Destiny 20 years later

[19:39] <~High_Hopes>  *** Twenty Years Later ***
[19:43] * High_Hopes flops back on the bed in her appartment, tossing her labcoat aside. A nagging thought forces itself to the front of her attention, and she reaches for her phone. Floating a small scrap of paper out of her nightstand drawer, she dials the number Swoop had given her almost an eternity ago...
[19:45] * Swoop hears her phone ring. It's... somewhere... underneath that pile of clothes. Man, I really need to hit the laundry... Ah, there it is. "Hey wassup. I'm not here right now but please leave your name, the target and the ammount of money you're willing to pay, and I'll get right back to you. Beep."
[19:46] * High_Hopes frowns slightly. "Uh... Hi, Swoop? It's... it's... High Hopes... It's been a while, hasn't it? I was just wondering... if... maybe... you... I'll... I'll call you back. Sorry... by."
[19:46] <Swoop> "WAIT! HOPES! I'm here!"
[19:47] * High_Hopes eeps loudly and almost drops her phone. "Oh... oh! Okay... Well... erm... hello, how... how are things?"
[19:47] <Swoop> "Doin well, doin well.. Seriously tho, you couldn't tell that was me? I mean that beep was probably the worse one ever."
[19:50] <Swoop> "But anyway. What you been up to? Still workin in that hospital?"
[19:53] * High_Hopes frowns, but it stretches into a smile. "I... guess I didn't know what to expect... I was just wondering if... Well... the Trottingham General is sending me to Seaddle... to Trot Hopkins... I need a place to stay..."
[19:54] * Swoop starts cleaning up her house. "Yeah, you're in. Don't even gotta ask."
[19:56] * High_Hopes blinks in surprise. "Y-You... you mean it? H-how much is rent?"
[19:57] * Swoop snickers. "Rent? What's that? I own my house."
[19:58] * High_Hopes frowns. "You mean... you're not going to make me pay?"
[19:59] * Swoop puts the laundry in a basket. "Hopes, why would I make an old friend pay rent? Seriously, after all the shit we went thru."
[20:01] * High_Hopes smiles gently. "Well... thank you... I..."
[20:02] * Swept_Wing ([email protected]) Quit ( Ping timeout: 121 seconds )
[20:02] * Swoop waits. "....you?"
[20:03] <~High_Hopes> "Well... thank you so much! I... honestly didn't expect you to be so generous... considering how... I pretty much ran away from all of you..."
[20:04] <Swoop> "Yeah. You kinda did. But I figured we'd all split up like that. So it's no big deal."
[20:06] <~High_Hopes> "I guess... How's Swept? Do you still talk?"
[20:07] <Swoop> "Talk? Hell, the deadbeat practically lives here. His company's based out here."
[20:08] * High_Hopes can't help but snicker. Even after all that time... still together. "Have... you talked to anypony else?"
[20:10] * Swoop flops onto the couch. "Well let's see... Astera's been busy bouncing around in the Destiny II. Not sure where she is now."
[20:15] * High_Hopes suddenly feels kind of upset. Had she been the only one not keeping in touch. "Ah... she went back?"
[20:16] <Swoop> "Yeah. Felt it was her duty as a member of the royal family, or something.
[20:16] <Swoop> "
[20:18] * High_Hopes fidgets a little and lies back into bed. "And... what about Ms. Clara? I've looked for her everywhere... but... haven't found anything.
[20:18] <~High_Hopes> "
[20:19] * Swoop scratches her head as she thinks. "Haven't heard from her either. She disappeared about the same as you did."
[20:20] * High_Hopes gives a quiet sigh. "Oh... well... I guess I'm not looking hard enough... I never did get to have that cup of coffee with her..."
[20:22] <Swoop> "Well when you get here, we can both look for her. I still have contacts with the military. They've been keeping an eye on us ever since we left Destiny. Whole 'lingering side effects of spacetravel' thing."
[20:23] * High_Hopes eeps and wraps herself in blankets. "They're... watching us?"
[20:25] * Swoop chuckles. "Relax, Hopes. Nothing serious. Just making sure everything's alright."
[20:28] * High_Hopes exhales sharply. "Whew... okay... well... my flight is tomorrow, so... Can I call you when I land?"
[20:29] <Swoop> "Even better, I'll send Swept to pick you up. What city are you in?"
[20:30] * High_Hopes blinks a little. "O-Oh! I don't want to incovenience him, no..."
[20:32] <Swoop> "Now whats the point of owning your own airline if you can't go pick up a friend and give her a free ride?"
[20:33] * High_Hopes is blushing so hard Swoop can hear it when she says, "Well... I'm living in Trottingham now... It's... a really long flight..."
