Don't Open Your Eyes by Arwhale
The papers had been talking about it for weeks. At first, it had been little more than a narrow column in the Ponyville Express, top left of page eight. But in a small town like Ponyville, such a promising spectacle could only stay off the front page for so long, and pretty soon, everypony had marked their calendars.
"This is gonna be so awesome! A hundred year meteor shower! Ohh, I'm so pumped!"
A voice piped up from over her shoulder, making her left ear twitch. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but give the ground down below an amused smirk. Patience was not something she'd ever had in abundance, but in the past year, all of her times spent with the filly on her back had given her a good deal of resilience.
"Oh yeah, Scootaloo. I know. You've only said it, like, five times since this morning." Rainbow chuckled. "And yeah, it's gonna be pretty sweet."
Of course, there had also been the matter of having a clear night to see everything. She and the weather team had done two full passes of the sky to make sure there would be nothing blocking the spectacle. Heck, she'd even gone over it a third time by herself to make absolutely sure. Nothing was going to get in their way if she could help it.
Nothing…
A loud slap echoed around the spa like a gunshot. Rarity glared down at the tile floor beside her spa bed, where an opened newspaper lay face up.
"Dreadful. Simply dreadful." She pointed down at the page and addressed the pony on the bed beside her. "Did you read what happened last week, Applejack? In Baltimare?"
Applejack peeled the frilly mask off of her eyes and leaned over the side. She took a glance at the page where her friend had indicated, and as soon as she'd done so, her lips creased downward into a deep frown. She nodded.
"Yeah, Ah did." She lay her head back onto the pillow. "Poor mare's still recovering from the whole thing. It's horrible..."
"Wait, what's the problem?" Another voice sounded from Applejack's other side. Twilight walked around the foot of the mattress, a towel wrapped around her head. She looked down at the discarded newspaper. "What are you girls talking about?"
Rarity jabbed her hoof down at one of the columns, framed by a large, boldtext title. "You didn't hear? Another mare was attacked, this time in Baltimare. They suspect that it's the same gang linked with all of the other incidents of..." She swallowed, looking ready to throw up. "... this nature."
Twilight's eyes widened considerably. She gasped, placing a hoof over her mouth.
"Oh my goodness..." She didn't seem to know what else to say. Applejack's brow furrowed, forming a sharp V in the space between her eyes.
"Y'know, back in Granny Smith's day, you never would've heard anything like this happening anywhere." She shook her head. "Seems like the whole world's goin' crazy, lately..."
She trailed off. The other two mares nodded faintly in agreement, not saying anything in response. Then, they heard someone else speak up from behind Twilight, their voice shrill with disbelief.
"So they still haven't caught them, yet?" Pinkie Pie called over to them from the hot tub at the other end of the room. She waved her forelegs akimbo, splashing water onto the floor and groaning with frustration. "I thought they said they were on the trail!"
Twilight grimaced. "Well, that's what they thought the last time, but they lost it, again." She hung her head. "They keep on jumping from city to city. They've got them on the run, but nopony knows for sure where they are, right now..."
"Good heavens," Rarity exclaimed. Her mouth gaped open with fear. "I dearly hope they don't ever end up here in Ponyville!"
Just the suggestion brought a stoic silence to the entire room. Only the rumbling of the jacuzzi bubbles were audible, like the ominous roar of thunder on the distant horizon. Then, in a near whisper, another voice gasped out just loudly enough to be heard.
"Oh my..." Fluttershy sank deeper into the tub, until just her head was poking out over the surface of the water. "I-I think I'd better keep my doors locked..."
Once again, all of the others nodded in agreement. Rarity's lips curled downward into a pained grimace, and she reached down to the newspaper, flipping it back closed. The brazen title on the front page stared up at them, as did the picture of meteors streaking across a starry sky.
"And I suppose we should be careful tomorrow night, too." She placed the tip of her hoof onto the paper. "Go in big groups if we want to watch the meteor shower. Stay in sight of town. Just in case..."
"Oh, come on, guys."
Everyone else's heads turned around to the direction they had heard the voice. Its tone carried with it a calm reassurance, almost like a mother's coo to a colt who was scared of the monsters under his bed. Rainbow Dash got to her hooves and trotted over to them, eyes narrowed skeptically.
"I wouldn't really worry about those sickos coming to Ponyville," she said. She waved her hoof dismissively. "They wouldn't come to a podunk little town like this, anyway..."
