Bunderbliss

(2)

The stiff drink that Rainbow Dash fixed quickly turned into a second and a third. Eventually, her eyes couldn't handle the strain of reading, and she reached next to her for her glasses; her egghead viewers, she joked to herself. Not the big flashy glasses that the pony at the eye doctor's wanted to push off on her, but nice, and neat. Made from durable plastic, and designed to give her a much smarter look.

It may have all been a load of shit, but it made her feel less conspicuous, or would make her feel less so, should she find herself in a situation where one of her friends were to discover the spectacles.

After the third drink, and two thirds through the book, Rainbow Dash decided that it was time to end the day, and make for bed. Tomorrow was no doubt going to be a long day, and the last thing she needed was to have anything less than her game face on when she punched in for her shift.

Letting out a long held in breath, Rainbow allowed her mind to drift back over the last few passages of the book she had been reading. Danger Dodge was considered by all the fans to be the male equivalent of Daring Do. Smart, heroic, and adventurous; but, every time she read from a Danger book, she felt something lacking, as though there wasn't near enough sincerity in the words, or the author's heart just wasn't in it like it should have been.

Either way, there was definitely something lacking.

This wasn't to say that the books weren't good. They were good, and she enjoyed reading them. Tonight however, she was just in a strange mood, and she carried that strangeness into her dreams, yet again.

Like the many times before, the dream began with her flying, with no concept of time, or distance. As though, all space were even on the same level surface; smooth and unwavering. And like the many times before, she didn't know where she was going, only that she needed to get there, she was compelled to go there, to find the place with stones, with the water, and with the shimmering reflection.

Standing in front of the pool, she looks down. Her reflection is looking back at her, only slightly disturbed by the rippling effect of the liquid. Calmly, she extends her hoof, and touches the surface; only this time the dream continues. This time she can feel the heat in her forearm, and the strange sensation of the fire that burns her all the way to her shoulder, and then up her long neck, and finally into her brain. Her eyes are stinging; wet trails of moisture are forming and running down the sides of her cheeks, and there is a voice speaking, the sound is so very distant, like a voice in a long tunnel.

The line at Sugarcube Corner was long when Rainbow Dash arrived for her usual cup of coffee and two glazed donuts. Ahead of her, was a large overweight pony holding up the line, while his order was filled, and then refilled again.

There was nothing more irritating than customers that acted like jerks, just because the customer was always right. Had she been more awake, or in a fouler mood, she would have said something, or just outright flattened his ass. Score one for all the little ponies of the world.

Choosing rather to sigh, and just wait in line like everyone else, Rainbow Dash allowed her mind to drift to happier places, when she was pulled back to reality by Twilight's voice.

"Hey Rainbow Dash, getting an early start?"

Twilight was in an unprecedented good mood, notably from having two simultaneous projects going in Ponyville; and while her bubbly attitude was often infectious, it was lost on Rainbow for the time being.

"Yeah, I've got to go make sure the overnight supervisor did his job, and probably clean up a dozen small fires, left to burn out of control." She offered Twilight a wary expression. "All in a day's work."

"Is everything all right?" Twilight asked, leveling her gaze directly at her friend. "The way you took off yesterday, I thought maybe you were feeling ill."

"Nope," Dash said, as the line moved forward. "Fit as ever."

Wincing slightly, Twilight nodded that she understood. She hated it when her friends lied to her, but figured that it was something she wasn't ready to be told about yet.

"Well, if you need to talk," she said, offering Rainbow a solid smile, "you know where to find me."

"Sure do," Rainbow said, just as the line moved, and she found herself next in front of the smiling worker pony. "I'll have a cup of black coffee and two glazed donuts."

Though nothing else transpired between them, Twilight watched as Rainbow Dash acquired her order, tucked her donuts into her flight bag, and gripped the coffee in her teeth by the top handle. There was a small look that passed between them, and for a second Twilight was sure that she saw a hint of fatigue working its way through her friend's face; but, just as soon as it was there, she was gone out the door and off into the early morning sky.

Once she was within sight of Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash began going over her day's agenda in her mind. As a senior supervisor, she had lots of periphery work to do that wasn't what she would consider hooves-on. Paperwork needed attention, orders needed to be verified, and then she had to look over the quality assurance notes from the night shift's inspectors to make sure that the product for the weather service was consistent. The last thing they needed was a rainshower that poured buckets of vomit reeking chaw, rather than the fragrant clean crisp wet they were used to.

