2 AM Nights
By Slate Sadpony
Rainbow Dash stumbled out of the bar, struggling to keep her hooves under her as she carefully stepped into the street. She was now regretting the contest she’d gotten into with Berry Punch, even though she’d won for the first time. She was much too drunk to fly, and almost too drunk to walk. Still, her confident swagger kept her going, and so long as she managed to stagger in the right general direction, she would probably be sober enough to open the front door by the time she got home.
After a few steps, she stopped at one of the light posts to steady herself and try and take her bearings. She needed to be heading south to find her house, which meant that the moon needed to be on her left. Or was it her right? Blinking at the brightness of the light above her, she looked up, trying to see if she could figure out where, exactly, she was headed.
Much to her surprise, though, there was a pony perched on top of the light post, looking down on her curiously. He was a bat pony, a type of pony Rainbow Dash was passingly familiar with. Their nocturnal nature meant that many of them took jobs as night watchponies, bouncers, police or other ponies Rainbow Dash needed to explain herself too, but other than that she didn’t know much about them. Blinking a bit to try and clear her vision, she realized that the pony was a young colt without a cutie mark. Did bat ponies even have cutie marks? She wasn’t sure. She waved a hoof and smiled.“Hey there. Do you know which way south is?”
The bat pony shook his head, but continued looking down at Rainbow Dash. She closed her eyes for a second, then opened them again and found herself staring eye to eye with him, the young colt suddenly quite close to her face. She jumped back a bit, startled by him. He had yellow eyes with horizontal pupils, like a cat or a snake, framed by jet-black fur and a night-blue mane. It was somewhat disconcerting in the dark, as though his eyes were hovering by themselves in the air in front of her.
“My name’s Night Wish!” The colt smiled to reveal a pair of fangs in addition to a full set of white, shiny teeth.
Rainbow Dash was too prideful to admit she was afraid, and too drunk to really get upset. She extended a hoof, trying to keep it steady. “I’m the one and only Rainbow Dash!” she tossed her mane and summoning her coolest demeanor. When the colt extended his own hoof she shook it enthusiastically and then resumed leaning on the light post. Balance was not coming as easily as she thought it would.
“Are you lost?” asked the colt.
“Yes?” she wasn’t sure if she was or not. Were she sober she’d know exactly where she was, as she’d always had an excellent sense of direction. However, her mind and vision were blurred by alcohol, and other than “Ponyville” and “not in a bar” she didn’t know where she was.
“Me too.” The small batpony stared up at Rainbow Dash. “You don’t know where Transylmaneia is do you? That...That’s where my house is.”
Rainbow Dash rubbed her hoof against her forehead. “Isn’t that the place in the mountains with all the castles and stuff?” She had never been very good at geography in school, and she struggled to remember. “That’s like, hours away, even you flew.”
“I can fly!” Night Wish spread and flapped his leathery wings. They were soft and silent, unlike the fluttering and flapping ones that Rainbow Dash was more familiar with. “I’m a really good flier!”
“I bet you are.”No need to tell the colt which one of them was the better flier, especially when she was too drunk to prove it. “Listen, before we go anywhere, I need to get something to eat. Did you happen to see a diner or something when you were flying in?”
“That place is open.” Night Wish pointed his hoof at a blurry set of lights off in the distance.
Rainbow Dash followed the light carefully, hoping to not set foot in any unseen ditches or pits. She couldn’t even make out the sign on the shop, but the place seemed vaguely familiar. Had she wandered into this place before? She pushed the front door open, letting Night Wish go in first and following him slowly.
“Rainbow Dash!” said a voice from behind the counter. She recognized it as belonging to Shyef, owner and operator of Shyef’s Dumplings. An immigrant from a distant, frozen land, he kept very late hours, and had served Rainbow Dash after many a drunken outing. “Mushroom and onion pelmeni with black pepper, yes?”
Rainbow Dash smiled drunkenly, a pleased look on her face. She now knew not only where she was, but that she’d have the time and tools to sober up while she figured out what to do about this new friend of hers. “Can you make it two?” Rainbow Dash pointed a hoof to Night Wish.
“Aww, who is friend?” Shyef leaned over the counter to smile at Night Wish.
“Night Wish.” The colt shied behind Rainbow Dash, peering at Shyef from between her legs.
Shyef just focused on retrieving dumplings from a very large boiling pot behind the counter, straining them out and then placing them in two bowls, an oversized one for Rainbow Dash and a small one for Night Wish. He set them down on the counter, continuing to smile at Night Wish. “You eat pelmeni and grow up big and strong like Rainbow Dash, yes?”
Rainbow Dash put some bits on the counter, hoping it wasn’t too little or too much, then carried her dumplings to one of the of the tables, setting it down and then grabbing them one at a time with her mouth. Utensils were for ponies like Rarity or Twilight, and besides, without a magical horn, she’d never gotten the hang of holding them anyway. After eating a dozen or so dumplings, she looked up to see Night Wish poking and prodding at his own portion, not even taking so much as a nibble. “What’s the matter, kid?” asked Rainbow Dash. “Got a weak stomach?”
“These...Don’t have any insects in them, do they?”
Shyef huffed from behind the counter. “I am very clean cook! No cockroaches or ants or flies in my dumplings, not ever!”
Night Wish looked at the floor, clearly worried that he’d upset Shyef. “It’s just, well, I’ve never eaten anything without insects in it before.”
Rainbow Dash smiled, ruffling his hair with her hoof. “I totally forgot, bat ponies eat bugs, don’t they?” She dug in to another dumpling, picking it up with her teeth and then tossing it into the air and catching it in her mouth. The greasy, spicy food, along with her fast metabolism, were helping her to sober up reasonably quickly. “Just try it, they’re really good.”
Night Wish gently picked up a fork and nibbled at one of the dumplings, then immediately grabbed a glass of water and began downing it, waving his wing in front of his mouth. “It’s so spicy! How can you eat these?”
“You just have to not give a buck!” Rainbow Dash tossed and catching another dumpling. If she could do three in a row without missing, she was probably sober enough to fly, at least as long as they didn’t do any complex maneuvers. The dumpling she’d gotten stuck on the ceiling and the one that had rolled under the table told her she wasn’t ready quite yet.
Night Wish slowly attempted to finish eating the dumpling, nibbling at it a bit and drinking more water. When he finally succeeded, he put on a slight smile. “It’s good,.”
“You don’t need to lie to me, squirt.” Rainbow Dash helped herself to one of Wish’s unwanted dumplings. “I know these things aren’t for the faint of heart. One time, I dragged my friend Rarity in here, and she was, like, blowing flames almost. It was bucking hilarious! Too much of that fancy foreign cuisine, I guess.”
“My dumplings are fancy and foreign.”
