How's living with Rainbow Dash, you ask? Er... I dunno. You ever had a pony living in your house for an entire year of high school?
The guest room in our house that's remained empty is finally filled this year. Apparently, there's a new student coming to my high school for a couple semesters. Something of an exchange student, I guess. I've met dozens of exchange students; quite a few come over from Taiwan and China, and even one from Vietnam. Except this guy's from another world. No, literally. He's from an alternate universe.
Oops, did I say "he?" I meant "she." And her name is Rainbow Dash.
AUTHOR'S NOTE
This is an old idea, but it was basically an answer to TotallyNotABrony's challenge to write a fic about RD or another pony coming to your college and hanging out. I tweaked it for my old high school instead, as small high schools have stranger experiences, especially with the drama (By small, I mean a graduating class of thirty-four kids). Forgot to post it here.
The oak door slammed shut behind me as I entered the house, bent over under a bulging backpack like a Sherpa ascending Everest. My mom greeted me cheerily. “Hello, Wei! Welcome home! You find all the books you need?”
“Y-yeah. They were all there, all right,” I struggled to reply, my voice hardly above a whisper.
My mom resumed cooking. “Good! Oh, by the way, the new student is coming over tonight. She’ll be here by 4 o’clock. Can you clean the guest room when you have some time?”
I grunted and continued my long trek down the hallway to my room. Upon arrival, I threw my backpack on my bed, removing and sorting out dozens of books I had just purchased. I grimaced when I set aside the four large textbooks that I knew I’d end up becoming all too familiar with by the end of my senior year.
After making sure every one of them was marked and signed, I glanced at the clock that ticked away in the corner of my room. 3:45. Sighing contentedly, I scooped up my iPod Classic and earbuds. I never believed in the term “whistle while you work,” but I couldn’t really do anything without some decent music.
Popping in the earbuds, I crossed the hall into our guest bedroom. Sighing at the neatly folded sheets on the bare mattress, I pulled out the fitted sheets and lifted up the mattress to start working on the bed.
As I tucked the sheet underneath the bottom, I realized I had never really thought much of the incoming student. A lot of new students had been popping up lately, as the recent discovery of some world filled with miniature talking horses. If I had been born yesterday, this would seem pretty insane. However, after a rough start, and a year or two of negotiations, people and ponies started crossing this border between worlds. Sure, it would seem pretty cool to an outsider or a hermit who’s never seen this kind of technology before, but the discovery of such a portal only makes me wonder what other things our government was hiding from us.
It wasn’t long before the ponies started applying for jobs and buying homes in the US. Although this number remained small (the number of people buying houses in their world was surprisingly tiny; a whopping 2 people per 100 miles), there were still embassies and ponies in public. Even students from their world were exploring the academic systems we had to offer; apparently our system was much more lengthy and complex than theirs.
Which was where the new guest came in. I hadn’t heard much about them, other than that they’re a Pegasus; the type of pony with wings. Hell, I had no idea if it was a guy or a girl. I sort of hoped for a guy; we could have bro talks and share our girl problems. But judging by what my mom had said earlier, it was not to be.
I also could no longer enjoy my favorite, pantless excursions about the house.
The bed now finished, I moved on to wiping down the desk and end table, giving it a bit of Febreeze freshness before stepping back. The floor was pretty clear and clean, as we rarely used the guest room for anything. I stood up straight, arching my back while admiring my handiwork. I popped my earbuds out, tossing them over my shoulder so they weren’t just dangling from my pocket. I sighed quietly, sniffing and taking in the freshness that was now circulating in the room.
Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to relax when our obnoxiously loud door chime went off, jolting me out of my relaxed state. Images of what our new guest could look like began to cycle through my head as I hurried to answer the door. Stuffing my earbuds into my pockets, I glanced about nervously, seeing if there was anything else that needed to be adjusted. Seeing nothing that would qualify, I turned to face the door, took a breath, and unlocked the deadbolt, pulling the door open.
An explosions of colors met my eyes, dazzling me with an aurora of the color spectrum. I blinked, rubbing at my eyes subconsciously before looking at the pony in the eyes. The magenta irises stared back at me curiously, the eyes large and cartoony. Its mane, the source of the color, fell across the side of its face, just out of the way of its eyes. It was ruffled, but I assumed that it had gotten that from the flight here. All it carried was a small pair of saddlebags over its cyan flank, which sported an illustration of a small cloud with a polychromatic thunderbolt.
