Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Oh my gosh, could ya go any slower?
Tick. Tock. Tick.
Comeoncomeon, let’s goooooo.
Tick…
The hand on the clock paused for a moment. A disheartened breath caught in the blue pegasus’s throat.
Tock.
“I swear, I am going to beat the f—!”
“Excuse me, Ms. Dash!” A spectacled stallion poked his head from behind the corner, just in time to stop Rainbow Dash from committing clock homicide. “Put. The timer. Down.”
Rolling her eyes, Rainbow carefully fitted the battle-scarred clock back into the spot in the wall where it had been ruthlessly torn out. She fell back on her haunches, holding a punch-card in her hooves. “Sorry, boss,” she mumbled, her eyes still trained on her ticking nemesis.
“Listen Rainbow, I know you’re excited about leaving. But that doesn’t mean you have to take out your frustration on the punch-clock…again. Seriously though, this is the third time this month you’ve—.”
Ding!
Before he could finish his sentence, a rainbow-colored flash filled his vision, leaving him spinning on the floor dazed. Once his vision cleared up, he found the clock lying on the floor once again, while cries of jubilance echoed through the hallway.
Dash zigzagged through the Weather Patrol Headquarters, her smile growing with every second she was in the air. She spotted an open window at the end of the corridor, and seizing the opportunity, she rocketed toward the makeshift escape route. Folding her wings at just the right moment, she slipped through the glass and out into the open sky, almost bowling over a duo of pegasi in the process. Finally out of her white cloudy prison, Dash stretched out her limbs and let out a triumphant scream. “See ya later suckers! I’ve got a life! Whoo hoo!” With that, the pegasus jetted towards town, putting as much distance between her and the floating building as possible.
Meanwhile, the duo of flustered pegasi looked through the window, seeing a mess of spilled coffee, scattered papers, and somewhat irritated workers. One of them, new to the job, asked, “What was that?”
“Espresso, I think,” the other one, dipping his hoof in a spattered beverage. With squinted eyes and a gritty voice, he added, “Cheap name brand too. Makes me sick.”
“No, not that. What’s her deal?”
“Oh her? It’s nothin’, rook. She does that every weekend.”
It was time for Friday night to commence, and of course, that meant a nightmare for the clouds as Dash cut her way through them faster than she did when she was actually on duty. The pegasus raced high above the sky, her cries of joy booming over the town. Eventually, Dash climbed higher and higher, before pausing at the perfect spot where she was above the clouds, but there was still enough oxygen to keep her from being dizzy. And it was the perfect vantage point to look out on the landscape, bathed in an orange glow from the already setting sun.
She looked to the north, where she saw a tall forest, and the swamplands next to it. The pegasus couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, remembering the crazy adventure she and Fluttershy—Fluttershy, of all ponies!—had taken almost a year ago. It seemed like an eternity since the two trekked through the muddy waters, just for a sake of a couple of furry critters. But the adventure still brought a smile to Dash’s face, especially when the face of that fuzzy little kitten she had taken under her wing came into her mind. And of course, how he wasn’t so little anymore.
Finally, after taking in one more breath of the cool air, Rainbow Dash descended, setting a course for her home, where she’d usually take a quick nap before heading out to party all night.She eventually lighted down on her porch, her head bobbing to ‘Rainbow Dash is Freakin’ Rad’, a tune she made up in her head on the flight home.
Just as she put her hoof on the handle, a note stuck to the door caught her eye. She took the note off and began to read. “’Sorry we missed you…do you need your hedges trimmed and your branches plucked’—what the buck is this?” She quickly tossed the ad over her shoulder, muttering, “I don’t even have trees.”
Suddenly, another note caught her attention, this one hiding underneath the last one. It was crumpled and hastily torn, and the words were written in pencil by a shaky hoof. This time, Dash carefully plucked it off the door, reading, “’Dear Rainbow Dash, could you please come to my cottage as soon as you get the chance? I need some help with something. Fluttershy.’ Huh.” The pegasus raised her brow, rereading the note again for good measure. Part of her was already prepared for some late night flying and partying and all-around awesomeness. And if it was any other pony, she probably would’ve tossed the note and galloped into her bed. But not Fluttershy; not the one pony that stuck with her through the years. So, with a hefty sigh, Dash took off into the night, saying, “Alright ‘Shy. But this better be good…”
xxx
The pegasus strolled up to the wooden door and raised a hoof to knock, only to see it was already propped open. Weird, Rainbow thought. It’s already dark. You’d think ‘Shy would’ve locked herself in…and barred the windows…and barricaded the doors…and…
As her thoughts rambled through her head, her body found itself slowly stepping through the doorway. Shaking her head, the pegasus cleared her throat and called, “Fluttershy? I’m here. You needed me?”
Stepping into the kitchen, she was relieved to see her butter-colored friend standing at the counter, holding two glasses of water. “Ah hello, Rainbow. Glad you could, um, make it,” she answered with a smile.
Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to respond, before stopping in her tracks, her ears perked. Something’s not quite right, she thought, quickly scanning the room. Was it Fluttershy’s smile? Was the furniture? Maybe it could even be the glasses of water.
No… Rainbow hadn’t even noticed the room was silent. The animals weren’t chattering.
“Yes, Ms. Dash. Glad you could join us.”
She turned around, coming face to face with two shadowy figures. One raised a hoof, and in a deep voice, he said, “We just wanted to have a little chat with you two.”