The Stars of Darkness

by D4ftP0ny

Chapter 7

The sun was just beginning to peek over the horizon as Applejack rolled over in her bed, her blonde mane tousled from a less than satisfactory night’s sleep. The orange earth pony let out a groan and sat up as she rubbed one of her bright green eyes with a hoof. “Tarnation… mornin’ already?” she muttered. “That dun’ seem right… I wonder if Princess Luna’s playin’ with us…” Since this was the sun she was talking about, the thought that Princess Celestia might be playing with them occurred to her… but somehow that didn’t seem to fit the Princess of the Sun very well. Luna seems ta be the prankster of the two of ‘em. But, prank or not, the sun was up and there were chores to be done. With another yawn she slid out of her bed and walked towards her door, pausing only long enough to cast a longing glance back to her warm blankets before exiting the room.

She plodded down the stairs, doing her best to keep her hoofsteps light; she didn’t want to wake her guests up early their very first day here, especially little Honeysuckle. That filly had seemed so excited to be here that Applejack was sure she would never fall asleep. She found herself smiling as she thought of the filly, so like her own little sister. Speakin’ of Apple Bloom, I sure hope that lil’ troublemaker keeps her hooves on the ground an’ her head outta the clouds for a few days. This whole situation’ll be that much harder if we hafta dodge some crazy fillies in the mix.

“’Mornin’ sis!!” Apple Bloom, the youngest of the Apple siblings, bolted from her room and leaped onto Applejack’s back, her bright red mane bobbing beneath her pink bow, her amber eyes full of excitement. She had been staying with her friend Sweetie Belle at her parent’s house the night before to keep her out of trouble while Applejack and Big Macintosh had helped situate the newcomers. “So, what you gonna do today, Applejack??” she asked loudly as she played with her sister’s mane. “I think I might see if Scootaloo or Sweetie Belle’re around! Spend some time at th’ Clubhouse!”

Applejack winced at the volume of her sister’s voice. “Consarnit, Apple Bloom, keep yer voice down,” she scolded. “We got guests here now, an’ you cain’t just-,”

“Good morning!” A youthful voice piped up from behind the Apple sisters; as one they turned to see Honeysuckle, bright eyed and bushy tailed, but as soon as she laid eyes on Apple Bloom, she suddenly became quiet again. She lowered her eyes to the floor and kicked at something imaginary with her right front hoof. “I mean… um…”

Applejack smiled at her. “Well good mornin’ to ya, Honeysuckle. Didja sleep well?” The small filly nodded without looking back up, her previously chipper mood gone in a flash. Applejack frowned. “Well what’s the matter, lil’ filly? Y’all were bubbly as Ditzy Doo a moment ago. You feelin’ OK, sugarcube?” Honeysuckle looked up from the floor just long enough to steal a glance at Apple Bloom, still perched on Applejack’s back, before bringing her gaze right back to her hooves. Suddenly, Applejack understood, and with a smile she tilted herself sideways, depositing a distracted Apple Bloom onto the floor with a loud thud.

“Ow, sis!” the small yellow filly complained as she rubbed her backside with a hoof. “What’d y’all do that for?!”

“Apple Bloom,” Applejack said, gesturing to Honeysuckle. “Why don’t you take Honeysuckle with ya? I’m sure she’d rather play with you than hang around the house all day. I’ve got some trees to tend to in the southern acreage, so I won’t be around… an’ I doubt that lil’ Honeysuckle’d want to spend the whole day hangin’ out with Granny Smith.” From the front room of the house, a wrinkled, pale-green pony turned her aged face their direction and called, “Haaaah?? Didja call meh, AJ??” Apple Bloom shuddered, and Applejack nodded. “See? You wouldn’t do that t’ poor lil’ Honeysuckle, wouldja?”

The smallest Apple sibling smiled broadly. “Aww sis, y’know you didn’t need ta go that far! I’d love ta take y’all around with me, Honeysuckle!” She stepped towards the other filly, and suddenly her gaze became intense; the kind of intensity that Apple Bloom only displayed about one thing. “Do you have yer cutie mark yet?” she asked.

