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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
Falling In
Thunderlane knocked on Rainbow Dash’s door for the third time. “Rainbow? You’re going to be late for cloud duty again.”
No matter what anypony thought of their weather captain, there was one indisputable point: being the captain paid extremely well. Instead of an earth-bound cottage Rainbow had a little touch of Cloudsdale all to herself, complete with rainbow waterfalls.
He could hear pots and pans clattering around inside, followed by a distant voice. “Yeah, yeah. The weather can wait five minutes. I’m not busting clouds on an empty stomach again.”
“Could I… uh… could I come in?”
“Sure, just watch your hooves.”
He wasn’t sure what she meant. Not until he opened the door, at least. The front room’s floor was covered in everything from old Wonderbolts posters to older, and dirtier, flight suits. “Rainbow, this place is filthy.”
A rainbow-hued blur rushed past him, sweeping up the junk in her forelegs and whisking it off to another room. She was back a second later, grinning sheepishly. “Heh, yeah, sorry. Kinda got carried away looking for my lucky horseshoe last night and–”
A shadow fell across him as another pony approached the door and knocked. He turned to see the mail mare with a stack of letters in her grasp. “Hi, Ditzy.”
“Hey, Thunderlane. I’ve got some mail here for–”
There was another crash of pans from the kitchen as Rainbow resumed her original task. “Just leave ‘em on the counter, Ditzy. I’ve gotta find something to eat so we can get cloud busting. Oh, did I get anything from Wonderbolt HQ?”
Ditzy flipped through the stack of letters. “Hmm… Oh, is this it?”
She was waving a pinkie envelope overhead.
Rainbow zoomed over and grabbed it. “Bleh, no. The Wonderbolts would never use pink to… what is this? It’s got all these hearts on it.”
Her wings slowed and, for the first time since Thunderlane arrived, she touched down on the floor. Ditzy hovered over her and read the front. “Is it addressed to someone else? I… kind of mix up the mail… a lot.”
Thunderlane tried not to roll his eyes. “We know…”
Rainbow tore open the side and pulled out an equally pink page. “Nah, it’s for me and everything, but there’s no return address. Let’s see what it says… What the?”
She held the letter out in front of her. “Dear Rainbow Dash, you’re the fastest pegasi I know, and the most beautiful too. If you want to know who I am, meet me for dinner at the clouds over town hall at sunset. Signed, you’re secret adm–what is this?”
Ditzy giggled. “Somepony has a secret admirer!”
Rainbow shoved the letter into Thunderlane’s hands. “Do you recognize that hoofwriting?”
“Uh–”
She hovered directly over him, staring him down with a glower that could turn storm clouds white. “‘cause if you do I wanna know! What’s the deal with this pony? Are they scared of me or something?”
At the moment he didn’t blame them. “It… uh… it sounds like they like you. Sounds pretty simple, just go where the letter says and–”
She snatched the letter back. “Well… maybe I don’t want to! Maybe… maybe they just need to fly up here in person and tell me to my face.”
Ditzy sighed. “Aw, but the secret is the romantic part. It could be anypony.”
Rainbow crumpled up the letter and crossed her forelegs. “Yeah, probably somepony that’s totally lame.”
Ditzy flew over to Thunderlane and tapped him on the head. “You never know. Pretend it’s Thunderlane, for example.
His eyes went wide. “What, me?”
“Sure! Like I said, it could be anypony.”
Rainbow shook her head. “Nah, I know your hoofwriting. It’s not you.”
Ditzy sighed. “That’s not the point, Rainbow. Just pretend it was for a second, wouldn’t you want to go?”
Rainbow stared them down for a minute. She looked like she was staring into the maw of a hydra. Finally her wings kicked in and she pushed them both out the door. “Tell the others I’m not gonna make it today. I’m… I’m sick, yeah. Achoo!”
Ditzy tried to take one last look at her before the door slammed shut. “But, are you going tonight?”
“I… I have to think about it. Don’t you two have somewhere else to be? Get to busting those clouds and delivering that mail already!”
