A bunch of giggling foals ran by, their blank flanks half-concealed by wooly sweaters as Rainbow Dash flew across a field and dropped another bale of thatched wheat into a wooden wagon. Grassy Fields and Cherrymane secured the bundle and smiled up at their helper.
“You're cutting the harvesting time in half!” Grassy Fields exclaimed. “Wherever pegasi come from, you must get a lot of stuff done!”
“Eh, more or less,” Rainbow Dash remarked with a shrug. She gazed at the foals from afar. They gasped and tried to hide behind a fence to avoid the stranger's gaze, ultimately peaking at her when they thought she was done looking. “Pegasis are like lions. We sleep a lot and do a lot of awesome stuff in short bursts.”
“You must ben an exception,” Cherrymane said while Rainbow Dash grabbed another bundle and flew it over the field. “You've done nothing but help us out all day!”
“Let's just say I've got a good wind in my feathers,” Rainbow Dash said. She placed the next bale down and smiled under a sheen of sweat. “Besides, this place is kind of infectious.”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“The last place I went to, the ponies were miserable and ate meat.”
“What's wrong with eating meat?”
“Heh...” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Guess I'm still a long way from home.”
“It sounds like Equestria is a peaceful country,” Grassy Fields said. “And with so many unicorns and earth ponies living in the same place with pegasi, I wouldn't mind seeing it for myself.”
“Hey, you could totally make it in your lifetime,” Rainbow Dash replied. “Just pivot towards the setting sun and start walking.”
Cherrymane rolled her eyes. “I think the mountains and rivers would have a thing or two to say about us making as liberal a trip as you, Miss Dash.”
“Not everypony's gotta be so friggin' speedy about it.” Rainbow Dash shrugged, grabbed another bale, and hoisted it onto the wagon. “You guys are young, healthy even. Why not make the most of it? Why not gallop somewhere strange, new, and exciting? I see the world from high up, and still I'm discovering so many nifty things!”
“I think the answer's rather simple, Rainbow Dash,” Grassy Fields said. “Not everypony can afford to make such a trip.”
“Who said it this was all about me affording stuff?” Rainbow Dash said. She blinked, then spun around in time to catch the gaze of several foals. “Booga Booga Booga!” she bellowed, making a wild face.
The Ridgeside foals squealed with mock horror and ran off under a cadence of high-pitched laughter.
“Heeheehee...” Cherrymane giggled. “Face it. A pony that travels as far as you are, at the speed and lengths at which you're doing it, has got to be investing more than just time and energy.”
“Oh yeah?” Rainbow Dash smirked and loaded two bales at once. She wiped her brow. “Care to enlighten me?”
“I mean, that's all it's about, huh?” Cherrymane blinked. “Enlightenment? Transformation? Transcendence? Why else would you be exploring the world unless you wanted to become something that you weren't? Unless you wanted to live life in a way that you were never given a chance to do so before?”
“Or maybe she just likes scoring for losing hoofball teams,” Grassy Fields remarked.
Rainbow Dash chuckled. “I'm not one for philosophy, but I think he's starting to nail it.” She cleared her throat. “Really, though. Traveling is... is...” She tongued the inside of her mouth, her ruby eyes scanning the blue sky. “...it's just fun and exciting. Don't you ever wanna do something awesome in your lives?”
“It must be terribly fantastic to have an adventure,” Cherrymane murmured. “But I'd rather have peace and tranquility anyday.”
“Meaning...”
“I just love this place too much,” Cherrymane said. “My home—Ridgeside—it has everything I'll ever want.”
“Plus, she's popular with the local stallions,” Grassy Fields said.
Cherrymane thwapped him with her tail, then smiled Rainbow's way. “Perhaps it's because we're not pegasi like you, Miss Dash. A simple and wholesome life—well—it's more than adequate for us. We like hearing about the exciting world beyond Emeraldine just fine.”
Rainbow Dash gazed briefly past the waving field of wheat. “There's nothing wrong with a simple and wholesome life, so long as you can have it...”
“Hmmm?”
Rainbow Dash cleared her throat and gave them a quirky smirk. “I guess some of us were just born to do wickedly crazy things.”
“Heh... Perhaps...”
“Is it just me?” Rainbow Dash remarked as a cool breeze struck the three of them. “Or are things pretty much done here?”
“Looks that way,” Grassy Fields said.
“What's next, then?” Rainbow Dash hovered, cracking her joints. “I feel like I've just gotten started!”
“Hehe...” Cherrymane motioned Rainbow Dash to follow her. “Follow me.”
“Another chore?”
“No, actually. Somepony that's been dying to meet you...”
Well, all 110 chapters in 6 hours, I'm ready to start with the actual commenting.
-Minty
So close to 100 likes
I like these ponies more than the last batch, I must say. There's just a sort of calmness about their environment, soothing, even.
Time to meet the mayor. And I like these Ridgeside ponies much more than the Windthrow ponies.
One-hundred and ten chapters, still no closer to revealing what's happening. Good show constructing a story that's about the journey, not so much the destination. It's a great way to really connect with how RD is feeling. That said, I'm gonna need some resolutions soon.
I'd like to live in a place like that instead of so close to a city.
1113696
What, you don't like reading for the sake of it?
1060686 Yeah, same here. Except I still have 75 to go.
IIIIIt's Dashie's Fourth Marathon Evaluation Time!
So in this chapter, we get even more bittersweet reminders of Dash's friends. This is starting to become a regular thing...I wonder if something will come out of it. Also, I'd just like to point out that my previous theory of Dash embodying all of the Elements is being enforced. She generously and kindly chose to help the losin hoofball team win, and she is generously helping out the Ridgeside ponies with their chores. Just wanted to point that out. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. Jeez, only six left to meet the minimum...I'm blowing throughout these like fire.
Some Pinkie Pie shining through in this chapter.
~Interactive pony
Man, this makes me think about all those island tribes in th pacific, where millions of people have loved for thousands of years without knowing what else is out there. Kinda like our earth and the rest of the universe, huh? Bittersweet.
Maybe the mayor will get some answers out of Rainbow for us.
The Mayor might be related to Mayor Mare.
Never mind, looks like they still eat meat
And they don't want to travel, either. Go on an adventure,
peopleponies! Now let's see this mayor of ours.''She tongued the inside of her mouth''
How does one do this?
5964535 I have no clue.
5964535 It's when you push the inside of your cheek with your tongue. Some people (like rainbow dash in this story) do it when they think of something not too seriously.
There's something about this particular chapter that I just really like.
I don't know who I feel sadder for. Dash having nothing but the journey eastward, or ponies that know not of wonder and adventure?
9894275
Same I cant image living life without exploitation
10005370
Dude, I hope that's a typo.