“We’re what?!” Rainbow Dash bounced her head back in surprise.
“You heard me correctly,” the clerk said bluntly, glancing up from her clipboard. “We’re canceling the search.”
Rainbow Dash couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Winter was coming soon and this was their decision? She slammed her hooves on the desk in demand.
“But if we don’t do something, they’re gonna freeze to death! Are we just gonna let that happen?!” Rainbow Dash flapped her wings as she shoved her face closer to the clerk. “Whatever happened to ‘leave nopony behind’, huh?!”
The clerk lifted her glasses up, staring at the angry pegasus in front of her with slouched eyes. “They’re not ponies, they’re birds.”
Rainbow Dash snorted. “That’s your excuse?!”
“Look, there’s nothing I can do about it.” The clerk put the clipboard in her desk before continuing. “Unless you can find a pegasus who is willing to travel that far, this is our only option.”
Rainbow Dash’s narrowing eyes settled down, looking away before moving back and giving the clerk her space. The clerk got up from her desk and started walking out. There was a bit of silence before the sound of a door creaking open echoed across the office.
“You can search the files all you want. There’s just no where in Equestria left for them.”
Rainbow Dash went into a trance that not even the sound of the office door closing disturbed. She brought her sight towards the stack of files that had listed the many habitats around Equestria. Then she brought her gaze to the outside skies, looking far off into the distance. The sight of all those clouds piling up into one made her heart race so fast. She then looked back to the files.
If there really was no place left for them here, then she knew what she had to do.
______________________________________________________________________________
“Which brings me here today,” Rainbow Dash finished her announcement. She had called her five friends to the library of the Crystal Castle in Ponyville to discuss her situation. But her announcement left the five friends with awkward glances.
“...Uh, run that by us again?” Applejack was the first to reply.
“What? You didn’t understand?” Rainbow glared down from her floating position.
“Well, darling, it sounded like you skipped a few things in your story,” Rarity replied.
“Well, you guys were the ones who told me to explain the short version,” Rainbow answered.
“That was a short version?” Pinkie asked.
“Do you guys want to understand or not?”
The other five ponies didn’t answer. They all looked at each other, confusion written upon their faces. Rainbow Dash slouched her airborne body and sighed in annoyance. This was the first time she had something so serious come up with her job, and they were spoiled with exaggerated dilemmas.
“Look, winter is coming soon, and before that happens, the weather team has to make sure they lead these birds in Ponyville south for the winter. Their job includes making sure that they have a habitat that is safe for them.”
Rainbow Dash paused after the other ponies said their ‘uhuh’s to indicate that they were following along.
“But the problem this year, is that the population has gotten so big, there’s no more room for them all to fit in Equestria.”
The last statement caused a loud ruckus of gasps to fill the library.
“Oh no!” Fluttershy panicked, walking closer to Rainbow Dash, eyes pulsating in worry. “What are they gonna do? Are they sure there’s no place for them to go? What’s gonna happen to the birds?!” she hyperventilated.
“I’m sorry, Fluttershy,” Rainbow closed her eyes as she mentioned the tragic truth. “That’s why I went to Town Hall yesterday. I checked the files myself. All of the areas listed and scheduled are either unsafe or full. If anymore birds are scheduled to be sent to those areas, there won’t be enough food for them to survive for the winter. They’ll starve.”
Fluttershy’s eyes shrunk to bite size pieces that fit for a bunny’s size. A jittery whiney noise left her mouth while her body lost all feeling, collapsing on the spot. The other three ponies winced at Fluttershy’s faint.
“But there is hope.” Fluttershy sprung back up like normal at the sound of Rainbow’s last statement. “I’ve already bought a train ticket so that I can start my search for their new home.” The other ponies bobbed their heads back in surprise. “I don’t know how long I’ll be gone. Probably a few days, or maybe a few weeks at most. That’s why I’m telling you guys.”
“But Rainbow Dash,” Twilight interjected, taking a step forward. “If Equestria’s bird population is as full as you say, how do you hope to find a new home for them in your search?” Rainbow Dash’s expression scrunched seriously. She turned towards one of the library’s high windows, flying to it.
“If everypony says they did a thorough search of all of Equestria, then that means I have to look somewhere where no pegasus dares to fly to.” She moved the blinds from the windows to get a good look at the outside view. “If there’s any hope for those lives, I have to search overseas.” She paused and glanced back to her friends. “Outside of Equestria.”
