//------------------------------//
// ==Part Sixteen:  Ponyville With a Side of Life Slices== 
// Story: Appledashery 
// by Just Essay 
//------------------------------//

	"And after that, the Windmill District is going to need a fresh batch of lumber from the warehouse," Stamps said, shuffling through papers across his desk.  Ponies, stallions, workers of Banner Company trotted every which way behind him, carrying supplies left and right.  "They're also going to need every box of nails and screws that they can get.  A visit to the hardware store just won't cut it.  So, if you can relate to me your weather flying schedule for the rest of the week, I'll do my best to work around it so that you can make your regular flights to the windmill.  Okay, Rainbow?"

Silence.

At last, Stamps looked up, squinting.  "...Rainbow Dash?"

The mare stared at him.  Her muzzle hung slightly agape.  A stallion or two trotted past her, and she flinched slightly, eyelashes fluttering.  She continued to stand there, lost in a thick stupor.

Stamps' eyebrow arched.  "Is everything okay there, Rainbow?"

"I... uhm..."  Her eyes traced the ordinary architecture of the warehouse, its aisles and aisles of stacked boxes and crates.  "Yeah... erm... the Windmill District.  Lumber.  I-I got it."

Stamps' nostrils flared.  "Honestly.  You just came back from vacation.  I figured your days of zoning out were over."

"Yeah, well..."  She reached towards the desk and grabbed her work order.  "It wasn't that kind of a vacation."  That said, she turned tail and walked out.

Stamps watched on in curious silence.





Pensively, Rainbow Dash stepped out onto the soft soil of Ponyville.  Her hooves squeezed the soft, rich dirt of the central pathway.  She tilted her head up, squinting at brilliant afternoon sun.  Then, with a soft breath, she looked across the quaint rooftops and verdant trees populated with twittering songbirds.

Everything was gentle, vibrant, and lovely.

A warm breath rolled through her.  She would have smiled, but something about the gesture felt painful.  With a slight shudder, she spread her wings, flew towards the warehouse across town, and flexed her muscles in preparation for the heavy delivery job at hoof.






Part Sixteen:  Ponyville With a Side of Life Slices
(Where Rainbow Dash counts her blessings)