Journey to home

by giganticbuttmachine

Rating: everyone
Tags: Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Rainbow Dash, Adventure
Length: 11102

Rainbow Dash is stuck in the middle of nowhere, and the only help is a strange green earth pony.

A chain of events makes Rainbow Dash end up in the middle of nowhere, and the only help is offered by a strange green earth pony that is named Swift Cloud for some reason. As the two try to find Ponyville again, both ponies learn things about themselves, each other, and what home really is.

That story that won't get out of your head until you write it down. First time writing stuff, so don't expect anything professional.

Published 2012-08-03 05:34:03 UTC
Last updated 2012-08-08 22:41:13 UTC

Chapter 1

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Oh god, a blank page. Here we go.

Chapter 1

DASH

Last time I was here, I was nervous. No, wait, nervous is an understatement. I couldn't even move because I was so terrified of going out there and failing. I didn't get a single part of my routine right, and the only thing that could snap me out of it was the fact that i needed to save my best friends life. I guess you could call it fate, but Rarity falling made me perform one of the most legendary tricks ever, the Sonic Rainboom. It was awesome, radical, and cool all at the same time, and it got me my confidence back. That day made me want to join the Wonderbolts even more, I knew that if I made it into that team, I would be able to do stuff like the Sonic Rainboom all the time. But, more importantly, I would be friends with the WONDERBOLTS. Come on, that's as awesome as ponies get!

So right after that competition, I started training like crazy. Any free time I had where I wasn't napping, I would be up there with the clouds, practicing my tricks. Sure, there were some minor setbacks, ya know, fighting chaos gods and repelling changeling invasions, but other than that, it was training, training, training. There were always new tricks to try, and I did as many as I could. I was only hospitalized twice, which is barely anything considering the caliber of the things i was trying. I worked myself physically and mentally until I was in perfect condition.

Then one day there was a poster put on the local Ponyville board. A new spot had been made on the Wonderbolts, and they were having open tryouts that anypony could enter. I was so psyced for it! My chance had finally come! I could be on the team that I had loved since being a filly!

And that brings us up to today. The tryouts are being held in the exactly same stadium that I made the Sonic Rainboom in. A few of the ponies that came to watch recognize me from the Young Flyer's Competition and say good luck. At this point, I'm thrilled and totally ready to take on the tryouts. All of the contestants are sitting in this one room when Spitfire herself comes in to give us a few tips. Naturally, I freak out. I mean, it's Spitfire! Why would I not freak out? Apparently a few of the other contestants had the same idea as me and freaked out too. Actually, about 90% of the room started to freak out and Spitfire had to wait a minute as a wave of "ohmygoshimyourbiggestfancanihaveyourautograph" washed over her. I didn't really want her autograph, considering that I had a good chance of getting on the Wonderbolts, and I wouldn't need the autograph of someone I work with.

The only pony that seems to measure up with me is this grey stallion called Storm Chaser. I'm pretty sure I can beat him, though. The competition is going to be a lot like the Young Flyer's Competition, only i'm pretty sure I won't mess up on the obstacles this time though. There will be one winner, and that pony is going to get on the Wonderbolts. I'm gonna do my best to make sure that that pony is me. As I walked out to compete, Spitfire tells me she's rooting for me. I try my best not to go full on fangirl on her, just saying "Thanks" and moving up to the line. Today is the day I get on the Wonderbolts.

CLOUD

Another day, another dollar. Well, I think that's what dad used to say. It's not like I have any money or i'm earning anything at all. I guess you could call it "Another day, another bushel of wheat.". Oh well. Might as well get to the farming.
Feed the chickens, clean up after the chickens, watch plants grow. The daily routine. I don't even know how anything manages to grow in this place. The soil isn't fertile at all, and I wouldn't be surprised if a chicken grew a second head from drinking the water. Heck, I should at least have five hooves at this point.

The end of the day provides some entertainment, though. There are still hundreds of books in the old library that I haven't read. The books are great, they let you retreat into your own imaginary world where you can do anything. You can meet whoever you want, be whoever you want to be, there are no limitations. I find myself staying up to the wee hours of the morning because a story is so gripping.

The old map is fascinating, too. The world is literally at your fingertips when you have a map. You can see the places you've always wanted to go to while not moving an inch. I've been plotting things on the map, too. Finding the easiest route to a city, town, house, anything, really. The only problem is all of the routes are crazy long and I need a ton of food if I want to make it to there alive. Harvest season is coming soon, though. I'm sure I could get enough food to make the smallest trip on the map.

There is a small splotch on the map that could be a town, but i'm not sure. It seems to say something, but a lot of the letters are missing. It says "P yv le". Now, I have no idea what that could possibly mean, and I don't want to make a journey to find that the town doesn't exist, so that option is out. The nearest town other than that is called Appleoosa, and it seems to be a risky journey. I think i'm willing to take the risk though. Anything to get out of this place. Shoot, dawn already? How does that keep happening? Oh well, another day, another bushel of wheat...

Chapter 2

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Welp, I guess that wasn't so bad. LET'S DO IT AGAIN. :D

Chapter 2

DASH

I'd say there are about 30 ponies in the competition, all hoping to make the team. The order that they send ponies out is the same as it was in the Young Flyer's Competition. You get a number taped to you, and whatever number that is determines when you get out there to show your stuff. I got number 31, so I guess I'm the last one to go. A few of the contestants are spazzing out, but not that many. I'm not scared in any way, though, and I actually encourage a pony that's in the corner cringing. That's exactly how I acted last time I was here, but not today. I've trained hard for this, and I'm not scared in the least. They say that after these tryouts, there could not be another spot on the team for years. To me, this seems like one of the few chances I will have in my life to do something great.

I'm pretty sure she was quoting a book or a movie or something, but Twilight once said that ponies only get one or two chances to do something great in their lifetime. Very few actually take that chance, though, because they are either too scared or don't recognize it when it comes along. Well, I'm not scared, I know that this is one of those chances, and I've done everything in my power to be ready to take on whatever challenges they throw at me.

They call out the first pony, and he steps up to the line. There are four judges, I have no idea who they are, but they seem to look like they know their stuff about flying. Spitfire is there too, she's going to have a vote, but I'm sure she's judging the contestants entirely differently. Not entirely about how well the pony flies, but more about the determination and attitude they have about it. All of them are watching as the first pony to go takes off into the sky.