I sat there, jaw partially open for a couple of seconds before blurting out, “H-hello! Are you the exchange student?” I asked, giving the pony my best smile. Which was so cheesy, you could’ve sold it in Wisconsin.
“Yeah. That’s me,” the pony said. Judging by the higher pitch of its voice, I realized that it was a girl. It lifted a hoof towards me. “I’m Rainbow Dash.”
I held back a chuckle. These ponies had fitting names. I took her hoof and shook it. “Nice to meet you. I’m Ken.”
A puzzled look crossed her face as I took her hoof before she pulled it out of my grasp. “Ken... Just Ken?"
I nodded, unsure of what else to do. "Uh, yeah. I mean, I have a last name, but it's kinda hard to say."
We sat there on the doorstep for a few moments before I ushered her inside. I gave her a quick tour around the house, pointing out the bathrooms and showers, as well as the entertainment hubs (Which was only the living room), and finally left her sitting in her room while I left to prepare the table.
As I set down the napkins and utensils, I had a sudden realization, glancing nervously at the strainer that sat in the sink, filled to the brim with spaghetti noodles. My stomach clenched in horror. This was going to be a very awkward first dinner. -- As luck would have it, Rainbow Dash actually avoided the spaghetti, instead going straight for the fruit and spring salads set off to the side. My jaw dropped slightly when she simply stuck her snout into the greens, ignoring the balsamic vinaigrette and creamy ranch dressing. I admired her courage while I slurped noisily at my own spaghetti.
We ate in silence for a few minutes, until my mom gave a polite cough. “So, Miss Dash.”
The Pegasus looked up from her salad. “Just call me Rainbow,” she said, smiling.
“So, Rainbow,” my mom continued, sounding a bit relieved. “Do you have high schools back in Equestria?”
The Pegasus brushed a small bit of lettuce from her face. “Not really. I mean, we do have a… um… primary school of sorts. And there are some universities in our capital of Canterlot… Twilight would know more about this kind of stuff.” She said, shrugging before helping herself to another mouthful of greens.
“Twilight?” My mom asked.
“A friend back in Equestria.” She managed to mumble through a mouthful of greens.
I set my fork down, quickly wiping away excess spaghetti sauce. “So, you’ve never been to high school?”
Rainbow Dash frowned. “Well… nothing past the primary school I mentioned earlier. I had to start working at the weather factory to buy a house…”
My mom’s jaw dropped. “You started working fresh out of elementary school?! That’s… That’s amazing!”
Rainbow’s eyes widened visibly as my mom’s reaction sank in. “I… uh…. It’s nothing, really. I lived alone, so… I sort of had to start working, and it wasn’t hard, anyways.” She shrugged her wings. “These helped a lot.”
I shuddered at the thought of working. I had a nightmare of working at a fast food restaurant once… No sitting for eight straight hours was something I’ve always shied away from.
“Well, what high school are you going to?” I asked, wanting to change the subject.
Rainbow Dash looked at me curiously, raising an eyebrow. “I thought I was going to the same one as you? I mean… that was what the paper said.”
It was my turn to raise an eyebrow. “You’re going to Sonoma Country Day?”
Easing my backpack onto my bed, I sighed in relief as I began to pull out the textbooks one by one.
It'd been a decent haul from the school's used book sale—I had managed to find the more expensive textbooks for reasonable prices. While I was still missing most of the literature for my English class and a couple workbooks here and there it wouldn't take more than a couple of searches on Google or Amazon to get what I needed.
With my last chore of the day finished, I lay on my bed—my thoughts drifting to our incoming "guest."
Several years ago, a group of American scientists had discovered a strange fold in the fabric of reality. Further experimentation led to the opening of some kind of portal leading into another world. The true surpise lay not in how peaceful the first encounters were, but with what was encountered: an entire civilization of talking animals.
While there were a number of species of these walking and talking organisms, the majority of them had been ponies of three types: unicorns, pegasi, or 'normal' ones without horns or wings. These ponies showed great interest in the world beyond their own—a number of ambassadors being sent on behalf of their Princesses.
