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PONYVILLE - TOWN HALL - NIGHT BEFORE WINTER KICK OFF
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Night Flurry cautiously entered the town hall, glancing about nervously. He had always hated these meetings, avoiding them whenever possible. All the ponies on the day team had been gathered together, plus a few extra pegasi from around town who had volunteered to help. Night much preferred to stay on his own. The night shift was peaceful, nopony to bother him, nopony he had to talk with, or prove himself to. He shrank down in the back of the room, trying to remain inconspicuous, it would be over soon enough and he could just head home.
Rainbow Dash flapped up above the weather Pegasi and gave a sharp whistle. "Listen up everypony, tomorrow night is the Winter Kick Off! We'll be getting in our shipments of snow clouds from Cloudsdale tonight, and everypony will be working the night shift to ensure we get everything set-up perfectly." Night smiled. At least the end result would be worth it. Winter Kick Off was his favorite day of the year, the start of a fresh new winter. Once the day was over, once the Kick Off was over, he'd have his lone shift back to enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Rainbow continued talking for some time, going over the plans for the kick off, assigning each pony to a task, but Night wasn't really listening. He'd never really gotten along with Rainbow, she'd always struck him as kind of a show-off, so Night just didn't talk with her except when necessary. Of course, Night rarely talked to anypony except when necessary, but Rainbow was his boss, and that made her harder to avoid at times.
Knowing his knack for Snow and winter weather, Rainbow had asked him to write up the plan for this year's Kick off. Not wanting to make any waves, he'd agreed, simply asking her to just not mention his name. No sense attracting unnecessary attention... again. She'd already tried to promote him again this year. He didn't want more responsibility, he just wanted to do his job. She'd agreed, but only by forcing him to commit to come to this meeting. He sighed quietly in the back, trying his best to just blend in.
As Rainbow Dash finished her speech, the weather ponies began to mingle a bit, some talking over the new plan, others detailing their excitement for the coming winter, Night headed for the door. About to push his way out and just fly home, his ears perked up slightly as a voice rang out above the others. "It seems like a solid plan." Night's heart caught in his throat. He lowered his hoof from the door and slowly turned back, looking into the crowd to find the source of that voice.
Standing next to Rainbow Dash was a beautiful black winged angel. Charcoal coat like the pitch night, her head crowned by a brilliant blue mane, a teal scarf accentuating her features. Night stood before the door, jaw dropped, staring at the most radiant, amazing Pegasus he had ever seen. She laughed at something Rainbow Dash said, the melodic sound filling Night's ears. Her coat was glowing with a brilliant sheen, her smile filling the room. Most stunning of all, her eyes were like deep pools, threatening to swallow him whole if he looked too long, but he couldn't pull his gaze away.
Cloudkicker trotted to the door, giving a sharp “Ahem.” Night blinked, and looking up, noticed the other Pegasus standing next to him, looking to get out of the door. Cloudkicker motioned with her hooves for Night to scoot out of the way, and he quickly complied, feeling his face flush sharply as he rushed to the side of the room.
Fleeing to the corner, Night sat on his haunches and watched the amazing pony from a distance as she talked, and smiled. Before long, she was waving goodbye to the ponies standing nearby, trotting to the door. She turned back to the group she had just been talking with, flashing a smile. Night blinked once as for a split second, his eyes met hers. Her ears twitching slowly, she faced the door and trotted out, leaving town hall.
She was gone. The weight pushing down on Night's heart was gone, replaced by... an emptiness? After a moment, Night finally reminded himself to breath. Eyes wide, he scanned the room, until he was drawn to the obvious multicolored mane of Rainbow Dash. He pulled himself up awkwardly, and made a clumsy trot to Rainbow Dash, his legs trembling, threatening to betray him at any moment. "H-h-hey R-rainbow Dash?" Night looked down at the floor, waiting for the sky blue Pegasus to respond.
Rainbow Dash blinked. "Um... yeah? Hey Flurry, what's up?"
"I.. I.. um..." He swallowed, trying to clear the lump out of his throat, but all he could do was let out a deep sigh.
Dash raised a hoof to her head in frustration. "Oh come on Flurry, talk to me! I'm amazed you're even still here, so it must be important, I can only ever drag you to come to these things kicking and screaming."
"T-t-that Pegasus... w-who...?"
"Pegasus?" She looked about the room, still filled with the various members of the Ponyville weather team. "Gonna have to be a little more specific Flurry."
"B-black coat..." Night coughed nervously, finally looking up at Rainbow. "a-and a S-scarf..."
"OH! That was Dusky! She's a good mare, loyal to a fault, wonderful weather pony. You mean you've never met her?"
Night shook his head sharply. "No! I.. I mean... n-no... I haven't... h-how long has she worked for the team?"
Dash shrugged, looking down at Night. "Like, a couple years, but she's pretty part time. She's always at these big gatherings when we need extra help, but of course, YOU'RE never at them, so that explains that too." Dash rolled her eyes and trotted away, leaving Night alone amidst the other Pegasi.
Night nodded slowly. "R-right..." The corners of his mouth raised slightly, the faintest of smiles growing upon his face. He spoke softly, letting the name play across his lips. "Dusky..."