The course is made up of a lot of basic obstacles, simply going around them would be boring and wouldn't show off your actual talents. The idea is that you make the simple things complicated, doing tricks around, with, and sometimes through the obstacles. The more complicated you make the trick, the higher your score, but it's important not to mess up. Messing up on a hard trick is worse than doing good on an easy trick. The pony preforming now takes a sort of middle path, not doing anything really crazy but not being mediocre either.

He does well, but you wouldn't be able to tell that if you were looking at the judges. They just write things on their little sheets of paper with blank faces. Spitfire is just about the opposite. She actually cheers, making the pony visibly proud of himself. You don't know what the scores are until the end of the tryouts, but almost everypony there assumes that he did good. He goes over to the waiting area and does a little fist pump in the air, exited that he did good and ecstatic that Spitfire cheered for him.

He's only alone in the waiting area for a few minutes. Soon, another pony is over there, then another. All of them are talking at a million miles per hour, one of them is even running around in circles because he's so exited. It's the opposite at the beginning, where I am. Some ponies are hysterically nervous, some are fine and talking with others, and some are just standing with a blank face and not saying anything. I would say that i'm in the third group, I don't want anypony to break my concentration.

The judges keep on calling ponies up, and they keep on trotting up to the line to show their stuff, for better or for worse. Some do close to perfect, others look like they learned to fly yesterday. The judges have the same expression for all of them, if you would call not moving a single face muscle an expression. They must practice in front of a mirror or something, because no matter how amazingly good or horribly bad a pony does, they look like they're watching paint dry.

I wonder what being on the Wonderbolts is going to be like. I mean, do you have fun? Or do you just work as hard as you can all the time? Not like I have a problem working hard all the time, but, I just wonder what it's like. Do you get free food at the shows? That would be pretty awesome. No, wait, Soarin' had that pie at the gala, I know Applejack doesn't just give them away free. But what if she just gave him it because he was so awesome? What if- how is the pony before me starting? Did he cut in line or- sweet Celestia, I'm next! Okay Dash, you know what to do, you know how to do it. You've practiced hard for this, it's your chance to do something great. Don't mess up. Don't mess up. Don't. Mess. Up.

CLOUD

I'd say it's only a few weeks until harvesting time. The wheat looks like, well, ready to harvest wheat. I really hope that it gives me enough food for the journey to Appleloosa. Don't want to screw up like that time I mixed up the water with that tar stuff. Eeugh. And then I had to eat it, there wasn't any other food. I think that goes down in history as the worst winter ever. Of all time. I'm sure there's plenty of food for everyone at Appleloosa. I think I'll go out on a limb and say that they eat apples there. Anything other than tar-bread, and i'm happy.

I wonder if I should bring the chickens with me. I'm sure they'll be just as annoying as they always are, but eggs are always good food wise. Maybe just bring along 1 or 2, let the others out into the wild. As if any of them would be able to survive a day without me feeding them. That sounds kinda cruel, I might as well bring along all of them. Can you even get eggs from chickens if you're walking all day with them? Geez, that would kinda stink, bringing along all 15 annoying chickens and then not getting eggs from them. Maybe I could eat the chickens if I was really out of food. But that would be last ditch, I don't want to eat my chickens. Really hope that they're able to walk with me, because I am NOT going to carry 15 annoying chickens everywhere I go.

Am I even gonna be able to carry all of the bread that I make? I guess being weighed down by food isn't really a negative thing, it means you're not gonna be hungry for a while. Maybe I should make a cart of some kind for it... wait, I seriously didn't think of that before? Surrounded by wood, too much food to carry, and 15 chickens I want to bring with me, and I didn't think of building a cart? I guess the swamp is finally starting to take effect on me.

I guess it wouldn't be that hard, just get enough wood. I could chop down that tree that's been threatening to fall on the house for years. Don't want to go the wrong way, though, I like the roof fully intact. How would I even do that? I don't have an axe. Might as well check it out. Shoot, I could sneeze at that and it'd fall over. Guess I don't need an axe. Alright, just lean on it, nice and gentle... OH SWEET GRAVY DON'T FALL ON THE HOUSE! Noonononononononononono... Wait, did it hit it? I didn't hear anything that sounded like a house breaking... how is that even possible? It's within an inch of the wall! Oh well, might as well get the wood now.

Alright, just put this one last piece on... Heh, Cloud, you're a genius. Well, not really. I think any other sensible pony would've thought this up a week before me. Well, it works anyway. Compartment for food, compartment for chickens, compartment for chicken waste, tent on the top. Wait, should I just use that old cloth as a tent? Guess so, what's the worst that could happen? It rains on me?

I wonder what it's like in Appleloosa. I'm sure the ponies there are nice and will take me in. Other ponies. Gosh, how long has it been? Two years? Shoot, I'm gonna be the most awkward pony in history. Somepony is gonna say how are you and I'm gonna look at him like he just grew a second head. Guess I could use the books to brush up on my social skills. What was the last party you were at like? Well, I put hats on my chickens and sang "Happy Birthday to Me". It's gonna be amazing, though, having somepony to share my thoughts with. I could talk about anything and everything, whatever I wanted to, and not get nothing in response. Other ponies, that sounds amazing.

Chapter 3

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is bloody fun to make.

Chapter 3

DASH

The pony before me just finished, everypony in the waiting area cheers for him. Now it's my turn. I'm getting called up to the line, all eyes are on me. Just don't mess up, you'll be fine. You've done this a million times. Okay, like you practiced, one, two, three, START!

The first obstacle is a simple hoop. I could know that with my eyes closed, I've memorized this course from top to bottom. The trick on this part is a simple spin, nothing crazy. As I speed through the hoop, I think back to the hundreds of times I've practiced this. Nopony here has put in the effort I have for this. Now the tricks start to get complicated. I'm finding myself thinking of catchphrases I made up to remember how to do the tricks. If you look closely, you would see me mouthing them to myself as I fly around. Left and right, keep it light. Loopty-loop, make a hoop. Don't mess up. Don't mess up. Don't. Mess. Up.

As I pass another hoop, my bottom left hoof hits the side. I know the judges are writing on their little clipboards for that, but I need to focus on what is happening now. The tricks get more and more intricate as the routine goes along. Triple back-flips, twisting the entire time. I'm perfectly capable of doing it though, having done this exact routine dozens of times in practice already. This is where that pays off.

