A Change in Scenery

by Ninestempest

Chapter 2

It was full on night by the time she got back home. She had gathered some fruit and managed to sell them and acquire enough bells for some basic furniture, though their appearance still confused her. She arrived at her home with four leaves on her person, each one, she was told, was a piece of furniture.

It was her second time entering the house that day, and it looked identical. The plain hardwood floor and white wallpaper weren’t really her style, but she hadn’t found anything she liked on main street.

Without any hesitation, she did as a shop owner had told her, and tossed the leaf forward. As it sailed to the ground, there was a split second where it changed from a leaf, and into a tiny-sized piece of furniture that it was marked as, and grew to full size as it hit the ground. The queen-sized white-and-blue striped bed now rested on the floor of her room, bed frame, comforter and all.

Dash’s jaw dropped. “H-How in Equestria… this has to be some kind of magic. They can change furniture into freaking leaves? How… How does this even work?!” She pulled out the rest of her furniture, which amounted to a lamp on top of a night stand, a bookshelf, and a sofa. The far side of the room from the front door was full of furniture, but the rest of her room was pretty empty. Man this place is kinda depressing. I should look for some weights tomorrow, maybe Buck has some I could borrow or buy from him. I could never own that kind of stuff before, since they’re too dense for the kind of clouds in Ponyville. I don’t really need a kitchen, but…

There was a knock at her door, and Dash yelled, “Come in!”

She looked up to see Sarah walk through her front door. “Hey there Dash!”

“Oh, hey Sarah. What’s up?” Dash said, turning to examine her book case.

“Well, I just thought I’d see if you needed any help settling in. You’re up pretty late.” She smiled, though Dash could tell it was only half hearted.

Dash only laughed. “Hey, don’t worry about me this morning, I’m just not a morning pony. But hey, if you wanna give me more free stuff, go for it.”

Sarah chuckled. “That obvious? Well, I think you’ll appreciate this anyway.” She pulled something out of her pockets, which Dash was getting used to finally, after seeing nearly everyone she spoke to do it that day. First was a flooring, which looked like pure white. Sarah laid it on the floor and started spreading it out, which prompted another mysterious act. As it started to spread, somehow going underneath all her furniture, the previous flooring was retracting into a rolled up carpet just beside where she was unrolling the new flooring. Dash was long past surprised by things in this world growing larger and smaller, but this was too awesome. Man, putting up wallpaper was always a chore. I bet that undoes itself too.

Once Sarah was done, Dash realized what had replaced her carpet. The floor looked like clouds. Like, she was standing on top of a cloud. It even had a similar feeling to her cloud home in Ponyville, and made the same sounds as she walked over it. Her jaw was dropped. Then, Sarah started doing the same process on the wall, though all four walls were changing at the same rate as she changed the one. Soon, the old, bare white wall was replaced by what looked like a horizon almost; the lower fifth of the wall looked like clouds, and the rest of the wall above it was the blue sky, like an endless painting of the atmosphere as experienced by someone who lived in it.

“Th-this is… just… Sarah, this is so much.”

“Really? I don’t think cloud walls and floors cost that… much?” Sarah looked over to Dash and saw her wide eyed, staring directly at the wall. A hoof reached out, gliding over the wallpaper as if it was something her mind couldn’t handle, and she needed to touch to make sure it was real.

“Sarah, you must have a really good approval rating.”

That line caught the mayor off guard. “Huh?”

“You’re… you’re doing a whole lot for me here, and I haven’t done anything in return.” Dash glanced down. “I’m not… well, no, I’ve seen that kind of generosity. I’m just not used to getting it. Especially from a stranger.”

“We aren’t strangers, silly! We’re friends.” She placed a hand on Dash’s shoulder. “Yeah, we may not have known each other much longer than a day, but I always strive to keep everyone around me happy. I don’t need to be mayor to do that.”

“Heh. You sound just like… somepony from my home town. She loves making everyone happy, and she’s always full of energy. She was never boring to be around, and always knew what to say, even if it could make her look kinda dumb sometimes.” Dash sighed.

“Sounds like she was a good friend,” Sarah said.

“Yeah, friend.” Dash glanced away. “I don’t think she’d think that of me after what I did.”

“So you are running away.” Dash shot a glare to Sarah, but she didn’t flinch. “Hey, we all got our reasons for doing stuff, but you aren’t exactly hiding your own.” Sarah glanced up to the roof. “I went to check on you last night, and you were having trouble sleeping. That’s one reason I made you breakfast. I’m not a psychologist, but everyone I’ve ever known like you usually falls asleep instantly, right?”

Dash looked away but nodded. Man, I don’t even remember hearing her open that door. Then again, I didn’t remember falling asleep either.

“Olivia was worried about you earlier,” Sarah added. “You only talked to her once, but even she could see that you were shaken up earlier.”

