Another Day, Another Flight
Storm's wing feathers fluffed up, shielding his sides from the harsh cold of the Canterlot winter. He looked across the snow covered park to his destination, a clothing boutique that sold cold weather gear. Keeping the back of his head warm and perched behind his brown horn was an old battered cow pony's hat.
He gave his wings a few test flaps, the wind gusts blowing loose powder off the ground. As he reared up to take flight, a nearby pony gasped when she noticed him, "Oh my gosh! Are you a prince?!"
Storm looked to his right, noticing a pink unicorn wearing a wool cap, a scarf, and ear muffs. He folded his wings against his side and dropped back to the snow covered ground. "Uh..." Storm turned to face the pony and looked around. He saw that they were alone, so he smiled, his green eyes nearly sparkling in the cloudy light. "Yes, yes I am a prince! I am Prince Lightnin' Storm! Ruler of thirteen planets, conqueror of changelin' hives, and the mayor of-"
"Wait." The mare tilted her head as she held a hoof off the ground and pointed it at Storm's flank. "If your name is Prince Lightning Storm, then why is your cutie mark a violin and bow?"
Storm looked at his flank, then the mare. " 'Cause it is my special talent!" He grinned. "I'm a violinist." He quickly pulled the violin case off his back and hugged it with his forehooves. "I play fer the Hollow Shades Symphony."
"Uh-huh." She nodded. "So why didn't your parents name you String Quartet or something? And what exactly are you a prince of again?"
"Right!" Storm put the violin on his back again and adjusted the strap, making sure it did not get in the way of his wings for flight. He placed a hoof to his chest and nodded. "I am Prince Light-"
"I already know your name," she replied. Storm frowned. "Your name makes no sense, so where do you rule again?"
"As I was tryin' to say before ya interrupted me. I, the Great and Powerful Prince Lightning Storm, am ruler of thirteen worlds, conqueror of-"
"Worlds?"
Storm nodded. "Yes, up there." He sat in the snow and waved a hoof at the sky, ignoring the cold seeping into his backside. "Planets. Ya know, the thingy we live on? There's gotta be oth-er... I mean there are others and I rule thirteen of 'em!" He nodded again. "I even conquered changelin' hives an' am the mayor of a small beach front town."
The mare rolled her eyes and began walking off, mumbling to herself about crazy ponies.
Storm let out a deep sigh, slowly looking up at the clouds above as snow began to fall. "I really gotta get some winter clothes," he said to no pony in particular. He hovered up and flew towards the clothing boutique with all the grace he could muster, leaving a few brown feathers behind.
As he slowly flew through the park, Storm looked to his left, then right to make sure no pony was coming at him unexpectedly. He then glanced skyward before looking to his left again, and began repeating himself. The boutique Storm had noticed was across the street from the park and looked open.
Yet, as he drew near, his eyes slowly widened. He quickly flew to the front door and pulled on it with a hoof, the glass rattling as the door slammed against the lock. Storm landed and looked at the door's closed sign with a frown.
"No! No! No!" He stomped his hoof down, unfolding and closing his wings. "That pony back there screwed me!" Storm turned away from the closed shop and looked a around Canterlot again. The city was oddly quiet, only the sound of Storm's breathing could be heard by him.
His ears flicked left as they picked up two sets of hooves and a pair of voices drawing closer, "And I totally told the pony. Make my hooves sparkle! I want sparkles, not a flat finish!"
"Did you get a refund? Your hooficure looks like a farm pony used a cheese grater."
The other mare's voice droned on and on, "Oh, totally! I flipped their table and walked out after getting my bits."
Storm looked to his left and saw the source of the conversation. Two unicorn mares were walking along the sidewalk with boxes floating in separate magic fields. They were looking at each other and completely oblivious to his presence. He quickly looked around for any place to hide, the looked up at his horn and cow pony hat. Remembering the remarking about a farm pony, Storm quickly took his hat off and stuffed it under a wing as he fixed his mane with a hoof. Then, he took a deep breath and trotted towards them, humming quietly.
"You flipped their table?! I'm surprised they didn't call the royal guard on you," the mare on the left said in surprise, her eyes wide.
The other mare shrugged. "Eh, they couldn't do anything anyway. They..."
The two ponies finally noticed Storm out of the corner of their eyes and slowly looked towards him. He smiled, waving his free wing as he passed. "Howd-er... Heya!" Storm grinned. "How's it going?"
