//------------------------------//
// Feathers and Listing in Las Pegasus 
// Story: Appledashery 
// by Just Essay 
//------------------------------//

	"Hey, you remember when I flew through Ghastly Gorge blindfolded?" Listing Breeze said.

"Hmmm?"  Rainbow turned to look at her.  The mare squinted.  "I remember you attempting it."

"Hey.  I flew through Ghastly Gorge blindfolded and that's that!"  Listing tilted her chin up.  "Doesn't matter how successfully I did it."

"Uh... yeah it does."

"Not in my vocabulary."

"Listy..."  Rainbow smirked.  "You ricocheted off the jaws of two quarry eels and ripped five feathers off in the briar patch."

"Pffft... details."

"... ... ...before face-planting into pure granite about two canyon turns before the finish line."

"Yeah, well, at least I tried it!"  Listing pouted, folding her forelimbs.  "I like to see another pony even make such a claim!"

Rainbow Dash gazed across Los Alamules.  She recalled how—months before meeting Twilight—she made it through Ghastly Gorge with her eyes closed.  Three times.  The awesomeness of the feat was deflated, though.  She didn't have anypony to share it with.  She had very little friends, for the most part, until Twilight came.

"Ghastly Gorge is overrated anyways," Rainbow said.  "What's the point in conquering danger when you know where it all is?"

"Well, guess that's a good point," Listing remarked.

"Just staying alive is pretty difficult as it is," Rainbow said.  "Staying alive and afloat."

"Ugh... are we both actually doing it, Rainbow?"

"Doing what?"

"Are we both actually growing up?"

Rainbow shrugged.  "Gotta happen sometime, right?"

Listing squinted.  "That wasn't always your attitude."

"I've changed in a lot of ways."

"Yeah.  I can see that."

Rainbow sighed.

"But... d-don't get me wrong!"  Listing cleared her throat.  "Whatever floats your boat and stuff."

"Just seconds ago you were ribbing me on for being the same mare with the same wasted potential."

"Yes, well..."  Listing fiddled with a patch of dirt in front of her.  "Not every pony's the same judge that I am."

"I think that's the smartest thing you've said in the past two days."

"Thanks."  Listing blinked.  "I think...?"

"Don't mention it."

"Do you... uhm..."  Listing fidgeted.

Rainbow looked over.  "What?"

Listing's ears drooped.  "Do... do you think that I've changed, booger?"  She looked over, her face long.

Rainbow gazed back.

"Like... f-for the better?"  Listing winced slightly.

Rainbow stared.  After a sigh, she said, "Stop calling me 'booger,' and just maybe..."

"Heh..."  Listing nodded.  "Fair enough."

"It's... uhm..."  Rainbow gulped.  "It's a good thing, Listing."

"What is?"

"Just knowing that... like..."  Rainbow fidgeted, shrugged, then blurted:  "You're alive n'stuff.  You're in one piece."

"Glad to know that somepony thinks so."

"There's... nopony else?" Rainbow asked.

"Huh?"

"Like... I dunno.  All your friends can't be scumbags here in desert drug land, huh?"

"Heh... you do what you can to get by," Listing said.  "Even if that includes passing everypony by."

Rainbow could only nod.

"Why?  Anypony else with you?  Especially of the cuddly variety?"

"Huh?"

Listing blinked.  "Er... forget I asked that."

"Yeah..."  Rainbow hugged herself.  "I think I will."