Running Late

by FlashFoward

Improvise

Rarity had been looking down at the ever closer ground in horror and concentration. Her horn flared up and she knew that if she failed, they wouldn’t walk away from this easily. With all her concentration focused at the ground, Rarity hoped she wouldn’t fail. While Rarity was in the middle of a lifesaving gamble, Spike, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash all clung on to each other for support. For Rarity, this would make the spell that much easier if they were so tight together. With a loud spark, the occupants vanished from the balloon basket and reappeared on the soft ground. Spike, Pinkie, and Rainbow Dash started yelling and still yelled when Rarity teleported them to the ground. Rainbow Dash was the first to notice that they were on flat land because she stopped yelling and started to stand up. Spike followed suit and only Pinkie was left yelling now.

“Um, Pinkie, we are safe now.” Rainbow Dash said with a bemused grin.

“I know it’s just fun to yell that’s all!” Pinkie replied with her usual smile.

“So, who saved us?” Rainbow asked, searching around for her savior.

“I was the one who saved us of course!” Rarity announced with a flourish of her mane.

“No, really, who saved us?” Rainbow asked, looking at Rarity in slight disbelief.

“What part of me saving you don’t you understand?” Rarity asked in a slightly hurt voice.

“Oh, no, it’s not that! It’s just that…” Rainbow said, trying to find the right word without hurting Rarity’s feelings.

“That was something Twilight would do!” Pinkie bluntly said.

“True, Twilight is much better at spells then I am. But you never expected me to save us?” Rarity asked, her lower lip quivering slightly.

Spike would have been the first one to say “Pretty much.” Just to see how badly Rarity would react. But she was a friend and he wasn’t crazy about making pony’s cry anyway. However, this didn’t stop Pinkie from answering.

“If you’re saving us from a grass stain from our dresses then sure!” Pinkie replied.

Rarity’s face wilted and tears started to leak from her eyes. Spike was expecting Rarity’s eyes to have tears drip from them like a fountain, but surprisingly she controlled herself and remained calm. However, her eyes were slightly red and Spike assumed she just stopped herself short of falling apart.

“Anyway,” Rainbow Dash started to say as she looked around and trying to change the topic “where is the hot air-.”

The remnants of the balloon dropped right on top of Rainbow Dash. She was still standing upright and seemed fine, judging from the balloon draping over her form.

“There it is!” Pinkie exclaimed, pointing at the mess.

“Somepony should go help Rainbow get the balloon off her. By somepony I don’t mean me. I might ruin my dress.” Rarity said, gesturing to her pristine dress.

Spike grumbled and made his way to the balloon. He picked up an edge of the balloon and gestured Rainbow to come to
him. It took a few moments, but Rainbow finally made her way from underneath the balloon’s deflated form.

“So what do we do now?” Rainbow asked once she finally was able to regain her posture.

“Walk, I guess.” Pinkie suggested, pointing at the long road ahead of them.

“But, but, my dress will get covered in dirt and dust!” Rarity complained.

“Spike, what should we do?” Rainbow averted her attention to the small purple dragon.

This was one of the first times ANYPONY came to ask him for anything that wasn’t related to friendship letters to Celestia. The shock of being asked was also starting to show because Rainbow started to wave her hoof frantically over Spike’s face.

“WELL?” Rainbow demanded, giving Spike a rough shake to bring him to his senses.

Spike walked around and noticed the landscape they were on had an edge to it. Walking over to it, Spike was surprised to see Canterlot at the bottom of the cliff. Rainbow Dash was right behind him and she too noticed how close Canterlot was.

“Okay, that solves half our problems.” Rainbow said with a grin.

“Yeah, problem is that we can’t fly down there like you.” Spike replied.

“What do you mean?” Rainbow asked.

“Dunno about you, but last time I checked, I didn’t randomly grow wings and neither did Rarity and Pinkie.” Spike replied with his usual sarcastic tone.

Suddenly, Pinkie was seen running and jumping down the slope. However, once falling, Pinkie became blocked by the sight of…the hot air balloons fabric. Rarity came up to Rainbow Dash and Spike holding two backpacks.

“Pinkie asked me if I could help her make a parachute.” Rarity explained while handing one of the back packs to Spike.

Course, it would make perfect sense to ask Rarity to create a makeshift parachute from spare parts. After all, her fashionista skills would work wonders of the abundance of balloon fabric available. You had to give credit when it’s due. When Rarity was forced to become of some help, she really went beyond what you would expect from her. Rarity fussed over her dress before following Pinkie down the cliff. Rainbow Dash quickly followed, probably wanting to be the first to reach Canterlot.
Before Spike even got the backpack on, he started to hear a familiar whisper. At first, Spike ignored it and thought it was just the breeze carrying sounds. But, he was lying to himself; Spike knew all too well who must have been trying to talk to him.