"Fine," the mare on the right replied, following Storm with her eyes. Then she got an idea when she saw his cutie mark and smiled. "Hey!"
Storm stopped cold in his tracks as his color drained from his face, and his ears folded back a little. "Yes, ma'am?" He tucked his left wing close to keep his hat as hidden as possible. "What can I do fer ya?"
"You play violin, right?"
Storm nodded. "Yep! I'm a violinist, but I do a bit of fiddlin' on the side if the situation calls get it. My dream's to play in front of the princesses, buuut I got a lo-"
"Do you do private shows?" The mare asked, interrupting his speech. She set her boxes down as she pulled a pad of paper from her saddlebags. "One of my friends was looking for a pony to play at a birthday party she is going to be hosting."
Storm frowned. He scratched his mane with a hoof as his free wing flexed in and out a little bit. On one hoof, a musical job was bits, but on the other it might be frowned upon by his co-workers. Storm quickly shook his head and cringed. "I'm sorry, miss, but I just can't. I ain't to sure if my boss would let me, sorry."
She quickly frowned and put her paper away. "It was worth a shot." The mare picked up her items in her magic and turned to go.
"I could give ya the name of my boss and y'all could contact 'em to see."
The mare looked at the other one before taking out her paper again. "Okay then. What's her name?"
Storm opened his mouth to reply, then closed it and frowned. "Ya know. That's a very good question." The unicorn's eyes narrowed. "I ain't never really asked 'er. I jus' called 'er Boss, but I got this!" He used his free wing to dig through his saddlebag and pull out a small business card, which he gave to the mare.
She took it and read over Storm's name and where he played. "Okay. Thanks." The mares waved and resumed walking. Their conversation quickly went back to the topic of hooficures and how badly Storm needed one.
After clearing the snow from his mane, Storm quickly placed his hat on his head and looked at one of his forehooves, frowning deeply. "I really do need a hooficure, and a massage," he mumbled to himself. Then set his hoof down and took flight in the direction of a bar he knew.
He did not get very far before an idea struck him. Storm quickly turned around and dashed after the two mares, shouting, "ma'am?! I need ta ask ya somethin'!"
She heard Storm's shout and looked back, tilting her head. She quickly nudged the other mare and pointed at the approaching Storm. "Look."
The other mare looked back and tilted her head as well, her gaze was locked on the horn atop Storm's head. "Did he have a horn a minute ago?" she asked herself.
"I don't think so," the first mare replied. Then smiled at Storm when he stopped next to them. "Hello again! What can I help you with?"
Storm looked at their boxes, then to the mare. "I need to go to a boutique and buy some winter clothes, but that one ain't open!" He waved his hoof at the closed shop. "An' I figure y'all must've come from some shop, right?"
"That's right!" The mare grinned. "It's the best shop in Canterlot. Go three blocks that way and make a left." She pointed her hoof in the direction they had come from. "You can't miss it. It's called Nightingale’s Ramients."
Storm nodded as he started hovering off the ground. "Thank you, ma'am!"
He turned and dashed off as the mare called out to him, "Anytime!"
*** ***
Storm landed outside of Nightingale's Ramients. It was a large shop tucked between two large buildings. Storm quickly pulled a piece of paper out and looked at the list of shop names he was allowed to buy from and saw the name not listed, causing him to frown. "Well that's just great."
He put the paper away, took a deep breath, and stepped inside the boutique. Almost immediately, warm air tickled through his feathers as he let out a low whistle. The shop was filled with clothes on racks with stairs leading to the second floor. Storm saw there were a few ponies walking around and one working at a central desk.
He quickly headed over to the winter clothes section, ignoring anypony if they looked at him. Storm began looking at the hats. Fuzzy hats with built in ear muffs, wool hats, ball caps, berets and even a hat inside a hat. He rolled his eyes and moved over to the scarves, grabbing a purple one.
Storm quickly wrapped it around his neck and smiled as the soft fleece tickled at his brown fur. He opened his eyes and began looking for a sweater meant for a pegasus. His trek took him past a couple ponies, who looked at the large brown pony. Storm waved his wing in a greeting. One of the ponies waved back, then turned and whispered to her friend about meeting a prince.
