An Expedition to the Crystal Forest

by Doubt

Rating: teen
Tags: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Romance, Fluttershy, Adventure, Violence, Drama
Length: 25219

Rainbow Dash and Rarity join Fluttershy on her latest expedition to an uninhabited island. Things soon take a turn, and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash are forced to resolve the scars of their past while confronting a mysterious and capricious island.

Fluttershy's last expedition to find and observe the breezies had been an amazing experience for her, all things considered, but if there was one thing about it she hadn't loved, it was having nopony there to share the experience with.

Now, presented with the similar opportunity, Fluttershy decides to invite Rainbow Dash and Rarity on her latest expedition to the Crystal Forest. The expedition, however, ends up being far more dangerous than any of them ever expected...

As well as having to avoid the ever-present threat of the wildlife living on the island, the three are forced to deal with seemingly inexplicable magical phenomena and the mental toll of being separated from one another. They discover forgotten history buried in time, new and exotic creatures, and, for Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, emerging feelings for each other.

Note: takes place before the events of Season 4

Published 2014-08-09 21:40:05 UTC
Last updated 2019-01-11 09:21:53 UTC

Decisions, Decisions

From a Dilemma to a Pentalemma

An excerpt from The Ultimate Expeditioner's Handbook:

An expedition is defined by The Canterlot Equestrian Dictionary as: A journey undertaken by a group of ponies with a particular purpose, especially that of exploration, scientific research, or war.

As far as this handbook is concerned, that more or less sums up the question of what an expedition is. The rest of this handbook will aim to address the how and why of expeditions. That is to say, “How are expeditions conducted?” and “Why are expeditions conducted?”

Three distinct knocks shattered the once-pervasive silence that had enveloped the library’s interior. Its only waking occupant, a lavender alicorn, just so happened to be very ill, and as a result, very unhappy.

“GO AWAY! We’re closed!” shouted a sickly voice from the top floor of the library. Twilight Sparkle, the ailing pony in question, didn't care who was behind the door, only that they left as soon as possible. Living in a public library makes getting bedrest... difficult, to say the least, and Twilight had grown rather keen to this concept. She had been sick for the entire previous day and now, morning again, was still no better.

“Oh… Um, okay then. I’ll come back tomorrow, Twilight, if you’re feeling better, that is,” came a quiet and muffled, voice through the wooden door. Quiet not so much because it was muffled but more so because of the pony it was coming from.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight croaked, her ears perking up to hear more clearly.

“Um, yes?”

Twilight reluctantly rose from her bed. She was groggy and felt sick to her stomach. Her throat was sore, she had an intense headache, and any time she tried to walk she was overcome with intense dizziness. “Just a minute,” she called back. The volume at which she had had to speak to make sure Fluttershy could hear her through the door did nothing but worsen her headache, eliciting a groan from Twilight.

Abandoning the comfort her bed brought her, she slid out from under the covers and planted all four hooves on the wooden floor. She glanced over at a mirror across the room and could see that her mane was as far from well-kempt as it had ever been. She levitated a comb over to her head to brush her mane in the hopes that she could achieve at least a modicum of presentability. After she finished, she placed comb back in its designated spot next to the mirror and made her way to the stairs, shouting down to Fluttershy who was still waiting outside.

“You can come in. I thought you were just somepony coming to use the library. I’ll be down in a minute.”

The old hinges creaked as Fluttershy pushed open the door. “Actually, Twilight,” Fluttershy began, stepping into the library, a pair of saddlebags adorning her sides, “If it’s all the same to you, I did come to use the library.  I just need a few books and I’ll leave you be. If you want me to go, I understand. You’re obviously very sick.”

“What exactly are you looking for? Is there anything I can help you with?” Twilight inquired from the top of the stairs. If there was anything that could make Twilight forget about her current physical state, it was books.

“Honestly, I feel like I should be the one asking you if you need anything. You really don’t look so well. Would you like me to get you a glass of water? Is there any medication you're taking that I could get for you?” Fluttershy said. She was concerned, but her tone sounded almost frantic.

“I think I’ll be fine.” Twilight said, raising a hoof to her forehead, slowly rubbing in a circular motion at the base of her horn and then over her closed eyes. The worst symptoms of her illness was the incessant headache. “I just tend to get moody when I’m sick.”

“I can tell.”

“Watch it.” Twilight growled.

“Oops... sorry. I wasn't trying to...” Fluttershy trailed off, withdrawing behind her draping mane. “Anyway, I was just looking for some maps, maybe some books on expeditioning, and, well, everything you have on the Crystal Forest.”

Twilight’s eyebrows furrowed as she pondered why Fluttershy would need such an odd selection of books, but eventually gave up, finding that thinking was much too difficult in her current state.

“I have absolutely no clue why you’d need those, but, since you asked: Maps,” Twilight pointed a hoof at a section of the library, “are over there. I think... Probably. Books written by famous explorers are over there.” Twilight's hoof shifted to another set of shelves. “And… What did you say about the Crystal Empire? Or forests? Or... What was it that you said?”

“Oh, I’m sure I’ll be able to find everything just fine, Twilight. You should really just go back to bed and get some rest. And are you sure you don’t need anything from me while I’m here?” Fluttershy urged, trying her best to be as kind as possible to her sickly friend.

“I’m fine. Thanks.” Twilight said, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. The first time she’d smiled since she’d woken up. “If you need any help, you can wake up Spike. He’s pretty good at finding things. Just watch out, he isn't much of morning-dragon.”

“Thank you for all your help, Twilight. I think I can manage things from here.” Fluttershy said with a gentle, reassuring smile.

•  •  ❖  •  •

Fluttershy floated leisurely from shelf to shelf, taking her time to carefully examine each book. She moved quietly and deliberately in much the same way a stampeding elephant doesn't. Considering her circumstances though, the calm demeanor Fluttershy possessed was actually quite odd.

Fluttershy had been, for quite some time,  faced with a decision. Either she could go to the Crystal Forest by herself, or she could take two friends. Strictly two because that was the number of extra train tickets the Equestrian Society for the Preservation of Rare Creatures had sent her. The ESPRC had even said in their correspondences that, should Fluttershy have more than two other ponies she'd like to take along with her, they would mail her extra tickets. That option though, was no longer, in fact, an option anymore. The date of departure was in two days, not enough time to send and then receive a letter. Thus leaving her with her current choices: bring two friends, or go alone.

Until now, Fluttershy hadn't found the decision even remotely difficult, she would go alone, just as she had when she went to see the breezies. But now, deadline looming overhead, Fluttershy felt substantially more uncertain about her choice.

Her last expedition was so great in part because she was alone for the entire trip. That meant that she could take things as slow as she wanted to, do whatever she wanted, and most importantly, not do anything she didn’t want to. Everything went according to her plan on that trip. Something she enjoyed immensely, but couldn't see happening with other ponies in the mix.

What hadn't been so great was having all of those great experiences but not sharing them with anypony. Primarily because every time she would try to explain to somepony just how great her last trip had been and inevitably have them not quite grasp how lovely it all was, she felt lonely. No matter how she worded it, she couldn't seem to evoke the same emotions she had felt in other ponies by just telling them about it. The giddiness, the awe, the beauty, none of it could be put into words.

The other problem was that going somewhere as great as the Crystal Forest and not asking anypony if they wanted to tag along made her feel like she was being just a teensy bit greedy. This greedy feeling wasn't helped by the fact that she had two extra tickets either.

Fluttershy’s hoof scanned across a row of books until it came across Tips for Traversing Treacherous Terrain Triumphantly. She removed it from it’s spot on the shelf and placed it on the pile of books she’d found so far, atop which sat The Ultimate Expeditioner's Handbook. The pile had grown more than she’d realised but not so large that she wouldn’t be able to fit all of the books into her saddlebags. Her absent-minded mulling had allowed her to get a lot done in a perceivedly short amount of time which was nice and all, but it didn’t bring her any closer to a solution to her predicament.

•  •  ❖  •  •

As Fluttershy made her way out the door, heading back home, she contemplated what she would do about her situation. Twilight definitely can’t go so that narrows it down to five. She usually takes the leader role too, so, as sad as it is that she won’t be able to be there, at least I know that it will by my trip. Is it wrong for me to think that? It's not like I want her to be—No, stop worrying. Twilight can't go and that's all that matters.

So far, things were mostly looking up. Though there was the slight problem—and most mathematicians agree on the fact—that five still does not equal two.

A sign swaying in the breeze drew Fluttershy's attention. Sugarcube Corner, it read. Fluttershy’s heart sank a bit as she read the sign. She liked having Pinkie Pie around as much as anypony else but there was absolutely no way she could let Pinkie come with her. One of the things that made her last trip enjoyable was how peaceful it was. She loved all the little sounds of nature she could hear. From the sound of the wind blowing the leaves to the little hum of insects flying around. It was all so… Serene. But as far as she knew, Pinkie Pie was incapable of calmness (unless she found herself at the wrong end of Twilight's horn in a room full of two dozen clones of herself).

I guess that means I can't take Pinkie, Fluttershy thought, but what would she do if she finds out that I'm taking two of our other friends? Would she beg? I don't think I could say no to her then. Who am I kidding, I know I couldn't say no to that.

I don't even have an excuse to not take her like I do for Twilight. Am I really that selfish to not take Pinkie so I can have what I want?

Unable to make headway on the topic of Pinkie Pie, she shifted to a new train of thought. Who's left? Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. Applejack stood out the most as the least likely to be able to go.

Applejack was well known for her strong work ethic. Although, what choice did she have? She always took on more work than she could handle and this simple fact meant that there was always something that needed doing. Whether it be bucking apples, or doing chores that she’d neglected because she’d been bucking so many apples. In Fluttershy’s case, this was actually a good thing. Applejack could usually make time for a day with her friends but a week away from the farm was almost certainly out of the question. It would almost be downright irresponsible for Fluttershy to tempt Applejack with the offer. It would certainly harm Applejack in the long-run.

The appearance of the door to Fluttershy's cottage took her rather by surprise and she would have run in to it too if her train of thought hadn’t happened to end just as it did. She sighed before saying aloud to herself. “I guess that leaves Rainbow and Rarity.”

•  •  ❖  •  •

A small bell chimed as the door to Carousel Boutique opened, signaling Fluttershy's entrance.

“Just a minute!” came Rarity’s customary sing-song reply.

The thud of hooves against wooden stairs could be heard as Rarity made her way down to the main floor.

“Fluttershy, dear, its so nice to see you,” Rarity said as she reached to bottom of the stairs. “What brings you by?”

“Well,” Fluttershy began, ready to get straight to business. She was nervously rubbing one hoof against her other leg. “I was planning on going on a trip to the Crystal Forest and I was wondering if you would like you to come with me.”

“A trip?” Rarity raised a hoof to her chin as she pondered the prospect. “Who else would be going? More importantly, when were you planning on going?”

“The train we would take is scheduled for the day after tomorrow, first thing in the morning. We—”

“Wait, wait, wait. The day after tomorrow? As in just two days from now!?” Rarity stumbled back as if the words had physically struck her. “That’s a little last-minute, dear. I-I suppose it could be arranged, but...” Rarity sighed. “You really haven't given me all that much time.”

“Well, you see,” Fluttershy started, hurt in her eyes from having distressed her friend. “I haven’t been planning this for very long, a-and I thought that I was just going to go by myself until just today when I thought that maybe it would be nice to have somepony else to share the experience with. And… I’m sorry this is so sudden. I didn't mean to cause you any stress, I was just really hoping you would go.” Fluttershy took a deep breath and allowed herself to calm down.

Rarity stepped closer and raised a hoof to Fluttershy’s shoulder. “Would you like to explain to me what exactly it is that's bothering you so much?” Rarity’s lips curved into a sincere smile.

Fluttershy conceded and gave Rarity a summary of her predicament. She explained how sharing her trip could mean losing some of the aspects she enjoyed the most, but how not sharing felt not only like she’d be missing out on a great time with her friends but that not doing so would be greedy. She told her of Twilight’s condition and how no matter what not everyone could go since she only had two extra tickets. And finally she explained that there wasn't any real reason she couldn't take Pinkie and she felt bad for not choosing her. The thought of coming back to and seeing Pinkie Pie waiting there, silently judging her with cold demonizing eyes, it yanked at her conscience in ways she couldn't even fully articulate.

Rarity sat with her chin rested on a hoof. She listened attentively to everything Fluttershy had to say and only chose to speak up when she had finished. “Let me reword things and tell me if I've got everything right. From what I’ve gathered, Fluttershy, you have two problems. You don't want to have to choose somepony over Pinkie Pie, and on this trip, you want to be the one to 'call the shots,' so to speak. Is that right?”

Fluttershy nodded.

“Okay then. Now, what if Pinkie couldn't go? Would you feel better about not taking her then?”

Fluttershy stared at Rarity in bepuzzlement. “I suppose...” If only that were the case, Fluttershy remarked internally.

“Then say no more. I'll make quick work of your little Pinkie-problem,” Rarity said. “Also, should you choose to have me along, I promise that I will do everything in my power to make sure that you are the one calling the shots, and that Rainbow and I will just be guests,” she added. “Unless I'm wrong in assuming you're planning on giving the remaining ticket to Rainbow.”

“If you really mean that then I wouldn’t have any problems having you along at all. Oh, and um, no, you weren't wrong in assuming it was Rainbow Dash”

“Excellent. Then there you have it.” Rarity stated with a smug grin.

“But what about Pinkie. You can’t just tell her that she’s not invited!”

“I won’t. I’ll figure something out to clear up this whole Pinkie mess for you,” she said. “I promise.”

•  •  ❖  •  •

Fluttershy arrived at the door to Rainbow Dash's cloud-house. She knocked at the door but it only elicited a quite poof noise as if she had knocked on a pillow. Fluttershy felt slightly foolish for knocking on the cloud door but, luckily, nopony had been around to see her embarrass herself. She looked around for a bell of some sort but there wasn't one.

"Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy called out.

No response.

"Rainbow, are you in there!?" She must have been. It was still too early in the morning for Rainbow Dash to be out and about. Rainbow Dash never was one to wake up early and certainly wasn't one to wake up early and do things.

Fluttershy flew over to a window and peered through it. She couldn't see Rainbow Dash anywhere but she could see her pet tortoise.

Fluttershy knocked on the window. "Tank, is Rainbow in there?"

Tank slowly nodded.

"She isn't still sleeping, is she?"

Tank slowly nodded.

Fluttershy flew up one floor and around to the opposite side of the cloud-house to find a window to Rainbow Dash’s bedroom. Looking through it, she saw Rainbow Dash sprawled out on her bed.

Fluttershy alighted on the ledge of the window then knocked on the glass three times.

Rainbow Dash fidgeted then turned her head to face the window. Slowly, she opened one eye. An expression of confusion ran over Rainbow Dash’s face but she swiftly shrugged it off.

Rainbow Dash sat up on her bed and stretched her wings. “Come in,” she said, shaking her head to wake herself up more fully.

Fluttershy hesitated for a moment before pulling open the window which swung open on a pair of hinges. “It’s not everyday I use a window as a door,” she remarked.

“It is for me,” Rainbow Dash said. “You should try it. Pretty useful if you ask me.”

“I’ll think about that,” Fluttershy said, but she probably wouldn't.

There was a pause in the conversation that Rainbow Dash found to be a little too long for comfort so she broke it by being the first to speak up.

