The desert sky greeted her like a dim torch. Gray beams of light shone across innumerable sheets of stone as Rainbow Dash glided towards the desolate horizon. She felt a cold gust of air rippling across her tail, and she knew the final throes of the afternoon were over.
Somehow, she expected the world to be blurring beneath her faster. With a shudder, she twisted her neck muscles to look behind.
The pegasus stopped herself at the last second. She clenched her jaw tight, fighting hyperventilating sniffles as she beat her wings harder, propelling herself towards the shimmering beacon of Yaerfaerda in the distance.
For the first hour, she was able to fight the tears. But as the minutes wore on, a combination of the cold winds and the lingering sound of friendly voices in her head squeezed the moisture from her eyes.
So, without hesitation, she reached into her saddlebag, pulled out a pair of worn goggles, and slapped them over her face. Now, all she reflected was the same horizon that consumed her, and she glided on, undaunted, chasing the lavender light with courageous zeal.