We originally thought they were only symbolic in nature but apparently their Princesses are true rulers. Like, 'having audiences with individual subjects of their kingdom and dishing out favors and solutions' kind of rulers.
Their interest in humanity sparked a grand exchange of information and civilians eager to explore each other's world in-person. The first wave of exchanges had occurred last year, one of my close friends having gone to a city called "Canterlot" for a full year of classes. We expected him to return a completely different person or transformed into a pony—the fact that neither had come to pass and that he came back as if nothing had changed reminded me that reality is often more disappointing than any set expectations.
He did bring some interesting observations of the Equestrian educational system: it only had Elementary school and College with no in-between. In a three-year period between those academic institutions, ponies took time off to discover themselves and earn their "cutie marks," a tattoo on their flank that appears when their special talent or life's calling is discovered. It gave ponies the opportunity to decide if a higher education was worth it regarding the nature of their cutie mark.
Going back to the exchange program, our application to be a host family had gone through to the ponies of this "Equestria" and we had been selected by a family of pegasi on the other side. My brother had left to live in a place called "Manehatten," as he was unable to join the family in a city of clouds. He mentioned he would be taking general education classes at the university there—it was disappointing how these talking ponies had mundane studies just like humans did.
The deep bark of our Rottie, Hannah, resonated through the hallway as someone pushed the doorbell.
"Kevin! Can you get the door? I think our guest is here!"
I thought back to the paper my mom had me memorize—the one with our guest's name.
Rainbow Dash.
I wasn’t sure if it was a guy or girl's name, but I knew I would be finding out momentarily.
Moving to the door, I quickly investigated myself—making sure I at least had clothes on. I was far from eager to relive my nightmare from last night of meeting our guest in my underwear—I really had to stop eating late night snacks.
Satisfied with my basketball shorts and loose grey tshirt, I opened the door without hesitation.
They were taller than I'd expected. Their head only came up to the base of my neck but they were tall enough to easily double my height if they reared up on their hind legs. They bore a sky-blue coat with a vibrant, polychromatic mane that remained fuzzy at the edges. Their cutie mark was a tricolor lightning bolt coming out of a small, cute cloud.
"Hello? Is this the Nakano household?"
Their voice was a mixture of raspy and musical. Feminine.
"Oh, yeah. You must be Rainbow Dash."
I opened the screen door, stepping aside to both allow the pegasus mare past and keep the door from closing.
"Come on in," I offered. With a stiff nod, she stepped past me, her tail tickling my fingers as it swished a bit too close to my hand. Closing the door behind her, I could already hear my mom proffering gratiutious greetings to our guest in the dining room.
"Oh, you look so pretty! I love your hair!" "Thanks. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Nakano." "You can call me Naomi. If you forget that one, feel free to fall back on 'Mrs. Nakano!'"
She gestured to me, "Kevin will show you your room."
I nodded to the pegasus, "Right over here."
Hannah lumbered into view, sniffing at Rainbow with mild interest before licking at her foreleg. The pegasus tensed slightly at the touch—my signal to get Hannah away from her.
Moving to the hallway, I opened the door to the guest bedroom while grabbing Hannah's collar.
"In here, I'll keep her from bothering you while you unpack." "Thanks." "Dinner should be ready soon. Let us know if you prefer to eat it in here." "Okay."
I watched her look around the barren room for a moment before shrugging.
"But yeah... Welcome to my home. Looking forward to hanging with you this year."
She looked back, forcing a smile.
"Yeah. Me, too." "Anyways, I'll leave you alone to get comfortable. I'll come by again to let you know when dinner's ready."
Ushering Hannah out of the room, I gently closed the door before turning to my dog.
"C'mon. She's had a long day."
Moving back to the dining room, I sat down and checked my phone for any messages.
"You get her all set up?" "I told her about dinner and left her there. She seems nervous so I didn't wanna stick around too long." "Poor thing; going to a totally foreign place is never easy." "I feel like we should leave her alone for now. She's probably tired, too." "Don’t you think we should have some icebreaking activities? Maybe some Scrabble?"
I scoffed. My mom was always itching to play that infuriatingly difficult game.
