Rainbow Dash Around the World

by MagicS

Frozen Shoreline

“So let’s see… is there anybody I’ve met who’s ever been this far south before?” Rainbow Dash asked as she lazily flew through the sky. “Doubt it. I think the furthest we all went as a group was Mount Aris… but maybe Celestia and Luna traveled a lot back in the old days… or Starswirl and the other Pillars, they’ve been all over. Oh, Rarity went to that troll island or whatever, but that wasn’t this far south. Huh—I’m really going to have like, ten million things to brag about when I get back.”

She grinned and made a few loops and corkscrews while she continued her flight south. Earlier in the day she had had another piece of hardtack, it didn’t taste good but it filled her stomach and that was enough.

Rainbow Dash hm’d and looked up. “Speaking of Rarity… wonder what she and everyone else are doing right now?” She immediately snorted. “Okay, never mind—sewing, farming, taking care of her animals, baking, teaching. There, done.” She chuckled to herself. “And if they thought the same thing, I bet they could all guess that I’m flying right now.”

And so she decided to fly up a little further, no longer right over the ice and water. Looking down the ocean was now about ninety-percent covered in ice with only a few lines of dark blue water visible between the floes and shelves of ice. There weren’t anymore animals around, not even any birds flying in the sky with her. Up above the clouds had started to cover the formerly blue sky as well. It wasn’t dark out, or particularly cold relatively speaking, but it was definitely turning in that direction. She knew today would be the day she actually hit the south pole and that it shouldn’t be much further—as long as she reached it before nightfall she’d be happy.

Some real land below her, even if it was just snow and ice, would be a relief.

Coming out of another loop a cold breeze blew against her and Rainbow Dash shivered. She briefly looked back at her wings to make sure they hadn’t gotten frosty at all before continuing. She doubted something like her wings icing over would ever happen again but she’d be on the lookout for it just the same. If only there was something she could wear over them while flying that wouldn’t mess up a pegasus’s flight, but no such thing existed to her knowledge.

She could mention inventing something like that to Twilight when she got back.

“I’m close now,” she said. “I’m really close to making it back. It’s been so long and so far… but I’m seriously almost done, aren’t I? It’s not even going to be that long before I’m back on my side of the world—before I start seeing stuff I recognize. Heh, it’s too crazy to think about. And geez, my friends aren’t even going to believe half the stuff I’m going to tell them about. Applejack’s just gonna go: ‘Sure, sure, ah bet that happened just like you say it did’.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Ugh! I can totally picture that!”

Rainbow Dash shook her head and sped up—flapping her wings harder to reach the south pole quicker. Enough time being lazy and messing around had been spent.

Below her, visible water quickly became even harder to see as the entire ocean started to be covered by one large sheet of ice. She didn’t count this as the south pole just yet though, the ice was just a thin covering, it was still the ocean down there. If she landed on it she was willing to bet she’d be able to spread a bunch of cracks through it too.

Five more minutes of high-speed flying though and she started to see something ahead that made her squint her eyes behind her goggles. It looked like ice rising high from the water line. With the cloud cover her vision wasn’t great but when she got closer she could truly see what it was—a glacier stretching across the horizon. It rose high above the frozen over ocean below it, sheer cliffs of ice a hundred feet high at least. Rainbow Dash looked east and west and saw no end to it nor any indication that it started to curve.

A big smile split her face. “There we go.”

She flew up even higher to get a better view of it and past the high cliffs she saw nothing but a landscape of snow and ice expanding out to the south.

The Grand Ocean was gone. She had finally gotten to the end of it.

And now she had reached the latest destination on her journey around the world.

She stopped in midair for a moment before continuing. This really was the very last place she would fly over on this side of the world. It was finally hitting her.

She turned around and looked back north.

“Barnaby. Anathema. I hope the two of you are happy, wherever you are now. Raalzeron… I hope you’re still alive and kicking too. Supernova… I wish I could apologize to you, but I didn’t know what was going on with you, and I didn’t know how to do anything else. You too, Coral Sea. Daring Do, Valentine, I bet the two of you are on another big adventure right now, right? Don’t have too much fun without me. Cart, He… Neck… Long… whatever your name was, the two of you have a good time too. And Claude, do what you can for that swamp you love. Red Wing, I know you’ve probably got Hoofica back on track.”

Rainbow Dash closed her eyes and sighed deeply. “Wish, I’ll see you again someday. I promise. But I bet that you’re having a better time in Vissidia with your new friends and family than you ever would have if you came with me. And I can’t wait to hear all about what you’ve been doing when I come back to Arondel.”

“Heh. And you Gilbert, I bet you’ve already found a bunch of new friends to annoy. Breakwater, you must be working on the Heart of Azure right now, cleaning it up I bet. Senax… Daylight… probably still on your own boats heading east and west...” She bit her lip, her body shaking. “And… and...”

Rainbow Dash reached up to move her goggles to her forehead while tears started to fall from her eyes. “And I miss you all… I miss you all so much! I miss you already!” She cried harder, struggling to wipe away the tears with her boots. “Everyone… I really, really, miss you all! I’m sorry I couldn’t do everything right! I’m sorry I screwed up trying to stop Lord Copper! I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you from dying, Anathema! I’m sorry you had to suffer for so long, Wish! I’m sorry for everyone Heartless and Godfrey killed because of me! But… but I’m still here! I’m still going! And I want you all to watch me! Cause you better believe… you better believe… that Rainbow Dash is not stopping! I’m flying over the whole world and anything I’ve messed up? You bet I’ll make up for it! I’m going to make it all the way back home and show this world who’s boss!”

She breathed out deeply and placed her goggles back on—swiftly turning around and blasting towards the south pole, leaving nothing more than a rainbow trail in the sky.

Author's Note:

Comments

[redmar]

I guess that by the next chapter Rainbow has reached the south pole. I think that Rainbow's friends will actually believe her.

[RoboRed]

All catching up at once again at the edge of the world.