Storm smiled. He eventually made it to where the sweaters were. Storm did not notice the clerk at the desk watching him, neither did he notice another stallion slowly walking closer. His gaze was too focused on the dark green fleece hoodie in his hooves. Storm quickly checked the size tag and put it back when he found it was a small. Scratching the back of his head with a hoof, Storm frowned deeply.
Before he could grab another sweater, the green and red unicorn stallion nudged Storm. Storm quickly looked to his left and gulped. The other stallion wore a dark blue shirt with a name tag that said 'Apple Cinnamon. Store Manager.'
"Heya!" Storm waved his hoof as he stood up, slowly taking the scarf off. "I... I was gonna pay fer this," he said. "L-look, I know I ain't allowed here, but can't ya cut me a break?"
Cinnamon looked to the scarf, then to Storm as his eyes narrowed. "You nearly gave some poor mare a heart attack last time," he said with a stern voice.
Storm gulped, setting the scarf down as he began backing away. "Look. I just need to buy some winter clothin', and then I'll be on my way."
"Rules are rules. Don't like it? Take it up with the head manager," Cinnamon replied. He looked to the pony at the center desk tending to a pair of customers, then looked at Storm and smirked. Storm tilted his head. “But I'll tell you what. If you manage to convince her,” he pointed at the pony, “to sell you the scarf and sweater. I’ll pretend like you used an invisibility cloak and weren't here.”
Storm smiled and nodded. “Ah! Yeah, that could work. I ain't never thought about an invisibility cloak.” He took the scarf, a random sweater, and headed for the desk.
The silver and yellow mare at the desk smiled at Storm as he approached. “Good evening, sir. Did you find everything you needed?”
Storm set his items down with a nod. “Yup!” He turned his head to the side and smiled at the mare.
She took the items from him, wrote down what they were and said, “That will be forty bits.”
“Alright.” Storm nodded. He used his wing to dig around his saddlebag for a smaller bag, smiling when he found it. “Here ya go!” He smiled as he tossed it onto the counter.
Slowly, the mare pulled the bag over and looked inside. She tilted her head, glanced at Storm, then the bag, and finally looked Storm in the eyes as she pushed the bag back to him. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"Uh, no?" Storm's smile slowly faded as the mare narrowed her eyes. "Yer manager over there said I could buy these items here."
She took a deep breath and slowly let it out, nodding. "Sir. We don't accept buttons as currency. Do you have bits?"
Storm glanced at Apple Cinnamon, then looked to the mare and slowly waved a hoof across her face, "Buttons will do fine."
"No they won't," she growled, nearly grinding her teeth together as she clamped her jaw shut.
Storm frowned and, again, waved his hoof across her face as he said, "Buttons will do fine."
The mare quickly grabbed the clothing items and pulled them close, glaring daggers at Storm. "No. They won't! Who do you think you are waving your hoof like that?!" Storm looked at Apple Cinnamon again as the mare continued, "No bits, no sale. Now get out before I call security."
Apple Cinnamon was smirking. He waved at Storm and headed off to another section of the store. Storm sighed deeply, slowly taking his bag of buttons and putting them into his bags. "Alright. I'll just go."
*** ***
Storm sat on his haunches with his eyes shut, a light hum could be heard only by him underneath the ponies stomping their hooves on the wooden floor. Warmth filled his muzzle where it was pressed against the chin rest of his violin. His left hoof held the instrument and pressed on each string as the bow cradled in his right fetlock moved back and forth, producing a beat to match Storm's humming.
A few of the closest ponies in the room could see the smile on his face as he played a fast paced song meant for dancing. Storm was too lost in his concentration to open his eyes. If he had, he would have seen a pair of unicorns dancing nearby, but he heard them. He heard their melodious hoof beats almost in time to the music playing out from the violin. Somewhere in the room, he could hear a pony playing a piano to match the song, but they were two steps behind and always trying to keep up with him.
A slender blue earth pony walked over to Storm's table, smiling at the musician even though she knew he couldn't see the smile. She took the tray off her back and set his ordered drink into the table, before picking up his empty glasses. She smiled again as she placed the tray onto her back and walked off. Storm kept playing his violin, unhindered by the earlier encounters of the day.
His hat sat on the table next to him, along with a plastic horn that had been attached to the piece of clothing when he had pretended to be an alicorn prince.
Bonus Chapter: The Next Day
Storm sat on his chair, his eyes shut and his ears turned forward. His head was leaned sideways, chin resting against the warm wood of the violin cradled in his left foreleg. His right fetlock pushed and pulled the bow across the strings as he adjusted his grip on the violin's neck, producing various notes in time with the beat of the song. He had practiced the day before, and all week with the group, so he had memorized the whole set.
