Midday
Chapter 2: Midday
__________
Sunny Breeze awoke in a haze. His mouth was dry and his brain felt sluggish, with perhaps a hint of a headache. He opened his eyes and yelped in pain. Oh Celestia, what did he do last night? He lay in his bed for several minutes before rolling over to his side and looking at the clock. It read eleven in the morning. Some cogs were moving in his brain. It took a few seconds for him to remember whatever it was while a sinking feeling came over him. Now he remembered: he had to meet Rainbow Dash in an hour! Oh, that’s right- he had somehow gotten a date with her earlier that morning and now had to make good on his promise, assuming that he simply hadn’t imagined it. Otherwise, he’d just vegetate today.
His stomach made a small lurch as he sat up and got off the bed. Ugh, he really ought to not drink so much. A few mouthfuls of water from the tap later and he felt much better. Sunny didn’t eat breakfast. It always would take a few hours for his digestive system to get working. Until then, it would be futile for him to try forcing anything down his gullet. Ordinarily, he would have just lain there, but he had a date. He couldn’t remember the last time that was. The stallion debated internally whether or not to wear anything. Sunny looked in his closet, looking for something acceptable. All he found hanging were his work clothes and a few other pieces. Nothing was out of the ordinary; some trousers, a vest from Winter Wrap-up, and a few pieces of more formal attire. By far, the most prevalent styles of clothing were diverse sets of camouflage for a variety of environments. He had a BDU, DPM, Afgneighnka, and more. Ultimately, none of these were really appropriate, but he didn't feel like go out naked with his body. He chose to go with an inoffensive set of khaki pants with a button-down shirt.
Sunny grabbed a quick shower. Even he could smell the whiskey on himself. It was surprising that nobody had ever filed a small complaint on him. The warm water ran through his coat and mane. He washed himself with the small bit of soap that still remained. He’d get more later. His thoughts drifted off as he basked in the warmth of the water and the soothing sensation of being groomed. Sunny’s still dreamy mind momentarily imagined that it was a mare with him, soaping him up with attentive, deep strokes, maybe pressing herself against his- ENOUGH! He jerked out of the daydream and pressed his head against the tiles of the shower. They felt cool on his blistering cheeks. He quickly shampooed himself with the little he could squeeze from the bottle and got out before any other incidents could occur. Sunny toweled himself off and ducked briefly into the hallway to look at the clock. He calculated that he could spare a few more minutes before it was absolutely time to go. He tried to make his mane lie flat while looking into the mirror. That was both an exercise in futility and a momento mori.
On the way to the exit, he took a brief swig from the whiskey bottle. He’d probably need to go get more by the end of the week. Outside, he saw a hole in the ground which looked as if it had been executed when somepony crashed into it something fierce. How nice of Rainbow to etch a reminder into the Azaleas.
The weather was typical for midday in early spring. The air was a little bit warm, but seemed chillier on account of the constant winds. The dew had long since dried up after last night’s drizzle and flower buds were everywhere. True to form, the sun was shining unbearably brightly, as though it were happy to be retaking its majority stake in the cycle of light and darkness. Overhead flew some late arrivals returning home from the warm South. Several flights of birds and bees cut through the air, giving the impression of being in the midst of a frenzy of life. In reality, things were far less straightforward. If somepony in weather control was having a bad day, or their boss fancied a ski holiday, then a sudden cold snap could occur and blanket the world in snow. Winter still cast her frigid spell over the night. At a moment’s notice, this springtime scene could be made no more. Life was gambling here. It could wait for later and merely get by well enough, or it could risk a reversal of fortune in exchange for perhaps reaching its true zenith of glory.
