//------------------------------// // 13 - Aloha to Saturday // Story: Brayside Crush // by Outlaw Quadrant //------------------------------// “Welcome to Brayside Beach!” The train station clock had yet to reach ten o’clock but already, the station was a hub bustling with activity. Every few minutes, a train pulled in and emptied its passengers onto the platform and before anypony could become accustomed to their sunny surroundings, a live band greeted them with music from ukuleles and drums while smiling ponies in hula skirts provided leis. With the constant hoof traffic and the boiling humid air, however, the tempo suffered with each new wave of arrivals. Was this half of Equestria arriving to Brayside, they wondered. Sure, they expected a healthy crowd but the allure of a one last celebration of excessive heat by cool waters must have been all that marketing needed to advertise. Respite of any form was in short supply. Then, Rarity arrived with the welcome sight of umbrellas, custom made just for this occasion. Whether made out of bright colored hay or a smoother silk with flowery patterns, the unicorn had something for not just the sweating workers but also guests wanting a nice souvenir to add to their collection. Not far behind, Fluttershy brought some refreshing lemonade along with some parrots and macaws eager to take over leis distribution. Once the bulk of the latest newcomers streamed into the station building, all the workers huddled by the water misters placed over a long bench. Based on the train station clock, the ten thirty from Manehattan was about ten minutes away from arrival. “You really didn’t need to be here, Fluttershy,” commented Rarity as she took a seat and basked in the mist. “Surely, you must have had a long night.” “I don’t mind at all,” Fluttershy responded, taking the spot next to Rarity. “The birds were nice enough to help me out for dealing with the seagull problem. Oh, and there’s some by the roundabout to help out the tour guides.” She paused for a stretch, “But I may need a long nap after this.” “Sounds lovely. I may just need one too. Late night inspiration to make festival-themed umbrellas wasn’t good for my beauty rest. At least we were able to finish all the outfits in time.” Fluttershy stroked her hair once. “So, how do you think Swift and Rainbow will do?” Rarity frowned. “Thanks to me, Fluttershy, I may have inadvertently crushed any hopes of making Rainbow some dating ensembles anytime in the near future. I was looking forward to it, too, all those wonderful colors in her hair. So many potential combinations.” “I meant their performance tonight.” Rarity coughed. “Um, oh. Yes. I was just—” “But I was thinking about that too.” Fluttershy sighed. “Do you think we had her best intentions in mind when she told us everything?” “Whatever do you mean, dearie?” “Do you think we were pushing Rainbow toward something we wanted?” Rarity squirmed, “Well, if I must be honest, we may have had our own intentions in mind. That said, I have my doubts that she really knows what she wants right now. Whatever happens next, Fluttershy, we need to be there for her. I just hope she doesn’t close up on us.” From afar, the whistle of an incoming train brought out a collective groan. Whether this was a late arrival or an eager conductor wanting some sunshine ASAP, this break was over just as it began. Hipster raised a hoof high into the air. “One, two, three, four! Hip it!” Violins and electric guitars behind her worked together in creating a harmonious melody. While Vinyl worked her magic behind the turntable, Octavia directed the consolidated band with deliberate baton movements. Soon enough, Hipster added her scratchy voice to the mix and moved her body to match the rhythm. One audience member – Windy Chimes – stomped the ground on the middle of his own backyard, doing his best to turn back the clock and behave like the days when he could swish his plentiful blonde hair to attract attention. On the side, Rainbow sat on a musical storage case, unleashing her urge to dance via some light taps on the lid. Sans a flying partner, it had to do. She could’ve found a substitute pegasus like Windy Chimes had suggested in the morning but that would’ve been replacing fresh apple cider with Rich’s Barnyard Bargains Cider. It just wouldn’t be the same. Not even close. “Ooooh, that was better,” Hipster remarked as the music faded. “Yeah, we can definitely do this song for our opener. You know, a nice easy jam to get the nerves out of our system.” “You call that easy?” Octavia patted her head with a towel, “I guess a more competent pony would think this is elementary. I’m barely keeping pace as it is with that song.” “You’re cool, Tavi, You’re cool,” affirmed Vinyl Scratch, bumping Octavia on the side. “No need for perfection As long as the crowd enjoys the show!” Windy Chimes hollered from a distance. “You kids and your music! Heh! I love hearing what each new generation comes up with! Quite good, it is! What says you, Rainbow Dash?” She gave a weak nod. “Yeah, totally rocking.” While the band started practice with a different song, the elder sat next to her as she grabbed some sheets of paper. “What do you have there, hmmm,” asked Chimes, craning his head in her direction. “Just some moves I drew up,” Rainbow answered, tracing the markings of her crude