It’s been awhile Spike.

Spike perked his head up. No one was around and the breeze died off. Yep, it was starting all over again.

“Since you don’t sound so demanding, I take it you’re Celestia?” Spike asked out loud.

That is me. I see you’re in quite the pinch.

“The fact that I might be running late to the Note Theater is definitely qualifying as a “pinch”.” Spike replied with a heavy sigh. He didn’t want to upset Octavia if he could help it and Celestia seemed to notice how troubled he was.

You know Spike I’m more then up to helping you out here.

“Do you really mean it?” Spike asked, barely holding back his excitement.

Of course I will. However, I am limited to only delaying the orchestra from playing on time.

“I can take that. But why can’t you just teleport me to the theater?” Spike asked.

Sadly, I am not totally aware of your exact location. And the risk in teleporting you somewhere besides the Note Theater are just too high. I’m not willing to put your safety in jeopardy over slim chances.

“Thanks for the offer Celestia and you got a deal. Now, if you don’t mind, I am running as late as it is.” Spike said before turning his attention to the steep drop.

Why did it have to be so high? By now, the purple fabric of the parachutes has grown too small to be noticeable. The wind started to pick up again and Spike knew this was no or never. Jumping from the cliff, Spike had a moments regret. All too soon, Spike cut through the air like a rocket. Spike started to fumble around the back pack for the cord to have the parachute come out and slowly realized there was a lack of a cord.

“You got to be kidding me!” Spike yelled angrily at the bag.

Spike tried to undo a strap of the backpack to force the parachute out. His sweaty palm kept fumbling with the buckle. It was like trying to get a firm grip on wet soap. It was hopeless. The ground was growing ever closer and Spike knew by now, even if the parachute would deploy right now, it was just too late to make a safe landing. Two life threatening situations in one day, Spike wasn’t surprised he just didn’t send a letter to Octavia explaining why he couldn’t be on time and… Oh who was he kidding? Disappointing Octavia wasn’t something Spike wanted to go, if anything he wanted to look trustworthy reliable.
A rainbow blur shot up towards Spike and he felt something hook it around his arms. Spike looked up and noticed his savior was none other than Rainbow Dash. She wore a satisfied look of triumph on her face once she had a firm grip on him.

“Don’t you just have the best of timing?” Spike joked.

“You know it.” Dash replied.

She dropped Spike along the gates of Canterlot, where Pinkie Pie and Rarity waited in worry. Pinkie was the first to grab Spike in a tight hug.

“Why are you so late?” Pinkie demanded.

“Let’s see, that parachute you gave me failed and I started falling to the ground at high speeds with no way to stop.” Spike replied, looking directly at Rarity over Pinkie’s shoulder.

“I don’t understand, I made three of them…” Rarity mumbled to herself out loud.

“Wait, Spike, did the parachute you have lack a cord?” Pinkie asked suddenly.

“That’s why I couldn’t pop the parachute out! You think I like falling?” Spike fumed angrily.

“Um, I think I switched the bags on you Rarity.” Pinkie mumbled, rubbing her hoofs together nervously.

“What do you mean dearie?” Rarity asked, obviously confused by what Pinkie meant.

“I had a backpack that was filled with cupcakes and I might have given you that bag instead of the one which had the parachute.” Pinkie confessed anxiously.

Spike felt his jaw go slack for a few moments and Dash’s face had a mixture of shock and anger. Rarity, on the other hand, looked rather bemused at what Pinkie had done. For a moment, Spike wanted nothing more than to hiss, to scare Rarity, or spit flames at the hem of Rarity’s dress to get rid of the silly look on her face. Before Spike could decide on a punishment though, Rainbow Dash started walking to the gates of Canterlot.

“Um, do any of you know where Note Theater is in this place?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking around for any signs of the theater.

Everypony looked around at each other expecting answers. Spike couldn’t believe his luck. Not only did he just barely evade death twice, he was STILL going to be late just for not knowing where the theater was! Pinkie though, was looking at a map she pulled out from nowhere and started tracing a patch with her hoof. Before long, Pinkie gave a swift nod to the others and started to walk through the gates of Canterlot. Rainbow Dash looked at Spike for his input and his only reply was just with a shrug of his shoulders and began to follow Pinkie. By the time Rarity had stop dusting of her dress her friends had already walked a whole three blocks ahead of her.

“Wait for me!” Rarity called out frantically, galloping after her friends with surprising speed.

Comments

[Wolf Counsler]

AWESOME!!!

[Roach of Wrath]

TO EPIC FOR WORDS

[godf0006]

beautiful

[King of Kings]

Rarity, on the other hand, looked rather bemused at what Pinkie had done.

The next day, there would be a white pony corpse found with what appeared to be a cello-shaped crater in its sternum.