//------------------------------// // Chapter 19 // Story: Long Distance Friendship // by Drag Orion //------------------------------// “Never again!” snapped Rainbow Dash as she made her way into Trixie’s wagon. “I am never being a part of your magic act again, Trixie.” “Don’t say that,” Trixie replied. “Did you see the size of the crowd we brought in.” “It was all thanks to Rainbow Dash’s excellent acting,” commented Flash Magnus. “The way she was screaming for her life really got everypony’s attention.” “That wasn’t acting,” she replied. “It looked like I was really going to get cut in half.” “It’s one of the oldest tricks in the book,” Trixie told her. “Every pony already knows how the trick is done. I only pretend to cut you in half, but in reality your body is scrunched up in half the box. And the saw I use to saw through you isn’t even sharp. While the audience is distracted my handsome assistant swaps out the real saw for the rubber one.” “Wait, I make the switch?” asked Flash. “You did make the switch, didn’t you?” replied Trixie looking a bit nervous. “I didn’t know I was,” he admitted. “To be honest, this is the first time I’ve ever seen this trick. I don’t think it existed a thousand years ago.” “So then I was almost cut in half for real?!?” freaked Rainbow Dash. “That is only an added safety precaution,” reminded Trixie. “The trick still worked perfectly.” “Well, what about when you tried to turn me into a teacup?” she added. “And why a teacup?” “Cause I decided that turning things into teacups was my signature trick,” Trixie told her. “And after the show I was going to turn you back. It usually only takes me as little as a few minutes and as much as an hour.” “I’m just relieved that you missed me and even more relieved that it’s over,” Rainbow stated. “I really pity the poor sap that ends up being your next volunteer.” “The important thing is that we’ve found a place to spend the night,” reminded Flash. “Now we can get some rest till tomorrow.” “After that, I don’t know if I’ll even be able to sleep,” Rainbow Dash admitted and then headed for the door. “But maybe a little walk will help calm me down.” “Well, when you return, if I’m asleep, try not to wake me,” Trixie instructed. “I need my eight hours of rest to be my great and powerful self.” “I’ll keep that in mind,” replied Rainbow Dash taking her leave. It wasn’t easy for Rainbow to cool down or move in the over congested streets. But fortunate enough, she managed to find enough space to open up her wings and take to the sky and find a cloud to escape off to. Laying down on it, she attempted to chillax. “What a crazy place,” Rainbow Dash thought to herself. “This place has been nonstop even before I got here. Don’t they even believe in sleep?” Taking some cloud around her, Rainbow Dash attempted block out the sound, but that had no effect. Sitting up, she watched as the bottom of the sun touch the horizon. “Ugh, guess not. It’ll be night soon, but it looks like this place is just a party that never ends. I doubt even Pinkie Pie could handle this much fun. I just wish I had somewhere quieter to go to.” Then as if her prayers had been answered, a much more soothing tone than the blended chatter of the ponies down below caught her attention. She quickly recognized it as music like what she heard during Gale’s performance and it was coming from atop the Split Apple that the cloud had slowly been drifting towards. Flying from the cloud and onto the roof of the building, Rainbow Dash searched around for where the music was coming from. “Hello? Uh, is anypony here?” “I’m over here,” answered Gale as she walked out from the shadows almost impossible to see while she had her coat on. She pulled back her hood to uncover her head. Rainbow Dash jumped in fright. “Whoa! Don’t sneak up on a pony like that!” “Sorry,” she apologized but she couldn’t help chuckle at the frightened look on her face. “I was just trying to enjoy the sunset and didn’t think anypony else was going to show up.” “Well, I’m sorry if I disturbed you,” Rainbow Dash told her. “I’ll get out of your mane if you want to be alone.” “I’d enjoy the company,” she replied. “It’s been a little while since I’ve been able to sit down and enjoy the sunset with my friends.” “Uh, ok,” agreed Rainbow Dash as she took a seat beside Gale and the two watched the sun slowly sink out of sight. As they watched, the sun vanish and night come, the music continued to play from the cd player that Gale had at her side. “Is that your own music?” asked Rainbow Dash as she listened to it. “It’s very nice.” “It was one of the parting gifts from my friends,” she explained. “When I hear it, it reminds me of the comfort and support I got from all my friends in Manehatten. When I’m on stage it gives me the courage to perform. If not for them I would not be where I am today.” “Then why did you have to leave?” wondered Rainbow Dash. “Would it have been such a bad thing to stay together?” “Honestly, I wouldn’t have minded if we could just stay together forever just as we were,” she admitted. “To be the first one to break up our group, well, it was a selfish thing to do. But I feel that wanting us all to just stay as we were would have even more selfish.” “I don’t really understand that,” admitted Rainbow Dash. “Neither do I,” she said laughing a little. “But even if we’re not together… even if we never see one another again, my only wish is for them to continue to be happy.” “How could they be happy if you might never see one another again?” argued Rainbow Dash. “How can you be happy?” “Just look at me,” she replied smiling and laughing heartily. Does this look like the face of somepony who isn’t happy?” “Then why are you crying?” asked Rainbow Dash seeing the tears run down her face. “T-Tears of j-joy,” she stuttered trying to keep up her happy appearance. “It’s ok to miss them. It’s okay to cry,” she told Gale pulling her hood back over her head. “It’s dark out now. Nopony will see you.”