Sunny Breeze presently found himself at the field upon which the celebration was being held. He sought Rainbow Dash as he walked through the crowd of ponies, most of whom he did not recognize. Of course, there were stalls, tents, and the like, for the festival was a sort of carnival that ate up the whole day. Sunny heard the excited clamor of adults and foals partaking in the games. The sweet, sour, and sticky smells of the various offerings of the food vendors filled his nostrils. They brought back nice memories of when he was a foal. Happier days, those were…
He’d peruse them after he had located his target, assuming that she hadn’t jumped ship. Sunny searched throughout the whole area, but was unable to find her. There was nothing unusual or unexpected about that. Perhaps he really had just been imagining the whole thing from last night? His story sounded almost exactly like the plot of a fantastical young adult romance novel. Still, the long hand on the clock had to complete its journey to the top. He’d wait a few minutes for Rainbow. He’d probably wait many more before going home to cheer himself with alcohol.
He stood around, not quite of what to do with himself. All around, ponies were laughing, eating and having fun. There wasn’t time to go do anything, but he’d still be loitering for an awkward amount of time.The conundrum was resolved for him when the great, ponderous tone of clocktower met his ears at the stroke of twelve. Sunny looked up for any sigh of Rainbow when suddenly, a garish thing streaked by only a few feet above his head!
Instinctively, he hit the dirt and yelled, “Take cover!” Nopony paid any attention. He looked up and saw that everypony else was too absorbed in the spectacle to notice. In a fraction of a second, the streak that had nearly decapitated him converged with several other streaks. They were about to collide above the big top when they suddenly pulled up and left a rising spiral in their wakes. Sunny stood back up. And then he saw a distinctive rainbow contrail descend from the heavens with blinding speed! It streaked directly into the eye of the spiral.
At that very moment, a thunderous bang and a disc of color exploded from the spiral! Without missing a beat, the other Wonderbolts fanned out into the rapidly expanding ring. They soared right through it, carving designs in the light! The open wounds healed themselves, the colors swirling like smoke. Two flyers streaked in a circle far from the epicenter, one trailing lightning and the other trailing a dazzling beam of brilliant light. As soon as the circle was formed, they joined up with the rainbow trail pegasus.
The flyers trailing thunderclouds followed their lead and formed a second triad, corkscrewing around itself and arcing higher into the sky. Their teammates cut rainbow, lightning, and sunburst streaks in the air, through which they blasted in close formation. They pulled up and formed a spinning wheel in the sky.
The rainbow’s disk slammed into the trails left by the Wonderbolts and shot vertically into the sky! Just then, the performers dove through the eye of the storm! They burst out the other end, forcibly blasting out part of the disk. Amazingly, the rainbow fragment held and the Wonderbolts overtook it on the way down! With a great crash, they alighted on the ground. Moments later, the fragment crashed into them. It detonated into vividly colored clouds of mist, sparkles, and smoke! The detritus came down onto the audience and shone with the light from the sonic rainboom, creating an otherworldly effect as ponies were enshrouded in the florid haze.
Sunny clapped along with the crowd. He did not cheer, but smiled and applauded as loudly as he could. Afterwards, he stood in stunned silence. A hoof tapped him on the shoulder. It was Rainbow Dash in full uniform. “Glad to see you enjoyed the show,” she laughed jovially. Her teammates called to her. “I’ll catch up in a sec!” And then she was gone.
The stallion sighed and walked off. Perhaps this whole thing had been just a setup for Rainbow to gain an ego boost? Regardless, he had come to the festival, so he ought to try enjoying himself. Again, Sunny browsed through the crowds and stalls. The familiar sensation of hunger gnawed at his stomach, making him aware that he hadn’t eaten anything since early the previous evening. He got in line for a hot noodles stand, directly behind a pair of ponies he recognized as being Derpy Hooves and Doctor Whooves.
