Assumptions
“Iron Wrench, our second youngest daughter, is almost graduating from the University of South Ring,” Cold Canter's voice said. “She's currently top in the class, exploring fields of quantum energy translocation.”
“Whew!” Rainbow exclaimed, blurring eastward over a sun-lit desert plain. Tiny dunes of dirt were layering the path before her, giving the eroded landscape the tiniest hint of personality. “I imagine that's a ceremony where the announcer loses her breath.”
“I don't follow.”
“Well, imagine saying something like 'Elegant pomposity: now presenting she who would be Iron Wench, she who would be an instrumentalist pony in the field of that which would be quantum energy translocation' with each pony graduate that steps up!” Rainbow Dash exhaled, wheezed, and coughed for breath. “You see?” She adjusted her goggles and soared faster. “Even I'm having trouble with it!”
“Oddly enough, I doubt that would be too far from the truth.”
Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Yeah, well, it could be worse.”
“It is for that reason that most ceremonies last an entire week.”
“Hah! You're totally pulling my leg there, CC!”
“Surely, this is not me being jocular.”
“I guess you'll be falling asleep halfway through when you watch her.”
“I wouldn't think as much.”
“Why not?”
“I will not be attending.”
Rainbow Dash's smile left her. Her eyes traced the edges of her goggles, towards where the glow of the sound stone was edging its way towards her peripheral vision. “Your situation with your family is so bad that you can't even attend your own daughter's graduation ceremony?”
“I assure you, it is not something that I take much pride in.”
“Then why don't you go?”
“My presence there would merely be a deterrent.”
“'Cuz of the Darkstinian non-emotion pact thingy?”
“You're catching on, filly.”
“Screw them!” Rainbow Dash frowned into the hot wind. “Why don't you catch on?”
“It's not that simple...”
“Of course it is, old guy! It's life! Life rocks the most when it's simple!”
“Perhaps that is the case for you, filly. But I would be selfish and near-sighted to assume that I could ignore all of the barricades that have been erected between myself and those I've helped bring into this world.”
Rainbow Dash took a deep breath, slowing the flapping of her wings so that she coasted slowly towards her obscure destination. Eventually, she murmured, “C-Squared, how old is Iron Wrench. Your second youngest daughter?”
“Twenty-five winters,” he replied.
Rainbow Dash smiled gently. “Even your second youngest kid is older than me, CC. So, this probably sounds a little weird—for me to be preaching to somepony of your age...”
“Preaching?”
“But you gotta go to your kid's graduation ceremony, dude. You just gotta.”
“I did not open this leyline frequency so that you might—”
“For the love of pete, just hear me out!” she briefly barked, then more calmly said, “I know you're—like—seventy, going on a thousand years or whatnot...”
“Heh...”
“But you really, really have a lot to live for,” Rainbow Dash remarked. “You've got a wife. You've got kids. I'm willing to bet that you have friends.”
“I also have honor and credibility to uphold—”
“And a crap lot of good that's going to do if all the ponies you're loyal to aren't a part of your life anymore.” Rainbow Dash's eyes hung thin against the curves of her goggles' lenses. “I don't know what makes a guy so cool and awesome like you hang out on the edge of nothingness. You have... You just have so much, CC. You have so much to live for.”
“Need we forget that you're the one with a young life full of discovery, filly. You have a full life ahead of you.”
“Cold Canter,” she replied calmly. “Go and see your family. Even if things go crazy, you'll at least be able to. Just because they can't be emotional doesn't mean you don't have to be. You brought them into this world through love and devotion, didn't ya?”
“I... Well...”
“Well didn't ya?” She gulped and said, “The moment you let go of your feelings for them is the moment you let them go too. And if there's anything in this world that sucks royally, it's b-being alone.” She exhaled sharply, then added, “You can tell yourself that you're living in retirement for philosophy's sake until you're blue in the face. I don't think you've felt loneliness. Not quite yet. I don't care how many years are between us.”
She bit her lip, expecting a harsh replay. What she experienced again was trailing silence, punctuated by the random whistle of harsh desert winds. Finally, after much blurring landscape, Cold Canter replied.
“You make a lot of assumptions, young one...”
She hung her head in mid flight.
“Very daring indeed, but with a hint of wisdom. Are you sure you're not an alicorn in disguise?”
After that, she managed a gentle smile. “That depends. This alicorn asks if you'll be visiting your daughter.”
“I shall... think about it, filly. I'm out this far to think, after all.”
“Uhhhh...”
“And you are certainly as persuasive as you are mysterious—”
“Hey, uhm, Cold Canter?” she remarked, squinting her eyes.
