Rainbow woke up, sliding herself up on her wobbly forelegs. She slid herself out of the bedroll, swaying side to side. Finally able to right herself and to look straight ahead, she smiled. She felt great!

Whatever the buck Huffer had given her, it helped. She didn't know what it was, and a part of her kind of didn't want to know. But still, it was great. She hadn't felt this well rested since before she had begun working for the Ponyville weather team. Everything seemed a little shinier, the light coming in through the open door a little brighter, the shadow of her new boss a little darker... Oh, wait.

Looking up, sure enough, she spotted her boss. He was looking at her, his small beady eyes flickering with confusion. "What exactly are you doing in here? And why do you have a box of Huffer's stims next to you?"

She finally managed to get to her hooves, and said, "Well, Diana said I could stay in here instead of paying for an inn. As for the stims, well, I had a little bit of a problem getting some sleep, so they were to help me get some sleep. Now, can I help you?" The words seemingly tumbled out of her mouth, spewing out in a stream. Dear Celestia, how does Pinkie talk like this? I'M winded, and I flew Celestia knows how far in about a week!

"Well," he said, walking up to her. "Did it help? I have a proposition for you, and I don't really want to have to cut you because you can't get enough sleep."

"Buck yeah, it did! I feel like I can pull off a Rainboom in like, ten seconds flat!" She took off, hovering just below the ceiling to prove her point.

"A...what?", he deadpanned.

Rainbow smiled nervously as she looked down at him. "Eh, heh heh. Right. I'll, uh- I'll tell you about it later. So, you were saying...?"

"Alright then. Follow me, please." He walked out the door, and she landed back down and followed him.

As they arrived in his office, he gestured to a seat which now sat in front of his desk. As they sat down, he reached under his desk and pulled out a rolled-up piece of parchment. "Now, miss dash. You were able to make the Shorris run in four days, and so-"

"Three, actually," she said, smiling. "I got back late yesterday. Diana just said you were out. That's why I spent the night down in the storage room."

His shocked expression shifted to one of joy. Or, at least, that's the closest she could guess; it was kind of hard to tell with the lack of movement in features. "Well, this is certainly a pleasant surprise! An even higher efficiency. Oh, I knew this would be good terms!"

"Terms?", Rainbow asked. Then, Steven unrolled the parchment, revealing a large document. It was almost completely full of words, with the only real spaces of blank parchment being the margins and a place to sign at the bottom. However, there was one real problem: "I can't read this."

"What," Steven said. "But you can speak it fine! How can you not-" He cut himself off as Dash lifted up her hoof with the translation rune on it. "Oh. Oh, I see. Well ok then. I'll read it out." He flicked it out straight, cleared his throat, and read it out.

I, whomever this document is being presented to, fully and willingly accept the position of courier in the Demos Express caravan company, along with all of the privileges and risks such a position entails. At a rate of 500 barter script per run, I will transport small packages, personal items, and letters deemed important to various locations across the continent and immediate area of the Archipelago. While basic equipment and lodging will be provided, all food, stims, and other comforts will be paid for out of the courier's own pockets and will not be paid for by the company. A few other statutes are in effect which, if violated, will result in the immediate and unpaid termination of said individuals contract.

1. Trading or selling of company property.

2. Purposeful destruction of either personal or company equipment.

3. Violation of settlement laws, regardless of fairness or viability.

4. Accepting work of any sort from other companies other than that Demos Express company.

5. Taking sides in any and all local disputes, as this may result in the disruption of other company operations.

If you are willing to accept the above-listed risks and statues, as well as the raised pay to other individual workers, Sigh below.

_______________________.

Rainbow looked at him as he finished reading it off. He set it down, and said, "Well, that's it. By the way, due to your, unique, biology, I've decided to up your pay. A normal courier would take a week and get five hundred scripts for the run to Shorris. You took three days, and will get seven hundred and fifty scripts for it! So, what do you say?"

Rainbow pondered for a moment. She didn't know how much a barter script was worth when compared to a bit, but it still sounded like a lot. It was something for her to do. She was still hung up about what happened, but she had to run with the punches. Take it in stride. It was the best she could do. Plus, it was the only job she was being offered, so it kinda made it the best one available. In the end, it was a no brainer.

"You got yourself a deal."

"Splendid," he said. He pulled out a small wooden stick, dipped it into a small wooden bowl filled with dark ink (At least she hoped it was ink), then offered it to her. "Just sign in the line below the text." As she signed her name, he slid the paper into his desk and said, "Now, I have another job for you. I know it may be soon, so I can give you some time to rest if you want."

"I'm fine. What is it?"

"Alright then. Just another simple run. Another town, small package, about ten days away. For a footslogging courier. I expect I'll see you in a few days. As I said, Seven-fifty when you get back. Have a good day! And get to work! You have a bright future with the company!"

Rainbow couldn't help but agree with him and that statement. She had a job, one that paid well, a way to suppress her nightmares, some clothes on her back, and a reliable place to stay at night. Nothing could replace her home, her friends, her family. But maybe, just maybe, she could move on. She could get used to it. She could forge a new life for herself.

Next Chapter: Interlude~Deliberation Estimated time remaining: 8 Hours, 13 Minutes