The brown pegasus was so focused on his task that he did not pay attention to the drummer, nor the ponies next to him with their own violins, and neither did he pay attention to the pony in the center of the stage singing about long dead events. Storm did not even care about the ponies in the audience watching the event. To him, they were an illusion and the music sheet in front of him was real. He could hear the subtle change of pitch in a violin to his left as the pony accidentally hit the wrong note, but he kept playing what he had practiced. It was better for him to play through the whole song like nothing happened, than to try fixing a mistake he, or somepony else, had made.
Storm opened his eyes and looked at the unicorn composer standing just underneath a platform hiding her from the audience. A wand was floating in her magic and was high up in the air, but she was slowly bringing it lower, so Storm changed the notes he was playing to match the instructions. Then, the unicorn quickly waved the wand to the side and everypony stopped playing.
The crowd began stomping their hooves in applause. Storm smiled at the sight. He wanted to wave to them, to get up on stage and bow with the singer, but he knew better than to move from his chair during the performance.
As he sat there smiling at the crowd, he was suddenly aware that the spotlight had moved from the singer and was highlighting him as the applauding crowd vanished into a dark abyss. He could feel its warm, sweat inducing, light despite the distance between them. He smiled as the singer motioned for Storm to step away from the group and head on stage.
"Storm?" a pony's voice reverberated through the concert hall as his world began to shake violently like an earthquake was going on. The pony on stage braced herself, the ponies next to Storm were knocked onto the floor, dropping their instruments. Storm hovered up, wide eyed as he clutched his violin close to his chest.
"Storm Bolt!" the voice echoed in his ears.
*** ***
Storm's eyes snapped open at the same time he snorted through his nose. The first thing he saw was a pair of blurry yellow eyes looking back at him. As his eyes adjusted, he began to take in more detail about the mare's face. Her coat color was a light sky blue and her mane was a light orange color. Her forehoof was attached to Storm's neck and the shaking ceased when she stepped back.
"Welcome back to reality," she said, her voice quite cheerful and light. "You know my bar top is not a bed."
Storm looked down at the slick wood beneath his face, a large puddle of drool covered the side of his mouth. He was suddenly aware at how parched his throat was, and the pounding his brain was receiving each time his heart pulsed. He shut his eyes, slowly sitting up and covering his face with his hooves. "Oooooow," Storm groaned, and cringed from the sound of his own voice making the headache worse. "What... happened?"
The mare shrugged. "You drank, played music, and passed out on my bar top. Why?"
"Who hit my head?" he sniffled, rubbing the drool off his muzzle before scratching at his mane. "I feel like I caught a brick wall."
She frowned. Then shook her head and sighed. "You hit your own head when you passed out. Now will you please get off my bar? I've gotta clean and sanitize it before tonight."
Storm hopped off and nearly faceplanted when his forelegs gave out. He stumbled for a moment, popping his wings out for balance and frowning as a feather floated past his face. Storm took a deep breath and stretched each leg until it popped and the tension vanished.
He noted that the bar was empty with all of the chairs sitting upside down on the tables. Daylight spilled through the large window, showing a snow covered street outside. A pony passed by the window, but kept going when he saw the bar's closed sign. It was a single story establishment with the attic converted by the owner for storage and a makeshift bedroom. The walls were a dark walnut shade with the floor being a little brighter. Lights hung down from the ceiling and would have illuminated it had it been night time.
The mare on the other hoof, merely shook her head. She sprayed the counter where Storm had slept with a bottle of red liquid and started wiping wiping it up with a towel. "I should charge you for a room," she grumbled, not hearing Storm's legs pop. "So tell me why I haven't."
Storm tossed his bags on his back and looked at her as he tightened the strap. "Uh... 'Cause ya think I'm pretty?" he grinned. She stopped cleaning long enough to give him a glare. He eeped, quickly pulling his hat onto his head and making sure the fake horn was no where to be seen. "Er, I mean it's 'cause I brought ya more business!"
She rolled her eyes. "Yes, that's it. Your 'amazing' violin skills have brought in so much business that I can afford to give out free drinks to everypony," she replied, her voice filled with sarcasm. Storm grinned even more and nodded. The unicorn quickly rolled up the towel, and flung it at Storm's cutie mark. It stopped just before hitting and snapped loudly like a whip as the mare pulled the towel back. Storm yelped, his eyes widening as his wings unfolded with a pop. "It's because I'm your friend, you nut job!"
