Ponyville has grown boring for Rainbow Dash. Sometimes, an entire week will pass between monster attacks.
What's a mare of action to do when her neighbors are all celebrating apples and hard work? When the weather bureau insists on gentle showers and sunny days, instead of something more exciting?
She has to find adventure, obviously. And when an airship captained by a pegasus pony flies through Ponyville one lazy summer day, dragging a flying iceberg behind it, Rainbow Dash realizes this might be the opportunity she's been waiting for.
But nopony ever said adventuring was easy.
Chapters (26)
I don't even have to try to make a joke out of this.
Instant favorite.
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There's no paradox here. Rainbow Dash ships Rainbow Dash with Rainbow Dash.
Because science fiction/magic/awesome!
So Rainbow Dash flies west?
I'm far too amused that, starting from the mere seed of the Writeoff version (750 words), you are essentially creating the next Austraeoh. If nothing else, this should set a record for the amount of expansion between first and final drafts.
Aerial icebergs, how do they work?
Ha, this is off to a great start. I think you've always had a great grasp of Rainbow Dash's character in your comedies, and I fully welcome you sending her off an adventure. Can't wait for the next unusually usual™ update.
On another note, there is one thing I have to nitpick this story for. The term "air iceberg" doesn't roll off the tongue too well and I've noticed you simply call them "icebergs" most of the time, regardless. Seems like a missed opportunity to give these things a really unique name. But there's something to be said for forthrightness, I guess.
Well, obviously.
A story centered completely around Rainbow Dash with some adventure thrown in? Looking forward to reading more
I'm starting to get a little suspicious about how frequently the map is apparently sending Rarity off on adventures.
This is the point where I had trouble stopping laughing. Only AJ.
Calm down, Twilight.
Turns out this is all the Rainbow Dash I could want, too.
This story is adorable, or at least I find it so because I think RD is adorable. It also has a feeling very much like Forever Summer's (I hope we'll see Sweetie Belle's chapter at some point
) which I really like.
Also, Fluttershy is deliciously passive-aggressive.
Air Iceberg wrangling. Why does this sound familiar?
I swear I read or saw a short story based on this somewhere.
Oh, right, it was one of your "I'm afraid of Changeling Stories".
Good to see it getting expanded.
You're expanding this into its own series... ... fuck damn, CiGgy, this, along with a couple other things, has made my entire holiday.
Augh, this is painfully adorable.
This is great stuff, thanks CiG!
At the risk of being a nitpicky nerd, Equestria must have some weird ice formations. Here on Earth, icebergs are sheared off from glacial ice, which is freshwater. While not true "icebergs" per se, there are also masses of ice that form from saltwater, but they too are salt-free. When the water freezes, it happens slowly enough to squeeze the salt out from the crystalline ice structure. The more you know!
Then again, we don't have flying icebergs, so...
Well, gotta say that this feels better as a sprawling exploration story than it did as a one-shot; might give us time to see expansion on some of the loose ends the original could only hint at. The "letters" chapter is adorable.
One note:
Not sure if this is a super-subtle bit of humor in light of Twilight just having offered proofreading services, or if that's just your garden-variety its/it's substitution up there.
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The Rule of Cool, obviously.
Alaikit.
Fluttershy for the passive-aggressive win.
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Airbergs, maybe?
How dare you write something fun for yourself? Ponyfic is supposed to be totes serious dramaz and sadficz!
Poor Twilight is never going to find those books, is she? Not when Rainbow Dash is busy reading them. And damn, I wasn't expecting this story to get all personal with Rainbow Dash so soon. Great stuff, looking forward to more.
This, in my opinion, is the best chapter so far, really getting into RD's character.
6761605 and then she saw Rainbow Blitz and seriously considered dumping Dash for Blitz
Excellent chapter, CiG. I'm really enjoying this story so far.
I feel Dash's pain. I never win at chess either.
Seems Dash is smarter than she thinks.
So, in Equestrian chess sets, the queen is an alicorn, obviously; and the king is a crowned Earth pony. And the knights are pegasus knights, obviously. What about the rest of the pieces? I'm imagining the bishops as unicorn mages, and the rooks as heavily armored Earth ponies. But what about the pawns? My immediate thought was that they're runty Earth ponies like the king, only without a crown. But that's a bit rude, in the modern day...
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The pawns are sheep.
Am I the only one who wants to know why Nutmeg is never seen flying?
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I like that!
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The pawns are tiny Twilight Sparkles who are promoted to Alicorn status when they reach the last rank.
Man, I love Cloudsdale, and you've done well with it in the brief time we're (presumably) going to be seeing it. Twilight's increasingly histrionic reaction over the library books is hilarious.
Twist: Dash is a wanted criminal by royal decree of Her Highness Princess Twilight Sparkle. She IS the pirate!
6766277 Nope.
Best. Line. Ever!
Also we got the second confirmation that Nutmeg is not flying anywhere. I'll be sad if this is merely a red herring... Anyway, I wonder how he gets around Cloudsdale though?
I've got the feeling Rainbow should have really read the rest of that letter... Man, she's gonna be in trouble when she gets back, isn't she?
I'm really liking this. Airships are pretty darn cool.
Rainbow Dash
flies easthunts iceburgs6761677
Magnets
I do like the idea of Cloudsdale as just constant, ever changing chaos. Discord probably loves the place.
Shesh, Twilight, calm down a little. Dash better watch out the next time she's in Ponyville, who knows what Twi might do. Also, I have a feeling that Dash should have finished reading that letter.
Typhoon? Cataract? I want to know more.
It's pirate time!
Was not expecting the letter of marque, but not returning library books is srs bns
Oh my god. This is amazing.
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No reason the rook can't still be a castle.
I don't know who you are. I don't know why you stopped typing this story. If you are looking for inspiration I can tell you I am willing to help with that. I do have are a very particular set of writing skills, skills I have acquired over a very long time of reading and writing. Skills that make me a somewhat passable writer. If you go back to your computer now, that'll be the end of it. I will not troll you, I will not constantly bother you by constantly asking for MORE!. But if you don't, I will look for you, I will find you, and I will restrain you to your writing station until I have more words to read.
...aaand Twilght loses it.
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Are you okay?
6770852 lol. I am fine. It's actually a quote from the movie "Taken" I modified it and posted it as a comment on this story in an attempt to be more creative in my request for more chapters.
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This is a good meme. Yes.
I should make a list of running gags. So far, there appears to be:
Broken Table
Twilight, Princess of Overdue Books
Rainbow gets stircrazy.
I really regret I can only "like" this thing once.
Loved your description of Cloudsdale! Also, I'm getting curious about Nutmeg. It's not a name you'd associate with iceberg wrangling, and his flightlessness is intriguing.
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Not as badly as Rainbow, when she loses those Daring Do books!
Got to admit, I didn't expect Twilight to go quite so far. I wonder how the other princesses feel about this? I'm guessing Celestia has a headache, Luna is giddy, and Cadence oscillates between laughing until she cries, and writing a stern but kindly letter to Twilight, telling her to remember her breathing exercises and not grant letters of marque.
Oh, Lord. Twilight, why?
This is the best, CiG. I love this so much. It's so silly and it just feels like the kind of story Rainbow Dash should be in.