Welcome to the Rainbow Factory

Rainbow Dash didn’t like going to the Factory. What must it have been for her, to hear, without the slightest bit of preparation, that Scootaloo, a filly who blindly trusted her with the naiveté of a foal, would be working with her in that forsaken facility. Rainbow Dash counted on making an effect, impressing her at once, turning her attention in another direction and concealing anything that might suggest some ill intent within the Factory.

When anything extraordinary happened, Scootaloo’s eyes would glisten like diamonds, and she would seldom be able to contain the unbridled mirth that only be found in those both young, and ill-informed. She turned her head rapidly in all directions, taking in the aged colonnades that lined the massive hall, the soft glow of sunlight behind the film of the glass roof, and old statues of armored pegasi, perched along the great hall like stalwart guards. She had once had the weakness to imagine she had entered some form of palace, and even the knowledge that she had entered the secretive Rainbow Factory could not diminish the allure of majesty she was witness to.

“This is a factory?,” asked Scootaloo incredulously.

“That’s right squirt,” answered Rainbow Dash; “Lot of history in this place. Oldest building in Cloudsdale, actually.” As Rainbow flew upwards, with Scootaloo close behind, she opened the doors to a smaller room. Scootaloo opened her eyes to their very widest, gazing inside, as Rainbow fidgeted beside her.

The room they were in was not as flattering as in the hall. Although the room was simpler, the furnishings seemed out of place. Large, magically laminated tables and and shelving dominated the main room. The shelves were crammed with old binders and loose paper, giving the impression of a strained office. Piping, cables, steel dressers, some old, some new, took up most of the space, but it was the machines which Scootaloo was most mindful of. One was a large gray metal stand, riddled with dials, knobs, and all sorts of things that were foreign to the young filly.

“This is where you’ll be working. It’s not much to look at, though its got its own snack bar,” Rainbow hastened to explain. “We route a lot of parts here for the machinery over in the main room; its messy work, but you’ll have a lot of free time between jobs, and it’s pretty laid back. Most you’ll have to worry bout is paperwork; there’s a lot of forms you’ll have to check and fill out.”

“What’s that?,” asked Scootaloo, pointing a hoof towards the stand.

“Oh, that’s the test stand,” answered Rainbow Dash. “Pretty important piece of machinery. Don’t let all the knobs and buttons get to you. It’s pretty easy to handle.”

“Most I’ve ever done is fix up my old scooter,” said Scootaloo, nervously. Beside her was a large shelf,  with worn plastic bins, filled with strange devices she had never seen before. Sticking out from one of the bins, was a large metal rod, with red fluid dripping from the end. Scootaloo shivered, reminded of the severed limbs she had read about in one too many horror stories.

“It can be pretty tough here sometimes, but the ponies here will show the ropes,” said Rainbow Dash; “and after a few weeks it’ll be a piece of cake.” Rainbow motioned for Scootaloo to follow her, as she walked over the next room. If there was any of the glamor that Scootaloo saw in the great hall that remained in the room, it was well hidden. Old , mismatched couches and lounge chairs lined up against dirtied, white patterned walls. Among the other furnishings, was a lacquered, long table, with faded etchings, and a large metal cabinet, seated beside a plain  white fridge.

Rainbow opened the metal cabinet, revealing a trove of snacks, some of which Scootaloo assumed could only be found in Cloudsdale.

“Whah,” mumbled Scootaloo.

“Pretty sweet, huh,” Rainbow Dash said proudly; “Hydro’s always been good at getting the best snacks. Just avoid the Helios if you can,” she added, pointing a hoof towards a rows of sun labelled cans. “This stuff will get you more wired than Rarity’s espresso.”

Scootaloo shuddered at the memory. It was a few weeks before her first day in flight school. Rarity had been late on a large order, and pulled a double nighter. She couldn’t tell how much of the story was true, but from what Sweetie Belle mentioned, her sister had gotten so wired that Sweetie Belle had to stay with Pinkie Pie for a a few days just to avoid the twitching white blur haunting the Carousel Boutique.

“She looked like death,” said Scootaloo.

“And this stuff’s no better,” said Rainbow Dash. “One of the stallions here drank so much Helio’s, some of his teeth rotted out.”