He noted their manner. They seemed at ease around each other. Their speech was quick and animated just enough, making it apparent that they were excited instead of angry. Doctor stood just a tad too close to Derpy. While he wasn’t violating her personal space, he was certainly much closer than absolutely necessary. In turn, Derpy was leaning somewhat into him. Their shoulders were touching ever so slightly. They looked into each other’s’ eyes, occasionally stealing glances at other parts of the other pony. Sunny envied their ease with each other. It must have been so easy for them, as if fate had arranged their bond. He looked around. To his chagrin, most other ponies here were in groups of at least two, although numerous examples of relationships involving more than two ponies were plainly visible. Equestria had always boasted several times more mares than stallions. As a result, complex relationships with many mares and one stallion were highly common, and to some degree, the norm; strict monogamy was very rare. Of the couples, most of them were mares with stallions. Others were mares with mares. A few stallions stood together, yet scarce were lone individuals. Sunny’s heart sank. If Rainbow had been planning on pranking him or making him feel like a loner, then she could have hardly picked a more ideal opportunity with which to do so.
At last, Sunny was at the head of the line. He recognized the earth pony behind the stall, Haye Bailer, from work. “Hey, Sunny. How’s it going?”
“Alright. How’re you,” he asked in return.
The yellow stallion gave a shrug. “Fine. So, you got a date?” Depend upon Bailer to be painfully blunt.
“I’m not sure,” replied Sunny. “I’ve met up with her, but she’s talking with some friends from work.”
“You got a date for real? What’s her name?” He lit up somewhat like Pinkie Pie.
The cream stallion deflected him. “I’ll tell you later,” he stated flatly, leaving no room for debate.
Dejected, Haye got ready to take his order. “Okay then. So, what do you want?” Sunny gave the board another look. Everything looked tempting to him, especially considering that he had neglected to feed himself for more than a day. He spotted what looked like the biggest item on the menu. That would do.
“I’ll take the Buckwheat Hot Pot, Haye.” The other pony nodded, indicating his understanding of the order. His limbs became a frenzy of motion as he pulled the entree together.
“You still on for the graveyard shift tonight, Sunny?”
Sunny slapped the bits on the stall and gave his response. “Yeah, I’m still up for it. Don’t worry.”
Bailer slid a huge bowl full of broth and noodles towards him. “Here’s your soup, bro. Don’t forget that you’re starting an hour early today.”
“Thanks,” replied Sunny, levitating his meal away along with a spoon and some napkins. Steam lazily drifted up from the surface of the soup and into the tepid air. The day had turned out alright with regards to the weather. It didn’t turn into an early scorcher, nor did it decide to be cold, rainy, windy, and miserable. The rainbow fog had somehow managed to stick with them, making for a rather artistic touch to an already glorious day. Sunny rather quickly found himself an empty seat under the big top and immediately dug into his food. It was hot, but not so hot as to burn his tongue. It was rather good for cheap outdoor fast food. He would have been content to just sit there all alone when he was interrupted by a familiar voice.
“Hiya! What’cha doin’?” Sunny nearly jumped out of his seat! With one hoof by his hip and the other leg defending his head, He turned around to face the menace, but found it to already be gone.
“Pinkie, give me some warning before you do that next time! Or at least don’t sneak up on me.” His pleas went ignored. He turned forwards again to find the crazy pony sitting directly across from him. “I’m eating buckwheat noodles because I haven’t had anything to eat since yesterday evening.”
Pinkie Pie seemed to ignore this. “Hey, aren’t you supposed to be with Dashie right now?”
He opened his mouth to answer her as well as to give her a piece of his mind for suddenly deciding to set him up with her friends as well as reveal his secrets, unbidden. He stopped himself, cutting his reply to a curt “yes”.
“Then where is she? I don’t see her anywhere.” Pinkie began to dramatically look around and shift objects, not limited to Sunny, his soup, his table, and the big top itself. “Dashie, where are you? Are you here? Dashie? Come out!”
“What is it, Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash stood at the end of the table, looking expectantly at her friend.
“Oh, hi, Dashie,” Pinkie chirped back in her characteristic manner. “I’m just letting you know that I found your date. He’s right here.” The pink pony demonstrated by momentarily lifting up Sunny Breeze.
“I’m not blind, Pinkie,” laughed Rainbow. “Thanks for helping me find him. I’ll see you around. Later.”