[20:34] * Swoop grins. "No worries. What time tomorrow you want to be picked up?"
[20:36] * High_Hopes fumbles with the phone a little. "I don't know... maybe... early in the morning?"
[20:37] * Swoop does some mental calculations. "Doable. Say... six?"
[20:38] * High_Hopes nods slowly. "I'll be there... and Swoop? I've been meaning to ask... Are either of you married?"
[20:39] * Swoop smiles. "We'll talk about that later. I've gotta go prep the jet."
[20:41] * High_Hopes hangs up and flops back into bed. After talking to Swoop... she really wanted to see them all again...
[20:43] * Swoop hangs up the phone. Plans and calls need to be made. Hopes'll never see any of it coming either! She squees to herself, then gets back on the phone and dials...
[20:47] * Swept_Wing ([email protected]) has joined #FruityRumpusAssholeFactory
[20:48] <~High_Hopes>  THE NEXT DAY
[21:00] * Swept_Wing flies into the Trottingham Regional Airport, arriving at exactly 6 AM
[21:01] * Swoop follows him in. "You know, I forgot to tell her what terminal we come into..."
[21:01] * High_Hopes , bleary eyed, wrapped in a jacket and scarf, floating a cup of coffee at her side, smiles as she watches the plane touch down. She trots out of the hangar and beams. It's a rainy day, with plenty of clouds in the sky.
[21:02] <Swept_Wing> "We're not parked at a terminal, silly."
[21:02] * Swept_Wing waves to High_Hopes from the cockpit.
[21:02] <Swoop> "Yeah yeah... would've been funny to tell her we did tho."
[21:03] * High_Hopes trots slowly toward the craft, waiting for them to park.
[21:04] * Swoop opens the access door and lowers the ladder. "Heya, Hopes!"
[21:05] * High_Hopes beams up at Swoop. Twenty years haven't been too mean to Hopes. She's grown a little taller, and her mane has noticeable streaks of gray in it, but she looks almost unchanged. A white labcoat peeks out from beneath her thick jacket. "Hello! Permission to come aboard?"
[21:06] * Swoop trots down the steps. "Permission granted! Let me get your bags."
[21:06] <Swept_Wing> ""Heya Hopes! Long time no see, eh?"
[21:08] * Swept_Wing leans around the doorway into the cockpit. His moustache had grown, and he still wor those same Aviators he always did.
[21:08] <Swept_Wing> wore*]
[21:09] * High_Hopes has only two bags, and a medical kit. "Why thank you!" She says, smiling. She glances up at Swept_Wing, sighing as she sees his silly mustache.
[21:09] * Swoop lifts Hopes' bags easily. Not alot has changed on her. There's a scar along her right flank, courtesy of an emergency landing a few years back, but other than that, she's much the same.\
[21:10] * Swept_Wing just grins. His left ear had a nick in it now from that same landing.
[21:10] * High_Hopes climbs carefully up the stairs and into the plane, still smiling.
[21:12] * Swoop stows the baggage and closes the door. "Buttoned up, Swept."
[21:12] * Swept_Wing nods, plopping back into the pilot's seat. "Roger that. Strap in, we'll be taxing shortly."
[21:12] * Swoop gestures for Hopes to sit where she likes. "Belt in. I'll be right back." She then trots back to the cockpit."
[21:12] * Pantzar_ is now known as Pantzar
[21:13] * High_Hopes looks around before settling into a seat. "Swoop... I can't thank you enough for... Oh... it can wait, then..." She mutters, doing the buckle around her waist.
[21:14] * Swoop settles into her seat. "No worries, Hopes. It's a five hour flight. We'll talk on the way."
[21:15] * High_Hopes gives Swoop a nod, gently floating open her bag and removing her cards, shuffling them with her hooves.
[21:15] * Swept_Wing radios the tower, and then starts taxing back to the runway, where he waits for one of those newfangled jumbo jets to take off, before taxing onto the runway itself.
[21:16] <Swept_Wing> "Never liked those damn things. 4 jet engines, mehhhh."
[21:16] <Swoop> "Oh hush. They're mass transit of the air. Nothing wrong with them at all."
[21:17] * Swept_Wing grumbles. "Still prefer props."
[21:17] * Swoop chuckles and checks gages.
[21:18] * High_Hopes lets the silly flying ponies be silly.
[21:23] * Swept_Wing rolls his eyes. "You know I love this DC-7." He taxis onto the runway, radioing for permission to takeoff.
[21:23] * Swoop ([email protected]) Quit ( Quit: See you ! )
[21:24] * Swept_Wing punches the throttle, and the plane roars down the runway, lifiting off smoothly. Until next time folks.