Honeysuckle scuffed her hoof along the floor again, but she raised her eyes enough to meet Apple Bloom’s gaze. “N-not yet,” she replied. “My momma says that it’ll come when I find my one special talent, but-,”

“-it seems like that takes forever!!” Apple Bloom finished for her, and Honeysuckle perked up.

“Yeah! Exactly!”

“Well partner, you have met the ab-so-lute right filly fer the job!” Apple Bloom touched her hoof to her chest proudly. “Me an’ Scootaloo an’ Sweetie Belle, we’re on a mission to find our special talents, no matter the cost, no matter the danger! We’re…” Apple Bloom leaped back up onto Applejack’s back before raising her hoof high, her eyes bright. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders!!” Applejack huffed and twisted her torso again, sending Apple Bloom back to the floor, but that didn’t stop the filly; she jumped up and dashed over to Honeysuckle. “So, how ‘bout it? You wanna be an honorific Crusader?? While you’re here, you can hang out with us an’ try an’ get yer cutie mark!”

Honeysuckle bounced on her hooves. “Of course I want to!” She squealed in delight. “Oooh! That sounds like so much fun! But I gotta make sure to ask my momma first; she wouldn’t want me running off without letting her know where I was going.”

“Well listen to you,” a gentle voice said from the top of the stairs. All three ponies turned their eyes upwards to see Thistledown gazing down at them, her smile broad and warm. “I’m so proud that you didn’t get swept up in the excitement and run off without telling me, Honey.” She made her way down the stairs, and Honeysuckle met her at the bottom, nuzzling up against her mother’s chest. Thistledown gave her daughter a kiss on the forehead. “Go and have fun, my darling,” she said. “But make sure you come back here for lunch, and after lunch we’re going to help Miss Applejack around the orchard.”

Applejack blinked and smiled. “Shoot, Miss Thistledown, y’all dun’ hafta do that. You an’ Honeysuckle are my personal guests, an’ guests don’t do work. An’ it’s just Applejack, if’n you please.”

The amethyst mare held up a hoof. “Applejack, I insist. You have been so kind letting us stay with you, and I simply will not let such kindness go unrewarded.” She smiled broadly. “Besides, it would be a pleasure to get some dirt beneath my hooves, and if I can do so helping, mores the better.”

The orange earth pony found herself grinning right along with Thistledown. “Now yer talkin’! I can tell you’re my kinda mare, Miss Thistledown.” She gave her guest a wink. “All right then; after lunch we’ll get t’gether and discuss what needs doin’ around this farm. Sound like a plan?”

Thistledown nodded eagerly. “It certainly does.” She turned back to Honeysuckle, who was standing next to Apple Bloom looking like she might explode if she didn’t start running with her new-found friend. “Remember, Honey; when the clock in Ponyville chimes noon, you come back here, OK?” Honeysuckle nodded, and Applejack stepped forward slightly.

“An’ Apple Bloom, I know I don’t need ta tell y’all to stay away from the Everfree Forest, do I?” She gave her sister the look that she reserved for when the little whirlwind needed to really listen; Granny Smith told her it was the same look her ma and pa used to give Applejack when she was a filly. “Keep Honeysuckle in Ponyville and out of trouble, y’hear?”

“No problem, sis!” Apple Bloom gave Applejack her absolute best “trust me” smile, which only made Applejack more worried. “I’ll just show her the Clubhouse, an’ then around Ponyville!” And with that, the two fillies kicked up their hooves and bolted for the door, tossing hasty goodbyes behind them.

Applejack merely shook her head in resignation as she trotted into the kitchen and poured herself a fresh glass of apple juice. “Well, I did my best. Bloom’ll keep her outta trouble… as long as she can stay outta trouble herself.” To her surprise, Thistledown didn’t look worried at all.

