Appledashery

by Just Essay

So Much for a Castle in the Sky

Rainbow Dash trotted out her front door with her work saddlebag around her sides. She leaned her neck from side to side, cracking the joints beneath her skull as she basked in the rays of the rising sun. Then she spread her wings, expanded her feathers, and tilted forward to glide towards her morning tasks--

A rhythmic hammering noise struck her fuzzy ears.

Rainbow froze, her blue body comically stuck in a forty-five degree slant towards the distant ground below. She glanced aside to see a huge frickin’ red balloon levitating right next to her house. An earth pony in a suit sat in the dangling basket, and he was busily hammering a ’For Lease’ sign into the pedestal of sky stone that made up the floating home’s foundation.

“Ohhhhhh come onnnnn!” Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. In a swift blur, she darted over to the basket. “Stop stop stop stop stop stop!” She gripped the ”For Lease” sign and tried pulling it away from the equine. “Nnnngh--Quit it!”

“Hmmph!” The stallion shoved her back, spat the hammer into his basket, and straightened his mane before speaking, “Miss Dash, do not act surprised. You have been sent several missives over the past six weeks in a row. The agency has warned you time and time again that the deadline was approaching.”

“Don’t talk to me about deadlines!” Rainbow Dash snarled. “Deadlines is my middle name!” She tilted her head back. “Rainbow Danger Deadline Professionalism Dash!”

“That’s your problem right there,” he pointed with a jabbing hoof. “You do not treat any of your agreements seriously. You pledged at the last meeting that you would meet your payment schedule regularly. This has not, as a matter of fact, transpired.”

“Mister Green Saddle, come onnnn!” Rainbow smiled nervously. “I’ll have the money in by this Thursday! I promise!”

“I highly doubt that,” he said, turning up his nose while crossing his forelimbs. “Considering that the compounded interest from the last three months alone will have inflated the figure beyond your usual standard--”

“Don’t talk to me like I’m some sort of sky bum!” Rainbow Dash’s voice cracked. “Those days are over! I… I-I’ve got a job, see?!” She pointed at her saddlebag. “Lead weather flier of Ponyville!”

“I’m well aware of your talents, Miss Dash--”

“I kick clouds into submission at least three days out of the week!” She smiled, eye twitching. “Sometimes four!”

“And a part-time job simply doesn’t cut it if you wish to live in a standard pegasus hold!” Green Saddle frowned. “We’ve covered this extensively during our prior engagements.”

“Oh please, throw me a bone here!” Rainbow Dash held to forelimbs together. “Can’t you see that I’m friggin’ earnest about this?”

“I see that you are desperate, frenzied, and pulling at the strings, none of which qualify as ‘charming,’ and even that would be a fleeting tactic at best.” Green Saddle brushed himself off and yanked a chain above him. The balloon ascended above her and the house as he spoke, “I am quite done with making a fool of myself to entertain your financial failings. You’re no longer a foal, Miss Dash, I suggest that you come up with a way to pay your due like a real adult or we’re simply going to have to dissolve that cloud and reform it for the next tenants.” His voice raised as he floated beyond view. “You have one week!”

“Pfft! As if I live by your rules!” Rainbow Dash growled, cupping two hooves around her mouth. “How’d you like it if someone forklifted your bit bag away and threatened you to get your legs sweaty for a change?!” A beat. “Jerkspit!”

Silence. The balloon floated, floated away.

“Grrrrrr…” Rainbow Dash hissed, shaking in place. “Stupid society with its… s-social stuff!” She spun, glaring the “For Lease” sign’s way. “What are you looking at?” She punched it… punched it again… then grabbed onto it with all four legs, chewing onto the wooden end like a rabid wolverine. “Grrrr-grrrrrrr!” Suddenly, her eyes crossed, and she flew off with a yelping sound. “Ow! Ow ow ow… thplinterth on the tongue! Tho not awethome!” She brushed and brushed at her tongue before spitting a loose sliver of wood away, then slumped in mid-air with a sigh.

The sign wobbled to a stop, then stood still under the morning sunrise.

Rainbow Dash blinked blearily. She turned around and gazed at Ponyville. A minute passed. She reached into her saddlebag and pulled out the medicine container. A single, lone pill rattled inside. She gave it a good shake to make sure it was still real, then hung the pathetic thing to her chest with a sigh.

After a while, she pocketed the thing back and flew limply towards Ponyville, drifting until she was at even level with the rooftop to Ponyville Central Hospital.

Comments

[Tchernobog]

Okay.. what's going on with her D:
And she's losing her home? Bloody hell. Nothing is going right for this Dash.

[Sheendough]

3637734 Maybe she has "too many daydreams" if you catch my drift.

[kingsmen]

What wrong with rd?

[Picklemanpony333]

Nothing going good for her

[zaponator]

Rainbroke Dash?
Let's hope Equestria has a better healthcare system than the US.

[DrEggnog]

currentdigitalmag.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/01/CastleintheSky01.jpg

[Metal Aura]

Buying and selling pieces of the sky is insane! Given the shear scale of the sky I believe that in order for some organization to monetize it they must be extremely wealthy and greedy. These organizations would also be required to make it through Celestia.
In conclusion this chapter shows the effect of the a shift from a prize system to a medal system in the US after the Spanish-American war and its effect on disposition and well being. RD should have received some kind of bonus for stopping Mighmare Moon, but instead she get "a medal" the loyalty pendant. The older system of monetary rewards would be more beneficial than the modern system as demonstrated by RD's foreclosure.

[Seraphimus]

6948451 whilst i agree with most of what you said i figure the owning chunks of sky thing is most likely a zoning thing. If she wants the house withing a certain radius of the city she has to pay them. That or they own the rights to the construction materials which due to the malleable nature of cloud homes are rented instead of sold

As opposed to one group owning the whole sky.

[AppleTank]

Time to bunk in with your favorite orange pone?

[arancaytar]

Suddenly, her eyes crossed, and she flew off with a yelping sound. “Ow! Ow ow ow… thplinterth on the tongue! Tho not awethome!”

Just the right mix of heartbreak, cute and hilarious. That's Skirts.