diagrams. “Without Swift here, all I can do is plan out what we’re going to do tonight. That’s what a good Wonderbolt would do.” He mimicked her last statement. “Yes, a prudent choice for a Wonderbolt, maybe, although it may not be necessary. Again, focus on the bond you share with him. Practice you do not need. Just let yourself go like you did last night.” Rainbow dropped her notes and the breeze made them dance in the air. “What, you, you saw us, d–dancing?” “Ah, so that’s what it was. See, I did not but I sensed something in the winds, something I have not sensed in a while.” He breathed in deep and let the air out gently. “Refreshing, it was, a meld between pegasi and sky. Whatever you two did last night, simply replicate.” “Whatever we… I’m not sure how it happened. It just, did and—” Her wings came unfurled. “Ah! My notes! I need those! Be right back!” Chimes chuckled as Rainbow chased after floating paper. A mile away from the festival site, Pinkie set down a container full of red tubes on some soft grass. Meanwhile, a few rows down, Widget added the powder and shell into the mortars before setting up the fuses. They repeated the process for all the boxed containers holding enough payload to light the skies for minutes. Eventually, the unicorn connected all the wiring to a control box, keeping an eye out for any fraying. “Oy! That was a doozy,” Widget remarked before taking a sip of lemonade. “But it’s all done!” “And ahead of schedule too,” added Pinkie, walking down one row of mortars and double-checking the innards. “You did a great job, Widge! These should go off without a hitch!” “I wish I could say the same for that,” Widget bemoaned, starting straight at the prototype cannon parked right under the only palm tree on the field. “It hasn’t fired up at all today.” “But it also hasn’t caught on fire today.” Pinkie walked up to the device and began polishing the surface with a cloth, “I’ll take that as a big step forward.” “Then we’ll need to make one giant leap for ponykind!” Widget took one big swig of her lemony drink. “Ahhhh! We’ve only got a few hours left, Pinkie, so let’s make that baby roar!” “Get your Pine-Apple Punch right here!” “Fresh and swu-eeeeet for your buds!” Both Applejack and Pineapple Blitz broadcasted their offerings but it was more out of fun than trying to drum up their business. It was not even an hour from when they first opened their stand and not only was the line of thirsty patrons twenty ponies deep, they had two large bags filled to the top with shiny gold bits. The cherry on the top was the scowls from most of their competition that had to watch the victors get the spoils. One competitor, though, caught Blitz’s eye more than anypony else. With the melon stand at the end of a long row, Misty Honeydew had a mere fraction of foot traffic passing by. Yet, she rewarded every customer with something more than just a melon product, a string of kind words created for each patron along with a shining smile that gave her treats that extra bit of sweetness. “Misty,” Blitz murmured. Soon, he started chopping pineapples while keeping vigil of the green haired mare. Here he was enjoying the pinnacle of business success and there she was, fighting for every single bit while holding to her optimism that she’ll make decent profit. “Hey! What are you doing,” Applejack asked. Blitz realized he just made a dent on the stand’s surface. “Whoa! Where’s the fruit?” Applejack shook her head. “Right beside you, like it has been since we’ve opened!” “They are?” One glance confirmed it. “Whoa! Were those always there?” “Get your head in the game! We’ve got a barrelful of customers to serve!” “We do?” The cowpony pointed at the line extending past the banner marking the festival entrance. “Look, take over selling for a few minutes. I need to bake a few more pies here. We’re almost out of slices.” Just like that, Pineapple Blitz had six ponies fighting to get in their orders. In one large tent, a magician wowed his audience by pulling out an entire wagon from his enlarged hat. Just outside, however, there was another performance by a redhead mare. She stood atop a crate, donned in a simple flower print dress and a single large blossom nestled near her ear. Like a performer nearby, she had a juggling act but of responsibilities rather than milk bottles. Her audience of several festival workers stood firm, tuning in to every word she uttered. “We need more toilet paper at outhouse number seven and soap at outhouse eleven,” Blossom commanded. With a head motion, Spike scribbled on his clipboard. “Now, did we get that extra shipment of toilet paper yet?” “Afraid not, ma’am,” spoke one of the workers. “ETA thirty minutes, maybe an hour.” “In that case, also move outhouse sixteen to the same area as seven and eleven. Now, I’ve heard there’s a long line for the Twirl-A-Whirl due to a slight malfunction. I want one of our backup performers to entertain our waiting guests while repairs are underway. Finally, I just received a report about a missing foal.” Gasps came out of the gathered workers. “Last location reported to be around the Malts R’ Us. I want a party of three to search the festival site. I also need one pegasus to inform Twilight at the Trotwalk so she can search her designated area. I’ll also need one pony to comfort the mother. Spike has some scrolls