“Is Apple Bloom your first filly, Applejack?” she asked, and Applejack almost spit her juice out all over the kitchen; she managed to keep it all in her mouth, but a hacking and coughing fit followed her spectacular attempt to breath liquid.

“B-bloom?!” she croaked once she found her voice. “Oh no, Miss Thistledown, you got it all wrong; Apple Bloom’s my lil’ sister, not my daughter.” In spite of the silliness of the question, Applejack found herself blushing slightly, but Thistledown blushed even more.

“Oh! Oh, I’m sorry… I guess that was a silly assumption… So that would make the red pony…”

“My brother, Big Macintosh,” Applejack said, taking another cautious drink of juice. Thistledown nodded and fell silent, but Applejack could feel the unasked questions in the air. She smiled sadly and glanced across the large room to the front door, where a portrait of two smiling earth ponies hung. “My parents… they died when I was a young’un, just after Apple Bloom was born. Granny Smith an’ Big Mac helped raise me, an’ we all helped raise Apple Bloom. Lil’ filly doesn’t remember much about Ma and Pa… I reckon she dun’ remember much more’n what they look like…” She sighed as the heaviness of her younger years settled onto her heart, weighing her down like the heaviest load of apples she had ever hauled. Those years had been hard on Applejack, and had resulted in her leaving Ponyville in favor of her Aunt and Uncle Orange in Manehatten. The emptiness that she’d felt after the deaths of her parents was something only time had healed, and she still woke up sometimes late at night, thinking that if she walked downstairs she’d see her Pa, sitting in his favorite chair with a copy of the Ponyville Gazette and his pipe, and her Ma sitting by the fireplace, knitting away. They had been real farm ponies, the hardest workers that Applejack had ever seen, and two ponies that she missed more than anything else in the world.

Suddenly, she felt something touch her side. “I’m sorry for your loss,” Thistledown said as she leaned up against Applejack, trying her best to comfort her. Applejack shook her head slightly and gave Thistledown a smile.

“Aah, it was a long time ago.” She stepped away from her guest and headed to the pantry to pull out some apples she’d stored away yesterday, taking the moment away from Thistledown to wipe the tears from her eyes before returning with a bowl full of firm, ripe apples. “But that’s the story. Granny Smith’s getting’ on in her years so Big Mac an’ I run this here orchard by ourselves, an’ I couldn’t be happier.” That much was the absolute truth; Applejack literally could not think of one single thing she would like to be doing other than running this orchard.

Thistledown clopped over and took an apple for herself. “Well, you seem to be doing a fine job,” she said, examining the apple. “The farm looks clean and well-kept, and your apples look amazing.” She brought her eyes up to meet Applejack’s again, and this time it was her eyes that were sad. “I know how much love it takes to make something beautiful grow,” she said softly, and Applejack averted her gaze.

“It does at that,” she agreed, her voice gentle. “Well, like I said, I’ve got some chores to take care of out in the south acreage this mornin’, an’ if’n that don’t get done, I’ll be behind the whole week!” She took two apples out of the bowl and put them into the saddlebags that hung next to the door before taking them in her teeth and settling them on her flanks. “I’ll see you around lunchtime,” she said over her shoulder as she left the house, pretending to not see the tears that stained Thistledown’s cheeks.

She made her way to the shed next to the farmhouse where the family kept their smaller tools and wagons, pushing the door open with her hoof before entering. Luckily for her, the wagon that she wanted for this job was too small for Big Mac to haul and too big for Apple Bloom to move on her own, so it was all but guaranteed that it would be where Applejack left it, which was right here. It was only slightly bigger than the pony herself, with low wheels and a wide bed, perfect for what she needed to do. Moving around the shed with practiced motions, Applejack gathered the few other tools she would need, namely several small baskets and her trusty lasso, setting them all into the bed of the wagon along with her saddlebags. According to Big Mac, the trees in the south part of the farm were ripening faster than they had thought, and it was Applejack’s job to pick a sampling of the apples and bring them back to the farmhouse to check. If they were as ripe as Mac thought they were, then they were in for a heap of work, because the south orchard always ripened first and signaled to the Apple family that applebuck season was upon them. And by Princess Celestia’s bright shiny sun, that’d be a job an’ a half, what with all these newcomers needin’ takin’ care of.