Once the office crap was handled, she could start making her rounds, and, if she was lucky, knock some knuckleheads together. A thought that brought a smile to her otherwise fretful face.

To her surprise, everything seemed to have gone well. There were no accidents, no formula problems, and so far as she could tell, no-pony had fucked anything up beyond all hope. Things were almost too good to be true. So sure of it in fact, she actually stopped one of the shift leaders, and demanded to know what the hell had happened that the place was running smooth.

"It was just a good night," she had said. "No problems."

I find that hard to believe, she thought. If there's one absolute about anything, it's that this place is a magnet for unexpected shit.

True to what she had been told, there were no situations. The day went smooth as well, with no problems, and no-pony getting maimed or mutilated in the machinery. Despite not believing what was clearly in front of her, even the three members of the Knucklehead Brigade were actually doing their work, and being half-way productive. If she didn't know any better, she'd swear that she was still dreaming, and that somehow, on the other side of that strange shimmery pool of ripply nonsense, was a doorway to a place where her life wasn't in a constant state of disaster.

Things of course were always too good to be true, and by the time punch-out rolled around, Rainbow Dash was knee deep in busted machinery. One of the grease-ponies had failed to check the pressure valves on the frost maker, and pressure rose too high, and the whole thing nearly blew. Thank the gods, there was the main engine block melting down, and caving in on one side that prevented it from going critical.

Sitting behind her desk, with her hoof over the bridge of her nose, she had her eyes squeezed shut, trying desperately to find the words to say to the three buffoons that stood like captured enemy soldiers in front of her.

"It's not like we didn't check the valves on purpose," Stone Slate said, doing his best to defend himself in front of his subordinates. "There was a coolant problem with the number five reservoir, and by the time we got that fixed, the damn thing was going critical."

Shaking her head, Rainbow Dash almost gave in, and offered a sympathetic ear. But, this was one time too many that the knuckleheads had cost her, cost the factory, and had come dangerously close to getting her ass in a sling with the big-wigs upstairs.

Never mind the fact that the equipment in the facility was over two decades old, and had been serviced to the point of fatigue and exhaustion; it was her job to supervise. And if it came to her or them, it was going to be them every time.

"I have in front of me the report on the reservoir," Dash said, allowing her hoof to fall from her face to the paper on her desk. "I also know that the incident took place long after the scheduled diagnostics on all the valve lines. So while I get that you had your hooves full with the coolant reservoirs, the pressure valves had already been overlooked, even if you had managed to pull yourselves away, they still would have failed, and the factory equipment in section five wouldn't look like melted butter!"

Loose Knot wanted to say something, and opened his mouth, but Rainbow Dash cut him off before he could begin.

"I don't want to hear it," she said, cutting her eyes at them. "You three are docked four days pay, and you're working double shifts until the factory gets back on track."

"Aww, come on!" Knot said, bowing up his shoulders at her. "We deserve better than this!"

Letting out a chortle, Rainbow Dash said, "You three fuck-ups couldn't hit the floor with a brick if you dropped it on purpose; what you deserve is having your legs broken in three places. So just be glad I'm only docking your pay. Or would you rather I just dish out termination forms now?"

"It's fine," Stone Slate said, holding his hoof out in front of his friend. "We get it. We'll take the pay cut."

"The next incident I hear about... I mean, the very next fart from any of you, and you're all three out on your flanks! Got it?!"

Slowly, the three of them nodded.

"Good, now get the hell out!"

The three of them made a beeline for her office door, and all but tripped through. On his way out, Rainbow Dash overheard Loose Knot say, obviously loud enough for her to hear; "What a bitch! Just because she can't get laid, doesn't mean she has to hate on us."

Flinching visibly, Rainbow turned her chair to look back over the factory floor. The words stung. The truth always hurt. Maybe she wouldn't be such a cast iron bitch if she did have a very special some-pony. Maybe her life would have been different had she decided to be less independent, and settled on domestication.

Too many what if, and maybes.

Fuck 'em! What did they know!

Bringing her hoof up to rub at the side of her temple, she heard the whistle blow for the shift change, and the signal that the daytime shift had ended. Not a moment too soon.

One day later

Before it was even light out, there was a knock on the door. It was the sort of knock that demanded to be answered, but that didn't exactly sound like it was an emergency.