with a detailed description of who’s missing. If you see this foal, escort her to the lost and found booth immediately. Dismissed!” In haste, ponies scrambled off in various directions. “Hey, do you want me to fetch you another drink, Blossom,” asked the dragon assistant. He took out a plastic bag stuffed with melon slices. “You sound parched!” She hopped off the crate and grabbed his notes, “A little, yes, but I’ll pass for now. Thanks for asking, though!” “Can I just say it was nice of you to give Twilight command of everything outside the festival area itself? I mean,” Spike stuffed fruit into his mouth, “she didn’t even ask for anything like that.” “It was the least I could do. After all, she did take care of that seagull problem. Maybe not permanently but enough to get this festival up and going.” She flipped a page and groaned. “And I’ll admit I have enough fires to put out here as it is. Dunk tank not working, bounce house has developed an air leak.” She flipped again, “Oh, dear. Trash cans overflowing in Sector Two and a request for more red paint for some reason. I haven’t even figured out what to do about Swift.” Spike swallowed his last piece. “You mean about his wing?” Blossom stared off into the crowds. They certainly looked like they were enjoying their time, unaware of all the time it took to make everything around them possible. “That’s what Rarity told me. She did check on him this morning but, hmmmm. I just have a… never mind, Spike. Let’s see what else we have to deal with, okay?” After a prolonged silence, “If it bothers you this much, you should see him yourself, Blossom.” The notes fell onto the dirt. “What, no, no. I can’t. Not that I don’t want to. I want to, Spike, but I have so much to do here.” “Nothing that I can’t handle for a little while. You’ve got everypony here trained well enough. If it becomes too much, I can always ask Twilight for help.” She grimaced but only for a moment. “Oh, you’re such a sweetheart!” “Ah, I’m just being—” He found himself in a hug he’d always dreamed of, just not from Rarity. Even so, he wasn’t going to file a complaint. “I’ll be back as soon as I can,” she uttered before galloping around a blow-up slide, discarding her outfit along the way. Spike gathered the spilled notes, “I hope she knows what she’s doing.” “We’ve got another one!” Twilight trotted from under the shadow of the Trotwalk’s pier and to a garbage receptacle overflowing with discarded cups and empty sunscreen bottles. She instructed the ponies pulling a wagon behind her to tie up the bag and toss it along with the rest of their stinky haul. “We’ll need to increase the pace, ponies,” she commanded. “We’re only falling further behind.” The garbage ponies could only respond with labored breaths. “Hmmm, wait right here!” Twilight teleported from the pathway to the front of the nearest lifeguard station. “Excuse me,” she cried out, making her way up the ramp. “Is anypony here? I need some assistance!” A pony emerged from inside the station, an earth pony with a ponytail and wearing a skintight uniform denoting her position. “Do we have an emergen… oh.” She gazed at the unicorn wearing a flowery blazer and hat. “Um, who are you, exactly?” Twilight wrinkled her nose. “I’m the leader of this area, Twilight Sparkle. Where’s all the lifeguards, Miss—?” “Coral Sands,” said the blue mare. “Sorry! I’m kinda new here. All the other lifeguards here left. Reports of a possible leviathan sighting.” “Again?” She grasped her head, “Uggghhh! I thought I cleared that mess up with the last station! That’s just some teenage ponies stirring up trouble with rumors! I even wrote a memo about it! Didn’t anypony here receive it?” Coral curled an eyebrow along with a snicker. “Memo? Wow. You know, Twilight, we do have a better way of—” “Never mind. Now, when they come back, tell the other lifeguards I’m reassigning two of them to garbage duty. Correction. Two from every station’s being reassigned to garbage duty. We have a trash problem and it’s not getting any better.” “Huh?” Coral scratched her head. “Yeah, is that such a good idea? I mean, we’re already pretty busy as it is and besides, we’re not—” “Oh, look at the time! Listen, you write the memo and distribute. I have a meeting in five minutes regarding an incident at the Ferris Wheel and… hmmm. Wait a minute. What’s this?” Twilight peeked through the station’s door and inspected a few items listed on a bulletin board. “I might have to address those later.” Coral stepped back as Twilight disappeared in a burst of magic. “Whoa. Who was that pony? Did Blossom actually hire her or something?” “I don’t know what I’m doing, right, Leo?” Lying on his back on his cloud bed, Swift held his turtle friend above his head. “Or do I?” Leo blinked and made a motion that indicated he was paying attention. “I thought I had an idea how my life was going to play out. I thought that I’d never get all mushy about somepony, that it’s something that happens to other stallions. It’s something that wasn’t going to happen to me. C’mon. You know that’s how I’ve been from the moment we met.” His turtle nodded. “Then I meet Rainbow Dash and for a while, it was just like any other friendship I’ve had. Somewhere along the way, I don’t know. I’m sure of, something, and I’m not at the same time. Shoot. I’m losing my mind here!” He snorted. “I