witchesreign | Fall: when the world starts growing cold...

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Fall: when the world starts growing cold...

[For a very long time now, a pegasus pony has zipped through the halls and across large dome of the Lobby without respect for physics or gravity. The sound of air rushing over feathers and the sight of a rainbow wake are common to the point of being uninteresting. Instead, for the past few days, their absence is what seems unusual.]

[Rainbow Dash hasn't much felt like flying lately. Instead, the pegasus plods from place to place with the weary, slow pace of a plowhorse at the end of planting season. No spring in her step or wind in her wings, just a slow, dispirited trudge.]

[She has a lot of reasons for her lack of energy, some more obvious than others, but it's easy to guess at the straw that broke the pony's back; every time she passes through the dorms, she stops to take a long, sad look at a room that had up till recently been inhabitated by one of her best friends.]

[Then, sadly satisfied that once again, looking at it will not bring the alicorn back, she trudges on, without really much hope for anything right now.]

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Why would she? She's home.

[Rainbow doesn't blame Twilight; there's no reason for her to go blindly chasing portals and spells back to this world, when all the evidence suggests Rainbow herself, the last pony on this world, would pop back eventually too. She's just... sad, and lonely, and carrying more weights than just this on her shoulder.]

I'm glad she's back where she belongs...

Sure she would. She didn't mean to disappear on you, you're this worried about her... there's no way she wouldn't at least let you know she's okay. It's not like you stop being friends the moment you're out of sight. And if you keep fretting about it before you hear back from her, it's just a waste, you know? [He grins awkwardly, sticking his hands in his pockets. ...Man, pretty much any of his friends would be so much better at this.]

Whoa, hold up. I'm not doubting our friendship or anything, I just miss her, okay? [Little surprise the Element of Loyalty gets a bit prickly about the implications there.] But we don't even know if time goes the same on our home worlds as here. I think it doesn't, actually. So that means she COULDN'T come back for me, even if she wanted to, because time isn't passing for her.

Does that change anything? I said if she can.

[Prickly is an improvement on doom and gloom, isn't it? Well, he's hardly cut out to be serious about these things. What if he tried a joke?]

Anyways, if you really insist on getting hung up on it... why not take it somewhere else? There's gotta be somewhere less stuffy you could do your lurking around, even in the rain. [...Okay, no, that one sucked. Point stands, though.] I mean, when there's nothing you can do, what are the reminders good for?

[Unfortunately, Rainbow takes the exact wrong thing in the exact wrong way, and it shows.]

Oh, in other words, "get out of the hall and quite blocking traffic, nopony cares if you lost your friend", huh?!

No what? [For a second, it sounded like... Huh, maybe his translator's acting up?

Wait, that totally isn't the part he should be reacting to!]

H-Hey, I didn't say that! When did I say that? I just came in here to... [He trails off rather quickly. Um, never mind.] You just looked like you could do with taking your mind off it for a while, and... [This laugh of his is really more of a nervous giggle.] Maybe I was wrong...

[Rainbow lunges forward to get right up in his face.]

Oh sure, if I really insist I should 'get hung up on' my BEST FRIEND vanishing, then I should go do it somewhere else! THAT's when you said that!

[The pony backs off just to turn around and fold her forearm haughtily.] I bet you don't even HAVE any friends. THAT's why you don't care about somepony ELSE losing theirs.

[She didn't really have any way of knowing exactly how close to home that would hit, but he still flinches.

And then, abruptly, leans forward himself.]

Of course I do! And of course I miss them! But they're not around either, and that's just the way it is! And dude, if you're so quick to take it out on whoever's passing by, it's no wonder you don't have anyone else!

[He doesn't quite manage to bite his lip in time.

...Damn. Now he's the one who sounds like a loser. The mature thing to do would be to just step away, right? Yeah, definitely the mature thing. It's not like her purported friend vanishing is his fault.]

Alright, alright, I get the hint... Sorry. I'll leave you to it.

[He pulls his headphones over his ears and walks back the way he came.]

[Rainbow's turn to take words like a punch to the gut. She winces as the shot hits home, recoils a little... then swallows. Oh man, she hates having to be mature and responsible and admit mistakes, but...]

[She flies past Yosuke to intercept him, wheeling around to face him properly once she's past him.]

Hey, you're right. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said any of that stuff. I didn't mean it.

[Huh, that was a quick turnaround. Literally and metaphorically. He stops before he can walk straight into her and removes his headphones again, not even having had the chance to put any music on.]

That's pretty much what I figured. No worries. [He makes an effort to give her a smile - a distinctly embarrassed one thanks to his own outburst, but in some sense it feels just a shade less awkward than before.

...It's okay to needle her a little in retaliation, though, isn't it?]

See, now you aren't just loitering around the same old dorm. Isn't that an improvement?

[Rainbow sighs deeply, drooping, but at least she's letting herself be honestly sad and depressed instead of angry or hostile.]

Not really. I guess I appreciate the thought, but... just moving around isn't gonna do anything to help me.

Not at all? At the very least, it's gotta be a little more interesting. You should try working the late-night shift sometime...

[Whoops, he's forgetting himself. He folds his arms and leans back slightly in order to feel less like he's trying to tower over her.] Oh, what's your name, anyway? I don't think I've seen you in class before. There was that other horse with wings in one of them, I guess, but she looked girlier than you.

[Purpler. Same difference.]

I'm Rainbow Dash.

[One questionable advantage of her low mood is that he doesn't get any additional description of how awesome or amazing she is, just the name.]

The pony you're talking about is my friend. The one who left.

[Well, that settles it. Whoever heard of a dude called Rainbow?

... Whoever heard of a girl called Rainbow? Sounds like something they'd slap onto a filler villain of the day on Featherman. Argh, forget it. More importantly -]

Oh. Oh. Um, jeez, I'm sorry... again.

[For lack of any better way to change the subject, he coughs.] A-Anyway! I'm Yosuke Hanamura. Er... I know I said I'd leave you to it, but if you ever felt like taking a break and getting a soda or something, I'd be up for that... [He gives her a sheepish but open-hearted wink.] Just, you know, just saying.

[Clumsy as he realises he's being, he does look more worried for her. It's dangerous to feel like you're totally alone...]

Well, I know I'm a catch, but you're being awful forward considering we just met.

[The good news is that she's cheered up, just a little, just for the moment. The bad news is that it comes at his expense, given her teasing wink.]

[There's no way she means it, but banter is still more his speed than any of the sappy stuff. He dares to grin.] Does that mean you're not busy?

Naw. [The brief spurt of good humor drains away, because yeah, she's not busy and missing friends is a big part of why.] I got nothin' going on.

[He tilts his head slightly.]

Well... I know how I sound, but I was serious... Think about it sometime, okay?

[Alright, that's probably enough awkward hovering for one day, even for him. He gives her what he hopes is an encouraging nod, steps around her and walks away again.]

Hey!

[She's not trying to catch him or intercept him this time, just turning in place to try to get his attention for one moment more.]

...thanks.

[He just turns to wave at her - and he'll probably wave the next time he passes her in a hallway, too.]

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Fall: when the world starts growing cold...

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