Storm quickly spun around to face the mare and folded his wings against his side. He adjusted his hat as a small frown formed on muzzle. "I ain't crazy."
"Then what's with the horn?" she whined and resumed washing the countertop. "Sane ponies don't run around calling themselves 'the Great and Powerful Lightning Storm, who rules thirteen planets'." She shook her head. "See how crazy it sounds?"
Storm pulled his hat low over his eyes to hide the fact that he was looking at something other than her. "I can't have a bit of fun? Ya shoulda seen them ponies thinkin' I was an actual alicorn!" He smiled, then frowned. "But there was this one mare that kept pokin' holes in my story."
"I'll poke more than that if you don't stop passing out on the counter!" she growled.
Storm's cheeks flushed and he quickly pulled the hat down across his face to block it from the unicorn's view. "Draft, stoooop." he shifted and lowered the hat a little bit so he could look over. The unicorn was looking at him with a tilt of her head and a smile on her face. "It ain't funny."
"Alright," she sighed, sitting down and rubbing her forehead with a hoof. "Storm, can you do me a favor?"
He nodded. "I won't pass out on yer countertop no more."
"Not that." she shook her head. "I need you to head to the town hall and pick something up for me."
A small smile appeared on Storm's face. He nodded, placing his hat onto his head and adjusting it to where it'd sit with only a little bit of his mane poking out the back. "Storm Bolt express delivery at your service!" he unfolded his wings and struck a pose like he was ready to take off.
"It's an envelope about this big." She picked the towel up and folded it until it was three hoof widths wide, and one-and-a-half hoof high. "It's marked for the bar. Just say I'm your employer. You freeload around here enough I might as well give you a job," she muttered the last sentence under her breath.
Storm saluted Draft before hovering up. "I'm to pick up an envelope for the bar from where again?"
"City Hall," she replied. "The business licensing bureau." She floated Storm's violin over and gave it a pat. "I'll keep this safe and sound until you get back."
Storm nodded. "Good. I don't think the cold is good fer her. Hey!" He clapped his forehooves together and pointed at Draft with wide eyes, as if remembering something. "Draft, think I could borrow some of yer winter clothes? It's quite cold out an' I couldn't get to my tailor. I went to a shop, but they had banned me."
"Sure." she smiled, giggling quietly. "As long as I get to keep your hat as collateral. I want my clothes back this time."
Storm looked up at the hat. He slowly pulled it off and stared at the heavily worn sweat band on the inside, a small picture was tucked neatly in between the band and wall of the hat. He smiled and tossed the hat over to Draft, saying, "Deal."
She caught it with her magic and stuck it on her head. "Oh look at me! I'm Prince Lightnin' Storm!" she said in a mocking tone, turning to the side and rearing up. "I'm ruler of bla, bla, bla. And conqueror of nopony cares!"
Storm rolled his eyes. "Har, har, har. Very funny, Princie. Your room's still on the second floor, yeah?" She nodded, dropping to all fours again. "The closet is next to the broom closet or behind it?"
"You'll have to figure that out yourself." She stuck her tongue out. Storm stuck his own tongue out and headed for a door leading to the stairs. "And don't take a nap up there! I need that envelope by the time I open tonight!" she called out to him, receiving a wing wave in reply.
*** ***
Storm skipped along the sidewalk, practically flying. He had his eyes shut, head bobbing to a song he was humming in his head, but his ears were on a swivel for anyone yelling at him. A light pink scarf was wrapped around Storm's neck along with a matching wool cap atop his head. The hat had a pair of holes cut in it for Storm's ears to poke through. It was not doing much to keep him warm, but it was the idea of warm clothes that made him think they were working. In reality it was his flapping wings, and the constant movement keeping him warm.
He passed by a taxi and a unicorn couple. The stallion was levitating a large bundle of boxes full to the brim with newly bought clothes for his wife. They watched Storm for a moment before the unicorn began to load the taxi. Storm's ears turned back, picking up the sound of the unicorn stallion mentioning Storm's chipper attitude.
His ears turned forward again and opened his eyes, a large smile on his face. Hooves scraped against the recently de-iced concrete. He quickly glanced left and nodded his head at a yellow pony across the street, who did not even glance his way. A large pile of snow lined the space between the sidewalk and the street.
