A Change in Scenery

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3

Chapter 1

Rainbow Dash emerged from the train station, trotting into the warm afternoon sun. As she walked under the stone archway that was the entryway to the station, she glanced around. Her hooves clopped over grey stones, but those gave way to grass that seemed to extend unendingly in every direction from where she stood. Beside her was a wooden board, with all manners of paper tacked onto it. With a glance, she saw that they were announcement about upcoming events in the town.

Not seeing anything else of interest around her, she shot up into the sky, wings lifting her effortlessly into the blue expanse that matched her coat. She laughed to herself as she flew circles through the sky, grateful for the opportunity to stretch after being stuck on a train for so many hours. She didn’t mind trains that much, though she could usually out-speed them, but after being sent here by Celestia through an cross-dimensional teleport, she found herself completely fatigued, on the verge of passing out.

Rainbow Dash sat down on a cloud, shaking off whatever shackles of stiffness were still holding on to her limbs. She plucked a chunk of cloud out from beneath her, and started rubbing it over her face, hair, and wings. Nothing like a quick wash in the clouds. Feels like forever since I last flew… She plopped down on her stomach, hanging her head over the edge of the cloud to look down at the town below.

She was surprised by how small it was. It seemed segmented into two areas: a street with several shops and stores, north of the train tracks she rode in on, and then south of it was the village itself, where the actual houses were, which was about 10 acres or so in area. The only notable landmarks were a river that cut through the village, as well as a cliff that separates the grass-and-tree filled living space above from a beach below along the south and east sides of the village. Ponyville had a bit over a thousand residents, and that was one of the smallest towns she had ever seen in Equestria. She had seen some residents of this realm already, various types of bipedal animals, but no one had seemed concerned with her presence. In fact, she found it odd that no one seemed to mind that she appeared out of nowhere, walked on four legs, and could fly.

Rainbow Dash sighed. So, this is where you’ll be living… for a while. Better make the best of it and find yourself a home and a job… She hopped off the cloud and hovered down to the ground, and found a curious onlooker, surprised by the pegasus’s arrival.

She was a human, with pale skin, blond hair, and a blue-and-pinked striped dress. Dash had never seen a human before; sure, they existed in Equestria’s fiction, but she assumed they were just that. But, given that this was a different world, and she had already seen animals that walked around on two feet, that somehow spoke the same language she did, she was finding things less and less surprising.

“Whoa,” the girl chimed, “that was unbelievable! Can you fly whenever you want?”

Not missing a beat, Dash answered “Yup!” She hopped up and hovered for a few moments, then flew in a quick loop just feet over the girl’s head, then landed just behind her. “Never seen anypony fly before?”

“Any pony?” she echoed, “You’re kinda weird. But no, not really. But that’s amazing!”

Tch, wrong a-word… “So, who are you exactly?”

“Oh, sorry! I figured you might know, since I was told ahead of time we had someone extra special coming.” She extended her hand. “My name’s Sarah. I’m the mayor of Equebec. And, I’m sorry, but I wasn’t given your name when they told me you were moving here. You are?”

Hmmm… may as well use my real name. I doubt anypony is gonna follow me, let alone find my name. “Uh, Rainbow Dash, but just call me Dash.”

“Well then, Dash, let me set you up with a house. I don’t think Tom Nook got news of you coming, so we’ll have to get you a house built tomorrow. It probably won’t be too big, but it’ll be nicer than the tent you’d be stuck with otherwise.”

“You guys can build whole houses in a day?”

“Man, you really aren’t from around here, are you?”

Dash spent the rest of the day at Sarah’s home learning about the world she was in. Dash’s naivety about nearly everything entertained the mayor greatly; she laughed at nearly every simple question that the pegasus threw at her, from questions about diet to how to make a living, she was constantly surprised by the most basic of questions.

At Sarah’s request, Dash spent the night in her guest room, the mayor not at all wanting her newest citizen to spend the first night outside; she quickly recited how she had to spend her first two days as mayor living in a tent, and refused to let Dash do the same. While Dash wasn’t the biggest fan of regular beds, she doubted she’d be able to have a cloud house in this world, and agreed. The room was fairly featureless, with only a bed, a desk, and a bookshelf, but the bed was extremely large and comfortable, especially for a pony her size. As soon as she fell atop the bed, her exhaustion took over, and her body seemed at rest.

Of course, she wished her mind was as well. After over an hour of lying still, she eventually sat up, frustrated with her inability to sleep, used to falling asleep nearly instantly. She hit her forehead lightly with a hoof, attempting to quell any frustrated thoughts therein. Who cares if you can’t see your friends again, Dash? Who really cares? She slammed her head back onto the mattress, then turned over and pulled the pillow over her head. After what you did, would they stay your friends?

She attempted to turn over again, but got caught in the sheets. After a few seconds of frustrated wrestling, she untangled herself, and hit the bed once with a hoof. Just gotta get used to beds, I guess. No big deal; beds are just fine. Lots of ponies sleep on beds. Fluttershy sleeps on a bed… so does Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack, and… P-Pinkie Pie… Even thinking the name made her choke on her breath. She bopped her own forehead with her hoof. What, can’t even think of her name without getting all worked up? You’re Rainbow Dash, aren’t you? Just suck it up. You’ve kicked dragons in the face. What does Pinkie Pie got on you?

A voice called out, “Rise and shine!”

Dash shot upright in bed. She glanced to the window, seeing sunlight pouring in. When the heck did I fall asleep?! Without thinking, she yawned and stretched. Eugh, I don’t even feel like I slept… she turned to the origin of the voice, and saw Sarah poking her head in, an ear-to-ear grin in her face. Dash grumbled something that even she didn’t understand in her general direction.

“I’m just gonna assume you’re ready to see your house then,” Sarah continued. “Just come downstairs whenever; I have a small breakfast made for you.”

Dash hopped off the side of the bed, shaking herself and then extending her wings for a stretch. “What are you, my mom or something?”

“I didn’t see you eat anything yesterday. You’ve gotta be hungry.”

“You said there’s plenty of fruit in this place, right? I’ll just find something later.”

Sarah slipped into the room, resting up against the door as she closed it. “Hey, I’m just trying to show you a little hospitality. I don’t invite people over very often, especially not strangers. When someone moves, their house is usually done before they even get here.”

“Right. I’m not really much of a breakfast pony is all.” Dash trotted over to the window, and looked into the sky, and found clouds all over the place. “I like to do a little early morning exercise before I do anything else. Uh, a quick question though.”

“Yeah?”

“You aren’t expecting any rain today, right?”

“Uh, I think the forecast was for partly cloudy, but no rain.”

“All right. Come over to this window for a second,” Dash said as she tapped the windows sill with a hoof. Sarah obliged, walking over. She looked outside for a moment, then looked back to Dash with a curious look. “Now, watch this.” With that, Dash jumped out the window and flew straight up, and without a second thought, began to break all the clouds that hung about lazily in the air. A drop kick, an uppercut, diving headfirst into the white puffs of water floating throughout the sky. After half a minute, the cloudy sky was blue as the sea, cleared of all the obstructive white puffs of water.

Dash fluttered down to the window, and hovered at the same height as Sarah. She gave a smug smile at the mayor’s dropped jaw. “That was… awesome!”