Applejack tilted her head, matching Rainbow's doubtful expression tit for tat. The farm mare scoffed.
"Well there's a surprise. Rainbow Dash ain't worried." She blew a raspberry. "And what makes you say that?"
The question was directed at her like the point of a spear. Everyone else in the room fixed their eyes on Rainbow Dash, who wilted slightly under their collective stares. But, being as stubborn as she was, she didn't stay intimidated for long. She gave her wings a flap and rose high above them all.
"Because," she said, exaggerating the second syllable a bit as if to suggest that the answer was obvious. "the only places they've ever gone to are big cities. Manehattan, Fillydelphia, Baltimare. When have you ever heard anything like... well, like this, happening in a place like Ponyville? Criminals like that don't ever come to small towns like this..."
"That doesn't mean they still can't!" Twilight interrupted. She stamped her hoof on the tiles. "An even if that's true, that still doesn't mean that things can't change, Rainbow."
Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs over her chest. "It is true. And besides," she added in, "they'd be stupid to come here, anyway. All the streets are wide open, and they wouldn't even have anyplace to hide. We'd catch 'em in ten seconds flat..."
"Oh, really?" Applejack retorted defensively. "And what about me? Ah live in a farm on the edge o' town. And Fluttershy? She lives right next to the Everfree-"
"Yeah. With, like, a million animals. And a bear." Rainbow cut her off. Despite this observation, Fluttershy still whimpered. "I mean, don't get me wrong, but jeez, don't you guys think you're freaking out just a little too much about this whole thing?"
This time, it was Rarity who replied. She sat up in her bed.
"Not in the slightest, Rainbow Dash. And there is quite a difference between 'freaking out' and simply being careful, you know." Her voice did not have the same bite as Applejack's, instead opting for a more gentle approach. "And I would advise that you be careful, too. It's not worth the risk..."
Despite Rarity's best efforts, Rainbow Dash still did not appear wholly convinced. She landed back on the floor.
"I am careful," she snapped, taking her turn to go on the defensive. "And you wanna know what's really not worth it? Getting so worried about something that you can't even have fun watching one of the coolest things you'll ever see. Ever." She rolled her eyes. "Think about it! What are the odds that they'll ever come here? Baltimare is miles and miles away. And staying close to Ponyville? Not a good idea. Even a little bit of light will make it harder to see. There aren't any good places to watch unless you go way further out!"
Her words radiated confidence and displeasure simultaneously. She scanned from left to right, meeting her friend's gazes without much waver. Twilight's head cocked to the side.
"Okay, Rainbow, okay..." The alicorn held up a hoof in a gesture of surrender. "You don't have to get so worked up over this. I get what you're saying, I do. It's just that... these guys are on the run, wherever they are. And all I... we think is that ponies should treat this seriously and be a little extra careful. I'm sure that everypony else in Ponyville would agree, too."
Twilight made a little flourish with her hoof, gesturing to the entirety of her surroundings to punctuate her point. Everyone else nodded their heads to show that they were also on the same page. Rainbow Dash squinted, but did not say a word in reply for a short time. Her wings, formerly erect at her sides, gradually folded onto her back once more. She sighed.
"Well... yeah." Rainbow Dash gave a lackadaisical nod of her head, conceding to a certain degree. "I know, it's just... this is gonna be a once in a lifetime thing. Nopony's ever gonna get a chance to see something like this ever again, and..." She paused, clenching her teeth together as she struggled to find the right words. "...I just feel like getting all scared, being too afraid to go out and see it 'cause of a bunch of sick freaks... we're kinda letting them win, you know? If that makes any sense... I mean, I'd understand if we were living in Baltimare or something. I definitely wouldn't be stupid enough to just wander out all by themselves at night then-"
"Oh, so it's their faults? Is that what you're trying to say?" Unexpectedly, Pinkie Pie interrupted her in a raised voice. Her pupils narrowed into pinheads, sharp as they pierced Rainbow Dash with a needle-like glare. "Because they were stupid?"
No sooner had the question left Pinkie's lips that the implications of what she'd just said began to dawn on her. Rainbow Dash's face turned pale. She blanched, eyes widening with realization as she took a step back, retreating away from Pinkie's fiery gaze.
"Oh, n-no, that's not wh-" she stammered. Her head shook adamantly, teeth rattling in her skull. "I mean, I don't think, I didn't mean..."
"Hey, Rainbow Dash," Scootaloo spoke again, "I know this is probably a dumb question, but... what exactly is a 'hundred year' meteor shower, anyway?"