“No, your dumplings are delicious.” Rainbow Dash finished the the last of the dumplings from Night Wish’s bowl. She rubbed her stomach and leaned back in her chair, letting out a contented sigh. “Those were great! I dunno why, but your stuff always tastes better when I’m drunk.”
Wish didn’t protest, instead just waving his hooves and wings idly, clearly a bit nervous and out of place in the mostly empty restaurant.
“Hey Shyef, do you know how to get to Transylmaneia from here? Night Wish got lost, and I wanna make sure he gets home safe.”
“I find out!” Shyef disappeared into the back and then returned with an old military map and compass. He removed the empty dumpling bowls and then unrolled the map onto the table, examining it closely. “I was navigator back in navy. I find fastest route for you!” He retrieved a ruler and began making a series of careful measurements, drawing lines from one landmark to the next until he finally reached a part on the map marked with castles, sheer peaks and dark swamps.
“That looks kind of far away.” It reminded her of some of the places she’d seen described in horror books and some of the more frightening Daring Do novels. “How did you get so far off course, Wish?”
“I um...I just got lost, ok?” Night Wish stared at the floor
Rainbow Dash did not press any further. “Well it doesn’t matter now. We’ve got a good four hours of flying ahead of us, so let’s get going.” She strode out on to the sidewalk, stretching her wings wide and grinning. “Think you can keep up?”
Night Wish happily dashed after Rainbow, smiling. “I know I can! My Dad says I’m the best flier in all of Transylmaneia!”
Rainbow Dash grinned, leaping high into the air and beating her wings powerfully. “Well then it’ll be a fair race. Cuz I’m the fastest flier in all of Equestria!”
***
Though she knew it must almost be daybreak by now, Rainbow Dash found herself struggling in the steep hills and deep forest of Transymaneia. Sharp, leafless trees sprouted from every nook and crevice. Mountains seemed to appear from nowhere. Moonlight and starlight were scarce at best, often giving way to complete darkness. Though she would never admit it, the blindness and hidden obstacles were terrifying to her. One particularly close scrape with a granite column sent a chill down her spine, forcing her to slow down and raise her altitude.
Night Wish, however, was perfectly at home in these dark obstacles, spinning and twisting around them playfully. Even when he closed his eyes he seemed to know precisely where every obstacle was, missing it by inches each and every time. His wings propelled him forward silently and gently through the air, enabling him to outmatch Rainbow Dash’s moves, although he could not even approach her speed.
After clearing the crest of a final mountain, Rainbow Dash found herself high above an enormous caldera filled with tiny lights. Though she could not make out the details of the buildings in the gloom, there was no mistaking that this was the Transylmania capital, Brann. Moving carefully into the main air corridor, she found herself enveloped by hundreds of other bat ponies, all of them flying down towards the same landing area, an enormous flat stone surface carved out of an even more enormous cave. Outside of Cloudsdale on a busy day, she’d never seen so many ponies flying so close together. She barely missed colliding several times as she tried to land and she found herself jostled from behind as soon as her hooves touched the ground.
Separating herself from the crowd, she began to look around for Night Wish, intending to give him a quick pat on the head before taking off back to her own home. However, she found it hard to spot him amongst all the other ponies. She had never realized that she could barely tell one bat pony from another, and in the darkness and confusion it was even more difficult for her to spot Night Wish.
“Why don’t you go on to bed, widdwe bwank-fwank?” said a mocking voice. “The sun is almost up - it’s well past your bedtime!”
Rainbow Dash turned and saw a large, scruffy looking bat pony with a mailed fist cutie-mark towering over Night Wish. She moved in, intending to intervene on Wish’s behalf.
“You don’t belong here, half-breed!” said the larger bat pony. “You should have flown off to one of those pony-towns like I told you!”
Just as Rainbow Dash was about to put her hoof deep into this bat pony’s flank, she was hit by a powerful gust of wind. Looking up, she saw the biggest bat pony she’d ever seen, an enormous creature with huge hooves and tremendous leathery wings. Her beautiful female face was coated in a black heavy armor, as was her chest and rear, although a cutie mark showing a spear with two leathery wings was prominently displayed on her rear. Towering over the other bat ponies, she looked down on the pair in front of Rainbow Dash with disdain.
“I’d expect this sort of behavior from a schoolyard bully, Iron Fist.” The enormous bat pony towered over Iron Fist, using her size advantage to its fullest. “But you were sworn into the Junior Guards just yesterday. Are you already looking for a dishonorable discharge?”
“No Commander Shadow Lance!” snapped Iron Fist, backing up. “I’m just...Going back to my post!” He leapt into the air, his leathery wings beating hard as he made a hasty retreat towards the back of the cave.
Night Wish, however, ran towards Shadow Lance, hugging one of her enormous legs and nuzzling it gently. She smiled and wrapped one of her tremendous wings around him, nuzzling him between the ears. “Mommy!” he shouted, flapping his wings and flicking his tail.
“Where were you?” Shadow Lance hugged her son close. “I was out half the night looking for you.”
“I got lost.” Night Wish averted his eyes from his mother’s gaze. “But this really nice pegasus helped me find my way home.” He pointed a hoof at Rainbow Dash.
“I don’t believe I’ve seen you before.” Rainbow Dash realized that only Luna and Celestia could exceed Night Wish in size. “I am Shadow Lance, Captain of the Nightwatch of Brann. I cannot thank you enough for returning my son to me. Where was he, anyway?”
“Ponyville.” No need to bother a member of the police force with an explanation as to why she’d be out so late. “It’s where I live.”
“Then you must be Rainbow Dash.” Shadow Lance smiled. “Your reputation precedes you.”
“Is that so?” Rainbow Dash backed up slightly and looked furtively to the sky behind her.
“Yes. You won the Best Young Flyers competition several years ago, did you not? And I believe you also set several records at the Wonderbolts Academy?”
“Yeah, that’s me!” Rainbow Dash wiped her brow and then struck a pose as she flared open her wings. “I’m the fastest flier in all of Equestria!”
“The fastest pegasus.” Shadow Lance smirked. “And now your heroism extends to Transylmaneia. Do you have time for me to thank you?”
“It depends.” Rainbow Dash yawned a bit, flapping her wings lightly. “It’s kinda late for me.”
“Well then you should enjoy some of my husband’s coffee before you leave. It’s the least I can do to say thanks.”
“I’m always up for a good cup of coffee.” Rainbow Dash grinned. “Lead the way!”