“You got that right!” Dash cheered. “I do that kind of stuff all the time where I’m from.”

“Well, now I have to offer you breakfast to make up for you doing that, even though it looked pretty effortless.” Sarah waved for Dash to come inside. “Come one, a little fruit salad never hurt anyone, right?”

Dash sighed. I guess I shouldn’t get on the mayor’s bad side…. “Fine, whatever.” Her stomach growled as she finished her sentence, prompting Sarah to laugh. With a blush, Dash descended to the ground and headed to the kitchen through the front door.

Sarah looked on in awe as Dash greedily ate her fruit salad, the pegasus not even bothering to use a fork as she dove headfirst into the bowl, filled to the brim with chopped apples, bananas, pears, and other fruits. As she pulled her head up, Sarah couldn’t help but giggle.

It was a plain kitchen, made up of mostly azure tiles, with a white, fold-out table as the dining table on the far side. Dash had initially found it odd that a mayor of a town had some furniture as cheap as that, but she simply explained that she didn’t spend much time at home, and didn’t mind having such furniture. Heck, she even claimed that her own bedroom was as ornamented as the guest room.

Once Dash came up from the bowl a second time, Sarah pushed a map across the table. “Here. You don’t seem like you wanna talk much, so I figured an updated map with your house would suffice.”

Dash looked it over, picking it up with a hoof. Her house was near northern-most point of the village, on a cliff just above the beach. The mayor’s house was just west of town hall, also near the cliff that lead to the beach. “Hmm,” was all Dash could say. She also counted up the houses and other buildings quickly.

“It’s a nice place, the same size as the homes of other villagers,” Sarah said. “I figured you would like it high up on the cliff, since you like flying so much. Now, I had to take a loan out in your name, but there’s no interest on it and no monthly payments. Just, like, pay it off whenever you can, then it could even expand a bit.”

“Mm-hmm,” Dash answered as she gulped down another mouthful of fruit, leaving her bowl empty. “Wow, that was great!”

“You didn’t even pay attention to what I said, did you?” Dash shook her head. “Well, that’s fine, I’m sure you’ll figure it out. You’re welcome to visit anytime though, Rainbow Dash. Oh, actually, wait a second.” she reached down to her pocket and pulled out a green leaf. “Here, have a real gift. It’s a striped bed. It’s the only bed I have stored, so it’ll have to do. If you need anything else, I can see what I have—”

“Uhm,” Dash interrupted, “this is a leaf.”

“Hahaha, wow, you really aren’t from around here aren’t you?”

“Whatever,” Dash grunted as she hastily slid out of her chair, making for the door. “I’m out.”

“Hey!” Sarah dashed around the table to grab at the retreating pegasus. Dash turned and shot a glare at her, making her flinch back. “I didn’t mean to make fun of you, really. You’re just… so new, and different, and it’s really great having you here. I’m just really excited is all.”

“Yeah, well, chances are I’ll be sticking around a while,” Dash said as she turned towards the door again. “I don’t have anywhere else to go, really.”

“Did something happen back home?

“What?” Dash spun around. “I… something like that. But it’s nothing big.”

“Right. Well, if you need someone to talk to, everyone in this village would love to have a chat, myself included.”

Dash nodded, retrieving her saddlebags from the coat hanger as she headed out the front door.

What struck her instantly as she stepped outside was the cool and crisp breeze of the morning air, a tinge of the salty ocean leaving it’s scent on the wind. She hadn’t noticed it when she flew through the sky earlier, and realized that it would be her first time living in a coastal city… well, village. She supposed a town this small would be a lot closer to a village than anything else. She took a good long sniff as she treaded south through the village. The breeze smelled of salt and cooled her skin as it blew through her fur. She felt like if she ever worked herself to exhaustion out here, just one good sniff of this ocean air would recharge her entire being.

She took note of the fruit trees she passed. Most were apple, but she noticed small batches of peach, cherry, and pear trees as well. She must have brought those in; from what she told me, those get a bit more money than selling Apples here. Not a bad thing to remember about this place.

She reached one of two important landmarks on the way to her home: the river. The river emerged from the east-side of the village, cut awkwardly close to the west cliff-face that rose above the village, then straight through the middle of town, then straight south again near the east side. It left two rather odd little passages that were barely wide enough for one home on the far sides of the village, but it made the general middle area of the village rather large.

There was a bridge nearby, but Dash didn’t bother crossing it, instead electing to leap over it with the help of her wings. On the other side, she found the second important landmark on the way to her home: the home of one of the villagers. It was labeled “Lucky,” though she had no idea what kind of resident to expect.

There was nothing notable about the house aside from a sign next to the front door, once again noting the owner. As she examined it, the front door opened, and the villager emerged.

“Gah!” Was all Dash got out before falling back. It was a bipedal dog, perhaps a few inches taller than her, and he was totally wrapped up in bandages, as if he had been in some cartoonish accident. The only features she could see were his black ears and fur, his shirt that had “23” in big, orange symbols, and his singular, left eye, which seemed to glow yellow.

He didn’t seem to mind her reaction. “Hey there! Don’t think I’ve seen you around before. Are you new here?”

His voice was surprisingly… plain. Dash wasn’t sure what she was expecting. “Y-yeah, I’m new here?” She said, not able to stop her voice from raising.

All Lucky did was giggle. “Man, some of you animals are so funny. This cast isn’t a big deal, I’ve been in this longer than you would think, rrr-owch.” He extended a paw to her. “My name’s Lucky. What’s yours?”

“Rainbow Dash, but you can just call me Dash.” She took his paw and he pulled her up. “Yeah, I just moved in yesterday, but my house wasn’t built yet. I’m just on my way there now actually—”

“Say, are you all right?” Lucky asked. Dash tilted her head, and he added, “Well, you’re just walking on all four legs, and—”

“Oh, yeah, haha, I’m a pony. We don’t do too well on two legs. But I can do this.” With no effort, she started hovering, ascending ever so slowly.

Lucky’s only visible eye widened. “Whoaaaaa. That’s crazy, girl.”

His lax response made Dash laugh. “You’re a laugh, Lucky.”

“Thanks. You’re pretty awesome yourself. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go find myself some fossils.” With that, he pulled a shovel out of his pockets, and walked off, eyes scanning the ground. Dash stared on for a second as he walked off, realizing that he pulled a full sized shovel out of his pockets, not exactly sure how that was possible. Well, I got a lot of time here, so I can figure this all out sometime later. Sure, right, I can take my time. No need to rush. I’ll be here for a while, after all.

She found her house. The outward appearance was similar to Lucky’s, including the sign, which said “Dash’s House.”

Man, I’ve never actually lived in a house before. But it’s no problem, right? Lots of ponies live in houses. The few times I’ve spent the night at Pinkie’s were always great…

A sudden, sickening tightness clutched at her chest. She hit her chest a few times with her hoof, attempting to knock it out. Stop getting so upset. You did what you did because you wanted to. It wasn’t a mistake, it wasn’t anything it was just what you wanted. She sat down and hit her chest again. Stupid pain, stupid sadness. Just go away.