The sound of her young charge's voice jerked Rainbow Dash out of her reminiscence. She gave her head a little shake before looking up and to her left at the sky; it had nearly gone dark. After spending a moment to get her bearings back, she answered.
"Oh, uhh... It just means that it's gonna be the biggest one we've had in a hundred years. Basically." She flapped her wings a couple of times before returning to a glide. "And that's gonna be pretty big."
Rainbow Dash didn't need to look behind her to know that Scootaloo's face was probably beaming with he news. Sure enough, she could faintly hear the filly's wings begin to buzz in anticipation. She smiled.
"Whoa, really? So I'm never going to see another one this big ever again? " Her wings buzzed a little harder, lifting her ever so slightly off the older mare's back. Fortunately, Rainbow felt it right away, and she gave her wings a powerful flap to make Scootaloo sink back into her.
"Hey hey, take it easy there, Squirt," Rainbow chided her lightly. "Don't wanna have to make a flying catch."
She heard the buzzing stop almost right away. Behind her, Scootaloo laughed nervously.
"Heheh, yeah... sorry." She set her head down on the back of Rainbow Dash's neck and lay as flat as she could. "Just got a little too excited... again..."
Rainbow shrugged, but not enough to jostle the filly from her back. "Nah, don't worry about it too much. You'd be easy to catch, anyway." She laughed. "I got you."
The two of them flew in relative silence for the next few minutes. Behind them, Ponyville's lights were still easily visible, but growing more and more distant with every flap of Rainbow's wings. In front of them, a wide expanse of rolling hills opened up like a vast sea, and down below, the occasional group of ponies could be seen walking to the some of the nearest hillcrests. They formed small congregations around quilted picnic blankets, lying out under the newly visible stars. Scootaloo stretched out her neck a bit to get a better look at the ground.
"Huh..." She turned her head back to Rainbow Dash's ear so she could be heard over the whistling of the passing air. "Doesn't seem like there's that many ponies coming out to watch. You sure this one's gonna be big?"
At first, Rainbow Dash did not seem to hear her. She continued flapping in an easy rhythm, banking slightly to the left as they glided over the field. Scootaloo's brow furrowed downward, but as she prepared to ask again, Rainbow finally answered.
"Well, that's what all those bigwig astronomers from Canterlot have been predicting." She straightened herself out, continuing her course due east. "All the papers said so..."
"Then why aren't there more ponies going out to see it?"
Another pause. Just the whistling of the humid, summer air. Despite the clear sky, Scootaloo's inquiry loomed over them like a brooding raincloud. Rainbow Dash grimaced, but kept her face hidden from her passenger.
"I..." She swallowed, a sizable lump traveling down her throat. "I dunno, Squirt. I dunno."
To Rainbow's great relief, Rarity had come to her aid just as Pinkie looked ready to bring the water of the hot tub to a boil. The white unicorn addressed Pinkie in a level tone of voice.
"No no, I do not think Rainbow Dash meant it that way, Pinkie Pie." She looked over to the pegasus, whose formerly confident demeanor had gone by the wayside. "She knows that it wasn't those poor mares' faults they were attacked. Right, Rainbow Dash?"
Rarity's could not disguise the edginess in her voice. With a single, resolute nod of her head, Rainbow Dash agreed without even the slightest hesitation.
"Right! Definitely." She projected her voice to the other end of the room, where Pinkie Pie was still leaning aggressively over the edge of the hot tub. But to her luck, Rarity's reassurance seemed to quell the flames of righteous fury in Pinkie's eyes, and with her lips still creased together, she sank back into the water.
"Okaay..." Pinkie appeared willing, if not a little hesitant, to believe her. Seeing her friend calm down, Rainbow let out a breath of air she'd been holding in her lungs.
"I, uh..." Rainbow Dash took another step back, setting her sights on the exit. "Yeah... I got some, uh, stuff I gotta do, soo... I guess I'll see you guys later."
With that said, she took to the air, shooting her puzzled friends a hasty wave goodbye and flying out the door. Rarity reached a hoof out to the fast retreating pegasus, calling after her with apparent urgency.
"Wait, Rainbow Dash! You can't leave yet, you haven't even had your..."' The door slammed shut. Rarity sulked. "...massage."
She turned around, exchanging worried glances with the everypony else. Obviously taken aback, her mouth gaped open, and her hoof fell back onto her recliner with a soft thump.
Oddly enough, it was Fluttershy who made the first comment after everyone else had gone silent. Her eyes remained riveted to the door.