“Okie dokie lokie!” Pinkie Pie bounced away like she always did. It must have been no more than a few seconds later when she cornered a hapless Twilight Sparkle over at one of the stands for magic games.
Back at the table, an awkward silence reigned between Sunny Breeze and Rainbow Dash. Sunny went back to eating, looking at the cyan mare in between mouthfuls of food. For a long time, neither one of them dared to make a move. Thus they sat there. Sunny kept silent out of fear of embarrassing himself. The memories of the previous night still weighed heavily upon his mind. It was hard to overcome a first impression when it was all you had to go on. The odds didn't improve when one had been drunk, tired, and had the visit forced upon them. Rainbow kept silent because she did not feel like dominating the conversation. Her counterpart seemed to be holding up better for some reason. At least he was not blushing furiously and looking for any possible escape routes. Logically, she was the first one to break the silence.
“What are you eating?”
He looked at her hard for several seconds. He stuttered, “It’s s-some sort of a b-b-buckwheat noodle soup. It comes from Miền Sói.” It was really difficult to speak normally when cornered one on one by a gorgeous mare. The difficulty was compounded when one didn’t really know or trust the mare in question.
That she had not been expecting. “What’s Miền Sói?” Astonishingly, she got the pronunciation right!
“The W-wolf Kingdoms,” explained Sunny. He was doing vastly better now that he was sober, rested, and talking about something he knew. “They’re far to the n-north, but to the west of the Crystal Empire. It’s a cold, harsh, mountainous land.”
Rainbow Dash nodded her head, lithe body sensuously moving underneath her Wonderbolt uniform and her goggles glinting in the sunlight. “So not a good place to visit?”
“Indeed. Think of it as being somewhat like Afgneighistan, only worse. Officially, there’s a central government in Răng Nanh, but it’s ruled by a bloody tyrant. Out in the countryside, everything is under the control of local chiefs and warlords. Some of them are loyal to the government. Some are loyal to a rival, democratic government set up in the southwestern city of Chó Tru. They’re fighting a civil war, and the factions are also fighting amongst themselves for who gets to be the boss of their coalition. The whole place is a warzone.”
The mare looked impressed. “How did you know all that?”
“I read more than just the Foal Free Press. You should try being informed about world events; it’s really enlightening.” Sunny levitated out another spoon and offered it to her. “Want some?” This broke the ice. Rainbow grabbed it and didn’t look back. They were soon chatting comfortably. Sunny was pleasantly surprised that Rainbow wasn’t half so arrogant as she had been acting earlier. Rainbow was pleasantly surprised that Sunny wasn’t half so timid as he had been acting earlier. It was not long before they had cut through the small talk about the weather.
“What did you think of the show, Sunny,” asked Rainbow. The anxiety was plainly visible on her face.
“Excellent,” he admitted. I’ve never seen anything like that! If that was you at the beginning with the sonic rainboom, then that was amazing.”
“Aw, thanks,” she chuckled. “Don’t worry about that- it was nothing.” She swatted with her hoof. Her grin betrayed otherwise. “I’m really glad you liked it! Did you see me? I must’ve been so awesome!”
“Oh, you were, Rainbow Dash,” he replied. Truthfully, he couldn’t tell who was whom, let alone identify any of them while they were flying. He hardly knew anything about the Wonderbolts anyhow. “Anyway, that must have been really difficult to do. I bet you practice a lot.”
“Oh my gosh, it’s just so intense! You’ve got to deal with winds, pressure, what everypony else is doing, and you’ve got a lot to think about. There’s what comes next, how high you are, how fast you’re flying, and that kind of stuff. It’s not too much. After all, I am the fastest flyer in all Equestria.” Sunny let her talk. He wanted her to talk. He was afraid of what would happen if Rainbow ran out of things to say and started calling on him to carry his end of the conversation. He couldn’t possibly keep her entertained. He was just a unicorn living in Ponyville. She was a Wonderbolt. “So yeah, we practice this stuff all the time. The rainbow stuff is practiced late at night and early morning because it’s easier to see. There’s a lot of hard work involved in being a Wonderbolt. Get up before the sun, practice. Practice from sunrise to noon. Practice from afternoon to evening. Practice from sunset until late at night. We’re out almost every day, no matter the weather. That’s why we’re the best,” Rainbow Dash finished triumphantly, banging her hoof on the table. Silence returned.
