> The Silver Rainbow > by ImAPonyXY > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > A Not-So New Face > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Silver Blaze stepped hoof in the large, enchanting town of Ponyville. His glistening green eyes surveying the unfamiliar settled landscape as he slowly took in his surroundings with great awe. He began to move forward, moving his head side to side every so often to glance at all the wonders the town had to offer. Everypony looked so cheerful and happy, doing their everyday activities, whether it was simply working, shopping or playing, they all seemed to be enjoying themselves. That was a luxury that he didn’t have where he came from; Cloudsdale, the heart of weather control in Equestria and home to thousands of flyers, ranging from pegasi to griffons. Life there was dull, their entire way of doing things was simply based around flying, and that was something that he wasn’t interested in investing his entire life into. So he packed up and left with what little items he owned and made his way to Ponyville, where he stood now. Silver Blaze was a male Pegasus, covered in light, cyan blue fur, similar to Rainbow Dash. His mane and tail were an oaky brown and his cutie mark resembled a flaming comet soaring through the sky. Although his name was Silver Blaze he preferred to just be known as Blaze, as it was a name he had learned to respond to more naturally than Silver throughout his teenage years, and that trait carried over with him to adulthood. He had come to Ponyville in hopes of find somepony, and that somepony was known as none other than Rainbow Dash: the infamous weather pony and wannabe Wonderbolt. He and Rainbow knew each other since they were both foals. They met at Summer Flight Camp where Rainbow performed the Sonic Rainboom for the very first time. In fact, they met only moments after her impressive performance, when she failed to stop in time and crashed into him. Unfortunately that ended Blaze up with a broken hind-leg and good two weeks in hospital. Although it wasn’t all bad. Rainbow had felt bad for him and visited him nearly everyday. It was there that Blaze learned of Rainbow's passion for high speeds, and not too long after that they became good friends, nearly inseparable at times. During their teenage years, Blaze probably would have asked Rainbow out on a date if she hadn't moved away to Ponyville first. But it wasn’t like they ceased contact straight after that. They had sent letter to each other every week, then every two weeks, then maybe once a month. Soon, it was a miracle if either of them got a letter on their birthdays. They lost contact with each other and soon their friendship died down after that, but Blaze planned on changing that, even though it was a good few years or so afterwards. He could have gone anywhere, but instead he arrived in Ponyville to re-kindle their friendship once more, and as corny as this may sound, Rainbow was one of the only ponies that were able to make him smile. And not just smile, but beam, beam with pure joy. He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he had loved spending time with her. He only hoped that the Rainbow he knew back then was the same Rainbow he was going to know now. He continued to walk through Ponyville, occasionally asking ponies he came across if they knew where Rainbow was, although none had known as no pony had seen her today. This was sort of understandable as it hadn’t even hit noon yet but he thought she would have woken up by now. Rainbow always was a late sleeper and it seemed that she hadn't changed. In any case, he figured he would keep an eye on the sky in case he caught a glimpse of her. After a few hours passed he still hadn’t found her. He guessed that maybe she had dozed off on a cloud somewhere or she was flying too fast for him to see. But he was getting hungry now, the rumbling of his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten since he left home the night prior. With that, he decided to head somewhere to get a bite to eat. He wandered the streets again, looking for something else time, a place to eat, anywhere really. Eventually, he arrived at a bakery of sorts, he glanced up and looked at the sign. He read ‘Sugarcube Corner’, his eyes widened and he entered without hesitation. He had heard great things about this place and couldn’t wait to taste some of their apple pies. Which is what he ordered and, of course, is what he ate. His judgement was not misplaced, as he absolutely loved the explosion of taste that filled his mouth and delighted his taste buds. The entire pie was gone within a few minutes. He waved thanks to the bakers and stayed seated, digesting his lunch. It was then that he saw what he was looking for. Past the window walked the cyan-blue, rainbow-maned mare that he had travelled all the way from Cloudsdale for. Without hesitation he shot up and rushed out of the bakery, halting right in front of her, stopping her in her tracks. She shot him a suspicious look, asking