//------------------------------// // Honesty Policy // Story: The Sparx of Friendship // by CaptainSparx //------------------------------// “Well I’ll be.” Tinker gazed down on the old trees below. She tugged on the rope tethering the airship to the shop to make sure it was secure. “Nice and taught, guess that’s as high as we’re getting.” She turned the ship into the wind, cycling the engines just enough to hold the ship stationary in the gentle breeze. “Okay, should be just about… nice, here we go.” She flip a switch on a piece of machinery. “Okay, let’s see what kind of breeze we can….” “Hay there!”” A pegasus blasted into view, barely a wingspan from the side. “HOLY!! OH MY…. Don’t do that!!” “Aww, come on. It’s was funny.” The pegasus started to crack up. “Maybe, to you, but you messed up all my instruments.” “Bwhahaha…” She wiped her snout with her hoof. “Name’s Rainbow Dash, what’s yours?” She alighted on the deck, resting a hoof atop the machine Tinker had been trying to calibrate. “Hi…. HiLite.” Hold on, she had seen this other pony before. “Hmm… okay,” Dash tilted her head to the side, matching the other pony’s expression. “Your new here right?” “Yeah moved in about a week ago.” “Well then welcome to Ponyville, catch you later!” She blasted off, rocking the ship. Tinker watched her as she flew off, “That was rather odd… oh cloudfeathers! I hope she didn’t recognize me.” A thousand possibilities, various what-if scenarios, running around in her head. Tinker started to recalibrate her device when she could see Applejack heading her way from a good distance off. She waved when AJ saw looked up, the earth pony picking up the pace a bit. “I’ll never get this working at this rate,” she cranked the airships tether back in, lowering the ship back to its berth. She was just finishing up tying it down when Applejack knocked on the open door, sticking her head in. “Up here.” “Oh there you are HiLite, you haven’t seen a rainbow maned pegaus by chance would ya?” “You mean Rainbow Dash? Yeah, she was here not ten minutes ago.” “Ah fiddlesticks I missed her.” “You trying to meet up with her or something?” Tinker draped a tarp over the machine she might never get a chance to use. “Well sorta, she owes me a favor. That’s all, sorry to bother ya.” She turned to leave. “Hay Applejack?” Tinker really needed to talk to somepony before they started asking questions. “Hay what?” AJ stopped in the doorway. “I was, just err… well I uh…” “Well spit it out already.” “I’ve met Dash before.” She blurted out, biting her lip. “Well duh, you said she was just here.” “No, that’s not what I mean.” “Oh?” Applejack took a step forward, lifting a brow. “I uh, we umm… We met a long time ago sort of. She was hanging out with the Wonderbolts in Manehattan…. I um, returned her diary.” “Dash keeps a diary?” “Yes… wait, you didn’t know that?” “Nope, but I do now. Did she remember you?” “I don’t think so, you see, a lots changed since then.” “And you’re worried she forgot about you?” “Oh no, that would actually be kinda nice.” She smirked, stepping gingerly over cables on the floor. “I’d just love it if she’s forgotten all about me.” “Hold on a sec.” AJ stopped her short, confused out of her mind. “Are you saying you don’t want her to remember you?” “Yes… at least, not who I was back then.” “But why not?” “I don’t want to talk about it,” Tinker looked away. “Come on you can trust me to keep a secret.” “No...” “Cross my heart and stick a cupcake in my eye.” “Where’d you get a cupcake???” “I have no idea.” AJ wiped the frosting away with her hoof. “What am I supposed to do Applejack?? If she does remember me, she’ll start asking questions, and then everypony else will be asking them too. I can’t… WON’T let that happen.” She gritted her teeth in determination. “I don’t quite get what you’re asking there HiLite.” “What should I do!?! I can’t let Rainbow tell everypony about my past!” Tinker panicked. “Oh, that’s easy.” AJ closed her eyes, grinning. “It is?” Tinker licked her hoof, and touched her forehead, a little sizzling sound as a wisp rolled off into the air and dissipated. “You go tell her the truth. If she doesn’t remember you as well as you think you’ll find out. No harm in asking.” “But how’s that supposed to