January 1
I sat still looking down at the shards of granite beneath me. To ponies all across the world, the Griffin canyon lands are known to be a breathtaking sight. These are formations that took years of eroding to become the massive scale they are today. It is truly a testament to the strength of Mother Nature… as well its fragility. These formations, despite their massive scale, were so brittle that even the tiniest carelessness would cause an inescapable tumbling of stone. You probably couldn’t even take in your surrendering before the stone beneath the cliff you are sitting on begins to crackle. And then, in 10 seconds flat, you feel nothing underneath as you begin your fall. And fall you will into the canyon, to once again be put in the state from which before you were born. Screaming won’t help you then… nothing will help you then. And all it takes, is one little misstep.
Fortunate for me however, I was a Pegasus and such dangers did not apply to me as they would otherwise for an Earth or Unicorn pony. So when I sat on the ledge, my only concerns were seeing if this view was any nicer than my previous one. Not only did my wings prevent me from falling, but so did my inner bone structure. I’m not really a scientist, but that’s pretty much the reason why Pegasi can walk on clouds while other ponies cannot as our bone structure makes us extremely light and not dense.
Anyway… I should probably talk a little about myself for you to understand my story. My name is Rainbow Dash, resident of Ponyville and Cloudsdale… or at least I was. You know, for a land that promotes friendship as much as Equestria does, you’d think they’d give a little more financial backing for medical emergencies. But no, once I sustained the injury to my right wing… permanent injury that is, it was over. It didn’t matter that I was practically a celebrity as a Wonderbolt at the time, once I couldn’t do my job anymore, they didn’t want me. It was a stupid mistake on my part too, a routine barrel roll during practice when I became too over eager and tried to get more lift than my wings allowed crashing wing first into one of our stadium light posts. The Wonderbolts doctor had told me that I would be able to fly again, but I would never return to even half my original speed which just wouldn’t cut it for a Wonderbolt. Within the week, my locker at our stadium was emptied for the new mare to move in. It didn’t help that before then, I didn’t have a plan B for what to do. I had spent stupid investments on luxury comforts like a three story mansion, private yacht, and even my own sports bar. Consistently, I would spend the paychecks I received immediately knowing that there would always be money monthly. But within two weeks of that injury, I lost everything. There was just no way I could pay for the loans I took to keep my bar running. Everything I owned, gone in an instant. I couldn’t even take back my former job as a weather Pegasus in Ponyville as I had already been replaced by one of my former underlings. A grey Pegasus with a blond mane, who although slow at times, was a hard worker.
As for why I couldn’t stay with any of my friends well… that’s a combination of my own mistakes and bad luck. Rarity received a contract with Sapphire Shorts and moved to Canterlot. I remember the look on her face too when she received the offer. I’ve seen that pony get over excited before but right then, right then she didn’t overact at all. All I saw was a genuine smile on Rarity’s face, the smile of pure joy knowing all your hard work had finally paid off. It was the same smile that I had when I received my letter from the Wonderbolts. This was four years ago and although Rarity’s cloth line company even sponsored the Wonderbolts at one point, we never really talked to each other much after that. Our interests outside of business were just too different and when my injury hit, she was much too busy to have time to even meet up with me.
Applejack and I probably remained the closest of friends since I became a Wonderbolt as we both shared many common hobbies. We use to go to bars and casinos together and watch professional competitions while drinking cider and laughing together until we saw the light of day. Unlike me however, Applejack’s business wasn’t going well at all. There had been an unusual migration of vampire bats into the Ponyville area the past five years for unknown reasons. Sweet Apple acres could barely produce enough apples for themselves let alone run a successful apple farm for the town. Slowly, I began hanging out with her less and less as she simply couldn’t afford to have as much fun as I did. Still, I tried my best to support her and would send her part of my monthly paycheck to help her back on her feet. Long story short, she never really did. So when I became broke, I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t be supported financially anymore. Applejack too, had to sell her farm and move with the rest of her family to take shelter in Appleloosa. I asked to come with, but the bats were beginning to migrate there as well and they just couldn’t support another pony.
Twilight probably would have helped me out being a member of royalty and all if not for a case of poor timing. Twilight had remained the librarian for Ponyville until Celestia decided that Twilight had truly mastered the art of friendship. Then came Twilight’s next test to truly become worthy of being a political leader. She was sent away with Spike to the faraway land of the dragons by Celestia in order for the kingdoms to have better diplomatic relations. There, Twilight was to stay for three years helping out the corrupt kingdom and building shelters for the poor as well as discussing social issues within the various factions. This was only 6 months before my injury, and my situation was deemed too insignificant to call back Twilight this early in her journey in order to support me.
After me, Rarity, Twilight, and Fluttershy (I’ll get to her later) had left, Pinkie Pie lost some of her joy in life. While she knew all the ponies in Ponyville, no one quite meant to Pinkie Pie, what our group of friends did. She began to feel that her life lost some meaning as she had already made most of Ponyville happy and there was simply not much left to do. Without her friends, there weren’t enough reasons for her to stay anymore. So one day, out of the blue, only three months before my injury, I received a note from her informing me that she was going to follow the footsteps of Cheese Sandwich and travel across the world, throwing parties for and making ponies and other creatures happy. I smiled knowing that this was a good choice, but deep down, I knew that meant I didn’t know when the next time I’d see her would be, if ever.