"Why do you always torture all the guests with that game?" "Not everyone hates it like you do." "I only hate it because you always win." "Only because you get bored and give up halfway through."
I shook my head, moving back to my room.
"I'm gonna put my book covers on." "I left your school supplies on your bed. I got you everything you put on the list." "Thanks, Mom. Also, did you get a call from David yet?" "Nothing yet. He might be too busy to talk tonight—he starts his classes tomorrow, too."
I clicked my tongue in disappointment. I really missed having my twin brother here. Now I didn’t have anyone to share the pre-class jitters with.
Or rather, the only other person I could talk to probably didn’t want to talk to me.
Moving to my bedroom, I started sifting through the shopping bags as I searched for my book covers. There was a lot that needed doing and tonight was my last chance to knock it all out.
***
"Kevin! Can you let Rainbow know dinner's ready?" "Okay!"
I walked up to her door, getting ready to knock before hearing some unfamiliar voices inside.
"...crazy, but normal at the same time?" "That’s one way to... but how's your host family?" "Nice, I guess. Everything's so... and I'm..." "...for you, Rainbow."
I knocked.
"Dinner's ready. Did you wanna eat it in there or at the table?"
There was a long pause.
"...I'll be right out."
I stepped away to let her finish her call. I had heard of this method of communication but never seen it. Every pony carried a 'scrying mirror' that allowed communication across the different planes. Humanity didn't have a solution for this problem yet, so humans who visit Equestria are given one matching pair of mirrors to allow contact with their significant others during their stay. Another gracious gesture from our interdimensional neighbors.
I glanced at the large mirror situated above the fireplace as if expecting David's face to be there.
If she was feeling homesick then why wasn't David?
I felt a little angry in that moment. Had he forgotten about me? Was Equestria that great?
These two thoughts bounced around my mind as I sat down at the table. Looking down at the table, it was a fabulous spread of a couple veggie pizzas Mom had made, although shortcutting the hardest part by using frozen premade crusts. While I wasn't thrilled about having to ditch all of our more carnivorous options for pony-friendly ones, at least pizza was still on the menu.
Taking a seat, I poured myself some water out of the Brita pitcher when I heard Hannah panting excitedly as unfamiliar footfalls echoed down the hallway.
Rainbow entered the dining room with a polite nod to each of us—our Rottweiler, Hannah, close behind. She took a seat at the head of the table as Mom passed her a plate with one slice of each pizza on it. Hannah sniffed at the plate nearest to her edge of the table but remained where she was—she knew better than to incur Mom's wrath.
"We also have juice if you want something other than water." "Thanks, water’s fine." "Sorry about our dog. She's a bit too friendly and ends up butting into everyone's business." "It’s fine. I wouldn't have checked the 'okay with animals' box on the application if I didn't want her around. Plus I'm used to animals back where I come from."
I decided against pointing out how strange it was to hear a talking pony mention that. I wasn't sure what was considered "offensive" by pony standards but I was certain that statement wouldn't get me any brownie points.
I was caught off-guard when Rainbow turned towards me, mouth half full of pizza.
"So I guess we're going to the same school." "Y-yeah. I heard you were place in the same grade, too." "The top one, right? 'Senior' or something." "Yeah. Country Day's a good school, too. Kinda sad you only get to enjoy one year of it, I guess." "Oh. Right. You graduate after your senior year, huh?"
We all ate in silence for several minutes, enjoying the food while giving polite nods to each other despite everyone's discomfort. I rummaged through various conversation topics from life in Equestria to her occupation but I figured reminding her of her real home wasn't a good idea.
The front door opened as my dad entered the house. Hannah rushed over to greet him, panting excitedly. My dad's coos and hellos echoed over the small partition separating the dining area from the doorstep, making my ears hot with embarrassment as he rounded the corner—a box of Krispy Kreme donuts in his hands.
"Hey! Nice to meet you," he exclaimed, nodding to Rainbow. She nodded back, wiping her mouth with the back of her hoof as she flashed a quick smile.
"Hello. Mr. Nakano?" "I'm Roy. Nice to meet you. How was the trip over? Everything go smoothly?" "Yeah, it was fine. Hardest part was saying goodbye to my friend Tank. He's my pet tortoise." "Hey, we know how important pets are. They're basically family, right?" "Exactly! I'm glad you think the same."
