Introspection

Rainbowdash stood at the balcony of her cloud home, looking out over ponyville. She tried to look farther, but the rest of the world was beyond her sight, blocked by the horizon. For most ponies, this would be a problem, but not for her. She had strong lungs, and they could hold her over in the thin air of the stratosphere. She immediately began soaring up into the sky, above clouds and through thermals. Eventually, there were only thin wisps of cloud around her, and so she slowed her ascent, working hard to hold herself in place. She looked down over Equestria, and was awestruck. Through the many holes in the clouds she could see the ponies working their lives away, oblivious to her watching them. She could sit up here and enjoy the warmth of the sun against her skin, she could see the most beautiful sights in the world, and these ponies were stuck on the ground. They didn't know what they were missing out on. Why should she ever go back down? She could stay up here forever. Rainbowdash was entertaining these thoughts when through one of the holes in the clouds she saw Applejack, bucking apples and working hard. She then considered, if she were to stay up here, would she ever be able to maintain her friendship with AJ? She then saw Rarity and Fluttershy walking through the street. Rainbowdash knew Fluttershy's wings were too weak to bring her up this far, so that is two of her closest friends that she would never be able to see. She then began thinking of the others, Pinkie Pie and Twilight, and Rarity as well, they would be lost to her forever, were she to abandon the earth and soar through the clouds forever. Could she bear this? Could she live her life in pleasure with five empty places in her heart? She didn;t think she could. She slowly began to glide down, taking a last long look at the sky before she gently tilted downward and sped to the ground. She landed in the square of ponyville, and this was the last strand of that thought before she ended it and continued with her life. While her body may urge her to free herself from the land, this is where her friends were, this is where her heart was, and this is where she belonged. She could occasionally visit the higher areas of sky in her free time, but they would never be her home.