It wasn't until the third set of rapid knocks, that Rainbow Dash remembered that she wasn't in her house... she was in Twilight's, and given the degree to which her head was throbbing, she was sporting one mother of a hangover.

Groaning, and turning over in the bed, she brought the pillow up over her face, and let out a series of muffled and muted curse words, before she tossed the covers back and went to answer the door.

She was just entertaining thoughts of homicide, when she opened the door and saw Spike standing there on the other side with his arms folded across his chest. He looked pissed. The feeling was mutual.

"Something I can do for you, Spike?"

"Well, if you're finished lazing about in bed all day, then you can go meet Twilight at the post office, she said something about needing help from a pegasus pony."

Cutting her eyes at the little dragon, Rainbow Dash, rubbed at the side of her head and nodded. "Fine, go tell her that I'll be there in a few minutes."

"She wants you now!" Spike said, showing his irritation.

"Well, she can wait a minute!" Not bothering to hear any more about it, she closed the door, and winced at the pain in her head.

Little ingrate! Can't a pony at least go to the bathroom first?

Making sure that the door was properly secured, she stumbled into Twilight's bathroom, and shut the door behind her. The medicine cabinet was calling to her, and certainly within was a pain relief tablet of some sort. A bookworm of Twi's magnitude, who was constantly staying up all hours of the day and night was bound to get raging headaches.

Popping open the medicine cabinet, she spied a glass jar with white pills. The label on the side read, "Pain-B-gone."

"Good enough for me," Dash said, nabbing the jar and popping the cork.

When she closed the cabinet back she caught sight of her reflection in the mirror. She looked haggard, and worn out. Definitely not the same pony she was a few years ago. Definitely not the poster pony for the element of loyalty.

"What the fuck are you staring at?!" she shouted at the reflection, then giving her head a shake, she downed the two pills, and placed her mouth under the faucet.

Grabbing a spare brush, Rainbow Dash did her best to remove some of the tangles from her mane, wincing at the knots that she'd acquired while tossing in the guest bed. Then, setting the brush on the vanity, she rushed out. If she had time, she could still grab a coffee before she met up with Twilight.

The line at the bakery was gone when she arrived, and she was grateful that she didn't have to wait; though once she had her coffee, she noticed Maude Pie sitting by herself at one of the outdoor tables. She was worrying the top of the table with one hoof, while pouring over the contents of her clipboard with the other.

It had been a couple of days since she had arrived with her caravan of obsidian, and Rainbow was curious about the stones, if only to reassure herself that they weren't the harbingers of her doom. A feeling she felt crawl up her spine every time she thought about them.

Casually approaching Maude, Rainbow asked her how she was doing, and motioned at the seat opposite of hers. "Mind if I join you?"

"You may sit," Maude said, looking up once from the clipboard.

Sliding herself into the seat, Rainbow Dash opened the top of her coffee, and took a cautious sip, careful not to burn her tongue.

After a few seconds of continued silence, Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, and cleared her throat. It was painfully obvious, that if she was going to have any sort of conversation with Maude, she was to be the one to initiate it.

"Uh, so... learning anything new about that fountain?" Dash asked, offering a wry smile.

"It's not a fountain. It's a reflecting pool." Maude said, not looking up.

"Right, my mistake," Dash said, sipping more from her cup. "So about the pool. Anything new?"

Slowly bringing her face up to look Rainbow Dash in the eyes, she said, "As of now all work on the pool has been suspended."

Blinking in surprise, Dash said, "Really? Why?"

"Yesterday, for unknown reasons, the pool took on a thin liquid in the bottom; and, due to the magical nature of the liquid, we've decided to hold off on the construction until one of the professors from my university arrives the day after tomorrow."

"C... can I see this liquid?"

Nodding once, Maude rose from her seat, and waited for Rainbow Dash to fall in behind her.

"It really is most unusual," she said. "Nothing in my research has even hinted that the pool may be of magic origin, though considering the fact that the pool is constructed of obsidian, could be a factor."

It didn't take a genius pony to put two and two together. Rainbow dash knew the first time she laid eyes on the obsidian that it was the same sort that was in her dream. In fact as soon as she saw the reconstructed drawings, she could tell it was the same as her dream. The same shimmery and ripply pool.

It wasn't like her to have premonitions. She had no psychic abilities in her at all. If anything, Pinkie Pie was the psychic one, and the rest just ran like idiots whenever she announced a shiver up her spine.