As the sun was beginning to rise, Rainbow Dash found flying through the city of Brann surprisingly easy. Now that she could see clearly, the roads were laid out in a clear grid pattern, though the sharp-edged roofs and numerous pointed towers presented significant hazards to the unwary flier. Most of the bat ponies below here were making their way into various perches, the disused streets below completely empty. All of the houses had their entrances on the top floor, with the lower floors relegated to storage. This made it easy for Rainbow Dash to follow Shadow Lance and land on the stone perch, even though the house was located deep within the shadowy parts of the caldera.
“Run along to bed, Night Wish. The sun’s almost up, and you’ve got another full day of school come moonrise.”
“Can’t I stay up and read for awhile?” Night Wish frowned, laying his ears flat and quivering his lip. “I want to finish that Dangerous Darkwing book before I have to return it to the library.”
“Not on a school day.” Shadow Lance patted Night Wish on the head. “Now go brush your teeth. If I come to tuck you in and see moth wings in your mouth, I’ll march you back into the bathroom and make you floss all over again.”
“Fine mom.” Night Wish hugged his mother and trotted off into the dark hallway. Rainbow Dash peered into the gloom but found it impossible to tell where it ended, even as she heard Night Wish opening and closing a door.
“He’s a good colt.” Shadow Lance sat down at the kitchen table. “But rather rebellious.”
“He got that from his mother.” Out of the gloom emerged the smallest full-grown pegasus Rainbow Dash had ever seen. Though he did not seem at all out of proportion, he was significantly shorter than Rainbow Dash, his black mane only coming up to her muzzle. His fur was a brilliant shade of silver, save for the three white moths that made up the cutie mark on his flank. He trotted up to Shadow Lance and gave her a hug. “Where was he? I was about to go out looking for him myself.”
“Ponyville, believe it or not. Fortunately, Rainbow Dash over there found him and helped him get home.”
“Ponyville? I haven’t been out there in years. Is Mayor Mare still running things?” He trotted over to Rainbow Dash and set a hot mug of coffee in front of her. “Oh, pardon my rudeness. My name is Silverwing.”
Rainbow Dash nodded and picked up the mug of coffee, sipping it lightly. It was powerfully bitter but flavorful. It was thick as well, almost gelatinous in consistency. “Your wife was right, this is good coffee.”
“I developed a talent for it back in my university days.” Silverwing set down cups for himself and Shadow Lance. “As an entomologist specializing in nocturnal lepidoptera, I needed to stay up late, and so I took it upon myself to learn how to brew near-perfect cups of coffee. I had a lot of help from my roommate, Donut Joe, although he always put too much sugar in it.”
“Entomologist?” Rainbow Dash sipped more of the coffee. She could feel the caffeine entering her system, filling her wings with vigor. “You mean like, somepony who studies words?”
“That’s an etymologist.” Silverwing blew across his coffee mug before taking a sip. “I study moths. An unusual occupation for somepony who isn’t a bat pony, I know. But I did very well in Canterlot University and I was assigned to help the bat ponies of Transylmaneia increase their moth harvests.”
“That’s how we met.” Shadow Lance wrapped one of her enormous leathery wings around Silverwing. “I had a night patrol near his experimental caterpillar fields. Every day when I came off work he’d present me with some of his latest harvest for ‘field testing’.”
Silverwing blushed. “I never felt the need to devour my specimens”
“Late one morning he came up to me with a bouquet made out of huge luna moths on pins and just proposed right there in front of everypony. I could hardly turn him down in front of my fellow officers, could I? Not when he was so sweet.” She nuzzled Silverwing’s black mane as she spoke, nibbling him behind the ears and making his wings pop out to the sides.
“Stop it, honey.” Silverwing turned bright red. “We have guests.”
“Oh pshaw, you’re as prudish as my mother.” Shadow Lance, wrapped her wing around him and hugging Silverwing close. “You’re my little honeymoth, you are! And I don’t care who knows it!”
Rainbow Dash took one last long draft of the coffee, finishing it off. Though she did feel tired, the caffeine and hot flavor seemed to give her enough energy to make it home. Getting through work was going to be tough, though. “Before I go, I have one question.” Rainbow Dash stood up. “Well two, actually. First, can I get a cup of this stuff to go?”
“Sure.” Silverwing walked over to the cupboard. “I’ve got a few disposable spill-proof cups around here somewhere. I’ll even throw in a straw so you can drink it on the wing.”
“And the other...” Rainbow Dash, bit her lip. “What was up with Night Wish and Iron Fist out there? I mean, when I met him in Ponyville, he told me he’d gotten lost running away from bullies. Is there a problem here?”
“I’m afraid there is.” Shadow Lance sighed. “I’ve tried to protect my son from bullying, I really have. But not only is he the son of the Captain of the Night Guard, he’s small, and he hasn’t gotten his cutie mark even though he’s twelve. I’ve talked to his teachers and the parents of the other foals at school, but it seems he still gets the worst of it. I’ve seriously considered taking him out of school altogether. I just don’t know what to do.”
“It’s my fault.” Silverwing set a sealed cup of coffee with a straw down in front of Rainbow Dash, then leaned on his wife. “He gets his small size and late-blooming from me.”
“Oh honey, you can’t help who you are.” Shadow Lance, rubbed up and down his back with one of her enormous hooves. “I just wish we could find Night Wish a place where he could belong. That’s why he’s getting bullied so much. He doesn’t have any friends and those mean colts just go after him no matter what we do.”
“Maybe I could help.” Rainbow Dash, sipped the coffee through the straw. “There’s a pony back in Ponyville named Scootaloo. I’ve kind of taken her under my wing recently, like a little sister. She’s a bit younger than Night Wish, but she doesn’t have a cutie mark either, so I’m helping her with that. Maybe I could do something like that with Night Wish?”
“It would be too much to ask.” Silverwing stood up and pushed in his chair. “Even at top speed it’s three hours each way from here to Ponyville.”
Shadow Lance tapped her chin with a hoof.“Actually, I think some time away from Transylmaneia might do Night Wish some good. Some time away from the foals at school would certainly help his self-esteem, and I’m certain we could find a local coach willing to help him with his acrobatics training.”
“I’ll have you know I hold five academy records at the Wonderbolts Academy,” boasted Rainbow Dash, proudly puffing out her chest. “And I’m on the short list for becoming a Wonderbolts Inductee!”
Shadow Lance smiled. “Well I think we’ve found Night Wish’s new acrobatics coach. I’ll see about getting some local lodging and school enrollment. Provided Night Wish is interested, of course.”
“I’m sure he will be.” Rainbow Dash grinned. “After all, he’s going to be getting training from the best flier in all of Equestria!”
Silverwing smiled. “You certainly have the right attitude. I just hope we’re doing what’s best for our little colt.”
***
“Night Wish, meet Scootaloo. Scootaloo, Night Wish!”
Scootaloo grinned and adjusted her helmet. “Pleased to meet ya!”