“What is it?”
“How long will you be on the air?”
“Why do you ask?”
She gulped, staring straight ahead as a solid line of earth obscured the blurred horizon. In the center was an enormous gap in the mountainous ridge. Even from afar, Rainbow Dash couldn't deny what the structure resembled: a gate.
“I think I'm seeing something...”
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They're living vicariously through each other.
162 chapters, 157,907 words, and I still don't understand what's going on.
oh snap son. stuffs ganna go down and junk. excited
What I am really excited for, is when rainbow dash finally gets to the other side of the world and suddenly starts to pick up transmissions from her stone again. I mean, it really depends on how thin this flat world, but the idea seems entirely feasible.
and what a glorious conversation that would be, to talk through the world
New Checkpoint: The Gate.
Mmmm that reading, it's imbued with a great energy and emotion that brings the story to life
. Still, at least they're out there trying 
.
Oh, and I'm sorry Mintelle, but I just HAVE to do this :P
Title Unlocked: Alicorn in Disguise.
That was really deep, right there.
Achievement Unlocked: "Still Waters May Run Deep, but Rushing Rapids Can Too."
Gahhhh so good...
Considering her friends are all dead and she's apparently been betrayed by her country, I'd say she has the experiences to back her up, old man.
More like:
All Alicorn's are the same and if you are touched enough by them, their reflection looks back.
New Objective Added: Investigate the mysterious structure.
1307555
I question the "betrayed by her country" bit. Why is she still in close contact with Luna?
1308878
We still know... pretty much nothing about what happened. Clearly, though, Celestia did something to utterly alienate Rainbow Dash, enough that she'd no longer feel any ties with Equestria.
A gate? OHBOY!
Done burning through all 162 chapters. Thank you for making my insomnia bearable.
1314795
Yes, yes, it all started in the group where I suggested we sell them to get chapter to chapter much like Dead-Heads used to sell them to get from show to show. Now, however, I just want one with tomato soup.
1307399 where is mintelle anyways? Havnt seen him on the comments in the past 3 chapters
Title Obtained: "of the Desert Sands"
-Minty
Aww.
I teared up, seriously. I want to give Dash a hug *hugs plush version instead* close enough. Honestly, I don't know how you manage to balance the seriousness/sadness and the humor with the adventure. Oh, and Dash approaches the black gate! Or an Oblivion gate. That would explain all the burninating the other guy went through. Onward!
Cc is still here thank God. My favorite side character
I'll beat this yet.
IIIIIt's Dashie's Ultimate Marathon Evaluation Time!!!!!
Alright! I was correct! The two ponies did indeed have an emotional connection! Dash mentions that being alone is the worst part of life, (referencing Dash's loneliness on her eastward journey,) that honor and credibility mean nothing when those you are loyal to leave your life, (clearly a reference to the mane six disappearing,) and Canter is considering going to his daughter's quantaum magic thing. Everything is turning up roses! And then we have this gate...perhaps it is the entryway to the next arc. Unless it is the gate separating the harmonic and chaotic sides of the world. I suppose we'll find out soon...These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. Oh boy...three down...thirty...something...to go...
...There's NO way...
1306898
Cause I need to watch things die!
...From a distance.
Vicariously I,
live while the whole world dies!
You all need it too- don't lie.
Oh wait, wrong context, sorry!
Silver out!
Oh, s
t, bitch. 
Aww heart to heartsies!! :)
>now presenting she who would be Iron Wench
Hey, that's rude!
wow
>much blurring landscape
such sand
very wind
1306979
It seems you need to read closer.
3681498
She is a wench. Deal with it.
Standing at the gates of hell...
The Black Gate?
4064384 Baldur's Gate, clearly
5795198 A little late to the discussion, but surely you must be thinking of Boulder's Gate?
Looks like the next story arc begins
03/29/2017 22:52 UTC
8059580 and thus begins unimaginable perils as well
7279838
Nope. I just looked it up. "Baldur's Gate is a franchise of role-playing video games set in the Forgotten Realms Dungeons & Dragons campaign setting."
Not sure what Boulder's Gate is though.
8426208
I think I was ponifying the name by making it 'Boulder' instead of 'Baldur'.
The comment was from a while back, so I can't say for sure what I was thinking at the time.
Je suis zuruck. Loved it. Also one does not just simply fly into where ever this is.
No, or at the very least not yet, but maybe someday....
07/24/2019
02:07 UTC
8437200
You were thinking of Maud's pet Boulder, I'd wager.
This chapter makes me feel things. I love it