The First Rainboom

Honey Glow stared at her reflection in the plate she had just washed. The polished ceramic felt cold against her hooves. She squinted, trying to see herself more clearly. She squirted some more liquid soap onto the plate, filling the air around her with a lemony scent. She glanced over her shoulder, where her husband, Basil, was clearing the remains of Honey's pumpkin pie. The pie had turned out great, but Honey wondered how much better it would taste with some of Starswirl's cinnamon. Perhaps next week she'd ask him for some. Basil trotted over to the sink, his hooves echoing against the hardwood floor. The night's silence had stolen over the house. The window in front of the sink was open, allowing the cool evening air to filter into the kitchen. The moon was full, and the lemony smell of the liquid soap mixed with the outdoor scent of fallen leaves.

Basil, leaned against the counter and helped himself to another slice of pie, "Mmm... Another success, sweetheart," he sighed, as he munched the pie crust.

"Thanks," Honey said softly.

"Are you alright?" Basil asked, frowning, " You seemed distracted tonight."

Honey dried her hands on a towel, and drained the water from the sink, "During our afternoon tea today," she began, "Starswirl brought up an interesting theory."

"Oh?" Basil finished his pie and began to wash the last dish, "Tell me about it."

"Well," Honey began, as she reached up to undo her unruly bun, "he was talking about something called a Sonic Rainboom."

"No way," Basil interrupted softly, "I did my final school essay on them," he frowned, "but they're just a myth. What did he say about them?"

Honey ran her hooves through her mane, untangling curls as she cocked her head at Basil, "You studied them? Starswirl said he thinks they are feasible, and he wants my help."

"Huh," Basil's frown deepened, "from what I remember, attempting a Sonic Rainboom is very dangerous." he gazed out the window and paused before continuing, "If you don't succeed, you get rocketed backwards by the sheer speed you were going at." He closed the window and turned back to Honey, "What kind of help did he want from you?"

Honey shrugged, uncomfortable, "Well, he wanted a volunteer." She kicked softly at the floor, avoiding Basil's gaze.

Basil's eyebrows knit together, "A volunteer? But he knows I haven't flown since-"

"He didn't mean you," Honey interrupted gently, still studying the hardwood.

"Then who..." Basil trailed off as his eyes widened in understanding, "He wants us to offer up our daughter as a test subject for an insanely dangerous experiment!?" He stomped his hoof against the floor, "What is he thinking?"

"Basil," Honey began, "he assured me it would be safe, and that it could help Celinda practice her flying."

Basil lowered his gaze, shocked, "So you're actually considering this?"

Honey shook her head, "I'm not considering anything yet." She glanced out the window again, "It's too late to be contemplating any serious decisions, and this is definitely serious."

Basil sighed in relief, "You're right," he said softly, as he reached out and ran a hoof through Honey's mane, "we can discuss this tomorrow with a clear mind." Honey turned off the light in the kitchen, and the two ponies headed to bed.