The sun had barely cleared the horizon as Applejack slid into the harness of the wagon and wheeled it out of the shed; after it was far enough out, she took the harness off and turned around to close the doors again only to find herself nose-to-nose with an unfamiliar pony.

“Gah!!” Applejack jumped away from the stranger several feet, landing on all four hooves and hunching down defensively, even though it dropped the brim of her hat so low that she couldn’t see who or what had startled her. “What in tarnation d’you think yer doin’, sneakin’ up on ponies like that?!” she snapped, pushing her hat up farther atop her head so she could see.

“Oh… um, sorry,” the Pegasus said, ruffling his wing feathers uncomfortably; at least he had the good manners to look abashed. “I heard something out here, and thought I’d take a look.” He shrugged. “And when I saw that it was you with your tools, I thought that maybe you could use some help.”

Applejack looked the newcomer up and down. He was a gray Pegasus, with a black mane and deep red eyes that seemed to look straight through her. She met his gaze evenly, but despite her outward composure she felt the hairs at the base of her mane stand up. “I remember you,” she said softly. Her green eyes went to the red gem he wore around his neck and smiled wryly. “I see you didn’t take my advice, though. If’n you plan on workin’, that lil’ trinket will only get in the way.”

The Pegasus laughed lightly. “Well, perhaps. But… well, why do you wear that hat all the time?” he asked, arching an eyebrow. “Surely that gets in the way some of the time. Why do you still wear it?”

Applejack stood up straighter, puffing her chest out proudly. “This was my Pa’s hat,” she said coolly. “I wear it to remember him, and t’ honor his mem’ry.”

The Pegasus nodded. “And I wear this ‘little trinket’ because my father gave it to me before he disappeared, many years ago.” His red eyes met hers evenly. “So the chances of me taking this off are about as good as you taking that hat off.”

Applejack looked into his eyes for a long moment before blushing and dropping her gaze. “Oh,” she muttered. “Well, um… I’m sorry.”

To her surprise, the Pegasus laughed again. “No need to be sorry, Applejack. You didn’t know, couldn’t have known.” He shook his head, causing the amulet to dance about his chest. “But now you do know, so maybe we can leave it out of future conversations, eh?”

Applejack grinned. “Well, I suppose we might.” She arched an eyebrow at him. “Say, aren’t you up a mite early? After all the stress you ponies had to deal with in Whinnyapolis, I figured you’d stay asleep for a few more hours.”

The gray Pegasus shifted his wings and returned her arched eyebrow. “I’ve always been an early riser, you could say.” He took a step towards her and her wagon. “So, are you going to let me help you, or not?” He nudged the side of the wagon with his hoof.

The orange pony looked at him for a long moment in silence. Finally, she smiled. “Well sure, I’ve never turned down a hard worker.” She ducked down and slid into the harness of the wagon yet again, settling it securely about her middle before turning back to the Pegasus. “But before we go anywhere, I do have one last question for ya.”

“Do tell.”

“Your name, stranger. I can’t for the life o’ me remember getting’ your name.”

The Pegasus arched an eyebrow at her again before grinning and extending a hoof. “My name is Red Wing,” he said. Applejack shook his hoof firmly before glancing at his flank; sure enough, there were two red wings and a star, all done up in a style that reminded her of some of the drawings she’d seen in Zecora’s hut.

“A pleasure to meet ya, Red Wing,” she said as she started forward, tugging the wagon behind her. “Now, let’s get them apples gathered so I can be back here by lunchtime.”