mean, look at me! I’m asking advice from a turtle! Do you even hang out with girl turtles? How does that even work? Is that something I even want to know?” Leo uttered some gibberish. He exhaled. “My bad. I know you’re trying to help. Oh, and you too, Blossom.” An eek echoed within the cave. Soon afterwards, the makeshift cloud door fizzled and she walked into the open. “Oh, um, aloha! I was, I just got here.” He rose up from his bed. “I believe you. So why are—” A surfboard swung right at him, “—ahhhhh!” Blossom struck rock wall, leaving a dent on it. “Tweaked wing, huh,” she commented, craning her head upwards and dumping her surfboard aside. “You didn’t need to do that, you know,” he complained, flailing his hooves. “You could’ve asked!” “I just wanted to be sure.” She took a seat on the bed, prompting Leo to jump onto her head. “Now come down and talk to me, Swift.” After grumbling some more, he acquiesced. “Talk about what, exactly?” “Whatever’s bothering you, of course.” She took ahold of the photo booth pictures enclosed within a frame. “If I had to take one guess, this has something to do with Rainbow Dash. Am I right?” “There’s nothing... it’s that… I don’t think I can dance with her tonight, Blossom.” She took a slow breath. “I had a feeling that was the case. What makes you say that, Swift? Did something new happen?” An imaginary zipper closed over his mouth. “Swift? I’m not leaving until you tell me.” “C’mon, now. You have a festival to run. You’ve been looking forward to this day forever.” “True but I have a friend that needs me. Just tell me what happened, okay?” He grabbed onto his bed cloud and squeezed. “You see, we sorta… it just happened. Danced. W–we, last night, we really, danced.” Blossom bobbled the frame on her hooves until it finally slipped out of her grasp. Before she could finish her gasp, Swift dove for the save. “That one’s on me,” he replied as he put the pictures back atop the cabinet. “It happened? You and Rainbow? You had a really nice dance together?” “I’m surprised as you are. It was just the two of us taking a break. She wanted me to loosen up and, just like that. I don’t know how but those few minutes, Blossom, I–I never felt that way before,” he finished with wings up. “I never thought flying would ever be that wicked and… no. Wicked isn’t the right word, not even close! It’s way more than that! Having Rainbow with me, I felt alive, like I could take on anything the world could throw at me! I was light as a feather! I was, I was—” “Happy,” Blossom uttered in a cheerful whisper. She reached out to touch his chest. “Right here, weren’t you?” Just like that, negativity crushed his euphoria. “Shoot. No, no, noooooo.” He flopped backwards onto his bed and hid his face with a pillow. “I can’t believe this is happening to me. I should be happy she’s my friend but I’m not. I don’t want to feel this way about Rainbow but I do. I’m so lost, Blossom. How do I deal with all of this?” She couldn’t offer an answer, not at the moment. Matters of the heart required delicacy, especially when it involved one of her best friends. However, her only solution resembled how she handled many situations – with bluntness. This time, though, her surfboard would be of no practical use. She had to go with words, ones that may hurt more than any physical strike she could deliver. “Swift?” Blossom yanked the pillow from his grasp. “The way I see it, there’s only one way out of this. Tell Rainbow Dash you really like her.” He came back up, his shrinking pupils aimed squarely at the redhead. “What? N–no! Don’t you understand? The mistake! She said that—” “I don’t care what you may have heard. Maybe she was speaking the truth, she could’ve been lying or you didn’t catch the whole conversation. There’s so many explanations out there but frankly, it doesn’t matter. You can’t bottle up your feelings like this. You have to let them out or it’s just going to eat you up from the inside. Besides, the way you’ve been acting, Rainbow Dash will eventually figure out what’s going on with you. Swift? Don’t keep this secret from her. Tell her the truth. Whatever happens after that, well, I’m not sure what will happen but trust that she’ll at least understand.” In his mind, believing that she would understand was a leap of faith. All the work he had put into this connection with Rainbow Dash could unravel with a single statement. Nonetheless, the damage could be greater the longer he kept his boiling emotions in check. Already, his mind was spinning in circles, unable to come up with a meaningful rebuttal. “I don’t know if I can,” he finally shouted before facing the rock wall and resting his head on it. “What a mess I got myself into, huh?” At this point, Blossom could do no more than pat him on the back. “I know you’ll figure something out. You always do, Swift. If you need me, you know where to find me. I’ll see you tonight, okay?” He said nothing in return. She sounded so confident, he thought. He wished he could scoop that up and pour it into him so he could live up to his obligation to perform with Rainbow Dash. Deep down, that’s what he wanted but first, he had to figure out how to make it through the night. There had to be a way out of this and he was running out of time. He had choices to make, none of them easy and once he made them, there was no going back.