This was bad. Rainbow had just told a huge yarn about her work and now she was looking at Sunny expectantly. The stallion didn’t want to talk about his work. How would she react to knowing what he did for a living? He had to think of a diversion quickly- anything to get her mind off of him and his life. “That’s amazing, Rainbow Dash.” He paused deliberately. “So, where do you come from?” For a brief moment, Summer Breeze could have sworn that Rainbow Dash had momentarily lost her smile. It was cast aside in the next moment, as she cheerfully went on to talk more about herself.
“I’m originally from Cloudsdale, see, but I’ve spent most of my life in Ponyville.”
“Why live in Ponyville?”
For a moment, she almost looked as if she might have been caught naked. Rainbow managed to save her composure with practiced eased. Nevertheless, her tone told the real story. “Cloudsdale just wasn’t my style. Besides, I got a better job offer in Ponyville than in Cloudsdale. Up there, everypony can do weather patrol. Down here, there aren’t too many pegasi, so they cut me a pretty sweet deal to come down here and run things. So, what about you?”
Sunny almost choked on his soup. He forced himself to remain calm while he delivered his answer. “I was born in Baltimare. I came here because the economy back home is pretty weak. Also, Ponyville is a much nicer town. I just sold everything back home, hopped on the train, and ultimately ended up here. I’ve been living here ever since.” May he need not say more.
“Isn’t Baltimare supposed to be a really bad place?”
Amused by Rainbow’s reaction, Sunny supplied, “It is. If you listen, you can hear gunfire at night.” He wasn’t joking.
“Well, I’d be just fine there. I’m not scared of a few wannabe toughponies.”
“I never said anything about you being scared, although I wouldn’t blame anypony for fearing that city.”
Sunny's teasing gamble paid off. “I wouldn’t be scared. Who do you think I am? Fluttershy?”
“No, you’re Rainbow Dash. You’re the pegasus who is supposedly unafraid of anything. You seem to be putting up an awfully big display for somepony who doesn’t know fear.”
The mare facehoofed. “Darn it!” They finished the soup. “C’mon, Sunny,” she exhorted, practically dragging him from his seat. He laughed jovially through the exchange. It hid the blush on his face. Rainbow dragged him from place to place like a boisterous foal tugging on its parent’s leg. Sunny smiled. He and Rainbow played game after game. Her competitive spirit drove her to prove herself and evaluate her opponent. He was perfectly content to humor her. She won most of the games anyway; he had never been much good at such things to begin with. However, Sunny saw his golden opportunity to give her a challenge when he spied a shooting gallery.
“Hey, Rainbow, I bet you can’t beat me at this.” Her eyes saw the stand and grew wide.
“Oh, you are so on!” She got the attention of the attendant, Berry Punch. “Hey! Set up a game for two, would ya?”
“Certainly,” responded Berry Punch. Would that be competitive or cooperative?”
“We’ll be facing off, so competitive. He’s Sunny Breeze. You already know who I am.”
The mare scowled. Sunny wondered if Rainbow made a habit of being an egotistical prat. “Alrighty, then. Just grab a rifle and say when.” Rainbow Dash wrapped herself around the pellet gun as if she had suddenly been magnetized. There was Sunny Breeze over to her right. How slowly he was moving! This would be easy.
Several seconds later, Sunny gave the call to begin. “Start whenever you’re ready.”
"Okay, sixty seconds, unlimited ammo, most targets hit wins. Aaannd go!”