There were few words that could adequately convey what she felt, looking down in the pool, and seeing the liquid. Sensations that coursed through her whole frame, and caused shivers to run up and down her spine.

The reflective surface of the strange water in the bottom of the pool seemed almost otherworldly. Despite herself, Rainbow had to restrain herself from reaching a hoof out, and placing the tip against the silvery surface.

Shaking her head, Rainbow Dash brought herself out of her temporary funk. When she turned to Maude, she saw that she was watching her intently; her face still expressionless, and unreadable.

"Maude, what would you say, if I told you that I've been dreaming about this pool? That, I've been dreaming about it for weeks, and more... every night recently?"

Blinking a few times in slow progression, she watched Rainbow for a few long pauses, then said, "Well, I'd say that you have some problems."

Letting out a heavy sigh, Rainbow agreed. "I know. But, I'm not psychic or anything, what am I doing having dreams about this dumb pool?"

Turning her gaze to the pool, Maude shrugged her shoulders. "Have you told your friends about this?"

"I wouldn't even know where to start."

"Twilight is the most qualified pony in all of Ponyville to offer her assistance, isn't she?"

"I can't bother her with this stuff."

"Sometimes friends need to be bothered," Maude said, frowning at Rainbow Dash. "It's how they know they are needed."

"That doesn't make a lot of sense," Dash said, "but I'll give it a shot."

Sucking back the last of her now lukewarm coffee, Rainbow leapt in the air, and shot off for the post office. She hadn't meant to spend so much time with Maude. She only hoped that whatever it was that Twilight needed her help with, it was still there, and that she hadn't let any-pony down.

In less than a heartbeat, she was already over the post office, and watching as several ponies were hard at work putting large poles in the ground. In the distance, she could see a large thick black cable that ran connected with the poles.

"Twilight, sorry I'm late. I got caught up talking with Maude, and I really need to ask you something."

"Hey Rainbow Dash, good morning! I didn't expect to see you here."

"What... you didn't?" Shaking her head, Dash said, "But you sent Spike to come get me. Something about needing a pegasus pony to help you."

Pointing her hoof up and out the window of the post office, Twilight shook her head. "Ditzy Doo's been helping me plenty. I don't know why Spike went and woke you up. I told him several times that you were off work today, and that I wanted you to sleep in, and get as much rest as you could."

"You did?"

"Of course. You seemed like you hadn't been getting proper rest, and I wanted you to do your best to take a load off."

"That's really, uh... nice, Twilight. Thank you."

"It's no problem. We're friends after all."

Slouching her shoulders, Rainbow Dash walked over to Twilight, and gave her a hug, squeezing hard, and deliberate. "I'm sorry, I've been such an ass lately."

"Well, you're my ass. Er, um... that didn't quite come out right."

Chuckling, Rainbow Dash pulled away, and raised an eyebrow as she pretended to check out Twilight's back section. "Sorry, but your ass looks nothing like me."

Once the moment had passed, Twilight said, "You had something important to ask me."

"Well, it's about the pool," Rainbow began.

"What about it?"

"Miss Sparkle!" Came the voice of Ditzy as she peered in from the skylight over the lobby of the post office. "The last of the connections have been made!"

Instantly distracted, Twilight looked up, and nodded. "Right! I'll check down here, and send the first ring back!"

Moving to the televox, Twilight lifted the receiver, and turned the crank on the side once, then twice.

"There, that should do it!" Placing the receiver back on the hook, she moved back and waited. "Any minute now."

"Twilight... I really need to tell you this, before we get too caught up in something."

"Something's wrong," Twilight said, instantly fretting. "They must not be getting anything."

"They, who?"

"Cloudsdale!" Twilight all but shouted, working herself into a panic. "Rainbow Dash try again, I'm gonna check the connections myself."

"You want me to do what, now?"

"Just do like I did. Lift the receiver, crank the handle and wait a few minutes."

"Oh, for the love of everything good and holy!" Rainbow Dash shouted, as Twilight scooted off to start double checking the wall plugs.

Before she could lift the receiver, there was a loud ringing emitting from the wooden box. Instantly, Twilight came back in, and asked what Rainbow had done.

"I didn't do anything!" she said, cringing.

"Well, answer it! It's probably Cloudsdale!"

After the seventh ring, Rainbow Dash shook her head, and reluctantly lifted the receiver. Glaring hard at Twilight she moved to the mouth piece. Bracing herself, she said, "Yeah?"