Fire & Rain
Chapter 38: The Worst Day Since Yesterday
Previous Chapter Next Chapter"Please, sir, I promise we won't be long. There's just a few things we need to ask your daughter."
"My daughter has a name, and she needs to rest!" Bifrost said, stomping his hoof against the floor. "She's not ready for a game of twenty questions right now."
Celestia tried her best not to be too frustrated by Bifrost's steadfast convictions. On one hoof, she supposed he should be commended for his protective nature. On the other hoof, there were questions to settle, and the only pony who could answer them was Rainbow Dash herself. Regardless it was quickly becoming apparent that their common pony disguises were not making anything easier with the pony between them and the door.
Taking a breath, she forced herself to keep a hopeful smile as she tried again to appeal to Bifrost's better nature. "We just need her to corroborate a few pieces of evidence pertaining to her accident."
"I wouldn't care if Princess Celestia herself showed up," Bifrost declared loud enough for most ponies in the hall to turn their heads, "my daughter doesn't need to be badgered right now. So, you two can kindly piss off!"
Luna's face contorted in anger, her left eye twitching noticeably. "You insolent—"
Celestia quickly lifted her right hoof up in front of Luna to silence the younger mare's protest. Not that she could blame her sister for the outburst. Rainbow's father was proving to be a far more... difficult stallion than she had expected. Repressing another sigh, she slowly shook her head. It seemed as though she wasn't quite the actress she fancied herself to be anymore.
"What if I were to tell you that I am Princess Celestia, and that is my sister, Princess Luna?"
Bifrost snorted and rolled his eyes. "I'd say I should call the mental ward and tell em they lost two of their best crazies."
'Happy thoughts,' she told herself, 'happy thoughts.'
Luna, on the other hoof, did not get the mental memo. She pushed past Celestia, her face twisted in a fearsome snarl and her horn haphazardly sparking with barely contained power. She leaned forward, her nose mere inches from Bifrost's face. Celestia had to (silently) commend the stallion for standing his ground, Luna could be quite intimidating when she was mad.
"Thoust dares address thine princesses in such a manner?!" she hissed.
"Oh, I am so sorry your worship!" Bifrost rolled his eyes before executing the single most sarcastic curtsy in equestrian history. "Please excuse this simple stallion his ignorant tone and allow him the chance to rephrase his words. Wouldest thou and thine sister most generously turn around, present thine royal plots, and with grace most becoming, piss off."
The whole of Manehattan seemed to go silent for a moment as the royal sisters processed what the rainbow maned stallion had just said to them. Ponies from all over the city would recount tales to their grandfoals as to the great and dreadful chill that ran down their spines.
"...You dare?" the younger princess seethed, the lights in the hospital dimming with the building display of her power
"Luna, no!" Celestia shouted, her hoof reaching out for her sister.
A cloud of dark blue magic built around Luna's horn. The raw energy spiraled and expanded as it traveled down the length, enveloping 'Aurora's' body. From there it undulated and swelled, growing until she stood well over the pegasus. Bifrost reflexively stepped back, his wings flaring out and a hoof protecting his face.
When he finally lowered his hoof and opened his eyes, the hair on the back of his neck stood on end as he beheld the princess of the night.
"... Huh," Bifrost grunted, his eyes staring up at the very angry princess before him. Out of all the possible words in the Equish language, only two seemed to properly sum up his situation. "Well... shit."
Celestia sighed, shaking her head from the disappointment of it all. She didn't need to look around to know everypony on the floor was staring at them. Much to her disappointment, there seemed to be little use in carrying the charade on any longer. With a bit of energy through her horn, her own disguise burned away. Tiny embers of raw mana drifting off her coat revealing her true form.
"We shall sentence thee—"
"Luna, calm down," Celestia chided, moving forward so she was standing next to her sister. "And mind your language, please."
The princess of the night groaned, her body quaking from a revolted shudder. After a few deep breaths to calm herself, and a particularly entertaining dive into her imagination where Bifrost was taking a one-way trip to become a new lunar lawn ornament, she spoke again. "Mister Bifrost... I do not take kindly to th—er, your tone."
"I am very, very, sorry for what I said and how I said it your highness," Bifrost bowed until his nose almost touched the cold floor, his wings outstretched. "I didn't know it was you, nor should that be an excuse for having been so disrespectful in my tone."
