Z42, or How It Continued?

As it was predictable, I told Tavi what was in the letter.

And the letter read:

Mr. Zephyr Verve!

I have the pleasure to inform you about your successful enrollment in Team RED of the Trottingham’s First Elementary. Your briefing will be at 0700, tomorrow. We expect you to arrive 5 minutes before, don’t bring anything!

Mrs. Victory Goal, Administrator

“I remember Justice saying something about a school, is that it? Why did you join a school?” Tavi asks me after I read her the letter.

“It’s not exactly a school, it’s more like... a training, they play war.” Tavi arches an eyebrow,  I can hear her voice in my head, saying: ‘Are you serious?’  “Yes I know, this is dangerous and stupid, but it’s actually working and they have fun.” I tell her, I don’t want to listen a half an hour speech about dangers and other... stuff... like that.

But instead, she lowers her eyebrow and sighs. “Tell me one reason of why should I let you do this.” She says, and I know that I already won.

“Because of potatoes, of course.” I respond dead seriously.

Two seconds pass as I stare into her beautiful purple eyes and Tavi erupts in laughter, hugging me in the process. I hold her till she calms down.

“I should tell Firefly that I will get in work later tomorrow.” I say and let Tavi go, she is still smiling.

“Alright, go. Heheh, I don’t even know why did I laugh! Oh sweetie.” She says, planting a quick kiss on my cheek then leaves me, probably to go and set up her cello and other tools to play.

“I’ll be back soon!” I say half shouting and leave my home. “How can I make her laugh, even I don’t know...” I whisper under my breath, then take off and fly straight to the Weather HQ.

/2,5 minutes later, in front of Firefly’s office.../

Since I only left a few hours ago, I expect Firefly to be in her office. As I stand in front of the closed door of the room, I think for a moment, what if she took the day off as well?... One way to find it out.

*knock-knock*

“Come in!” I hear her voice, open the door and see something I never expected to see. Firefly doing paperwork. Why didn’t I expect it? Because if she was anything like Rainbow Dash, then she would be making me do it. Well, hay happens.

“Uhm, heya again, boss.” I greet her, still making that surprised and confused expression.

“Hello Zephyr. Why did you come back? You have your day off!” She says, arching an eyebrow and tilting her head in the most adorable way I can imagine, I can feel my heart stop for a second.

‘HNNNNNNNG!’ “I uh, I got a letter, tomorrow I have to attend to something important so I will be late from work.” I tell her, trying to not show what I feel inside.

“Late? Well, because you showed how easily you can handle your job, you are free to go.” She tells me and returns to the paperwork.

“Firefly... can I ask a question?” This mystery of she working must be solved now.

“You already did!” Oh of course I did, smart-flank...

“Uh, How’s that you do paperwork?” I ask finally. “I mean, no offense, but there is like a month’s papers towering here.”

“You have to start it once, no? but you can do it if you are so interested, I like to have my own day off!” She says, wearing a dull expression.

“Hah, yeah, right, no.” I say and turn around to leave. “Have a nice day, don’t choke on the paper!” I say then, snickering.

“Oh you little...” I hear from behind, but I’m already out of the office, trotting ouside.

/2.5 minutes later, back at home.../

With a graceful spin, I land in front of my home, elegant as ever. In other words, I nearly crash in the bush that decors the frontage.

After entering the house I hear the sound of the cello, my tip was actually right. I should play lottery. Trotting in the room that was selected as Tavi’s ‘training’ room, I can easily enter, and because she is practicing, she doesn’t hear me. Sneaking, I get behind her, then lean close to her left ear, an...

“Haaaaaaaiiiiii!...” I whisper in it.

She jumps, dropping her cello. “Hh-haaaa, oh my gosh Zeph, don’t do this ever again!” She says and grips her chest above her heart, she really got frightened.

“Whoops, I overdid it a bit...  I’m sorry love, I didn’t want to scare you... this much.” I tell her, then pull her in a loving hug.  I can feel how fast her heart beats. ‘Wow, I swear to Luna, I will never scare her again... this is serious.’ I think and hug her tighter.

“S-sweetie... you can let me go.. sweetie?” Tavi says, trying to get back a bit but being unable to do it because I’m not letting her go.

“I’m sorry Tavi. I really didn’t want to scare you this much. I swear i won’t do it again!” I tell her, I don’t know what would I do if something happened to her.

“It’s... it’s okay. Calm down sweetie, nothing happened.” She responds.

“But what if I did something? I can’t bear the consequences.” I reply, holding her tighter.

“Maybe you should let me go now, I’m choking!” Tavi says, so i let her go. “I will be fine, *deep breath* and the little one too.” She says and caresses her belly. “Just don’t panic, alright?”

“Yeah... okay, I think I will go now and... and... uh, check on the RED Headquarters?... Yeah, that.” I tell her, plant a quick kiss on her lips, then leave her, still cursing myself for being stupid.

/20 minutes later, in front of the RED HQ.../

“Hmm... well, I’m a member of this whole thing, so why the hay not?” I tell myself after pondering on the ‘should I do this’ dilemma. And so, I enter the building.

The first thing that I lay my eyes on is a taller filly, wearing a cowboy-like-hat, sunglasses and a vest. She is an unicorn, she levitates a wooden and metal contraption on her right side, that thing also have a strange telescope attached to it. I decide to ask her.