It's time for the finale now. If anypony wasn't watching before, they sure are now. I'm not going to pull off a Sonic Rainboom, but the difficulty is almost the same, only this takes skill instead of pure speed. Of all of the trick that I do in this routine, this is the only one I'm not certain I can pull off. The sheer amount of twists you have to do in it would make any regular pegasus pony think it's impossible. I've done impossible before, though. I haven't even named the trick yet, there hasn't been enough time to name it. I guess you could call it Rainbow-Dash's-Ticket-to-the-Wonderbolts-Trick.

I begin to climb, gaining altitude as fast as I can. Then, as suddenly as possible, I dart down and begin to pick up speed. I go all the way to the surface of the earth below the stadium. Then, a split second before I hit the ground, I do an almost complete 180 degree turn and begin rocketing up back towards the stadium. After two seconds of that, I begin to spiral as fast as I can while still going up at the same rate.Once I'm just above the stadium, I begin to do crazy complicated flips and twists. I honestly couldn't tell what was up and what was down after a while. My tail was giving off a rainbow effect that went everywhere I went and stayed for a few seconds. I made patterns with that effect, making a picture in the sky as I flew. I turned so abruptly that to an outside viewer it would look like I was bouncing around in an invisible box. I broke out of the box as fast as I could, flying over to the waiting area. When I got there, I turned around just in time to see the pattern that I had made out of rainbows.

It.
Looked.
AWESOME.

All of the ponies around me were cheering like there was no tommorow. Spitfire was actually jumping up and down and cheering for me. I felt so proud. I have no idea how, but the judges still had their same boring expression-mask thingy on. If that doesn't make them smile or laugh or SOMETHING, nothing will.

What makes a break in the cheering surprises me. Another number is called out. "Number 32! You're up!" Yells out one of the judges. Storm Chaser steps out. Oh yeah, he's that pony that looked like he might be able to beat me. Well, let's see how he does, there's no way that he can even get equal to what I just did.

...

I think he just equaled what I just did.

He did so many awesome flips, he was so fast, the whole thing was amazing, it seems like he did the same exact same routine as me only with a few small changes. The main difference was that he didn't do the finale that I did. I'm pretty sure I still have that on him. But I don't think he made that slip-up that I made on the hoop. I looked over the the judges, and I swear I saw the glimmer of a smile on one of them. They just care about the technique, not anything else. Spitfire was cheering, but I don't think it was as loud or as exited as when she cheered for me. She knows that the finale I did counts for something. I really hope I do better in the standings.

They just had to make a huge ceremony. They just had to make us wait until nighttime, too. There's this announcer that has a crazy loud voice, and a crowd of pegasi has gathered at the stadium. "Fillies and Gentlecolts!" the announcer, practically yells, "In a few moments we will know who has qualified to make the Wonderbolt team!" They get all of the contestants to go into the center of the stage, and the announcer screams at the audience again, "Now we will tell you the three qualifying ponies! Storm Chaser, Cloud Tumble, and Rainbow Dash!" My heart had stopped there for a minute, if I was below Cloud Tumble, I wouldn't be able to live with myself. We are all brought up to the main stage of the stadium while the ponies that have gathered cheer like there's no tommorow.

"Now we will select the winner out of these three ponies!" the announcer yells. This time i'm right next to him on the stage, and I almost go deaf. I can see the judges and Spitfire talking, choosing who is going to be on the team. It's obvious that they are having a disagreement, Spitfire is waving her arms around like she's crazy. After a while of this, they reach a decision.

"FILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS," if before was loud, this is an earthquake, "THE DECISION HAS BEEN MADE FOR WHO WILL BE THE NEW MEMBER ON THE WONDERBOLTS." More cheering. "THE PONY THAT WILL BE JOINING THE TEAM AS A NEW MEMBER..."

It's me. It has to be me. I worked so hard for this.

"IS..."

All of the days spent working as hard as I can, It's gotta be me.

"STORM CHASER."

CLOUD

I found a piece of broken glass outside of the house today. I guess it could be used as a "mirror". I really don't see the point in "mirrors", why would you care what you look like? I wonder what I look like, never seen my own face before. Let's see... I HAVE BLUE EYES? I didn't even know that! I really never found out what color my eyes were? What kind of an idiot am I? Shoot, I might need to cut my mane, it looks ridiculous. I think this is the first time I've cut it for a reason other than "It's getting in my face and I can't see anything." Hope I still have that knife... Yeah, there we go. Much better. Not like I know a single thing about how regular ponies are supposed to look, but it doesn't look bad to me.

I mean, the only reference I have for how hair is to be cut is the books, but all the ponies in there have "Huge flowing locks that flow in the wind." And I just cut it short... shoot. Everybody seems to have some vibrant color of hair, too. Yellows, blues, pinks, even. I'm stuck with brown. Oh well. At least it's not more than one color or something crazy like that.

I'm sure there's still some kind of pony that's gonna be melodramatic and give me a "makeover" while freaking out about how dirty I am. I really hope that kind of pony doesn't exist in Appleloosa, I can't deal with all the scrubbing and hot water and shampoo. Which reminds me, when was the last time I cleaned myself? I guess I could just jump in the toxic lake, let the acid do the rest, but then I would smell like toxic lake, and that's not exactly a pleasant smell. Might as well use one of the buckets of clean water, then. This is a total waste of resources- AHH COLD COLD COLD COLD COOOOOLD! That was an awful idea! Do I smell any better? I honestly have no idea what "better" could be, considering where I live, everything smells like chicken droppings! I guess that counts as cleanliness, I washed, right? Right?

Gosh, I sound like I was born a week ago. I'm not clean at all, just wet. Oh well, I'm sure there's some kind of bath in Appleloosa, I can deal with it until then. Heh, take that, melodramatic makeover pony! Given you exist, of course. If not, I guess that me not being clean isn't that much of a problem.

Gosh, the chickens smell awful, too. Guess I can't do anything about them, they're just going to be chickens. Eat your bloody food, go to bed. Guess it's reading time again...

"Prince Noblecoat charged the dragon, his long blonde hair flowing in the wind..."

HA! That's just what I was talking about! I think I need to stop reading those fairy-tale books. Stuff like that never happens in real life. And aren't dragons usually nice? Forget this book, back to the shelf it goes. How about something more honest and gritty? With action, maybe? Hrm... "Daring Do and the Legend of the Ruby Knight"? That actually sounds pretty awesome, might as well try it.