Storm's eyes widened when he realized something. He stomped his hooves into the concrete, extending his wings from his sides like a large air brake, and came to a sudden stop. It occurred only then to him that he did not know where the city hall was. He folded his wings, turning to his side so he could look at the pony across the street.
He shook his head and turned around to face the building, slowly looking up at the sign above the door. "Exotic Cards and Comics," Storm slowly drawled out to himself. Then tilted his head. "What?"
Storm tapped his chin in thought, his brows furrowing together as his nose scrunched up. He pondered heading on blind, hopefully running across a guard he could ask for directions, or he could head inside the shop and hope the ponies inside were helpful. He shrugged and opened the door.
A bell jingled quietly above Storm as the door swung open. He stepped inside, tucking his wings close to his sides. The shop was much darker than he had anticipates it to be and it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the light.
A wave of heat washed over Storm, causing the blood to rush back to his face and making it look like he was blushing a bit. He wiped the faint sweat off his cheeks and looked to his right. A pale blue unicorn stood on one side of the cash register talking to the earth pony wearing a black shirt and a name tag. Storm smiled a bit and slowly walked over to them.
He looked to his left, noticing that the shop was actually quite large despite the front being much smaller. It was narrow, though, and went on for some distance. A large grouping of tables in the front were taken by ponies playing some kind of card game Storm did not understand at a glance. He knew it was not poker or blackjack, but the cards looked different to him. Directly across from the tables were rows upon rows of comics stacked to the ceiling. Even one section partially blocked off with a sign above it saying, 'Enchanted Comics: You read it, you buy it'. Beyond the comics were colored boxes and books Storm had to squint to see.
"I'm sorry, but these are worthless," the pony behind the counter said, drawing Storm's attention to them. He leaned to the side and tried to see the unicorn's cutie mark. But noticed the unicorn was wearing a jacket underneath his bags that covered his sides. Around the unicorn's neck was an odd looking pendant made from a scale that Storm could not identify. The unicorn's dark blue mane looked neatly kept to Storm, like he brushed it every day. He glanced back at Storm and so did the earth pony behind the counter.
Storm looked from the unicorn's flank to his face and quickly straightened up, blushing deeply as he tried to pull his hat over his face. The wool cap pulled his ears forward and tugged at his mane, so he was forced to re-adjust it and look away. "Sorry," Storm muttered. "Was curious about yer cutie mark."
The unicorn looked at the earth pony again. He sighed deeply, slowly floating the cards up to his face. "You sure they're not worth anything?"
The earth pony shook his head. "Sorry. They're worthless unless you have the whole set."
The unicorn's ears folded back as he muttered, "Thanks anyway." He put the cards into his bag and glanced at Storm, heading for the door.
Storm gulped and stepped up to the counter. The orange and yellow earth pony stared at him for a moment before looking at a clock behind him. Then turned to Storm and smiled. "How can I help you, sir?"
Storm gulped, shifting his weight from his left side to his right as his wing feathers fluffed up, and un-fluffed. He glanced at the ponies playing cards, then to the door, and finally the earth pony. "Aah, erm." he frowned. "I, uh." Storm took a deep breath and pulled his wings close. "Where's city hall?"
The earth pony stared at Storm, his expression unchanging from the earlier smile, but he did blink a few times as his ears moved back faintly. They turned forward again. "City hall?" he tilted his head. "Well, I'm not a map, but I believe it's three blocks that way." he pointed towards the back of the shop.
Storm nodded. "Thank ya!" he smiled. He looked down at the glass counter and saw many cards inside protective sleeves. They resembled some of the cards he had seen the ponies playing with. Tilting his head some, Storm slowly brought his nose close to the glass so he could take a good look at them.
Each one had a price stamped on it ranging from one bit up to twenty bits. Each card was different, but had pictures in the center and text beneath them.
"Need some help?" the earth pony asked. Storm slowly looked away from the cards to him and smiled some. "Just let me know which one you want to look at and I'll bring it out."
Storm took a step back and shook his head. "They all look the same to me, sorry. I collect violins, not..." he waved a hoof at the glass. "Cards."
The earth pony nodded. "Everypony has their own hobbies. Have a good day, sir."
As Storm turned and headed for the door, he heard the earth pony mutter something. Storm shook his head slightly, sighing deeply. He reached the door, shut his eyes and braced for the temperature change.
