Minutes later, Rainbow Dash landed in a clearing. She was hyperventilating.
Squatting on her folded limbs in a patch of moonlight, she stared down at the ground and tried to catch her breath. Her saddlebag appeared to weigh fifty pounds heavier. Seething, she practically yanked the thing open.
She fished her hoof around the inside of the pack. Something wet and decaying brushed against her forelimb. The hairs rose on the back of her neck as she yanked the one remaining apple out. A hatchet and a lonesome book fell out onto the forest floor as she sat there, gazing at the fruit.
The apple had turned rotten in the past few days of zooming around, chasing monsters, and saving ponies. It had a horrible smell to it, destroying the otherwise pristine kiss of the cool night scene.
Rainbow Dash gritted her teeth and shook, quivered. With a grunt, she tossed the apple away, so that it landed with an ineffectual plop behind a line of strange bushes. Now, all she could see was the book lying on the ground beneath her. She grazed a hoof across the cover, but she couldn't bear to open it. Her eyes swam over the binding, lost in the antique surface, greeen like the forests of Equestria, the same color that Gold Petals' eyes weren't.
Shaking her head, Rainbow Dash shoved the book and the hatchet back into her bag. She tied the satchel up, but then her hooves went numb. She slowly sank to the ground, her nostrils flaring as she planted both forelimbs against her skull—tighter and tighter—as if trying to squeeze a rampaging tempest of thoughts out through her ears. Her breaths came shorter and shorter, more and more furious. A shudder ran through her system, then a whimper, and she started to buckle and heave.
Then, as the slightest bit of moisture came to her eyes, she felt it—and snarled. With gnashing teeth, she kicked up off the ground and soared into the starscape with a flurry of feathers.
Holy nonstop updates, Batman!
No idea what the hay Rainbow is doing in this scene. At all.
945461
More or less being eaten alive by chaos.
Remembering AJ by the sound of things.
So... is Dash a Rift (or whatever it was called) as well?
Looks like Dash has feelings for a certain pony...
Oh, quit your griping people. Romance is just another facet of the story, and it was done beautifully in the last chapter. And oh, whats this? A possible vague hint about Appledash? Yes please! I don't even have to hear anymore about it, just the hint was enough to give me warm fuzzies and also a sad lump in my stomach due to the unknown fates of the other elements. Poor Gold Petals, poor Rainbow Dash... onward, I suppose!
This is my favorite chapter by far. I think I'm going to read it 5 more times...again.
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Oh shit, so I figured the apple was metaphorical, then i read your comment and it made sense it could have hinted at appledash. But what if it just went rotten because she wasn't being honest with herself?
IIIIIt's Dashie's Third Marathon Evaluation Time!
So in this chapter, Dash tries to cope with leaving Gold Petals. But I think that the biggest event in this chapter is this - Dash giving in to negative emotions. It may sound weird at first, but think about it. Dash has had her minor breakdowns throughout the course of Austraeoh, but this chapter shows Dash at her worst, mentally. If these events of mental instability occur too often, I fear that Dash may gain an advantage over Dash. These are my thoughts so far.
-MASH
P.S. It's that time again! For the Marathon Evaluation! I guess today is special for some reason...
Anyways, enjoy! The remaining nine evaluations will be posted tonight!
My rambling interpretations of this short chapter: The apple represents Applejack, who is dead and rotten. Rainbow Dash dislikes the fact that Gold Petal's eyes are not green, suggesting that she has feelings for somepony else. Finally, she can't handle her emotions anymore, and when she starts to cry, she can only go forwards.
Damn this romance.
MOVING ON
I must retire for the night, as I am done with both "Animals" and "Dark Side of the Moon".
Tomorrow: "The Wall" and "Wish You Were Here"!
Ocean blue, then. Guess it didn't matter that much after all.
nuff sed
1465582 know who has green eyes?
A hint:
but considering how long ago this comment was, I s'pose you already know whether or not that's where this goes. No spoilers.
>greeen like the forests of Equestria
*green
I'm torn. In one half, I can sense AppleDash, my OTP, which I want to happen, of course, but I'm still hung up over GoldDash. Why do you do this to me?!
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no u
East abound.
Eastbound and down, loaded up and trucking... we're going to do what they say can't be done.
The same color Gold Petals' eyes are not eh? So who's eye's are?
AJ's I assume, what with the apple and all. But why compare Gold Petals eye's to AJ's? Unless...
Did RD and AJ have a thing going on before all this?
I sense more subtle shipping.
I prefere Twidash though.
4148575 I don't think Aj had green eyes, not blue. Pinkie
hashad blue eyes though.5552400 That's the point. The book was green while it said Gold Petals eyes weren't. Applejack's eyes are green though. Which does bring the question: AppleDash in the past? (though I share Enix preference to TwiDash)
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Wut
OOOH. She IS pining for AJ...who's probably dead.
(Sobs uncontrollably.)
What a brilliant way to end the series's first little sideplot.
Well, there's the end of Sideplot #1.
Sancta excremento, I've got a long way. Wonder if I'll ever catch up?
Well, that's loyalty for you.
By the way... This is the first comment I write to this story and only a short one, but still: I've finally started reading this magnificent series and am loving it so far. I'll wait for a time when I'm less tired to write more about the awesomeness that is this story. Until then: Cheers!
And that's all she wrote for the Windthrow arc
02/19/2017 16:07 UTC
Yeah, dat Appledash subtext.
...poor Rainbow...
I wish I could tell you that it's okay to allow yourself happiness. To hold on to things, even if you just leave them.
The element Loyalty cannot always be alone.
But I don't know what awaits you in the future. I don't know where you're going or why. I doubt it would change what I say.
Alas, I am but a commenter on a seven year old fanfiction. I can only hope it is a lesson you have already learned in later volumes.
man, what an absolute tidal wave of emotions coming crashing down
All the folks who got mad about shipping and it lasted about half a chapter!
Oof. Thinking of a different blonde and orange pony, I'd imagine.