Rainbow licked her lips. The music began playing and the targets started popping up. Ducks began to leisurely stroll across the gallery. Pigeons began to bob in and out of cover. She was just about to mark her first victim when a hiss came from her right and a quickly fleeing bunny was knocked down. HUH? She sped up and fired at a nearby duck. Miss! She fired again. It went down a half second later to a shot from a completely different trajectory. Rainbow gave up on precision aiming and just started to spam fire at any target she figured that she would hit. One by one, she started to hit targets. So what if her opponent had a better start? She was now blowing them down in quick succession- shooting like a boss.
Rainbow kept up the fire, jerking the trigger repeatedly. It seemed to be working. Sure, she lost some targets to her competitor, but she was hitting more than enough. There was no way he could have filled the air with as many shots as her. She knew for a fact that she was flipping down many more ducks than him. And as for the vastly more plentiful pigeons and rabbits, well, it’s not like anypony could actually hit those.
She lost track of time and count of her shots. All Rainbow Dash knew was that she was shooting a lot and knocking down many things. That was how these things were won. She couldn’t lose to Sunny; her pride wouldn’t allow it! He was just some cute, dorky guy that she had decided to date nearly on a whim. He wasn’t particularly clever, fast, or strong. There was no way he could beat her! Rainbow’s wings popped out, so deeply engrossed was the Wonderbolt in her task.
Hiss. Thunk. Hiss. Thunk. These sounds became the only things she was aware of, other than the motion of the rifle and the positions of the targets. In her peripheral vision, she saw Sunny blast down targets one by one, methodically dealing with them one at a time and taking the care to place each shot exactly where he wanted it to go. There was no way he could possibly win this. He seemed too relaxed and leisurely. Every time he missed one, he would remain calm while he took the opportunity to recalibrate himself and his aim. The second time he shot, his aim was always true. Sunny seldom missed the target on his first shot.
The thought occurred to Rainbow Dash that Sunny Breeze quite possibly knew what he was doing. She was so hunched over and tense, clamped around her pellet gun and spitting out torrents of fire as soon as she felt her aim to be close enough. He was so poised and relaxed, guiding his pellet gun and carefully releasing one round at a time to strike his target. Now that she considered it, he looked almost beatific. He made it look so easy. There even seemed to be the ghost of a smile forming on his lips. Maybe he was singing to himself a subtle song that calmed the mind and steadied the body.
The gallery went silent and still. “Time’s up!” Rainbow jumped as she came back to reality. Her last target had fallen just moments before. Now she’d see who had won. Sunny looked at her with an almost serene expression. They both silently awaited the verdict. One leaned forward. “Rainbow Dash,” began Berry Punch, “you scored twenty points. Not too shabby.”
“Yes! Beat that!” Sunny shrugged.
Berry Punch coughed intentionally. She turned to the stallion. “Sunny Breeze, you scored sixty points. That’s a new record!”
“What!” Rainbow Dash gasped and stared at her date. “How did you do that?”
Sunny Breeze gave a sort of blank look and responded, “I have a lot of practice at this sort of thing.” He feared what Rainbow would do, considering how firmly he had trounced her. He received his prize, a trinket, from Berry Punch and faced the winged mare. To his surprise, she was for the first time, smiling genuinely at him. “Aren’t you mad?”
“Me? Nah. You beat me fair and square; you got my respect.”
“Thanks.”
“Don’t mention it.” She came up to him for what he assumed was going to be a brohoof. To his surprise, she gave him a kind of friendly hug. He stiffened at the contact and weakly returned it. Rainbow got off him and looked at his face. “Do you always blush this much?”
“Y-yes.”
“You’re cute. I like that.” Sunny was speechless.
The next few hours proved to be quite enjoyable for the both of them. At last, the dying rays of light from the sunset were washing over them. The final rainbow wisps from earlier were fading into nothingness. The world was dyed a rosy orange. They were sitting together on a bench when Rainbow suddenly asked him, “Hey, Sunny, have you ever travelled?”