And Fluttershy… Fluttershy’s departure was the saddest one of them all. You see, deep down, I had feelings for that mare that were more than friendship. Ever since we were foals, never had I met someone that could make my life so happy. Despite all the fame, despite all the money, despite all the other pleasures in life, I cared most about Fluttershy… but she didn’t feel the same. The day she told me she was leaving Ponyville broke my heart in two. She had met a traveling stallion named Treetop who was stopping by Ponyville. He was a bit of a hipster, but with Fluttershy, the two were like a match made in heaven. They both loved animals and nature and the two would spend hours talking about their favorite forest preserves or which animals would create the cutest combination if they were to breed. Each time I saw them, I could see it in their eyes that they were in pure bliss being in each other’s company… and it hurt every time. Still, all I wanted was for Fluttershy to be happy, and when she told me that she would take her animals and travel on a bandwagon with Treetop, I didn’t object. All I wanted was to tell her there and then how I truly felt but I knew that she’d reconsider her decision if I did. So I remained silent and simply waved wishing her the best of luck, knowing she would be happier this way, while secretly doing my best to hold back the floodgates that had opened in my eyes. This was nearly two years ago, and I haven’t heard a word of Fluttershy since.
For the first month after I officially committed bankruptcy, I stayed with Zecora for a week. I couldn’t take it there though as I was a pony that needed excitement in my life, and being trapped up in a hut all day was eating me on the inside. So I told Zecora of my decision of leaving Ponyville, and eventually Equestria and she didn’t object. She handed me some necessities for my journey such as some rope, a knife, some food, and several potions that she labeled so that I could use for medical purposes. Other than that, the only thing I have been carrying since then have been my knapsack, a photo album, and a miniature scooter model that Scootaloo gave me before she went to college. Before I left, I gave Tank to the new pony in charge of the animal shelter that Fluttershy had left behind. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to take care of him anymore and although I could see him shedding a tear, I knew it was for the best.
For eight months since then, I’ve been out here on my own. I had gone to many towns in both Equestria, and the Griffin lands. In each I would find shelter from the locals who showed kindness to wondering travelers. Most didn’t know who I was as Wonderbolts are not often shown without their masks during events. It was nice too in a way as it allowed me to be humble for once as here, I was just another pony. Still, I would never find comfort in one spot for very long, moving constantly to new places, and new adventures. It’s almost excited in a way really, as this was a new chapter in my life; a completely different experience from anything that I had ever gone through. There were nights where I would be too tired to go on to the closest village. On those nights I would simply lie down on a tree in the middle of a forest holding a knife in my hand in case predators would come, looking up at Luna’s beautiful night sky, and eating whatever fruits and vegetables I could savage.
Secretly though, perhaps the biggest reason for my feelings of excitement towards my new situation was that I had a hope inside me, a hope that perhaps I could find one of my former friends once again. I hoped behind all reason that maybe one day I’d run into Gilda who I hadn’t seen for I believe six years now and have lost complete contact with. Or perhaps I would run into Pinkie Pie and together we could go around the land, making other ponies smile and enjoying ourselves like we did before. But most of all, I hoped to see the lovely yellow Pegasus that brought so much joy to my life for so long. I didn’t even know what to do if I ever were to see Fluttershy again. It didn’t matter though, all I wanted was a glimpse of her lovely smile once again and that hope alone, is enough to keep me going on my journey
Author's Note
And so, the journey begins
January 3rd
I decided to sleep today on a tree in the wing-tail forest as I’m too tired to make it to the next town. I’d be lying if I said that this was one of those calm, soothing nights where I could feel the light breeze blowing between my wings. Far from it actually as my whole body itches from how dry it is. Damn, I can see why nobody travels through this place despite the lack of wild creatures. I can’t even feel a molecule of saliva in my throat even after drinking heavy amounts of water throughout the day. How is that even possible? This is a bucking forest for crying out loud.
According to my map, right now I’m twenty kilometers away from the nearest city of Beaksville. Sigh… it’ll take me the whole day tomorrow to reach the town. If only this place had public trains like Equestria does. I guess that’d be a bit silly though since unlike ponies, all Griffins have the ability to fly, hehheh.
I wonder how Sweetie Belle’s doing, going off on her own to sing for the Royal Equestrian choir and all. Jeez, how they grow up so fast. It almost makes me feel old… almost. It’s funny actually, these last few years I've been trying my best to avoid growing up. And yet all those years in Ponyville, that was what the crusaders spent all day and night trying to do. Do all ponies feel that way? Do all ponies just want to grow up when they're young, and then wish they never did when they get older? Errr… I guess some ponies just mature differently than others.
Still though, I can’t help but think about how lonely it gets sometimes being out here by myself. I think that the initial adrenaline of just exploring the world has left and I’m starting to reconsider where I’m really going with this. And if it keeps leading me to places like this I might just have to reconsider how much fun this actually is. What would my friends say in a situation like this?
Twilight would probably read a book in the light of a fire set by Spike. Applejack would probably have prepared heavily for this kind of situation and packed plenty of juicy apples. Rarity would ummm… I’m can’t imagine how Rarity would ever end up in a place like this but I’m sure she could somehow make the situation fabulous. Same with Pinkie Pie too, I can’t possibly imagine her being somewhere where there’s nopony else around. I suppose she would take Gummy with her so she’d be aiight. And of course, Fluttershy would make friends with all the critters here and make them all feel happy and welcome… just as she did for me…
Perhaps a life of adventure isn't so awesome without a companion to share it with.
Author's Note
Critiques and opinions welcome.