sharply, “Who are you?” His ears dropped, replying miserably, “You don’t remember me, Rainbow?” She raised an eyebrow, speaking again, “How do you know my name? Wait. Is it from my daring duties I've done to help this town or perhaps winning the Best Young Flyer's Competition. I'm sure a pegasus like yourself would've been awed by my awesomeness!” "Uhh... I do know you from those, but that's not how I met you," he answered. "Oh? So how do you know me then? Huh?" she pressured, "I run this town so you better answer me!" she drilled. “Wouldn’t the mayor run the town?” he replied nervously. “Well maybe I am the mayor! Who’s to say I'm not?” “Me." he rebutted simply, "You’re Rainbow Dash, the weather pony. Not the mayor.” The two of them stood in silence, staring at each other of a few moments. Rainbow shooting him hostile looks of suspicion and Blaze giving her a friendly smile. Then Rainbow broke the silence to begin another round of interrogation. “You didn’t answer my question. Who are you and why are you here, I know you’re new?” She demanded. “I’m honestly surprised you don’t remember me. We did after all spend an entire childhood together,” he sighed and held his head up for her to get a good look at him, “I’m Blaze. Silver Blaze. Does that ring a bell?” Rainbow stood their a while more throwing his name back and forth throughout her mind, before finally it popped up. “Blaze!” … “Yeah. I knew it was you all along,” she bluffed. Blaze gave her a look of disbelief and replied simply with, “Sure.” Rainbow laughed nervously and scratched the back of her head. “Uhh... "Sorry about that.” Blaze laughed. “It's alright Rainbow. I forgive you, “he smiled and looked at her, then frowned a little. There was something wrong with her. Something definitely was not right. His brow furled as he tried to figure out what it was. Then it came to him. It was her wings. They were broken. “What’s wrong, Blaze. Did I interrogate you too hard?” she joked. “No. Of course not," he paused for a moment to glance at her wings once more, “It’s just. You’re wings. They’re broken, what happened?” Rainbow laughed nervously again and gave him a fretful smile, “It’s, umm… a long story,” She replied quickly. “But they’re getting better, don’t worry. I’ll be back in action in no time!” she added confidently. “Well that’s good. I’m glad it's not for too much longer,” … “Even if you won’t tell me how it happened,” he muttered that last part to himself. “What was that?!” She asked hastily. “Nothing,” he replied equally as quickly. Rainbow squinted her eyes and said “You’ve changed a lot since I saw you last. I was under the impression that we weren’t going to see each other again. Speaking of which, why are you here anyway?” He hesitated and gulped, getting nervous about what he was going to say next, he knew that his reason was extremely corny and lame, both of those aspects that Rainbow wasn’t a huge fan of. “Well umm…” he began, “I sort of, uhh, came here… for…" He took a deep breath to gather his courage before blurting out, "You." > To a New Start > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Me?" Rainbow asked, pointing a hoof to her chest. "I knew I was awesome, but not like that." "Uhh. That may have came out wrong. I didn't mean it like that." he hastily replied, trying to cover up his mistake, "What I meant to say was..." he meant to continue but he was cut off my Rainbow who spoke above him. "Wait, don't say it." she paused to think before speaking once more, "You're here gawk in my coolness, right?" "What?" he eyed her confusedly, "No. I just want to live here, and be your friend again. Nothing more." "So you moved all the way from Cloudsdale to here for me?" "Yes." "I'm guessing you left most things behind since you've got nothing with you?" "Uhh. I didn't have that much." "Do you even have a house here?" "No." "Sweet!" He eyed her curiously again, "Sweet?" he repeated after her in confusion. "I don't even know I have enough to rent a house, let alone buy one." "You didn't come very prepared did you?" she asked jokingly. "No. Not really," he looked down. Rainbow through a hoof over his shoulders, "Lucky for you. You can stay at my house." "Wait. Really?!" he asked in disbelief. "Yes," she clarified. "But the catch is; you have to fly me up there since I can't to it myself," she pointed to her broken wings. "Fly you up there? Where is your house?" "In the sky. It's made of clouds." Blaze paused as he let that sink in. Then he smiled. "Just like a true pegasus then?" "Exactly!" she replied enthusiastically, "Now. Are re you gonna fly me up or what?" "Right." he said and flapped his wings, lifting himself only a few feet from the ground. He then hovered over to Rainbow and scooped her up, his hooves holding her around her chest. For an athletic mare, Rainbow was surprisingly light. Either that or Blaze was just stronger than he thought, even though pegasi weren't know for their weight. Being natural fliers they had to light and swift to stay and manoeuvre in the air. Never-the-less, now that he