The Unicorn with Fire on Her Flank

by Noradora

Chapter 6: Complications

"So, what do you say, hm?"

The past two weeks had proven fairly interesting for Wisp. She was becoming known as something of a dogooder around town, helping ponies with small, miscellaneous problems while out on patrol. She was no longer required to go out on her rounds, as some of the other searchponies were on rotation now, but even if she hadn't been encouraged to patrol on her own time, she would still be doing it. It was surprising just how many ponies had something you could help them with, if only you just asked. She even dragged Wintergreen out of his house to join her sometimes; nopony should be cooped up alone THAT much.

She had even made a visit to Canterlot the other day. Family Appreciation Day, specifically. Wisp had never felt completely at ease while she was there, but how could she say no to her little sister? It had been good to see her. Very good...

And then there was how Derpy had somehow caved in the roof of Town Hall, and Applejack had left for some rodeo competition to hopefully win some money for the repairs. Wisp had noticed the farmpony giving her a wary look now and then, and had no idea why, but she still admired the earth pony mare a bit. Anypony who made such quality apple products, let alone being largely in charge of the operation, had her respect. Although, she never did bring home that prize money...

Wisp's favorite, though, had to be this. Bouncing for Sun's Flank was great: As she had been promised, things tended to be quiet and uneventful, and the most she generally had to do was gently help out someone failing to hold their liquor. Still, she felt helpful, important; like a sort of guardian protector for the good mares (and occasional courageous stallion) who came here.

But no, it wasn't the work she found so amusing. It was the simple fact that this mare was trying to seduce her.

"So," Wisp chuckled despite herself, "let me get this straight. You want me to kick out that good stallion over there, who isn't doing a thing to bother anypony, just because he's a stallion. And you'd like me to make a scene of it, because... he's a stallion. And then you'd like to come visit me at my house later to reward me for such a gallant show of chivalry. Is that about right?"

The mare had the good sense to look abashed. "W-well, when you put it like that..."

Wisp smiled at her, hoping her expression wasn't too full of pity. "Sorry to disappoint you, but I don't discriminate, and you should be well aware stallions are allowed here. And maybe I would've agreed to a little illicit meeting if you weren't trying to manipulate me."

Hopefully that look of shame is genuine, she thought to herself as the pony slowly trotted away. Maintaining her vigil near the door, Wisp played the scenario over again in her mind. Something about it was nagging at her...

She was a pretty attractive mare... A bit misguided, maybe, but if I'd really wanted to... It hit her.

I really wasn't interested. At all.

It had been three weeks now, nearly a month, since her falling out with Shooting Star. Three weeks to get over it, to move on. Sure, after a year together, she couldn't expect to be completely over it that quickly, but her life felt stable again. She felt largely content with the way things were now. And she'd gotten over other mares much quicker—even that one time...

Wisp supposed she was in a place that she really just didn't feel a need for a partner. After all, there was much more to life than romance. One must be happy with themselves before they can be happy with another, etc. But if that really was how she felt, why did the mare-shaped hole in her life, and the thought that it could be filled, hurt like it did?

Why hadn't she even considered trying to fill that void?

She shook her head, refocusing on the task at hoof. Thinking to herself while on duty was one thing, but it wouldn't do to get lost in thought and miss something important. She was charged with keeping these ponies safe, after all, or at least comfortable. She maintained a watchful eye on the place until the time finally came for her to step away from her duty and return home; that is to say, until about an hour after midnight, when most besides the all-nighters had left and there was little left to protect.

Wisp brushed some imaginary dust off her shoulders and went up to the bar. As usual, there was a small martini glass waiting for her, filled with her personal favorite drink: strawberry daiquiri. She never really tried much else in this place. She was no alcohol connoisseur—she liked something tasty and fruity, with little enough alcohol to be enjoyable, but not so much that it was overwhelming. All that talk about "acquired taste" meant little to her. Sometimes she tried the heavier stuff, but this was not one of those days.

Grasping the glass with her horn and bringing it to her lips, she tipped the bottom up and sucked it dry, nice and slow. She savored the rich, fruity taste, as always... And then sat the emptied glass back on the bar with a solid clink. "Ahhh... Thanks, Ginny," she said to the mare behind the bar. "Couldn't ask for a better way to end the shift."

Her fellow unicorn, as bartenders were wont to do, was rubbing down the surface of the bar, cleaning it of miscellaneous spills and spatters that had accumulated through the night. Gin Rummy, with her luscious red coat, blended in nicely with the cherrywood furnishings of Sun's Flank. Her brown mane didn't make things any easier, either. And her martini cutie mark... Well, it was a martini. What else would you expect?

The disparity between name and cutie mark, though, still somewhat baffled Wisp. Wasn't gin rummy supposed to be some kind of card game?

Ginny grinned at her as she continued wiping down the counterspace. "But of course," she said, "You deserve a little treat for the work you do."

Wisp rolled her eyes. "It's not like I actually do much. Just stand in the corner and look tough."