Red Wing trotted along beside her, small grin on his face. “Yes ma’am.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Slowly the sun rose over Ponyville, casting its warm light into every home and business, waking sleeping ponies for the day ahead. Some ponies, like Applejack, were already awake, their heads filled with the duties of the day; and some ponies were awake even though they really, really didn’t want to be. High above Ponyville, hovering in the blue sky beyond the sight of wandering eyes, Rainbow Dash held a hoof to her eyes to shield them from the low sun. Off to the east, towards the rising sun, a bank of clouds was slowly drifting towards the quiet town. Rainbow Dash sighed heavily. “Man, THIS is why I hate mornings. You can’t so much as LOOK east without getting an eye full of sunshine.” Not that she minded sunshine, of course, but if she could ask Princess Celestia one thing, it would be to have the sun go right up to midday and sit there until it was time for the moon to come up. Actually… that’s not a bad idea... She grinned. “Maybe next time I see the Princess, I’ll suggest it!” With a tomboyish giggle the cyan Pegasus pulled her wings against her body and dove towards Equestria below.

The wind screamed past her ears as she plummeted, whipping her rainbow-colored mane around her face; her eyes began to leak tears as her speed increased and her heart pounded against her ribs. This was the only way to fly. She watched as the ground came closer, her magenta eyes full of a joy that she only felt when she was airborne; closer and closer the ground came, and still Rainbow Dash dove, passing the threshold of when any other Pegasus would have pulled up as if it didn’t exist- because to Rainbow Dash, it didn’t. She knew her limits; in fact, she prided herself on knowing exactly when her body could and could not react in time, and this was one thing she was more than certain of. With plenty of time to spare, Rainbow flared her wings open and pulled out of her suicide dive, her vertical speed turning horizontal as she swooped low and fast over the hills surrounding Ponyville, her laughter echoing loudly for all to hear. Nothing made Rainbow Dash feel happier, more alive than when she was flying. “Unless it’s racing!” she said aloud, her spine tingling at the thought. There was NOTHING in this world that Rainbow Dash loved more than racing.

As she pulled up and headed back towards the sky, her wings pumping furiously, she felt more than saw somepony approaching her; call it intuition, call it a pegasus’ innate magic, call it what you will, but she knew that another flying pony was approaching her from her six o’clock, and that they were coming fast. She glanced back just in time to see a dark blue blur of feathers and horsehair buzz her, buffeting her with the wash from his wings. “HEY!” she shouted indignantly, “Watch where you’re goin’! There’s plenty of sky for all of us, ya know!”

The other Pegasus had accelerated several pony-lengths ahead of her before she finished speaking; his wings gave a mighty flap and he spun himself around in a tight barrel roll, not flinching from his forward trajectory; a very technical move, and one that Rainbow Dash prided herself on. The cyan Pegasus watched as the newcomer’s wings returned to pumping smoothly, keeping him effortlessly ahead of her; he swerved slightly into her path, then raised his head to look back at her. He stared at her for a long moment, and just when Rainbow was about to start calling him some very un-ladylike names, he smiled ever so slightly, squinted his ice-blue eyes at Rainbow Dash, and jerked his head towards the horizon before them.

A challenge.

Dash felt her irritation disappear in an instant, replaced by that familiar blazing deep in her soul; the feeling that she had tried in vain to describe to her friends, the feeling that drove her to fly, to do stunts, to race.

She smiled cockily as a shiver of excitement sizzled up her spine. “Oh, it is ON.”