had Rainbow securely in his grasp, he flapped his wings again and took flight. He wasn't a fast flyer and nor had he ever been. He was decent enough to run errands and get from point 'A' to point 'B' but that was the extent of his abilities. He was no athlete and certainly not a dare devil as most pegasi found themselves to be. So as he flew Rainbow found no real enjoyment other than the fact that she actually going back to her home. "So how have you been getting home with you broken wings anyway?" Blaze asked curiously. "I haven't. This is the first time in a while I've actually been off the ground. I've just been staying at friends' houses." "And how long have your wings been broken for?" "A week. Although my wings are expected to be like this for another week." Blaze could here the irritation in her voice and tried to fly a little harder to give her more of a thrill. Even if was just simply feeling the wind in her mane. He knew it wasn't much, but it would have to do for now. He also figured that he would practice his flying often since her would be carrying Rainbow to and from her home every day and would need the extra skills. He was lucky enough to have Rainbow let him stay at her house but he wasn't out of the woods yet. He needed to be more prepared and get a solid foundation for his new life. A Job was what he needed. Perhaps he would try for something simple first just to get a foot hold in the town. Maybe her would go for the position of a barrister at a cafe, or maybe waiter at some sort of restaurant. However now was not the time to be making these decisions. He was still flying through the air, approaching Rainbow's home at a not-so-fast speed. Holding the mare in his hooves, the realisation of stepping on the clouds of her home for the first time in over a week dawned upon her. She could hardly wait and contain her excitement, but for Blaze's sake, she kept her cool. She looked around, seeing the clouds around her up close again. She couldn't help but hold her hoof out a drag it along its fluffy surface as Blaze carried her, soaring through the open skies. Her house drew ever closer and the fine details sprung into view. Her house was like a castle, with pillars made of clouds lining the front and a fountain of rainbows spouting from the roof, falling like a waterfall down the side onto sort of backyard to form a small pond of multiple colours before dripping off the cloud again. "Wow! It's beautiful!' Blaze exclaimed with awe as he finally reached the front porch and dropped the elated Rainbow down before hovering himself down by her side. "Yeah I know. I made it myself. I call it the Cloudominium." she replied and dashed inside. "C'mon, I'll give you a tour!" she called out from inside the house. Blaze smiled widely and he too galloped inside. Joining Rainbow in what he assumed to be the common foyer. From there she took him all around the castle-like mansion, showing him where the bathroom was, where the kitchen was and of course where his room would be, which was the spare room. "If you need anything, the fridge is full of pretty much everything and my room is upstairs." "Thank you Rainbow, I appreciate you letting me stay here." he replied and gave her a large smile. "Hey! No problem. You flew me up here so I sorta gotta return the favour right?" "Well you didn't have too. But I won't argue it." he joked and she laughed. "Oh! And one other thing." she said, "If you're gonna eat anything, don't eat too much, I'm taking you out tonight to show you the best places in town!" "Okay. That sounds fun." With that, Rainbow trotted out of his room and up the stairs to presumably her room. He wandered around his room, examine pretty much everything he could. The room had a bed, a dresser, a mirror and a large window giving him an awesome view of the town below. He sighed in relief as everything was working out for him so far. He sat on the end of the bed, patting the mattress to test its cushiness before laying down and resting his head. It was then that he realised how much Rainbow's plans actually sounded like a date. She was taking him out to dinner and showing him 'the best places in town'. He sighed and shook his head, then coming to the realisation that that would crazy. They had only just reunited a few hours ago. He was overreacting for sure. > On That Night > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Once the sun had started to set Blaze and Rainbow stepped hoof onto the front porch of her house. Blaze had made sure he brushed his brown, wind-swept mane and cyan-blue coat just so he looked nice for the occasion. Even though tonight was not going to be anything special he wanted to look dashing in case he me anypony new tonight. First impressions were always important, especially in front of potential friends. Never the less, this wasn't the first thing on mind, he just wanted to learn what Rainbow had to show him about the town's after dark. So with that in mind he flapped his wings and hovered above Rainbow. "You ready?" he asked. "Yeah, fly