Once her bout of emotions passed, she sighed. Augh, whatever. I need to get some more furniture in here. Empty houses are the worst…

Chapter 2

It was full on night by the time she got back home. She had gathered some fruit and managed to sell them and acquire enough bells for some basic furniture, though their appearance still confused her. She arrived at her home with four leaves on her person, each one, she was told, was a piece of furniture.

It was her second time entering the house that day, and it looked identical. The plain hardwood floor and white wallpaper weren’t really her style, but she hadn’t found anything she liked on main street.

Without any hesitation, she did as a shop owner had told her, and tossed the leaf forward. As it sailed to the ground, there was a split second where it changed from a leaf, and into a tiny-sized piece of furniture that it was marked as, and grew to full size as it hit the ground. The queen-sized white-and-blue striped bed now rested on the floor of her room, bed frame, comforter and all.

Dash’s jaw dropped. “H-How in Equestria… this has to be some kind of magic. They can change furniture into freaking leaves? How… How does this even work?!” She pulled out the rest of her furniture, which amounted to a lamp on top of a night stand, a bookshelf, and a sofa. The far side of the room from the front door was full of furniture, but the rest of her room was pretty empty. Man this place is kinda depressing. I should look for some weights tomorrow, maybe Buck has some I could borrow or buy from him. I could never own that kind of stuff before, since they’re too dense for the kind of clouds in Ponyville. I don’t really need a kitchen, but…

There was a knock at her door, and Dash yelled, “Come in!”

She looked up to see Sarah walk through her front door. “Hey there Dash!”

“Oh, hey Sarah. What’s up?” Dash said, turning to examine her book case.

“Well, I just thought I’d see if you needed any help settling in. You’re up pretty late.” She smiled, though Dash could tell it was only half hearted.

Dash only laughed. “Hey, don’t worry about me this morning, I’m just not a morning pony. But hey, if you wanna give me more free stuff, go for it.”

Sarah chuckled. “That obvious? Well, I think you’ll appreciate this anyway.” She pulled something out of her pockets, which Dash was getting used to finally, after seeing nearly everyone she spoke to do it that day. First was a flooring, which looked like pure white. Sarah laid it on the floor and started spreading it out, which prompted another mysterious act. As it started to spread, somehow going underneath all her furniture, the previous flooring was retracting into a rolled up carpet just beside where she was unrolling the new flooring. Dash was long past surprised by things in this world growing larger and smaller, but this was too awesome. Man, putting up wallpaper was always a chore. I bet that undoes itself too.

Once Sarah was done, Dash realized what had replaced her carpet. The floor looked like clouds. Like, she was standing on top of a cloud. It even had a similar feeling to her cloud home in Ponyville, and made the same sounds as she walked over it. Her jaw was dropped. Then, Sarah started doing the same process on the wall, though all four walls were changing at the same rate as she changed the one. Soon, the old, bare white wall was replaced by what looked like a horizon almost; the lower fifth of the wall looked like clouds, and the rest of the wall above it was the blue sky, like an endless painting of the atmosphere as experienced by someone who lived in it.

“Th-this is… just… Sarah, this is so much.”

“Really? I don’t think cloud walls and floors cost that… much?” Sarah looked over to Dash and saw her wide eyed, staring directly at the wall. A hoof reached out, gliding over the wallpaper as if it was something her mind couldn’t handle, and she needed to touch to make sure it was real.

“Sarah, you must have a really good approval rating.”

That line caught the mayor off guard. “Huh?”

“You’re… you’re doing a whole lot for me here, and I haven’t done anything in return.” Dash glanced down. “I’m not… well, no, I’ve seen that kind of generosity. I’m just not used to getting it. Especially from a stranger.”

“We aren’t strangers, silly! We’re friends.” She placed a hand on Dash’s shoulder. “Yeah, we may not have known each other much longer than a day, but I always strive to keep everyone around me happy. I don’t need to be mayor to do that.”

“Heh. You sound just like… somepony from my home town. She loves making everyone happy, and she’s always full of energy. She was never boring to be around, and always knew what to say, even if it could make her look kinda dumb sometimes.” Dash sighed.

“Sounds like she was a good friend,” Sarah said.

“Yeah, friend.” Dash glanced away. “I don’t think she’d think that of me after what I did.”

“So you are running away.” Dash shot a glare to Sarah, but she didn’t flinch. “Hey, we all got our reasons for doing stuff, but you aren’t exactly hiding your own.” Sarah glanced up to the roof. “I went to check on you last night, and you were having trouble sleeping. That’s one reason I made you breakfast. I’m not a psychologist, but everyone I’ve ever known like you usually falls asleep instantly, right?”

Dash looked away but nodded. Man, I don’t even remember hearing her open that door. Then again, I didn’t remember falling asleep either.

“Olivia was worried about you earlier,” Sarah added. “You only talked to her once, but even she could see that you were shaken up earlier.”

“Yeah… I remember her. Saw her as I was heading to main street. Kinda snooty, isn’t she?”

Sarah chuckled. “Boy, is she ever. But that doesn’t change that she worries about us sometimes. She got me medicine when I was sick once, even.”

“Right.” Dash coughed. “I… I’m fine. I just wanted to get away for a while. My friends will get it.”

“So what’s her name?”

“Huh?”

“You’ve mentioned one friend a few times… who is it?”

Dash rolled her eyes. “You don’t know her.”

“Just give me a name, c’mon.”

“Augh, fine. Pinkie Pie.”

Sarah grinned. “That’s a great name. How can someone with a name like that be angry enough that she wouldn’t want to see you again?”

“Because I was a jerk!” Dash snapped, “Because I did something that… that nopony should forgive.”

“You shouldn’t be so scared, Dash,” Sarah said. “A real friend looks past those kinds of things. A mistake is just that; it isn’t you.”

“It is me. It’s exactly the kind of dumb crap I would do, even if she doesn’t know I would do it.”

“Wait, she doesn’t even know? So she doesn’t even know why you left home?”

“Yeah, that about sums it up.”

Sarah sighed, bringing her hands down her face in frustration. “If she’s really as much like me as you say, then I don’t think you’re doing the right thing.”

“I don’t give a crap.”

“How can you not care? She’s your girlfriend, isn’t she?”

“What do you know about that?!” Dash shouted.

“The way you talk about her, it’s pretty obvious. But if she’s your girlfriend, why in god’s name are you letting her go like that? Or the rest of your friends?”

“How would you know about my friends?” Dash leapt forward, stopping just an inch short of Sarah’s face. “They aren’t just anypony they’re my closest friends, and have been for years. And now… I’ve messed it up.” Dash slowly fell to the floor. “I can’t deal with her. Not with them. When they find out what I did, they wouldn’t want to be friends with me.”

“Fine, whatever. Just know that if this goes on for too long, you may really lose her. And that hurts. Even if you think you deserve it.” Her composure regained, Sarah walked out the front door, slamming it as she left.

Dash brushed a hoof over her eyes, stopping the tears before they started. What the heck does this girl know anyway? She’s just some… stupid human. She hasn’t been through what we’ve all been through. She doesn’t know… how much Pinkie Pie trusts me. How much… I messed it up. It’s always the stupid older ponies, saying they know everything….

She glanced up to the clock. It was late enough. She shut off her light and threw herself in bed, hoping to get a real restful night’s sleep.

“Rainbow Dash.”

“Princess Celestia.”