“Yeah… I remember her. Saw her as I was heading to main street. Kinda snooty, isn’t she?”

Sarah chuckled. “Boy, is she ever. But that doesn’t change that she worries about us sometimes. She got me medicine when I was sick once, even.”

“Right.” Dash coughed. “I… I’m fine. I just wanted to get away for a while. My friends will get it.”

“So what’s her name?”

“Huh?”

“You’ve mentioned one friend a few times… who is it?”

Dash rolled her eyes. “You don’t know her.”

“Just give me a name, c’mon.”

“Augh, fine. Pinkie Pie.”

Sarah grinned. “That’s a great name. How can someone with a name like that be angry enough that she wouldn’t want to see you again?”

“Because I was a jerk!” Dash snapped, “Because I did something that… that nopony should forgive.”

“You shouldn’t be so scared, Dash,” Sarah said. “A real friend looks past those kinds of things. A mistake is just that; it isn’t you.”

“It is me. It’s exactly the kind of dumb crap I would do, even if she doesn’t know I would do it.”

“Wait, she doesn’t even know? So she doesn’t even know why you left home?”

“Yeah, that about sums it up.”

Sarah sighed, bringing her hands down her face in frustration. “If she’s really as much like me as you say, then I don’t think you’re doing the right thing.”

“I don’t give a crap.”

“How can you not care? She’s your girlfriend, isn’t she?”

“What do you know about that?!” Dash shouted.

“The way you talk about her, it’s pretty obvious. But if she’s your girlfriend, why in god’s name are you letting her go like that? Or the rest of your friends?”

“How would you know about my friends?” Dash leapt forward, stopping just an inch short of Sarah’s face. “They aren’t just anypony they’re my closest friends, and have been for years. And now… I’ve messed it up.” Dash slowly fell to the floor. “I can’t deal with her. Not with them. When they find out what I did, they wouldn’t want to be friends with me.”

“Fine, whatever. Just know that if this goes on for too long, you may really lose her. And that hurts. Even if you think you deserve it.” Her composure regained, Sarah walked out the front door, slamming it as she left.

Dash brushed a hoof over her eyes, stopping the tears before they started. What the heck does this girl know anyway? She’s just some… stupid human. She hasn’t been through what we’ve all been through. She doesn’t know… how much Pinkie Pie trusts me. How much… I messed it up. It’s always the stupid older ponies, saying they know everything….

She glanced up to the clock. It was late enough. She shut off her light and threw herself in bed, hoping to get a real restful night’s sleep.

“Rainbow Dash.”

“Princess Celestia.”

“Is there some reason you had to see me in my room, instead of when I was holding court?”

Despite being the princess of Equestria, Dash was surprised by how few belongings were actually in the Princess’s chambers. The room sat near the top of a tower in Canterlot Castle, and was surprisingly bare. A grand, four poster bed of pale, pink sheets sat close to eastern windows to her room. The room had a violet stone flooring, with designs of stars and wind all about it. The walls were a dark blue wall paper, the occasional tapestry hanging down, depicting things from the rising sun to shooting stars. There was a fire place in one corner, and the door was painted violet as well. There were a few cushions and very plush carpets, but they did not take up even most of the room. Dash was expecting a room full to the brim with the most expensive and fancy of furniture, but it made sense that Celestia didn’t have much in the way of such material goods, once she thought about it.

The princess looked on curiously from the door way. She wasn’t angry, Dash was sure of that, despite barging into her chambers. She took in a deep breath, and walked towards her, stopping at the middle of the room.

“I…” Dash looked down in shame. “I didn’t want anypony to know I was coming.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Does anypony else know you were coming?”

“Nopony.”

“Not Twilight?”

“Nope.”

“Not Pinkie Pie?”

That name made Dash cringe. “N-no, your majesty.”

“Please, we’ve been through enough together that you don’t have to use those formalities with me.” Dash gave a solemn nod. “Now, may I ask what you’ve come to see me about? It must be very important if you won’t even let your beloved know you’re here.”

“And I don’t ever want her to know I was here!” Dash yelled out. “If she ever comes by here, don’t tell her I was here!”

“So you’re planning on leaving?” Celestia asked.

“I…” Dash fell back on her haunches. “I don’t know. I just, I need to get away for a while.”

Celestia nodded. ”Do you have any idea how long you plan on going?”

“That’s… why I’m here.” Dash’s gaze fell to the floor again. “Can… can you help me?”

“How exactly can I help you?”

“You’re the princess!” Dash threw her arms forward. “You can do anything!”

“And you are one of the fastest pegasi in Equestria. In fact, without my magic, you could easily out fly me or Luna. You’re even a contender for the Wonderbolts. There’s nothing I could do to help you that you can’t do yourself.”

Dash shook her head. “Here’s the thing. If I stayed in Equestria, stayed in… our world, Pinkie would find me somehow. Her Pinkie Sense is really good at that. I’m sure you have heard about it from Twilight. It can… do anything, almost.”