“You must really like small talk if you came all the way to my house to wake me up for it.”

“Oh, right... actually, I did have something I needed to ask you about.” Fluttershy’s expression lit up at the thought of it. “I was planning on going on an expedition to the Crystal Forest and I’d like you to come with me.” Fluttershy had chosen to call it an expedition specifically because it made it sound more adventurous and the pony in front of her was more adventurously inclined. “Rarity is coming too.”

Rainbow cocked her head sideways and stared off into nothing as she thought about the offer. “Yeah, I’m down.” She said after a moment.

Fluttershy looked at Rainbow Dash as if she were waiting for her to continue. “Really?” She said. “You don’t even know when it is. Or how long we’ll be gone.”

Rainbow Dash scoffed dismissively. “I can make time whenever. It doesn’t matter to me.”

Fluttershy did a mental roll of her eyes. Sometimes she tries too hard to be cool, she thought to herself. Even so, Fluttershy still found that same aspect of Rainbow Dash to be a little endearing.

Fluttershy took the time to explain to her new companion everything she would need to know ahead of time, such as where and when they would be meeting up beforehand, and what Rainbow Dash would need to bring with her.

“That’s all okay with you, right?” Fluttershy inquired.

“Yeah, sounds good.” Rainbow Dash said with a yawn. “Now can I get back to my nap?”

Fluttershy gave Rainbow Dash a stern look. “You were napping? Rainbow, it’s not even lunch time yet.”

“I know. It's just that eating breakfast this morning really wiped me out.”

Fluttershy rolled her eyes. “Well, in that case, I’ll leave you to your napping.”

As she made her out the window, Fluttershy turned around to shut it. “I’ll be by here tomorrow to wake you up.” She said with a cheery grin before she closed the window.

“Hey! I can manage a simple task like waking myself up, y’know!” Rainbow Dash shouted through the glass.

Fluttershy maintained her grin. “I'm sure you can.”

•  •  ❖  •  •

Two ponies, one yellow, one white, made there way onto the train platform and took a seat on a bench adjacent to the station wall. They removed the saddlebags they were carrying and placed them beside the bench. The two busied themselves with small talk as they waited for the train that would take them to the first stop on their trip. A clock fixed to a wall on the outside of the train station displayed the current time: 7:32. Two minutes past the time that Fluttershy had told Rainbow Dash to meet her there. She had already stopped by Rainbow Dash’s house earlier to make sure the mare was up which she wasn’t at the time, so Fluttershy had woken her up, but now thinking back on it, there really wasn’t anything keeping her from going back to bed, which wouldn't be an entirely un-Rainbow Dash thing to do either.

“If you don’t mind waiting here by yourself for a minute, I’d like to go make sure Rainbow Dash is getting ready,” Fluttershy said, interrupting Rarity. Rarity had been explaining the travesty that was her latest fashion line. She had been going on and on to no end since they had left Carousel Boutique about how she didn’t know what come over her to choose such a hideous colour palette and how the whole ensemble looked like something her mother would wear. (no offense intended to her mother.)

Rarity glanced at the clocked. “Normally I would protest the notion of checking up on somepony who's only two minutes late, but... well, this is Rainbow Dash we're talking about,” Rarity said. “Go ahead. I'll be waiting right here.”

Fluttershy flashed Rarity an appreciative smile. “I promise I’ll be quick. Oh, and would you watch my things while I'm gone?”

“Certainly.” Rarity said with a nod. And with that, Fluttershy took to the skies, heading in the direction of a certain blue pegasus’s residence.

Arriving at the illustrious cloud-house, Fluttershy made straight for Rainbow Dash’s bedroom window, and looking through, there was Rainbow Dash herself, snuggled up under the covers, fast asleep. Fluttershy entered through the window for the third time, as of recently, and made her way over to the side of Rainbow’s bed. She leaned down and spoke directly into Rainbow Dash’s ear.

“Wakey-wakey Dashie! You-”

“NGH-BLEGH!” shouted Rainbow Dash, making no effort whatsoever to articulate. She brought the covers above her head and buried her face in a pillow.

Fluttershy’s voice took on a rigid tone. “Rainbow, you’ve already overslept. Get up or we’ll miss the train.”

“I’ve got an alarm clock so quit worrying.” Rainbow said, eyes still closed.

Fluttershy picked up the clock sitting on the nightstand. “This clock is broken Rainbow,” she said, “That explains why you've never woken up on time for anything before, but more importantly, we only have ten minutes. Now get up.”

“I can make it there in under five!” Rainbow retorted quickly.

Fluttershy scowled, she wouldn’t be making any progress through diplomacy. “If that’s the way you’re going to act, then so be it.” Fluttershy grabbed hold on the blanket in her mouth and, with a swift tug, tore it from Rainbow Dash’s clutches. “There. Now I didn’t want to do that but you made me.”

Rainbow Dash, however, wasn’t particularly perturbed. She pulled her legs close to her chest and used her wings to cover her body. At this point, she was just trying to be stubborn, made evident by the way she peeked open one eye for just a moment to get a look at Fluttershy's reaction.

“Rainbow Dash! Get up!”

“I will. Just give me one more minute.” Rainbow pleaded, amused with herself for being such a nuisance. The grin on her face said it all. “Pleeeeease!”

“We don’t have a minute.” Fluttershy insisted, but Rainbow Dash was more insistent on staying put. “Fine then. You leave me no other choice.” Fluttershy said with devious grin of her own. She reached out a hoof and gently ran it along the underside of Rainbow’s wing.

“Hey! Stop it!” Rainbow Dash instinctively retracted her wing from the tickling sensation, but Fluttershy kept at it, going for the sensitive spots on the other, unretracted wing. “Quit... heheHaHA... tickling my wings!”

Fluttershy narrowed her eyes and she went in for the kill. “Stop! Hehe!” Rainbow giggled. “Okayokayokay! I’ll get up! I'll get up!” But Fluttershy continued, and she had no plans of stopping until Rainbow Dash was out of the bed. “Alright! I’m getting up! Stop!” Rainbow Dash begged, rolling off the bed, laughing hysterically. Fluttershy wasn't going to let her prey get away that easily though. She pounced on the troublesome pony, going for her neck, then her sides, and then crooks of her legs. Rainbow Dash kicked uncontrollably as she squirmed around on the floor. Eventually Rainbow Dash found herself in the position to end the barrage of tickles by rolling Fluttershy off of her and herself onto Fluttershy, pinning Fluttershy to the floor, and diffusing the tickle frenzy.

“If we weren’t in such a rush I’d return the favour,” Rainbow said, out of breath, but with a cocky grin. She got to her hooves and stepped over Fluttershy.

Fluttershy then got to her hooves as well, still smiling widely. “You were a lot easier to wake up earlier.”

“That’s because I knew I was going to go back to bed when you left.”

“You really shouldn’t have done that. We might not make it to the train station in time.”

“Oh, we'll make it. Even if it means I have to fly you there myself,” Rainbow Dash said. “I didn't wake up, then go back to sleep, then wake up again to miss this train.”

“Did you pack last night like I told you to?”

“Yeah, I’ve got it right here.” Rainbow Dash said as she darted over to a pair of large saddlebags thrown carelessly into the corner the previous night. She adorned them and made her way for the window. “You ready?” She said turning her head to call back to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy nodded.

“Then let’s go!”

•  •  ❖  •  •

“All aboard!” shouted the conductor in a loud, bellowing voice.

Uh oh. This was bad. Fluttershy hadn’t yet made it back with Rainbow Dash, and Rarity was beginning to panic.

Rarity was standing in the middle of the platform trying to think of the best course of action. She looked to the sky, trying to spot any signs of Fluttershy or Rainbow Dash but they were nowhere in sight. Ponies passed by Rarity as they filed onto the train.

“Aaaaall aboard!” the conductors voice rang out again.

The conductor! She would simply convince the conductor to hold up the train for just a few short minutes until her friends arrived. Easy enough. She would put on her ladylike charm and get exactly what she wanted, just like she had done so many times before. She adjusted her mane, making sure that it was at maximum fabulosity, then trotted over to the conductor.

“Hello!” She raised a hoof to her chest. “I, am Rarity. And it appears that some friends of mine aren’t going to make it on time. I was just wondering if you wouldn’t mind waiting for just a few moments as they arrived. Would you be so kind as to to that for me?” Rarity finished her request with a few flutters of her eyelashes.

“Not gonna happen, miss,” the conductor replied while rubbing his large, puffy mustache. He hadn’t even bothered to look at Rarity. His only concern was with making sure that the ponies at the station were on board.

“Whyever not? I’m sure they won’t be long.”

The conductor looked down to Rarity instead of over her head like he had been doing earlier. “Listen. We run a tight schedule, and if I held up the train for every pony that couldn’t be bothered to make it on time, I’d be out of the job. Now either you can get on the train, or you can stay here. It doesn’t matter to me.” All of the ponies at the station were now on the train and, if it weren’t for Rarity, it would have been ready to depart.

“I’m not asking you to hold up the train for every late pony. I’m asking you to hold it up for me,” Rarity shot back.

The conductor sighed in agitation. “You see this?” He held up a pocket watch. “It’s a pocket watch in case you couldn't figure that out on your own, which wouldn't surprise me since you don't seem to have a concept of time. Now tell me, what time does this pocket watch say?”

Rarity examined the watch. “Sev—”

“Seven forty-five. That is absolutely right.” He said. The pace at which he talk had increased noticeably. “Would you like to tell me when it is you think this train is supposed to leave here?

“Sev—”

“Seven forty-five. Right again!” the conductor interrupted for a second time. “You may have already noticed this, but those times are exactly the same, and they’re going to stay the same, so either get on the train, or stay here!” His voice had raised substantially in volume for the last part. He was now staring down Rarity, seething at her with clenched teeth.

Rarity hadn’t liked his tone in the slightest. Nor did she particularly enjoy being interrupted. “Listen here, you!” she spat. “That is no way to talk to a lady!”

The conductor had had just about enough of listening to Rarity so he turned around to get on the train. Rarity’s face was red with anger. “Get back here! I am demanding that you hold up this train!” The door to the train slid closed as the conductor boarded.

The panic that Rarity felt earlier kicked in again. It looked like the train would be leaving without her, but, as a fashion designer, Rarity knew a thing or two about not giving up, and she certainly didn’t plan on giving up that easily. She ran to the front of the train to speak to the pony in charge of driving the train. The engineer was a cream pony wearing a red neckerchief and an engineer’s hat. He had an apathetic look about him in his posture and his eyes, and was slouched over with one of his front hooves hanging out the window. Rarity continued her tirade she had been having with the conductor with the engineer.

“You will not be leaving this station until I say so! Do I make myself clear!?”

The engineer looked over to Rarity. His glance lingered for a moment but he otherwise didn’t acknowledge her demand. Before another moment further could even pass, orders to set off then reached the engineer, so, with as much apathy as his appearance indicated he possessed, he reached for the controls to set the train in motion.

Rarity used her magic to grab him by the neckerchief and pulled him back away from the controls. The engineers eyes went wide at this in the first display of emotion Rarity had yet seen him make. The conductor had been watching Rarity through a window to make sure she hadn’t planned to cause anymore trouble, but what he could see (Rarity's horn glowing and the train still not moving) suggested otherwise. He stormed back off of the train to confront the problematic unicorn.

“Hey! Hey! HEY! What do you think you’re doing!” called out the conductor.

Just then Rainbow Dash forcefully landed on the train platform next to Rarity. “Whoa now! Easy girl, or they’ll make us keep you on a leash!” Rainbow Dash said to Rarity with a grin. Fluttershy touched down not long after and Rarity sighed with relief at the sight of her companions.

“Thank Celestia!” Rarity said. She turned to the conductor and levitated three tickets over and into a pocket on the front of his uniform. She said nothing more to him and simply walked by him over to the entrance of the train.

“Fluttershy your bags are over by the bench. Do be sure to get them,” Rarity chimed, giving no impression of the agitated state she had just been in. The conductor, however, was still fuming and considering not letting Rarity on the train, but having already seen how well that worked, decided against it.

En Route

En Route... and Doughnuts

An excerpt from The Ultimate Expeditioner's Handbook:

The first rule of expeditioning is simple: Do not complain. Ever. Under no circumstances will complaining improve the situation in which you find yourself and nopony wants to hear it.

Unfortunately, this rule doesn't seem to be simple enough because nopony ever seems to follow it. So in the case that you do choose to complain, it is worth knowing that it is likely there will come a point during your expedition where your saddlebags will have seemingly gotten heavier overnight. This mysterious weight gain can usually be attributed to rocks, specifically the ones your team has been putting in your bags.

The pony trio made their way onto the train together and promptly chose their seats. Rainbow Dash was the first to take her seat, and across from her, Fluttershy and Rarity took their own.

The fiasco with the conductor was still on the forefront Rarity's mind, and now that they were settled in, she was quick to let Rainbow Dash know. “Rainbow Dash, I can’t believe you would almost ruin this trip for Fluttershy!” Rarity crossed her forelegs and raised her chin at Rainbow in contempt.

“Hey! It wasn’t my fault!” Rainbow Dash shot back instinctively.

“Oh, I doubt that!” Rarity spat, jerking her head back down to glare at the object of her reprimand with narrowed eyes. “But, I'm all ears, darling. I'd love to know how you, yet again, aren't responsible for your consequences of your actions.”

The only reply Rarity received was a scoff from Rainbow Dash who, despite her best efforts, couldn't think of an excuse to shift the blame away from herself. Most times she could come up with something to blame it on, but this time it really had been entirely her fault she had been late.

“Um... Girls…?”

Rarity continued her scolding. “Go on, tell me, what's your excuse this time? That it was Fluttershy’s fault that you were so late?”

“Girls...”

Rainbow wasn’t hugely invested in defending herself since she was, in fact, quite clearly in the wrong, but she also wasn't one for just sitting back while being berated, or doing the unthinkable and apologizing. “Well... I did have to fly slower so Fluttershy could keep up with me.”

“Oh, and I assume you would have been right on schedule if Fluttershy hadn't gone to get you? Pardon me in saying this, but that doesn't sound anything like the Rainbow Dash that I know. How is it, dear, that you're the fastest flier in Equestria, but still unable get anywhere on—”

“GIRLS! Stop!” Fluttershy scowled back and forth between both ponies. “Is that how you want to spend this trip? Bickering and angry with each other the whole time? Or do you want to enjoy yourselves and appreciate the time we’re going to be spending together?” Fluttershy said, her tone softening near the end.

Fluttershy looked back and forth between the two other mares waiting for one of them to respond. Rainbow Dash chose not to. She had a guilty look about her but otherwise refused to admit to any wrong-doing, instead choosing to reposition herself so that she was lying down across the bench with her hooves behind her head. Rarity had the same look about her, but unlike Rainbow Dash, she chose to apologise. “I suppose you have a point there, Fluttershy. That whole incident on the train platform has me rather high-strung at the moment, but that doesn't excuse the way I lashed out... Forgive me?”

“I forgive you, but what I really want is for you two to apologize to each other. We’re stuck with each other for the next few days whether or not we get along.” Fluttershy shifted from speaking just to Rarity to both of her companions. “So as I said, you two need to apologise to each other, not me.”

“Very well,” Rarity began. “Rainbow Dash, I'm sorry. The way I acted was uncalled for, and in no way how one should talk to a friend. Can you find it in yourself to forgive me?” The tone Rarity spoke with was mostly sincere, but not entirely.