help?” “Just tell her the truth. Anyway, catch ya later, gotta get back to work.” “Okay see ya…” She came to the door and watched until Apple jack was out of site. “Oh I hope she’s right; otherwise I’m really gonna regret this later.” The shop continued to grow smaller as the airship ascended. She fired up the engines, pulling back on the throttle as far as it would go. The props whirred to life, slicing through the air with a loud hum. Time wasn’t on her side, in fact it might already be too late she thought to herself. She shook the thought from her mind. No, there had to be time wait..? Where exactly did Dash live anyway? In her haste she had completely forgotten to ask. She didn’t have to wonder long as she sailed on at a fast clip. Not a cloud remained in the sky above Ponyville, thanks to the weather corp. actually being on time for once. And yet she could just make out a small wisp of white to the north, a glimmer of rainbow apparent even from the distance. Tinker cranked the ship toward the lonely cloud formation, making good time. Tinker eased up on the throttle and swung the ship aside, casting anchor into the structural clouds that formed the base of the residence. She lowered the ship to cloud level and hesitantly walked up to the front door. Being careful of her step to make sure she wouldn’t plummet to the world below. She rapped her hoof on the door in quick succession. Okay, nopony home, time to go! She turned hastily to leave. Turning snout to snout to the rainbow pegasus. “What are you doing here?” Dash hovered, her front hooves crossed. ‘I uh… um…. Apple jack was looking for you earlier.” “Yeah I know, I talked to her already.” “Yeah I did, AND she said you had something you wanted to tell me?” “I did? Oh yeah, that….” She stammered. “Well are you going to tell me or are you just going to stand there and block my door?” Dash was growing impatient fast. “It was nothing, nothing, I think I’ll be going now.” She brushed past, almost stepping off the solid part of the cloud. “Um, okay sure thing HiLite… wait a minute…” Tinker froze in place, cringing. This was it, she was screwed big time now. “I know you from somewhere… hold on a sec.” Rainbow dashed inside, slamming the door behind her. She appeared moments later with a small booklet under her wing. She set down the diary on the doorstep. “I… I… it’s not what you think…” “I’ll bet, but just so we’re on the same page, what is it you’re thinking that I‘m thinking that we’re both supposed to be thinking?” “I’m not following you I SWEAR!!!” “Following me??” Dash looked back at the other mare, confused at her remark. “OH…. I don’t… wait a sec, you do look familiar.” She flipped open her diary and glanced through a couple pages. “Here it is…. Yeah I remember you. I bumped into that klutzy pegagus with those books and a unicorn gave me back…. But you’re not a unicorn.” A sigh of relief escaped Tinker’s lips, at the same moment an unfortunate breeze ruffled her mane. “Hold on a sec.” “No, get back” Tinker took a step backward as Dash grew closer. “You’re not an earth pony at all are you.” “I’m warning you, stay back!” “Or what? You going to blast me with that??” She pointed her hoof at the stub of horn that was poking through her mane. Tinker looked up, she blew it; and big time at that. “Promise you won’t tell anypony.” “But what are you doing in Ponyville?” Dash ignored the question. “Promise?” “Cross my heart and stick…” “Okay, skip that last part.” “Ugh, fine.” Dash dropped the cupcake that had somehow materialized in her hoof. “But what are you doing here anyway. I thought you lived in Manehattan.” “I was going to school…” Tinker related several key points from her adventures up till she came to Ponyville. Rainbow Dash promised that her secret was safe with her, though she couldn’t see why she should be ashamed of her accident. That was until HiLite related it to a pegasus without the ability to fly. A certain filly immediately came to Dash’s mind and then she understood why she felt compelled to put on such an act. Eventually the conversation drifted, and Tinker said her goodbye’s and set off. She’d be back in a few days to take a look at the faulty rainbow generators and see if she couldn’t get them back in tip top shape.