“You too,” said Night Thunder, shyly shaking the young filly’s hoof. He yawned and blinked his eyes a bit, looking at the horizon and then to Rainbow Dash. “Did we have to come out so early? The sun’s still up.”
“Hey, you wanna train to be the best don’t you?” Rainbow Dash smiled and tossed her mane. “I do my best training right before the sun goes down, and you will too!”
“It’s because she doesn’t get up until noon,” whispered Scootaloo, grinning.
Rainbow Dash huffed. “All the best fliers don’t get up until noon!” She spread her wings and vaulted into the sky, soaring above the foals with ease. “Your problem is speed. You’ve got all of the agility but none of the power. So we gotta work you out -- wing-ups till you’re too sore to fly at all. But today, we’ve got to build up your endurance, and that’s why Scootaloo’s here.”
Scootaloo beamed with pride. “I’m the best endurance scooter in all of Ponyville. I’ve won the twenty mile scooter run three years in a row!”
Rainbow Dash swooped low, patting Scootaloo on the shoulder as she dived. “If you can keep up with Scootaloo today, then maybe some day you can keep up with me.”
“You ready?” Scootaloo kicked at the ground with her hooves and buzzed her wings.
“Go!” said Rainbow Dash, moving back and above Scootaloo to keep a good eye on both foals. Night Wish took off as best he could, moving precisely but slowly. Rainbow could tell that Scootaloo was taking it easy, pacing herself for a long haul, but even then Night Wish was having trouble. “No no no! Focus on pushing forward, not down. If you go fast enough, the lift will take care of itself!”
“I’m trying!” Night Wish flapped as hard as he could, his wings turning into a gray blur as he flapped them harder and harder. Still, he dropped further and further behind Scootaloo, losing more and more ground as she continued down the open road. Finally he stopped, coming down hard and kicking up a cloud of dust.
“Are you okay?” Scootaloo brought her scooter to a screeching halt, pulling a quick K-turn and then dashing back the way she’d come.
“No!” Night Wish kicked the ground in frustration. “I’ll never go that fast!”
“Jeez, and I wasn’t even gunning it,” said Scootaloo.
“Scoots, not now,” said Rainbow Dash. She came in slowly, landing on all four points. “Night Wish, I know it’s hard, but you can’t get discouraged. It took me, like, forever to get as fast as I am today. And heck, I bet your mom was slow when she was just starting out, but look at her now!”
“Yeah well my mom is big and strong!” said Night Wish. “I’m just a little moth-puff. Even my dad is faster than me!”
Rainbow Dash paused for a moment, rubbing her chin with her hoof. There had to be some way to encourage him. “You know what you are?”
“A dust bunny with bat wings?”
“You’re...Condensed.”
Night Wish and Scootaloo stared at Rainbow Dash, their mouths open and there eyes wide.
“Don’t look at me like that,” said Rainbow Dash. “You’re like...Like a little tiny portable version of your mom. All the power, none of the size.”
Night Wish rubbed his hoof across his forehead. “I’m not sure I understand.”
Rainbow Dash pulled a canteen out of her saddlebag. “It’s like your dad’s coffee. Regular store coffee is weak, so I have to drink a whole bunch of it to wake up. But your dad’s coffee, all it takes is one sip and I’m up for hours. You’re like that. Condensed.”
“So he’s like a fun-sized candy bar!” said Scootaloo, buzzing her wings and popping a wheelie.
“Not really, but A for effort, Scoots.” Rainbow Dash poured a little bit of coffee into the lid of the canteen and offered it to Night Wish.
“Dad says I’m not supposed to drink coffee. He says it’ll stunt my growth.”
“Your dad also told you to do what I told you during training.” She pushed the lid towards him again. “C’mon, I’m trying to be inspiring here. Drink it before it gets cold.”
Night Wish took a sip, then turned up his lips and stuck out his tongue. “Ugh, it’s so bitter!”
“You’ll grow to like it when you’re older.” Rainbow Dash lifted the lid to her lips, draining it in one long sip. “Now, Scoots, I want you to move at a nice marathon pace. Night, focus on trying to put yourself a few feet above Scootaloo. That way you’ll focus on going forward, and let the lift take care of itself.”
Scootaloo grinned. “Just try and catch me!” Her wings buzzed and her wheels spun as she took off, effortlessly moving down the road.
“Rainbow Dash, do you ever think I’ll be cool like Scootaloo?” Night Wish raised his wings a bit, stretching them and preparing to take to the air. “I mean, look at her. She’s so fast on that scooter, and so confident. I wish I was like that, but with flying.”
Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow, then smirked a bit. “Kid, I’m sure you can be as cool as Scootaloo.” She lifted up into the air, taking her position as Night Wish began his pursuit. “Work hard enough, and maybe you’ll be almost as cool as me!”
***
“Watch out for that cloud, Rainbow!”
Rainbow Dash blinked her eyes and then banked hard, narrowly missing the dark rain cloud in the midnight gloom. She didn’t remember night flying being so hard. She didn’t remember being this sleep deprived either.
“Are you okay?” Night Wish moved up from below, flapping his wings hard to catch up with Rainbow Dash. His speed had improved significantly, but he still had to struggle even to keep up with Dash’s cruising speed. If he hadn’t been so tiny and light, he would drop right out of the sky.
“Yeah, I just didn’t see that cloud there is all.” She yawned, slowing to a hover as Night Wish caught up.
“How could you not see it?” Night Wish twitched his ears, tilting his head slightly.
“Pegasi can’t see with our ears like you do, remember?” Setting down on a nearby cloud, she pulled out her saddle bag and retrieved her canteen, sipping on the lukewarm coffee inside. She turned up her nose a bit at the taste. Silverwing’s coffee had spoiled her, and her own brew was now wholly inadequate.
“Oh, right, like Dad.” Night Wish sat down next to Rainbow Dash, panting a bit and catching his breath. “He bumps into things sometimes. I thought it was because he needed a hearing aid, but it turns out it’s because he needs a lamp.”
Dash finished her coffee and put the canteen back in her saddlebag. She offered Night Wish a water bottle. “I’ve always wondered. What do I look like to a bat pony anyway?”
Night Wish took the water bottle and sipped from it. “I dunno how to describe it to somepony who isn’t a batpony. I guess you look...Pointy? I mean your hair and everything. It’s nothing like what a bat pony would have, it’s got so many rough edges.”
Dash smirked. “Are you saying I have a bad haircut?”
“No, just that it’s not like what a batpony would have. There’s too much noise. It just looks like a blur to me. Or like maybe a tree?”
“Funny, I always thought Fluttershy was the one who was a tree.”
“Who’s Fluttershy?” Night Wish finished off the water bottle and returned it to Dash.
