Rainbow Dash Around the World

by MagicS

A Daring Meeting

All in all, things were going pretty well now for Rainbow Dash. She spent yesterday helping out Cart D’Evron and the rest of the ponies working for the Aux-Lemm Corporation and it earned her a cot in a tent and a meal of heavy cream and some kind of yeasty pancake whose proper name Rainbow couldn’t pronounce. She still didn’t really have anything to her name, and she’d need to find a caravan going south at some point, but for the moment things were going alright in One Hump Oasis. Cart had even offered to let her help out again today and try and find her some work with another group that might need some longer lasting help.

But at the moment this morning she was at his tent, helping him organize some of the goods and supplies that would be packed onto his wagon and taken to Dry Hole. Most of it was stuff that had been bought or traded for yesterday while Rainbow was helping out.

“You see-” Cart said as he heaved a heavy crate full of rock salt on top of another. “Dry Hole is the only real city in the northeast part of the desert. It was built around another oasis that dried up, but there are a number of deep deep wells that pull up ground water. The whole place is at the edge of the desert anyways, where things aint so harsh and it rains more, and you got more real dirt and soil under your hooves. The camels and other citizens there use the mud to craft unique clay sculptures, and they sell and trade those off to the rest of the desert.”

“And that’s what you’re going out to get and bring back here?” Rainbow surmised.

Cart nodded. “You got it.”

“Sorry I won’t be coming along with you to see,” Rainbow shrugged. “Sounds like a cool enough place but it’s too out of the way, and I’d have to travel at your pace too.”

“And with us pulling the wagons we’re talking about a month-long trip to get there. I don’t blame you for not wanting to come along,” Cart grinned.

“Yeah, thanks but no thanks. If I have to tie myself to a caravan to survive traveling through here, I at least want to find one that’s only going exactly where I want to go,” Rainbow said.

“Well after we finish up work here I’ll try helping you find one like that in the non-camel quarter,” Cart said.

Rainbow nodded. “Thanks.”

“Also you luckily won’t have to deal with any darn camels if you stick around here. They can smell a mark from a mile away. Not to say you’re easily tricked or anything, but you still don’t know the ways of the desert too well,” Cart said.

“No offense taken. One camel spitting at me was enough for me to want to avoid them anyways,” Rainbow said.

“Get used to that by the way,” Cart snorted. “Help me get these boxes into the wagon now, we’ve got a bunch left and a lot to finish getting together today.”

He wasn’t lying. The Aux-Lemm Corporation had numerous wagons at standby ready to make the trip to Dry Hole. As Rainbow Dash found, they were mostly carrying food related supplies but also plenty of generic tools and clothing. Dry Hole seemed to be getting stuff to survive while they’d be giving back art. Fair trade? Rainbow Dash had to admit that she didn’t understand much about art or see the value in it. Maybe if they were making practical things with that clay like bowls or something she’d get it. But hey, it seemed to work for everybody. If that was unique stuff that could only be found in Dry Hole she supposed it made sense. Stuff was always more valuable and more appreciated the rarer it was.

Like with her being an awesome one of a kind pony. She was totally appreciated for that.

As she finished helping move stuff into the wagon, Rainbow Dash was put on tent duty with another pony. Together they tried to sell some excess wares to anybody that passed by. It was kind of a nice experience since she got to see a lot of different creatures, including some called antelopes for the first time. They were small and lithe, slightly taller than the average pony but not as meaty, with big wavy horns on their heads. Most of them walked right by but a few that stopped and talked showed off their fairy-like voices.

It only took about five minutes of sitting here trying to sell stuff that Rainbow Dash got bored.

She looked out at some of the other tents that were set up on the same street, it wasn’t as big or busy as the camel bazaar but there was still a lot of stuff around. One tent was selling small ceramic figurines of animals. She wondered if those came all the way from Dry Hole. Considering the time of day she was probably going to have to spend a few more hours like this before Cart came to fetch her and tried to find another caravan for her. So it was going to take some effort not getting bored out of her mind and letting her brain melt from the heat.

At least she could say she had gotten better at dealing with the heat. Partially because she had other things to occupy her mind with, but it definitely wasn’t bothering her so much anymore. She just acclimated well to new climates apparently. After all, she didn’t think she had done too bad a job getting used to the cold in the True North after living all her life in a way more temperate area. A few more days in the desert and she’d be downright at home.