“Is there some reason you had to see me in my room, instead of when I was holding court?”

Despite being the princess of Equestria, Dash was surprised by how few belongings were actually in the Princess’s chambers. The room sat near the top of a tower in Canterlot Castle, and was surprisingly bare. A grand, four poster bed of pale, pink sheets sat close to eastern windows to her room. The room had a violet stone flooring, with designs of stars and wind all about it. The walls were a dark blue wall paper, the occasional tapestry hanging down, depicting things from the rising sun to shooting stars. There was a fire place in one corner, and the door was painted violet as well. There were a few cushions and very plush carpets, but they did not take up even most of the room. Dash was expecting a room full to the brim with the most expensive and fancy of furniture, but it made sense that Celestia didn’t have much in the way of such material goods, once she thought about it.

The princess looked on curiously from the door way. She wasn’t angry, Dash was sure of that, despite barging into her chambers. She took in a deep breath, and walked towards her, stopping at the middle of the room.

“I…” Dash looked down in shame. “I didn’t want anypony to know I was coming.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Does anypony else know you were coming?”

“Nopony.”

“Not Twilight?”

“Nope.”

“Not Pinkie Pie?”

That name made Dash cringe. “N-no, your majesty.”

“Please, we’ve been through enough together that you don’t have to use those formalities with me.” Dash gave a solemn nod. “Now, may I ask what you’ve come to see me about? It must be very important if you won’t even let your beloved know you’re here.”

“And I don’t ever want her to know I was here!” Dash yelled out. “If she ever comes by here, don’t tell her I was here!”

“So you’re planning on leaving?” Celestia asked.

“I…” Dash fell back on her haunches. “I don’t know. I just, I need to get away for a while.”

Celestia nodded. ”Do you have any idea how long you plan on going?”

“That’s… why I’m here.” Dash’s gaze fell to the floor again. “Can… can you help me?”

“How exactly can I help you?”

“You’re the princess!” Dash threw her arms forward. “You can do anything!”

“And you are one of the fastest pegasi in Equestria. In fact, without my magic, you could easily out fly me or Luna. You’re even a contender for the Wonderbolts. There’s nothing I could do to help you that you can’t do yourself.”

Dash shook her head. “Here’s the thing. If I stayed in Equestria, stayed in… our world, Pinkie would find me somehow. Her Pinkie Sense is really good at that. I’m sure you have heard about it from Twilight. It can… do anything, almost.”

“Are you saying you want to escape beyond Equestria?”

Dash nodded.

“You would leave Equestria without one of its Elements of Harmony?” Celestia asked.

Dash paused, then nodded. “You can send me somewhere easy to find, I just… I can’t stay here.”

“May I ask what is bringing this on?” Celestia laid down, her head now at about Dash’s standing height. “I feel like it is only right that, if I am to send you away and endanger my country, that I know why I am doing it.”

“I, I just.” She gulped. “I, I just need a break, you know? Hanging out with Pinkie Pie can get pretty exhausting—”

“Perhaps you should take a break from spending the night there, then,” Celestia said plainly.

Dash blushed intensely. “I-it’s nothing like that! She’s just… you know, she’s Pinkie Pie. She can be over-bearing, and she never slows down. I gotta get my 14 hours a day, or I don’t have anything, but she’s full tilt from the second she wakes up. It’s… it’s really tough, is all.”

“I see… so you’d like a break from seeing your marefriend, and you’d like to take that break outside of Equestria?” Dash nodded. “I believe I know the perfect place, then.”

“So you’ll do it?!” Dash leaped into the air, her wings keeping her hovering in place as she threw her hooves towards the sky in excitement.

“I will, but under one condition.”

“Name it!”

“I would like to know why you aren’t telling Pinkie Pie.”

“Oh. Well…” Dash turned her eyes from Celestia. “Pinkie Pie is… a lot more fragile than she looks. You tell her you don’t enjoy being around her anymore, and she freaks out. Like she’s done something wrong. You tell her you enjoy spending time with another pony, and she gets depressed. You tell her that she’s the one accidentally pushing you away, she would break. If I told her I didn’t want to see her for a while, maybe a few weeks or a month or something, and… I actually know exactly how she would respond, and… I couldn’t do that to her.”

“Leaving without any word would have her worried sick.”

“And she’d be depressed beyond belief if she heard that I chose to leave her for this long.”

“I believe—”

“Look, Princess,” Dash said, hovering over so that she was right in front of her. “I know you’re really smart, and wise and stuff, but I’ve done a lot of thinking. A whole lot, and frankly, I don’t care what you think of this situation. I know her… I know me, and I know that I need to get away for a while. So will you help me?”

Princess Celestia closed her eyes, and gave a long sigh. When she opened them, she said, “Always the blunt one, aren’t you?” She nodded to herself. “As you wish, my little pony. I can send you to a different world for some time, if this is truly what you desire.”

“It is, Princess.” Dash retrieved her saddle bags from the window. “Thanks for… for doing this.”

“I just hope that this is truly the best for you,” Celestia said. With that, her horn started to glow.

“So is this gonna be like, a teleport, or something?”

“Yes, a teleport that crosses dimensions. The world I am sending you to has some similar features to our own, such as similar physics and chemistry, but there exists… an odd magic, that is hard to describe. The inhabitants will also resemble creatures here, but not exactly.”

“Right.” Vague descriptions that give me nothing, got it. “I’m ready when you are.”

“Here.” Dash felt something nudge at her sides. Celetsia levitated in a kind of jewel, and a piece of paper. “The jewel contains a magic than can return you to Equestria whenever you desire. I still don’t wholly approve of this, but I’m not going to stand in the way of your decisions. The paper is… well, simply put, some currency for the other world. You’ll find it of good use.”

“Thanks. This is… really great.”

Celestia nodded, and her horn started glowing again. This time, Dash could feel the air around her electrify, her fur standing on end. “If I were you, I wouldn’t spend too much time there, Dash. You may soon regret it.”

Dash nodded. This must be the teleport. I didn’t realize she’d want to do it so son, but this works. After a few moments, she felt herself lifted, and a mild electric shock ran through her, making her yelp. There was a flash that both blinded and somehow deafened her, and in a moment, she opened her eyes to a train station, with several animals standing around, giving her odd looks.

Dash’s eyes peeled open. With the blinds covering her windows, it wasn’t the sun that woke her up, but just her own internal sleep schedule.

Augh, am I ever going to get used to sleeping on a bed? I can’t even take naps on this blasted thing… she tapped the lamp next to her bed with her hoof, turning it on. Gotta love these touch-lamps though.

She jumped out of bed, landing perfectly on all four hooves. She started stretching her legs, and her wings, itching for an early flight before the day got any later. Man, it’s weird to be dreaming of that day again, though. Been here for a week, and that still bothers me or something? I haven’t talked with Sarah in a week… She glanced up at her clock on the wall, noting it was eleven AM. “Sweet, Lucky should be over in a few hours, that gives me some time to get some training in.” Without any further thoughts, she ran to her front door, threw it open, and blasted off into the sky, tackling the new day head on.

Chapter 3

Dash crept forward ever so slowly, bug catching net in her hooves. Just ten feet ahead of her was a batch of white roses, where her prey awaited her, unawares. Dash squinted her eyes, making sure it was still there.