He set the box down on the kitchen counter, tapping the top.
"Got everyone some donuts. Had mine in the car so the rest are yours. And Rainbow, welcome to our home. Anything you need, you let us know."
Giving a quick wave, he pecked Mom on the lips before moving to his office to change.
"Your Dad's pretty cool, Kevin." "He's alright. Just don’t get him started on his favorite rom-coms or you'll be stuck watching Last Holiday on repeat." "Huh?" "It’s a Christmas movie with Queen Latifah." "Oh."
Sensing that I made no sense, I stood up.
"Want a donut?" "Sure."
***
"Glass!" I pulled up and flicked my wrist, sending the basketball sailing towards the backboard. It nailed the corner of the painted square before bouncing off of the rim—tumbling out onto the street below.
I clicked my tongue as Rainbow swept down, grabbing the ball before passing it back to me. Watching her fly was bizzarre and addicting—her tiny wings somehow supported her comparitavely larger body without issue and she flew without any wasted movement.
"So let me get this straight—you’ve practiced with the basketball team all last year but never played?" "I mean, I had to show up to morning practice anyway since my brother was on the team. One day, the coach offered to let me practice with them." "How were tryouts?" "We have a no-cut policy since our school is so small—all you have to do is sign up when you apply for classes." "Huh. Sounds pretty sad to me." "If a 5'9" dude like me gets to play varsity basketball with no strings attached, I wouldn't call it sad."
Grabbing my own rebound, I gave her a solid chest-pass. She caught the ball and held it still, hovering in place.
"You guys do any other sports?" "Yeah; for a small school, we have quite a few. Fall is volleyball and soccer, winter is basketball and ski/snowboard, and spring is cross country, golf, baseball and tennis." "Whoa. Sounds like most of 'em are in spring, though." "We do a lot of non-sport extracurriculars too—stuff like debate team, orchestra and theater."
Rainbow made a face before focusing on the hoop. She fired her shot—a long two-pointer distance-wise. It went in.
"Wonder if they'll let a pony like me do any sports." "No-cut policy doesn't sound so sad after all, does it?"
She rolled her eyes, "Not that. I mean if the rules say only humans can play or something. I don't think I can sit still all year without doing anything."
I shrugged.
"Trust me—between classes and deciding a major, you'll have plenty to do."
I stared at the back of Rainbow’s head quizzically—her face glued to the car's window as she watched the scenery race past.
We were on the freeway headed to school. It was a weirdly late start for the first day: 10AM. Thankfully, it meant we didn't have to get up early or fight the morning traffic.
Rainbow Dash had been up before 7AM—I heard her talking to my mom over an early breakfast through my door. Whether it was by habit or being unable to sleep, I had no idea. For now, it seemed to be the former as her eyes darted from sign-to-sign with a focus I had never seen from her before.
"You okay, Rainbow? You don't feel any nausea?" "I'm doin' okay." "Lemme know if that changes so I can engage 'grandma-driving.'"
Exiting the freeway, I pulled up to the first of several stoplights before reaching school.
"How do you not get distracted by all this stuff," she asked, staring at a sign for one of the many car dealerships nearby.
"I've lived with these kinds of views my entire life. If I was in Equestria, I'd probably be all googly-eyed like you right now."
She scowled at that remark but said nothing. We sat in silence for a few minutes as I continued to work through the sparse traffic of the post-morning crowd.
"So how come you said not to bring any books today?" "It’s gonna be a field day. No classes. We even end early."
Normally a full day lasted seven hours—with first period starting at 8:20AM and the last period ending at 3:25PM. Today was a little more than half that, lasting only from 10:15AM to 1PM.
"So sports?" "Team games. It's different every year. Think 'tug of war' or 'dodgeball.' That kinda stuff."
Rainbow sank into her seat.
"So are we gonna be on the same team?" "My mom requested that we be together today. Since this school's pretty small they should have no problem honoring that request."
Rainbow straightened up a bit. She looked relieved.
"Well, aren't you lucky. Hope you like winning." "That’s not... Well, I do like winning."
She glanced at my plain blue tee and matching blue basketball shorts with curiosity.