Her wings pumped and her lithe frame shot forward after the larger Pegasus, her ears laid back to decrease her drag through the air; in a heartbeat she had caught up to the stranger, and as she drew abreast of him their eyes met, magenta to blue, but only for a second. The dark blue Pegasus banked sharply and suddenly to the right, sliding away into the morning sky and back towards Equestria below. Rainbow Dash tilted her wings and followed him, gaining speed as she went, yet he still pulled away as they descended, falling faster than Dash had thought possible. Whoever he was, he knew how to really fly! She felt tears begin to lace their way back into her mane as the stranger pulled up, his wings making long, steady strokes in the morning air as he bolted towards a large stand of trees; Rainbow Dash recognized it as a part of Sweet Apple Acres, but it wasn’t important. The dark blue Pegasus dipped close to the ground, streaking down one of the main paths through the orchard, a thoroughfare just barely wide enough to hold both pegasi with their wings fully extended. No room for mistakes, Dash thought as she stared intently at the other Pegasus. Just the way I like it. Their speeds increased; the individual trees on either side of them began to blend together, and soon they were simply a green and brown blur occasionally streaked with bright red. Rainbow Dash’s heart was pounding in her chest as the other Pegasus’ wings flared suddenly, sending him up over the tops of the trees at breakneck speed; Dash was so close to the ground that when she pulled up she was able to kick off of the soil, sending her up and over the trees in hot pursuit of her opponent.

She could feel her smile widening, and it wasn’t because of the incredible speeds they were hitting. Leaves touched her hooves as she swooped low over the trees, dodging to the right as a particularly tall branch rose to meet her; her wings flapped so fast that they were starting to ache, and ever so slowly she started to gain on her opponent. Inch by inch as the trees streaked by she crept up on him, until she was close enough that she could have reached out and touched his tail. Dash felt pride swelling up in her chest, and she couldn’t help but let out a sharp laugh at the absolute thrill of it all.

His ear twitched, and Dash knew she’d made a mistake. With incredible force his wings took a much larger scoop of the air than they had previously and he shot forward, yet again out of Rainbow Dash’s reach. “WHAT?!” Dash gasped. He had pulled ahead of her so… effortlessly. Like he had only been playing with her from the start…

No. Look at him! Her brain screamed at her. Look at your opponent, Dash! Read him like Twilight reads her books! That’s the only way you’re going to win!! She squinted into the screaming wind, and as he glanced back at her, she saw it in his eyes: he was having to work hard to keep her back here. Streaks of quickly drying sweat stained his dark coat around his neck and ears, and the look he gave her was one of suspicion rather than amusement. She felt her smile double in size. Well, you should have known better than to call out Rainbow Dash!! She thought.

Suddenly, with a flick of his wingtips the other Pegasus was soaring skyward, and Rainbow Dash was right on his hooves. “You’re not getting away THAT easy!” she called after him, unable to keep her competitive spirit chained any longer. She had this. She knew she did. Up, up into the sky they screamed, two streaks of different blues across the face of Celestia’s sun, higher and higher until Ponyville looked like a multicolored blotch on the green land below. This was it; Rainbow Dash felt it in her stomach. This race was about to end. The other Pegasus suddenly flipped over onto his back and dove, pulling his wings in as he did so, and Dash felt more than heard herself laugh. This pony knew how to fly!

Rainbow Dash imitated his maneuver, but she didn’t pull her wings in this time; she flapped them faster than before, propelling the cyan Pegasus towards the ground below. This time, she could feel it; the force against her front hooves, the tension that seemed to be holding her back. Tears streamed from her eyes now as she accelerated, gaining steadily on the dark blue pony; her mane seemed to be stretching, blurring behind her in a multihued blaze of color. In front of her hooves a cone formed at the same instant she drew abreast of her opponent once more, and with a casual sidelong glance, Rainbow Dash performed her third Sonic Rainboom, bursting through the barrier of sound in a sunburst of blazing rainbow color. The other Pegasus was blasted sideways, his wings flailing for a few moments as Rainbow Dash rocketed away trailing the brightest rainbow he had ever seen.

The Pegasus filly twirled as she streaked towards the ground, causing the rainbow to swirl like a piece of ribbon in the wind, her laughter echoing through the sky. This was living. THIS was Rainbow Dash.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Several minutes later, Rainbow was sitting on the ground, her exhaustion matched only by her elation. A third Sonic Rainboom!? She squealed in delight, but suddenly lost her enthusiasm at a realization. “Oh man, and nopony was around to see it!!” she whined. Her wings drooped slightly, because as much as she loved doing stuff like that for no reason, it was always better when there was somepony around to tell you how awesome you were.