Thunderlane grinned at Ditzy. “Thanks for writing it out for me.”
She giggled. “No problem.”
No matter what anypony thought of their weather captain, there was one indisputable point: being the captain paid extremely well. Instead of an earth-bound cottage Rainbow had a little touch of Cloudsdale all to herself, complete with rainbow waterfalls.
He could hear pots and pans clattering around inside, followed by a distant voice. “Yeah, yeah. The weather can wait five minutes. I’m not busting clouds on an empty stomach again.”
“Could I… uh… could I come in?”
“Sure, just watch your hooves.”
He wasn’t sure what she meant. Not until he opened the door, at least. The front room’s floor was covered in everything from old Wonderbolts posters to older, and dirtier, flight suits. “Rainbow, this place is filthy.”
A rainbow-hued blur rushed past him, sweeping up the junk in her forelegs and whisking it off to another room. She was back a second later, grinning sheepishly. “Heh, yeah, sorry. Kinda got carried away looking for my lucky horseshoe last night and–”
A shadow fell across him as another pony approached the door and knocked. He turned to see the mail mare with a stack of letters in her grasp. “Hi, Ditzy.”
“Hey, Thunderlane. I’ve got some mail here for–”
There was another crash of pans from the kitchen as Rainbow resumed her original task. “Just leave ‘em on the counter, Ditzy. I’ve gotta find something to eat so we can get cloud busting. Oh, did I get anything from Wonderbolt HQ?”
Ditzy flipped through the stack of letters. “Hmm… Oh, is this it?”
She was waving a pinkie envelope overhead.
Rainbow zoomed over and grabbed it. “Bleh, no. The Wonderbolts would never use pink to… what is this? It’s got all these hearts on it.”
Her wings slowed and, for the first time since Thunderlane arrived, she touched down on the floor. Ditzy hovered over her and read the front. “Is it addressed to someone else? I… kind of mix up the mail… a lot.”
Thunderlane tried not to roll his eyes. “We know…”
Rainbow tore open the side and pulled out an equally pink page. “Nah, it’s for me and everything, but there’s no return address. Let’s see what it says… What the?”
She held the letter out in front of her. “Dear Rainbow Dash, you’re the fastest pegasi I know, and the most beautiful too. If you want to know who I am, meet me for dinner at the clouds over town hall at sunset. Signed, you’re secret adm–what is this?”
Ditzy giggled. “Somepony has a secret admirer!”
Rainbow shoved the letter into Thunderlane’s hands. “Do you recognize that hoofwriting?”
“Uh–”
She hovered directly over him, staring him down with a glower that could turn storm clouds white. “‘cause if you do I wanna know! What’s the deal with this pony? Are they scared of me or something?”
At the moment he didn’t blame them. “It… uh… it sounds like they like you. Sounds pretty simple, just go where the letter says and–”
She snatched the letter back. “Well… maybe I don’t want to! Maybe… maybe they just need to fly up here in person and tell me to my face.”
Ditzy sighed. “Aw, but the secret is the romantic part. It could be anypony.”
Rainbow crumpled up the letter and crossed her forelegs. “Yeah, probably somepony that’s totally lame.”
Ditzy flew over to Thunderlane and tapped him on the head. “You never know. Pretend it’s Thunderlane, for example.
His eyes went wide. “What, me?”
“Sure! Like I said, it could be anypony.”
Rainbow shook her head. “Nah, I know your hoofwriting. It’s not you.”
Ditzy sighed. “That’s not the point, Rainbow. Just pretend it was for a second, wouldn’t you want to go?”
Rainbow stared them down for a minute. She looked like she was staring into the maw of a hydra. Finally her wings kicked in and she pushed them both out the door. “Tell the others I’m not gonna make it today. I’m… I’m sick, yeah. Achoo!”
Ditzy tried to take one last look at her before the door slammed shut. “But, are you going tonight?”
“I… I have to think about it. Don’t you two have somewhere else to be? Get to busting those clouds and delivering that mail already!”
Thunderlane grinned at Ditzy. “Thanks for writing it out for me.”
She giggled. “No problem.”