me down," she answered and allowed herself to be picked up and carried as she was earlier. Hooves around her chest for security and her head and tale left the soak up the breeze and thrill of flight. She only wished that he could fly faster, but she was lucky enough to have someone fly her up in the first place, so she wasn't complaining. No doubt the short flight would be awkward and boring, so Blaze decided to strike up a conversation, "So where will you be taking me tonight." he inquired eagerly. Perhaps she would tell him now. But of course, she replied only with, "I'm not telling. Its a surprise for a reason." Blaze sighed, he was hoping she would break her silence on the subject, but that just wasn't an option right now. So he would just have to suck it up and be surprised for when this remarkable restaurant was revealed. "Okay then. So mind telling me why it's a surprise?" he asked curiously and keeping their little chat alive. "It's more fun this way," she answered simply, "I need to entertain myself a little." "How is this entertaining?" "Well it's not really that fun. It's just the thought." she sighed, "I haven't messed with someone in a long time, I'm losing my touch." Blaze laughed,"Haha," ... "Oh I'm sure you get back to it soon enough." "Well now that you're around I finally have someone to practice on," she joked. "I wouldn't get your hopes up, you weren't ever able to prank me back in Cloudsdale. I doubt you'd be able to do it here without me figuring it out." "I've changed Blaze, I'm better at two things now. Flying and pranking. Both I can use to mess with you." "Not now you can't, I'm the one flying and you're the one who isn't able to" "Whatever. I'll show you a thing or two by next week. I'll make you awe at how amazing I've gotten." "I have no doubt you will," with that, he touched down and let go of Rainbow as he lowed himself down, standing next to her. "Right then. Lead the way," he said, gesturing for her to start walking and once she did. Rainbow nodded and began to walk down the bustling street as the nightlife of Ponyville started to reveal itself. It was a wondrous sight to say the least, but it hadn't even kicked off yet. She turned a corning and lead him down a quieter street full of small shops that had closed for the night, cafes, and restaurants. At the end of this street was a place known as Lil' Drops's. Well here we are. "Lil' Drops?" Blaze said, "What's so special about this place?" he asked. "This is the most successful and expensive place in the entire town," she explained, "And since the cook as a massive fan of mine, I get to eat a discounted price. Since you're with me, you get that discount too." "Wow. That sounds cool." "I know!" she squealed a little, "And they make great food." "Sounds even better. Shall we go in?" he stepped to the side of the door, "Ladies first." She trotted in, "I'm not a lady," she stuck her tongue out. Blaze laughed again and followed her in, sitting down at a window seat and eying the place curiously. The restaurant definitely resembled success. It was fashioned with what looked like fine materials. The wall adjacent the the entrance was made entirely of a clean stone while the rest was lined with thin, horizontal wooden planks. Pillars of wood and thin fences around the place sectioned off the seating areas from the bar that sat at the back, entertaining the few drunks that had nothing better to do. The floor was a nice, light pine and under every table was a red and green rug lined with white trims and a different emblem decorated the center. Their emblem was ironically a love heart. Although not intentional this gave their table a slight feel of romance and courtship. "Did you want to move to another table?" Blaze asked. "Nah! Suck it up. It's just a rug," she replied and began to scour through the menu. Although she already knew what she wanted to eat, she just wanted to catch the attention of the nearest waiter. Blaze followed suit and he too read through the menu. Although unlike Rainbow, he had not the slightest idea what he wanted. Page after page he turned. He was surprised that this place had so many meals to prepare. He flicked through each different section, entrees... mains... desserts... until he came to something that sounds alright to him. It was a simple flower dish known to just about everypony of which small cafes usually specialized in. Although he assumed a 5 star restaurant like this would perfect such a dish to mere amazement. It was the Flower de Flur. By the time he had decided a waiter showed up to take their order, she held a small not bad and a pen. With a bow around her neck and her main combed back professionally. "Good evening Miss Dash. May I take you orders?" she asked kindly. "Yes," Rainbow spoke, "I'll have the Flower de Flur please." Blaze gulped a little, Rainbow was ordering the exact same thing as he was. First the heart rug and now this. This night just kept getting more and more awkward by the minute. The waiter then turned to Blaze, "And what would you like