Dash chuckled. “An old friend of mine. I’ll have to introduce you two.” Dash yawned again and took the water bottle, stuffing it back into her saddle bag. “But not right now, you’ve got more flight exercises to finish.”
“Do you really think I can get my speed up in time for the auditions next week?”
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be training you.” Dash took to the air slowly, helping Night Wish to warm back up before really pushing him. “You’ve improved your wingpower significantly in the past two months. Up from three and a half to a full five. That’s a really impressive improvement for a pony your age.”
“How many wingpower did you have when you were ten?” Night Wish kept up well, but his wings were sagging with each downward stroke. Dash would need to keep things light for the rest of the evening.
“Let’s not get into that.” Dash began to descend, trading altitude for airspeed. It would be easier for Night Wish to pick up speed by falling than by flapping his wings. “But hey, you’re already more powerful than Fluttershy is, and she’s a full-grown pony.”
Night Wish beamed, flapping his wings hard as they descended. Soon they were gliding at a good clip, above normal cruising speed but not by much. Brushing low over the trees, Rainbow Dash kicked a few of the branches, stirring up various sleeping insects. Night Wish caught one expertly with his wing, tossing it into his mouth without missing a beat. Dash laughed. “I don’t think I’ll ever get used to seeing you do that.”
***
“Don’t worry, kid, you’re going to pass with flying colors, I just know it.” Dash put a wing around Night Wish, doing her best to quell his shaking.
“I’m just tired.” Night Wish yawned, his hooves quivering and stomping. He was wearing a secondhand flight jumpsuit, the fabric slack on his small form.
“You want some more coffee?” Rainbow Dash unscrewed the thermos, filling up a small mug.
“I’m pretty jittery as it is.” Night Wish crawled out from under Rainbow Dash’s wing and began to pace, nervously staring at the other colts and fillies. “Do you really think I can impress the judges?
Rainbow Dash downed the coffee from the mug in one long gulp. “After what I taught you? Psh. You’ll make them crap their flight suits, especially when you do some of the tricks I showed you.”
“Are you sure?” Night Wish looked up nervously at one of the other applicants. She was turning her barrel roll into a tight corkscrew, then coming in fast and low to buzz the judges table. After grabbing their papers they all applauded, clapping their hooves together in delight.
“Daybreeze is talented, I’ll give you that, but you’ve got one thing she hasn’t.”
“What’s that?”
Rainbow Dash puffed out her chest. “The most awesome teacher in all of Equestria!” She pushed Night Wish forward, smiling at him. “Just get out there and show them what I taught you.”
Night Wish nodded and moved out into the field, flapping his leathery wings lightly. Rather than bursting into the air at high speed like the other applicants, he gently ascended to altitude by circling, twisting this way and that. At the peak of his ascent he inverted, flying upside down for a short distance before folding his wings and plummeting like a stone.
“Great job!” shouted Rainbow Dash. “Float like a butterfly, dive like a hawk!”
At the last possible moment, Night Wish opened his wings and changed direction, buzzing the ground so close he kicked up a cloud of dust. Rather than power climb back to altitude, however, he stayed low to the ground, twisting this way and that, easily flipping from one turn to the next.
“Now, show ‘em what nopony else can do!” Grabbing her empty coffee mug with her hoof, she hurled it at Night Wish. The crowd gasped, but Night Wish caught it effortlessly, tossing it from one wing to the other. This done, he deposited it on the judges desk before ascending into a pirouette, hovering nose-down for a few moments before finally coming down to a soft landing.
“That was awesome!” Rainbow Dash ran out onto the field, picking up Night Wish and tossing him into the air. He came down gently, landing on her back and beaming.
“You really think so?” the young batpony was still panting from the effort.
“I know so! So what do you say, judges? Isn’t this the most awesome flier you’ve seen all day?”
The pegasi behind the judges table murmured amongst themselves before turning back to Dash. “Well he certainly is talented, and his acrobatic skills are certainly unique. While it certainly is unusual for the Junior Wonderbolts to admit a bat pony, clearly Night Wish here is sufficiently skilled and enthusiastic. Welcome to the team!”
“Yes!” Night Wish leapt into the air, doing a few decorative somersaults just above Dash’s head.
“Hey, I’m happy for you too, but before you go looping around, check out your back side!” Rainbow Dash pointed with a hoof. There on Night Wish’s flank was a horizontal crescent moon, three stars standing above it in an arc.
“My cutie mark!” he exclaimed, coming down hard and staring at it intently. “I earned my cutie mark!”
“You sure did, kid!” Rainbow Dash rubbed her hoof into the young batpony’s hair. “Looks like you’re cut out to be a flyer after all - a real acro-bat!”
Night Wish rolled his eyes at the bad pun. “What are we going to do next?”
“We’re going to head over to Sugar Cube corner and celebrate, of course!” Dash retrieved the coffee mug and thermos and took to the air. “And be nice - I agreed to let Scootaloo and her friends take a crack at being Cutie Mark Crusader party planners. Don’t worry, no matter what, you and I are going out for ice cream with your parents. You’ve earned it!
***
Rainbow Dash trotted down the street, bouncing a few bits in her front hoof. It was payday, and after her bills, rent and other expenses, she had just enough left over to get seriously smashed before the weekend got going. Friday was a good day.
As she made her way down the main street, she heard four small, light hooves make a perfect four-point landing. She only knew one pony so small who could fly with such agility. “Hey Night Wish. On your way home to spend the weekend with your parents?”
“Yeah.” Night Wish was dressed in his bright blue Junior Wonderbolt flight uniform, complete with goggles over his eyes. Even the smallest size still had visible slack on his tiny frame, but it seemed to suit him. He walked alongside Rainbow Dash, keeping a few paces back and to the side.
“Your mom must be so proud of you.” Rainbow Dash slowed down and shifted closer, trying to get a good look at him as the street lamps turned on. “Most foals aren’t admitted to the Junior Wonderbolts Academy until they’re fourteen. You must be a real prodigy - just like me!”
“Uh huh.” Night Wish stared at the ground as he walked. As they passed through the circle of light created by a street lamp he moved around it, disappearing into the shadows.
“Hey, what do you say you and I go get some ice cream?” Rainbow Dash hated to walk into a bar down a few bits, but Night Wish looked like he needed ice cream. He hadn’t been this shy when she was dropping him off on Monday.
“I should get home.” As he said this, a passing guard waved his torch into the shadows, casting a cone of light across his face. Something about it didn’t look right.
“Lemme get a closer look at you.” Rainbow Dash moved into the shadows, trying to coax Night Wish into the light from a nearby storefront. He resisted at first, but then let her push him. She removed his goggles, then gasped. “Who hit you?”
“Nopony, I just ran into a wall at practice, that’s all.”