Rainbow Dash was lying on her back with her head facing the aisle and her hooves folded behind her head. She stared out the window on the far wall of the train, thinking about nothing in particular, watching as the scenery passed by outside, the landscape still familiar since the train hadn't yet traveled more than just a few yards from the station. It was same terrain that they were greeted with when they took the train to Canterlot or the Crystal Empire. Evidently they were heading in the same direction.

“Rainbow Dash.” Rarity said, looking at the cyan pony expectantly.

Torn from her absent-mindedness, Rainbow Dash glanced over to the pony addressing her. “Yeah?”

“I apologized.” Rarity leaned forward, trying her hardest to maintain a friendly demeanor. “Is there anything you would like to say?”

“Apology accepted.” Rainbow Dash did her best to play it off as though she was genuinely oblivious. Hoping that, even if Rarity knew what she was doing, she would just give up and drop the subject anyway—but she didn’t.

“And…?” The waning of Rarity’s patience was apparent in her tone.

Rainbow Dash was well-acquainted with apologies due to her reckless personality, and if there was one thing that she had come to know about apologies, it was that she didn't like them. And if there was another thing that she had come to know about apologies, it was that she really didn't like to give them to Rarity.

It was always weird to Rainbow Dash just how inordinately unforgiving Rarity was to her. Especially over the small things. For whatever reason, Rarity didn't hold back when Rainbow Dash did something she disapproved of, and rarely did she accept her apologies. Which was somewhat annoying for Rainbow Dash, but mostly... it kind of hurt.

“And...?” Rarity repeated.

It's just like pulling a tooth. Do it fast, and it won't be as bad. Rainbow Dash did her best to look Rarity in the eyes while she spoke. “And I’m sorry.”

“For what, exactly?”

Oh you have got to be kidding me... You're seriously going to pull that card? Dash clenched her teeth and continued as best she could. “For being late.”

Rarity pressed on. “I'm sorry, darling, I'm not sure I know what you mean. Would you care to elaborate on that?” She did in fact intend to 'pull that card.'

Rainbow Dash cringed, then, with sigh annoyance, got it over with. “For staying up all last night, even though I knew I needed to get up early, for going back to bed this morning like an idiot, for never being on time to anything, for avoiding responsibility when I screw up, for making you act like a crazy-pony then just laughing at you, and for every other little thing that I didn’t do right in your eyes that I can’t think of! Ugh, are you happy now!?” Rainbow Dash turned onto her side to face away from Rarity, crossing her hooves and letting out a huff. She was met with an eyeful of cushion which, all things considered, was a much less spectacular view than the one she had looking out the window, but infinitely better than having to see Rarity out of the corner of her eye. It wasn't exactly a comfortable position either, but she had already committed to giving Rarity the cold-shoulder, so she had no choice but to stick with it.

“Thank you, dear, and apology accepted.”

Rainbow Dash gave a huff then fell into an unfriendly silence which persisted for several painfully awkward moments until Rarity finally spoke up. “Do you think that maybe... I pushed her a little too much?” Rarity said, looking to Fluttershy. She could see that Fluttershy was trying to suppress a smile. “Why are you smiling? You should be upset right now,”

“It’s nothing.” Fluttershy turned away, hiding her face from Rarity.

“Tell me.”

“I really shouldn’t...”

“Tell me!” Rarity begged, prodding at Fluttershy's side with a hoof. “Pleeease!”

"I mean... I wouldn't want to—"

“Pleeeeeeease!”

“I-I...”

“Pleasepleasepleasepleeeeease—”

“Oh, alright.” Fluttershy relented. “It's just... when Rainbow gets all pouty like she is now, I just think it’s the most adorable thing in the world.”

Rainbow Dash clenched her teeth at the thought of being “adorable.” It was such a condescending word. It undermined everything she strived to be. And worst of all, it was totally uncool. “I am not adorable!” She shouted over her shoulder, then proceeded to glare even more intently at the cushion. Such a stupid shade of green.

“It reminds me of when we were fillies and Rainbow Dash would pout like this all the time,” Fluttershy said. “I used to call her Ms. Pouty-pants.” Rainbow Dash tried to hide her face as her cheeks flushed a bright shade of crimson. “Isn’t that right Ms. Pouty-pants?”

“Whatever,” Rainbow Dash said, leaping up to open the window nearest to the three ponies. “I’m gonna... get some air.” She said, then leapt out the open window, taking to the skies.

The two remaining mares sat together in silence, staring at the spot where Rainbow Dash had just been, neither knowing quite how to react to the sudden exit.

The mild surprise quickly evaporated though as Rarity's lips curved upward into grin and she shook her head from side to side. “Fluttershy?” she said. “Sometimes I’m astonished by the way you act around Rainbow Dash.”

“How so?” Fluttershy's eyes lingered for a moment longer on the open window, that is, until a new thought occurred to her and she shifted her attention fully to the mare beside her. “Did I do something I shouldn't have?” Fluttershy cowered behind her mane.

“I don't know if I would say it's wrong, but it's certainly different from what I've come to expect of you.”

“What do you mean?” Fluttershy asked, still hiding within the security of her mane.

“I mean the way you were just teasing Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said. “I can’t imagine a single other living creature that you would tease. Come to think of it, I can’t imagine you teasing an inanimate object.”

Fluttershy thought about what had just said; it was definitely true. But why? Why did she act differently around Rainbow Dash? There must have been something about Rainbow Dash that made her act differently. Some aspect that was unique to Rainbow Dash and Rainbow Dash alone, because no other pony could make Fluttershy behave as she did when she was around Rainbow Dash.

It couldn’t be that she was just closer with Rainbow Dash than she was with anypony else, could it? It seemed unlikely, considering that Rarity was a better friend than Rainbow in some—most ways, and she spent far more time with Rarity than Rainbow Dash. Although there had been a time when Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were the others only friend, but that was a long time ago when they were just fillies. Maybe that had something to do with. Or maybe it had nothing to do with it at all. Or maybe it was just Rainbow Dash's brashness rubbing off on her. Fluttershy didn't really agree with that last notion though. It didn't feel to her like it was just Rainbow Dash's personality rubbing off. It felt much more natural, like who she was around Rainbow Dash was her real self, and the pony that she was around anypony else was a mask that she wore to hide all the things that she didn't feel comfortable revealing to other ponies.

Fluttershy's thoughts continued uninterrupted for several more minutes, as she sat staring out the window. In the midst of Fluttershy's continued mulling, another (albeit completely unrelated) thought occurred to her.

“Rarity?” Fluttershy said. “I almost forgot to ask, what did you end up doing about Pinkie?”

Rarity was almost shocked to hear Fluttershy speak up. From the way Fluttershy had looked while she had sat there thinking, Rarity had half-expected her to not say another word for the rest of the train ride. “Oh, that? It was easy, really. Remember when Maud came to visit?”

Fluttershy nodded.

“I’m sure you don’t need me to remind you of how well that went,” Rarity said. “So, being the generous friend I am, I bought her a train ticket to her family's rock farm so that she could go see her sister. At first she didn't seem to want to go; she kept going on about not wanting to have too much fun without us, but I managed to talk her into it in the end.”

“She... she wasn't mad about not getting to go with us was she?”

“No, not as far as I could tell. If anything, she seemed happy to have the opportunity to visit to her sister without worrying about us missing her.” Rarity pulled Fluttershy in for a sideways hug. “You really do overestimate just how offended ponies will be by the things you do, dear. Especially from us, no less. We're your friends, Fluttershy, and we know that you would never try to hurt our feelings.”

Fluttershy leaned into the hug. “I guess I just worry so much that I forget that sometimes.”

“I imagine the way you seclude yourself from other ponies doesn't help with that either. If you spent more time around us, you wouldn't be able to forget that we're all your friends. And you could ask us for advice any time you need it.” Rarity looked Fluttershy in the eyes. “If anything, remember that second part. If you ever have something on your mind, you can come and talk to me about it. You don't have to wait for our weekly spa date either, just come over any time, day or night.”

“I'll remember that.”

“Good.” Rarity broke the contact between the two then shifted to a lighter topic of conversation. “So tell me, darling: how have your animal friends been holding up?”

Fluttershy noticeably perked and an appreciative smile formed on her lips in response to Rarity allowing her the opportunity to talk about her favourite subject.

•  •  ❖  •  •

The train pushed onward. Passing through one tunnel, then a second on its way up a mountainside. Rainbow Dash was back inside the train, napping in what appeared to be a world-first of a sleeping position that involved having her forehead pressed against the seat cushion and her back legs in the air. Rarity had also, rather ungraciously, nodded off, while Fluttershy sat quietly reading a book on the destination of their voyage.

Just like everything else she had read on the Crystal Forest, the book talked in detail about the extensive folklore surrounding the forest, which really wasn't what Fluttershy was looking for. What she had been trying to find was something a little more scientific, a little more factual, but the authors seemed more interested in the fairy tales. Magical wisps, giant stone monsters, forests that had minds of their own, even a sea monster that preyed on boats that approached the island, they were interesting stories no doubt, but Fluttershy reasoned that most of it must be made up. The fact that, for hundreds of years, ponies hadn’t inhabited the island that the Crystal Forest resided on, and the disappearance of its pony residents being a complete mystery made the abundance of theories and camp-fire ghost-stories all of the more understandable.

Out the window, hanging on the mountainside high above the train, Fluttershy could see Equestria’s splendorous capital city approaching. The sun shone behind the tall, ornate towers, silhouetting them and illuminating the space in between, creating an absolutely stunning spectacle.

Fluttershy gently prodded the mare next to her. “Rarity... Rarity, wake up.”

“Huh?” Rarity blinked her eyes several times as she awoke. “What is it?”

“Sorry for waking you up, but I thought that you might want to see this. Look.”

Rarity's gaze followed the direction of Fluttershy's outstretched hoof to the window behind her. “Oh my! That's... breath-taking!”

“We're going to be getting off there in just a minute, so you should probably try to not fall asleep again. Unless you want to, that is... I wouldn't mind waking you up again if you do,” Fluttershy said.

“Wait, why are we stopping in Canterlot?”

“It's a surprise. I think you’ll enjoy it.” Fluttershy gave an enthusiastic grin. “I don't know about Rainbow Dash, but I think she'll like it too.”

The train continued onward up the mountain for a short while longer until arriving in Canterlot. Rarity was buzzing with excitement, and the fact that the train had gotten increasingly stuffier over time it had taken them to arrive in Canterlot only served to make Rarity even more eager to get off the train.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hand, had yet to wake up and realise that they were, in fact, in Canterlot.

Rarity grabbed for her things as Fluttershy woke their sleeping companion with the slightest of nudges. “Rainbow Dash, wake up. We’re here!” she said.

“Huh…? I must have really zonked out,” said Rainbow Dash as she discontorted herself out of her painful-looking sleeping position. “Or this place was a lot closer than you made it sound.”

Rainbow rubbed her eyes and stretched her wings, then peered out the window to see a vaguely familiar train station. “Hold on a second…”

“Canterlot, darling,” Rarity said. “And please, do fix your mane.”

Rainbow Dash looked up. Her mane was indeed a mess. She shook her head then ran a hoof over her mane a few times before calling it quits. It probably looked fine, and if it didn’t Rarity would take matters into her own hooves, no doubt.

There was an easy way to find out whether or not her appearance was passable. Rainbow Dash shot her signature cocky grin Rarity’s way, then raised an eyebrow as if to say: “How do I look?”

“No,” was the entirety of what Rarity had to say in response. She levitated a comb out of her saddlebags which she was now wearing across her back and got to work. She brushed Rainbow Dash’s mane, making sure to be thorough without completely eroding Rainbow’s patience. “Aaand there. Your mane looks… as good as it usually does.” She worded her remark carefully to avoid insulting Rainbow Dash. It’s not as though Rainbow Dash was particularly concerned about looking pretty, but she was rather fond of initiating conflict at the first sign of confrontation. In fact, if Rainbow Dash were to ever make it into the history books for doing one thing better than anypony else, that thing would either be flying, or bickering. (some ponies also think that she makes an O.K. Element of Loyalty.) Rainbow Dash even had the gall to consider messing her mane up again as soon as Rarity had fixed it just to be difficult, (which she oh so loved to do,) but decided that it would probably be best if she didn't. Rarity probably deserved a bit of a break considering the way her morning had gone.

“Now,” Rarity added, gesturing toward the exit. “Shall we?”

•   •   ❖   •   •

“Where exactly are we headed for this ‘surprise,’ Fluttershy,” Rarity questioned. She glanced from one store-front to the next as they walked down a street lined with small shops on each side. “Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s going to be wonderful since it is here in Canterlot!” A wave of glee passed over her as she spoke the final word.

“It isn't far. I mean, it is on the other side of the city, but Canterlot isn't very big so it should only take us a few minutes.”

“Can we get lunch on the way?”  Rainbow dash interjected. “Or brunch or whatever? I didn't have time for breakfast.”

Fluttershy considered the request. They would have some time to kill if they went directly to their next stop. “Um... Sure, I guess. Where would you like to eat?”

“Where shall we eat indeed!” Rarity chimed in. “There a so many good choices. For starters—”

“I'm thinking Donut Joe’s,” Rainbow Dash interrupted.

Rarity stopped in her tracks, having trouble comprehending what she'd heard. “You can’t be serious,” she said flatly, the other mares stopping as well. “We’re in Canterlot, darling. You don’t eat at an old doughnut shop when you have all of this at the tip of your hooves.” Rarity motioned to the city around her with a hoof to emphasize her point. “Fluttershy, tell Rainbow that we’re going to eat somewhere a little more classy than Donut Joe’s.”

“Well, if you have something else in mind... maybe we could do that. Preferably something that we all agree on...” Fluttershy said, though she knew how unlikely it was that Rainbow Dash and Rarity would agree on something.

In no mood for foods with names she couldn't pronounce, Rainbow Dash did the one thing she knew would ensure Fluttershy's favour. She got down on the ground in front of Fluttershy and clasped her front hooves together, staring up into Fluttershy's eyes. “Please, 'Shy. Just this one time can we eat at Donut Joe’s?” She finished her plea by sticking out her bottom lip.

Fluttershy nervously looked from side to side, but no matter how hard she tried to avoid looking, she could still feel Rainbow Dash's begging. Especially the stuck out bottom lip. “Well… Okay.”

“Fluttershyyy” Rarity whined. She had chosen to not acknowledge that the reason Rainbow Dash hadn't had time for breakfast was entirely her own doing, but eating at such a low-quality establishment without voicing her objection? The she would not do.

“You can pick the restaurant next time, Rarity.” Fluttershy tried to ignore the fact that they probably wouldn't be visiting another restaurant on their trip as she continued on ahead, while Rarity scowled and muttered under her breath her doubts about the existence of a 'next time.'

Rainbow Dash trotted over to Rarity and threw a hoof over her shoulder playfully. “Yeah, Rarity. I get to chose where we eat now, and you can pick the restaurant when we're out in the middle of the wilderness”

“Two can play at your childish games, Rainbow, dear.” Rarity muttered.

Rainbow Dash made no attempt to contain her laughter at Rarity’s remark. “Oh yeah?”

Rarity raised her chin and looked away from the pony of which her scorn was directed. “You won’t be laughing when I get my way.”

“Oh, please…” Rainbow Dash lowered her voice to a near-whisper, and made that Fluttershy was far enough away that she wouldn’t hear what she said next. “I'd be willing to bet that if Fluttershy ever has to choose between the two of us, I'll always get my way.”

