5. Dinner
Of Sky and Snow
Chapter 5
Dinner
Twilight's grin threatened to split her face in two. Her eyes were closed in relaxation as she breathed in the crisp, cool air. She felt the snow through her boots below her, heard the gentle sound of wind blowing over the mountain, and could taste the thinner air at her altitude. Opening her eyes slowly, she was greeted to a sight she hadn't seen in far too long; a ski slope. It was one of the resort's shortest runs, less then a quarter of the way up, but it was something. From her vantage point she could see the buildings at the base of the mountain, tinted slightly yellow through her goggles. Her two poles were stuck into the snow on either side of her, ready to go whenever she was. She knew she had to make the run quick; she was already getting hungry, having not eaten during the train ride, and her friends were most likely in the same boat.
So, as she took in one final, deep breath, she stood back on her hind hooves, grasped the poles in her front hooves, and pushed off. The ground seemed to drop away in front of her, disappearing into a slope that looked much steeper than it was. She knew it was far from the steepest slope she'd been on. She knew it was nothing compared to what she was used to. But as the very tips of her skis eased over the edge, her heart pounded in her chest as her body released a shot of adrenalin. Double checking the grip on her poles and making sure her hooves were through the fabric straps, she looked down at the buildings below one last time.
Then she fell.
In a lavender flash she was gone; rocketing down the hill as fast as she could. The snow was as close to perfect as could be expected at the end of the day, but she didn't let the minor disturbances and bumps or icy patches or exposed rocks or anything bother her. Bending her knees she tucked her body in on itself, reducing drag and gaining speed rapidly, going as fast as gravity could pull her down the steep hill. Once she was happy with her velocity, she stood up a little straighter, spread her front legs for balance, and put pressure on her right ski. She turned left almost instantly, flying down the mountain at an angle. Once she was close to the line of trees outlining the slope, she put pressure on her left ski, twisting her torso with her momentum and keeping a stable velocity along with control as she began slaloming down the mountain.
Unzipped jacket flapping in the wind behind her, mane blown back and crisp air biting at her face, she grinned through it all. She let lose a laugh of pure joy as she turned again, whizzing by another skier going slightly slower then her. Another turn; she could feel the snow as her skis carved through the top layer, fine white powder flying up behind her. Despite the freezing cold wind blasting against her fur she felt sweat begin to form as her body heated up from the physical exertion.
She was nearly half way down the run now, but that's not what she focused on. Instead she focused on the exhilaration of the insane speeds, the adrenalin that coursed through every vein in her body, the simple idea of skiing again. She blocked out the ponies around her, flying by in a blur as she shot down the hill, mind focused solely on the feeling and where she was going. Keeping just enough concentration to remain in control, she allowed the rest of her mind to wander; to enjoy and revel in the feeling of skiing once again, the feeling of freedom as she flew down the run.
She could see the yellowish buildings approaching rapidly, the second half of the slope at a much gentler angle then the first. She started turning less to make up for the decreased angle, keeping her speed at a steady break-neck pace. She could already feel the burn in her legs; muscles she hadn't used in years suddenly thrown back into use to keep her balanced on her hind hooves and keep control. It was all muscle memory by now; put pressure on her right leg, lean up the hill to stay balanced, keep a stable speed for control, turn left on a dime, then repeat on left leg to turn right. He muscles burned from the sudden increase in use, her ankles ached from being forced to remain stationary, her muzzle was numb from the freezing winds. It was perfect.
She could see the end of the trail now as the slope started to level off. She felt herself losing speed, and wished that it wasn't over yet.
But it was, she realized sadly as the ground flattened completely. Swinging her skis in front of her, she leaned into them, snow flying up as the friction slowed her to a complete stop at the base of the mountain. Around her were other ponies who'd just finished there own runs, the base being a central hub for most of the slopes at the resort. A few ponies were lined up at the chairlift, waiting to get yet another run down the mountain. For a moment she debated getting in line, doing just one more quick run. But she knew all too well the cycle of “Just one more run” and pulled herself away from the lift, albeit with with some difficulty. She pushed herself along with the aid of her poles, gliding smoothly over the snow towards the building where her friends were waiting.
With a clacking she slid off the snow and onto a stone path, linking the building to the ski hill. She popped the skis free of her boots and took them off, carrying them next to her in a magical glow along with her poles as she fell back down onto all four hooves. Her boots remained on her as she approached the doors. Pushing through the glass doors she entered into the back hallway of White Wolf Lodge, taking a right turn down a long, narrow hall. Taking special care not to hit her equipment against the walls, she got a good look around the place for the first time since she'd arrived. While before she was so focused on going out and getting a run in, now she had her run and could appreciate the decor.