sir?" "Uhh. I'll have what she's having," he answered her nervously. "Two Flower de Flurs. Did you want anything else for tonight?" the waiter inquired. Writing their order. "We'll get back to you on that one." Rainbow said. "As you wish. You're meals will be ready shortly," the waiter said walking off to serve some other new arrivals. And just as she said, their meals shortly arrived. It hadn't even passed the five minute mark. The Flower de Flur was a simple flower sandwich normally. But this restaurant had changed it slightly to make it more presentable and delectable. Now it had a Sour Dough bun, lettuce, cucumber and at least three types of flowers. Although Blaze couldn't tell what they were. He took a bite of it and an explosion of flavor burst throughout his mouth, enlightening any and all taste buds in it's path. It seemed as though they also topped it off with some sauce that probably had a name too fancy for Blaze to even dream of pronouncing. His trust in them wasn't misplaced, they had definitely perfected such a simple product. "So how is it?" Rainbow asked suddenly, having already finished hers. "Amazing," was all that he said. Taking another few bites. "I honestly wasn't expecting it to be this good." "Well this place didn't become the best over night." she said. He took the last few bites of his sandwich and leaned back in the chair, "Yeah no kidding, they really earned their name. This place is great," he complemented. "I might actually look for getting a job here." "Can you cook?" "Not entirely. But I can serve." he answered. "Well why don't you go up and speak to someone about it now?" "Uhh. I'll wait until tomorrow. You know, when it's less busy." "Good point," she said and yawned. "Well, it's going to be getting late soon, we should start heading home. You've got a big day tomorrow." Blaze nodded, "Yeah, it's not easy moving to a new town." He stood up and waited for her before leading Rainbow out to the front of the miraculous restaurant. "Well, should I fly you up now?" "Well I can't fly myself up," she said keeping herself stiff, letting Blaze grab her before she loosened herself up a bit. The flight home was quick and cold. The night time breeze was chilly and since they weren't moving too fast they didn't get a whole lot of blood pumping to keep them warm. However they passed the time with a little small talk as they got to know each other a little. Rainbow told him of the adventures she's had with her friends. She told him of how she helped to stop Nightmare Moon and how she longed to join the Wonderbolts. By the time they got to her home, Rainbow had told him of just about everything that had happened between when they last met and now. She even told him about Gilda and the Grand Galloping Gala. Blaze was impressed to say the least as he didn't have much to tell her except that he had a job as a Weather Pony Supervisor, which was one of the most boring jobs ever. But now he was here and he could start a new life. One that was hopefully interesting and full of adventure. Instead of one where he told pegasi where to position, or take away a cloud. "Hey Blaze." Rainbow said as they landed, catching his attention. "Yeah?" "Thanks for a great night," she said, smiling and a leaning in to kiss his forehead. > Job Hunting - Not too Hard if You Know Where to Look > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Blaze woke up the next morning he wasted no time. He brushed his mane, had a shower and ate breakfast all in the time-span of half an hour. As soon as he took the last bite of his border-burnt toast he took off. Leaping off Rainbow's balcony and taking flight, soaring down to town. Today was the day he was going to get a job. He knew it. He didn't have a specific place in mind, but he knew what he wanted to do. He wanted to do something in customer service. Whether it be a waiter or cashier he didn't care. Although he had only arrived in town yesterday he figured that it would be a good idea to get a job now so that he would have money later on. That, and also he would be able to pay for his fair share when Rainbow took him out or when they had to buy groceries. Looking around, Ponyville came to life as Blaze saw the commercial side reveal itself to him for the first time. The amount of shops, cafes, restaurants and community centers that were dotted around town was amazing. Surely that Blaze would have no trouble finding a job with this many opportunities surrounding him. Wrong. After roughly and hour or two of searching store after store trying to find a vacant position for him to occupy he had no luck. Everywhere he went was either full or just couldn't afford to have another staff member at their disposal. At this rate he was going to have to try bigger and richer stores, such as Lil' Drop or Sugar Cube Corner. But there was no chance of him getting a job at either of those places. They had good reputation, one that couldn't be sullied by an inexperienced worker who had never dealt with the tyranny of customers before. He referred to