“And what makes you so certain of that?” Rarity said incredulously.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. “I'm just super persuasive, I guess.”

“You know what? I've decided that I'd rather be the bigger mare, and not partake in your shenanigans.” Rarity trotted ahead to catch back up with Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash’s hoof sliding off her back as she did so.

“You're just saying that to throw me off my game.” Rainbow Dash stood there for a moment then took to the air to catch up with Fluttershy as well.

•  •  ❖  •  •

The stop at Donut Joe's was made swiftly—Or as swiftly as it could have been made considering the shop-owner's tendency to chat for just a little too long for comfort. Once they had gotten their treats, (and fended off Joe's chattering,) the three made their way out the door to the next stop, nibbling on their doughnuts as they went. It had even crossed Rarity's mind the option of not getting anything solely for the purpose of being obstinate since she hadn't gotten her way, but the thought lasted for only a moment before she dispelled it.

Fluttershy took lead, being the only one who knew where they were going, as the group made their way to their next destination. The abundance of storefronts thinned as the trio made their way into a residential area of well-maintained lawns embellished by stone statues and water features all enclosed by iron fences that then further transitioned into a run-down, purposeless side of the city near the edge of the city. Most of the old, dilapidated buildings surrounding them were abandoned, with those that weren't being used exclusively for things that aesthetics played no role in, which seemed to be mostly just storage.

As the three passed around the corner of an old building, so old-looking that the bricks that made up its walls appeared to have a sag to them, the sight of a dozen or so large floating airships came into view. Below the ships, under the massive, balloon-like envelopes, hung elaborate wooden gondolas, some adjoined directly to the envelope, and others suspended on ropes, allowing for open-air decks that mimicked the appearance of traditional sailing ships. The ships sizes varied widely from small vessels that required only a single pony to pilot, to massive commercial airships that could carry more than a hundred passengers. Several ships that were either just arriving, or beginning to leave, drifted about lazily over the edge of the city. Most however were moored to large spires, their gondolas hanging just over the edge with their doors equal in elevation to the ground so that, with the aid of a gangplank, ponies could board the ships.

Rarity gaped taking in the sight before her. “We aren't, are we...?”

“Mhmm.” Fluttershy pointed to one of the docked ships. A fairly large one with an attached gondola. “That one over there.”

“Oh, Fluttershy, This is wonderful! Airships are only the most classy way to travel! We'll be like the Canterlot elite!”

“Alright, I'll admit, the airships are pretty cool, but why didn’t we just take the train all the way there?” Rainbow Dash didn't want to sound ungrateful, but the airships did seem a bit over-the-top.

“There’s no way to get there by train,” Fluttershy stated. “The crystal forest is on an island in the middle of the ocean.”

“Okay, so why didn't we take a train to the ocean then a boat the rest of the way?”

“This way is a lot faster,” Fluttershy said, then added quietly, “and... I'm... afraid of the ocean.”

“Oh, Well...” Rainbow Dash looked away and rubbed the back of her neck with a hoof. “I can't say that I disagree with you on that.”

“Wait... You're afraid of the ocean too?” Fluttershy asked disbelievingly.

“No! I'm not 'afraid' of the ocean. I just... don't like it...”

“Because it's scary?” Rarity said snidely.

“No, because... I just don't like.”

Rarity remained unconvinced. “Is it a pegasus thing to be afraid of large bodies of water?”

Rainbow Dash growled. She would have liked to have said something in defense, but found herself in absence of a retort.

“Um... How about we just go ahead and get on the ship.” Fluttershy suggested. “If you’re both ready, that is.”

Rarity would have preferred to have revelled in her argumental victory over Rainbow Dash for a little longer, but conceded anyway. “Certainly, Fluttershy. Lead the way.” she said, a residual smirk still on her face.

Lead the way. It was still foreign to Fluttershy, the concept of being in charge of other ponies, but she was beginning to grow accustomed to it. She was even beginning to like it. So, in an outward display of confidence, Fluttershy puffed out her chest and marched for the boarding-ramp of their airship.

At the ramp upon arriving there, was a brown-coated unicorn behind a wooden booth. He wore a pale, yellowish-brown vest under a fancy dark-brown coat. The vest was embellished with a subtle paisley pattern in a slightly lighter yellow-brown than the colour of the rest of the vest. Atop his head he wore a peaked-cap similar to that of a police or military officer's—He was quite obviously the ticket inspector.

After a short (and reluctant) conversation with the ticket inspector, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity were granted entrance to the ship. Upon boarding the ship, the three mares were immediately greeted by a doorpony wearing a black suit who proceeded to show them to their room. As they walked, he informed them of important information they would need to know for their stay, starting with the layout of the ship, then finishing with the estimated time of arrival.

“Provided that the weather conditions remain fair, it looks like we be arriving at your destination sometime just before sunrise. If you're interested, we can send somepony by half an hour prior to wake you.”

“Yes, that would be much appreciated,” Rarity said. “But, do make it a full hour prior, would you?”

“Certainly, madam. Is there anything else you will be needing?” The doorpony stopped in front of their room, unlocked the door, then handed Rainbow Dash the key.

“I think that will be all. Thank you,” Rarity replied.

“Then may I finish by saying, on behalf of the captain and the rest of the crew, that we are honoured to have affiliates of the ESPRC on board, and that we hope you have an enjoyable flight.” After giving a modest bow, the doorpony trotted off back the way they had come.

Rainbow Dash waited for the doorpony to round a corner before saying what she said next. “What a kiss-up.”

Rarity rolled her eyes. “It's called being polite, Rainbow,” she chided.

“No, polite is saying 'thank you,' and 'please.' That whole 'it's an honour,' thing is complete horsefeathers. He probably has to say that to everypony who comes through the door.”

Rainbow Dash put on her best posh-face then mimicked the doorpony's voice. “May I say on behalf of the princesses themselves that it is a very great honour to have somepony with such a purple mane on board,” she said, batting one of Rarity's curls with her hoof. “Complete. Horsefeathers,” she reiterated, resuming her normal voice.

Rarity let out a disparaging chuckle. “And who, pray tell, crowned you princess of politeness? Here you are claiming politeness is simply saying 'please' and 'thank you,' yet you don't even bother to do either most of the time. It would do you well to take some time to learn what real civility is.”

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Oh yeah? And why would I need to do that? What's in it for me to learn what 'real' civility is?”

“A spot on the Wonderbolts for starters...” Rarity mumbled, mostly to herself. The topic of 'what it takes to be a Wonderbolt' was something that she had wanted to bring up with Rainbow Dash for a while, but had avoided it, imagining that the response she would receive would be... arrogant... frustratingly so. It was true that Rarity wasn't a pegasus, and as such, Rainbow Dash would have had good reason to be doubtful of her, but for her to dismiss her entirely, in every regard, including those that don't require wings to be knowledgeable about? The thought of it alone was enough to make Rarity grind her teeth.

“What was that, Rarity?”

“Nothing, dear.” Rarity trotted past Rainbow Dash then pushed open the door to their room. The time would she would have that conversation with Rainbow Dash, but it was not this day.

Inside the room were two bunk beds, a nightstand, and a single circular window above the nightstand, as well as a few other furnishings. The wood of the furniture in the room matched that of the rest of the ship, a rich dark-brown, and all of the woodwork had an intricate, ornate, detailing to it.

Rarity was a bit disappointed to find that they had received a second-class room, but considering that the room was not only paid for by someone else, but that that someone else was actually a non-profit organization for the preservation or rare species, she could hardly complain.

“I call bottom-bunk!” Rainbow Dash shouted, trotting over and plopping down on the bottom-bunk on the right side of the room.

Rarity turned to look at Fluttershy. “You wouldn't mind if I took the other bottom-bunk would you?” she said. “Getting up and down from the top bunk would be a bit more of a challenge for me, considering my lack of wings.”

“Not at all.” Fluttershy lied. In truth, she would have preferred to not sleep so high off the ground, but she was more than happy to let Rarity and Rainbow Dash have their way.

Rarity levitated her bags up to the bunk above the one she would be sleeping on. “Here, let me have your bags, I''ll put them up out the way,” she said, taking Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy's bags before they could even respond and levitating up to the bunk above hers just as she had her own.

Suddenly the floor rumbled and the ship lurched forward as it set off on its journey. This caused everything that could creak to creak, and being a mostly wooden ship, that meant quite a lot of creaking. The dangly drawer handles clanged and jingled, and the floor panels moaned before falling back into silence, the only remaining sound being the faint, rhythmic, two-beat thunk of the steam engine providing the propulsion.  The three ponies looked at the ship around them expectantly, waiting for something more to happen, but everything had seemingly returned to normal.

Rainbow Dash did a quick search for anything in the room with any entertainment value, but came up short. The room, as she saw it, was boring.

“So do either of you wanna see if there's anything to do on this ship?”

•  •  ❖  •  •

“I'm assuming you'll be reading a Daring Do book?” Fluttershy said, turning the brass doorknob, then pushing open the door to their room.

After a mostly uneventful, and highly disappointing excursion throughout the ship, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash returned to the room, both intent on reading the books that they had brought with them. Rarity had stayed behind in a library they had found, claiming that inspiration had struck, and that she would need to be left alone while she drew up some sketches.

“Nope. I finished those a while ago now,” Rainbow Dash said as she threw herself onto her bunk then propped her head up onto onto one of her hooves. “When I first started reading them, there were so many that I didn't think I would ever read all of them, but, here I am. It kind of sucks not having any more Daring Do to read.”

“What did you bring to read then?” Fluttershy asked.

“It's a book that Twilight recommended to me. I'm not sure if I'll finish it. I just started it, but so far it's been pretty boring.”

“Mind if ask what it's called?”

“Oh, right, It's called The Saddle Arabian Assassin.” Rainbow Dash said. “It sounds cool but the author won't just get to the action! I don't need to no what the door knobs look like! I mean, come on!”

“Well I hope it turns out to be good.” Fluttershy said as she rummaged through her things to find the book she'd brought about the island they would soon be setting hoof on.

“Me too.” Rainbow Dash said. “So what are you going to be reading?”

Fluttershy found the book she had been searching for. “This book here.” She held it up so Rainbow Dash could see it. “Everything that anypony knows about where we're going is right here. It turns out that that isn't much, but I have found some interesting things so far.”

Rainbow Dash squinted at the cover of the book. “What's with the title? It looks like gibberish to me.” She narrowed her eyes further as if she could will the words into making sense.

Fluttershy turned to book to look at the cover herself. “Oh, that's the name of the island that the crystal forest is on.” On the cover was an artists painted rendition of what the island looked like based on the accounts of those who had gotten close enough to see it, and on top of that in large letters were the words Lliannwn: The Lost Island. “I don't really know how to pronounce it so I just haven't been saying it.”

“Let me see it again.” Fluttershy decided to just hand Rainbow Dash the book. “Lie... Luh-Lee-uh-n... Lee-an-nuh-wuh—I see your point.” She opened the book then flipped through a few pages to see if there was anything of interest, but nothing caught her eye. Rainbow Dash handed Fluttershy back the book then got up off of her bed to find the book she'd be reading.

Rainbow Dash searched through her things until found her book then she plopped herself back down onto the bed. She scrunched up a pillow to rest her head on, and once she found herself in a reasonably comfortable position, she cracked open the book and began reading.

Seeing that Rainbow Dash was now occupied, Fluttershy did the same and began to delve into her own book. She sat with her back against the wall across from Rainbow Dash on the other bottom bunk, and began reading. The two sat there in silence for several hours concentrating intently on their books, Fluttershy determined to be as prepared as possible for their coming journey, and Rainbow Dash immersed into the fictitious universe of The Saddle Arabian Assassin. Occasionally Rainbow Dash would snicker at a funny part or mumble “Wow!” to herself if something particularly impressive happened, (the latter of which Fluttershy found to be remarkably cute sheerly because of the unadulterated enthusiasm involved,) but for the most part, neither pony said anything. Until that is, Rainbow Dash got to the twist midway through the book.

“Oh my gosh, are you kidding me!? Ha! This is great!” She laid the book down for a moment, simply reveling in the glory of the turn of events. “I bet you wish you hadn't chucked that pendant into the river now, Princess. Have fun going back for it!”

“I'm guessing Twilight was right to recommend that book to you?” Fluttershy said, momentarily looking up from her own book.

Rainbow Dash responded without taking her eyes off of hers. “Yeah. And I guess this means I'll never have to read a bad book. I'll just keep having Twilight tell me which ones are worth reading.” She said. “I think that's why I didn't like reading in the first place. Every book I ever read was terrible so I assumed that they all were.”

“Well I just found out that there might be a breed of bunnies called the 'chestnut lop' living on the island that went extinct hundreds of years ago on mainland Equestria. It also says that there might be timberwolves too,” Fluttershy said. “'When the grey fox was introduced to Equestria,'” she read, “'the chestnut lop went extinct virtually overnight!'” The momentary enthusiasm that Fluttershy had felt had vanished. “Those poor bunnies!”

No matter how important Fluttershy tried to convince herself it was for her to read about other aspects of the island than just the wildlife, she simply couldn't. Not that she disinterested in the other aspects, she was just more interested in the bunnies.

“Only you would be more worried about seeing bunnies than running into timberwolves, Fluttershy.”

“I'm sure that deep down timberwolves are just as nice as any other wolf.”

“You haven't run into a timberwolf yet, have you?”

“Umm... No.”

“Well I'd like to see what you have to say about them when you do,” Rainbow Dash said. “Anyway, I've gotta find out what happens to the assassin's daughter. Why didn't she just keep her mouth shut?”

Just before Rainbow Dash could get back into her book the door to the room swung open and in stepped Rarity. She was carrying with her her sketches, and on her face was a smile, yet her eyes had a sheen of fatigue.

Rainbow Dash peered over the top of her book, “How did your sketches come out?” she asked.

“Poorly,” Rarity responded frankly, in complete contradiction to the smile she wore. “But I did get to have a chat with the captain. She said she'd like to talk with you Fluttershy.”

“Is something wrong?” Fluttershy said, worry in her tone.

“No, she just wants to meet the mare that organized this trip of ours,” Rarity said. “She was very nice, very friendly.”

“Does she want to talk to me now?”

“She said she would be there to see us off in the morning, so I imagine that's when she was planning on getting to know you.” Rarity said in a particularly tired voice.

“Are you alright, Rarity?” Fluttershy asked. “You look awfully tired.”

“I am. I've been trying to force ideas in existence, and that never works,” she said. “It always ends up stressing me out, but I never seem to learn.”

“Would you like to lie down? Here I'll move, this is your bed anyway.” Fluttershy said as she jumped up from her spot. She then gestured toward the bed with a hoof as if it were a prize on a game show. Rarity accepted.

“Thank you, dear.”

“You're welcome.” Fluttershy flew up to the bunk above Rainbow Dash that she would be sleeping on when night fell.

“So what are you gonna do now Rarity?” Rainbow Dash asked. “It better not be 'take a nap' 'cause the last thing I want to do is listen to you snore some more.”

“I do not snore,” Rarity growled through the pillow that her face was now buried in.

“Tell that to my ruptured eardrums,” Rainbow Dash quipped. “The last time the six of us had a sleepover you snored louder than anypony else I've ever known.”

“That must have just been that one time then, because normally I sleep like lady.”

“Whatever you've gotta tell yourself...”