"So they let you wear that to school?" "We're on blue team so I gotta wear this. It'll make more sense once we get there." "How many teams are there?" "There’s gonna be a lot. The entire high school is divided up into these teams, so it'd be pretty confusing if we only had a little armband or something to identify team members." "I thought maybe we were painting something blue today."
***
"Whoa. I thought you said your school was small." "It's a K-12 school. They need the room. Just wait till you get to the high school quad. Place is depressingly small."
We walked through the "lower school" area first, it being nearest to the street. Having been renovated the earliest, it was the most impressive of the facilities—boasting a modern-looking two-story building full of huge classrooms and fancy ice-cold water fountains. Just past it was a large concrete yard and the some less-impressive single-story classrooms and a library.
"Looks deserted." "The rest of the school starts up tomorrow. High schoolers are the only students here today. Unless you're interested in meeting some janitors." "Hey! Kevin!"
Rainbow stiffened as one of my friends jogged up. Lean build with short hair and a pair of cheap plastic glasses. He wore his signature purple Nike hoodie with cargo shorts and high-top basketball shoes. Unsurprisingly, he was a fellow Asian. My passive expression warped into a big grin.
"Sup, Eric!" "What’s good, dude? How come you weren't on Live last night?"
I turned, extending an arm towards Rainbow Dash.
"Busy hanging out with my new roommate." "Oh, whoa. Hello!"
Rainbow gave a quick nod.
"Sup." "Eric, this is Rainbow Dash. She's staying with me this year." "So David's in Equestria right now?" "Yeah. He was supposed to call last night but I guess he forgot."
Eric glanced over Rainbow Dash before turning to walk with us.
"You're the only other person here right now." "You mean we're early or something?" "He means in our friend group." "You'll kinda pick it up fast, but there's different kinds of groups that hang out together."
Rainbow's ears drooped as she looked past the middle school quad and into the start of the high school area—various students milling about in the open space.
"I thought I left that behind in flight school." "It's just the 'lifer' kids making things weird as usual." "Kids who've gone here since kindergarten."
As we got closer, the students started taking notice of the brightly-colored pony walking next to us. Most of them spoke in hushed whispers while the occasional student offered a friendly wave towards Rainbow.
"Hey! Miss pony!"
The three of us stopped as one of the juniors rushed up. It was one of the girls—she wore a baggy orange t-shirt and matching headband, thick golden curls spilling over it. Her face beamed a warm smile.
"I just wanted to say your hair looks really cute. I'm Alison. Nice to meet you."
Rainbow smiled, giving her a nod.
"Thanks, Alison. I'm Rainbow Dash." "Oh my god, that's awesome. Anyways, nice meeting you! I'll see you at lunch!"
Alison flashed me and Eric a smile before running off to rejoin her team.
"Man. Is it just me or did she get hotter?" "Too bad she's gunning for the soccer jocks."
Rainbow rolled her eyes as she started forward.
"Ugh. Boys." "Actually, we're men. Thank you very much."
With Alison having broken the ice, many more curious students began to approach Rainbow with friendly greetings and compliments. Pushed aside by the enthusiastic masses, Eric and I sat on a set of stone steps leading to the high school admin offices.
"So, did Abdul really leave?" "He's in Tennessee now." "And Jake's on the east coast?" "He had to. They were driving two hours just to see the nearest lyme disease specialist." "Dang. So that just leaves Elias, Jon, Brent and Sai." "Not to mention David's gonna be in Equestria for his senior year." "He wouldn't shut up about going there. Guess he'd prefer to live the rest of his years there than stay with us." "I mean, I guess. Bit harsh, but it certainly seems that way. Of all the times to leave he wanted to finish high school in a place completely alien to him."
I crossed my arms, staring at a crack in the pavement. "Yeah. Screw 'im."
"Hey! Thanks for leaving me with the crowds!"
Rainbow flitted over to us, now ignoring the numerous waves and calls addressed to her. She wore a number of different colored items around her ears, wrists and wings as if she was a living ring toss.
"They tried to get me to join their teams." "Sounds like you're already having some fun. At least you've got some people interested in you." "How come you didn't join? The teachers won't care if you swap."
Rainbow looked to me before shrugging.