"Yeah, you're right. It's not like you've kindly 'escorted' any problem ponies out in the last few days with just a flick of your head."

"But that's what you pay me to do. It's nothing."

"If you say so," the bartender having a roll of her own olive eyes. "But it's mighty impressive what you can do with that horn of yours. I know I can't lift much more than these drinks. And more importantly, you're the one who came to us, offering to work. It's more like we're paying you for your kindness."

Wisp couldn't resist a blush at the praise. A good part of her newfound contentment in Ponyville had to do with ponies being so appreciative of what she did. She'd never really had much chance to earn such praise back in Canterlot, when she was more focused on schooling and where there were guards everywhere. "Okay, so maybe you have a point. But still, I appreciate the free drinks."

"It's nothing," Ginny said, mirroring Wisp's own words. "Besides, you make things feel safer here. Nopony in their right mind is gonna mess with you."

A few moments later, she took the conversation somewhere else. "By the way, I saw that disappointed mare earlier. Did you let her down gently?"

Wisp was glad her drink was gone, because otherwise she might have spit some out. "Gah. It wasn't—okay, she did offer to drop by my house, but only if I'd throw out that blue stallion that was in here earlier. I don't think she had quite the right idea about this place."

"Ah, I see." Nevertheless, a grin creeped up the barmare's face. "You could probably have gotten her to do it anyway, you know. There are so many mares, after all, pining for the beautiful and powerful Wispwillow, staunch protector of the Sun's Flank."

Okay, setting aside how the wording made it sound like she was one of Celestia's personal guards, maybe there was more to Wisp's earlier train of thought than just turning down a single mare. In truth, Wisp had found herself turning down potential dates just about every other night. Flitter had suggested that something about standing guard over a mostly-mares establishment had a way of impressing said mares in the right ways.

She wasn't sure how to feel about it. Again, in Canterlot, there was the Royal Guard keeping everypony safe, so she had never been made to feel... special. Not like this. That, and having multiple ponies asking after her, felt foreign; not undesirable, but... foreign.

She could do without Berry Punch's advances, though. She was pretty sure the earth pony kept hitting on her only because she was drunk.

Still, she found herself thinking back to that first night with Flitter and Cloudchaser, when Flitter had advised her to just relax and enjoy the scenery. Sure, the scenery was great, and she let her eyes linger sometimes, but... Nopony really seemed to strike her fancy outside of looks.

Either way, thinking of her friends reminded her just who a newer friend of hers sounded like just now.

"Pfft, Ginny," she scoffed, "You remind me of Cloudchaser when you exaggerate like that."

A strange look flashed over her friend's face, but as quickly as it has appeared it was replaced with a teasing smirk. "You're just modest. There are plenty of good reasons for ponies to be interested in you."

"If you say so, Ginny," Wisp waved off with a smile. "Anyway, that's it for me tonight. I need to get back home."

Ginny's smile turned into a look of concern. "Everything's fine, I hope?"

The darker mare nodded. "Yeah, everything's good. You can hardly tell the burns were ever there. I'm just ready to get back and study a bit before sleep."

"Alright, Wisp," her barmare nodded. "Take care. I'll see you tomorrow."

Nodding in return, Wisp got up from the barstool and went on her way, past the few remaining patrons and out the door. Her mind was calm on the way home, almost blank. Her thoughts didn't go in any particular direction, besides the occasional inkling of concern. Like she had said, everything was fine, but she still worried sometimes.

The most amusing part of these past two weeks had been a random mare's failed attempt at seduction. The least amusing part had been the house fire.

* * *

Wisp awoke to the faint smell of... smoke? No, that couldn't be right...

She groggily crawled out of bed and looked around. She didn't see any smoke, so she figured it may have just been her imagination. The lingering remains of some odd dream. Since she was already awake, though, she decided she might as well have a midnight snack.

But then she saw the red glow coming from outside her window. Pulling the curtains apart with a yawn, she gasped when she saw the fire. Surely there couldn't be a house fire, certainly not in Ponyville... But there it was.

She was already heading for the staircase. There was no time to waste: ponies were in danger. But then, just as she reached the ground floor, she realized whose house she'd just been looking at.

Before she knew it, Wisp was out the door, in front of the burning building, and tearing the door off its hinges.

She quickly cast a flame ward spell. If she'd had more time, she may have cast something more potent, something that would allow her to waltz through the building without a care. But if part of the outside was on fire, it had been burning too long as it was. There was no telling how long its occupant had left in there. There was no time.

Be that as it may, Wisp had to cast one more spell before going in. Her signature spell—the one that had earned her her cutie mark. It took only a moment to conjure the floating ball of purple flame, which grew to about the size of a filly's head, and only a moment more to guide it with a single thought.

Twinkleshine.

* * *

Wisp approached her door and lifted a hoof, but stopped herself. It would be more polite, sure, but who actually knocked before entering their own home? Nodding in agreement with herself that that would be silly, she magicked the door open and continued inside to find Twinkleshine snoozing on the couch.

She rolled her eyes. What did I tell her about sleeping down here? She should be in bed.