“If I were tired enough to take a nap right now I would, just to spite you. But I'm not—not quite anyway—and I can't really think of anything else to do,” Rarity said.

Fluttershy peered down from the top bunk where she was sitting. “We could just talk,” She suggested. “But without bickering like you two always do.”

“I suppose it's the best thing I've got,” Rarity said. “Rainbow Dash, How is that book of yours? Actually, scratch that, I couldn't care less about what you're reading. So, how about... Ah, I know! Rainbow Dash, what have you been up to lately. It's been so long since we've 'caught up,' so to speak.”

Rainbow Dash closed her book, finished with being interrupted every five seconds. “Nothing. The only thing that I've done for the past month or so is my job.”

“Found yourself in a bit of a rut, have you?”

“More like a ditch. Actually, no, it's more like canyon,” she said. “It's been a whole lot of boredom everyday for quite a while now.”

“What about practicing your flying tricks?” Fluttershy interjected. “You still love flying, don't you?”

“Yeah, but it gets repetitive doing the same stuff over and over. I mean, flying's still great, I love it, but what's left for me to do? There are only a few tricks I still can't do, and working on the same ones over and over and getting nowhere is just... ugh... I've pretty much just been walking around town in my free time to keep myself occupied. I used to go over to Sweet Apple Acres every once in a while to mess with Applejack, but Applejack started to get pretty annoyed with me showing up all the time and bugging her while she was working, so that was the end of that. Then just a few days ago I complained to Twilight about how I finished all the Daring Do books and she recommended this book here, and it's good, but it's no where near as good as Daring Do. And, yeah... That's pretty much it.”

“We've all been there, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said. “Just keep your chin up, you'll find something to fill in your time soon enough. If you'd like, you could always stop by my boutique and we could chat whilst I work.”

“Or you spend time at my house and get to know the animals. I could make us tea too,” Fluttershy said.

“No offense, but those both sound way too boring for me.”

“Well, maybe they're exactly what you need then,” Fluttershy reasoned. “Maybe what you need to do is learn to appreciate the slower side of life.”

“Fluttershy might have a point, darling. If you gave it a chance, you might grow to appreciate such things.”

Rainbow Dash shrugged off the remarks. “Eh,” she simply said, before changing the direction of the conversation completely. “Anypony else hungry?”

Rarity shook her head. “I already ate. I thought a full stomach might help jog my creativity.”

“I'm hungry,” Fluttershy said. “You wanna see what they have to eat, Rainbow Dash?”

“Yeah, that's exactly what I'm thinking. Come on, 'Shy.”

Rainbow Dash jumped up from her position on her bed as Fluttershy hopped down from her bunk, flapping her wings to slow her descent, her hooves making an audible thud as they hit the floor.

Fluttershy opened the door then she and Rainbow Dash headed to the stairwell and made their way down to a the lower floor where, exactly as the doorpony had told them they would, they found the dining hall. The first thing that both ponies noticed, was that calling it a dining hall was high praise. Calling it “the most dull room ever designed that also has food in it,” would have been more apt. The thing that made the room a so dull was partly its utilitarian design. It still incorporated the same beautiful wood found throughout the rest of the ship, but it did so with much less impressive geometry and an apparent distaste for good taste. It was pretty clear that, while designing the ship, the designer had said to himself something along the lines of: “I want this room looking dead. Actually, no, I want it lifeless. Yeah, I like the sound of that. Lifeless. Even bad vibes are still vibes, and I, for one, cannot stand vibes. I want it suck your soul out from being so absolutely bland. But not in a violent, agonizing way, more of a so-boring-that-you-don't-even-notice-it sort of way.” Or perhaps that was just Rainbow Dash's interpretation. In fact, that's exactly what it was. Fluttershy still found the room's blandness off-putting, but in a way that didn't include conjuring up a fictional monologue that the designer may have given during the room's inception.

They made their way through what would have been the line if anypony else had happened to be getting food at that time, and each picked up a tray. It was a self-serve food line, so they chose what they wanted from the selection at hoof which, all things considered, wasn't spectacular, but it was no where near as dull as the décor, and that in itself was enough to liven things up considerably. They then took a seat at one of the perfectly square tables arranged in a grid pattern on the floor. Others ponies were eating at other tables around them since it was, more or less, the time that ponies ate dinner, and Rainbow Dash could only imagine the kind of misery that they must be in. Finally, she spoke up.

“Alright, this place officially sucks.”

Fluttershy had just unwrapped the daisy sandwich which she had gotten for herself and was about to take a bite before she had been interrupted. “It's not so bad.”

“It's awful. I mean, you immediately knew what I was talking about when I said it sucks, so you have to agree at least a little bit.”

“Yeah, you're right it is awful.”

In agreement but having nothing further to talk about, they quickly finished their food and retreated from the abyss of a cafeteria. On the way back as they reached the top of the stairwell  Rainbow Dash spoke.

“I wanna see what they have to drink in that bar we found earlier. You wanna come?”

“No thanks.”

“Suit yourself. I'll be back in... probably less than an hour.”

“Be safe.”

“I will.”

With that, Rainbow Dash made for the bar and Fluttershy for the room.

Fifteen minutes shy of an hour later Rainbow Dash too returned back to the room. She barged in quite proud of herself for what she had managed in the time.

“I just drank... the most disgusting thing... in my entire life,” Rainbow Dash proclaimed, pausing for dramatic effect. Rainbow Dash firmly held that any statement that could be ended with “in my entire life” was worthy of celebration, but neither of the other two mares seemed particularly interested. “Come on, doesn't anypony want know what it was.”

Rarity was asleep on her bed. From her appearance, it seemed she hadn't planned on falling asleep since she was still on top of the covers. Fluttershy however, was wide awake, so it fell upon her to respond. And Rainbow Dash wasn't blind so it was quite clear that she'd fully expected her to from the beginning.

“What was it?” Fluttershy asked.

“I didn't know it at the time, but basically it was snake juice.”

Fluttershy shot Rainbow Dash a quizzical look.

“It was just a regular bottle of booze... with a dead snake in it.”

“That's horrible!”

“I know! The bartender said that it's a zebra thing, but I think more of a no-taste-buds kind of thing, because it tasted just like a dead snake in a jar.”

Rainbow Dash proceeded to climb onto her bunk and make herself comfortable.

The sun was beginning to sag in the sky, the vibrant hues it created on the horizon shining through the tiny window into the room.

“So,” Rainbow Dash began, calling up to Fluttershy on the bunk above her. “Are you ready for bed? 'Cause I am,” she said. “I've got snake juice in my belly and a comfy pillow under my head. Everything I need for a good night's sleep.”

Fluttershy looked out the window at the darkening sky, then assessed just how tired she felt. Her eyes were getting a little tired, and the whole day had been rather eventful by her standards. She could feel the pent up anxiety in her chest that a good sleep would surely remedy, and decided also that getting to bed early wouldn't be such a bad idea since they had a big day ahead of them, as well as having to get up early.

“I think that that's probably a good idea.” Fluttershy threw her book down onto a pile of her things laying on the floor then curled up under her covers. “G'night, Rainbow.”

“Night, shy.”

•  •  ❖  •  •

A mysterious combination mumbling and what sounded like whimpering tore Rainbow Dash from her sleep. As soon as Rainbow Dash opened her eyes though, the sound stopped, making her think that maybe it had just been her imagination.

She waited, her eyes open and alert but having nothing to look at, listening in the quiet pitch-blackness for the soft noise to make a reappearance. After enough time had passed that Rainbow Dash felt confident in deeming the noise as either insignificant or imaginary, she began to drift toward sleep again, but just as she closed her eyes, she heard the sound again. It was coming from above her.

“Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash whispered.

The whimpering continued.

“Fluttershy,” she said. This time a little louder.

Still no response.

At that, Rainbow Dash crawled out from under her covers and flew up to the higher bunk. Fluttershy was facing away from her toward the wall when Rainbow Dash alighted on the edge of the mattress. Space was scarce but she managed to find a comfortable sitting position without any problems. Rainbow Dash reached out a hoof, placed it on Fluttershy’s shoulder, and shook gently. “Hey, 'Shy, wake up.” Fluttershy stirred then craned her neck to look at the pony behind her.

“What’s wrong, Rainbow?”

“I’m pretty sure you were having a bad dream. It was keeping me awake.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don't be,” Rainbow Dash said in an even raspier voice than her usual. “Are you okay? Is there something on your mind you wanna talk about?”

Fluttershy turned around then sat up, assuming a more conversation-friendly position. “I think... I think I’m just really nervous about leading this whole expedition thing...” she said. “Actually,” she corrected, “I know I’m nervous—but I think that’s why I was having a bad dream.”

Rainbow Dash wrapped a hoof around Fluttershy and pulled her in for a side-ways hug. “Well you’re doing fine. I don’t see what you’ve got to worry about.”

Fluttershy leaned her head against Rainbow Dash neck. “It's not what I’ve done that I’m worried about. I’m worried about what I will do. What if something happens where I just don't know what to do, then I make the wrong choice and something really bad happens. It would be all my fault, I don't know if I could handle that.” Fluttershy stared down at her hooves in the darkness. “Oh... and um… Rainbow, you were being kind of loud. You should try to keep it down. You might wake up Rarity,” Fluttershy said with a pleading tone.

“You’ll be fine. Trust me.” Rainbow Dash wrapped a wing around Fluttershy and pulled her in closer. “If you ever have to make a decision and you don't know what to do, just choose something. If that thing doesn't work, then oh well. You learned that that thing doesn't work, so try something else. Nopony will be mad at you if you make the wrong choice. We can't be mad at you for not happening to know something.”

“You're still not being very quiet,” Fluttershy said, concerned more about that than anything Rainbow Dash had said.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about waking up Rarity. She sleeps like a rock,” she said. “See, watch.” Rainbow Dash raised her voice to a level somewhere between a normal talking voice and shouting. “Hey, Rarity, I accidentally set your mane on fire.”

Rarity remained still.

“Told ya.”

Fluttershy’s eyebrows furrowed at the display. “How did you even know that?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled. “Hehe... You remember the last time the six of us had a sleepover, right?” Fluttershy nodded. “Yeah well—” Rainbow Dash burst out into a fit of laughter at the thought of the story. She tried to hold it in as to not wake the ponies in the other rooms but her restraint only did her so much. “Hold on… gimme a second.” Eventually she calmed herself and, wiping a tear from her eye, she began again. “Okay… So anyway, at our sleepover Rarity was snoring really loudly, so I nudged her to get her to knock it off, but she just kept snoring. So I did it again but harder, still nothing. Then I started poking her face, and then I got the idea to make her make funny faces by pushing her cheeks together and stuff—You want me to show you I could go do it right now?” Rainbow Dash said with a devious smile that stretched from ear to ear.

“You shouldn’t invade her privacy like that.”

“Eh… fine, whatever,” Rainbow Dash shrugged. “Anyway it ended with me and Applejack turning her into a puppet. I moved her mouth and did the voices, Applejack controlled her arms.”

Fluttershy stared at Rainbow Dash with a look of disapproval.

“What? It’s not like she cares; she doesn’t even know.”

“That doesn’t make it okay.”

“You would have laughed if you saw how great it was.”

An uncomfortable silence grew between the two, neither pony having anything more to say, until Rainbow Dash broke it. “So… Uh… I guess I’ll get back to bed. Are you gonna be alright?”

“I think I’ll be fine.”

“Alright, well... Night, 'Shy” she said, making her way back down to her bunk.

“Good night.”

•  •  ❖  •  •

Again Rainbow Dash awoke to soft mumbling. And again she tore herself from the warm bedding and half-wakingly flitted up to the higher of the bunks. Fluttershy lay before her, much as she had before, except that this time Fluttershy had pushed the covers off of herself. Rainbow Dash was much too tired for conversation, so instead she gently placed a hoof on Fluttershy’s quivering shoulder. The sleeping pegasus jolted at first, but then warmed to the contact, the whimpering stopped and Fluttershy's breathing slowed to from a sprint to a stroll. Seeing the affect her actions had had, Rainbow Dash lay down beside Fluttershy and pulled the covers up over the two of them. As soon as she was comfortable she closed her eyes, then pulled herself in close.

Fluttershy awoke from the tugging sensation. "Rainbow Dash?” she said wriggling around to face Rainbow Dash. “Did I wake you up again?”

“Mm-hmm.”

“What… What are you doing?”

“Shh… Sleep”

Fluttershy didn't know if Rainbow Dash had answered her question, or if she was making a demand, but it didn't matter, she would have obliged either way. Fluttershy stared at the sleeping pony with a hoof draped across her body. She still felt like there was more that needed to be said but at the same time, nothing worth adding. She also wanted to apologize, but more than that, she didn’t want to disturb Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy felt like a foal from having woken Rainbow Dash twice in one night, and looking at the situation she found herself in, expected Rainbow Dash thought the same. That’s what everyone thought of her wasn’t it? Fluttershy the mare-foal. They were either annoyed with her or pitied her. She could see it with everyone she'd ever met. Rainbow Dash belonged to the first category, and, now that she thought about it, she preferred it that way. It meant that Rainbow Dash thought that Fluttershy could do better. That she expected more from her. But when a pony pitied Fluttershy, it meant that, in a way, they'd given up on her. They thought of her as a lost cause. A “poor little thing” that suffered from her own inadequacy and couldn’t be helped. And maybe, in some ways, she couldn’t, but there were some ways in which she had improved over the years. Rainbow Dash could see it, Fluttershy knew she could. She was her oldest friend, so she new better than anypony else just how far Fluttershy had come, and in a strange way, simply for having been their to see her get better, Fluttershy was thankful.

Fluttershy tried to think more on the topic, but the nagging of sleep began to pull at the edges of her consciousness and coherent thought became impossible. She tucked her hooves close to her chest and closed her eyes.

“Thank you,” Fluttershy whispered.

“...Sleep,” Rainbow Dash whispered back.

Fluttershy giggled. Okay.

Arrival

An excerpt from The Ultimate Expeditioner's Handbook:

It is an all-too-common blunder to think that disaster and devastation can be avoided through careful planning and preventative measures. This sentiment is now The Ultimate Expeditioner's Handbook's official position on the subject of planning.

It should be noted however, that this wasn't always the case.

In previous editions of he Ultimate Expeditioner's Handbook the second rule went as follows: “Rule Two: Do not prepare for a worst-case scenario; prepare instead for a situation far worse than the worst possible worst-case scenario, then be pleasantly surprise when what actually happens on your expedition is only slightly worse.”

The aforementioned rule has been amended in light of a recent, strange, and frustratingly paradoxical discovery. As it turns out, the act of preparing for adversity is as much a cause of adversity as not preparing for adversity. To put it another way: The more you prepare, the more likely you are to encounter problems as a result of your preparation. And the less you prepare, the more likely you are to encounter problems as a result of a lack of preparation. When graphed this relation looks something like this:

Notice that at any given point the values of the two lines add up to 100%, making any amount of preparation completely useless.

If this still seems outlandish, despite the visual representation provided above, there is a useful hypothetical for understanding how preparation for disaster can result in disaster, and it goes something like this:

There is a stallion visiting a land known to be heavily populated by dragons. He spends so much time watching the skies to avoid dragons that he completely fails to notice a massive ravine just ahead. He falls down the ravine and dies.

This grossly oversimplified view of what is meant by 'preparation for disaster can result in disaster' fails to mention the many nuances of the concept, but all in all, it conveys the idea rather nicely.

