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// How Far? 
// Story: Rainbow Dash's Unstoppable Ego 
// by MagicS 
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Rainbow Dash’s legs carried her over a frozen tundra after she made the decision to rest her wings for the day. The ground cracked beneath her hooves while above her the sun shined surprisingly brightly. Not that that did anything to diminish the intense cold of the tundra but at least it didn’t make it worse. Her hooves were a little numb from walking over the permafrost and a chilly breeze was already blowing at her, making her shiver and her teeth clatter each time. It was funny to her that now she wasn’t walking or flying over huge drifts of snow and yet it was still just as cold as anywhere in the True North.

The tundra was hardly flat either, plenty of hills rolled up and down and the ground was depressed in numerous places. Rainbow Dash was finding walking to be a big annoyance. But she had really been pushing her wings lately and she wanted to save them for the moment if possible. For that she could endure a little cold in her hooves and a little soreness in her legs.

“I just wish it wasn’t so boooooring!” She shouted loudly across the tundra and listened to it echo in the distance.

Rainbow Dash shook her head. It was hardly the first place she had traveled across that was quiet and empty, she’d just have to get used to it again. If only she had someone to talk to or knew there was some big adventure on the horizon waiting for her… but she really didn’t. She should’ve asked Galia and the others what they knew about the rest of the north, or if any of them had really flown up here or beyond. Maybe it would’ve ruined the surprise for her but at least she could anticipate something then.

Well if she didn’t have a companion or any entertainment coming from the outside world then maybe she could make some herself?

So Rainbow Dash started whistling.  

It wasn’t the best whistling since her lips were chapped and her teeth kept clattering but at least it was something to pass the time with. No melodic tunes were coming from her but that was fitting in this frozen arctic land anyways. Perhaps if she was a more poetic pony she could find something pretty, and wordy, to say about this landscape that stretched in every direction. Describing the scenery with flowery words and the sort of romanticism that would make Rarity and Fluttershy gush. But she wasn’t. She often got to see the whole world from the most beautiful and advantageous position any creature could dream of—but mountains were just mountains, rivers were just rivers, and snow was just snow. That didn’t mean she couldn’t appreciate some really cool or interesting things in nature, but she wasn’t going to write a book about it either. She cared far more about traveling through something or flying as fast as possible than she did looking around and wasting time. Rainbow Dash was Rainbow Dash.

Five more minutes of walking. Five more minutes of whistling. Five more minutes of thinking. Rainbow Dash crested a small hill and saw something.

“What’s that?” She paused in her steps.

Out in the middle of the tundra there was a dilapidated, half-destroyed building. It looked like it was only a single story but it was kind of hard to tell since almost the entire roof was missing. What was left were a bunch of shingles hanging around the edges of the gaping hole in the middle of the building. Off to the side of the building was a brick and mortar cylindrical tower that was also half collapsed like a bite had been taken out of its side. Whatever used to be at the top of the tower had fallen off long ago, all Rainbow Dash could see down around its bottom was a bunch of destroyed and rotten wood.  

So she found something but she doubted she would find someone. What was the purpose of something out on its own here in the middle of nowhere anyways? Whatever it used to be it was clearly long abandoned, mold or moss of some sort had even started growing up the sides of the building and the tower.  

She started walking towards it to see if there was anything else special or interesting about it. It had a rather forlorn appearance but she was hardly put off by something like that. A quick jog around the exterior didn’t tell her anything else about the building but the ground behind it looked like it had been dug up and tilled repeatedly over time. Thanks, Applejack. But besides that the only other thing she learned was that the front door had been totally taken off its hinges. Wherever it was now she didn’t know. The tower was more interesting to her and she was pretty sure she knew what it used to be, especially with the wood lying around it.

This was a windmill, wasn’t it? Rainbow Dash thought to herself as she looked up at it.  

A windmill could’ve been used for a number of things in a desolate place like this. Drawing up water, grinding grain from wheat to help make bread, and so forth. It had collapsed for some reason and the interior was all a mess but she was certain that’s what this had been. So this place was someone’s little, secluded house that they lived in and farmed for themselves. But what had happened to do… this?

Rainbow Dash looked at the destroyed roof, that thing definitely didn’t just collapse naturally or from the wind. Something did that. It must’ve been years ago but something bad had happened here.

Since there was nothing else to do outside though she decided she might as well walk in and see if there was anything lying around inside the house. And if not at least it was a place for her to rest. Destroyed as it was it still offered some protection from the cold wind out here on the tundra. So Rainbow Dash walked up and through the partially demolished doorway to inspect the insides. Unsurprisingly it was mostly just a big and dirty mess just like the exterior suggested it would be.

Tables and chairs still existed inside but they were either all broken or thrown haphazardly onto the floor. A desk had also been overturned, any papers hat might’ve been on or in it had long been carried away by the wind. A hearth existed on the back wall along with a mantle that was cracked and crumbling away, tin candlesticks lay on the ground in front of it, a number of candles were around them but the wax looked like it had started to fall apart and disintegrate. The rest of the building was the same, not only no signs of life but nothing like a portrait or nameplate or anything to indicate who the former occupant was. It had been stripped clean of identification either intentionally or unintentionally.

Now it was just empty.

It might have been a house or place of business once but not anymore. It probably never would be again.

Rainbow Dash found a back room that had a demolished bookcase in it but no books anywhere. Shrugging, she decided there was no point in looking anywhere else. Instead she was going to put that hearth to good use and stay for the rest of the day. She gathered up a bunch of pieces of the bookcase and brought it out into the main room, chucking them into the fireplace until a suitable pile of wood had formed. It was all dry too so no problem there. The only thing left was she needed to light it somehow.

She didn’t have any matches and she doubted she’d find any lying around. So it looks like she was going to have to do things the old-fashioned way.

Rainbow Dash grumbled and grabbed two pieces of wood that were kind of just sticks, putting them together the right way and then quickly rubbing the one between hr hooves to get a spark or a little fire started that she could light the fireplace with. It was gonna be slow going doing it like this.

“Stupid survival skills… Applejack would’ve been able to get this fire started already,” Rainbow Dash grumbled to herself. She unfortunately didn’t know a better way to get a fire going than this, maybe she should’ve listened to Applejack and Twilight when they camped more. Even Fluttershy probably would’ve been a good pony to ask about this kind of thing.  

Rub.

Rub.

Rub.

It was taking a while and she was getting impatient, her hooves were getting a little raw too. There was nothing else she was doing today but still, this was the kind of thing she hated getting caught up on. Rainbow Dash grit her teeth in frustration and really sped up to try and get this stupid fire going as quickly as possible. Patience was not a virtue. Getting things done was virtuous to Rainbow Dash. Getting things done so she could go on to do things way more fun.

A little bit of smoke started to rise up from the other stick.