Strato

by Regina Wright

Rocketing

It was after the wedding of a Mi Amore Cadenza and his dear friend, Shining Armor that Flash Sentry met Rainbow Dash again.

Possibly the eighteenth time of the year and the first in two months.

Not that Flash had been keeping count on purpose. He was merely aware of it as his wings flexed as if he was pleased, curling free from their tight fold on his back. His blank face straightened into a bland smile and he took as much time as necessary to both savor the moment and force his wings down as he made his way to her.

If it all seemed odd... It wasn't. That was normal behavior.

For them at least.

By all rights, he should be joining the dispatched search squads running around Canterlot, looking for any remaining changelings as they were called and finding missing ponies. And if that wasn't his speed and it wasn't, he could get down and dirty assisting with clean-up. It looked like every Royal Guard on call was working even harder than usual, unable to accept the fact that thanks to their collective failure to secure the city, Princess Celestia had been taken by the enemy. Even if it had been less than fifteen minutes and there was no causalities considering the fact they were invaded.

If Flash had been wearing the armor, he wouldn't be having such mean-spirited thoughts. Probably be off joining the fellows in raising the temperature of the city with all the big talk and hot air spurring free. But today was Flash's approved day-off and his name wasn't even called from the official roster when the guards were rallied to move out. Either Shining pulled a string in advance or they thought his highly qualified skills were better use elsewhere. Like getting drunk for one example. And it just so happened that a free and fresh mug was waiting at the same table Rainbow Crashing Dash was nursing a drink of her own.

Flash took the second seat across from her. Leaving a spare seat between them as he grasped the cup in his forehooves and took a hearty sip. It was typical punch with a little something extra that weddings were known for. Crystal pink and fruity with the oily tang of three different types of liquor added in. What would be the proper term for this drink? Should he call it spiked punch or spiky punch because of it being tampered more than once? It was such a silly thought that Flash regretted not cracking open his wedding present, a bottle of fancy wine and adding it to the punch bowl. With Shining and his new wife taking off like that and leaving their haul behind, he was pretty sure that the gifts were up for grabs.

And Shining didn't deserve that bottle anyhow.

Not after that stunt he pulled before the wedding, mind-addled by changelings or not. Taking another mouthful, Flash swirled the drink on his tongue. Unconsciously nodding to himself while identifying what booze was thrown in the punch as he placed his mug down. Some drops ran down his chin and he wiped them away, ignoring the frown tugging at his face. He would be more inclined to forgive Shining if that very stallion was still here, kissing his hooves for forgiveness. Whenever the captain did it literally or figuratively didn't matter.

Then the table shook, rattling his cup that had been resting on the edge before it tipped over and spilled onto his lap. Suddenly the world went silent aside from the sounds of the juice hitting the pavement and the red heat that rose from his ears to the sides of his face. Flash bent forward, gripping the white tablecloth as he slowly turned to the mare beside him. She didn't say anything. There was no point for it. She knew and he knew. He knew very much. After all this time, she was still petty.

“That's real mature. Do you have something against punch?”

His companion only snorted into her own cup, rocking the table with every suspicious thump of her left hoof, shaking the table as if it was an honest accident. As if she was trying to imply every time she drunk something, she felt the strange need to beat a table into submission. Her eyes were lit in the dusty gleam of her fun, darting over his flushed face before she dove back into her drinking.

Flash swallowed. Glanced over her and to the other party-goes. Outside the two of them sitting down, everyone else was on their hooves, mingling and dancing near or on the party floor. Well, he wouldn't call what that purple unicorn was doing out there dancing. She was something though, bucking her hind legs and knocking the two couples behind her in her enthusiasm.

All eyes were on her and with that, Flash discreetly stretched his left wing, hovering slight in the air as he yawned before smacking Rainbow in the back of the head. The mare gurked, flinging her cup out of her hooves as it flew across the table, staining everything in globs and splotches. And with that settled, Flash waved to a waiter for two new cups and a bowl of crackers. Rainbow sat up, rising higher in her seat as she shouted over him for a bowl of pretzels and those double-stuffed lily pads that she saw a mare called Rarity with.