Rainbow glanced at the stallion next to her. Half Cart’s age at most, he was wrapped up in all manner of desert robes to block the sun. “So-” Rainbow started. “Do anything fun lately?”

He turned his head to look at her. “I carve horseshoes out of soap.”

“That’s uh… that’s swell...” Rainbow looked away.

She had a feeling that she wouldn’t really have anything to talk to this guy about. So Rainbow Dash whistled nonchalantly and went back to watching the market street. One Hump Oasis seemed just as busy today as it was yesterday, and her boredom and curiosity were starting to get to her. She wanted to check out the camel parts of this place too and see if they really were all bad or if there was anything interesting there that she couldn’t find here. While every pony and everything she had seen so far about camels seemed to confirm the worst, they couldn’t all be so bad, right? Even Diamond Dogs back home probably weren’t. Though Rainbow admittedly hadn’t met enough to tell.

A yawn found its way up from her lungs and Rainbow Dash rocked back and forth on the pillow she was sitting on. While yesterday had gone by faster, today seemed to have slowed down. She didn’t know what day it was or what the schedule was like here, but maybe today was a slow day? Would explain things.

She was about to get up and stretch and maybe go see what Cart was up to when surprised voices and yelps from down the “street” reached her ears. Rainbow Dash looked to her right to see a camel wearing a red fez hat running through the crowd of ponies and other creatures. That was odd enough in itself since she hadn’t seen any other camels here, she thought they weren’t allowed or something in the non-camel quarter, but odder still was the sight of a pony chasing the camel through the crowd.

It was a mare, with a scarlet red coat and an even deeper red mane and tail, wearing a black vest that covered her whole body and a black beret with sunglasses over her eyes. Rainbow Dash wondered how she didn’t die from overheating wearing something like that in this desert. She also had a determined scowl on her face while the camel she was chasing looked haggard and terrified.

“Stop that camel before he gets out of the quarter!” The scarlet mare shouted. “He’s a crook! A thief!”

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. The camel and the mare were almost in front of the Aux-Lemm tent.

She had a decision to make. Either way it looked like she was about to get involved in something exciting.

Her decision was made quick—Rainbow Dash darted out from the tent right as the camel passed by and stuck her back leg out. The much larger creature cried and tripped over it, rolling onto the sand in a heap. In an instant the scarlet mare was upon him, jumping right beside his head and grasping the nape of his neck menacingly.

“Well, well, well, Zargoz. You thought you could pull a fast one on me with that fake map?” The scarlet mare said before glancing at Rainbow Dash. “Thanks, honey, I owe you one~”

“No problem,” Rainbow Dash grinned. She was about to ask what was going on when two other ponies interrupted her, running from inside the crowd that had gathered to see what was going on.

“You caught him?” An orange earth pony stallion asked. He had a straw yellow mane and tail with a black scarf wrapped around his neck and a bag of seed as his Cutie Mark. There was a sharpness to his eyes that immediately set Rainbow Dash on edge.

“Hehe, nice work,” the other said. He was a greyish unicorn stallion with rotted teeth and a pot belly, complete with oily black mane and tail and a trio of fool’s gold for a Cutie Mark. The mean and stupid grin he had on his face also rubbed Rainbow the wrong way.

“You ponies! You can’t get away with treating me like this!” Zargoz, the camel, yelled. “Once the Brotherhood hears about this-”

He was silenced as the scarlet mare yanked back on his neck. “Shut it. You’re nothing more than a petty criminal. It was stupid of me to trust you but I honestly didn’t think you’d be dumb enough to try and pull one over on me of all ponies.”

Zargoz gulped. “I’m still a camel and-”

“And this ain’t your home, honey. You’re in the non-camel quarter and you don’t have any friends here,” the mare grinned.

Before the conversation could continue, a loud voice rang out down the street:

“What in blazes is going on here?!” Cart D’Evron yelled as he came out from behind the tent with a number of other employees of the Aux-Lemm Corporation. His eyes narrowed once he saw Zargoz. “What’s a camel-” He stopped as he saw the mare accosting the camel and his jaw dropped. “The Red Hornet… the Murkers have orders to kill you on sight.”

That set off a round of mumbling through the crowd and Cart and the other employees all looked worried and nervous.

Rainbow Dash meanwhile was just flat-out confused as to what was going on. Red Hornet? Murkers? What?