This was an odd question. “Obviously, I have.”
“I mean, have you ever traveled outside of Equestria?”
“I have. Would you like to know anything?”
She asked him, “What’s it like outside Equestria?” There was almost a hesitancy to her words.
Sunny gave a brief grunt. “Well, it all depends on where you go. Zebricy is not too far, so it’s somewhat like home. No matter where you go, you can almost always find somepony who knows Equestrian. Sie sprechen die gute Equstrianische.”
“Yeah, I’d figured,” said Rainbow. “Zecora doesn’t seem all that different from us. Say, is it normal for Zebras to always talk in rhymes?”
The stallion cocked his head. He didn't know who this Zecora was, although it wasn't an uncommon name. He'd have to investigate later. “No. You’re being trolled.” Anyway, now, if you go further, such as say, to the land of the Griffons- Griffiya, things get noticeably different. For one thing, everything is designed for much larger, winged, users. Also, guard yourself carefully, because Griffons can be pretty fierce and underhanded. It will help a lot if you can speak po-gressky.”
“I knew a Griffon in flight camp,” interjected Rainbow. Sunny patiently looked at her. “She started out with this cool accent, but eventually lost it.”
Sunny couldn’t resist the joke. “Deed shyi yevair takx laik deez?”
Rainbow laughed goodnaturedly. “Da, bratan, she did. So, tyell menya more.”
“Now, Miền Sói, the Wolf Kingdoms, are getting pretty far out there. You can say goodbye to warm, grassy fields. Of course, unless you can speak Lupine, you’re going to have problems. Last I’ve seen are the dragon realms. It’s like stepping into a fantasy novel. You wouldn’t believe me if I told you about it. And you’d better get Drakespeak, or else nobody is going to understand you. Supposedly, there’s a land beyond all these called Outpost. It’s where these strange, intelligent, hairless monkey things are supposed to live. They claim that their real homeland is a place beyond this reality. Does that answer your question?”
“Pretty much,” answered Rainbow Dash. “But how did you get to do all that?”
The stallion considered her briefly. “I’ve done a fair amount of adventuring in my days. You can go far with little if you don’t mind putting forth some effort and being flexible with your timetable. You won’t get a luxurious experience, but nothing comes close to it.”
“I see…” The mare looked off into the distance.
The stallion inquired, “Would you like to do it someday?”
“Definitely- there is no way I’m going to let you have all the fun.”
“Of course,” he said. “I’ll invite you the next time I go.”
I”ll be looking forward to it,” Rainbow shot back at him.
It was now that the bell tolled. To Summer Breeze, it marked the time when he would be forced to depart. He turned to Rainbow. “Uh, Rainbow?”
“What?”
His voice conveyed every bit of vulnerability and insecurity he felt at that moment. “I have some things I need to do now, so I have to go. It was um… really nice being with you and maybe I could see you again sometime, assuming that you don’t mind me too much…” He didn’t wait for an answer. Instead, he just turned and started to leave.
“Okay, I’ll see you later. Hey!” Sunny stopped and turned around. Rainbow advanced upon him. She saw his juvenile nervousness in his tremulous stance and faint blush. Did he ever stop blushing? Rainbow again hugged him, but more warmly this time. Being this touchy wasn’t like her, but it was admittedly funny to make him squirm a little bit. And oh Celestia, he was so cute when he got flustered! “I had a lot of fun, too, Sunny. Just tell me when you’re free; I’ll take care of the rest. Deal?”
“D-deal.” She let him go, but not before getting one last look at his red face and giggling. “Quit it, please!"
He quickly trotted off into the sunset, heading back towards town. There were few other ponies still at the festival. They’d mostly gone home for dinner, but would be back for the night portion. Rainbow sat alone on the bench, still wearing her Wonderbolt uniform. She’d find her other friends and spend the rest of the day with them. But now, she just wanted a few moments of quiet. Above the scene, a pure silver full moon shone brightly.