In the end it all comes down to personal preference; you can either choose to have total agency in the calamity you will inevitably face by thoroughly preparing for it, or you can do nothing and guarantee complete and utter disaster. One way, the only thing you'll have to blame is yourself, and the other, the only thing you'll have to blame... is yourself.

This all leads quite nicely into the amended version of the second rule which is: “Fuck it! We'll do it live!” Don't bother preparing. Bad things will happen no matter what. Get over it.

The sound of two distinct knocks, hoof against wood, reverberated through the room.

“Wake-up call, ladies. We’ll be arriving at your destination shortly,” called a voice through the door.

Rainbow Dash’s face contorted at the unpleasant noise. She opened one eye and in a squint and took in her surroundings. It wasn’t a sight she was used to waking up to, but she quickly found her bearings and tried to sit up. “Um… Alright. Thanks.,” she said back through the door.

The room was dimly lit with the soft rays of dawn light. Rainbow Dash glanced out the window and speculated that it was sometime just before daybreak.

Fluttershy awoke next, blinking her eyes a few times as she did then looking up to Rainbow Dash.

“Sleep well?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Fluttershy shrugged then buried her head deeper into her pillow.

Rainbow Dash leapt down from the top bunk. Her hooves impacted heavily against the floorboards, drawing out pained creaks from them. She trotted over to a still-sleeping Rarity and flicked her in the horn. “Rise n’ Shine,” she said.

Rarity threw her blanket over her head. “Why can’t we just… not go?” She said sharply through the covers.

Rainbow Dash tore away the covers from Rarity and threw them on the floor. “Come on. No whining. I wanna see those hooves on the floor.” Rainbow Dash said in her best drill sergeant voice.

“I am not whining... yet.”

“Just hurry up and get your flank out of bed or you’re getting the same treatment as your blanket.”

Rarity extended a hoof, signaling Rainbow Dash to halt. “Alright. I’m getting up. Just let me go at my own pace, would you?”

Rainbow Dash looked over her shoulder at Fluttershy who was now sitting up on the top bunk. The wordless gesture still prompted Fluttershy to respond. “I’m getting up.”

“No rush,” Said Rainbow Dash.

“Really? No rush?” Rarity said. “How come she gets ‘No rush’ and I get whacked in the horn!?”

Rainbow directed her gaze back to Rarity. “Maybe it has something to do with the fact that you take half an hour to do your mane.”

Rarity gave a harrumph then continued getting ready in silence.

Seeing that Rarity and Fluttershy were getting ready, Rainbow Dash took the opportunity to relax on the empty bottom bunk that she had began, but ended up not finishing the night on.

Today was the big day. Or as Rainbow Dash saw it: her big day. Today was the day she would finally be free from the gigantic flying cage that held her prisoner. The same flying cage that other ponies seemed convinced was a luxurious mode of transport. And after that, when she was outside again, she would be get to do things! Like actual, real, active things. Like flying, and walking, and flying, and flying, and flying. And flying.

Sure nature wasn’t exactly Rainbow Dash’s cup of tea, but if there was one thing that nature did better than airships, it was freedom. Rainbow Dash could feel the itch of captivity in her spine, an itch that she so desperately wished she could scratch, but couldn't.

All she wanted was to touch the ground again. To fly where she wanted to. To do anything that didn't involve being inside of a ship. The confinement was unbearable.

After spending better part of an hour primping her mane so that it could properly be destroyed during the day ahead, Rarity announced its completion.

“Ready!”

Rainbow Dash launched up off of her bed where she had been impatiently waiting for Rarity to finish. “Good. Now can we finally get off this stinking ship?”

“Well, no, we haven't actually arrived yet,” said Fluttershy. “But if you're both ready, we can go get some breakfast first.”

“That sounds like a wonderful plan,” Rarity said, standing up from her sitting position. “I, for one, am starving,”

“Fine, breakfast it is." Rainbow Dash pouted. "I guess I could use a little anyway,”

“Alright then, let's go.” Fluttershy said, making for the door.

•  •  ❖  •  •

After a short and only moderately delicious breakfast excursion, the trio of ponies traveled down the long hallway leading to the main entrance of the ship. The main entrance was simple in its design: a set of double-doors on one wall with tall, narrow windows on either side, a stairwell across from that, and two archways opening up to long hallways on the remaining walls.

Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity each sat their bags down against a wall then walked over to the windows to see if they could see their destination. Outside the windows on either side of the door, in clear view, was exactly that. Two towering mountains that rose up from the land on the far side of the island, standing side-by-side. At their base, a lush blue-green forest that ran down the incline toward the cliffs that made up the coastline. The forest covered nearly every inch of land, except the mountains, the occasional rock formation or river, and one particularly large bare spot. The large bare spot was canyon, but, because to the low altitude the ship was flying at and the viewing angle that that created, it was impossible to see what lay at the bottom of the canyon.

“There it is!” Rainbow Dash said, face pressed to the window, stomping her front hooves with glee. “Finally, FINALLY! we're almost there!”

“By Luna's stars,” Rarity called from the other window. Wide eyes were fixated on the glimmering blue-green forest, “It's gorgeous!”

“Yeah. And you know what else it is?” Rainbow said, grinning across to Rarity. “Not a ship.”

“I'd gathered as much.” Rarity was far too interested in the sight before her to concern herself with anything Rainbow Dash may have been hinting at.

“Seriously though, Rarity, I'm sooooo excited to be getting off this stupid ship.”

“Got a problem with my ship?” came a reply, but it hadn't come from Rarity.

Rainbow Dash, as well as Fluttershy and Rarity turned around to see a white-coated mare wearing a dark blue uniform standing at the top of the stairwell. “You're the captain?” Rainbow Dash asked. The uniformed mare nodded. “Well since you asked, yeah, I do have a problem with this ship.”

“Go on, tell me.”

“It's a prison! There's nothing to do, the rooms are tiny, and I couldn't even get outside to fly! You call that luxury!?” The opportunity to speak her mind to the pony in charge was one that Rainbow Dash had been more than happy to take, and having done so, she actually felt quite a lot better.

The captain smiled at her. “Now imagine working in those conditions every day. Trust me, it's not fun. I would know.” she removed her cap, ran a hoof through her light-blue mane, and put it back on. “You wouldn't happen to be Fluttershy, would you?”

“Nope. That's Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash said, pointing accordingly.

“Um... Hello. It's nice to meet you.” Fluttershy tried her best to look at the captain as she spoke but ended up staring at her hooves halfway through.

“You're the leader of the expedition?”

“I guess so...”

“You guess so?”

“I mean, yes. I am.” Fluttershy stammered.

“Well, I just wanted to wish you luck. I can't say you're the type of pony I expected to see doing something like this, but I hope everything goes well for you nonetheless. It takes a brave pony to do what you're doing.”

“Oh, no, I'm not brave. Communicating with animals is my special talent, so I'm not to worried about the wildlife.”

“I was more referring to the all stories about the supernatural side of the island.”

“Well, I did a lot of reading on those stories beforehoof, and they all sounded made up to me... Not that I would think any less of you if you believe them.” Fluttershy pawed at the floorboards. “I mean, if you do that's fine, I just don't think that they're true, personally.”

“I don't know if I buy into them either, but I wouldn't want to find out first-hoof.”

Fluttershy rubbed one hoof against the other foreleg, looking away from the captain. Carrying a conversation with a stranger was something she still hadn't mastered. “Um... I guess that's one way of looking at it.”

There was a lapse in conversation where neither mare said anything. The captain glanced out the window and saw that they'd come to a complete stop. “Listen, I'd love to talk more,” she said, though it was a lie. She was happy to have an excuse to walk away from the awkward situation, “but we're here, so it looks like I'm gonna have to cut this conversation short. There are other ponies aboard who've got places to get to.” She walked over to, then opened the door, letting in a torrent of high-altitude wind. “Do you want me to get a pegasus stallion from my crew to help with the unicorn?”

Rarity looked down out the door to the ground far below. They were hanging just over the edge of the island. Cliffs, hundreds of feet tall, jutted from the ocean directly below them.  “Yes, I think that may be in order.”

“Nah, don't bother. I'll get her.” In an instant Rainbow Dash had swept Rarity off her hooves and was carrying her down to the ground at a far faster speed than Rarity would have preferred.

“Would you slow down!?” Rarity clambered for a secure position in the pegasus’s grip, finding a decent enough one that involved wrapping her hooves around Rainbow Dash's neck. Rarity looked down to the ground then back up to the mare who was now carrying her bridal-fashion. “Would it have killed you to have given me a little forewarning?”

“Pssh, you're fine,” Rainbow Dash said in a cavalier tone.

“Well, I am in your hooves right now,” Rarity smirked. “I could certainly be doing better.”

After placing Rarity securely on the ground at the top of the cliffs, Rainbow Dash made her way back up to the ship to retrieve their bags, passing Fluttershy on the way who had just begun her descent.

Rainbow Dash made it to the ground with the bags just before Fluttershy made it there herself. She tossed Rarity's saddlebags across her back and adorned her own.

Fluttershy waved to the ship as it absconded to go defy gravity somewhere else. She looked out over the edge of the island at the endless ocean that reached all the way to the horizon, awe consuming her as she thought about the distance they had traveled. It was further than they had ever traveled before.

Rarity, on the other hand, stared in the opposite direction at the forest they would soon be trekking through. The thought hadn't bothered her so much earlier, but now, seeing the tree-line just a few dozen yards away, the sentiment hit her with its full force.

She would soon, and inevitably, be coated in layers upon layers of dirty, nature-y filth.

Fluttershy turned around to face the island. “Well, if everypony's ready, let's get moving.”

“Let's not get ahead of ourselves now. Do we really need to get going just yet? Maybe we could just stay right here for a little longer. You know, take in the view, feel the cool ocean breeze, appreciate the... other stuff...”

“What's with the cold-hooves all of a sudden?” Rainbow Dash said, “The captain didn't scare you with all that talk of supernatural stuff did she?”

Rarity thought about how happy she would have been to swat the smirk that had landed on Rainbow Dash's face. “I can handle spectres, and ghouls, and what-have-you perfectly fine, thank you,” she said. “My problem is that this forest trekking is going to wreak absolute havoc on my mane.”

“Is that so?” Rainbow Dash said. “Y'know,” Rainbow Dash started, digging a hoof into the spongy sod, pulling up a clod of dirt and roots. “I could help you get it over with right now.”

“A tempting offer, but I think I'll pass,” Rarity chuckled.

“If you say so.” Rainbow Dash cast aside the clod.

Fluttershy took point in front of the two other mares then turned around to speak to Rarity. “I know you don't want to mess up your mane, Rarity, and I don't want to push you if you're not ready, but I'd like get moving as soon as we can.”

Rarity felt the silky smoothness of her mane one last time, rubbing it against her cheek. She admired each individual strand and the way the light gleamed off of it. “I'm... ready.” she said with a downcast tone.

“It's not to late for me to rub some dirt in your mane. The offer still stands.”

Rainbow Dash's self-amused attitude irritated Rarity to no end. Especially at dire times like these. She looked at her mane once again, the woe she had felt just a moment ago was no longer present. It had been replaced with frustration and anger that had initially been caused by Rainbow Dash but was now directed at the emotional turmoil that having such a magnificent mane had caused her. “Oh, to hell with it. Go ahead!”

“Wait, wait, what!? For real?” Rainbow Dash could tell that Rarity wasn't joking, but it was still hard to her to grapple the notion that Rarity was inviting her to mess up her mane. “You want me... to rub dirt... in your mane. Your mane.”

“Yes.” Rarity steeled herself for the incoming defilement, clenching her eyes shut and tightening her shoulder muscles. “Go on, do it, before I lose my nerve.”

Rainbow Dash picked up again the dirt clod she had previously cast aside. “This day just gets better and better,” she remarked to herself with a snicker.

“Stupid beautiful mane,” Rarity muttered. “Try to not enjoy this too much, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow Dash scanned Rarity's mane, trying to decide on the perfect placement for the clod.

“Hurry up, would you!”

Rainbow Dash plopped it down at the crest of Rarity's mane then rubbed the muddy mixture in for good measure. Rarity quivered and bit her lip. She gasped when a cold lump dirt rolled off of her head and down her neck.

“There,” Rainbow Dash said, hovering backward and admiring her work. “Doesn't it feel good knowing that you already got that over with?”

Rarity blinked away tears that had begun forming at corners of her eyes. “It's—” She was cut off as she as a moist chunk of dirt fell directly into her ear. “very... liberating,” she managed out through her whimpering.

“That's the spirit.” Rainbow Dash chuckled, giving Rarity a playful shove on her shoulder.

Fluttershy tried, then failed, then tried again to formulate a response to what she had just witnessed, but failed a second time. Her vocabulary had seemingly taken a vacation, leaving her completely speechless. Her jaw, however, remained steadfast in it's position that the words would be back in due time as it idly worked its way up and down simply for the sake of keeping itself busy while it waited.

“Okay...” Fluttershy finally said, proving her jaw right, even if the response was hardly a response at all.

“I'm ready now, Fluttershy” Rarity said, trying to scramble together whatever composure she could find.

“Okay, well, lets go then.”

Following a short jaunt across the field, the three arrived at the edge of the forest and continued in, following the path of least resistance. Unlike the field that they had come from, the ground in the forest was much more solid, making walking considerably easier. The trees around them gave no indication of why the forest was called the 'Crystal Forest,' they looked like any other trees. The leaves were slightly more teal than what one typically envisions when thinking of foliage, but they definitely weren't made of crystal.

As they walked, Fluttershy pointed out each creature they came across, trying to fit a name to them if she could. It fell upon Rarity to add each animal Fluttershy identified to a list that Fluttershy had prepared ahead of time in a notebook she'd brought. For the animals Fluttershy couldn't identify, Rarity took down a description of them as well as a sketch. The purpose of the documentation was so that the Equestrian Society for the Preservation of Rare Creatures could determine whether or not certain species that were either endangered or extinct in Equestria also existed elsewhere. Such information would prove useful for breeding programs or initiatives to reintroduce wildlife. It was all part of the agreement Fluttershy had made with the ESPRC. In exchange for paying for her to get to the Crystal Forest, Fluttershy was instructed by the ESPRC to document every animal she came across.

Fluttershy went over what they had seen so far as a means of passing the time. “Lets see, that makes two species of rodents, four birds, eight arthropods—“

“Nine,” Rarity corrected as she looked over the list.

“Nine arthropods, and one amphibian. I think we're doing good so far.”

Rainbow Dash looked around her for anything of any interest whatsoever then let out an annoyed groaned. “I don't see why they call it the Crystal Forest.”

Fluttershy slowed her pace so that Rainbow Dash (who had been lagging behind out of total disinterest) could catch up to her. “Hmm?”

“Where are the crystals? This looks like just another forest to me.”

“That's what it looks like right now,” Fluttershy said. “But there's still a lot left to explore.” Fluttershy resumed her jovial pace from before, looking high and low for animals in need of archival.

After a few hours walking through the ever-thickening forest searching for animals, Fluttershy suggested that a lunch break was in order. she found an old fallen tree and sat on it, placing her saddlebags down beside her and pulling out a paper bag. Inside the bag were granola bars that Fluttershy had prepared ahead of time, each one individually wrapped in wax paper. Then out of the bag came a jar of peanut butter, a smaller jar of blackberry jam, and some tortillas, as well as a knife for spreading the peanut butter and jam. She handed Rarity and Rainbow Dash each a granola bar then got to making the PB&J tortillas.