The hallway walls around her were bare and normal, a light shade of yellow, so light it was almost white, with various scuffs and dents where less careful patrons had hit them with their skis or snowboards. The carpet was short and rough, but perfect for absorbing any water from the snow that would inevitably be tracked in. The doors passing by on either side were plane, egg-shell white, set a little ways in the wall. The hall was lit by a number of enchanted gems, lining the walls in a perfectly symmetrical pattern.
Turning a corner she came to the hall where her room was located. She opened the door to her own room and stepped in. Only instead of opening, the door refused to budge, and instead of walking in she walked right into the door. Shaking her head from the impact and rubbing her freshly-injured muzzle, she gave an annoyed huff and knocked on the door, regretting not bringing her key.
“Coming!” Came the scratchy voice from inside the room. A few seconds later and the door was opened by a cyan pegasus. “Hey Twi, didn't expect you back so early!”
“Apparently not,” Twilight grumbled under her breath, removing her hoof from her nose and stepping into the room. Luckily Rainbow either didn't hear her or didn't say anything. “I only got the one run in; I figured everypony would be pretty hungry after the trip here.”
“Well, I don't know about the rest of the girls, but I'm starving,” Rainbow exclaimed, closing the door and walking into the living area as Twilight stored her gear in the closet next to Rainbow's. She took a seat on the couch next to the pegasus, beginning to unstrap her boots with her magic.
“How was the run?” Rainbow asked, watching as Twilight pulled her hoof free of the boot before levitating it over to the closet and beginning work on the second.
“Good, but I can't wait for tomorrow when I can go all the way to the top; it was pretty short. I'll also have company tomorrow, which always makes it better,” Twilight explained as she finally freed her other hoof, holding both off the floor and bending her ankles.
“You think any of the girls will be going to the top on the first day? I don't think any of them have done much skiing before,” Rainbow asked wearily.
“They probably won't, no,” Twilight agreed with a shake of her head before turning to look at Rainbow, lowering her hooves back to the floor. “But you'll be going up, right? I mean, you are an experienced snowboarder; not much point in hanging around the easy runs.”
“Yeah... well I was thinking... you know, since Applejack is the only one snowboarding other then me, and she's never done it before, I figured I would hang around and give her some tips,” Rainbow chuckled nervously and gave an unconvincing smile. Luckily for her, Twilight was too distracted putting her second boot away to notice the terrible poker face.
“That actually sounds like a great idea! I guess I could hang around too, in case Rarity or Pinkie need any advice. From the sounds of it the two of them haven't been out since they were fillies. I don't even know of Fluttershy's going to come out at all, and who knows what the fillies will be getting up to.”
“Yeah, knowing Scootaloo she'll probably want to give snowboarding a try at some point during the week,” Rainbow laughed, remembering all the times that filly had tried to be more like her idol.
“I suppose. But that will only take a day for the girls to get good enough to be on their own on the easier runs; after that we have to go all the way to the top! It's been absolutely forever since I've had a good, long run.”
Rainbow's laughter died in her throat; what she hoped had been a save from doing anything insane on a snowboard she had no idea how to use had turned into a day-long excuse not to go up to the top of the mountain. Swallowing down a nervous chuckle, she resigned herself to thinking of another way to delay snowboarding later. “Can't wait...”
“Neither can I! Oh, I suppose I should go clean the room; I kind of left a mess looking for my gear,” Twilight smiled sheepishly, slightly embarrassed at the prospect of leaving such a mess, and stood from the couch.
“No need; while you were out I figured I'd tidy the room a bit and unpack for you while I was at it. I hope you don't mind,” Rainbow added quickly, suddenly very aware of the awkward stare Twilight was giving her.
“Uh... no; I don't mind at all. I'm just... surprised, is all. I didn't expect you to unpack what you brought with you, let alone clean up my stuff and unpack for me.” Twilight kept her suspicious eyes trained on Rainbow, attempting to figure out what had been going on with her recently. Showing up early, showing up super early, lying to their friends, making sure they were friends, and now cleaning for somepony else? Something had to be going on.
“Yeah, otherwise I was gonna get bored around here with nothing to do,” Rainbow explained nonchalantly, leaning back in the recently vacated couch and spreading over it.