"Didn’t feel like switching." "Everyone, listen up!"
Several dozen heads turned towards the source of the voice—an older, bespectacled professor with gelled hair and festive Tommy Bahama style button up holding a megaphone.
"If I could have all teams head to the back fields. Everyone to the back fields. Welcome to Olympics Day 2011!"
***
We found ourselves at one of ten tables—each one hosting a differently-colored team. The air was abuzz with discussions and shouts as students fraternized with fellow teammates and harassed nearby 'enemy' players with colorful euphemisms.
Our team leader was a spirited sophomore named Patrick—widely considered the 'big brother' of the high school due to his willingness to listen to others. Also because he was over 6 feet tall. He squinted at his team roster while simultaneously studying our faces.
"Alright! Let's take a look here. Ryan!"
Eric's far more modest (and successful) younger brother eyed Patrick with concern.
"Yes?" "I'm giving you a nickname! You ready?!" "No." "Too bad! Your callsign is 'Lil Ho!' Sound good?"
Ryan laughed to himself. I shook my head in disbelief. While it was his last name, adding an adjective to it made it sound ridiculous.
"I guess so."
Patrick nodded before going down the list.
"Jackson!"
One of the football jocks and a junior. Also a close friend of Patrick and mine from our times of suffering together in middle school theater.
"Big Pat!" "Your callsign is Michael! How copy, Michael?!"
Jackson failed to stifle his laugh before replying, "Roger that, Big Pat!"
"Kevin!"
Uh oh. My turn.
"Yeah?" "Your callsign is 'Naka-Yes.' Got it?" "Uhhh that's a solid copy, Big Pat."
He pointed at the girl standing between me and Rainbow—another senior like me. Student council vice president, Madison.
"Maddie!"
"Yeah, Big Pat," she giggled, unable to stay serious.
"Carry us with your vice-leaderly abilities! Callsign: Baddie!" "Roger, Big Pat."
He pointed at Rainbow.
"You must be Rainbow Dash!"
She nodded eagerly. "Right you are, Big Pat."
"First, I wanna say welcome to Earth. And, welcome to Country Day. Finally, welcome to Blue Team. Your callsign is 'The Painbow!' How copy, Painbow?"
Rainbow shot me a 'get a load of this guy' glance before snapping a messy salute. Patrick hovered his hand over the middle of the table.
"Hands in! And hoof!"
Dutifully, we all put our hands in.
"'One Team, One Dream' on three! One, two—!"
We threw our hands in the air.
"One team, one dream!"
***
The dodgeball match wasn't going well. Down half of our team, only Rainbow, Patrick and Maddie remained.
The dodgeballs themselves were about coconut-sized and made of soft sponge. This made them easy to throw but notoriously difficult to catch—resulting in both me and Ryan fumbling our attempts to receive and knock out our opponents. Jackson had traded with another but had scored the only out on the enemy team—leaving them with five players.
"C'mon! It's me you want! All this Patrick but yall still can't hit this!" The large student danced about on our half of the hastily painted grass arena with a perfect combo of sass and confidence only Patrick could provide.
A ball flew at his feet, forcing him to jump away to avoid it. A second ball zipped at his upper body, forcing him to throw himself backwards. As he landed on his rear, the nail in his self-built coffin arrived—a third ball bouncing harmlessly off of his midriff.
A ragged cheer rang out from our opponents as Patrick walked off the field, still hollering his support for our remaining teammates.
"It's our turn! Give 'em a taste of our balls!" "Nice one, Big Pat."
I crossed my arms as I watched our teammates collect the dodgeballs with mild interest. Now that our opponents had depleted their ammunition, we had time to work on an offensive plan.
To my surprise, it was Rainbow that took charge.
"Maddie, right? Throw one of those in the air for me."
Maddie did as she was told, lobbing one above the mare's head. Suddenly, Rainbow whirled on her hooves—positioning herself facing away from the enemy team. With a mighty kick, she bucked at the falling dodgeball with nearly-invisible speeds—one of the our opponents falling backwards from a ball striking their shoulder.
"Again!" "R-right!"
Two more shots were fired and two more of the enemy fell—the score now even at 2-2. We roared our approval from the sidelines with each successful hit, surprised by the skillful display.
