up their belongings and began going their separate ways, the last days of the harvest ahead, the three enjoyed the final moments of the cool night.
Before they got to their good-byes, however, Drill Bit had made his way over to them, still wearing his work bags. The unicorn never seemed to go anywhere without them.
“Hey boys, hello there Miss Sonnet, you all about done for the night?” He was greeted with nods. “Well,” he began, reaching into his bags and pulling out an envelope in his teeth before letting it float in his magic, “I picked up a letter addressed to “Drill Bit & Family” today, so I figured I’d wait to open it until I had my family here. He received enthusiastic nods.
“I guess that’s my cue to head home. I'll see you later Spark!” she leaned towards him and hesitated for a moment before planting a brief kiss on his cheek. She immediately turned and cantered away. He sat there for several seconds, letting it register, before a lopsided smile plastered his face and he rubbed his cheek where her lips had been. Skyrocket just rolled his eyes and smirked as he spread his wings.
“I’ll catch you later Sparky, Mr. Bit,” he said. Before he could lift off however, a steely hoof stopped him.
“Whoah there, Sky, you’re fine right here.” Drill Bit smiled warmly. “You’ve been a part of this family since you bumped into Sparks when you moved here.” Drill Bit reflected on Skyrocket’s parents. They were amazing ponies, but so often away. Skyrocket was the closest thing Sparkhorn had to a brother, so he felt obligated to watch over the crimson pegasus. He was family, blood or not.
“Oh, well, alrighty then.” He planted his flanks on the ground. Sparkhorn gave him a friendly jab on the shoulder.
“Now before I begin, I’m going to ask you very carefully. You followed absolutely all the safety checks I gave you two before pulling off that stunt of yours, correct?” He received two irritated nods. He nodded back in satisfaction. It had taken them weeks to convince him to let them try something so crazy, again, but having seen them do it time and again and perform it safely had left him somewhat soft to the maneuver. It did not hurt that it was absolutely gorgeous to look upon. It filled him with pride to see what his two charges could do, risky or not.
The sound of crinkling paper accompanied the opening of the envelope. Drill Bit concentrated and he managed to pull the letter out in his magic. Magic had never been his strong suit. His father had always taught him to rely on the strength and skill of his hooves. Darn earth pony.
The two younger stallions watched his expression go from curious, to confused, to apprehensive as he read out loud to them:
To my dear brother in law,
Times are troubled. It saddens me to think that my sister would leave you to take care of a foal on your own, working stallion that you are. And here I am with a request for you. Canterlot has seen a recent increase in guard readiness. I hear the captain himself is preparing defenses. Word is, a threat has been made against the capital. As such, I feel it best to send my daughter, Gossamer Dawn, to family far away from the city. I hate to burden you with another charge, but she is a well behaved young mare and will certainly do her best to assist you wherever able. Please take care of her.
-Gleaming Winter