Read The Bridge

“‘Ah mean it! Don’t make me have to climb onto the roof to lasso you and reel you in !”

Rodan offhandedly waved a raised forepaw at AJ, speaking in an annoyed groan.

“Yes ‘mooooom’!”

“Oh don’t you ‘mom’ me!“

Applejack barked, lunging to her left and catching Rodan by surprise. The previously mocking gryphon chirped, quickly taking to the air. The mare had just managed to put Rodan into a headlock, grinding her hoof into his headcrests amongst mutual laughter when a new voice joined the conversation.

“Delivery TO Appeloosa for a-“

The half crosseyed mailmare who was hovering in front of them turned the letter back around to reread the sending information.

“D-Dame Applejack and… Radar? Radon?”

Rodan lowered them both back to the ground, Applejack hopping off and holding out her hoof for the letter.

“Yah got her, and its Rodan.”

Applejack was handed the letter and started opening it as Rodan cracked a raised eyebrow at the mail carrier. She looked familiar and his mind trailed back to probe his memory.

“Hey, weren’t you the same one from the castle?”

She nodded with a beaming smile before saluting and flying off. Rodan glanced over to Applejack with a still confused look stretched across his beak.

“How did she get all the way out here? I didn’t see her on the train.”

Applejack, having just now gotten the letter free, merely shrugged.

“It’s Derpy Hooves, don’t question it.”

She’d gotten the letter straightened out and instantly locked her eyes upon the gilded seal atop it. A sun and moon encircled by a dark and light alicorn. The royal seal of Canterlot Castle. Her eyes dug into the text.

“Thought something was up with the ‘Dame’ titlin’! It’s from the Princesses! Looks like you’re rearing for a summoning.”

Rodan snapped to, popping up in the air to try and peek over Applejack’s shoulder.

“Uh oh! Got a situation back at home base they need me for?!”

“Uuuuh, looks like they want to deploy you and Rainbow Dash to Neighagra Falls soon.”

“What’s going on? Who’s attacking? More gyaos or someone else?!”

Applejack’s head tilted a bit lopsided when she read through the last paragraph, eyeing it over a few more times just to be sure she read it right.

“Actually… No. Everythins’ holding up right fine. They wanna enter you two in an airshow.”

There was a long silence between the two. Applejack regained her wit and looked over at Rodan. The expression upon his face was a tad hard to read due to lack of lips, but best she could gander from the way he was holding his beak and eyes, it seemed to be a unique blend of confusion. The gryphon looked like he’d just been asked to construct a giraffe out of sardines and fly it off a cliff. Anguirus once said a simple phrase to best express his first meeting with Derpy Hooves, one Rodan parroted in tone and significance.

“….W’at?”