She quietly trotted over and nudged her awake with a hoof. "C'mon, Twink, wake up. Let's get you to bed."

The ivory mare's eyes slowly fluttered open, and she yawned. "Wisp? I... didn't mean to fall asleep. I was just waiting for you to get home."

And another eyeroll. Maybe she meant it, but it would be just like Twinkleshine to insist she didn't need to be specially accommodated. "Even if that's true, you're coming up to bed with me. Don't make me carry you there."

Her friend yawned again. "Fine..."

The unicorn was slow to get up, but the trek up the stairs was less so. Wisp supposed that the call of a proper bed was enough to motivate her legs, stubborn or not. Even so, she noticed the way she stopped in her tracks once they were off the stairs and her sanctuary was in sight.

Wisp, being the good friend she was, interrupted Twinkleshine before she could even start to object. "How many times do we have to go over this? Get in," she said as she herself climbed under the covers. Her companion lowered her head in defeat and did the same.

As she grabbed a spellbook from under the bed, she heard Twinkleshine mumble something in her sleep. Well, that was quick...

Quietly opening up her curtains, Wisp opened up her book and began flipping through the pages, intending to read by moonlight in favor of disturbing Twinkleshine with the bedside lamp. Before getting started, though, Wisp found herself looking over at the unconscious mare beside her, and thought back to what had happened. What the burns had looked like.

She frowned. The young mage knew that actual, high-level healing magic would be out of her grasp for quite some time. She was skilled, but only few unicorns managed to actually master healing spells as powerful as what she had in mind.

No, she would focus on learning simple first-aid magic. If something like this were to happen again, it could mean the difference between life and death...

* * *

The wisp flew into the building, its dark fuchsia glow contrasting starkly with the brilliant tongues of red and yellow spreading throughout Twinkleshine's home. It made it very easy to keep track of visually, but even if not for that, there was something about it that Wisp would have been able to follow with her eyes closed.

It was created from part of her soul, after all.

Its creator followed it inside, quickly taking in the scene before her. The place wasn't bathing in flames, but the blaze was everywhere. Without her ward, Wisp wasn't sure if she'd otherwise have been able to make it up the stairs. That wouldn't matter, though, if Twinkleshine wasn't up there.

"C'mon, already. Take me to her!"

The ball of ethereal flame darted around, as if uncertain, but then headed past the stairs and around the corner.

Quickly as she could, the unicorn rushed around the corner and chased her wisp down a hallway, through the sea of red. And it really was becoming a sea of red... She had to squint to be able to see properly.

Wisp came to a stop in front of a closed door, where her creation was bobbing up and down just in from of it. A door that was very much in flames. Oh no. Oh, no no no, let her be fine. Just let her be fine...

Before she could bust the door down, she noticed the faint sound of coughing from the other side, just noticeable over the roar of the inferno around her. It was too quiet. A pony just beginning to inhale smoke sounded much louder than this.

"Twinkleshine?! If you're next to the door, get back!"

Of course, Twinkleshine would probably have moved away from the door already to avoid the smoke and the bloody fire, but she had to make sure. If only this door opened outwards...

With a thought, and some restraint, she briskly swung the door open and dashed in. Twinkleshine, fortunately for herself, had been in the bathroom when she got stuck inside, and had curled up inside the bathtub, which was the safest place she could possibly be. But she had apparently been in here long enough to pass out, and the fire had made more progress to the bath-side wall than Wisp could be comfortable with. Not to mention the smoke covering the ceiling.

With barely another thought, Twinkleshine was out of the tub and on her back, and she was sprinting her way back out of the house. Her silent wisp guided the way, but she had no need for it now. She didn't have to go far.

On her way out, though, she began to hear loud cracks and snaps, and in a fright looked back at Twinkleshine. Nothing had changed, however; she was fine, relatively speaking. The fire had likely already burned long enough to damage the foundations, and with the front door wide open, it had access to a lot more oxygen with which to fuel itself...

Wisp ran so fast she almost slammed into the couch, and bolted out the door into the street. She wasn't sure she'd ever been so grateful for fresh air, but she ignored that thought and pulled Twinkleshine off her back, gasping when she saw the burns. The faint breathing did her pounding heart no favors, either.

Just as quickly as she'd made it outside, Wisp was galloping off to the Ponyville Hospital. Twinkleshine needed attention. Now.

* * *

This morning, Wisp awoke to the smell of eggs. The aroma was powerful, her sleep-addled mind noticed, and after several moments she realized that with the kitchen being downstairs, the smell probably shouldn't be THAT strong. Unless...

"Are you awake, Wisp? I made you breakfast."

Wisp cracked an eye open and looked down her bed at Twinkleshine. Sure enough, the unicorn was carrying next to her a plate, a glass of milk, and... a folding tray? Neither of them owned one of those.

"...Twink, did you go out and buy that just to serve me breakfast in bed?"

"Well, yes..." she said, rubbing her shoulder anxiously.