“Horsefeathers! I can see the hoofprint.” She sucked air in between her teeth, examining the wound. “This is pretty bad, do I need to take you to the hospital?”
“It’s fine.” Night Wish shook his head and pulled his goggles back on. “It doesn’t even hurt anymore.”
“It’s not fine!” Dash’s face began to redden, her wings flapping as she stamped her hooves. “Somebody hit you, and that’s not fine.”
“I’m used to it.” Night Wish backed into the shadows again, curling his wings around him.
“I don’t care, I’m doing something about it!” Dash took to the air, streaking in a straight line out of town.
“Don’t! Please!” Night Wish struggled to keep up, flapping his wings hard. “They said they’d beat me up more if I told anypony!”
Rainbow Dash ignored his pleas, pouring on the speed as she streaked towards the Junior Wonderbolts Academy. Even at top speed it was a good three hour flight from Ponyville, but she didn’t care. Nopony hit one of her students. No matter what.
As she continued to beeline towards the Academy, she looked down and back, realizing that Night Wish was still struggling to follow her. She banked hard, burning altitude in a large circle before coming up behind the young colt. “Go home, kid. I’ve got this. You need to tell your mom what happened, right now.”
“No!” Night Wish lifted up his goggles, rubbing the tears out of his eye with a hoof before slipping them back down. “It’ll be just like before! She’ll swoop in and yell at everypony, but they won’t do anything, at least not after she’s gone! It’ll just get worse!”
“It’s not getting worse if I have anything to say about it!” Dash grabbed Night Wish and accelerated. Her argument would work better if she could force Spitfire to look at the colt’s injuries anyway.
“Yes it is!” Night Wish was sobbing now, burying his face in her chest as she carried him. “What are you going to do, defend me all the time?”
“If I have to!” Dash pumped her wings hard and snorted. Even though the wind was no worse than normal, she had to keep blinking the water out of her eyes. She snapped her tail and leaned forward a bit, turning altitude in to airspeed.
“And beat up my bullies?” Night Wish blew his nose, splattering Dash with mucus.
“Nopony beats up my friends!” Dash ignored the mucus, not even wiping it off as it began to dry in the cool air. “Look, I don’t know what to do, all right? But I’m going to do something!” Curling up her wings, she began to plummet, streaking towards the ground before coming down hard on her back legs. “We’re here.” She set down Night Wish and began to pull him by his front leg towards the Main Administration building.
“It’s after seven, nopony’s home!” Night Wish was pleading now, his small hoof trembling in Dash’s grip.
“There’s a light on, somepony’s up here.” Dash banged on the door, and when nopony opened it, she kicked it hard, forcing it out of her way. Dragging Night Wish behind her, she moved towards the one office with the light on. “See? Spitfire’s in her office. And she’s going to put a stop to this.” Dash kicked the door, making it slam hard against the interior wall. “Spitfire? We need to talk!”
A stallion Dash didn’t recognize fell out of Spitfire’s lap hard, hitting his head on the desk with an audible thud. Dash winced, but didn’t stop her advance.
“Sweet Celestia, Dash, don’t you knock?” Spitfire hurriedly adjusted her uniform, re-buttoning it as the stallion stumbled towards the door, groaning and rubbing his head with his hoof.
“Oh, am I interrupting something?” Dash slammed her hooves down on the desk, unsettling the lamp and various office supplies. “Too bad!” She grabbed Night Wish, tearing off his goggles and shoving his face into Spitfire’s. “You see this? This doesn’t happen!”
“Dash, foals get black eyes at the academy all the time.” Spitfire leaned back in her chair, sighing as she put space between her and Rainbow Dash. “That’s why we don’t let them fly fast, or far, and put pads on all the equipment.”
“Don’t play dumb, Spitfire. Somepony hit him. Look, you can see the hoof print.” Dash shoved Night Wish forward until his nose touched Spitfire’s. Both sets of eyes were wide as dinner plates. “What kind of school do you run, where foals like Night Wish take a hoof to the face?”
“Look, Dash, there’s over a hundred and twenty foals in this school, I can’t keep tabs on every one of them at every moment.” Spitfire took Night Wish from Dash’s grasp, gently setting him down in a nearby chair. She leaned over her desk, putting her face inches from Dash’s.
“You don’t have to! You just have to take care of this one, this moment!”
“And then what?” Spitfire huffed, pushing her nose against Dash’s. “Do you think I like this? You think I want any foal in my care being bullied? I don’t have time to solve every dispute or look into every incident that happens on campus grounds.”
“And yet you have enough time to romance a teammate in your office?”
“You’re one to judge, you hussy!” Spitfire leaned back in her chair, rubbing her hoof against her forehead. “In addition to the students, I’ve got two dozen employees and a professional acrobatics team to manage. You should be happy I don’t have more slipping through my hooves!”
“I don’t recall this happening back when I went to school here!”
“That’s just because it didn’t happen to you, Dash.” Spitfire opened a drawer, retrieving two small pills and a bottle of water. She downed all of them and resumed rubbing her forehead with her hooves. “You’re one of the popular ponies, Dash. Other ponies just like you. I don’t know why, Celestia knows you and I don’t see eye to eye, but other ponies sure do. But it means you get along and ponies don’t pick on you, even if they’re threatened by your abilities or afraid that you’re different from them. You don’t understand what bullying is even like.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to put up with it!”
Spitfire sighed, putting her hooves over her eyes. “Dash, if I look into this, and see about getting Night Wish transferred into another class, will you get out of my office before I have an aneurism?”
“Depends on if Night Wish’s bullies are going to get suspended or not.”
“If that’s what’s called for, you know I’ll do it. I know you think I don’t care about Night Wish, but I really do. He’s very gifted, and he deserves to succeed, just like I did. Just like you did.” Spitfire opened another drawer, pulling out a brown bottle and taking a long swig.
Dash huffed, then turned to Night Wish. He’d put his goggles back on and was rubbing his runny nose with his hoof. She grabbed him, dragging him towards the door. “C’mon Night Wish. We’re getting you some ice cream.”
The stallion made way for Rainbow Dash at the door, stumbling a bit on three hooves. His fourth was holding a cold compress to his head. “Is everything okay, honey?”
Dash could hear Spitfire sigh and take another long swig from the bottle as Dash turned into the hallway.
“I’m sorry, darling, but I’ve got a headache that won’t quit until my pension comes in.”
***
Rainbow Dash squinted, struggling to see in the dark as she flew through the trees and narrow peaks that surrounded Transylmaneia. She hated flying here. Massive pillars seemed to appear out of nowhere, and everything was gray and colorless. She knew that, to the batponies, this was the most beautiful place in all of Equestria, filled with the darkness that gave them comfort and the beautiful shapes they loved to “see” with their ears. But to Dash, it was just scary and dark, something made all the worse by the reason she was going in the first place.