Another foot closer. She had been bug catching all day, but this was the first of this species that she had seen that day. It was a good thing too, because she felt like she was about to give up the search. Rainbow Dash was a stubborn pony, but whether or not a certain bug appears is something too far out of her control to be bothered with for more than a few hours.

It hadn’t started out well either. At first, she began galloping around town, searching to and fro for any bug she could find, and found none. Then she started trotting more calmly, examining every tree, rock, and flower patch, and sure enough, she started noticing them. The occasional butterfly, or the beetle in the trunk of a tree. Did her running send them flying off before? She didn’t know, nor care; she was finding them like this, so that sufficed.

Only a foot away now. She took the swing. The net sailed just over the flowers, scooping up her target while leaving the petals untouched.

Grinning, she held up the net to her eyes. Inside was the orchid mantis she had been hunting all day. She had no idea why Nibbles wanted one, but she did, and Dash figured she would have something to exchange for this insect. She had quickly figured out that no gift went without some kind of physical exchange over the past two weeks, and used that knowledge to not only make fast friends with everyone, but also some new stuff. Mostly shirts though. She didn’t know what to make of that at all.

Dash placed the mantis inside a small glass jar, stored it in her saddlebag, and hovered up into the sky to look for Nibbles. After a few seconds of scanning, she found her fishing near where the river entered their town. She glided down to meet her friend and hand her what she had been looking for all day.

“Oh, hey Dash!” Nibbles waved. Dash wasn’t sure how she noticed her, given that she was looking down at her fishing pole, but Dash didn’t pay it any mind. “What’s up, niblet?”

“Got somethin’ for ya,” Dash said, reaching into her saddle bag.

“Ooooowhat is it?” Dash carefully pulled out the jar and held it in front of Nibbles. The green squirrel beamed. “OHMYGOSH it’s that orchid mantis I asked you to get me!”

“Yup!” Dash smiled.

“How long have you been looking for this? I about gave up on you ever finding it, niblet!”

Dash smirked this time. “Oh, just about three hours, no big.”

“Oh, you’ll have to let me make this up to you, but I kinda left everything at home today, since I planned on fishing for a while. Uh… how about… oh!” She clapped, dropping her fishing pole on the grass without a single care. “How about you come over later for caramel-dipped strawberries?! I’ve been dying to try those out!” She blinked. “Not that I don’t know how to make them, niblet! Never too late to try, though.”

“Heehee, sure. Tonight or tomorrow?”

“Oooh, better make it tomorrow. Lunchtime sound good?”

“Definitely!”

“It’s a date then!” Nibbles proclaimed, turning back to the river to cast her fishing rod.

Dash blinked. “Wh-what?!” she shouted.

Nibbles turned to see her blushing, and almost broke down laughing, managing to keep it to a small giggle as she finished casting. “You’re the funniest, Rainbow Dash. It’s just lunch, no big deal.”

“I-I know… it’s just, I got a special somepony back home, and… I hadn’t thought about that in a while.”

“What, dating?” Nibbles held a paw to her chin. “Well, why would you think about dating if you already have someone?”

“N-not like that,” Dash said with a gulp, “I just mean… I haven’t seen her in a while.”

“Do you miss her?” Nibbles asked plainly.

“N-not really. Not at all!” Dash stood tall and proud. “She’s doing fine without me though, I know she is. She always did fine without me.”

“You should invite her up here sometime! I’d love to meet her—Oh!” Nibbles was interrupted by a fish taking her bait, and her focus immediately shifted to her fishing rod.

Dash gulped, opting just to excuse herself before talking any further.

Eeugh, that was way too awkward. Though… she’s right, Pinkie Pie would love it here. She looked up to the sky. The sun hadn’t quite started setting yet, and the sky was perfectly cloudless. Over the last week, she had mostly made up with Sarah, though Dash felt like there was still something between them that she couldn’t quite make out. Despite that, they had come to an agreement where Sarah would figure out the projected weather for a day, and ask Dash to help it become a reality. Breezy and cool? Make it a clear sky too. Partially cloudy with only a chance of rain? Better make sure that the flowers don’t all dry out. For such a small village, such requests only took a few minutes at worst, and she was happy to be performing some kind of job.

Dash quickly glided by her house, and dropped off her saddlebags while taking a quick glance to her clock. Four in the afternoon? Why do I feel like I could just crawl into a hole and sleep there for the night. Oh, right, because Nibbles mentioned Pinkie Pie.

Dash hit her forehead with a hoof. “Yeah, so what if someone knows you have a girlfriend now?” Rainbow Dash said to herself. “Pinkie Pie was great. You don’t have anything to be ashamed of. No, nothing at all.” Dash started pacing in her house. “Yeah, see, you’re doing this for her. You think if she found out what you did, she’d ever want to see you again? Heck no! You’re doing her a favor, Dash. You’re… you’re removing your jerk-self from her life….”

With a frustrated cry, she vacated her house and leapt to a nearby tree, rubbing her eyes of the water that was building up. Don’t cry, don’t freaking cry, Dash. She doesn’t need you…. After a few moments, she felt herself grow a bit tired, and decided that spot would be great for a nap. She rolled over on her back, and let her eyes fall closed and her consciousness drift off.

For a moment, at least. After what felt like less than a second, she was woken up suddenly by someone shaking the tree she was sleeping in. Still not sure of what was happening, she felt herself roll off her tree branch, and land stomach-first onto the ground. “Ow!”

“You awake now?”

Dash looked up to find Sarah looming over her. “Why’d you have to go an interrupt my nap?”

“Nap? You nap for two hours a day?” Sarah raised an eyebrow. “You could just sleep a bit longer.”

“And miss my morning practice? Heck no!” Dash jumped up to all four hooves, and opened her wings to glance at them, then turned back to Sarah. “What do you want?”

“Hey now, I’m here to help you. Have you heard the rumors?”

“Rumors?” Dash shook her head. “I spoke to Nibbles for a bit just before I took my nap. She didn’t mention any rumors.”

“Hmmm…” Sarah glanced left, then right, then back to Dash. “That’s probably what started it then. There’s a rumor going around that you’re inviting your girlfriend to town.”

“WHAT?!” Dash yelled.

“I don’t know what you said, but you gave her that idea, somehow. But we need to talk about it. Inside, if you would.”

“What do we need to talk about?”

“Get inside and I’ll explain.” Sarah motioned to the door. Dash shrugged, and opened it, letting them both inside.

Dash casually leapt over Sarah and landed on her bed, plopping herself down comfortably. Sarah took a chair from the table, turning it towards Dash. “So… there’s something you need to know about this place.”

“Yeah?”

“Some things here are… well, let’s say that where the animals live, and where humans live, somehow operate under different terms. For example… here, fortunes come true. One hundred percent of the time, they will happen. Not always how you’d expect, but they do.” Dash nodded, so Sarah continued, “if you make a wish at a well, it’ll generally come true, unless it’s a really specific thing like ‘I want a million bells.’ If you wish for a new friend, or maybe for happiness or something, it’ll generally happen.”

“Okay, so… what is your point?”

“Sometimes… when villagers talk about things, those things tend to… come true.” Dash gulped. “Knew you’d respond like that. So, I don’t know what world you come from, but I get the feeling that your girlfriend is going to show up here soon.”