Wisp sighed. She should have expected as much. Having to depend on her for a home at the moment, it was unlikely her friend would be content to just sit around doing nothing. She'd see herself as a burden, and would go around looking for ways to make up for it. Thus, the breakfast—the tray was just taking it a step further.

Of course, this wasn't a bad thing in itself, but... Having known her for years, Wisp found it unnecessary and frustrating. She understood why Twinkleshine was this way, but they were friends, and she was doing what any true friend would. She didn't need compensation for it.

"Alright, well... I'm hungry, so I'll let it slide this time."

Just like that, Twinkleshine's face was as bright as her name as she set down the tray, and the meal on top of it. Wisp leaned over and took another whiff of her food: Fried eggs, sunny side up, just how she liked them; buttered toast with apple jelly; and a tall glass of chocolate milk. It all looked so good. Indeed, she could let it go, just this once...

Before digging in, though, Wisp had to ask one more question.

"...Did you make any for yourself?"

"Er..."

She facehoofed. She'd have to get up and return the favor once she was done eating. Silly pony...

* * *

"So what's the damage, Nurse? Will she be okay?"

Nurse Redheart gave her a slightly skeptical look, suggesting she thought a pony with fire as a cutie mark should have at least some idea just by looking and by virtue of having even there.

But that was the thing. Of course she understood: the burnt flesh wasn't pretty, but that alone didn't look life-threatening. The bigger problem was the smoke and how long she had been breathing it.

"A little healing magic and cosmetic surgery should take care of most of the burns. She was in there long enough that there's some permanent scarring, but nothing her coat won't cover up."

Okay, and...

"...But she inhaled a lot of smoke. She was barely breathing as it was when you arrived; we've got her on a respirator until she recovers."

"And she will recover... right?"

To her relief, the earth pony nodded and offered her a wan smile. "Yes, she should be able to leave in a couple of days. She wasn't looking good, but you got her here just in time... The both of you are lucky you got to her when you did."

If I hadn't woken up...

Wisp almost started shaking at that terrible thought. Just how close had she come to losing Twinkleshine?

"Although, considering her condition... We're not aware of any complications, but the fire couldn't have been good for her bones. We're going to have to insist she up her calcium intake for a while."

Wisp froze cold at that one. Of course...

"You look like you could use some rest, dear. You should go home and sleep."

She resolutely shook her head. "No. I wouldn't be able to sleep now if I tried. Could I... keep her company?"

Nurse Redheart's sympathetic face told her she'd seen this reaction more than once. Which was no surprise, really. Many ponies would have difficulty sleeping after this.

As she was lead to the room where she would spend the next day watching her closest friend's heart rate and assisted breathing, a single thought resounded through her mind.

Never again.

* * *

"You know, I've been hearing that cider season starts today."

"What, down at Sweet Apple Acres? Haven't we already had their cider?"

"I think so, but everypony's been making a big deal out of it. Something about it being better fresh, I think."

"Maybe. But this is when everypony goes and lines up outside the farm for hours, right? No way I'm wasting my time with that."

And yet, here she was. Wispwillow, "staunch protector of the Sun's Flank," was wasting time standing around in the largest queue of ponies she had ever seen. As she had told Twinkleshine, she had no interest in this, but with how incredible Cloudchaser made it sound, how could she turn away?

At least, she was trying to tell herself that's what had changed her mind. She still didn't fully understand why she was here.

She looked again down the immense line of equines. She and her friends had only arrived about half an hour ago, around two in the afternoon, hours after cider had began being served. The line was constantly moving forward, the Apples proving to be nothing if not efficient, but there were still dozens and dozens of ponies between utter boredom and freedom. Also cider.

She sighed. Seriously, just what was she doing here? She could be helping an old lady's cat out of a tree... or something.

"How ya holding up back there?"

"I'm bored out of my mind. Remind me why I'm doing this?"

"Because you love your buddy Cloudchaser and trust her when she says fresh Apple cider is amazing. Besides, the line's not that long."

A voice piped up behind her, sensing an opportunity. "I'm just surprised you're so vocal about it. I don't think I've seen you drink non-alcoholic cider since I got here."

Cloudchaser held a hoof to her heart, feigning offense. "Oh, Twinkleshine, you hurt me so... Even the little one makes fun of me."

The group shared a little chuckle, but afterwards Wisp heard her unicorn friend mumbling something about not being that short.

That distraction quickly past, Wisp found herself looking to Flitter as her last possible means of solace. "Is it really that good, though?"

Standing ahead of her sister, Flitter nodded back at her. "It IS just cider, but it's Apple family cider. It really does taste different fresh. The wait helps, too."

That didn't offer the searchpony much comfort, but as usual, it was more convincing than anything Cloudchaser had said. And to be sure, the Apple-brand cider she had tried over at Sun's Flank was impressive, to say the least.

Even so, Wisp hung her head in defeat, resolving to at least get to the end of the line so she could see—or rather, taste—for herself. She definitely wasn't about to go through this again, that was for sure.

