Rainbow Dash glided over the mountaintops, her goggles glinting with the rising sun of dawn. She veered around peaks and rises and sharp ridges of stone. Before her, one particular summit stretched high into the troposphere. She pivoted to the north, attempting to go around it, as if a great lethargy had finally overtaken her after so many days and she no longer desired to be daredevilish.
However, upon coasting the northeastern edge of the mountain, something caught her eye: a brown streak in her peripheral vision. Curious, she banked hard to the south and came around in a complete circle. She closed in upon the mountain, squinting at a flat piece of rock along the east side of the summit. Her breath left her upon making a unique discovery.
There was what looked to be the age-old remnants of a campsite. It obviously wasn't just any campsite, but something that had been deposited upon the topmost portion of the mountain with a great deal of excruciating effort and fatigue. Rainbow Dash saw the makings of a tent, several metal pegs, a crate full of tools, and several bundles of lumber. What was more, there was a flag in the center of the whole mess, and it was remarkably well intact.
The flag was red, and in the center of the slightly faded canvas was the image of a blue horseshoe framed with interwoven lengths of green vines and white carnations. Positioned next to the flag was a wooden plaque, and several initials were carved into it, along with a single phrase: “In the name of Emeraldine, we make our mark, offering our legacies to the eyes of the cosmic goddesses.”
Rainbow Dash couldn't help but smirk. She looked around, then saw an abandoned wooden toolcrate half submerged in high altitude frost. She pulled it over and stood it next to the plaque. Reaching into her saddlebag, she produced the metal hatchet and began carving into the wooden material until the toolcrate read “Rainbow Dash.” Once her mark had also been made, she stepped back with a contented sigh.
Hovering with the ease of pegasus wings, she gazed down to see what was blemishing the east side of the mountain. She saw a trail of dangling equipment and cords leading down from the flag-stabbed summit, down into a hilly area of rocky but navigable topography. It was an extremely rough landscape for a flying mare to transcend, but it had to have been feasibly next-to-impossible for earth ponies. She suddenly remembered the draw of the landscape, and the delicious challenge of seemingly unreachable goals.
It also made her realize something else. This was her first sign of civilization in days. After half a week of flying over barren, silent mountainsides, it was quite possible that Rainbow Dash was reaching the very edge. She followed the old tracks in the ground, and it led a haphazard but very real trail eastward. As she flew along, she realized that—indeed—the horizon was beginning to even out, and there loomed before her a grand green haze of flat plains and rolling hills.
The air grew thicker. Moisture gathered in swiftly billowing mists, and a delightful warmth greeted her as she descended. Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, smiled, and raised her goggles as she pierced the very edge of her most recent of perilous journeys.
No...damn. I've read through all the backlog in two nights, this is so engrossing, and now I've run out of awesome.
Seriously, RD isn't even close to best pony in my head, but this story still kicks ass in every way imaginable. Keep it up :D
Does this mean more dialogue?
I just realized how amazing it's going to be when they see RD from all the way from the west. It's going to blow their little pony minds. And she might just have to give some explanation for her extreme travels now. Maybe she'll even mention luna if these ponies care about them so much.
A message from MASH:
Hey, guys! Just wanted to let you know that I will not be able to post an evaluation time tonight as I just got back from a haunted forest walk I was helping a high school with. I'm sorry, but it's just way too late for me to even think right now. As always, I will post two evaluations tomorrow to make up for the one I missed today.
Sorry for the inconvenience.
IIIII Dashie's 100th evaluation time!
So in this chapter, we get hints towards a new civilization - Emeraldine. Having "emerald" in their name, they could be a mining village or something. Dash is following a path now, which may lead her to a traveling caravan of ponies (or something else) much like how the Windthrow Arc began. But we'll have to wait to find out. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. I've reached 100 evaluations!! This is SO AWESOME!!
I want to thank everyone who's kept up with my evaluations over the last few months. If no one read this other than me, I don't think I could have stayed focused enough to get this far. So everyone, thank you!!
As of right now, we're halfway to the end of the story. I hope you'll stick with me to the end.
Day 4: "NOW THERE'S A LOOK IN YOUR EYES...
LIKE BLACK HOLES IN THE SKYS..."
Omygosh! I have the Pinkie sense!
Probably just coincidence, but whenever the side of my foot starts pulsing, something big always happens. And it's pulsing! So I'll keep reading...
1515650
I plan to! I've already said I look forward to reading your evaluations of this stories sequels and I mean it.
96 chapters to go!
yay civilization!
Moar pones
cannae talk naow
spelin so bad
1513143 gay
1515650 yay
Finally, we see another sign if a civilization called 'Emeraldine' (if I've spelt that right) and Dash makes her mark on the mountain. Either she'll find some devastating ruins, or she finds a new town and a new big arc opens up, like with Windthrow. Maybe there'll be more shipping and heartache for me, so I can wish she was with two ponies. You wouldn't do that to me, would you?
3678950
Gay.
Green fields of golden promise.
At last, Civilisation! And then Dash does what she always does
96 left, day one: over 104 down
Looks like she is starting to learn to see things from the point of view of others. Also seems to be learning to appreciate civilization as a whole.
02/26/2017 00:23 UTC
At last Civilization!
It's really interesting to see Rainbow's perspective on things develop from only a few chapters beforehand. She leaves a landmark where previously she saw no reason to, and she considers the draw of adventure for ponies other than herself. Perhaps these are signs of her jaded exterior beginning to fade away? I suppose only more reading will permit an answer.
It seems Dash's perspective has shifted. before, on the other mountain peak she was contemplaing how even if she marked her presence it wouln't be seen by someone for decades to a thousand years. long past such a mark being relevent. yet here she finds that such a mark can be seen and will be acknowleged. Dash, It's no about who made the mark, but that the mark exists as a display of the triumph of perserverence. That before you others were equally driven and inspired to realize such drive is not fruitless.
Rainbow on top of the highest mountain: "Should I leave something to mark that I was here? Nah, no one will ever see it and I'll carry the memory with me."
Rainbow when someone else leaves a sign: "It's graffiti time, baby!"