“I thought you said you were going to nap after the train ride?” Twilight asked suspiciously, growing more and more curious at her friend's increasingly odd behaviour.
“Uh, I was, but then I got back to the room and saw the mess you left, so I figured I should clean up before doing that, and by the time I was done I wasn't tired anymore, so I unpacked. Then you came back, so I didn't have time for that nap. I was actually just about to take it when you walked in the door. But now that you're back, I guess it's time for dinner, huh?” Rainbow asked, quickly changing the subject and motioning to the clock hanging on the wall, indicating the time was 6:30.
“If you're sure... I guess it's about time for dinner anyway. Oh well,” Twilight shrugged, grabbing the room key and credit card from the t kitchen counter on her way to the door. Rainbow flicked her wings and flew off the couch, floating swiftly over behind landing behind Twilight in the narrow hall leading to the door between the wall and the kitchen. “Let's gather the girls. I saw a nice looking place at the base of the hill we can eat at, and it's warm enough that we can sit outside.”
Rainbow nodded in affirmation, following as Twilight opened and stepped out the door, closing and locking it behind her. One by one they went around to the other three doors in their hall. Unsurprisingly, Spike wasn't with the Crusaders, and was instead hiding with Rarity and Fluttershy, the fashionista having just finished unpacking her luggage. Applejack was more then ready to get away from the pink menace she had somehow ended up rooming with, and the fillies were just happy to be eating something.
“Did the Princess say anything about food in her list?” Twilight asked as she lead the group down the hall, looking to the dragon riding on her back.
“Yes, she's fine with it,” Spike sighed in response, rolling his eyes.
“You haven't even checked the list! Actually... where is the list?” Twilight asked suddenly, coking her head to the side as they rounded a corner.
“In Rarity's room. I would have left it in my room but...” he trailed off, motioning toward the fillies arguing about something or other in the back of the group. “And trust me, Twilight. I've had to memorize the entire organizational system of the library; a single list is nothing.”
“I guess...” Twilight nodded slowly, still unsure about spending money that wasn't technically hers, and curious as to why she couldn't see the list for herself.
“Look, Twilight, I promise food is on the list. But if it would make you fell better I'll start taking the list with me after tonight, okay?”
“Thanks, Spike,” Twilight smiled in relief, craning her neck back and gently nuzzling him.
“Yeah yeah, you can thank me by getting to the food faster; I'm starving,” the dragon muttered as they passed through a set of glass doors, crossing through the threshold between inside and out.
“It's just around the corner,” Twilight assured, nodding her head towards the edge of the building before following the path towards it.
“So Rainbow,” Applejack started slowly, walking beside the pegasus as Twilight continued leading them with the promise of food. “What was up with you during the carriage ride?”
Rainbow's lips, previously curled into an idle smile as she watched Twilight's swaying flanks in front of her, twisted into a slight scowl. “I said it was nothing and it was nothing,” she said plainly.
“It sure as hay didn't sound like nothing,” Applejack pressed, “In fact, it sounded like you were pretty worried about somethin'.”
“AJ, I know you're just trying to be a good friend, and I get that you're concerned, but just... leave me alone, alright? Forget about the carriage ride, just enjoy the vacation, and let me do the same. I just have some things I have to deal with on my own,” Rainbow sighed in frustration as she finished, her mind forcefully bringing back memories of her multiple failures at solving one of her problems.
“Alright, I get ya; I'll leave it alone. But just remember that I'm here for ya; we all are,” Applejack assured with a concerned frown before falling silent, the pegasus next to her having no intention to pick up another conversation.
Luckily she didn't have to; as they rounded a final corner they found the restaurant they had been promised. It was situated in the back of one of the buildings, the entire was area paved with stones and had tables spread across it and shops around it. On the opposite side of the building was the mountain, and between them was one of many chair lifts.
The shop itself was a simple looking place, more akin to a cafe then a restaurant, but if the smell was any indication, they had some pretty good food to offer. Speed increasing as the source of the wonderful smell came in to view, the group hurriedly trotted down the remainder of the path to the quaint establishment.
It wasn't a very busy place, so they were quickly seated in the area outside the restaurant. They had to pull three tables together to accommodate the size of the group, but the lack of patrons made it easy enough to find the tables and extra chairs. Once they were situated in their table, menus were passed around the table and idle chatter filled the air around them.
“The pomegranate daisy salad sounds wonderful.”
“Bleh; I hate pineapples. Whoever though it'd be a good idea to make them into a sandwich?”