...

THIS IS SO FREAKING COOL! And there's, like, fourteen of them! Woohoo!

Chapter 5

Really, what was that sound? It's not raining, so that can't be thunder, maybe one of the old trees fell over. Might as well check it out, don't want it to have damaged anything. But what could have caused something that loud? It wasn't really a crash, it was more of a zooming sound, then a crash. Far as I know, trees don't make zoom sounds. Weird.

Well, guess it was just a tree. That's quite the pile of rubble. Almost looks like something hit it... is that blue? Trees aren't blue. What is that? What could possibly be blue on a tr- SWEET GRAVY, IT'S HAIR! There's something under there? Dig man, dig! What? A hoof? But that would mea- THERE'S A PONY UNDER THERE! Dig faster! Oh my gosh, a pony... alright, she's out. Is her hair... a rainbow? That's amazing! Wait, wait, focus man, you need to help her, what did that first aid book say?

See if the pony is conscious. Okay, then, let's see. "ARE YOU CONSCIOUS? NO? OKAY!"
Check if the pony has a pulse. Oh gosh, I hope she's not... check for a pulse, right. Uhh... there! There we go! She has one! Phew, that would be awful if she didn't have one.
Call for help. "HELP!" Wait, nopony lives here except me. Never mind that step.
If critically injured, get the pony to a hospital. Well, there aren't any hospitals here, and I don't know if she's critically injured. Well, it's not like I'm just going to leave her here. I'll carry her home.

One and two and HUP... shoot, she's really light. Wonder what she does for a living. Still, I wouldn't call this easy. Good thing the house is a hundred feet away. What time is it anyway? Guess just a little past midnight. Walkin' alooong, with an unconscious Rainbow ponyyyyyyyy... Alright, here we are. "Please come inside, Miss Rainbow Mane Pony That Fell From the Sky." Shoot, where do I put her? I guess she can use my bed, I'll sleep on the floor.

Alright, now where's the actual first aid book? There we are, I'm sure they have things on pegasus crashes.
First aid for pegasus crashes: Heh, there we go. This book is specific.
Pegasi are taught to land on their back, choosing to injure their wings other than their body. Therefore, the most commonly injured parts in pegasus crashes are the wings. Huh, well I guess I gotta check her wings then. Eugh, that looks pretty awful, let's see what the book says about broken wings,
If the wings are broken, fold them against the body and tie them tightly with gauze. Do I have any gauze? There is that cabinet full of health related things... there we go, gauze. Alright, roll over, Rainbow Mane pony, I need to fix your wings. Gosh, she must have crashed hard. These look awful.

Alright, just fold them against the body... crap, not so abrupt, Cloud, you'll hurt her. Just nice and slow... there. Now for the wrapping. How in the name of stale bread am I going to do that? She's not sitting up or anything. I guess I could roll her over the gauze and let it wrap itself. Yeah, I guess that works. I wonder how far out she is? She could wake up any second now. What if she woke up now, while I was literally rolling her in medical supplies? That would be a strange first impression.

Okay, everything other than the wings seems okay. Can't really tell as far as internal injuries go. Guess I'll ask her when she wakes up. Maybe I should go to bed myself, been up all night, anyway. Wait, but I don't want her to wake up with me on the floor. Guess I'll just stay up until she wakes up. Eh, not like that's a bad thing, I've got Daring Do to read.

DASH

Wait, what? Where am I? Seems like I'm just floating in nothing, I've gotta be dreaming. Wait, where'd that come from? The nothing's gone now, now It's some kind of dark stuff pushing down on me. The dark stuff hurts a ton. Then, all of it is taken away completely for some reason. "A OU OUS? O? A!" What was that? Man, this is a weird dream. Then the dark stuff is back, but it doesn't hurt that much now. It's more warm. "EL!" What is with these weird sounds? What could this dream mean?

Now I feel like I'm floating. Great. That makes perfect sense. The weird sounds are back, too. "Es me ide, is bow ne ony t ll o e ky" It's like a different language, wonder if It's some sort of secret agent code? Then I stop floating, and I'm on a cloud. I don't even know what I'm doing on a cloud. Then I roll around on the cloud for no reason at all while my body is covered with more cloud. Now I'm laying on a cloud, and wrapped in a cloud, and can't move. I. Don't. Get. It.

Then I guess I got out of the dream, because I don't remember anything past that until the point where I can feel my wings hurting. Celestia, hurting is an understatement. It's like they were ripped out. I can also feel some kind of warm thing enveloping my entire body. At that point I wake up.

Chapter 6

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Cake is delicious. I think I forgot the last author's note.

Chapter 6

CLOUD

Yeah, uppercut! That's totally what I would've done in that situation! You go, Daring! Hey, look it's dawn already. Wait, why was I staying up anyway? Feel like I'm missing something... OTHER PONY. Right. Maybe I was just dreaming and she won't be there when I walk in? Please still be there, please still be there, phew, she exists. I wasn't dreaming. This is fantastic! Another pony to talk to! Wait, has she been in that position all night? You bloody idiot, you forgot to tuck her in! Mom ALWAYS tucked me in! Then she would sing that amazing lullaby... never mind, tuck the blue pony in. Gosh, she's still out. Wonder if she's dreaming or something.

Alright there we go, that seems pretty comfortable. I wonder what she's like. Guess I'll take any kind of personality, I mean, it's another pony! Heck, she could even be crazy mean, but I would still have somepony to talk to, even if I get screams in response. Better than clucks.

I wonder how I should explain things to her when she wakes up. I guess it should be gradual, don't want to throw everything at her at once. Just start with something she can easily wrap her mind around, how about 'You crashed into a-' Wait, is she moving? SWEET GRAVY, SHE'S WAKING UP! What do I say? What do I say? Cmon man, think, think, think... Okay, just keep calm. Keep collected.

"Wha?"
"HITHEREMYNAMESSWIFTCLOUDANDYOUCRASHEDANDIWASWORRIEDSOIBROUGHTYOUHEREANDYOUVEBEENOUTALLNIGHTILIKEBREADDOYOULIKEBREADILIKEBREAD!"

The crap did I just say? Now she's just confused! Okay, slow down. Calm and collected.