the customers as tyranny because he realized that ponies could be in any mood when purchasing food and primarily they're in a bad mood if prices are high or if the staff are lacking and he feared that customers would take a disliking to him with his inexperience and unprofessional vibe that all newbies gave out when beginner a job. He didn't exactly want to experience such hardship when going for his first job in a new town. He wanted to do something he could handle. Something with little to no challenge. Something like simply making medium-standard coffee, or serving mediocre ponies preparing for a long day at work. Something like... Rifo's! Rifo's looked as though to be a small cafe run by two ponies from another kingdom. As Blaze entered the store he was overwhelmed by the amount of hospitality he received from the cashiers as they stood behind the counter and waved at him upon entrance. He couldn't help but smile as they even said, "Welcome to Rifo's. What can I get for you, sir?" That was the kind of service that you'd expect from a high class or even posh establishment. But no. The staff had just been either trained well or the managers hired well. "Umm," he scratched the back of his head nervously, "Would it be alright I were to speak with your manager?" he asked, trying not to let his nerves overwhelm him. He had never been too good at getting a job, but he wasn't terrible once he got comfortable with the situation. "And what should I tell him it's regarding?" a mare responded. "I'm looking for a job and I would like to work here." The mare squealed and beamed happily, "Excellent. I'll fetch him for you immediately!" she rushed off eagerly. Blaze could tell she was young just by the amount of energy and excitement she possessed. Also that her mane and tail were long and fashioned in the style of a pony-tail. After his brief analysis of what he hoped to be his future coworker, he saw her trot happily back with a brown, unicorn, stallion wearing a tie and holding a clipboard in front of him. As he looked up to see the young pegasus known as Blaze his handle-bar mustache came into clear view and his big, blue eyes looked him up and down. "Are you the stallion seeking a job?" he asked simply with a strong voice. Blaze nodded, "Yes sir," he replied. "Excellent. If you would please follow me to my office I can begin the interview," the stallion turned tale and held a hatch open for Blaze to walk behind the counter and into the employee only area. He lead Blaze to a small room featuring a desk, chair and a bookcase as well as a noticeboard containing rosters, notes and upcoming promotions. The stallion sat down and pointed to one directly behind Blaze, "Take a seat," he said and flipped a few pages. Taking out his pen and waiting for the blue stallion to sit down before asking his first question. "Firstly. What's you're name?" "My name is Silver Blaze. Although I prefer to just be called Blaze. I don't much like the name Silver," he answered. Feeling as though he was a little to detailed when explaining his preferred name over his actual name. He wrote it down and without even looking up he asked another question, "And how old are you?" "I'm nineteen years old sir," he answered again, feeling good as he didn't over explain it. "I see," he wrote this down too, "What's your availability? Full-Time? Part-time? Weekends? Or Weekdays?" "Full-Time." "Name of your emergency contact?" "Rainbow Dash." "Rainbow Dash? Really now?" "Yes sir." "Impressive," he muttered and wrote it down. "Have you ever worked in a cafe before Blaze?" "No." "Okay. not to worry," he wrote again in his clipboard, "Just one more question. Do you work well under pressure or do you work well interacting with customers? Both involve working in part of team but you answer will determine if you're either a customer service team member or a food service team member," Blaze gulped, he didn't entirely know which one to go for since he had never worked at a place like this before. He assumed that working under pressure meant working in the kitchen and working with customers was serving customers. So he replied with, "I'm better at working with customers, I stress out under pressure and I would possibly make a crucial mistake." "Great!" the stallion stood up and held out his hoof, "Welcome to the team Blaze." Blaze felt a wave of joy burst threw his body. Although he had a hard time finding a place that was hiring he was glad that he went through all that trouble. It surely paid off. He stood up too and shook his boss's hoof, "Thank you sir. I won't let you down." "I have complete faith that you won't," he sat back down and went through some papers, "Oh, and before you go I have something to give you." "Okay? What is it?" "It's our menu. I want you to study it and learn off by heart by next week," he handed him a large laminated sheet of paper, "And you start in two days. Be here at eight in the morning on the dot." "Thank you sir," Blaze said again, unable to think of anything else to say. "Oh and call me Rifo."