Appledashery

by Just Essay

Chariots of Frailty

Th-Thump!

Two bulging saddlebags fell on the grass.

Rainbow Dash exhaled.

She stood on a hilltop, overlooking the open fields northwest of Ponyville proper.

Tossing her mane back, she stood tall, peering across the landscape.

The land sloped downward a bit... but stretched into an open valley with seemingly no obstruction in sight. The edges of Everfree and the other surrounding forests were distant, allowing ample room for stretching her legs.

Rainbow Dash smirked. Leaning forward, she spread her wings wide—

"... ... ..."

Her smirk faded. Swallowing a lump down her throat, she drew in her muscles and forced... forced her wings to coil at her side.

The pegasus suddenly felt ten times more petite. The sky drew away, and a feeble tremble weighed her further and further towards the grassy earth below.

Nevertheless, the mare flexed her limbs... dragged her hooves beneath her, and held her breath.

Then... with a burst of speed...

She galloped.

The mare sailed forward, her ears being greeted with a strange... invigorating sound. That of clopping hooves. Rainbow Dash blinked. Ten seconds passed... twenty... thirty... and she was still sprinting at full speed.

With a wordless expression, she gazed down at her blurring limbs. There was no telling the texture of the earth flying beneath her. She could have been up in the clouds for all she cared.

"Yeah..." She breathed. "Yeah...!" She grinned. "Heheheh...!" Gazing forward, she smirked devilishly. "I still got it!"

---

Two minutes later...

Thwump! Rainbow fell flat on her belly.

"Ooomf!" She winced as pain wracked her body. A few seconds later, and the ache was swallowed up by a cloud of numbness. "Mrmmmff... guh... wh-what..." Panting for breath, the sweaty pony sat up after much effort. "What... d-did I trip on?" Dumbfounded, she looked at the smoothe earth behind her.

For the life of her, Rainbow couldn't find a single obstruction responsible for flinging her to the ground.

With a blink, the mare stretched her muscles. It was an awkward... wincing affair, but at last she pushed herself back up onto all fours. Huffing... puffing... she turned about, facing the way in which she sprinted.

She gazed uphill.

Her twin saddlebags rested beside one another. The tell-tale glint of a golden goblet beckoned her from afar. Rainbow knew it was only a few dozen meters, but somehow it felt miles away.

"Alright... okay... I just tripped once. That's all." Rainbow gulped, flexing her limbs as she rocked from side to side. "No big deal. A little rusty... but that can happen to anypony." She took a deep breath. "Just pretend... it's the Running of the Leaves again. Yeah. That'll work."

She smiled... held her breath...

...and immediately fell flat on her tummy with the first step.

"Guhh!"

Comments

[DrEggnog]

The pegasus suddenly felt ten times more petite.

Is that possible!?

[zaponator]

Yeah this is going about as expected...

[Snowdrifter]

7367873

Rainbow Daring Danger Professionalism J redacted Decimal Dash

[arancaytar]

Off to a great start.