"What?"
"AREYOUOKAYNOTLIKEYOUSEEMREALLYHURTBUTIWOULDJUSTLIKETOKNOWIFYOUAREHURTINANYPLACESTHATICOULDFIXIHAVEAFIRSTAIDBOOKYOUKNOW"

Ahh, it's not working! I need to think!

"Just a second."

Alright, now DART INTO THE OTHER ROOM!

Cloud, that was the worst first impression in history. Now she thinks you're crazy. That might even be an accurate assumption. Okay, let's try this again. No freaking out. No. Freaking. Out.

Okay, just open the door again, hopefully she won't throw stuff at me...

"Hi?"

"What the hay was that about?"

"Uhh... I have... Allergies?"

That was the worst lie ever. Of all time.

"You have allergies that make you do THAT?"

"Yeah, it's called, uh, spaztalkiness! Yeah, spaztalkiness! I have it really bad!"

"Then why are you talking regularly now?"

"Because it comes in bursts! There's a flower that only grows here, and whenever it blows in the window I talk at a milli- OKAY, I WAS NERVOUS. SUE ME."

"Why are you nervous? Wait, what am I talking about... Who are you? Where am I?"

"Well, my name's Swift Cloud, and you are at Middle of Nowhere, Equestria."

"How did I get here?"

"You crashed into a tree outside my house, and I brought you in. You were flying pretty fast. Are you okay?"

She didn't seem to notice the question. Why does she suddenly look angry? Was it something I said?

"I said, ARE YOU OKA-"

"I HEARD YOU! I'M FINE!"

Well, there's definitely something wrong. She basically screamed at me.

"Did I say something wro-"

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Am I really that annoying? Oh well, just say 'okay' and give the mare her space. I guess the farm needs working on about now...

DASH

Waking up is really strange. There's this green blob in front of me that seems to be yelling something. Wait, no, that's a pony. He seems to be saying stuff at a million miles per hour. What's his deal? What's with the jabbering? Who is he? Where am I? What in the name of Celestia is he saying?

"What?"

I don't think I caught what he said the second time either. I can tell that he's saying words, though. Barely. It seems like he's trying really hard to slow down his talking. It's not working. Gosh, I've never seen a pony talk that fast. Wonder when he'll stop. Still kinda, blobby, I need to focus. Alright, seems like he's an earth pony...

"Just a second."

Wait, what? Where'd he go? It's like he teleported or something. Am I in a bed? How did I get here? Where am I? What is happening to me?

There he is again. Hope he doesn't go crazy on me again.

"Hi?"

So far so good. Might as well ask him what the spaz talking was all about.

"What the hay was that about?"

"Uhh... I have... Allergies?"

Okay, now that's just an awful lie. He's gotta think I'm stupid or something.

"You have allergies that make you do THAT?"

"Yeah, it's called, uh, spaztalkiness! Yeah, spaztalkiness! I have it really bad!"

Gosh, I couldn't think of lie this bad if I tried.

"Then why are you talking regularly now?"

"Because it comes in bursts! There's a flower that only grows here, and whenever it blows in the window I talk at a milli- OKAY, I WAS NERVOUS. SUE ME."

Well, at least he admitted that he was lying. Wonder why he was nervous.

"Why are you nervous?

Why are you nervous? Of all of the questions to ask, I ask Why are you nervous? Scrap that, ask better questions.

"Who are you? Where am I?"

"Well, my name's Swift Cloud, and you are at Middle of Nowhere, Equestria."

Why the heck is an earth pony named Swift Cloud? He can't fly, he has nothing to do with clouds! Wait, focus Rainbow. Find out how you got here.

"How did I get here?"

"You crashed into a tree outside my house, and I brought you in. You were flying pretty fast."

Flying... Pretty... Fast... The Wonderbolt tryouts. I didn't win. That's why I'm here. If those stupid judges didn't exist, I would be getting ready for a show with my idols. Instead I'm stuck in "Middle of Nowhere, Equestria" with some green earth pony that makes no sense... This is all their fault. All of this is THEIR FAULT.

"I said ARE YOU OKAY?"

Yeah, I'm fine! My dreams just got crushed, why would I be anything other than fine? I'm just dandy! That doesn't come out though, just tell 'Swift whatever' that I heard him and that I'm fine.

"Did I say something wrong?"

Crap, can he just go away? Can I have a little bit of time to myself? Why is he asking all of these questions?

"JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!"

And then he's out of the house with only a small 'okay'. Did I just kick him out of his own house? Gosh, that was pretty harsh, hope he doesn't take that like I meant it, I'm not angry at him or anything... What if he doesn't come back? I need to get after him, tell him I'm sorry... GAHH, horsefeathers, I can't move. I'm sure he'll come back. He has to come back, right?

Chapter 7

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Curse you, 502 error. Curse you.

Chapter 7

CLOUD

I don't understand, why was she so angry? She seemed okay, then she was suddenly yelling at me! Maybe I said something that hit a nerve, what was it that I said before she went ballistic?

"You were flying pretty fast. Are you okay?"

She seemed to get angry at the part when I said she was flying fast. Why in the hay would she get angry about that? Maybe her flying fast got her out here in the first place. Or she's angry about something related to flying fast? Either way, I wouldn't be too happy if I woke up with no knowledge where I am with the only pony able to explain being a complete spaz.Wonder if she's okay right now. What am I talking about? Of course she's not okay! She's tired, injured, hungry... CRAP, I DIDN'T GIVE HER FOOD? Stupid, stupid, stupid! She's probably starving! What could I make? Don't want to give her that awful stale bread... Soup! Yeah, I'll make her soup! Just gotta find the right mushrooms...

DASH

How long has he been gone? Four hours? five? What could he possibly be doing that could take 5 hours? What if he got attacked by bandits? What if he needs my help? I can't even move, let alone fight bandits! What if a tree fell on him or something? He could be in serious trouble, and I'm just sitting in this bed, totally useless. Whose bed is this, anyway? Sweet Celestia, is this his bed? He could be fighting bandits, or stuck under some tree, and I'm resting in HIS bed? I don't think so!

Cmon, Rainbow, you're the fastest flyer in Ponyville, you can get out of a bed. Just lift yourself up, nice and slow, GAHH! Horsefeathers, that hurts! Alright, good job, you're almost there already... Just get to that bed stand... Alright, now lift yourself down... CRAPCRAPCRAPNOTGOODNOTGOODAAAAAAAH!