Time dragged slowly forward. A little conversation with her friends helped here and there, but by and large, standing in a line was incredibly boring. Looking down toward the end—or rather, beginning—of the queue was little better, because then Wisp found herself envious of the ponies walking off with drink in hoof, free again to do whatever they wanted with their day. Cloudchaser had been right, though: there were only about six dozen ponies in front of them now. At least most of their wait was over.

Eventually Wisp found herself taking in Cloudchaser's visage, letting her thoughts drift to the mare in front of her. The mare to blame for her current distress.

As ever, the pegasus was... a pegasus. Yes, brilliant observation, Wisp. With her spiky hair, and her confident, carefree attitude. Those powerful wings. That cutie mark...

She thought back to the last mare she knew with such a cutie mark, and how her heart had stopped when she first saw the mark's resemblance. Shooting Star was otherwise nothing like Cloudchaser; She always spoke clearly and tactfully, always had an air of dignity about her, always put the utmost care into her appearance, and always took her work seriously. Her dream was to become a famous actress, and she was well on her way to achieving it.

For that matter, Wisp still missed the regal black pegasus... but those days were behind her.

Cloudchaser, on the other hoof, was most often blunt and to the point—if she wasn't, she was likely being suggestive. She was anything but tactful, always blurting out whatever she was thinking before considering the consequences. Her idea of personal hygiene was a bit of hair spray and a dry toothbrush. She had a dream, she was told, to become a Wonderbolt, but no goals to help her achieve that; she and Flitter worked weather duty, but often enough, Cloudchaser skipped to hang out with friends or babysit Thunderlane's little brother. Which was a shame, as Flitter told her that Cloudchaser could be really good at weather work and even athletic flying if she'd just put her mind to it.

All things considered, Cloudchaser was probably less than an ideal candidate for a romantic partner. She was rash, she didn't think things through...

...And why was she thinking about this? Wisp remembered her musings from the previous night, about how she seemed to want a partner yet didn't seem interested in anyone. If she was going to idly ponder the options before her, why not Flitter? For all her chiding, she didn't seem to be working toward anything either, but she seemed satisfied with weather work. Even then, she sometimes skipped along with her sister, but she still had a much more level head on her shoulders. She knew when and what to say, and how to say it... And, Wisp had to admit, she was a very pretty mare. Much more... Elegant. Not to mention that the bow looked cute on her.

The line moved forward another couple steps.

Uuugh...

"Hey, Flitter."

"Mhm?" the pegasus replied.

"I don't know why I've never asked, but what's with the bow?"

"Oh, this?" Flitter patted the accessory affectionately. "'Chase gave it to me when we were little, to celebrate our reunion. Well, she got me this one as a replacement once I outgrew that one, but you get the idea."

"Huh."

Looking again to the mare just in front of her, Wisp prodded, "I'd have never guessed you had a sentimental side, Cloudchaser."

The tomboy scoffed. Wisp leaned over and caught a glimpse of the rare blush she was trying to hide. "What? I can be sensitive and stuff just like anypony else."

"Yeah," Wisp said, "But you should show it more often. It's pretty cute."

The unicorn figured the wild-haired mare wasn't accustomed to being described as "cute," because she didn't even try fighting back or turning it around on her. She could have pressed further, poked fun at her for getting all embarrassed, somehow that didn't seem right. Maybe next time.

Mind returning again to the matter at hoof, though, Wisp was beginning to come to terms with the simple fact that she was going to have to deal with this boredom for a while. She wasn't ready to call it quits just yet, though. Maybe she could—

Wisp heard Twinkleshine eep out an "ow!" as the stallion behind her shoved in front of her. His coat and hair were rather... yellow, and bore a slice of cheese on each flank. Maybe his name was particularly cheesy. Maybe this pony was dealing with his boredom worse than Wisp was, but she didn't care.

He had hurt Twinkleshine.

She gave the offending pegasus a deathly cold glare. "Excuse me."

The stallion grunted in her general direction. "Yeah?"

"I think you should apologize to my friend, there."

"Look, lady, I just want my cid—"

Funny how being forcibly levitated upside-down got a pony to reconsider their position. He didn't seen particularly comfortable as she faced him toward her friend for his own convenience. "Er, uh... s-sorry."

"Good," Wisp grunted in kind as she swung her head and flung him as far as she could toward the back of the line. Which, as it happened, was a good twenty meters or so.

To her confusion, Twinkleshine didn't appear all too pleased. "What was that for, Wisp?"

Wisp turned her nose up at the mere thought of the jerk. "For one, he was rude enough to cut in line. More importantly, he hurt you."

Rubbing her chest, Twink agreed, "Yeah, but I could have handled it. Need I remind you that I can take care of myself?"

It was times like this that Wisp noted with some amusement that Twinkleshine came from an earth pony family. "Sure, you could have, but does it matter? He got what he deserved, and everypony behind us will be glad to have their cider that much sooner."

"Actually," Flitter cut in hesitantly, "I'm not so sure about that."

Attention drawn away from the potential squabble, the unicorns looked at each other, then to Flitter. "What do you mean?" Wisp asked.

