Dash woke just before dawn the next morning, she didn’t like getting up this early, let alone hungover. But the flight was over fifteen hours long, if she didn’t leave before 6am it would be dark before she got there, even with the fact that the higher up you are, the longer the sun shines. At that height of World’s End the sun would be visible just after 3am and disappear slightly after 9pm. She got out of bed, ate a light breakfast and prepared for the flight up to World’s End. Three raw eggs, blended wheat grass and a shot of vinegar: the perfect hangover cure. It didn't actually cure it, it just tasted so bad you forgot all about the headache.
As she walked past his room, she thought about saying goodbye to Butterscotch but thought better of waking him so early. To her surprise though, she heard sounds coming from there so she knocked on the door guessing he was already awake. Unfortunately that’s when she remembered last night… this was going to be awkward. “Just a sec!” he called from inside.
A moment later the door opened and Butterscotch stepped out, closing it behind him. “Trying to sneak off without saying goodbye?” Dash asked with a smirk, seeing he had a saddlebag on. Why else would he be packing up and leaving so early? Yeah it was going to be awkward… but mostly for him now. Or so she thought.
“Goodbye? I thought we were heading to World’s End together?” he answered/questioned, leaving Dash completely confused.
“You’re going to World’s End? You are following me to World’s End? To the highest place in all Equestria?..." Dash paused for a moment before "BWAHAHAHAHAHA!!!...” she laughed. She had barely made it there herself years ago. This nancy boy didn’t stand a chance!
“I’m not following you. If anything you’re following me.” he replied.
“Oh, yeah. ‘Cause I’m the one who’s going to be slowing YOU down. Look pal, I know you wanna impress me after you struck out last night. But be serious. There’s no way you can make it to World’s End on a whim. I mean I can. But you? Not a hope.”
“You… really think?...” he asked. Sounding completely deflated. He knew he would never make it, but to be so blatantly told to his face. Not to mention comparing it to his masculinity by a girl who’d denied him last night. His face showed exactly what he was thinking to Rainbow Dash.
“Uh, geez. Listen. I didn’t mean it that way. I just mean…” she was cut off.
“You have no idea what today is do you?” he asked, most of his confidence returning to his voice. Dash stayed quiet and just shook her head. “It’s Summit Plummit. The annual competition to make it to World’s End.”
“The what now?” Dash asked.
“Why do you think I’m spending my vacation here? This place is a hole.” Butterscotch laughed. “Wait. Telling me not to fly up there n a whim? If you didn’t know that, then what are you doing here?"
“Listen… I… I don’t wanna talk about it.” Dash said, mirroring the emotions she'd’ thought he’d had just moments ago.
“Dash?” he asked, picking up on it as easily as she had him. “What ARE you doing here?”
“I’m here for the contest, duh. I, I was just pulling ya leg, giving you a hard time over last night.” she said, trying to keep herself composed as much as possible, hoping Butterscotch would buy it. Luckily for her, he did. Or he dropped it at the least.
“Yeah. Well… I’m not doing this on a whim.” he said, reaching back for his saddlebag, flipping it open. He’d packed a saddlebag filled with energy bars and Red Bysen energy drinks. Dash on the otherhoof didn’t pack anything, last time she made it there she’d just ended up dropping the bag not even halfway there as it had just dragged her down. “Packed and rearing to do. So let’s go. Starts in about half an hour.” he said, walking past her towards the staircase.
But once just past her, his face contorted into a frown. He knew something was up with her. It was brief but she had clearly said ‘I don’t want to talk about it.’ He knew for fact the way she sounded last night, even when turning him down wasn’t her usual self. And despite what she’d said, she had no idea this was happening today. His face returned to normal as he saw her catching up along side him, following him to the starting line that she clearly had no idea where it was.
The two of them flew in silence for about five minutes. Dash had tried to outpace him on the way but that didn’t work out to well when you have no idea where you’re going. She covered it up by saying she just didn’t know the area that well. Not that Butterscotch knew it either. Soon enough came to a long flat cloud with a small old, and I mean very old, made out of clood [cloud-wood] cabin.
Dash remembered it from the last time she was here. It was the house of the first pony to ever reach World’s End over sixty years ago. Of course it’s heritage only went as far as it had since been turned into a small sport pub. They weren't the first to arrive, and they weren't the last either.
Amongst those who were trying to reach the clouds high above were about thirty pegasi, four gryphons, a few changelinga and two other creatures Dash couldn’t even identify. She was sure Twilight would know what they were but she had no idea. What surprised her most though: a hippogryph. She’d never seen one before and had rarely even heard of them. The offspring of a pegasus and a gryphon. It made her wonder how such different creatures could exist together.
There was also something different about this hippogryph that wasn’t what she had heard. He looked very different to what she had pictured a hippogryph looking like but still all the characteristics were right. His lower pony half was dark blue furred that extended from his rear legs, that ended in hooves, to just past his hips. From there, dark green-blue feathers ran all the way up to his head, along his folded wings and down his front, clawed legs, stopping at his wrists that lead into black leathery claws. His head was that of a pony but finishing with a beak that looked more like a muzzle. His face was also covered in fathers, though much they were finer than the ones covering his body. Most spectacular though was his tail: that of a normal dark-green pony's tail but to each side was an even longer single feather that each had a red swirling pattern on them, almost like peacock feathers.
All of that was normal, though she’d pictured it differently in the rare times she’d thought about hippogryphs. There was one thing however that was out of place. He had a horn. She’d never been told, or even thought they could have horns. He then turned to her and just started looking at her. Why was he staring? Then Dash realised… she was the one staring at him. She quickly looked away, embarrassed a little.
She remembered that Gilda, a gryphon, was a rarity in Equestria and often got stared at. He must get it even more. Sure enough, Dash looked around, she wasn’t the only pony who had been staring… wait no, they weren’t staring at him, but the line just near him… they were watching the pillar’s shadow creep its way over the line marking 6am and as it touched the line, all as one, the nearly forty fliers took off in unison.
The race had begun! She doubted most of, if any of them would even make it. Flying straight up for more than half a day. Most of them were here with a partner and most likely just trying to see how far up they could get and had no intention of actually making it. “So how many you think are going to make it up there?” Butterscotch asked as if reading her mind.
“Hmm…” she thought for a second, impressed that he was keeping up with her. Not that she was anywhere near top speed, this was an endurance test, not a sprint after all. “Of this lot? One. Me.” she stated with a smug smirk.
“What, you don’t think I’ll make it?” he asked, with mock insult.
“Sorry ta tell you this, but na. Maybe you’re more prepared than I thought you were. But let’s be honest here. I may not even make it. And that’s saying something.” to admit that she, Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria, future Wonderbolt and all round best pony may not be able to do it, was more of a statement to her than anything she could think of.
Of course to him, she was just being narcissistic. Even if he knew it was true. “Yeah, I doubt I’ll make it.” he said honestly, but without a hint of regret behind his words. “I’m just here to have some fun and see how far I can make it. Push myself to my limits and do the best I can!” he didn’t think he could make it but just wanted to try. And that gave Dash more admiration for Butterscotch than if he had said he was going to make it.
They were here just to have some fun.