Okay, guess I'm on the floor now. Ya know, I don't think I really planned this out. How am I supposed to get out the door if I can't get out of the bed without getting hurt? Oh well, might as well try, just one hoof drag after the other. Gosh, that crash took a lot out of me. I can barely move... Let's see if I can get to that chair. Yeah, that's a start...

CLOUD

Alright, just one more mushroom... There! As good as it's gonna get, I guess. Time to head back to cook this stuff. What if she wondered where I went? How long have I been gone? Hrm, looks like it's just past midday, so that would mean that I've been gone for about... 6 hours.

Holy living chicken stuffing.

Why am I not able to take care of another pony? Why? Never mind that, sprint home, man! Alright, inside, where is she, where is she... Why is she on the floor?! How did she even get over there?! Forget that, check on her! Please be okay, please be okay...

Gosh, she's out cold... how the heck is she by the chair, though?

"HEY! WAKE UP!"

At that point she opens her eyes. We just stare at each other for what seems like forever, but I'm sure it was only a few seconds. I've never really seen her eyes before. They look amazing, a vibrant red color.

"You're okay..."

That's all she says before she passes out again. What the hay did she mean by that? Of course I'm okay! Why wouldn't I be okay? Oh well, just get her back onto the bed... guess it's time to make that soup, she's gonna want it when she wakes up. Guess my recipe isn't exactly the best, just throw the mushrooms into hot water. Heck, it's done in five minutes. I guess it's still better than hard tack or whatever monstrosity my chickens hatch.

Hm, she's still out. She's definitely hungry, though, me being an idiot saw to that. Guess I should wake her up. Shaking her should work.

"Meh, I don' wanna clear the sky, mak Thunr'lane do et."

What's that supposed to mean? Guess she's just sleep talking. Maybe shaking her again would work?

"I shheaid, I don' wanna clear it! Make Thunnderlane do it! And why are you gree- oh."

Alright, now she's awake. Now don't go crazy like last time. Just say hi. You got this.

"Hi."

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.

"Hi."

And she said hi back! This is much better than last time! Think I should give her the soup now.

"You hungry?"

Just hand her the bowl at this point. I think she's realizing how long it's been since she ate. Maybe an entire day? Gosh, she's looking at it like it's the last bowl of soup on earth. Oh, wait, she can't use her arms very well. I guess I could feed it to-or not. I guess you don't need arms to eat soup. Gosh, doesn't that hurt? Sticking your face into a bowl of soup can't exactly feel goo-

"AAAAAAAH!"

Soup. Goes. EVERYWHERE.

Now we're both screaming and covered with soup. Fantastic.

"Why in the name of table salt would you do that?"

"I was just so hungry and it looked so delicious-"

"Okay, okay. It's fine. I'll just feed you it. Are you okay with that?"

"Yeah, I guess..."

This wouldn't be one of her proudest moments, being spoon-fed by a random earth pony in the middle of nowhere, but she doesn't seem to care, she's just grateful for every spoonful of the stuff. The soup's gone pretty soon, and she lets out a huge belch. I think I'm gonna like this pony.

"Thanks."

"No problem, it's on the house. Now, how are you feeling?"

"Not so great. Don't think that was one of my biggest crashes, but it's up there. How did you know how to splint my wing?"

"I have a first aid book. It has all sorts of stuff on pegasus injuries. Now, why were you out cold on the floor when I came in?"

"Well, I thought you were in trouble or something, so I got out of the bed to help you!"

"Wait, why did you think I was in trouble?"

"You were gone for like five hours. What could you be doing for five hours if not being attacked by bandits or being stuck under something?"

"And you helped me fight these 'bandits' by crawling to the middle of the floor and passing out?"

It's honestly hard not to crack up at the explanation. I thought something was seriously wrong, but she was just plain worried. About me, too, which is weird.

"Well, it seemed cooler when I thought it out in my head..."

"Who are you, anyway?"

She's laying down on a bed, but the way she says "Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer in ponyville!" makes me feel like I'm at a speech.

"And you are?"

"Just a random earth pony that lives around here."

"No, your name. What's your name?"

"Swift Cloud, but I like to go by just Cloud."

I think I hear her mumbling something along the lines of 'What kind of earth pony is named Swift Cloud' but that's understandable so I just let it slide. Better if she doesn't know anyway.

DASH

Shoot, for the last time, it's Thunderlane's turn! He's always saying he's sick though, he never is! And it's always me that has to cover for him! I just want to sleep in for once! No! I don't want to clear the skies! That's Thunderlane's job! Make him do it, with his fake cold and everything! Why are you turning green? What's going on?

"Oh."

"Hi."

Oh my gosh, he's okay! He wasn't captured by bandits after all! Wait, didn't I try to help him? How am I in the bed again? Did he put me back? That means he's not angry! This is great! What should I say? Should I apologize? Ask him where I am?

"Hi."

Eh, that was close enough.

"You hungry?"

He then proceeds to give me a bowl of soup. When was the last time I ate? I didn't want to eat anything for 12 hours before the tryouts, so I guess that would make it more than a day without food. It looks so good! Shoot, I can't move my arms. Oh, I know, I'll just drink out of it like a cup! Rainbow Dash, you're a genius! Mmm, this is delicious! Wait, is it still ho- SWEET CELESTIA, MY FACE! AAAAAAAAAAAHH!

The green pony is covered with soup now. We're both screaming like an alien just exploded out of the bed.

"Why in the name of table salt would you do that?

Shoot, that was stupid. What was I thinking?

"I was just so hungry and it looked so delicious-"

"Okay, okay. It's fine. I'll just feed you it. Are you okay with that?"

If I was under any other circumstances, and I mean ANY other circumstances, I would not be okay with being fed soup. That's just downright embarrassing. But I'm so hungry, and the soup looks so good..."

"Yeah, I guess..."

After the first spoonful of it, I don't really care how the soup is being eaten, as long as it is being eaten. It's just SO GOOD. It's all gone in a minute, and I burp like crazy. Now, what I was expecting was some kind of a scolding and a 'that's not polite', but the green pony just smiles. He seems pretty cool.

"Thanks."

"No problem, it's on the house. Now, how are you feeling?"

"Not so great. Don't think that was one of my biggest crashes, but it's up there."