“I-I never said I came from another world,” Dash said indignantly. “I’m just, you know, new around here.”

“Dash…” Sarah chuckled. “You’re a real kidder sometimes. You didn’t know that leaves turned into furniture. You didn’t know that our currency was called Bells. You are clearly not from my world. Especially given that you’re a small, flying horse, which we definitely don’t have.”

“I’m a pony, and a pegasus at that.”

“Right, pegasus. Where I’m from, something like you is an ancient myth, to the point where Pegasus is the given name of the creature.”

“Okay, okay, fine. Yes, I’m from another world.”

“What can you tell me about it?” Sarah asked. Dash raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, that was a little rude. To be honest… I’m really curious. How a flying pony like yourself is a… just, a normal thing. And maybe it’s a good way to start again, since… we haven’t really talked much beyond my asking you about the sky.”

“A good way to start is by me telling you everything about my home? You got a weird opinion on good starts.” Dash chuckled dryly. “But, uhm, just to be clear… how could she even come here? When I was sent here, I was told that this is a different dimension. We don’t even live in the same universe.”

“So why do we speak the same language?” Sarah asked. Dash opened her mouth to speak, but found no reply. “There are some things clearly meant to be. Coincidences that nothing can explain. It may be fate, it may not be, but it’s how it is. When this village really wishes for something, it tends to happen. I’ve been here nearly eight years, and I’ve seen it every time. It’s almost haunting, really. None of the residents are the same as when I arrived, but it’s still the same effect.”

Dash gulped again. “All right, well, I’ll get started from the top then.” She took a deep breath and started, “I was born in a city called Cloudsdale, which is a pegasus-run city made up entirely of clouds….”

“… And that’s when we found out she had become a princess,” Dash said. “At first, we totally thought she blew up. It was kind of a weird feeling, since we knew she couldn’t have, but that’s totally what it looked like.”

Sarah laughed. “Wow, that’s totally crazy. So, uh let’s see… given what you’ve told me, there was probably a huge coronation ceremony—” Dash nodded “—So, how soon is that from when you left?”

“That was about six months ago,” Dash answered, “And not much has really happened since then.”

“Nothing?” Sarah asked.

“Nothing. No crises, no celebrations, aside from another summer sun celebration… no nothing. It got kinda boring after a while, honestly.” Dash got off of her bed and headed for her fridge near the entrance to her home. “I’m getting kinda thirsty. Wouldya like anything?”

“An Apple juice would be super!” Sarah said.

“Sure thing!” Dash brought out her jug of Apple juice, and started pouring two glasses.

Dash smiled at Sarah’s never-ending curiosity. Dash had covered as much as she could to explain how their world worked, starting with where she grew up, flight camp, moving to Ponyville, her friends, and the events since they all became the Elements of Harmony. She had to give some background on some things occasionally, like explain magic, which Sarah seemed to pick up on lightning fast, despite her insistence that magic wasn’t even like, a thing.

For some reason, talking about home had lifted her out of the dumps she had fallen into that day. It set her at ease, and left her the least stressed that she had felt in just about a week. She wasn’t sure why thoughts of Equestria made her so excited, but they did. Is it because I’m the element of loyalty? That I’m always loyal to my home country, just because? Or… or is something, someone, drawing me back?

“So… when did you and Pinkie hook up?” The name made Dash tense up, nearly spilling the apple juice jug. “Man, do you know how readable you are? If hearing someone’s name makes you do that, it’s a wonder your princess didn’t figure out something was up.”

“She knew something was up, but she let me come anyway.” Dash finished pouring their glasses, and took one to Sarah, and decided to remain hovering for the rest of the conversation. “We… we started dating just after the coronation. She asked me out, and I was feeling some similar feelings at the time, so it just… took off. It was… it was some of the best few months of my life.”

“First loves like that always feel great.” Sarah sighed wistfully. “It sounds like something out a novel or something, something too fantastical to be real. Not just you, but you’re whole world.” She looked up to the clock. “Wow, it’s almost nine.”

Dash grinned. “From what I’ve seen and heard about this world, we have a lot more… interesting events happen. More dangerous events, but more events anyway. I didn’t even get to how Equestria was founded!”

“Well, if you’re still here tomorrow, maybe we can talk then.”

Dash nodded. For a few moments, there was no talking. Dash found herself looking to Sarah, her gaze not really drawn anywhere else in the room. For a few more moments, she was content in not paying attention to the pegasus, taking a sip occasionally from her glass, but after almost a minute, she broke. “What’s up, Rainbow?”

“You really think Pinkie Pie will be arriving soon.”

Sarah shrugged. “I don’t have a clue, Rainbow Dash. Stuff gets really crazy sometimes in this place.”

“Feels that way.” Dash took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I have a question that you may not like.”

“Yes?” Sarah asked, tilting her head.

“That first day… when we talked in my room, why did you get so mad? You got really angry when I told you that… that I was trying to run away from someone.”

Sarah laughed. “Oh man, I actually kind of forgot about that. It’s, uh, well,” she cleared her throat. “It’s a long story… but I can summarize it up here real fast. I’ll be really blunt too, since I kind of need to head out soon. I… I had a girlfriend here.”

Dash’s jaw dropped. “You did?”

“Yeah. Isabelle. She was the village’s secretary when I first arrived, and after a few years, we got… pretty close. Of course, we kinda saw things about each other differently.” Sarah shook her head. “I thought… well, I didn’t think I loved her, but I liked spending nights with her… but she thought I was the one. I think she got that same message from me.”

“Oh.” Dash glanced away. “I’m sorry.”

“Hey, there’s more to it than that. You told me all about you, so I’m gonna tell you something I’m ashamed of.” She sighed. “Next up… I left this village to its own devices for an entire year.”

“A… a whole year? Isn’t that, like, liable to get you fired or something?”

Sarah shook her head and smiled. “I’m the mayor. There isn’t much of a chain of command here, it’s just me and… well, when my secretary was here, her, but now it is just me.” She sighed. “This place is very bare bones, and the people here don’t need me to do much. I mostly sigh ordinances and start public work projects. And pull some weeds.” She chuckled. “But… but I didn’t leave any word. I just packed up and moved back home for a year, figuring this place could do fine without me, leaving a note saying that I was taking a vacation, but not for how long. When I came back, Isabelle wasn’t here, her brother wouldn’t talk to me, tons of flowers were rotting, weeds were everywhere, and about five villagers had left, which basically cut the population in half.” Sarah laughed, this time a little crack coming through, the pitch a bit higher. “From what little I’ve gotten out of him… she loved me so much that not seeing me for that long, without any word… basically broke her. I didn’t even think of her that much! And she’s gone now… been gone all year. Town hall is… is horribly empty.” She clutched her sides, and shivered. “Every day I go in, and hope she’s at the desk, waiting to greet me. Gods I miss her…”

Holy cow… Dash landed and brought a hoof to her shoulder. “Sarah…”

“Do you understand love, Dash?” Sarah looked up at her, misty eyed. “When you love someone, you’ll do anything for them. Absolutely anything. And when that love is torn away from you, it… it leaves you broken.” She slowly brushed off Dash’s hoof. “Don’t abandon her. I don’t care if you cheated on her or somehow did something worse—”

“Hey, I never said what I did—”

“Man, you think I couldn’t tell what you did?!” Sarah shouted. “You’re readable, like a book, I keep telling you! You can’t hide anything from anyone. I’m surprised none of the other villagers here figured you out. But just listen, okay? If you find her, and you tell her, and admit it was wrong, then at least she can make a decision. You doing this… you’re leaving her out. Forcing her to do something that you want. That isn’t fair. You need to tell her, so she can forgive you, or she can move on.”