“Aw man; not a single gem dish...”
“Daisies or roses? Hmm...”
The constant buzz of chatter was a peaceful, relaxing backdrop for Rainbow as she slouched back in her chair. Her mind was in the same state it had been for days, having made no progress on either of her problems. She still dint' know how she was going to get out of doing any real snowboarding, but she knew she'd need to think of a way soon. The excuse of 'coaching ' Applejack would keep the suspicious gazes off her for a day, but after that? She couldn't risk making a fool of herself, especially after she'd already told everypony that she was a good snowboarder. She couldn't get caught in a lie like that; what would her friends think of her? What would Twilight think of her?
Rainbow shook her head forcefully, banishing the thoughts to the back of her mind as she felt an elbow jab into her ribs. She looked to her left, where Twilight was sitting and looking at her expectantly, elbow still pressed against Rainbow's side. The pegasus looked up and out at the rest of her friends; all of them looking at her patiently, including a water standing at the other side of the table, paper and pencil poised in a magical grasp, waiting for her order.
“Oh, right. Grilled mango with a side of hayfries,” Rainbow said quickly, folding her menu and passing it around the table to the the waiter scribbling down her order.
“Very well, your food will be here as soon as it is ready,” he said curtly, before turning and trotting swiftly away with their menus. Though he was gone, a few odd looks remained focused on the cyan pegasus sitting awkwardly in the middle of the table. She felt a particularly piercing gaze coming from the lavender unicorn sitting next to her.
Rainbow shrunk down in her chair, eyes focused down and into her lap. Slowly, the chatter picked up once again, though this time it was no longer a peaceful backdrop for Rainbow's thoughts. No, this time it was awkward and judging, forced in a way. And all the while she could still feel Twilight's gaze on her, drilling holes into her very soul.
“Are you alright?” Twilight asked quietly once conversation around the table had picked up enough that nopony was paying attention to what she was saying.
“Peachy,” Rainbow muttered, refusing to lift her eyes from her lap.
Twilight rolled her eyes at the obvious sarcasm. “I'm serious; you've been acting off since I first mention taking this vacation. Did you not want to come?”
“No! No, I wanted to...” Rainbow trailed off, fidgeting uncomfortably in her chair.
Twilight's muzzle twisted to a concerned frown as she watched the pegasus. “Then what's wrong?”
“Nothing, just... it's nothing,” Rainbow said, finally looking up and giving the unicorn the most believable smile she could muster. Twilight opened her mouth to say something, but luckily for Rainbow the waiter arrived at that exact moment with some of the dishes that were easier to make. One of those just so happened to be Rainbow's.
Thankful for the well-timed excuse, she brushed off whatever Twilight was about to say. “Oh finally; I'm starving!” And with those words dove into the food set in front of her. She heard Twilight sigh next to her, and saw her slouch deeper into the chair.
For the rest of the dinner Rainbow remained silent, making herself as small as possible and speaking up only when she was specifically asked a question. Luckily, the group seamed to have forgotten about her odd behaviour, too adsorbed in the excitement of the vacation to really take notice of her. Unfortunately, there was one pony from the group who seemed to be paying extra attentnion to her, and that pony was the absolute last one she wanted noticing anything strange about her. Throughout the entire dinner she could feel Twilight’s eyes on her.
Even when the unicorn's own food arrived, Twilight kept a watchful eye over her pegasus friend. There was something very wrong to her about the way Rainbow had been acting. A complete 180 in her personality had occurred over the short span of a week. While she didn't mind the lack of bragging, the sudden reversal had her worried. Time and time again the pegasus had brushed her concern away, but hadn't changed her demeanour. The normally loud, boastful pegasus was actively avoiding conversation, even when asked about something she wouldn't launch into some kind of tangent about how awesome she was like she normally did. It was unnerving, to say the least, and Twilight was determined to get to the bottom of it before the week was over.
When dinner was over and all the food had been eaten the table lit up with conversation. Some of them about the food – which had been wonderful – some about the impending day of skiing or snowboarding. Twilight kept up with the conversation she was having with Applejack and Rarity, but continued to keep Rainbow in the corner of her eye. Just like before, the pegasus remained silent, seemingly lost in thought like she had been for most of the vacation.
The waiter came and went with empty dishes and the bill, to which Twilight promptly displayed the card given to her by the less-than-friendly receptionist. After copying some information from the card he walked away, tending to the few other patrons around the area.