A collection of large gasps sounded across the library for a second time. The outside of Equestria was a truly dangerous place. Not only did dangerous creatures such as hostile dragons inhabit those lands, but banished ponies who had done evil misdeeds populated them as well.
But not just that. Those lands didn’t work like Equestria did. In fact, it was much like the Everfree Forest, only much bigger, and full of water instead of trees.
Most of the griffon tribes that inhabited those lands weren’t hostile, but their hunger for meat automatically meant their areas were out of the picture. Rainbow Dash would be searching miles overseas, only to have a small chance at finding peace for the birds.
“W-when did you say your train was leaving?” Rarity managed to speak up.
“Tomorrow morning,” Rainbow Dash answered, removing herself from the window.
“*GASP!* THIS IS A DISASTER!” Rarity slapped both hooves against her cheeks in her outburst. “I’ve had no time to prepare the clothes you'll need for you trip! I must hurry!” Before anypony had a chance to say anything, Rarity dashed out of the library faster than anypony had ever seen her run. Twilight and Applejack winced when she crashed straight through the front doors, breaking through it. Her episode caused a giant pony shaped hole to be engraved on that door.
“OOH! And I can't let you starve out there!” Pinkie Pie made the next outburst. “I have to hurry and bake enough treats to last for months! There's no time to lose!” Pinkie dashed straight in the direction Rarity ran towards. But instead of the door, Pinkie smashed right through the wall next to the door, causing Twilight and Applejack to wince again. But unlike Rarity, Pinkie somehow left a circle in the wall that was so perfect, it would look like a silent break in.
When all the dust settled from the two overactive ponies, Applejack was the next to speak. “A-ah’d better follow em an’ make sure they don’ wreck their homes.” Applejack galloped to the library doors. Unlike Rarity and Pinkie Pie, she stopped in front of the damaged door, opening it very carefully before going outside and slowly closing it. But as soon as she started running again, the door snapped off its hinges, kicking up large dusts as it crashed on the ground. “Consarnit!” Applejack’s voice sounded from the distance.
Twilight brought her attention back to Rainbow Dash in deep concern. “Rainbow Dash, are you sure you want to go through with this?” she asked.
“If I don’t do it, no pony will,” Rainbow Dash answered. “No other pegasus will dare set their wings somewhere so dangerous.”
“The same could be said for those birds, Rainbow Dash. But I’ll see what I can do to help.” Twilight walked away to search the library, probably to research any sources on the outskirts of Equestria.
Rainbow Dash took another glance through the window, looking to the far distances in the skies. As much as she loved the skies, she knew that once she started her journey, the skies would be the only thing she’d have for quite a while. If she fell from it, only the seas would break her fall. As exhilarating as it sounded, something about it chilled her feathers.
Rainbow Dash decided to think more on it later. For now, she had to get ready for the long journey she’d have to take. She started flying out of the library.
But one thing odd caught her eye while she was leaving. That odd thing was Fluttershy, who had been silent since Rainbow Dash announced where she was going.
______________________________________________________________________________
The next day saw the light without much chaos, at least to Rainbow Dash’s side. She was lying on top of a cloud by a train station, waiting for her friends to see her off, or more specifically, for the train to arrive. She had a bag right next to her with supplies already prepared.
Rainbow Dash gazed across the scenery while she waited, watching the many birds that populated Ponyville. Some were either flying by, others were pecking the roof tops of the buildings. Some of them were even being led by other pegasi. They were probably leading them to temporary shelters until they could find the habitat they could use for when they flew south.
Some time later, Rainbow Dash noticed smoke coming from the far horizon. A few seconds later, she heard voices behind her, and coming closer. She could recognize those voices. Her departure was coming very soon.
Grunting, Rainbow Dash lifted her body, stretching her limbs and wings high in the air. Her stretched limbs pushed the bag she had off the cloud. She then rolled her body off the cloud she was on, letting herself enter freefall. The cold air that blew on her face awakened her spirits as she came hurtling towards the station grounds. She extended her wings at the last second before reaching the wooden surface, landing swiftly on it while catching and strapping her fallen bag in the process. The landing left a good jolt of adrenaline rushing through her body due to the sudden halt, pressuring her body for the challenge that awaited her.
With the nice wake up landing, Rainbow Dash lifted her head to greet her friends.
“Ah… what took you guys so lo-OOO-HAAH!...” Just as Rainbow Dash opened her eyes, her words deformed as she was greeted by multiple carts, each carrying bags, packages, and suitcases, all piled up into a mountain of cargo. Just in front of those carts were her five friends, some of them hyperventilating.