“I've never heard of a peanut butter and jelly burrito,” said Rainbow Dash through a mouthful of honey-glazed oats.

Fluttershy dipped the knife in the jam and started spreading on the first tortilla. “Well I couldn't bring bread because it would have gotten squished in my bag, and it takes up too much space”

Rainbow Dash thought for a moment before responding. “Isn't that what a tortilla is though, pre-sqiushed bread?”

“Not quite.” After adding the peanut butter, Fluttershy finished the first tortilla and gave it to Rainbow Dash, setting the knife down horizontally across the top of the jar of peanut butter. “Here, try it.”

Rarity picked up the knife and got started on making one for herself. With the aid of magic, it was done in no time at all.

Rainbow Dash took a bite of her tortilla. “It's alright, I guess,” she said. “It's not all that different than a regular peanut butter and jelly sandwich.”

Rarity prepared another tortilla while she ate hers and levitated it to Fluttershy who accepted it graciously and thanked her.

After finishing their lunches, the three ponies got moving again in the direction of nothing in particular. First trudging up a hill, then breezing down a hill, then they walked on the side of hill, before proceeding up and then down once again yet another hill. Their forward progress was considerably reduced because of how generally hilly things had gotten, but eventually the hills ceased. the forest followed suit soon after, giving way to a meadow. The unusual thing about the meadow was that every available inch was covered in blueish-purple mushrooms with green and yellow speckles.

“Well that's different,” said Rainbow Dash. “Still not crystals though.”

“That's strange...” said Fluttershy.

“Certainly not something you see everyday is it?” agreed Rarity. “Should I write it down in the journal?”

Fluttershy nodded to her, not taking her eyes off of the sight before them. She walked closer to the mushroom field. “I don't know much about mushrooms, but I'm pretty sure that these ones aren't normal.” Fluttershy lowered herself down to the ground, trying to get a closer look at one of the mushrooms on the edge. “I've never heard of entire fields of mushrooms.”

“Don't touch them!” Rarity cautioned. “They could be poisonous!”

“I wasn't planning on it.” Fluttershy picked up a stick in her mouth and poked the mushroom she had been eyeing. In an instant, it withered into a dry black mess and died right in front of her.

Fluttershy stepped back in alarm. “What happened?”

Curious, Rainbow Dash picked up a stone and skipped it across the tops of the mushrooms. Each one it touched shrivelled up and died, leaving behind rotten darkened remains. Some of the mushrooms had been touching other mushrooms, the result being that, as soon as they died, so too did their neighbors, a chain reaction of death triggered by their own.

Rainbow Dash's eyes went wide. “Whoa...”

The sight was completely bizarre and off-putting enough to make Fluttershy want to turn around and go some other way... that is, until she spotted a grasshopper on one of the mushrooms.

“Hey there little guy.” Her voice wavered with concern. “Are you alright?” The grasshopper didn't move.

“D-do you need help?” she said shakily.

Nothing.

Rainbow Dash looked on at the scene unfolding before her. She could see just as well as Fluttershy that the grasshopper wasn't alright.

“Can you move at all?” Fluttershy reached out her stick to the grasshopper, she was almost certain that nothing good was to come, but she refused to leave until she knew for sure. “Jump on.” The grasshopper made no acknowledgement of her request.

“Um... Fluttershy.” Rainbow Dash put a hoof of Fluttershy's shoulder.

“Go on.” Fluttershy felt moisture coalescing at the corners of her eyes. “Jump,” She said with a shaky voice. The grasshopper remained perfectly still. “Please... jump.”

“'Shy, maybe we should go.”

“This grasshopper needs me, Rainbow...”

“I don't think there's anything anypony can do to help it.” Rainbow Dash winced. “I think it's... already gone.”

Fluttershy blinked, clearing her vision that had blurred to the point that she could no longer clearly see shapes. Tears streamed down her cheeks. She inched the stick the tiniest bit closer until it came in contact with the grasshopper which swiftly withered and died followed immediately after by the mushroom it had been sitting on. The only thing that remained was a translucent brown exoskeleton atop a rotten black lump.

Thin Walls

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Tooth and Claw

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

A Long Time Coming

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Antisymmetry

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Turmoil

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Looks Like a Waterfowl

Looks Like a Duck

Fluttershy walked parallel to the mushroom field, Rainbow Dash and Rarity at her sides. She took in only a fraction of her surroundings as she stared exclusively at the ground in front of her.

Neither Rainbow Dash nor Rarity had said much of anything to her, and Rarity thought that it was probably for the best that they didn't.

Rainbow Dash eyes were firmly fixated on Fluttershy's downcast form as if the act of looking away was a form of betrayal. Unlike Rarity, she was determined to think of something to cheer up Fluttershy, despite the fact that talking to upset ponies was probably the single thing that Rainbow Dash was least talented at.

Rarity's focus alternated from Fluttershy to the curious field of mushrooms beside her. She wanted desperately to figure out how exactly they worked.

Being the only one focusing on the mushrooms, she noticed some things that the others didn't. Firstly, the two edges of the field that they had walked along were perfectly straight, and presumably the other two edges were also. From a distance, they certainly looked to be. Which meant that, as far as Rarity could tell, the mushrooms formed a perfect square.

She also noticed, to her even greater bewilderment, a single dead leaf floating, unmoving, several feet above the ground. Her initial instinct, just as most scientific endeavours begin, was to prod it with a stick. So using her magic she grabbed a dead twig and levitated it over to the leaf to poke it. One quick jab and the leaf was knocked out of its frozen state. It began to sway back and forth, slowly descending, until it landed on top of a mushroom, killing it. The leaf did not wither and decay after being touched since it was already that way to begin with. Taking what she'd just witnessed into account, Rarity concluded that the passage of time over the field must have been halted some how, making some kind of bubble of frozen time. When the things within the time-bubble were disturbed, time resumed. Quite simple, really.

Except, time hadn't resumed for the things that had been touched, resume was the wrong word for it.  The mushrooms and grasshopper seemed to have just aged to death. It would have been more accurate to say that time caught up with them than to say that time resumed for them. Except, shouldn't the leaf have fallen to the ground very quickly if time was catching up to it? Or does it not work that way? And what about wind? Wind touches things. Surely that should have made all of the mushrooms rot by now...

Rarity derided herself internally for having gotten so analytical of something so far out of her depths. What chance did she really have of figuring out something of such complexity? This kind of thing was more on the level of Starswirl the Bearded than an aspiring dressmaker with minimal knowledge of magic.

Rarity continued, despite the futility of figuring it out that she had established in her mind, to scan over the field. There was one last thing she noticed before she decided that maybe she should give it a rest.

She saw a bunny, frozen mid-leap, halfway across the field.

As casually as possible, Rarity moved to strategically obstruct the sight from Fluttershy, using her body as the obstruction. Fluttershy showed no signs of looking up anytime soon, but Rarity didn't want to take any chances. She assumed that Fluttershy had probably already deduced on her own that there were other animals in the field, but even if Fluttershy did know, actually seeing a cute little bunny that was as good as dead, knowing that the only thing the future held for it was an inevitable and unpreventable mortification would certainly send her over the edge.

Before long, they made it around the mushrooms and back into the forest, teal leaves overhead, dirt below, and moss growing on every surface that it could find. As they continued walk, Fluttershy raised her head and took in her surroundings once more, but she still didn't speak. Rainbow Dash took this as her cue to say something. Even though she had no idea what to say, and her judgement told her that not saying anything was her best bet, she was a mare of action and the Element of Loyalty, she had to say something.

“Fluttershy?” Her voice conveyed every ounce of irresolution she felt. She really had no idea what to say. “Uh... You okay?”

Fluttershy inhaled as if she were going to respond but didn't. She let out the breath then shook her head from side to side, letting it hang lower than it had before.

At a complete loss for words, Rainbow Dash leapt up into the air and flew over to Fluttershy's other side, the side that Rarity was on. Still hovering, she eyed Fluttershy who hadn't changed at all in the short time that had passed then whispered down into Rarity's ear. “Rarity, you're smart about this stuff, what do I do? What do I say?”

Rarity pulled Rainbow Dash down to the ground and walked her a modest distance away from Fluttershy before speaking to her. “I don't think that you should be saying anything to her just yet. Just give her a minute first. When she's ready to talk, she'll say something.”

“Not gonna happen, Rare.” Rainbow Dash's short statement conveyed fully her unbudging firmness.

Since it was clear that Rainbow Dash was insistent on being to be loyal to a fault, Rarity begrudgingly went along with what Rainbow Dash wanted. “Fine,” she huffed. “I don't see why you need my advice, though. She goes to you when she has something on her mind just as much as she does me. Just say whatever it is you usually say to her when she comes to you for consolation.”

“She doesn't usually come to me like this, though. She might come and talk to me if she's nervous about something, or if there's something she's excited about and wants to tell somepony about it, or whatever, but she doesn't come to me when she's like this. Not when she's actually, y'know,  sad.” Rainbow Dash sighed and hung her head. “Because... it seems like everytime I try to talk to her when she's like she is now... I just make things worse. I've never been good at cheering her up, and now that she has better friends than me... she just goes and talks to them instead.”

As much as she didn't agree with Rainbow Dash's choice to try to make Fluttershy feel better, Rarity couldn't help but feel sorry for her. Rarity's eyes darted about thoughtfully, stopping at points of no particular significance as she ruminated briefly, searching her mind for useful advice until she came up with something she felt confident in. “Firstly,” she finally said, “don't put yourself down like that. You're a great friend to Fluttershy.”

“Secondly, don't expect to be able to fix her. If you want to cheer her up, that's fine, but she's sad, and she's going to be sad for as long as she needs to be. Do not demean her for it. To you it might have been just a pointless little grasshopper, but it wasn't to her.”

Rainbow Dash dragged her hooves in the dirt with an annoyed scowl on her face as she contemplated Rarity's advice. She found it unsatisfactory. “But what do I do though!” she huffed. “You're just telling me what not to do. I don't want to just twiddle my hooves and wait!”

Rarity breathed out her frustration in the form of a sigh. “Just do whatever it might be that she wants of you.”

“Alright, how am I supposed to know—“

“Ask.” Rarity said plainly.

“So... like... what do I say then? 'Fluttershy what do you want from me?'”

Rarity's patience was thinning considerably. “Don't get too poetic now.” She couldn't help but give a roll of her eyes with her sarcastic remark. “You might lose the meaning in with all those flowery inclusions.” Sure, she wanted to help Rainbow Dash, but she found it hard to help a mare who insisted on doing exactly the opposite of what she thought was best.

Rainbow Dash scowled. “Rarity, I'm serious.”

Rarity exhaled sharply. “Just tell her that you know that she's sad and you're there for her. 'If there's anything I can do to for you, let me know.' Something like that.” Rarity knocked Rainbow Dash toward the still-moping Fluttershy with a bump of her flank. “Now go, no more questions, just do it.”

Rainbow Dash stopped just short of stumbling into Fluttershy before she righted herself. Her incoherent grumbling directed at Rarity for the unnecessary use of force ceased suddenly when she turned to look at Fluttershy and was met with the saddest eyes she'd ever seen, two teal pools of pure despondency. “Oh, uh... Hey, I was just... I just wanted to say... or,  uh... ask you... Uh...” Rainbow Dash suddenly couldn't remember anything Rarity had said to her. She said the first thing she could think of to try to salvage the situation. “You okay?”

Rainbow Dash didn't need to turn around to know that Rarity's hoof had made contact with her face, the sound of it had been enough.

She took a deep breath then let it out. “Don't answer that,” she said, then gave herself enough time to collect her thoughts. “Listen, I know you're sad about what happened earlier, whatever the heck it was. I still don't really know what was going on with those mushrooms, but that's beside the point... Where was I? Oh yeah, you being sad. So anyway, I can tell you're pretty beat up about it. But when you're sad, it makes me sad, so if there's anything I can do to help make you not sad, just tell me.” She paused for just long enough to see that Fluttershy wasn't going to say anything in reply before starting again. “Not that I'm only doing this to make myself not sad, or that you have to be not sad right now, you're allowed to be sad when sad things happen, I'm not judging you or anything, It's just—“

Rainbow Dash's ramblings were cut off when Fluttershy leaned into her and placed her head underneath her chin, resting her head against Rainbow Dash's neck. Rainbow Dash was caught off-guard by the affectionate gesture, but instinctively she threw a wing over Fluttershy back. After the initial surprise wore off, she pulled Fluttershy in for a hug.

Rainbow Dash looked over to Rarity, her chin ruffling Fluttershy's mane as she turned her head, and was met with a small smile from her. She smiled back.

•  •  ❖  •  •

Time passed slowly as the ponies continued ever-onward. Even though time seemed slow, it wasn't slow in a boring way but in a nice way. Especially for Rainbow Dash. She found the slowness to be incredibly relaxing now that she had a wing around Fluttershy and could see that her mood was becoming more and more upbeat like it had once been.

Normally, Rainbow Dash wouldn't have been one for calming walks through nature where the only thing to occupy her mind was to take in the sights and sounds, but the contact she shared with Fluttershy and the occasional nuzzle into her neck she would receive had shifted her mindset so that she could tolerate, and even enjoy, just walking.

Fluttershy had moved her head out from under Rainbow Dash's chin, and it was due to two reasons mostly. One, her neck had become sore after a just few minutes of doing so. And two, she, like Rainbow Dash, wanted to enjoy the scenery.

Things that Rainbow Dash wouldn't have given a second glance at earlier were suddenly quite interesting to her, the different mosses and fungi catching her interest the most. No forest near Ponyville that Rainbow Dash had been in featured quite as many different varieties as she could see now.

A fluffy dark-green moss grew on the forest floor. Where the forest floor turned into the grey-brown bark of the trees, a minty coloured moss emerged. And a teal-ish moss that was similar in hue to the leaves of the forest trees formed speckly patterns on nearly every stone that rose up out of the ground.

The fungi were equally as various, some clinging to the sides of trees, others lining the insides of hollowed-out logs. Fortunately, none of them seemed to be anything like a particular fungus they had run into earlier.

Aside from the mosses and fungi that Rainbow Dash had taken an interest in, there wasn't much else to look at other than tress, large rocks, and stony ledges, which were technically also rocks.

Rarity had even begun to enjoy the tranquillity of the forest herself when she wasn't thinking about the dirt in her mane. The dirt that she was regretting ever letting Rainbow Dash put there in the first place. There was also another part of her—and she suspected she wasn't alone in thinking this—that couldn't let go of the incident from earlier. Not that she wasn't justified in concern. But she did wish that, just for the moment, she could forget about it and fully appreciate the natural beauty around her.

•  •  ❖  •  •

Before long a new sight sprung up out of the forest. A stream, ten feet wide but not even a foot deep, cut a path through the foliage perpendicular to the path the ponies themselves had been taking. They came to halt at the wet and gravelly riverbank. Rainbow Dash walked forward and dipped a hoof into the water.

“Is it cold?” Fluttershy asked.