She swooped low over the town, looking for Silverwing and his lantern. Various batponies flew past her in the dark, their leathery wings making barely a sound as they whooshed past. His being one of the only lights, Dash had little trouble spotting it, though she nearly crashed into two bat ponies during her descent. Ignoring their chittering curses, she set down on the landing and followed Silverwing into the kitchen. As she walked down the hallway, the lamp dimly lit a series of reliefs, chiseled into the walls. Emphasizing texture over visual appearance, they cast strange shadows, the fangs and wings of the various batponies depicted horribly distorted in the pale light. Rainbow Dash shuddered. Since when did this place get so scary?
Silverwing set the lamp down on the kitchen table and moved over to the counter, beginning to brew and prepare a pot of coffee. Dash sat down in a chair, then jumped as she saw Shadow Lance suddenly appear in the circle of light cast by the lantern.
“Sorry, Dash, didn’t mean to startle you. I forgot you probably couldn’t hear me coming around that corner.” Shadow Lance sat down opposite Dash, resting her front hooves on the table.
“Heh, it’s okay. I guess I’m just a little jumpy tonight.” Dash rocked back and forth on her hooves a bit, forcing a grimace and looking side to side.
“Jumpy? Should I make yours a decaf?” Silverwing set down a cup of coffee in front of Shadow Lance, a dollop of whipped cream bobbing across its surface.
“Honey I appreciate you trying to lighten the mood, but this is serious.” Shadow Lance picked up her coffee and sipped it, licking her lips before putting it back down.
“Sorry. I just don’t know what to do here.” Silverwing set down a cup of black coffee in front of Dash, then moved back to the kitchen counter. He added cream and sugar to his own, stirring them in until his coffee was the same color as milk chocolate.
“I know what to do, I just don’t want to.” Shadow Lance took a long sip from her coffee then let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m unenrolling Night Wish from the Junior Wonderbolts Academy.”
“You can’t!” Dash thumped her hoof on the table, making her mug splatter small black dabs across the counter top. “He’s the top of his class! At this rate, he’ll be in the running for Valedictorian when he graduates. Even I never got that honor, and some of my Academy records are still standing!”
“I can’t not.” Shadow Lance handed her coffee to Silverwing, who poured almost a full mug down the sink. “It’s been three months and twice I’ve had to wake up in the middle of the day and fly down there to pick him up from the infirmary due to bullying injuries. Every time he comes home he just mopes in his room until it’s time to go back, and when I told him to get ready for school this morning, he broke down crying.”
“Look, I know it’s rough.” Dash put her hooves down on the table, leaning over. “But Night Wish loves to fly, and he’s really good at it. You’ve got to nurture that. It’s what he was born to do! I mean heck, his cutie mark-”
“I’m not saying he doesn’t need to be encouraged to fly.” Shadow Lance stood up, pacing back and forth, her eyes locked on Dash’s face. “But he can’t do that when he’s getting kicked in the face, or having his backpack stolen, or having every kid in class calling him ‘fanger’.”
“Fanger?” Dash blinked. That was a new one. And she was usually so on top of such slurs.
“That’s not a word you say to a bat pony unless you want to lose a few teeth.” Shadow Lance expanded her wings, towering over dash with her unusual size. “As much as it pains me, I can’t let him stay at the Junior Wonderbolt Academy. This is even worse than when he was at Horseferatu’s School for Gifted Batponies. I’m seriously worried that he’s going to hurt himself if this keeps up.”
“Can’t you do something?” Dash gesticulated wide, knocking over her mug. “You’re Captain of the Night Watch. If anybody can stop crime, it’s you!”
“I am doing something!” Shadow Lance, brougher her hooves down hard on the table, making the entire kitchen shake. “Investigations! Filing complaints! Talking to parents!”
“Have you tried putting your hoof to a few flanks?”
“Dash, if that was the solution, I’d hold them down and let you have the first kick. But don’t you understand? That just makes us the bully - and ensures Night Wish will be getting it just as bad the moment we turn our backs.”
Dash sighed and put her head down on the table, ignoring the spilled coffee seeping into her fur. “I just...I just don’t want him to be forced to stop doing the one thing he loves. The one thing he’s good at.”
“Me neither, and that’s why I brought you here.” Shadow Lance picked Dash’s chin up off the table, enabling Silverwing to attack the spill with a dish rag. “The only time I’ve seen my son happy is when he was living in Ponyville, training under you and going to Ponyville Elementary. He’s got friends there - Scootaloo, Featherweight, Pip. And he’s got you. He gushes about you every chance he gets, you know. Heck, he has a photo of you next to his bed. Do you have any idea how odd it is for a batpony to own a photo?”
“So, what are you saying?”
“I’m asking you if you can tutor him.” Shadow Lance sat back down, folding her wings. “Nightwish can go to ponyville elementary for another year before he graduates, and hopefully in that time we can find another school for him, one with less of a bullying problem. Or maybe school isn’t right for Night Wish, and we just need to focus on providing good trainers and tutors until he can strike out on his own. But until we figure out what to do next, the best thing for him is you.
Dash blinked, her jaw wagging a bit until she found the words. “I...I’m flattered? I don’t know what to say. I thought you’d be mad at me, for suggesting he go to the Academy, or for that incident I had with Spitfire.”
“How could you have known he’d be bullied?” Shadow Lance held Dash’s hooves in her own, the batpony’s swallowing Dash’s in their massive embrace. “You just wanted him to succeed, which is just what I want, what my husband wants, what Night Wish wants. And that’s why I’m asking you to keep training him, every night, until we find out where he needs to be.”
“Well since you asked so nice, I accept.” Dash grinned, pulling her hooves out of Shadow Lance's grasp and puffing out her chest.
“I’ll pay you, but all those late night flying sessions will really cut into your drinking schedule.” Shadow Lance pulled Silverwing in close, wrapping her hoof around him and nuzzling.
Dash rolled her eyes, shaking her hoof nonchalantly. “Night Wish is more important than getting wasted.”
“I’m sure your liver agrees.” Shadow Lance nuzzled Silverwing close, kissing him on the forehead. “Honey, could you get Dash a cup of java to go? It’s a long way back to Ponyville, and the sun set hours ago.”
Silverwing extracted himself from his wife’s embrace and headed back to the coffee pot. “I’ll break out the spill proof cups.”
Dash blushed. “Yeah, sorry about the mess earlier. I guess I just got a little enthusiastic.”
Silverwing set down a covered mug in front of Dash, then reached up to ruffle her hair. “You sure you aren’t a parent? You seem to get almost as worked up about Night Wish as me and my wife do.”