Sunny Breeze opened the door to his flat. It had been a long time since he had come home from anything feeling this good and this excited. He had a huge smile plastered on his face. His day had gotten off to a somewhat ignominious start, but it ultimately had turned out for the best. He had done the impossible in not only getting a date with Rainbow Dash, but in also doing well enough to get a second one! What was more is that he had discovered that talking to her was no harder than talking to any other pony. He’d have to spend an extra hour at work tonight because of the equinox, but that was hardly enough to dampen his spirits. Smiling, he quickly showered before shoveling supper down his throat. It was a stew of broccoli, peas, and carrots; simple and delicious. It was washed down with a small amount of rye whisky. Full and clean, Sunny went into his closet to grab his work uniform.
__________
To Be Continued…
Stats
Page generated in 0.029 seconds
Total duration
1,003 users online
1,790,084 hits today, 2,561,572 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
2086631
Chapter 2 has been written and uploaded. It is ready whenever you are.
i like the second chapter much more. It flows more easily and most of it makes sense. The first chapter was really hard to follow. Keep at it!
Very well written. I like the idea of a no body meeting up with a huge star. It works somehow, although your reasoning behind it could have been a bit better. Other then that, a few grammar or spelling mistakes here and there; nothing major. It's enjoyable, and await for a new chapter! you get 4/5 Flutteryays for these two chapter my friend!
Keep on keepin on!
as soon as I saw khakis I immediately went for this before I read the comments
fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2011/309/5/7/rarity__s_mom_in_pants_by_flavinbagel-d4f828r.png
I thoroughly enjoyed the Wonderbolt's sequence, almost being able to picture it in my mind. Derpy X Doctor, good...Miền Sói. Vietnamese. Love it. I could genuinely feel the intensity mounting in their game
I kind of wonder how many years after, say, the Season 3 finale this is. Ten years? I'm not sure, not that it matters. Sunny was adorkable, as always.
“I have a lot of practice at this sort of thing.” I'd like to hear more about that. Good so far...
Note: Sorry for the late review. Like I said, I was occupied for a while around my birthday and I just recently came up with an idea for a third story, so I finally decided to take a break and finish this chapter.
Rolling on through don't mind me. Caught a mistake while reading, and got a personal opinion on another instance in this chapter.
“Hey, Sunny, have you ever travelled?” Traveled*
“No. You’re being trolled.” Anyway, now, if you go further, such as say, to the land of the Griffons- Griffiya, things get noticeably different. For one thing, everything is designed for much larger, winged, users. Also, guard yourself carefully, because Griffons can be pretty fierce and underhanded. It will help a lot if you can speak po-gressky.”
Wouldn't this be one continuous quote, rather than ending at the word troll? Also, I think using internet terminology doesn't work in a story. Sure, you can have it be a common saying in this version of Equestria, but there is that parallel to the real world that makes it a bit distracting in my opinion.
All in all, a well written piece of work you've got here.
OK, Sorry for the late delay. I'm trying to do one chapter a day(Mainly because I'm busy writing as well and because I rather not do it all clustered like.
Chpater 2-For starters, It flows much better then the last chapter although mistakes are still there. Not as much but you did want me to point stuff out and I will do just that. *Ahem* There was one part in particular that caught my eye-
This could be a continued quote since the same person is speaking(at lest, that's what I'm seeing). For the most part, that's the only one i spotted. The Wonderbolt bit was pretty enjoyable to be honest. Could've been extended but hey, I'll take what i can get. As for the rest of the chapter, it was well written and I honestly have no real complaints. I'll try to get the next chapter by tomorrow.
Sovietbine: *laughing* I never thought my doppelganger would lose THAT badly. Oh well... I guess I'll have to show her a thing or two about guns. Considering I'm a living weapons platform, that should be easy. That is... if I don't scare her TOO much.
Edit:
Very good story! I'm really enjoying it! And in terms of the comment. That is basically me asking if I can use this world for a Soviet-equestrian invasion?