“Are you saying you want to escape beyond Equestria?”

Dash nodded.

“You would leave Equestria without one of its Elements of Harmony?” Celestia asked.

Dash paused, then nodded. “You can send me somewhere easy to find, I just… I can’t stay here.”

“May I ask what is bringing this on?” Celestia laid down, her head now at about Dash’s standing height. “I feel like it is only right that, if I am to send you away and endanger my country, that I know why I am doing it.”

“I, I just.” She gulped. “I, I just need a break, you know? Hanging out with Pinkie Pie can get pretty exhausting—”

“Perhaps you should take a break from spending the night there, then,” Celestia said plainly.

Dash blushed intensely. “I-it’s nothing like that! She’s just… you know, she’s Pinkie Pie. She can be over-bearing, and she never slows down. I gotta get my 14 hours a day, or I don’t have anything, but she’s full tilt from the second she wakes up. It’s… it’s really tough, is all.”

“I see… so you’d like a break from seeing your marefriend, and you’d like to take that break outside of Equestria?” Dash nodded. “I believe I know the perfect place, then.”

“So you’ll do it?!” Dash leaped into the air, her wings keeping her hovering in place as she threw her hooves towards the sky in excitement.

“I will, but under one condition.”

“Name it!”

“I would like to know why you aren’t telling Pinkie Pie.”

“Oh. Well…” Dash turned her eyes from Celestia. “Pinkie Pie is… a lot more fragile than she looks. You tell her you don’t enjoy being around her anymore, and she freaks out. Like she’s done something wrong. You tell her you enjoy spending time with another pony, and she gets depressed. You tell her that she’s the one accidentally pushing you away, she would break. If I told her I didn’t want to see her for a while, maybe a few weeks or a month or something, and… I actually know exactly how she would respond, and… I couldn’t do that to her.”

“Leaving without any word would have her worried sick.”

“And she’d be depressed beyond belief if she heard that I chose to leave her for this long.”

“I believe—”

“Look, Princess,” Dash said, hovering over so that she was right in front of her. “I know you’re really smart, and wise and stuff, but I’ve done a lot of thinking. A whole lot, and frankly, I don’t care what you think of this situation. I know her… I know me, and I know that I need to get away for a while. So will you help me?”

Princess Celestia closed her eyes, and gave a long sigh. When she opened them, she said, “Always the blunt one, aren’t you?” She nodded to herself. “As you wish, my little pony. I can send you to a different world for some time, if this is truly what you desire.”

“It is, Princess.” Dash retrieved her saddle bags from the window. “Thanks for… for doing this.”

“I just hope that this is truly the best for you,” Celestia said. With that, her horn started to glow.

“So is this gonna be like, a teleport, or something?”

“Yes, a teleport that crosses dimensions. The world I am sending you to has some similar features to our own, such as similar physics and chemistry, but there exists… an odd magic, that is hard to describe. The inhabitants will also resemble creatures here, but not exactly.”

“Right.” Vague descriptions that give me nothing, got it. “I’m ready when you are.”

“Here.” Dash felt something nudge at her sides. Celetsia levitated in a kind of jewel, and a piece of paper. “The jewel contains a magic than can return you to Equestria whenever you desire. I still don’t wholly approve of this, but I’m not going to stand in the way of your decisions. The paper is… well, simply put, some currency for the other world. You’ll find it of good use.”

“Thanks. This is… really great.”

Celestia nodded, and her horn started glowing again. This time, Dash could feel the air around her electrify, her fur standing on end. “If I were you, I wouldn’t spend too much time there, Dash. You may soon regret it.”

Dash nodded. This must be the teleport. I didn’t realize she’d want to do it so son, but this works. After a few moments, she felt herself lifted, and a mild electric shock ran through her, making her yelp. There was a flash that both blinded and somehow deafened her, and in a moment, she opened her eyes to a train station, with several animals standing around, giving her odd looks.

Dash’s eyes peeled open. With the blinds covering her windows, it wasn’t the sun that woke her up, but just her own internal sleep schedule.

Augh, am I ever going to get used to sleeping on a bed? I can’t even take naps on this blasted thing… she tapped the lamp next to her bed with her hoof, turning it on. Gotta love these touch-lamps though.

She jumped out of bed, landing perfectly on all four hooves. She started stretching her legs, and her wings, itching for an early flight before the day got any later. Man, it’s weird to be dreaming of that day again, though. Been here for a week, and that still bothers me or something? I haven’t talked with Sarah in a week… She glanced up at her clock on the wall, noting it was eleven AM. “Sweet, Lucky should be over in a few hours, that gives me some time to get some training in.” Without any further thoughts, she ran to her front door, threw it open, and blasted off into the sky, tackling the new day head on.

Comments

[PresentPerfect]

Celetsia best Russian Princess!