The bell jingled a second time and a wave of icy cold wind blasted Storm, his wings fluffing up instinctively to keep him warm. He stepped outside and adjusted his pink scarf. A shiver ran up his spine from his tail to his neck, causing him to shiver as his wings popped out and flapped a couple of times. Storm looked to his left, then to his right, and finally back to the comic shop. His gaze went to the roof. Slowly spreading his wings out, Storm gave them a slow flap in preparation for takeoff. He crouched low, extending his wings up as his muscles tensed.
*** ***
Storm leaned sideways to look around the mare in front of him, and past the other pony in line. The business licensing bureau portion of city hall seemed to have quite a few ponies standing around. Two windows were open, two long lines of lines stretched out from them. Storm stood in the left one, ignoring the odd looks from a pony in the right line.
The brown pegasus unfolded his right wing and used his mouth to straighten out a feather and pluck the one next to it before it could fall out. He smiled at the feather and quickly stuffed it in his bag for later use as a quill. Storm looked to his left where a green marble pillar could be seen holding the roof up. He looked down at his reflection in the white and green marble floor with a small smile.
"Next!" a pony said loudly, drawing Storm's attention away from the floor. He smiled upon seeing that he was almost at the window. The red pony behind the bars sat in a small office cubicle with large stacks of paperwork off on one side. Behind her were rows of ponies sitting at desks doing paperwork, most of which Storm assumed was something business related.
He unfolded his left wing and began preening it. Storm did not notice the pony in the next line watching him closely, neither did he pay much attention to the ponies behind him. He merely straightened his messy feathers and pulled out the loose ones. The act of removing a loose feather did not hurt, as it was an already dead nerve and the blood feather growing in was the one that itched. A pegasus, like all feathered creatures, grew new feathers in twice a year. And for Storm it was an annoying time, because unlike other pegasi that preened in private, he would preen whenever and wherever he was.
"Ahem," the pony behind Storm cleared her throat. He had a feather's shaft in his mouth and the feather pulled out from the rest. He glanced down at his brown feather, then looked at her. She wore a slightly fancy orange cloak, the fuzzy hem trimmed in purple. A pair of large fuzzy mittens covered her own wings and ears. Her eyes were narrowed at Storm, her muzzle scrunched up in disgust. "Were you raised in a barn?" she asked, her voice laced with contempt. "Go in the restroom and do that!"
Storm rolled his eyes. He finished straightening the whole feather and tucked his wing against his side again. "I was as a matter of fact!" he grinned. The mare rolled her eyes and looked away from Storm, mumbling about country brutes.
"Sir, you're next!" the pony ahead of Storm said, quickly drawing his attention to her.
He stepped up to the window and adjusted his wool cap. "Hey ya! How's it goin'?"
The mare stared at Storm with half-lidded eyes. She floated a large wooden stamp up. "I'm doing fine, sir. What is the nature of your visit?"
"Business!" He nodded, still grinning. "I, uh, er, came to pick somethin' up fer the Pudgy Budgie."
The mare set the stamp down and began sorting through the files on her desk while mumbling the name to herself, and saying quietly, "Sounds like a bird store."
Storm shifted his weight from his front hooves to his back hooves, then to his front hooves again. He unfolded his left wing. As he opened his mouth and turned his head to preen, he caught a disapproving glare from the mare behind him. He frowned and closed the wing.
"It itches," he muttered, turning his head to face the business license pony again.
Floating in her pale blue magic was a large envelope matching the description Draft had given to Storm. Various notes and lines were scribbled onto paper stapled to the envelope. "This says a unicorn mare named Draft Lager is the owner. You don't look like a mare, and you're certainly not a unicorn."
Storm shook his head. "Nnnope! I ain't no mare and I ain't a unicorn. I'm Storm Bolt, the pegasus!" He turned to the side, lifting his wings up to show the mare they existed. Quickly folding them again, he faced her. "I'm her assistant. She hired me this morning."
The mare pulled a form from the pile and pushed it under the bars to him. "Sign this," she said, her tone of voice unchanging. "The cost for renewal is thirty bits."
Storm nodded a few times. After stamping his hoof print on the paper, he opened one of his bags with his wing and began to dig through it. He tossed the bits onto the counter a moment later and smiled at the mare.
She took them in her magic along with the paper and pushed the envelope towards Storm.