Description:
Artist's comment:
Raindrop rolled over into a dive from 3,000ft above Baltimare in my Equestria dreamscape. Plunging down in a near vertical angle the filly rocketed toward Sea Swell Boulevard like some bright pink dive bomber. Staring through her goggles with intense concentration the filly watched the ground racing toward her and 2 electric trolleys that were approaching each other from opposite directions. She had to time this just right and she was rapidly approaching the point of no return.
At only a couple hundred feet above the street and traveling at over 150mph Raindrop poured every ounce of flight magic she could mustered as she pulled up from the dive. She ignored the intense burning sensation in her wings from the heavy application of magic and severe aerodynamic strain. She pulled up from her dive and leveled off roughly about 6ft above the cobblestone street and still traveling well over a 100mph. Now she faced her next challenge. The 2 trolleys were starting to pass each other, but the distance between them was less than the wingspan of the filly.
At the last instant Raindrop snap rolled onto her side and folded her wings. She shot between the 2 trolleys with a foot and a half clearance on either side. The filly rocketed out between them and then pulled up about 12ft above the boulevard. Now for second part of her trick.
Ponies often accused the filly of not paying attention in class. Well except for PE. That was not true. It's just that most of Raindrop's teachers presented their instructions in the most BORING way possible! But Mr. Groundloop had recently demonstrated in Raindrop's Fundamentals of Weather Control class how pegasi could use their weather magic to handle modest electrical discharges without harming themselves. Needless to say this totally caught the filly's attention and she was the best in the class being able to arc bolts of electricity between her hooves.
Pumping her wings and pouring more flight magic into them her speed shot back up to 125mph the filly swerved over until she was right over a set of the overhead wires that powered the trolleys. Cupping wings but keeping the flight magic going Raindrop and extended her hind legs until they touched the wires. A blinding curtain of sparks trailed behind the filly's hooves as she slid down the wires for over a 200ft. She could feel her mane standing up on end and her teeth buzzing, but this was so cool! At the next overhead support pole the filly catapult herself upward and off into the late afternoon sky. Behind her she left a street full of confused ponies wondering what they'd just witnessed.
Climbing back up to about 1,000ft Raindrop did a series of loops and rolls to scrub off some speed and calm herself down. Yes! If school was like that she'd be a straight A student! Actually that was something that had been on the filly's mind most of the summer vacation. Normally she dreaded the end of vacation and having to go back to school, but this year would be different. She'd be old enough to try out for the school hoofball team!
Especially Stone Mane. She hoped the colt was alright in Ponyville. She still found it inconceivable that he would be so interested in a filly who apparently didn't even play hoofball?
Raindrop's home was 2 and half story brownstone affair like many of the houses in Baltimare. The only thing remotely unusual was large deck/landing made up much of the roof of the house. Raindrop and her family would often sit up there in the evening during the summertime and eat their dinner while enjoying the breezes coming off the ocean. In fact the house was situated on a modest hill that gave a the filly a view of the ocean from her bedroom window. The deck also made an adequate landing and taking off pad.
Coming into the wind the filly came in over the deck but ignored it and glided down the stairs and landed in front of the door leading to the interior of the house. She opened it and trotted in. Her mom expressly forbid flying in the house, but normally Raindrop could often get away with sliding down bannisters of the staircase.
Unless her mother was standing at the bottom of it. The mare scowled at her. "Young filly! What did say about that? Well?"
Raindrop sighed and repeated the line she'd heard what seemed like a million times for you. "I'm not suppose treat our house like my playground."
"And maybe someday you'll actually remember that. So how have you been? Did you do anything interesting today?"
Raindrop made her way to the icebox. Snagging a bottle Bubbly Blueberry Soda she popped the cap off on the bottle opener built into side of the icebox. She took a swig and then looked at her mom.
"Nothing too impressive. Did some agility and acceleration drills. Plus some endurance flying. Want to be sure I have enough stamina for the tryouts."
Her mother went back to prepping what was obviously dinner. looking over her shoulder the mare made a quick head tilt gesture toward the dining room. "Speaking of school I picked up some new clothes for back-to-school. To replace the ones you've outgrown or destroyed. They're on the dining room table." Please take them up to your room.
The filly groaned. She didn't understand why some ponies got so excited clothes. Heck she rarely wore any of them, but there was one garment that caught her attention. It was a jacket of light wool in pine green which was Raindrop's school main color. It had a silk lining of lighter green, but instead of collar it had a hood permanently attached to it. However what the filly found particularly alien was the lack of buttons. Instead the jacket had these little metal teeth on either sides of the opening. Raindrop put it on but after a second of fussing with it she called out to the kitchen.
"Mom! How are you suppose to close this jacket? It's got no buttons on it!"
"Use the zipper!" Her mom called out.
"What's the zipper?" Raindrop hollered. After a moment her mom came out of the kitchen. "Really dear they aren't that hard to grasp!" Her mom quickly demonstrated how the device worked then she returned to her cooking.
Raindrop looked down the now zipped jacket and grabbed the tab with her right front hoof. She then proceeded to work the zipper up and down a few times before giggling. It did make a cool sound.
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Meanwhile in Ponyville Stone Mane was helping Applebloom carry some paint cans out to the clubhouse so AJ could start painting it in preparation for Princess Luna's visit. It was late in the afternoon and it was another warm day, but suddenly the colt felt a chill run through him. Setting the paint can he carrying by the handle in his mouth the nutmeg brown foal looked to the east. He didn't why but felt his attention drawn that way. Applebloom noticed the colt's odd behavior and set her own can down. Then she trotted back.
"Ya ok there Stone? Sumthin wrong?"
The colt kept looking to the east. After second he spoke. "I, I felt something. Something exciting, but terrifying at the same time. But now it's gone." He shook his head as if to clear some cobwebs from his head then he picked up the can and followed after Applebloom.