“I…” Dash shook her head. “She wouldn’t move on, she just wouldn’t…”

“Then why the heck are you here?!” Sarah yelled. “I… gosh, I can’t stand this. I don’t know if I can do anything all worked up like this, and I have work to do. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Sarah quickly finished off her glass of apple juice, then left, making sure to not shut the front door as she went.

Dash wasn’t crying. She knew that much. She felt like she wanted to though. Her chest hurt, her wings ached. She couldn’t see straight, and she wasn’t even tearing up.

I… I’m making the wrong decision. I’m making the stupidest decision. Dash slowly walked over to her bed. Why the heck am I even here?! Do I just go back?! She climbed up and laid down, pulling a pillow over her head. Why won’t she just come by already?!

Dash screamed into her pillow. Why do you always run, Dash?! Why do you never just run up and talk to them?! You’ll kick a dragon in the face, charge a manticore, learn to do a sonic Rainboom on command, but when you did something your girlfriend didn’t even know about, you run so far away that you aren’t even in the same universe. Why why WHY WHY?! “WHY WHY?!”

Dash flew out her window, and stuck herself in a cloud, one of the only clouds in the sky that evening. Once firmly inside, she started flapping her wings, and the cloud moved. Using herself as a motor, she started for where she first arrived in this world, which happened to be a big train station in a far away city. By train, it took probably six-ish hours to arrive in Equebec, but flying herself? She could do it in thirty minutes.

The journey was uneventful, and as she examined the streets below her, no one had really noticed her. Animals of all kinds, in all manners of clothes, wandered the concrete jungle, doing late shopping or enjoying time with friends. The train station was partially busy, but otherwise uneventful. If Pinkie is coming, this is where she’ll appear. So I just gotta camp out in this cloud until she does get here… and then… then I don’t know what. I’ll do something. But I’m done with this running away business. I wish there was another way, but this is how it’s gonna have to be.

Dash’s sleep was disturbed by a flash and what sounded like a crash of thunder. Opening her eyes, she found it was still dark out, yet she felt wide awake. Must be around four or five, if I’m not totally tired by waking up at night… Dash poked her head out of the bottom of the cloud to look down, and saw exactly what she was afraid of.

Sure enough, Pinkie Pie had arrived.

The pink pony with curled, magenta hair had landed very precariously on her stomach. She slowly stood up, shaking herself off, which Dash also remembered doing. After a few moments of her simply looking around, she was approached by a guard, a dog in a police uniform. She immediately bombarded him with questions, bouncing around him. Dash couldn’t hear, but she figured that was the kind of thing Pinkie Pie would do, given such a new situation.

Dash started lowering the cloud ever so slowly, her wings slowly letting her fall despite the cloud’s desire to float higher and higher. It was easy enough for her to control, but she wasn’t sure if Pinkie Pie would notice a cloud moving that low.

“Hey Rainbow Dash!”

Oh crud. She poked her head out, and saw Pinkie Pie looking straight up at her.

“Howdy!”

Seriously, Applejack greetings now?

“Down here! It’s me, Pinkie Pie!”

“I know it’s you, silly. One second!” Dash yelled out. She took a deep breath, and steeled herself as she pulled herself out of the cloud, careful not to fragment it, then shot to the ground in an instant. The guard appeared to be confused, but otherwise not moving. At least he isn’t telling us to leave…

“What’s up?!” Pinkie asked.

“Is… is that all you have to ask me?” Rainbow Dash said.

“Well, noooooooooooo, but I figured it would be a good starter! I mean, I haven’t seen you for two whole weeks! Gosh, that’s a really long time to not see somebody who lives just down the street from you, especially your girlfriend!”

Wow, she’s totally oblivious. “Y-yeah, Pinkie. It has been a while. So how about I take you down to my place and we can talk a bit. Maybe hang out?”

Pinkie nodded. “Sure! Where to then? Do you have a cloud home?” She gasped. “Oooh, I bet they don’t have cloud homes here. Are you homeless? Are you a hobo, Rainbow Dash?”

“I-I’m not homeless, Pinkie Pie!” She shouted. The baker didn’t flinch. “Just, it’s a long ways away.” Rainbow Dash turned around. “Climb on, I’ll fly us back to my house.”

“Ooooh, I haven’t been flying in a while!”

“Right.”

“Because I haven’t seen you in two weeks. You left without sending me any word.”

Dash gulped. Okay, not that oblivious. I need to stop doing that…

The fly back to Equebec was mostly silent, aside from Pinkie Pie making “Woooo” sounds from flying so quickly. Without worrying about the cloud, Dash was able to make the flight in only twenty minutes this time. Once the village was in view, she started gliding towards her own house, as she took one final view of the town. It was dark, and absolutely no one was awake, not even any lights were on. She had never been around town at this time, and the lifeless-ness of the town weighed on her terribly. She gulped, and made a last dive to her home.

Once she opened the door, Pinkie Pie burst inside, examining every aspect of the room. “I really like what you’ve done with the place. It’s like you’re right up in the sky!” She jumped onto Dash’s bed, landing on her back and bouncing up a few times. “This isn’t anything like your room in your cloud house.”

“It… it really isn’t.” Rainbow Dash gulped. “Pinkie Pie.”

“Yes?” She asked, still beaming.

“How about we talk about why you’re here.”

Pinkie nodded, still beaming. “Okay. Let’s talk about it then.”

Dash looked on, waiting for Pinkie Pie to start. There were a few moments of silence. Pinkie’s smile faltered, and she started.

“You… you ran away.”

Rainbow Dash flinched. The way she said it, it was almost accusatory. It was a tone that she had never heard Pinkie take before, and knowing she deserved it made it hurt.”

“You left me to search for you, so that’s all I did: search.” Her face abruptly went from a perfect smile to a look of physical pain, as if she had been struck. “I searched for… for all of two weeks. I’ve been back to Ponyville twice. I kept finding little clues and sometimes, I’d get close to something, and my ” Dash nodded at that. “But… every time I kept following the trail… do you know where I kept ending up?” Dash shook her head. “Celestia. I… I always found myself at the throne room. She seemed surprised the first time, which was about ten days ago, but every subsequent time, she acted like she was expecting it.

“I went through entire cities. I found Wonderbolts, an agent, a vacation planner even, just… all sorts of ponies. So when I kept arriving at Celestia’s door, I finally had to ask. And she told me that you came here because you were running away for a while. And that I could go after you if I wanted. She also told me that… she wasn’t supposed to tell me.” With that, Pinkie finished speaking, her somber gaze locked onto Rainbow Dash.

“I… I’m really sorry to try and keep this a secret from you, Pinkie Pie,” Rainbow Dash said. Her eyes was glued to the floor now. “I-it was wrong.”

