"You... uh..." Fluttershy fidgeted, flying limply up the craggy mountain path after the others. "You sure that it's fine for us to leave our things back there?"
"Ohhhhhh relax, sugarcube," Applejack said with a wave of the hoof. "It's barely an hour's trek between here and Winsome Falls. No need in truckin' that stuff there and back when all we're gonna do is relax and enjoy the sights."
"Yes, but..." Fluttershy bit her lip. "It's just so... off-putting to have all the supplies sitting alone there in the cave."
"Well, it's not all our stuff, dearie," Rarity remarked. "Twilight, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie have the picnic fixings."
"Yeah! Heehee!" Pinkie winked as she hopped along. "And I don't know a bear or mountain lion that desperate to gobble up sleeping bags or wagon wheels!" She stuck her tongue out. "Do you?"
"Well... no..."
"Will you just chillax, Fluttershy?" Rainbow Dash zipped past her briskly. The pegasus twirled twice in the air, then flew a few loopty-loops. "Besides! If any beast tries making off with our stuff, I can totally kick its butt!"
"Kick... its butt?"
Rainbow winked at her. She giggled and flew ahead, ascending the rest of the mountain.
"Hmmmm..." Trixie raised an eyebrow. "Rainbow horse appears to be fully rested today."
"Heheh... yeah." Twilight nodded. "Rainbow will surprise you like that. She doesn't have a lightning bolt for a cutie mark for nothing."
Fluttershy merely squinted. With silent curiosity, she tilted her head about and looked at Applejack.
Applejack trotted briskly. There was an extra spring in her step, and she grinned with warm freckles.
Fluttershy blinked. She took one last look at the cave that they were all leaving behind, then flew forward with a mixed look of confusion and concern.
Fwooooosh! Rainbow Dash lifted skyward until she was parallel to the crest of the mountain.
She breathed the crisp air in and out, ears twitching in the breeze.
Before her, puffy clouds lingered, leaking with pure untapped rainbow streams. These currents trickled into ponds and springs, forming crystal clear tributaries that rivered westward—only to cascade off the mountainside in brilliant waterfalls.
Rainbow exhaled slowly.
For the first time since rejoining Banner Company...
Since making friends with a tiny talking statue...
Since beginning quests with no apparent end...
...she felt like she had an opportunity to rest.
It was a soft enough sensation to pull a smile out from the depths of her being, beyond the cold and colder shudders.
"Hmmmm..." She grinned, her eyes calm and moist. "...awesome."