“I saw it,” a raspy voice said. Rainbow Dash jumped slightly and turned her eyes skyward just in time to see the dark blue Pegasus she had raced glide down from the sky. He flared his wings and landed softly next to her, his eyes curious. “I saw everything, Rainbow Dash.” His solemn features remained stony for a long moment until finally the edges of his mouth quirked upwards just slightly. “Very impressive, for somepony so young. If I’m not mistaken, that was indeed a Sonic Rainboom?”

“You bet your feathers it was!” Rainbow said proudly, puffing out her chest. “Most ponies think it’s only an old mare’s tale, but I proved that it wasn’t.”

The older Pegasus walked over to her and sat on the ground, stretching his wings back behind him. “It’s been a long time since I raced anyone,” he said. Dash winced. He sounds like he seriously needs a drink of water, or to cough, or something, she thought, but she kept it to herself. “I’m impressed,” he continued, “that you managed to keep up with me. I was known for having the fastest wings in the Corps, and you outpaced me at the end.”

Dash arched an eyebrow. “The Corps? You were in the Royal Guard?” she asked. She’d heard the Guard referred to as the Corps before, but she’d never met anypony who’d actually been in it.

“Indeed,” he said, rustling his feathers as he brought his wings to rest against his body. “A messenger, one used to flying into and out of incredible danger as fast as possible.” He smirked slightly. “It seems I’m a little out of practice.”

“Don’t feel bad,” Dash said, waving a hoof. “Nopony can keep up with me; you should be proud that you kept up as well as you did, old-timer!”

The stranger’s ears drooped and he squinted at her. “Old timer… I’m not that much older than…,”

“Besides, you really gave me a run for my money! That race was just what I needed after the last few days of stickin’ around close to the ground.” She sighed and leaned back, closing her eyes as a shadow cooled her features. “To let the wind run wild through my mane… that is what makes me a happy Pegasus!” She opened her eyes and blinked up into the shadow across her face. The cloud bank she’d spied earlier had finally reached Ponyville, and even though it didn’t look likely to cause rain anytime soon, Rainbow still winced. “Aw MAN! I promised Twilight and everypony that I’d keep the skies around here clear while the refugees were in town!” She leaped into the air, her time of relaxation gone. “Listen, thanks for the race, but I’ve got some things to take care of.”

The other Pegasus rose to his hooves and shook out his wings. “Well… if you’re worried about keeping this promise that I jeopardized, I suppose I could help you,” he suggested.

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to refuse; after all, she didn’t need the help, she could clear this sky in ten seconds flat, but he cut her off. “Please, I insist. It was my challenge that let these clouds get so near, and if I could help you, I’d feel much better.”

Again, refusal was on the tip of her tongue, but something else stopped her this time; a little voice in her head. Rainbow, don’t be a foal; he almost beat you in a race! YOU! And he was a Royal Guard! He might be able to give you some tips that’ll help you get the Wonderbolts to notice you! She closed her mouth again before smiling. “Of course! I mean, I don’t really need the help, but if it’ll make you feel better, you’re welcome to come along.”

The stranger nodded and leaped into the air. Rainbow glanced at his cutie mark; it was a four-point star trailing a long silver smudge above a line. “What’s your name… um…?” she asked.

The dark blue pony smiled slightly. “My name’s Meteor.”

“Cool,” Rainbow said, holding her hoof out to him. Meteor looked at her for a moment, his cold blue eyes searching hers; unconsciously, Rainbow Dash shivered slightly beneath that gaze. His eyes looked old… like he’d seen things that other ponies could only dream of. Finally, just when Rainbow was about to pull her hoof back, rejected, he held his hoof out and bumped it firmly against hers. The cyan blue Pegasus grinned. “Now, let’s bust some clouds!” Her wings pumped and she shot up into the sky, followed closely by Meteor.

Comments

[WhenIwasjustafilly]

Y THAR NO COMMENTS.