One More Tally On The Chalk Board
"Since we've got Crash on cleanup for tonight, that frees up some space in a few schedules. Spend that time however you'd like, but be back at the base by 2300 hours."
"You got it, boss!"
Fleetfoot saluted as Captain Spitfire took off. Meanwhile, she looked to a slightly different part of the sky. The clouds up there twisted off into the distance. To the untrained eyes, that might have seemed like all that was there. But Fleetfoot's eyes could see more than that.
"Yo, Flatfoot!" called another teammate. "Want to stop by the Shake 'N' Ladder? They just released their newest culinary craft: The Tower of Black and Blue Raspberries."
"Maybe some other time, Hoof-In-Mouth," she replied a nickname for nickname. "Gotta check on my baby sis."
"Alright, that's cool too." They pointed their hooves like a couple of cool guns. "Catch you on the flip side."
Fleetfoot gave a short wave. Then, her eyes returned to the twisting clouds. She found herself barreling next to the silver-lined helix. She could never explain why she followed it so closely. It just felt right.
The familiar, scenic twist ended sooner than she would have liked. Her feather wiped away some sweat. Her hoof shoved her goggles down to dangle like a necklace. She inhaled deeply and flapped forward at a much slower pace. Even so, the distance closed quickly between herself and the front door to the one-story cloud house.
Curling her hoof, she gave five rapid knocks to the door. She then tested out the handle for the heck of it. She knew her sister always kept the door locked. So, imagine her surprise when the door opened inside just by touching the handle. She poked her head around slowly, eyes carefully scanning the interior beyond the entrance.
After the quick scan, she opened the door a bit further. She kind of wished the hinges would squeak like the doors on grounded buildings did. The absolute lack of noise from this cloud door did little to ebb the feeling of her individual furs pushing against her flight suit. She shook her head and lowered her brows. With that, she marched through the entrance hall.
Her ear twitched. Something was clicking every few seconds. She continued her trek into the house as quietly as pegasus-ly possible. Light flickered around the approaching corner every time the mystery noise clicked. With a couple flaps of her wings, she darted around the corner with a sharp turned flight.
She slid her hooves against a cloud wall and the enchanted living room floor. She slowed to a stop aside from maintaining a couple inches off the floor. She blinked, not comprehending the sight in front of her. The simultaneous clicking and flickering was coming from a lamp on a side table. The instigator of this lamp's switching pain was the front hoof of her sister.
"Chalk!" called Fleetfoot. "What are you doing?"
Chalk jumped in her seat. Her wings opened wide as she leaned to the side opposite of the lamp. She also wildly waved her front hooves around. As quickly as it had started, she was in a more balanced posture on the chair. Her eyes darted between the lamp and Fleetfoot.
"N-Nothing!" yelled Chalk. "I was doing nothing! ... and knock next time before you see the nothing I was doing!"
Fleetfoot sighed. She slowly flew over to in front of her sister. She landed in front of the chair with a soft poof sound. Her left front hoof went under her sister's right hoof, and her right hoof slowly went on top of both of them.
"Chalk, have you been taking your medication recently?"
Her sister tried to pull her hoof out, but was sandwiched in. "Why? Those stupid pills do nothing but make me feel terrible."
Fleetfoot kept steadily looking. "No, Chalk. You know the medicine is meant to help you feel what you want. But it can't help you if you don't take it."
Chalk grumbled. "Why don't you take it if it's supposed to be such a big help?"
"Because I'm one of the ponies that doesn't need it."
"Well, good for feathered you." Chalk yanked her hoof again to no avail. "Why are you even here?"
"I wanted to spend a little time with you, my sister."
"Hmph. Shouldn't you be using that time to fawn over your new Wonderbolt?"
Fleetfoot raised her brow. "Is that what you're so upset about?"
"The captain's shouts are hard to miss." Chalk pulled again, this time successfully to cross her hooves. "She even got a cool nickname: Crash. I never got to the newbie stage. I had to come up with my own nickname."
