“So, are all of those blue feathers real?” Grassy Fields asked from across the table.
Rainbow Dash swirled a mug of hay ale in her grasp and flexed her wings in front of everypony. “As far as I know. They certainly hurt when they get plucked.”
“They're absolutely spectacular,” Grassy said with a dreamy sigh, leaning his rosy muzzle against a muscular hoof. “It's like the color of the sky on a spring day.”
“Seriously, Grassy,” Cherrymane murmured as she strolled up to the table, balancing a tray full of extra mugs on her flank. “So are you just going to flirt with every mare you see, or...?”
Several Ridgeside villagers laughed merrily while Grassy Fields blushed. In the center of a hazy tavern, a large group of earth ponies had clustered together in a tight circle around Rainbow Dash—the pegasus of the hour... or year... or even century.
“Hey! I don't blame him.” Rainbow Dash took a sip of her ale. She smiled dreamily at the first luxurious taste of a beverage in weeks and leaned back against the table. “Wings are fun to look at. That's why we don't have many mirrors where I'm from, or else we'd never get anything done. You dig?”
Cherrymane giggled while Brisk Run leaned in. “Is that where pegasi are from?” he asked. “To the far west?”
“Well, some of them. I figured they lived all over the world, but I haven't seen any in my travels as of late. Just a bunch of boring earth... erm... earthen mounds and montains and the like...”
“What is it like being able to scale a mountain?” Grassy Fields asked.
“It's like scaling bump in the road,” Rainbow Dash said, then winked. “Only your ears pop more.”
Once more, the group chuckled happily. The place was bustling with excitement and intrigue, and Rainbow Dash was in the center of the merry maelstrom.
“It has to be really amazing,” Cherrymane said thoughtfully, her eyes thin as she gazed into a sphere of contemplation beyond Rainbow's figure. “To be able to just... take off and go anywhere in the world. Not having to use a vehicle.... not having to use an air balloon... just being able to use your wings like any other pony would use her legs. That must be the most free feeling in the world.”
“Hey, sure, it's free.” Rainbow Dash shrugged, took a sip, stifled a belch, and uttered, “But danger is also free.”
“Oh?” Brisk Run chimed as the group murmured curiously around him. “You've had a lot of crazy adventures during your travels?”
“Well...” Rainbow Dash fiddled with her mug and did her futile best to suppress a smirk. “One or two.”
“Like what?”
“Oh, I may have—kind of, sort of—flown straight into a subterranean nest full of giant quarray eels.”
The group gasped loudly around her. “Quarry eels?! No way! Why would you do that?”
“Uh, because I was bored?”
Everypony laughed.
Rainbow Dash grinned at the attention and went on, “And then there were the minotaurs that I totally butted heads with. Spoiler: their heads ended up hurting way more than mine. Ahem.” She took a lasting sip, gulped, and exhaled, “And... nnghh—excuse me. And then there was the giant ugly iguana thing—”
“Iguana thing?”
“It had two tails and a horrible attitude. I didn't stay around long enough to ask it its life's story. And... Well, going way back, I've tangled with Diamond Dogs, dragons, parasprites swarms... OH! The living dark embodiment of the Mare in the Moon. Can't forget that...”
“This is absolutely incredible!” Brisk Run's voice practically squeaked. “You mean you've actually been to the realm of the Cosmic Goddesses?”
Rainbow Dash fidgeted. “Mmmmm... Yeah. But believe me, it's not exactly the most exciting place in the world.”
“Oh yeah? What is?”
Rainbow Dash merely smiled back. “I haven't discovered it yet.”
Everypony chuckled heartily. At that moment, another villager strolled up with a tray of mugs, and Grassy Fields immediately hoofed one container over towards her. “Here. You gotta try this Apple Cider. Straight from Blue Plain to the south! It's the best stuff in all of Emeraldine!”
Rainbow Dash gazed at the mug, her face frozen in between a smile and a frown. A bead of sweat formed on her temple, and she cleared her throat. “Actually... uhm. Thanks, but no thanks. I've wetted my whistle.”
“Awwwww...”
“But... uhm...” She sat up straight, rubbing her hooves together. “What do you guys have around here for grub?!”
Huh, wonder why she reacted so weirdly to the cider.
I forgot out author overlord reads comments. Pretty cool guy. No sarcasm, 100% honesty.
1042956
My bet's riding on 'everypony died and RD has to go to hell itself to save them' or some such equivalent predicament, which she blames herself for.
Then again, it's all speculation. As far as I know, monkeys drove her away by flinging feces at her, and she's now running from the monkey mafia. (Monkeyfia? Mafkeys?)
I'm kinda going with the first thought...Especially when you remember her kissing Gold Petals and realizing her eyes are blue, then the chapter "Cherish" where she remembers Applejack carrying her home after a party. Aj's gone, along with the rest of the Elements bearers, and Dash is on a mission for Luna. Great story so far, thanks for sharing!