"It looks like they ran out already," Cloudchaser groaned.

"What?"

They looked down at the cider stand, about fifty ponies away. Sure enough, there were no more cider barrels in sight, and discontent was quickly spreading through the ranks. By the sound of the crowd's unhappy grunting and shouting, this was nothing new.

Cloudchaser rubbed a hoof against her face. "I knew we should've gotten here earlier..."

Wisp's ear twitched. In exasperated disbelief, she shook her head and moaned, incredulous, "You mean you knew this might happen?"

The pegasus anxiously ruffled her wings. She seemed no less pleased to have wasted Wisp's time. "Yeah, there never really is enough for everypony that shows. Flits and I were thinking of camping out last night like some ponies did, but..."

"But?"

"Well, we couldn't just go without knowing whether you two wanted to come with. And we both forgot to bring it up sooner, so..."

Wisp took her own turn to rub her face. She couldn't be too mad with Cloudchaser, not after what she'd just said. But when she had felt this was a waste of time to begin with...

"It's fine... Let's just get out of here. I'm ready to do something productive with my day."

With that, the four friends broke from the cider queue. Neither Twinkleshine nor Flitter seemed quite as disappointed as their counterparts, but nopony was pleased. As for the other ponies there, many seemed content to stay and shoot complaints at the Apples, but some agreed it was best to just leave and followed suit. There was nothing left for them here.

—————————

"I said I was sorry, Wisp."

"And I said I'm not mad at you."

"Then why does it sound like you are?"

The Ponyville immigrant sighed. This wasn't helping her mood. "I'm just a bit frustrated, is all. I'm not happy that it happened, but I don't blame you, either." Not really.

"Well, let me make it up to you."

That was another thing about Cloudchaser. She could be... stubborn. As this looked to be one of those times, Wisp simply gave in outright. Whatever she had in mind might actually help, anyway.

"What do you have in mind, then?"

"Uh..."

Flitter and Twinkleshine were lagging behind on the way back into Ponyville, quietly watching the scene unfold. They apparently thought it best not to interfere.

As for Wisp, she found herself vaguely amused. Cloudchaser could really act responsible when she wanted to, but she was still Cloudchaser. The way her face scrunched up as she tried thinking up ideas was fun to watch, too.

"Well, I could... take you to the movies?"

Wisp shrugged. "Maybe, I guess. But I don't know what's playing."

"Great. Then we'll go watch Exploding Penguins 3!"

"..."

"Or... not?"

"Cloudchaser, that movie sounds ridiculous."

"Well, I don't know what else is playing. We could go check."

Wisp shrugged again, waving off the idea. "Nevermind, I don't think I'm really in the mood for a movie."

It was at that moment she heard Twinkleshine mumble something. It was hard to tell from this far away, but it sounded an awful lot like she was disappointed about something...

Without even looking back, Wisp indignantly chided, "Twinkleshine, if you're hoping for us to play out some romantic fantasy of yours..."

The ensuing silence told her all she needed to know. The other unicorn would make sure she knew if she missed her mark, and sound all offended while she was at it. Flitter, for her part, just giggled, no doubt at the blush that must have been spreading across Twinkleshine's face.

"And Cloudchaser, I swear, if you hit on me just because I brought up romance..."

"Aw. I had a good one, too..."

Wisp was surprised the pegasus gave up that easily. She couldn't complain, but she didn't know what to make of her current pensive expression. Or the way she was looking at her horn. And then to her own wings.

"Hm. Twinkie over there said before that you have a thing for pegasi, right?"

Ignoring Twinkleshine's cry not to call her Twinkie, Wisp gave the purple mare a warning look. "Cloudchaser..."

"I'm just thinking... Maybe part of that is because you'd like to be able to fly. Unconsciously."

"Subconsciously."

"Gesundheit. So, what if I flew you around on my back for a while? Give you a taste of what it's like."

That... actually sounded interesting. Wisp had never really had a pegasus carry her around before, not for the sake of it. She had wanted Star to when they were together, but that was one thing the prim pegasus wasn't willing to do, except when carrying her to their special spot.

...Moving on, Wisp thought back to her previous relationships with pegasi. None of them had really lasted long enough to reach the point of romantic flights. Indeed, it seemed that the closest she had ever came to experiencing flight was levitating herself.

But speaking of relationships... Wisp could already hear the gears turning in Twinkleshine's head. As soon as Cloudchaser had suggested it, she must've been blushing at how romantic it sounded.

She sighed inwardly. Her friend had always been so hopelessly infatuated with romance, she could be a real nuisance sometimes. More importantly, though, this would make things awkward should she accept. For some reason, the small pony seemed to have recently latched onto the idea of her and Cloudchaser hooking up, and she had no idea where it had come from... Though, when Wisp thought about it, it really was nothing new. She'd get it out of her system soon enough, then probably matchmake her with the Mayor, or Berry, or... something.

Then again, it was thanks to Twinkleshine's encouragement that she had ended up in her previous relationship to begin with...