That was true, I have had worse crashes than this. Like that one time I was on an intensive care unit for a week- never mind, back to the conversation.

"How did you know how to splint my wing?"

"I have a first aid book. It has all sorts of stuff on pegasus injuries."

Now, I need to give my Doc that book! He can never get a splint right! This one is great, too.

"Now, why were you out cold on the floor when I came in?"

Shoot, now I gotta explain that. How am I gonna do that without sounding stupid?

"Well, I thought you were in trouble or something, so I got out of the bed to help you!"

"Wait, why did you think I was in trouble?"

You know, I kinda jumped to conclusions there. Just a little bit.

"You were gone for like five hours. What could you be doing for five hours if not being attacked by bandits or being stuck under something?"

Yeah, that definitely sounds dumb. He's not saying that though, just laughing a bit... yeah, this pony is definitely cool.

"And you helped me fight these 'bandits' by crawling to the middle of the floor and passing out?"

Really, what was I thinking when I did this?

"Well, it seemed cooler when I thought it out in my head..."

"Who are you, anyway?"

"Rainbow Dash, the fastest flyer in Ponyville! And you are?"

I really need to know this guy's name. I can't just keep calling him 'The green earth pony'

"Just a random earth pony that lives around here."

"No, your name. What's your name?"

"Swift Cloud, but I like to go by just Cloud."

What kind of an earth pony is named Swift Cloud?

Chapter 8

AUTHOR'S NOTE: A chapter a day keeps the boredom at bay.

Chapter 9

CLOUD

"So where's this 'Ponyville'? I've never heard of it."

That sounds like such a cool town. I wonder if it's anywhere close to here, I didn't see it on the map.

"It's a really small town, I don't even think it would show up on maps."

Well, that explains that. Wonder what it's like there.

"And what do you do in 'Ponyville'?"

"Well, anything, really. Sleep, fly around, have fun with your friends..."

Friends? What does that mean? Why is she suddenly sad?

"What are 'friends?'"

She just stares at me like I asked if she would like fried brains with the soup.

"...Seriously?"

"Yeah, are they some kind of pet or something?"

"You're kidding. You have to be kidding."

Gosh, she's acting like I don't know what the sky is.

"Should I know what friends are?"

"Yes. Yes you should."

Still staring at me. Is it really that bad that I don't know what a word means?

"Well, I don't, so could you please tell me?"

"'Friends' are ponies outside of your family that you know, like, and trust. Don't you have any of those?"

"Well, no... It's really just me here."

Again with the staring. I don't get it.

"You don't get lonely?"

How does she know all of these words? I have no idea what they mean! Alright, I'm getting the dictionary.

"Just a second. Not freaking out."

Don't want her to think I'm going spastic again. Okay, now I think it's on the top shelf. I haven't touched that thing for years. Alright, here we are, now let's see what 'Lonely' means.

lone-ly
Adjective:
1. Sad because one has no friends or company
2. Without companions, solitary

Well, I guess that would describe me pretty well. I should bring the dictionary with me.

"Alright, I'm back. Brought a dictionary in case you start using weird words again."

"What weird words?"

"Friends and lonely."

"You... you don't know what lonely means either?"

"Well, no. But I just found out."

I tap the dictionary for emphasis. She's back to staring, only this time her jaw is hanging wide open. Seriously, what's wrong with not knowing a few words?

"And I guess lonely would describe me pretty well. I don't really have any of these 'friends'. How do you get friends?"

"Well, you meet another pony, and you say and do nice things, and then you're friends. That's basically it."

Gosh, that's simple. Wait, but that would mean...

"Does that make you my 'friend'?"

"Yeah, I guess it does."

Well, problem solved! Guess I can't be called 'lonely' anymore. Wonder what her other 'friends' are like...

DASH

"So where's this 'Ponyville'? I've never heard of it."

Shoot, I almost completely forgot about ponyville.

"It's a really small town, I don't even think it would show up on maps."

"And what do you do in 'Ponyville'?"

"Well, anything, really. Sleep, fly around, have fun with your friends..."

Friends. Oh my gosh, I completely forgot about them! They're gonna be worried sick! They have no idea where I am! What i-

"What are 'friends?'"

Wait, did he mishear me? Maybe he thought I said... wait, what could you have fun with that rhymes with friends? He didn't mishear me. He doesn't know what friends mean?

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, are they some kind of pet or something?"

He says this with a completely sincere face. Come on, he has to be kidding...

"You're kidding. You have to be kidding."

"Should I know what friends are?"

Holy raincloud, he's not kidding.

"Yes. Yes you should."

"Well, I don't, so could you please tell me?"

Well, I might as well tell him.

"'Friends' are ponies outside of your family that you know, like, and trust. Don't you have any of those?"

"Well, no... It's really just me here."

Gosh, that's got to be awful... Just by yourself in the middle of nowhere! How can he stand that?

"You don't get lonely?"

He just looks confused at this point. I can't really put my hoof on why.

"Just a second. Not freaking out."

Aaaand he sprints into the other room. Again. I hope we don't need to go through the same thing again. Well, he said that he's not freaking out, so I shouldn't be worried. What is he doing back there? Wait, is he reading a book? Why the heck would you read a book at a time like this? Oh wait, it's a dictionary. Figures.

"Alright, I'm back. Brought a dictionary in case you start using weird words again."

"What weird words?"

"Friends and lonely."

SERIOUSLY?!

"You... you don't know what lonely means either?"

"Well, no. But I just found out."

Then he taps on the dictionary to show me how he did it. I think this is the weirdest pony I've ever met. And I know Twilight Sparkle.

"And I guess lonely would describe me pretty well. I don't really have any of these 'friends'. How do you get friends?"

Gosh, how did he grow up? Maybe it was just him and his parents on a farm, they taught him everything he needs to know, and why would he need to know about making friends? I'm sure there isn't another pony for miles around here. Might as well explain friendship to him.

"Well, you meet another pony, and you say and do nice things, and then you're friends. That's basically it."

That's actually really simple. I don't know why some ponies make such a big deal out of it.

"Does that make you my 'friend'?"

Well, he's done nice things for me, not so much on my side. But I guess it still counts anyways.

"Yeah, I guess it does."

CLOUD

Gosh, this friend thing is really fascinating! I wonder what her friends are like? Guess I should ask her.

"What are your friends like?"