1042956
Because the nature of her oh-hey-I'm-just-barely-not-Discord condition is such that if she's anything other than an absolute teetotaler, she'll explode.
Twice.
No cider, eh? Something tells that memory of being drunk beyond all reasoning is influencing that. And memories of Applejack.
Aw... Applejack...
i remember when this was the last new chapter... *sigh* must read on...
Well, she's drinking ale, so it's definitely the memories.
And here I thought rainbow's attention wouldn't go to her head. I'm glad that cider came around, sobered her up a bit it did.
IIIIIt's Dashie's Fourth Marathon Evaluation Time!
So in this chapter, we get to see more of happy Dash. Like I said before, it's nice to see Dash get a break from all the craziness of the eastward journey, although see gets a stinging reminder that her friends are dead in the form of some apple cider. However, happy Dash is nice and all, but I'm starting to wonder what conflicts this new village will bring. I'm going to like Austraeoh whatever happens, but I just don't want it to get boring. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. That's right, it's time again! On account of being informed by a friend of mine that I was referenced in Eljunbyro, which I take to be the indirect sequel to Austraeoh, I have decided to STEP UP MY GAME! This Marathon will have MINIMUM of ten chapters, but if I feel up to it, I will do more! Time to pump myself up! Yaaaaagh!
Ah, yes.
AND IF WE TELL YOU THE NAME OF THE GAME, BOY...
WE CALL IT RIDING THE GRAVY TRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIUUUUNNNN...
1288073
That's one of the most heartlessly asshole-ish things I've read in awhile.
"I sure am glad that glass of cider came around and made Dash remember that all her friends are dead! Her thinking about the potentially agonizing deaths of those closest to her is clearly preferable to her soaking up a bit of attention after what was presumably several weeks of solitude!"
1042956 maybe cause it reminded her of applejack and the rest of her friends.
1625160
Now that's talent.
3500307
Or a generously sized flank!
The AppleDash, I need it. Clearly she was reminded of her by the Apple cider, so she couldn't drink it. Lovely little hints to the future that may be revealed at some point. Or not.
Not too sure what 'wetted my whistle' means.
1042956
Her flashback might shed light on that.
Meat?
What's wrong with Cider, Dash? What's happened to you? D: Now let's see what food they eat here. Maybe they'll be vegetarians! The place is called Emeraldine, after all
Rainbow Dash loves apple cider, so much so she drinks too much. But Rainbow Dash doesn't have any friends around to take care of her when she get's wasted, like how Applejack was there for her in the flashback. Even with friendly ponies around, it wouldn't be a good idea to tempt herself with just one mug of cider. Before long that one will turn into three then, eight and so on till she's wasted and somepony takes her to their house for the night and might even take the Element off her, like at Windthrow.
If anything the cider is a reminder that she's still alone.
4163036
Don't forget that everything points towards her old friends being dead, held for ransom, or locked in the chaotic rift mentioned.
3811145
Ooh, I see what you mean. Cause she makes an issue of Gold Petal's eyes being blue. Then later, how she says they aren't green, like Emeraldine, or AJ's eyes.
This gets more and more interesting. it seems that Rainbow just can't escape her past trauma's. Also the Midnight Armory: I forgot that sometimes an armory is used to make tools and armor and not just store them. So perhaps she will make something there?
Noticed she avoided mentioning Discord, that can't be a happy story.
huh, missed that first time through
she's kinda racist in the beginning of this
3811145 To "wet one's whistle" means to put liquids, classically of the alcoholic variety , into the part of your body that makes all the noise. Well...at least the part of the body that makes all the noise before you've ingested large quantities of offen gaseous inducing beverages
So "wetted my whistle" simply means that you've had enough to drink.
The young often think there is no such thing as to much to drink, but the older you get you realize. Losing control of your mind, let alone bodily functions isn't fun just very embarrassing. The offer of the the 'best cider' also think served as a literally sobering reminder. Of what she lost, and that she still feels responsible.
6544617
No she's not none can deny that Windthrow was boring not the chapters and the arc but the people living there. Completely stuck in tradition.
4039542
My guess is it's a direct reminder of Applejack and, kind of like that book, she's not ready for that after whatever has happened back home.
8417485
I think that makes sense, after all applejack was always the pony giving cider during cider season
It’s heavily implied here that dash is not only lesbian but also might have had a relationship with applejack being that apples as of late have had very special importance and when talking to Luna rainbow asks specifically how was apple bloom and not you know her own sister
A lot of talk about what she did before and after she left, not so much about what made her leave. Cannot be good whatever it is.
07/15/2019
01:47 UTC
YES! I was waiting for the comment references to return.
Poor Dash... Having to abstain from cider purely out of weird emotional backstory. I hope she can come to peace with past events soon. I imagine that the memories are still fairly fresh.