"Is it just me, or..." She spoke, ears folded back timidly. "...or was Rainbow Dash acting... funny?"
Applejack raised an eyebrow. She fiddled with her stetson hat, readjusting it on her head."Yeah... Ah dunno. She seemed like she was really... what's the word Ah'm looking for..."
"Defensive?" Twilight suggested. Applejack nodded.
"Yeah..." She licked her lips. "Sorta just came outta the blue, too..."
The five remaining friends pondered this in silence, over the dull roar of the jacuzzi bubbles.
Five more minutes crawled by. Any red tint remaining in the sky was stained black by the night, freckled with stars. Scootaloo shuffled forward on Rainbow Dash's back.
"So where exactly is this special place, again? I've don't think I've ever been out here, before," said Scootaloo. Rainbow, meanwhile, was setting her sights on a set of tall hills on the near horizon. It was easier to navigate in the daylight than when the sun was down, and she did not know precisely where she was, so she had to give a more vague answer to her young friend.
"It's somewhere in that range over there. The ones right in front of us." She gestured to the forested hills that were looming larger as they drew nearer. "Shouldn't be more than a couple of minutes. I gotta see where I'm at, first..."
Rainbow banked right, taking care not to turn as sharply as she was used to doing. Scootaloo held on tight, one eye aimed at the sky. She looked for any signs of shooting stars, but so far, there wasn't any indication.
"When is it supposed to start?"
Rainbow Dash shrugged. "I don't know. Probably soon."
The vague answer did nothing to assuage her anxiety. If anything, it only made it worse. She tturned her head all the way around, twisting her neck uncomfortably as she stared straight up at the sky, searching more actively than ever before. In her imagination, every twinkle she saw magnified into some kind of a spectacular streak, the sure beginnings of the coolest thing she'd ever see. Her heart felt like it was floating in her ribs, like a helium balloon bobbing in a gentle breeze.
After scanning the hills for a third time, Rainbow Dash's eyes honed in on one spot in particular. Due to the darkness, she had trouble recognizing the place from a distance, but as she drew closer, it was unmistakable. She smiled, pointing to it with her hoof.
"Hey, Squirt? I think I found it."
"Oh. Cool..." Scootaloo was hardly paying attention; all she was aware of was the sound of Rainbow's voice, somewhere in the background. She maintained her vigil of the stars, scrutinizing every inch of the vast sky like a grid. To her frustration, it seemed like every time she focused her attention on one spot, something would zip by in her peripheral vision, but just before she could turn her head to have a look, it would immediately disappear. She did not give up, though, determined and excited all the same.
Rainbow Dash dipped down in the air, approaching the ground at a shallow angle. Scootaloo sensed their descent and found herself looking back down at the ground, giving her uncomfortably twisted neck a much needed break. Rainbow only flapped once every five or so seconds, instead letting the air do all the work to carry them to the hillcrest.
"See that spot? That one that looks like a big bunch of rocks at the top of the hill?" Rainbow reached one hoof around to tap Scootaloo on the shoulder, letting her other one indicate the place. Scootaloo stretched out her neck to take a peek.
"Yeah... I think so," she replied. Rainbow Dash grinned.
"You can see everything from right there. Everything." She readjusted her flight path mid-sentence. "We'll be able to see every single one of those meteors when it starts. Just me, and you." She smiled warmly.
This was good news for Scootaloo, who was practically squirming on top of her with anxiety. Her hooves pressed into Rainbow's shoulders as she gripped the older pegasus harder, not wanting to fall off when they were so much closer to the ground.
Save for their destination, all else was obscured by the darkness. The branches of the surrounding trees were silhouetted against the rocks, whose surfaces were stained sepia by the moonlight. They flew toward it like a moth to a beacon; two pairs of eyes, set on the prize, oblivious to all else...
Oblivious to the four pairs of eyes, hidden in the trees. Aimed toward the skies...
...and right at them.
Author's Note:
My computer is jacked up at the moment, so I had to write this whole thing on a very sketchy notepad app thing and transferred it via dropbox to a computer at a library about thirty minutes away from my house. It was an annoying and arduous process, so if this story started off kind of sucky, then that is a possible reason why.
Cliffhanger? Oh noes!
I'll try to get the next chapter out in due time. Considering the subject matter, I wouldn't be surprised if this thing got drowned in flaming reviews, but that's alright. As long as somebody is interested in this story, then I will write it anyway.
~Arwhale