“Uhm, excuse me, can you help me?” The tone of my voice tells her how unsure I am.

“Sure mate, what do ya want?” She asks in a strange accent and walks in front of me. Now as she is close I can finally see how she look like.

Let’s see, dark grey coat, rose red mane and tail, golden eyes, her cutie mark is a... crosshairs? what? It’s a circular crosshairs.... alright...

Her vest is a different shade of grey and she wears a red shirt under it, her hat have about the same color as Applejack’s and her sunglasses is a gold, similar to her eyes. Well, I can’t remember seeing a filly like her before.

“I joined this team yesterday and I have to be here tomorrow at seven, but I want to get acquainted with the, uh, team.” I tell her, then remember an important part. “Oh, my name is Zephyr Verve.”

She looks at me for a few seconds, observing every trait of me, then looks in my eyes. “Name’s Perfect Point. Welcome to the team, I will show ya ‘round.”  She says then holsters her... weapon? In a quiver like holster which is strapped to her right flank. Right after she trots away, so I follow her.

She leads me to a room filled with lockers. I instantly notice that every locker have a name written on it, and after reading a few names I notice a familiar one.

“Peach Cupcake? Is.. is it Private Cupcake?” I ask Perfect Point, stopping in front of the locker.

“Yeah, she’s not the smartest of us, but have a battle-moral like nopony else! Now seriously, would ya blow up a rocket under yerself only to jump higher? Would ya?” She asks me, her strange accent makes me think about her origins, where did she born?

“Uhm, dunno... doesn’t she gets hurt?” I ask, my train of thoughts about her origins is too deep to let it go.

“Naah, she have those ‘gunboats’ of her, Ya’d never guess that huh?” She asks me, raising an eyebrow.

“I already met her, so I know about those. But interesting to know their use...” I say, and my thoughts are all around those metal shoe-like things, the ‘gunboats’.

“Thought so mate. Now, see that empty locker?” She asks and points on said locker.

“Yeah, what about it?” I ask and open it. Empty. Not big surprise.

“That will be yer’s get acquainted!” She says and trots to another locker, I notice that it have her name on it. Opening it she pulls out a second hat, it’s a red and brown camo boonie hat. She places it on her head after taking off the one that was on her head until right now. “Ya see, we get hats and other stuff if we do good in battle.” She explains. “Ya haven’t choose class yet, have ya?” She asks then.

“Class?” This sounded stupid.

“Hnarrgh... Yeah, we have nine class. Private Cupcake is the Soldier, with rocket launcher, I’m the Sniper, with this....” She levitates her weapon in front of her. “...niiice weapon. A rifle.” She smirks then holsters the rifle again. “And the other classes have other weapons as well!” Seeing the confusion on my face, she facehoofs and explains. “Alright mate, listen. There are three roles of the classes. Offense, defense and support, 3 class each. The first class is the Scout. Ya gotta be fast and dodgy if ya want to be that. The Scout’s weapon is a scattergun. The second class is the Soldier, you already met Peach, so you know what it’s like to be a Soldier. The third class is the Pyro. It uses a flamethrower, but don’t worry, it’s magically enchanted to do no damage, it only hurts your counter. The fourth class is the Demolition pony, or Demo for shorts! Ya can use pipe-bomb launchers and sticky-bomb launchers, but I don’t recommend, ya can hurt yerself easily. The fifth is the Heavy weapons pony. No offense mate, but yer body type is not for that, the Heavy uses a minigun, which isn’t mini at all. The sixth is the Engineer, ya can have a shotgun, and build sentries and dispensers, if ya want to defend an area, it’s yers! The seventh is the Medic, ya can heal back yer teammates’ health counter with the medigun, useful in an attack, though ya can get in the crossfire easily. The Eighth might be me, the Sniper with my beaut’, this sniper rifle. I can pick off the enemies from a looong distance. They never see it coming. And the ninth class... the Spy. Sneaky bastards, always hiding. Ya’ll find out about the Spies everything ya need later.”

For about ten seconds I just stare into empty space as the things sink in.

“Oooookay... so I should choose.... uh... I.. think... I will choose tomorrow, okay Point?” I ask her, feeling awkward.

“Sure mate. Ya wanna go home already?” She ask, smirking.

“Y-yeah, kinda.” I answer, looking at the door we came in earlier.

“Then go, ya practice dummy.”  She tells me and rummages through her locker...

‘This was interesting alright.’ I think and Leave the lockers’ room, then the HQ itself, luckily I found nopony else. That filly... she had like no respect towards an adult, I feel like if I was in a school... oh wait.

/Back at home.../

After I finally arrived, I decided to just simply plop myself on my sofa and wait until something happens. And it happened, about 20 minutes later Tavi finished the practicing and went in the kitchen to get herself something to drink. She noticed me.

“Oh you are back! How it was going?” She asks me, walking next to me.

“Meh, good. I have to decide, what should I be? Nine class, three roles,and it was a mouthful just to listen!” I tell her.

“So it was interesting, huh?” She asks playfully.

“Oh, stop it Tavi. It’s serious.” I say, furrowing my eyebrows

“Yes, serious, like you are serious about every time.” She responds, putting a hoof on my shoulder in the process.

“Hardy-har-har...” I say sarcastically, then close my eyes.

Tomorrow will be long.