“Between your son and Scootaloo, I have enough foals to take care of already.” Dash picked up the coffee sipping it and licking her lips. Was that cinnamon she tasted? Or maybe sugar and cinnamon? “Tell Night Wish to be at the Ponyville Elementary playground at 2 AM tomorrow night and every night. I’ll teach him some moves that the Junior Wonderbolts Academy only wish they knew how to handle!”
***
Rainbow Dash sipped the last bits of coffee from her cup and then tossed it in the nearby trash. Her midnight dumplings long gone, she checked the Ponyville clock tower, its massive face lit by the moonlight. 1:55. Night Wish would be here any moment.
She began to scan the skies, looking for any out of place movement against the deep purple background. Even after so many months, it was still difficult for her to spot the batpony against the night sky. He blended in so perfectly, and moved so smoothly, that she rarely caught sight of him until he was almost on top of her. Bracing herself against the cold night air, she stepped out into the open field, leaving behind the confines of the Ponyville Elementary playground.
Suddenly there was a flash of black crossing in front of the moon. Looking closely, Dash could see some of the stars winking in and out as a shape passed in front of them. She took to the air, following the shadow as it crossed in front of the clouds, then getting above and behind it. Against the dark green of the field, she had no trouble spotting Night Wish, and moved up alongside him. “Trying to surprise me again eh? I’m on to your tricks!”
“Well you taught me!” Night Wish grinned and flipped effortlessly around dash, completing a full barrel roll before coming in at seven o’clock low alongside her.
“Which is why you fly awesome, of course. Have you decided what you’re going to do next month when school comes back in session?” Dash dipped low, buzzing the field before climbing back up to the clouds.
“Not really.” Night Wish followed Dash as she moved, now able to match her agility, if not her speed. He had grown in the past six months, his uniform now stretching and threatening to pop stitches at his shoulders. Still, he was a tiny creature, and this let him twist and turn with no visible effort. “My mom said she wants to pull some strings with the Night Bolts and get me brought on as a Junior Trainee. I’ll still need to go to some sort of school for math and science and stuff, though.”
“Do you want me to talk to Twilight and see if she can recommend anyone?” Rainbow Dash circled around the clouds, pulling tight turns and watching Night Wish match her move for move. He had always been agile, but thanks to her tutoring, he could now control and direct that agility, following Dash and even leading if she let him. “I know you enjoy her physics lectures.”
“I dunno, maybe.” As Dash slowed down, Night Wish put little flourishes into his turns, wagging his wings or rotating a bit further, only to adjust himself and pull back into line. “I mean, she seems nice. You know, for a princess.”
“You’re showing off, aren’t you?” Dash grinned. “What did I tell you about showing off?”
“Not to do it unless I could back it up?”
“And that’s just what you’re about to do!” Diving hard, Dash began to spin and spiral as she descended, deliberately sending herself into a flat spin. Ignoring the ground and closing her eyes against the nausea, she let herself tumble seemingly out of control before pulling up at the last instant. As she pulled back, beating her wings hard to regain altitude, she saw Night Wish completing his own controlled spin, pulling up alongside her as she leveled out and slowed down. “Sweet Celestia, you pulled through that like a real champ!”
Night Wish beamed. “Thanks! It’s still pretty scary for me, but I really want to be able to pull it off. I mean, it looks so cool and all.”
“Psh, you just wanna do it because Scootaloo told you it was awesome.” Dash barrel rolled around a cloud, making sure that her wings didn’t touch its fluffy edges.
“Scootaloo knows what’s awesome.” Night Wish did the same, keeping his roll close, although he had to slow down to maintain proper control as he inverted himself. “She’s the chairmare of your fanclub, isn’t she?”
“I will admit she has good taste.” Dash inverted herself and began to dive, righting herself as she dove before putting down in a gentle four-point landing. “Since this is the last training session we’ll have in awhile, how about we cut out early and celebrate?”
Night Wish touched down behind Dash, bouncing around on his hooves a bit. “Are we going to All Night Ice Cream again? Please tell me we’re going to All Night Ice Cream!”
“Considering the time it’s either that or Shyef’s dumplings, and I get the feeling you don’t enjoy them as much as I do.” Dash moved to a nearby tree and retrieved the saddlebags she’d stashed there earlier. “But before we do, there’s something I want to give you.” She pulled a small badge out of her backpack and pinned it to Night Wish’s flight suit, rubbing it with her hoof to help it shine in the moonlight.
“What is it?” Night Wish looked at it, twisting his head this way and that, his ears flapping and lips murmuring as he inspected it.
“It’s my Junior Wonderbolts graduation badge.” Dash took back to the air, keeping it slow and letting Nightwish follow close. “I always felt bad that you didn’t even get to finish a semester there, so I wanted you to know that, in my mind, you deserve to graduate with flying colors.”
Night Wish tugged at the badge, trying to unpin it. “I can’t accept this. I mean, I didn’t earn it, and you did.”
“You earned it in my book.” Dash swooped low, touching down in front of the ice cream parlor, Night Wish following close behind. Despite the late hour, several ponies, most of whom were on the night watch, were enjoying themselves inside. “Besides, I can get another one. I’ll just tell the academy I lost it. Like the one Scootaloo has.”
Night Wish stared at the badge, its bright colors glistening in the artificial light. He hugged Rainbow Dash, burying his face in her wing. “Thank you.”
“I’m just sorry it didn’t work out.” Dash wrapped her wing around him, smiling. “I really thought the Academy would be the answer, that I could just wave my wings and blow away all the bullying and you could have an awesome experience. Like I did.”
“It’s fine, I mean, I still got to learn how to fly really well, and I even earned my cutie mark and all.”
“No, it isn’t fine.” Dash gave Night Wish another hug, then opened the door. “But I’m glad it all worked out in the end. Just promise me you’ll come visit me when you’re a famous Night Bolts acrobat, okay?”
“I promise!” Night Wish jumped through the door and ran up to the counter. “One cone of Extreme Chocolate with chocolate-covered ants on top, please!”
Author's Note
This story has taken me longer to write and has been re-done several times. It was intended to come out back in October, as part of the Batpony Celebration, but obviously I missed that by a full five months.
The problem was that I didn't know what to do at first, and then real life got in the way. Originally it was going to end with Night Wish being refused entry to the Academy because, as a bat pony, he could not be awake during the classes. However, I decided the "racist" angle didn't really work, and since I'm white, I don't really understand racism well enough to write about it anyway. Then I tried to have him get in but flunk out, or fail to get in because he wasn't talented, but that didn't make sense and also it was awfully similar to "Magic Mare," which I'd completed in the meantime. But then I read some articles about young bronies being bullied, and I finally knew what the story needed to be about.
Fun fact: this is my first story over 10,000 words.