Rainbow Dash pulled her hoof out and shook off the wetness. “Nah, it's not too bad.” She looked up the stream, then down, both directions yielding more or less the same sight: A narrow river running over a riverbed of weathered stones and weaving around the plentiful larger and more jagged stones protruding out of the water. The larger stones were clean of any moss or algae, flaunting proudly their rough, un-weathered surfaces that the shallow river couldn't reach, while the submerged stones were coated thickly in stringy dark-green algae that swayed in the river current like party streamers. Both upstream and downstream the river bent after a short distance, leaving little information to be gained about where it headed from where they currently stood.

Rainbow Dash stepped back from the water and turned around to face her friends. “So what do you wanna do?”

“It's likely,” Rarity said, then halted that line of thought. “Actually, before I get to that, first things first: I'm cleaning this dreadful dirt out of my mane.” She walked over to the water's edge and took hold of a portion of water from the stream in her magic, lifting it into the air. The water formed into an amorphous ball that she then levitated over to the spot just above her head. “And shame on you Rainbow Dash for taking advantage of my fragile emotional state at the time,” she added scornfully, before positioning her head as far forward as it would go to keep the rest of her body from getting wet. She made an opening in her magic, letting the water trickle down in a shower of droplets, washing away the reminder of her over-dramatic behavior.

Rarity's accusation had been weak at best. That she knew. She also knew that it had come out much too mildly. It was hard for her to be vehement about something that had been entirely her own doing, but she still felt it necessary to admonish Rainbow Dash for reasons that were annoyingly nebulous to her at the moment.

“Hey, you asked for it,” Rainbow Dash replied, unfazed by the accusation. “But if it makes you feel any better, I enjoyed it.”

Rarity didn't respond. Rather, she returned to her previous line of though as she worked the dirt out of her mane. “As I was saying,” she began, running a hoof through her soaking mane, dispelling a blade of grass that had weaved its way into it. “It is likely that this stream is running away from those mountains we saw earlier. If we follow it upstream, it would probably lead us right to them. Downstream probably leads right to the ocean.”

Rarity's mane no longer held the same form it once did. Instead, it hung limply over the side of her head, sopping, but clean.

“I think following the stream to the mountains is probably a good idea.” Fluttershy raised a hoof to her chin as mulled over the benefits such a course of action would have. “If we do, then it would make it a lot harder for us to get lost. All whoever got separated would have to do is find the stream and follow it to the mountains. Not to mention that it's an unlimited source of fresh water, which is always useful.”

“So, upstream it is then?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Upstream it is,” Fluttershy repeated.

•  •  ❖  •  •

Rainbow Dash hopped from river rock to river rock as part of a game she had devised of not touching the water. The stream had grown to around twice its original width, causing the water that flowed through it to be even more shallow. The water ran only over the smallest of rocks, anything larger it was forced to go around, which was almost everything. In fact, it wasn't so much a river of water as it was a river of boulders with water trickling in between.

Rainbow Dash kept her wings extended as a kind of safety net in case she slipped while jumping from one stone to the next. If she needed to, she could give a quick downward thrust and send herself into the air, safe from harm. Fluttershy, who was currently walking beside the river next to Rarity, had tried to convince Rainbow Dash multiple times since she'd started to not unnecessarily risk injuring herself, but Rainbow Dash was confident in her ability to not get hurt, so she continued to do as she had been, despite Fluttershy's concerns.

Rarity's mane still hung low, in absence of its usual structure, showing off its full length that was normally hidden within a meticulously formed curl. It flowed from her head into a gentle, sweeping curve, much the same as the yellow mare next to her, except it lacked the curls that the tips of Fluttershy's mane naturally possessed. Standing next to Fluttershy with her mane as it was, the two would have shared an almost uncanny resemblance if not for their colour palettes which, fortunately, were different enough that the similarities weren't so noticeable.

Above, the sky was largely blocked out by leaves and tree limbs, even though no trees grew within the craggy riverbed. The limbs were of trees growing at the bank that reached out over the unoccupied space to salvage whatever sunlight they could that would otherwise go to waste, forming a sort of awning on both sides that intermeshed at the center.

The cyan mare hopped from a one darkish-grey rock to another darkish-grey rock, then to a lightish-grey rock, and then to a rock of a grey colour somewhere between the previous two, all before hopping to one final rock that rolled over when she landed on it. Even though she had planned for exactly the event she found herself in, Rainbow Dash still found herself surprised by the rock rolling over. So in the time it took for her to react and give a flap of her wings, she had already strayed quite a ways off from her previously upright posture.

Having lost her bearings, and being as far away from verticality as she was, the downward thrust Rainbow Dash gave made her not take to the air like she had planned, but take to a the region of the ground slightly to the left of where she had been. She shot off to the side, trying to correct her error as she sailed through the air, but was unable and crashed into the shallow stream, letting out a yelp as she impacted. Water splashed up around her then rained back down. Groaning, she made to stand as Fluttershy rushed through the air then landed next to her.

“Are you alright? Did you hurt anything?” Fluttershy said worriedly as she helped Rainbow Dash to her hooves. She nudged Rainbow Dash with her muzzle to help guide her to her hooves.

“I'm fine—Ow!” Rainbow Dash winced as Fluttershy nudged her side. “Okay, I'm mostly fine. I think I landed on a rock,” she said as she rubbed the freshly forming bruise on her side.

“I told you you would get hurt,” Fluttershy said sternly.

“It's just a bruise. Nothing to cry over.”

“But it could have been a broken wing or sprained ankle.” Frustration had crept its into Fluttershy's tone. A multitude admonishments for Rainbow Dash's carelessness piled up in her mind, trying to force their way out, but in the end, all that escaped Fluttershy's lips was a frustrated sigh. It just wasn't in her nature to berate another pony, even if they didn't seem to learn any other way.

•  •  ❖  •  •

As the three rounded a bend in the river,  a faint and static splashing sound just above the threshold of pony hearing made itself known. Rarity commented on how she thought the sound to be a waterfall, and the others uttered their agreements.

As they got closer the sound grew louder, but by no means was it actually loud. In addition to that, as they approached they could make out the distinct pitter-patter of water droplets hitting water, just going to show that it wasn't a roaring beast of a waterfall. Eventually, the tunnel created by the overhanging trees gave way to an opening in the foliage, and they saw where source of the sound was coming from.

A pond, roughly circular in shape and speckled generously with lily pads and the pink flowers that accompanied them, shallowly covered the bulk of the land in the forest clearing. The only area not covered was a small patch of land just over a pony's length across at its narrowest, rising out of the water right in the center of the pond. On the far side of the clearing across from where the ponies stood, bordering on the lily-pond, was a thoroughly-saturated cliff-face that recessed near its base. Water from a wide but shallow stream trickled over the edge of the rock. The water mostly clung to the stone as it rode its way to the bottom. Only a few drops here and there would fall from the stone and smack into the pool below.

Fluttershy walked forward out of the tree-tunnel, noticing a family of ducks paddling their way to the center island and climbing onto it. The mother duck had to make a trip back into the water to steer a troublesome duckling that had gone its own way back in the right direction.

“I don't know about you two, but my legs are killing me.” Fluttershy flinched at the sound of Rainbow Dash's voice as she walked up behind her. Rainbow Dash lifted a foreleg and twirled it at the ankle, at first in one direction, then the other, relishing the feeling of stretching her aching muscles. “Can we stop her for a little bit?” she asked, looking to Fluttershy.

“Um... Sure. I don't see why not.”

“Sweet. Thanks Shy'.” Rainbow Dash slid her off saddlebags and threw them up against a tree, out of the way. “Don't know about you, but I'm going for a swim.”

She unfurled her wings, letting out an “Oooh yeah,” as the stiff muscles practically creaked into their extended position. Rainbow Dash's saddlebags didn't cover her wings or prevent her from opening them, but it did prevent her from resting them comfortably. How the bags rested high up on her body meant that Rainbow Dash's wings lacked the necessary room for her to fold them into their natural position, which in turn lead to the stiff wings Rainbow Dash now had to cope with. She made a mental note to make a to-do list so she could add “get new saddlebags” to it.

“Alright, water,” she exclaimed. “Here I come!”

Rainbow Dash pushed off of the ground and gave a powerful thrust of her wings that launched her into the air and over the water. Pulling her legs toward her body and closing her wings, she allowed herself to plummet down to the water that awaited below.

Water exploded from the impact-zone like a ruptured soda-can, shooting high into the sky, then raining back down. A few drops reached as far a Rarity and Fluttershy, but for the most part they stayed dry.

Rainbow Dash resurfaced, spouting out a mouthful of pond water. She turned to face Yellow and White mares at the shore. “You getting in, Rarity?”

Rarity looked around in confusion, glancing first to her left, then her right. “Is there another Rarity here, or was that question for me?”

Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. She wasn't sure why she even bothered to ask.

“What about you 'Shy?”

“Um... Maybe a little later. I think I'd like to go through my journal and make sure I have everything written down first,” she said as she opened her saddlebag and took out the small brown journal and undid a small latch that kept it securely shut.

Rarity opened her saddlebags and produced a pencil and a small pink notebook of her own. “And I'd like to try to get down some sketches that aren't terrible. This new scenery is exactly what I've been needing.”

“Alright, well, whatever.” Disappointed, Rainbow Dash reclined back into the water and tossed her front hooves outward to each side, allowing herself to float on the surface. Since there was nothing else to do, she closed her eyes focused her attention on the feeling of floating. She spent a few minutes keenly feeling the buoyancy and how it held up her head and legs. When she got bored of that, she focused on how freely her mane and tail flowed in the water. Before she could grow bored a second time, she felt herself drift into something. She was startled slightly by the contact but didn't flinch, and her eyes stayed shut. She felt the smooth, waxy surface of the object against her ear and determined it to be a lily-pad.

She spent the following few minutes listening to the sounds she could hear, the birds, the insects, the waterfall, the wind through the trees, until she was interrupted by the feeling of a small, quacking object jumping up onto her abdomen. She opened her eyes and peered down at the tiny yellow personal-space invader that looked back at her.

“Uh... Hey there...”

The duckling sat down in front of the cyan pegasus's face and stared at her with its beady black eyes.

Quack.

Rainbow Dash waited for more but received none. “Quack to you, too.” She said as she placed her hooves behind her head to help keep it propped up, which worked exceptionally poorly given that she was lying on a liquid.

“I'm sorry, is he bothering you, Rainbow Dash?” Rainbow Dash turned her head to see Fluttershy wading through the water toward her, wings outstretched, and sitting on them, five other little yellow ducklings.

“Not really, I guess.” She looked back to the duckling whose eyes remained fixed on her. “What does it want from me?”

Fluttershy smiled. “He is just trying to get to know you... I think.”

Rainbow Dash looked back down at the duckling who continued to stare at her.

Quack.

“Right...”

The duckling stood up, waddled forward two steps, then sat back down uncomfortably close Rainbow Dash's face.

Quack.

“A little help here 'Shy?”

Fluttershy moved close to Rainbow Dash and extended a wing to the duckling. “Come on now. You can get to know Rainbow Dash later. We need to get you back to your mama before she gets worried.”

The duckling hesitated for only a second before it obeyed and waddled up onto the cream-coloured wing of Fluttershy who then made off with the ducklings to return them to their mother, Rainbow Dash watching as she went.

•  •  ❖  •  •

“Ready to get moving?”

After a moment's delay, Rarity looked up at Fluttershy from her notebook which she had sulkily buried her face in. “Why can't I think of anything?” she said, poutily.

Earlier, Rarity had taken up a spot under an umbrella-shaped tree in hopes of channelling creativity through a pencil onto paper. The tree, and Rarity, rested on a miniature promontory into the pond. Unfortunately, not a single good design had come to her in the hours that she had sat there. Or, at least she thought it had been hours. It could have been forty-five minutes for all she knew, but it certainly felt like hours.

“I don't know. I wish I could help, but I don't think there's anything I can help with.”

Rarity stood, levitated her notebook into her bags, adorned them, then hung her head dejectedly.

“If we get moving again, maybe you'll find something that inspires you.” Fluttershy suggested.

“One can hope.” Rarity said, forcing herself upright into a more dignified posture, even if she didn't feel it on the inside. “I just don't know what to do anymore. Dressmaking, it's part of who I am.” She touched a hoof to her chest and looked intently into Fluttershy's eyes. “It isn't just something I do. It affects the way I look at the world, and the way I think. But now...”

Fluttershy frowned helplessly at the pleading, azure eyes staring into her own. This was a lot for her to take in so suddenly. Or perhaps it wasn't so suddenly. Rarity had made mention of it to some degree a few times to her. On the airship, at the train station, their last spa date, and maybe even another time before that. But they had always been passing remarks. The sort of thing that Fluttershy might expect the dressmaker to say from time to time after a stressful day of work.

It wasn't typical for Rarity to withhold her emotions from Fluttershy, or the rest of the world for that matter, so why was this news to her now? If this had been deeply bothering Rarity for so long now, then why didn't she know?

“I... don't really know what to say. I'm sorry to hear that you're struggling with your dresses, but I don't think I have any advice to give.” Fluttershy pawed guiltily at the ground. Some friend she was, not having anything useful to say. Though, it wasn't as if she had no excuse for being useless. Her job as an animal caretaker didn't require the slightest bit of creativity. And even when caring for so many animals was tiring, she had still always loved it.

Rarity stepped closer and wrapped a single hoof around Fluttershy's neck. “It's nothing you need to worry about, darling. I shouldn't have even brought it up. Let's just get moving, shall we?” She pulled back and smiled at Fluttershy. A smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

“O-Okay...” Fluttershy turned around and called out to Rainbow Dash who was just a few paces away. “Rainbow Dash, get your things. We're... going to...” she said, trailing off at the end from what she saw.

“Now remember, you can't fly with just wing-strength alone. You have to have good form or you'll never get off the ground in the first place!” Rainbow Dash stopped pacing back and forth along the shore and faced her audience. “So with that in mind, show me a gliding stance.” On cue, five of the yellow pupils spread their wings while one more did nothing.

Rainbow Dash got down on their level (which meant lying prone) and inspected each future-fliers form. “Wings up more,” she said to the first duckling. “Now that's too high. Lower. Lower. Now up just a tiny bit. Aaaand... stop. Perfect.” She moved to the next. “Okay... That would be good, if you were trying to stop yourself. You need to tilt them down like this.” A small nudge later and the duckling's wings were positioned properly for a glide.

She moved to the third who sat there doing nothing. “It looks like we've found the earth-pony of the family. Come on, wings out in a glide, like this.” Rainbow Dash demonstrated a glide to the duckling, but it still did nothing. “See what I'm doing? Just do exactly as I do.” She folded her wings then stuck them out again. The duckling stared, but did nothing further.

Trying to be as clear as possible, Rainbow Dash spoke as slowly as she could bear. “Winnnngs. Ouuuuuut. Got it?”

Quack.

“Oh... it's you...”

“Not to interrupt or anything, but we're ready to get moving whenever you are, Rainbow Dash,” Fluttershy said, now standing just behind her.

“Yeah, just a sec. I'm almost done,” Rainbow Dash replied without looking back. She skipped instructing the problem-duck and moved on to the last three, quickly fixing their inexperienced technique. “If you take one thing away from this lesson, just remember this: Nopony... Er... Noduck ever learned to fly by not flying. So practice everyday, and you'll be flying in no time!”

Rainbow Dash stood and faced Fluttershy. “Alright, I'm ready, so are we—Uh... What are you so smiley about?”

“You.”

“What'd I do?”

“It was really cute the way you were teaching those little ducklings.” Fluttershy's smile grew wider as she spoke.

“Well... somepony had to teach them how to fly.”