“Ignore the mare, I was ordering first!”

“If you really wanted it, you would be louder than me.” Rainbow wagged her head, obnoxiously yelling over the music. “First voice heard, first one served and I need nachos.”

“What wedding would even serve nachos! Do you hear yourself?”

“I don't see that waiter over there telling me they don't have it. So why don't you just sit down and wait your turn? Do you have to get in my way every single time I see you?”

“Is that how you see it? I haven't even gotten started yet.”

Flash shoved her down, repeating his order and Rainbow put his hoof across his mouth, repeating her order and declaring over and over she wanted a plate of nachos. Flash kicked her chair, knocking her over which seemed like a great move until she pulled him down by her grip on his muzzle. The two of them rolled out of their garden chairs and onto the grass with Flash taking the moment to smear some of the juice into her blue coat. Somehow Rainbow managed to get on top of him and if she could do the sleeper hold properly without currently choking him to death, he'd say she improved. Improved poorly.

“So...” A voice rang out before he saw a pair of pink hooves pull them apart. “I can't help but think that you two know each other.” Flash blankly took in the pink mare and her colorful outfit, craning his neck to let the blood flow from the hoof-mark bruises forming on it. “Who's your friend, Dashie?”

“We're not friends.” Was the standard response but the two of them winced as they said it at the same time. It had been a while since somebody straight out asked and it wasn't his story to tell. Flash guessed this was the very same Pinkie Pie that Rainbow had mentioned in her letters about her so-called awesome life in Ponyville.

“Then what are you?”

What a dumb question. It had been a even longer time since someone asked a follow-up question.

“Nothing really.” Flash replied, signaling to the waiter that returned with their orders on a large tray that was balanced on his back. “Cute how she calls you Dashie.” He baited, taking his bowls of snacks and new drink as he considered to tip the rest of the tray over.

“Com-pli-cated.” Rainbow muttered, glaring at his innocent hoof that was gently aiding the tray to obey the laws of gravity. “He's my rival.” Flash rolled his eyes and backed off, gladly taking a sip from his cup. “This guy is the absolute worse. Just being around him makes me want to... to... punch a dragon. And don't tell Fluttershy I said that.”

Pinkie oohed, pulling out a notebook from somewhere and taking a thinker's pose. “Do you two try to outrace each other?” She gestured to Flash's wings that had escaped yet again and was splayed to their full length as Rainbow was grinding her pointy shoulder into his side. He responded by resting on her, all one hundred and eighty-nine pound of him. “Could this mean that there is actually someone faster than Rainbow Dash and she acknowledges it?”

“What!” Rainbow squeaked, weaseling her way of his grasp. “There's no one faster than me! And if there is, they won't be for long. Weren't you there when you saw me go from zero to-”

“Not that I'm saying that we are rivals because that would mean playing along with Ms. Crazy over here but we aren't that type of rivals. Besides, I'm not that good of a flier.” Flash mused, stretching out in the grass. “I like the term short-distance master. Or maybe gliding king. Whatever. The point is I couldn't out fly a turtle with wings.”

“Sounds a lot like gelding king.” Rainbow snickered, making a obscene gesture with her hooves. “Have you seen yourself. How about gelding quee-”

“That's funny, Rainbow. But I always liked the classics, Rainbow Crashing Down The Lane.”

“Then how come you two seem so close?” Pinkie questioned, leaning into both of them and watching the beads of sweat run down their foreheads. “Cousins?” She took in a deep breath, vibrating in place until she spat it out. “Lovers!”

“I wouldn't go that far, Pinkie. I just said that it was complicated. I mean, there is love but-”

“It's not that kind of love. If Rainbow here could just let it go, we could have some loving feelings to each other but-”

Comments

[The Dead Account]

“What wedding would even serve nachos!

...Welp. Adding that to the ol' bucket list.

[Unbridled Dolly]

Hehe, a wedding with nachos would be cool.