“I just… I want to know why.” Pinke pulled Dash’s chin up to meet her eyes. “I thought you loved me… and I love you. So why… why did you do this?”

“You wanna know what has me scared?”

Pinkie nodded. “I was… I was hoping you’d tell me. Because I don’t think there’s anything you could do that I couldn’t forgive you for—”

“I cheated on you, Pinkie Pie. About a week before I left.” Dash choked on her breath. “That’s why I missed baking with you and the cake twins. I was… I was with somepony else.”

“Oh.” Pinkie stopped moving. Her face slowly turned dark, her smile fading and turning into a blank expression, her eyes looking like they were focused on something a mile into the distance. After another moment, the ends of her mouth curled downwards, and her eyes watered up. “Did… did I do something wrong?”

“Pinkie, stop it.”

“Was… was I too annoying? Was I not funny enough?” She started crying. “I thought… I thought you didn’t make it into the Wonderbolts, or maybe you hurt somepony. But… but I… it was a problem with me?! ”

“Pinkie, stop it!” Rainbow Dash shouted.

“I-I’ll try and spice things up, maybe! Twilight has some spells!” Tears were falling as her voice continually raised. “And, and I won’t ask you to bake anymore! I know you don’t really like it, but the twins are growing up fast, and they really enjoy it, and, and I can come to more of your practices! I know I only come to five a week right now, but I can re-adjust my schedule, and make all seven! I can even—”

“STOP IT!” Rainbow Dash yelled. Pinkie’s eyes shot up to her girlfriend, who rushed forward to hug her. “It isn’t your fault. It was never your fault. You’ve always been exactly who you should have been: yourself. You’re just perfect how you are. The greatest partier and girlfriend a mare could ever have.”

“So… so why…?” She asked, her voice barely audible.

“Because, I… I don’t know. I was at a bar, and she was stone-cold drunk, and I had a few drinks… she thought I was drunk, asked me home, and… I just went with her.” Rainbow Dash pulled herself back as Pinkie sniffled. “It wasn’t until the next morning that… that I realized what I had actually done. And I couldn’t hold it in when you were around too. Every time I saw you, I felt like I either had to tell you or throw up. It was unbearable.

“So I ran.” Dash’s front hooves shuffled against the floor. “And… I asked Celestia to send me here. Seems like she sent you here too.” Pinkie Pie nodded. “Well, that’s all there is to the story. I’ve been living here for two weeks, making friends, and just… just trying to forget about you.”

“Forget about me…?” Pinkie asked. Her eyes were dry, but not for lack of trying.

“Do you think I could go on living if all I ever thought about was… was how I betrayed you? I’m the element of loyalty for pete’s sake! I… I doubt I’m even an element holder anymore, pulling some crud like that on you…”

“Rainbow Dash…” Pinkie Pie.

“Loyalty… and friends… they’re all I’ve got. I’m no Wonderbolt. I’m no national hero or royalty, like Twilight. I’m nothing without loyalty and friends, and… who wants to be friends with a backstabber?” Dash gave another sigh, her hopes draining out of her into the ground. “Just… just go. I know you can’t forgive me for this, but—”

She suddenly found herself in a very tight Pinkie Pie hug. No… no, stop it! She squirmed, but Pinkie Pie didn’t let go. It wasn’t suffocatingly tight, but it was a strong hug nonetheless. “Pinkie Pie… let me go. Let me go!”

“No.”

“Why not?!”

“Because if I do, you’ll leave me again, and I don’t want you to leave me again!”

“Why shouldn’t I?!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “You… you don’t deserve somepony like me, who can’t even keep track of who they’re loyal to. Who just runs off because she thinks she knows what’s best for her girlfriend, when she’s being a complete idiot….”

“Do you remember when… we first admitted we loved each other?” Pinkie Pie asked.

Rainbow Dash stopped. That was… sudden. Pinkie Pie let go of her, each of them falling to all fours at the same time. Instinctively, Dash’s wings shot open, and her legs twitched. She could make for an open window before Pinkie could move. It would be easy. She could break the sound barrier. Pinkie couldn’t keep up with that.

She should just go.

But Pinkie’s question held her in place.

“It… man, was that our fifth date?” Dash asked. Pinkie nodded. “Yeah. We were lying in bed at your place, and you said it. And… and I said it back.”

“And I said that I loved everything about you, no matter what. Even some of the bad parts, right Dashie?”

Dash hadn’t heard that name in over a month. Pinkie didn’t use it often, even when they were dating. “Yeah, I remember. I said… I said the same thing. I loved you, the real you, no matter how annoying or overbearing you got.”

“Or, how arrogant and impulsive you were, Dash. That’s why… that’s why I don’t want you to leave. I don’t want you to go away forever. You couldn’t… live with yourself if you knew what you did to me?” Pinkie gave a sick chuckle despite herself. “I couldn’t live with myself if… if you left Equestria forever because you think you did something so horrible that I’d never forgive you… so chin up.” Pinkie smiled once again.

Rainbow Dash nodded. “Y-Yeah… yeah, okay. You’re right. You… I don’t know. I don’t even know.” She reached forward to hug her, but Pinkie Pie stopped her hooves. Without warning, she pulled Dash forward into a kiss, their lips locking for several seconds before parting. Dash hadn’t been expecting it, and was a tiny bit short on breath by the end of it. Pinkie Pie was truly smiling now, and Dash found herself cheerful as well.

“I’m… I’m a bit tired, Dashie. That teleport took a lot out of me. Can we…?” She lazily pointed to it with a hoof.

“Sure thing, Pinkie Pie. Let’s get to bed.” In a blink, Pinkie Pie threw herself on top of the bed, not bothering to get under the covers. Rainbow Dash joined her, climbing onto bed and laying down in front of Pinkie Pie. The baker scooted up, throwing a foreleg over Dash’s shoulder. Dash immediately felt Pinkie’s body heat as they pressed up against each other, her fur as it brushed up against her wings, and the smell of cotton candy invaded her nose. She hadn’t smelled it once during their flight, but when they were this close, it all came back to her.

She loved Pinkie. Even if she ran out on her through a combination of fear, guilt, and warped sense of righteousness, she still loved her. And she could never leave her alone again. Not like this.

“By the way, Dashie…”

“Yeah, Pinkie?”

“Who… who was it?”

“I… do you really want me to say now? I’m tired too.”

“I promise I won’t get mad! I mean… I’m mad that you slept with somepony else.”

“I’d… I’d be worried if you weren’t, Pinkie. But I don’t care, cause I got ya back.”

“I was the one looking for you, silly.” Pinkie chuckled. “So who is it?”

“Why are you asking?”

“Cause I wanna knooooooowwwwwww!”

“If you’re sure…” Rainbow Dash sighed. “it was Roseluck.”

“WHAT?!”

Author's Note

So that's finished. If this is awful, just be aware that I'm already two days late. If people point out problems, I'll totally fix them, and stuff.

A lot of the relationship stuff is stuff I do not have first-hand knowledge of. If it seems unreal or dumb, that's me.

Regarding the prompt... well, I did my first thought regarding it. It isn't really used, or a theme, but it's kind of the initial reasoning, which isn't exactly stated... but, oh well. This is what I got out of it. I hope you enjoyed Dash being stupid.