The Red Hornet grinned at Cart as soon as he said that and reached up to tilt down her sunglasses, revealing striking, deep-blue eyes. “That’s true, but most of them aren’t dumb enough to try acting on those orders, honey.”

Cart nervously sweated and took another look at the camel. Recognition flashed across his face and his expression softened. “Well I’ll be, Zargoz the Forger. Boy are you in the wrong place, I know a lot of antelope here who would love to see you right now.”

“I was merely passing through! I have done absolutely nothing to deserve being detained here, and need I remind you that I am a camel? You have no authority or any right to accuse me!” Zargoz yelled.

“Need I remind you that you’re in the non-camel quarter? The Aux-Lemm Corporation owns this part of One Hump Oasis. If you want to go on and on about camel authority, you’re in the wrong place for it. They might not punish your crimes but we will,” Cart’s eyes narrowed.

Zargoz bit his large lips and glanced between The Red Hornet and Cart. “F-Fine, then I formally request to be taken into the custody of the Aux-Lemm Corporation and tried for my crimes.”

“Oh no, no, no,” The Red Hornet suddenly glared at him and yanked his neck back again. “You’re not getting out of things so easily.”

“Hey!” Cart shouted. “Criminal he may be but I can’t support you hurting someone helpless like that. And this is Aux-Lemm territory, we have authority here and if he-”

“You think I care about your authority one bit?” The Red Hornet sharply said to him. Her two companions then nervously looked around the crowd.

The orange one came up beside her and whispered in her ear. “Look, we-”

“We can’t just let Zargoz get out of here with what he knows. If this becomes a formal issue he’ll be allowed to contact the Brotherhood and more is going to get out about us and it’ll be even harder to finish our work!” The Red Hornet cut him off.

“You’re just a criminal too, Red Hornet. A thorn in the camel’s side might make you a friend of mine but I’ve heard things about you,” Cart said to her. “I’m not letting any sort of funny business take place here. Not where the Aux-Lemm Corporation has responsibility.”

“You really want to go that direction?” The Red Hornet dangerously asked him.

And Rainbow Dash, after essentially causing this problem, felt she now had to step up. “Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!” She flew between the two groups. “Time-out here! I’m a little lost as to what’s going on, but I don’t think you should be at each other’s throats like this.”

“I appreciate your help, honey, but this doesn’t concern you,” The Red Hornet said to her.

Rainbow Dash folded her legs over her chest. “Sorry, but it does. Cart here really helped me out and I owe it to him to not let some other pony mess things up for him.” She glanced at the two stallions and then back at the Hornet. “Especially ones as suspicious looking as you three. My gut told me that I should help you out but it’s also telling me you and your friends could be bad news. So you might as well stop with the threats and stuff while I’m here.”

The Red Hornet’s eyebrow twitched. “And just who do you think you are to say anything like that? I don’t think you know who you’re messing with here.”

“Right back at you,” Rainbow Dash glared defiantly at the other mare.

“We aint letting this camel go. There’s business to deal with,” The Red Hornet said. “What are you going to do about it?”

Rainbow Dash grinned and leaned down at her. “Just watch me.”

The two ponies tensed up and got ready to pounce at the other-

“Hey, Valentine!” A new voice yelled as a pegasus swooped in and landed in the middle of the crowd next to the camel and scarlet mare. “You found him? What’s-” She stopped as she saw the rainbow-maned pony floating right in front of The Red Hornet.

Rainbow Dash herself blinked in pure disbelief at the khaki-colored pegasus mare who had just come in. That ultra-familiar outfit, voice, and greyscale mane and tail that Rainbow had seen numerous times in her life now. All of it belonging to an adventurer almost as awesome as she was. Rainbow Dash dropped to the ground along with her jaw.

“Daring Do?!”

“Rainbow Dash?!”

“What are you doing here?!”

Comments

[THERDSTORYWHISPERER]

Great chapters!

Is the Daring Do character tag going to be featured in the story?

[MagicS]

11246601
No, it will not be.

[TheCommunistDog]

Ahah

In today’s chapter: Finally some action! Oh and Rainbow meets a friend.

[redmar]

That was a very unexpected development. I wonder what will happen now and if there are other fimiliar faces in the desert.

[silverMEGAlicorn]

“Daring Do?!”

DUUUUUDE! Things just got BAM!!! Now THAT 8: a good twist!

[RoboRed]

What a fortuitous meeting of friends.