"Your apology is accepted, my little pony," Celestia cut in, eager to move on to some actual business instead of butting heads with Bifrost for another ten-rounds. "If we may speak to Rainbow now—"
"No," Bifrost interrupted, earning a stunned gasp from a few of the common ponies trying to discreetly eavesdrop on the conversation.
Celestia's face fell flat, her amusement in Bifrost's stubbornness completely forgotten. "I beg your pardon?"
"With respect, your Highness," Bifrost began, never lifting himself from his bow, "Rainbow has only just woken up. She's tired, she's confused from the medication, and she's in a lot of pain. I will not make this any harder on her than it needs to be, so I respectfully ask that you leave her alone for a little longer." Bifrost slowly lifted his gaze from the floor, his eyes meeting Celestia's. "Unless you have a spell of some kind that can heal her up."
The alabaster princess struggled not to frown. For the first time she realized she was actually seeing Bifrost for what he was; a simple father, frightened and weary. She saw the hope flickering in the back of his golden eyes.
"I am sorry," she began, taking no joy in snuffing out that small ember of hope, nor did she have the stomach to lie to him. "I don't know of any such magics."
His ears flattened and his gaze fell. "I see."
Celestia reached out with her wing, the long and elegant feathers gently coaxing his chin up so their eyes could meet.
"I know this is hard on you, but my sister and I must speak with Rainbow. We shall not be long, but we must get a clearer picture of what happened to her."
"Have either of you two ever had children?" Bifrost asked, his resolve unwavering, though his tone had certainly improved.
"My sister and I have lived a very long time, my little pony," Celestia began, a sad smile on her lips, "I can assure you we have had children of our own."
"Then you should understand!" Bifrost stomped his hoof against the floor, the sharp crack of his hoof making their ears flinch. "You should understand that to protect my daughter, I'd burn Equestria to the ground."
"That's... commendable," Celestia half agreed, though she could think of more... eloquent ways of saying it, "but given what your daughter means to Equestria—"
"And what would that be?"
"An element of Harmony and a national security interest," Luna suggested rather bluntly, failing to see the implications of such a phrase on Rainbow's perceived value as a pony.
"Luna, please," Celestia chided her sister. Suddenly their little 'family outing' to Manehattan no longer seemed like the grand idea it had been a few days earlier.
"What?" Luna balked, her hoof gesturing to the closed door. "It's the truth."
Celestia rubbed her temple with a hoof. "Remind me to discuss 'tact' with you when we get back to Canterlot."
It was at this time that Spitfire had the misfortune of rounding the corner. So lost in her thoughts that she failed to notice Luna's royal plot until she ran face-first into it. The decidedly undignified yelp both mares made brought a resounding silence over the floor. Bifrost covered his mouth behind a hoof and bit his tongue in a desperate attempt not to laugh.
"Watch thyself!" Luna shouted, her face reddening.
Spitfire's eyes squeezed shut as she let out a pained groan. "Watch yourself, lady!"
"Oh for the love of... well, me, I guess?" Celestia groaned, her hoof attempting to rub away the headache that was rapidly developing behind her eyes.
After catching her breath from the flood of pain the impact had delivered to her wing, Spitfire opened her eyes. Observing the mare she had just addressed, she found a sudden desire for a deep hole to crawl into.
"Oh, Celestia... I-I mean Luna, er, well," Spitfire flubbed.
"What are thou—"
"Luna..."
The younger princess resisted the urge to scream. "What are you doing here?"
Spitfire forced herself into the best bow she could given the state of her body. "I-I was here to check on Rainbow."
Bifrost gave Spitfire a kind smile and the light wave of a wing. "Go on inside, Spitfire, I'll be in shortly."
Spitfire moved as quickly as she could towards the door, all too grateful to disappear into the relative safety of Rainbow's room.
"You're letting her in?" Celestia asked, somewhat incredulously.
"I'm not going to stand in the way of young love," Bifrost explained.
Celestia seemed irritated, but it was Luna who stepped forward, batting her eyelashes and lowering herself from her impressive height. "But my gentle stallion, Rainbow, Spitfire, and I have been together for so long..."
Bifrost and Celestia stared at Luna in a moment of shared confusion.
"What?" Celestia and Bifrost asked, simultaneously.
Luna leaned back, a light blush creeping across her cheeks. "T'was worth an attempt."
Inside the room, Spitfire huddled against the door, her ears flat and her eyes wide. Her mind swirled in an attempt to calculate all the ways she had probably just screwed herself. It wasn't until she heard Rainbow's voice, quiet, but very much alive, that she snapped out of her panicked reverie.