“Oh dear! I do hope we’re not too late!” Rarity panicked while she was catching her breath.
“I know!” Pinkie hastily ran to Rainbow’s side. “Do you know how terrible it would’ve been if we missed her off?!” Rainbow yelped slightly when a pair of pink hooves grabbed her cheeks and pulled her forward. “She would be wandering wastelands for miles! Without any food!” Pinkie removed her hooves, causing Rainbow’s head to snap back. “And spending the rest of eternity starving her stomach away into a bottomless pit! Oh how awful that would be!”
Rainbow Dash rubbed her face, trying to regain herself. Pinkie had rushed to her supplies, grabbed a cupcake from one of her bags, and quickly moved back to Rainbow.
“Luckily we got here in time and Rainbow Dash won’t be starving away a bottomless pit. I managed to bake enough goods to last her FOREVER!” Before Rainbow Dash could recover, Pinkie shoved the cupcake in her mouth.
“And of course, the journey of a thousand miles must not be attained without the proper attire,” Rarity said as she motioned a hoof towards her cart. One of the bags was holding items outside of it as if she ran out of room. “I assure you that you won’t be anywhere without what you’ll need. Well, almost…”
Rainbow Dash, with her mouth full of a cupcake, took another glance at those carts. The amount of cargo that they had packed for her was flattering, but ridiculous for what she was doing. She had to spit out the cupcake in her mouth, blowing it away piece by piece.
“Guys, I said I was most likely gonna be gone for a few days, not for a ever,” Rainbow Dash said bluntly, purposely misusing her words.
Suddenly, a loud steam engine blew behind Rainbow Dash, scaring a large flock of birds away. The train had arrived at the station. "IT'S HERE!" Pinkie said, wasting no time in picking bags and rushing them inside the train while a few feathers from those birds slowly fell to the station.
“Oh contraire, Darling, you can never be too careful,” Rarity continued the previous conversation. While she ranted, Rainbow Dash just walked to one of the bags that had items outside of it. “If only you had told us sooner, I’d have had more time to prepare your things.” Rainbow Dash picked up the flight goggles that was on that bag, examining it shortly before placing it in her own. “I could’ve had time to design the umbrellas, or the helmets,... or the gas masks, or the space suits, or the-”
“Uh, Rarity…” Applejack interrupted Rarity’s train of out loud thoughts, as she would call them. “Rainbow Dash is travelin’ across seas. Why would she need a space suit?”
“For traveling across seas of course,” Rarity replied, pushing one locke of her mane up and down. “While searching designs and dresses on one of Twilight’s books, one page mentioned a space suit is much needed to travel the deepest of seas. But it looked so complicated, I couldn’t find enough time to stitch that with the rest of her necessities.” Applejack glanced to where Twilight was with a conked up eye.
“...Twilight, what’s she talkin’ about?”
Twilight however was in front of the entrance of the train, talking with Rainbow Dash, both not only ignoring the odd conversation the others were having, but also ignoring the pink blur that zipped in and out of the train’s entrance.
“Well, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight started as she lit up her horn. “I was able to find a map of the islands’ layout from where you’re headed.” Twilight used her magic to place the rolled up map inside Rainbow’s bag. “But that was all I could find. You’ll have to explore them yourself to make sure they’re a right habitat for the birds.”
“Not a problem!” Rainbow said with a wave of her hoof. “With this map, it’ll be a sinch. I’ll find that habitat and be back before you know it.” Rainbow turned away and took out the private train ticket for the conductor to see. He took a second to examine it before he motioned his hoof inwards, confirming the ticket’s approval. Rainbow Dash headed inside. The other ponies who were waiting for the train started walking in as well.
______________________________________________________________________________
The loud sound of a steaming whistle signaled the train’s departure. Rainbow Dash looked out of one of the windows from her private room. She saw her five friends waving good bye as the train moved. She waved back at them.
“Don’t worry guys! I won’t let you down! That habitat is bound to be out there, and I’m gonna find it! Later!” Rainbow said. The others let out their hollers.
“Good bye, Darling!” Rarity said.
“Come back in one piece!” Applejack said.
“When you get back, we’re gonna party like animals!” Pinkie said, springing herself in the air.
“Good luck!” Twilight said.
The six friends continued to wave at each other as the train moved. But something odd struck Rainbow Dash again. She looked back to the mountain of bags that had been placed in her private room. Then she looked back at her friends, more specifically at Fluttershy. She was smiling and waving just like the rest of her friends, but she had been awfully quiet lately.
Too quiet.