“Then, why-”

“Because,” interrupted Rainbow, “mid-shift hits you pretty hard, and you need something to keep you up. You’ll understand later on. Everypony has a mid-shift at some point. Just try to stick to coffee.”

“So, you run all this?” asked Scootaloo.

“Eeyup,” answered Rainbow Dash, smugly. “And not just the hydro shop. I’m in charge of everything that goes on here in the factory. So if you have any kind of question, you just ask me.”

“It is pretty cool, working together I mean,” said Scootaloo. This was a lie; them two working together was the most incredible thing Scootaloo could have ever imagined for herself.

“C’mon, let’s get you to your dorm room.” said Rainbow Dash. “You’re going to be staying here while on the job, and I managed to get you a pretty nice setup in one of the newer rooms.”

“I’m still kinda nervous about all this,” said Scootaloo.

Rainbow wrapped a wing around Scootaloo, inching her closer. It was going to be a hard month, but if Rainbow could cushion the blow as much as possible, it would keep things between them just the same as it was in Ponyville.

“Hey, if anything happens, just remember you’ve got me,” said Rainbow, resisting the desire to nuzzle her head against Scootaloo’s mane. “I’ve got a place here in Cloudsdale, not too far off. So if you have any problems, anything at all, you come find me, kay?”

Scootaloo couldn’t help but feel that her being here had been harder for Rainbow Dash than she thought. Made sense, thought Scootaloo. Rainbow being her boss might cause problems, since they knew each other so well. She remembered Ms. Harshwhinny, and how strict she was towards her classmates in Ponyville before the Equestria Games, and wondered if that was the sort of boss Rainbow was in the Factory.

The feathers of Rainbow’s wing felt somewhat ticklish against Scootaloo’s fur, but it made Scootaloo smile a bit, and she reminded herself that, regardless of what happened in the Factory, Rainbow was still Rainbow.

“C’mon, you taught me to be the best,” said Scootaloo, with familiar confidence. “I bet after the first week, I’ll be the best…,” Scootaloo stammered for a bit; “what am I doing here, again?” she asked, awkwardly.

“You’re in maintenance,” answered Rainbow Dash, smirking.

‘Yeah, I’ll be the best maintenance pony in the whole factory,” finished Scootaloo, nuzzling herself closer to Rainbow.

“Excuse me…”

By the door, standing across of them, a brick-red pegasus had, for a solid minute, been silently watching the pair.

He had a broad and flat muzzle, and his lips were curved in an insolent, mocking, and even malicious smile. But what was most striking to Scootaloo was the stallion’s weary demeanor, which gave him a look of exhaustion despite his healthy figure, and at the same time a passionate expression, almost painfully incongruous with his coarse, insolent smile and the stern look in his eye.

Rainbow Dash quickly pulled her wing from Scootaloo, straightening herself upward, and at last, after a solid second staring deathly towards the stallion, and with all the indelicate formality that suggested a disliking towards him, finally said:

“Scootaloo, this is Dr. Hyde Atmosphere, he works here in the factory.”

“Oh, nice to meet you,” said Scootaloo, with extraordinary readiness, “I didn’t know there was a doctor here. What sort of doctor are you?”

“A proctologist,” answered Hyde, passively.

“A what?” asked Scootaloo, nervously.

“Dr. Atmosphere,” said Rainbow, hastily, “is an engineer here in the factory.”

“That’s right” said Hyde, snidely, “a lot of ponies don’t know that engineers can be doctors too.”

“Well, you can count me as somepony that knows,” said Scootaloo, uncomfortably.

Hyde pointed a hoof towards Rainbow Dash. “Would you mind if I speak with Miss Dash, in private. I need to ask a huge favor from her.”

“Of course,” said Scootaloo, nervously, “n-no problem.”

“Thank you,” said Hyde, his voice lacking any sincerity. “And here,” he added, pulling from the pocket of his lab coat a couple of bits, “get yourself a little something from the snack bar, my treat.”

“T-thank you,” said Scootaloo, reluctantly accepting the bits offered to her. She sat there, rooted to the floor, as Hyde and an irritated Rainbow Dash left the room. In the brief moment that passed between Hyde opening the door, and it closing behind Rainbow Dash, Scootaloo had been reminded of school in Ponyville, and Ms. Cheerilee’s class regarding stranger danger.

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