"S-Spitfire?"
Spitfire smiled, her heart fluttering as she walked towards the bed. Rainbow's half-lidded eyes watched her approach, and a soft smile formed on her lips. Spitfire could hear her labored breathing and she could see the faint lines of pain on Rainbow's face, though the medicinal haze seemed to be doing a good job with that.
"Hey," she rasped.
"Hey yourself."
"What's goin' on outside?" Rainbow slurred, her eyes struggling to remain open through the cocktail of drugs the hospital had given her.
"I think your dad is making an ass of himself in front of the princesses."
"That's cool," Rainbow giggled, "you look really hot."
Spitfire snorted, a faint warmth blossoming over her cheeks. "You're definitely high, Dash, cause I look like a train wreck.
"I could jump you right now," Rainbow asserted, the comment earning a surprised laugh from Spitfire.
"When you're outta here," Spitfire began, leaning down to kiss Rainbow's lips, "we'll see who jumps who first."
"I love you," Rainbow whispered, her exhausted body dragging her mind back to the depths of sleep.
"I love you too."
"I could jump you right now."
"I know, honey, I know," Spitfire cooed, her hoof stroking Rainbow's cheek.
"Hey, buddy," the unicorn tending the bar greeted him with a smile. "How's it going?"
Arcus groaned. "Let's just say I'm not the only pony having a rough morning, but at least I won't be limping all day."
"Fair enough," the barkeep said with a nod. "What can I get you?"
"Scotch on the rocks."
"A bit early for that, isn't it?"
Arcus didn't answer, instead he merely sighed and looked up.
"One scotch, coming right up!" It was funny how a simple look could change a pony's opinion.
Soon enough his drink was delivered and the barkeep went off to greet another customer. Arcus' hoof traced the rim of the cup, his eyes watching the tendrils of water mix with the amber liquor as the ice melted. His mouth watered as he lifted the cup to his lips and took a sip. He savored the smokey flavor and the warm burn that slid down his throat.
Sighing in satisfaction, he set the glass down. Just for a couple hours he didn't want to think about the team, the media, or the royal mess that he had unintentionally waded neck deep into. Planting his left elbow on the counter, her rested his head against his hoof. His ears swiveled just enough to get a better listen to the small radio behind the bar as the DJ introduced the next song.
"Alright everypony, this next one is a request from Miss Sunny Days and goes out to all the brave mares and stallions injured in Monday's electrical storm."
Arcus recognized the tune almost immediately, an accordion led a reserved melody over an understated guitar. He didn't know why the choice surprised him. Perhaps he had assumed 'Sunny' didn't keep up on modern music, or perhaps being over one thousand years old she had developed certain interests that weren't public knowledge. Either way, Arcus didn't mind
Well I know, I miss more than hit
With a face that was launched to sink
And I seldom feel, the bright relief
It`s been the worst day since yesterday
He chuckled, lifting the glass to his lips and sipping at his drink. "Cheeky," he mumbled, "very cheeky."
If there is one thing I have said
Is that the dreams I once had, now lie in bed
As the four winds blow, my wits through the door
It`s been the worst day since yesterday
Spitfire gently stroked Rainbow's hoof, her eyes content to observe the steady rise and fall of the weather manager's chest. Bifrost sat on the opposite side of the bed, seemingly lost in thought. A radio set on the nightstand gave them something to listen to besides the monitors attached to Rainbow.
"So, what did you tell the princesses?" Spitfire asked.
"I asked them to come back tomorrow, after Rainbow had a chance to rest," he answered, not bothering to look up.
Spitfire mouthed a silent 'oh'.
Fallin' down to you sweet ground
Where the flowers they bloom
It`s there I'll be found
Hurry back to me, my wild caleen
It`s been the worst day since yesterday
Though these wounds have seen no wars
Except for the scars I have ignored
And this endless crutch is never enough
It`s been the worst day since yesterday
"Thank you, for letting me stay."
Bifrost looked over to Spitfire. "Do you make each other happy?"
Spitfire looked to Rainbow, a soft smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "She makes me very happy, and I hope I make her happy too."
"Then I can't think of a better place for you to be than here with us."
Hell says hello, well it`s time I should go
To pastures green that I've yet to see
Hurry back to me, my wild caleen
It`s been the worst day since yesterday