Regardless, a little flight would definitely be a new experience. Why not?

"...Alright. That sounds fun, actually."

"Cool," Cloudchaser responded with a toothy grin. "Hop on, then."

Wisp did a double-take. "W-what, right now?"

"Well, yeah. No time like the present." The pegasus unfolded her wings, bending down parallel to her and waiting patiently.

When Wisp hesitated, she said, "Come on, already."

Okay, maybe not that patient.

Looking around, Wisp saw that there were no other ponies around, but... "What if someone sees us?"

"Who cares what ponies think. Besides, would you rather have ponies gossiping, or me teasing you?"

"You're going to tease me either way."

"True, but if you keep me waiting much longer I'm gonna accuse you of standing me up."

"Fine, fine..."

Making sure not to look back at the other half of the group, Wisp acquiesced and crawled onto Cloudchaser's back, wrapping her forelegs around her neck and being mindful of the wings. Once she was situated, her ride stood back up and prepared for takeoff.

"Have fun, you two," Flitter called. "Make sure you're back by bedtime!"

The unicorn felt her ears flush with heat. "Let's just go," she quietly implored.

Wisp counted herself fortunate that, for once, Cloudchaser didn't feel like making her as uncomfortable as possible. At her request, she promptly took off, hooves outstretched, and made for the clouds, actually busting through one on the way. Wisp noted that the cloud had actually popped, evaporating into vapor instead of simply allowing solid matter to phase through as the laws of physics would normally demand.

Pegasus magic was weird.

It was taking the newly airborne unicorn a while to look anywhere but straight ahead. She was more focused on making sure her grip was reliable and the increasingly apparent fact that if it wasn't, she would make a pretty smear somewhere on the streets below.

Well, in truth, she might be able to save herself with magic. Probably. The same could not be said for most other unicorns... She forgot that, sometimes. Naturally, though, this did little to calm her fear of falling to her death.

Clenching her eyes shut, Wisp felt Cloudchaser change trajectory, taking a wide, slow turn before eventually leveling off and flying straight again. This allowed her passenger to slowly become more comfortable with the all-too-strange sensation of flight, but the prolonged silence was enough to worry her. Over the wind whipping at their faces, she asked, "Hey, everything alright back there? You're awful quiet."

Squeezing her friend's neck a little tighter, Wisp replied, "Y-yeah, it just takes a little getting used to."

"If you're scared, don't worry. We're pretty high up, so if you fall I'll have plenty of time to catch you." The pegasus turned her head as the other pony's grip started becoming uncomfortable, but laughed when she saw her face. "Hey now, just relax a bit. You don't need to choke me. And open your eyes, already. You're missing the view."

View? Ah, yes, of course. Eyes are for seeing. Right...

Maybe it was cheesy, but as she complied, she gasped at the sight before her—partly in fear, but mostly in awe. They must have been half a mile above Ponyville, because she could see it from one end to the other. It looked so small from up here... Not insignificant, but small enough that it made her think about how small the scope of her life really was. It was... humbling.

Letting that thought pass, she focused simply on what she was seeing. From this height, both Ponyvilke and the surrounding landscape really were...

"Beautiful," she thought aloud.

Her companion chuckled. "Think so? Imagine being able to see this all the time."

Wisp shook her head. "It'd be a bit more mundane, but still beautiful."

Her head nestled between Cloudchaser's neck and shoulder as it was, and still feeling a bit afraid to move, Wisp could only just make out her friend's smile. "Yeah, you're right." Glancing at back at her, she added, "I thought you'd like it. You groundbound ponies get so used to seeing everything up close."

The very much used-to-walking unicorn nodded. "Yeah. It definitely... puts my life into perspective."

Her friend must have detected something in her voice, because she lightly nuzzled her and spoke in a serious tone. "Hey, you're not talking about all that drama before you came here, are you?"

She lowered her gaze—well, lower than it already had been—and supposed that maybe she was. "Not entirely. This is just..." What was the word that had occurred to her a bit ago...?

"Humbling."

A scoff, and another quick nuzzle. "I think I get it, but you're supposed to be enjoying this. Kick back a little. Enjoy the wind in your mane!"

"I can't exactly kick back when you're the only thing between me and the ground!"

"Yeah, but you can still chill out a bit. Just trust me. If anything happens, I've got you."

She didn't chill out, expecting the pegasus to come up with some snark about her "fancy unicorn magic." When nothing came, though, she did make an effort to relax. She could be certain of her hold at this point, so she did as she was asked and slowly, patiently allowed the tension throughout her body to fade. Soon, there was nothing but her, Cloudchaser, and the sky. And the land below, of course.

She was right. The wind in her mane did feel good.

"Heh, yeah, that's more like it. Just enjoy the ride."

It then occurred to Wisp that Cloudchaser had yet to do anything very... Cloudchaser. No crazy stunts just to get a rise out of her. No dirty jokes. Just... flying. It wasn't to say that Cloudchaser fooled around all the time, but it could be easy to forget that there was more to her than that.

"You know..."