Eventually the chatter died down along with the setting sun, falling below the horizon on the other side of the building from the mountain. An agreement was struck that they should all head back tot heir rooms; a big day ahead of them. Once again navigating the endless maze of halls and corners, they quickly found themselves back at their rooms, a communal “Good night” was sounded as the pairs split off and went back into their rooms to pass the time before eventually heading to bed for a long night of sleep.
The clock struck 8:30 as Twilight closed the door with a click. Rainbow was already lounging on the couch with her book, not a page further then she had been on the train. Twilight noted this with a frown, walking over and sitting in in a chair against the dining table, set against the left wall of the living room.
“You gonna tell me what's been going on now?” Twilight asked quietly, sitting and listening patiently at the table. Rainbow lowered her book slowly.
“I told you nothing was going on,” she muttered in response, just as quiet as Twilight's question had been.
Twilight sighed. “Look, Rainbow, I can tell something's wrong. You've been weird all week, you barely said a word during dinner, and you haven't even made it a age further into that book since we got on the train here. What's going on?”
It was Rainbow's turn to sigh, which she did as she lowered the book into her lap. “Nothing's wrong, Twilight, I'm just... thinking... about stuff...” she said awkwardly, praying that Twilight would accept it. She knew the unicorn would never let it drop, but she could always hope.
“Rainbow, is this about what you wanted to tell me back at the library?” Twilight asked slowly, beginning to connect the dots. Rainbow's behaviour had really started changing right around then.
“No... well... yes... maybe?” Rainbow rubbed her hooves together nervously. She was really hoping Twilight wouldn't bring that failed attempt up again.
“You know you can tell me anything,” Twilight assured with a gentle smile.
“I wish I could,” Rainbow muttered under her breath, then quickly realized she'd said it out loud. Luckily, Twilight didn't seam to have heard it. “I know, but... it's nothing, really. I can handle it.”
“If you're sure,” Twilight relented after some hesitation.
“I am, Twi. I just need some time is all,” Rainbow smiled unconvincingly, which did nothing to asssauge Twilight's worries. Ignroing the desire to press further and get tot he bottom of it, Twilgith stood and walked into the kitchen, rummaging through the cupboards, smiling as she found what she was looking for.
“How about some hot chocolate?” she asked as she pulled down the powder and a teapot.
“Sounds good,” Rainbow nodded, picking her book up and turning to her page.
She didn't read a single word all night. Even when Twilight picked up her own book to read, sitting on the couch next to her. Rainbow never made it a single line further into her book. Eventually the sun was all the way down, the only light in the room coming from the multiple lanterns hanging outside the large window.
Standing up and stretching Twilight let out a yawn, placing a bookmark in her place – nearly at the end of the book – and walking over to the bedroom door.
“I'm gonna head to bed,” she called as she walked in. Rainbow mumbled a 'good night' from behind her book. Twilight sighed as she closed the door the the dark room, fumbling her way through the darkness to the bed at the far end of the room. Rainbow's was next to the door, so it would be easy for the pegasus to find her way when she decided to go to sleep.
With a relaxed sigh she fell back into her bed, the soft mattress and blanket welcoming her tired form. She found sleep quickly, drifting off with excitement for tomorrow still fresh in her mind.
Rainbow Dash remained in the living area for another hour or so. Her book was abandoned in her lap as she stared out the window towards the dark silhouette of the mountain. Eventually she gave a frustrated huff and resigned herself to sleep, trudging into the dark room. As her eyes adjusted she could see Twilight in the bed farthest from the door, sleeping peacefully under the blankets of her bed. She watched her sleep silently for a few seconds before sighing and climbing into her own bed.
It was a long, restless night for Rainbow Dash.
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I liked this chapter, I'm really interested in where this is going
Apple Bloom take it away...
<BUT I WANT IT NOWWW!
3701284
I have something planned for that, don't you worry *evil laugh*
Oh, the awkwardness that I have planned....
3776668 uhh....ok?
I really like this story! Think you'll ever continue?
4186015
Yep! As soon as I'm finished with my current contest I'll be making an effort to finish all my unfinished stories before moving on to any other big projects.
I'm really looking forward to more of this one. I've been reading a fiction a day from you, and I just wanted to say thanks for sharing your work with all of us!
4215991
You're in luck; I just finished my contest entry, and this is the fic I want to focus on next. Updates should be starting again soon.
I've been reading through my backlog so this is probably a little late... by about 3 years but:
What happened to this sentence?
The transition between POV in this chapter was really smooth I really liked it, keep it up