However, the ball was now in their court.
Three more balls were used in unison to knock out Maddie, leaving Rainbow alone.
Suddenly, another ball flew our from our opponents, narrowly missing Rainbow’s multicolored mane. We all looked over in shock as one of their team members arrived with a handful of dodgeballs "borrowed" from the large sack of them left unattended nearby.
"Why didn't we think of that," Patrick despaired as the other team dumped the sack onto their side.
"C'mon, GIVE THEM THE PAIN, PAINBOW," Patrick hollered, refusing to acknowledge the obvious disparity between sides.
The rest of us clapped and cheered enthusiastically, now completely invested in what was once a low-stakes game. Our opponents now palmed two dodgeballs each, preparing a conclusive salvo.
It was at this point that Rainbow spread her wings for the first time.
Two more dodgeballs soared towards her—one high, one low. The pegasus flapped her wings once, vanishing from her spot as she became airborne. Another ball was flung at her from below just as she flapped her wings again to change her direction of descent. A third ball accurately aimed at her flank fired from below only to have the mare dodge that one as well. For a few terrifying seconds, she zipped left, right, up and down as she avoided the deadly bombardment with style and finesse. The cheers fell quiet as it suddenly turned into an impressive aerial display.
As soon as the improvised salvo had started, it stopped—the lack of ammunition grinding our opponents' offensive to a halt. Rainbow landed swiftly, a slight show of strain visible on her face.
The entire group of spectators, regardless of team color, broke out into cheers.
Patrick stepped forward, his thumb held out Gladiator-style. Pointing it downwards, he cried out, "BRING THE PAINBOW!"
Rainbow glanced around at the balls at her hooves, looking uncertain. I suddenly realized her situation: She had no one to pitch it to her.
Suddenly, Maddie pointed to the side, yelling something inaudible. I followed her finger, spying an ousted enemy player rolling a dodgeball back to her team's side.
"Look out!"
Rainbow glanced over just in time to see the ball glancing off of her back hoof. It rolled to a stop in the grass just behind her as our opponents yelled out in unison.
A round of cheers and clapping exploded out from the opposing side as Rainbow approached us, head hanging low.
"Sorry, guys... I couldn't—!"
Patrick rushed forward and hugged her around the neck.
"YOU MADE US ALL PROUD, SOLDIER!"
Maddie jogged up, clapping happily.
"It was like that scene in the Matrix!"
Patrick mimed lowering a pair of sunglasses.
"You move like they do."
Ryan and Jackson smiled and patted her on the back, letting their expressions show their approval. I simply shook my head and clapped.
"Bravo, Rainbow Dash."
***
"Kevin? It's almost 10 o'clock."
I continued to pretend-read my copy of The Great Gatsby, sitting across from the fireplace. My mom rubbed my shoulder with concern.
"He said he would call us back after dinner." "I know. But I think he's in bed by now." "I'm gonna finish the required reading for tomorrow before I go to bed." "You've been on that same page for awhile now." "Slow reading. Gotta re-read some bits to—!" "You need to sleep, Kevin."
Dog-earing the tattered book, I closed it before leaning back in my chair.
"Kevin? Come on. Time to go." "I'll go in a minute."
I stared stubbornly at the vacant mirror for several more seconds. I heard my mom sigh before her retreating footsteps started back towards the hallway.
"Goodnight, Kevin."
Hearing her door close, I stared at the book on the table. My frustration simmered like a busy beehive at the back of my mind as I recalled his words. Having had only minutes to talk with Mom and Dad before having to leave, he promised to call me back after he ate dinner with his host family.
It seemed reasonable enough that he would remember he would want to talk to me.
He's too busy enjoying himself over there.
I inhaled sharply through my nostrils as my anger flared. I shook my head, glancing over at the mirror one last time.
Dropped. Flaked. Forgotten.
My frustration boiled over in that moment. Turning my back on the mirror, I stormed off to my room. Passing by Rainbow’s room, I heard her murmuring behind the door to her mirror. Hearing her happily talking to someone on the other side of it only made me want to walk faster.
Entering my room, I gently shut the door. I flopped onto my bed, hoping weariness would settle in soon.
It wouldn't be for another couple hours before my anger cooled enough to let me sleep.