"Uh-huh?" the pegasus replied, dipping again into a slow turn, and staying that way for a while. They didn't want to get too far from Ponyville, after all.

"This is nice. You're so... serious. You're not joking around or anything. You're just being you." Pulling her eyes from the gorgeous canvas before her, she allowed her head to simply rest against Cloudchaser's. "It's nice."

The other mare didn't have anything to say to that. They just continued to fly in silence for a time, enjoying the wind and the freedom and the company.

That is, until a vibrant, multicolored blur shot up from Ponyville and stopped just in front of them. Wisp would have been impressed at the considerable feat of speed... But with her eyes still closed, the first she knew of their sudden visitor was the yelling. It was so unexpected that she almost fell off—although the abrupt shift from horizontal to vertical positioning as they came to a stop didn't exactly help, either.

"Don't even try giving me another excuse, Cloudchaser! Here you are, just flying around, when you could—"

Wisp opened her eyes and saw the bright, distinctive colors of Rainbow Dash. By the surprised look on the prodigious pegasus' face, she had only just realized she was there. She just hovered there, in place, until a blush eventually graces her cheeks.

"O-oh, uh, right. I guess that's cool."

Wisp tilted her head, uncomprehending. What was there to be embarrassed about?

A moment later, their visitor coughed and worked some of her attitude back up. "But seriously, this is getting ridiculous. Get back to your date, but honestly, can't you just take your job seriously like everypony else?"

What? Date?

"Sorry, boss. I made some new friends recently, and, well..."

"Right, I get it. Friends are awesome. But everypony else makes time for work, and so should you. It's not even like shifts are very long! Just... Try and work on it, okay? For real?"

"Sure. Sorry again, Dash."

The other pegasus didn't seem very convinced, but she shook her head and dashed away just as fast as she had come. Wisp watched the blur of colors left behind by her incredible speed and prismatic tail for a moment, but her mind quickly jerked her back to the matter now at hoof.

"Cloudchaser..."

"Yeah?"

"What was that about a date?"

The persian pegasus coughed. "Oh, that? That's pretty much just Dash being Dash. Carrying a non-pegasus around on a private flight is pretty common in relationships, but not exclusive to them. I'd have tried explaining it to her, but..." She chuckled. "She's more stubborn than you are."

Wisp's she didn't bother rising to the bait. At least, not really. "What, don't you mean yourself?"

Cloudchaser laughed. "Well, yeah, that too. But anyway," the pegasus said, flapping her wings harder to punctuate the statement, "Shall we continue?"

"Actually... Let's do that for a minute, then stop on a cloud for a while. You could probably use a rest, right?"

Cloudchaser blew a raspberry. "This is easier than it looks. And we haven't been flying all that long, you know. Also, uh..." Not in a position to demonstrate her point any other way, she settled for an eyeroll. "Did you forget the part where you're not a pegasus?"

"No, I simply remembered the part where I'm a high-level unicorn who knows a cloudwalking spell."

"Oh. That'll work."

"Mm-hmm."

With that, Cloudchaser shrugged before taking a little dive to regain their lost momentum, and continued circling around Ponyville, giving Wisp time to think. She didn't even know why she was thinking about it, but she'd been having weird thoughts all day.

She had been putting down Cloudchaser in her mind, earlier, contrasting her negatives with Shooting Star's positives. But really, was that any way to judge a pony's 'worth'? Every pony is different and has their own unique traits that make them special snowflakes and all that. And, in Cloudchaser's favor, her blunt honesty was as much a plus as it was a negative.

Past that, Wisp... really didn't feel like going over it all in her head just now. She was familiar enough with Cloudchaser that she didn't need to point out what she liked about her. She'd rather focus on enjoying the flight... But instead, she thought back to what Rainbow Dash had said. "Get back to your date."

"Our date..."

She thought back on the flight so far. It hadn't occurred to her before, but Cloudchaser was being rather chivalrous while they were up here, it seemed. And as she had pointed out before, it was really nice to see the pegasus being relatively serious for once, without a wall of laughs and jokes distracting her from the mare underneath it all. Not to mention that this Cloudchaser was making her feel remarkably... Safe. Even though she was hundreds, thousands of feet above the ground.

And those little nuzzles... All of a sudden, Wisp was highly aware of just how close she was to the other mare. This position, and how close their faces were... Eep. She pulled back a bit, raising her head up and behind her friend's, but then she couldn't help but notice the smell of the pegasus' mane. It certainly fit her: hardly any hint of artificial hair products. Just a natural, heady scent that...

...Wait just a minute. Am I sniffing her hair? And liking it?

Something dawned on Wisp as she noticed the heat in her cheeks and the beating of her heart.

Am I... crushing on Cloudchaser?

Author's Note:

This chapter feels a bit short and fast-paced with the numerous scenes, but for what I'm trying to do I think it's fine. Sorry if that feels a little strange after the last couple chapters, though. Without the cuts between past and present, next chapter should be better in that regard. lol

Comments

[Crystal Static]

Another good chapter.

~Crystalline Electrostatic~