"Sis." A small smile formed on Fleetfoot. "You'll always be a bolt of Lightning to me."
Chalk scowled and shut her eyes tight. "Lightning Dust is dead. As long as I stay away from those meds, she'll stay that way."
"Come on. You don't mean that-"
"What good has being Lightning ever done for me?" Chalk squinted at the lamp. "I was the best in speed, agility, and perception. But apparently being the best isn't good enough for some ponies!"
Chalk reached her hoof out quickly for the switch. However, she missed and sent the lamp sliding off the side table. Thinking quickly, Fleetfoot ran over and caught the light source against her wing. She sighed, having prevented a crash against the enchanted floor, or worse a bounce on that floor followed by a fall through the regular cloud floor just next to it.
Still, that left the matter of her currently frustrated sister. For the time being, Fleetfoot set the lamp down on a patch of enchanted floor out of Chalk's reach. Chalk had her own feathers spread out over her face. Some cross between hiccups and whimpering occasionally spewed from her mouth. Fleetfoot trotted over to stand in front of the chair.
"You know, I never really cared if you were the best or not." She held a steady gaze. "What matters to me is that you're okay."
Her sister lowered her wings and glared. "Then where were you when she stripped me of my Lead Pony status?"
"You know the rules of trying out for the Wonderbolts." Fleetfoot's gaze held firm. "None of the candidates can receive preferential treatment, not even friends or family. It would have just looked worse on you if I had tried to step in."
"You mean worse for you."
"No, I don't. Think about it. Your tornado stunt endangered a multitude of other privates, destroyed government property, and risked citizen casualties. Getting to leave with nothing lost except an academic ranking? A lot of would-be Wonderbolts have been punished much more severely for lesser wrongdoings." Fleetfoot held up a hoof. "But if your sister had flown in trying to defend your actions on the basis of having family already in the Wonderbolts? That would've made you look ill-raised and possibly sent to a mental institute. Losing my Wonderbolt status would be the least of my worries when I'd be wondering what the hay they're doing to you behind titanium doors."
Fleetfoot set her hoof down. She and her sister stood and sat in their respective positions for a while. The normally quiet ticking of Fleetfoot's watch was made more prominent by the surrounding silence. After what may have been seconds or felt like an hour, Chalk leaned back against her chair. She closed her eyes.
"I wish Dad were here." Fleetfoot looked down at the floor.
Chalk sighed. "So do I."
...
*Tick* *Tick* *Tick*
The Wonderbolt shook her head. She pulled her goggles over her head and off completely. She set them on the side table. Idly, Chalk watched her older sister pull the rest of the outfit off. Fleetfoot folded it up and set the suit next to her goggles.
"Come on, sis. It's time to take your meds."
Chalk looked down and her ears pointed the same way. "Yeah... I guess so."
Little sister slid off her chair. She wobbled a bit on her legs. When Fleetfoot offered support, Chalk held up a hoof and waved dismissively. Together, they walked over to the cabinet. After finding a small bottle, a strong turn, and two capsules, Chalk swallowed and stood waiting for a couple minutes.
Lightning Dust woke up.
---
Telegram to Spitfire...
I'm sorry boss. Stop. I can't come back tonight. Stop. Had a family matter to attend to. Stop. Will be back tomorrow at 0730 hours. Stop. Promise. Stop.
---
"Say, Dust, have you had dinner yet?"
"No..." Lightning's stomach growled. "Sweet Celestia, I could go for about five hayburgers right about now."
Fleetfoot smirked. "You thinking what I'm thinking?"
With a silent count of three, they simultaneously exclaimed:
"Triple-Flying-Perch-Mares from Within-Out's 'hidden orders'!"
"Triple-Flying-Perch-Mares from Within-Out's 'hidden orders'!"
"Last one there's gotta hoof the bill." A lightning streak already zoomed out the door.
"Heh heh, typical." A swift air stream soon followed.
---
Telegram reply to Fleetfoot...
What a coincidence. Stop. You are Crash's parole officer tomorrow. Stop.
---