She thinks for a while and then seems to get sad again. If friends are so great, why does she get sad every time I seem to want to talk about hers? It's not like she's never going to see them again... OH SHOOT, IT IS. Her friends must live in Ponyville, and she crashed here, which is nowhere near Ponyville! What if she doesn't get back? What if she never sees her hometown again? I can't let that happen, I've got to get her back!

"Never mind, it seems to be getting dark, so, you know, goodnight!"

Alright, to the map! Let's find this nonexistent Ponyville! Now, where would you put a small town? Hmm... aha! I'll find the most probable place to settle that doesn't already have an establishment on it, and see if anything in the area shows any clues! Alright... that won't work, there's no water source... that won't work, it's too mountainous. I don't think Rainbow seems to be a Mountain pony. Wait, this valley seems like a place to settle! Are there any markings on it? Shoot, no, there's just that "P yv le" thing.

Wait a minute.

P yv le.
Ponyville.

HA! I found it! Now where is it in relation to here? Shoot, compared to Appleloosa, this is nothing! It's only a two-week walk! YEAH! Rainbow's friends, here we come! Wait, she's injured. I'm sure she can't make a two-week hike with the condition she's in. Oh well, I guess I'll just wait until she's better. Ponyville, that sounds great!

Wait, what's that sound? Is that... crying? Is Rainbow okay?

I basically kick the doors down to see Rainbow now curled up on the bed, crying her eyes out. It looks like she's trying not to, but the tears just keep coming. I need to help her somehow.

I'm basically repeating what dad did to me when I was little. Whenever I was scared or worn out or just couldn't get through what I was going through, he would rub my back and tell me a ton of encouraging things until I fell asleep. I memorized exactly what he used to say, and I say it to Rainbow now.

"Shh, hey, it's gonna be okay. You'll be fine. Everything will be better in the morning. You just need to get through it. Try to forget about it. Just don't think. Don't even think about thinking. When you wake up, the world is going to be new. You're gonna run around in this new world, and you're gonna do everything that you've wanted to do. Everything that's ever held you down will be gone. All you need to do is fall asleep so you can wake up in the new world."

At first she gets really tense because there is an almost complete stranger rubbing her back and saying things to her, but she soon relaxes. The words just keep on coming, and I talk for a long time, long after she's fallen asleep. Finally, the impromptu speech ends, and I tuck Rainbow in. She deserves to see her friends again. She deserves to see her home again. I'm gonna do everything in my power to make sure she does.

RAINBOW

"What are you're friends like?"

As soon as he says that, I can remember all of the amazing things that me and my friends have done together. We've saved the world together. Twice. Our friendship might be the most powerful thing in the world, and now I'm separated from all of my friends. All because I got mad about a stupid competition. What if I don't see them again? Cloud didn't even know where Ponyville was, I have no idea how far away it might be! It could be so far away that I could never get over there again!

"Never mind, it seems to be getting dark, so, you know, goodnight!"

And what if they're searching for me? They could be putting themselves in danger, just for me, and it's all my fault! I miss them already! We did everything together, we laughed and cried and were friends together! And now I might never see them again! Rainbow, you're such a blockhead!

I don't really know what I thought past that point. I think I was crying. I really don't want to, but I think I was actually crying. It really was getting dark, and soon it was just me and the bed and my tears. I don't really know how long this went on, but there was eventually a weird feeling on my back.

It was Cloud, and he was trying to make me feel better. He was doing this thing where he rubs your back and tells you the most amazing things... He just kept talking, and I kept feeling better and better. I think I fell asleep at some point, not sure where though.

I wake up the next morning to find him snoring in a chair. A map is in his hooves, and I can vaugley make out some scribbles around a central point. The only thing that I can see easily is the word "Home."

Chapter 4

AUTHOR'S NOTE: AND THEN RAINBOW DASH COMMITTED SUICI-wait, that's awful, don't want to do that.

Chapter 4

DASH

I can't even seem to hear the crowds cheering. Storm Chaser is standing as tall as he can, all proud of himself. I don't even know what to do, I just stand there with a blank face as he's given his uniform. Looking at Spitfire, I can see that she didn't want Storm Chaser to win either. Nopony else seems to be paying attention, but I can see that she's gritting her teeth to the point of almost breaking them. I guess she didn't have that much power in the vote after all. None of the judges voted for me because I wasn't "perfect", I didn't have the "technique" just right, I made a singular error. They don't care how hard I tried for this, they just care about the performance. Guess that's showbuisness for ya. You made an error, you might not earn as much money as the other guy, you don't make the team. The pure unfairness of that makes me just want to throttle all of them. Can't do that now, though, I'm surrounded by pegasi cheering for the pony that just beat me.

I somehow manage to control myself through the whole ceremony. Watching Storm get all of the honors and glory that I should have gotten. It's honestly hard to do, I came close to breaking down once or twice. After all of the things were said, the ponies that didn't win were told to go home. I think I was the first, but I couldn't tell, I broke for the door so fast. I was miles away from the stadium in minutes, something I would be proud of earlier, but not now. Found a cloud and dove into it. At that point I broke down. If you couldn't tell otherwise, you would think that a singular cloud was raining by itself for some reason. Can't really remember the last time I cried, maybe I did once or twice when I was little. The whole thing was just so UNFAIR! They have no idea how much I went through for that tryout.

I put every ounce of effort I had into that one thing, all of those hours of grueling training... But now I can't do that because those judges say I'm not good enough. Not any other ponies, not even a member of the Wonderbolts can chance the decisions of those stupid judges. Now I might not even be able to be a Wonderbolt... That's the only thing I've really wanted to be in my life. Other ponies became exactly what they wanted to be, while I just kept on trying to get on the Wonderbolts. And now I got turned down from the Wonderbolts.

I don't even know what I'm going to do with my life now! I just need to get away from everything, get far away from Cloudsdale. Fly fast, yeah, that's what I'm good at. Flying fast. Strain yourself to the breaking point. Just keep flying.

Look at that moon, Luna must've worked real hard to get that up. And the stars, too... I wonder if this is what Luna felt like, being second. Being great, but not great enough, and getting the punishment for it. She must have felt like I do now. But forget about that, just keep flying. Just keep flying. Just keep flying.

I would say I'm pretty far from Cloudsdale at this point, but I don't want to stop. I need to get as far from it as I physically can. My wings seem to be protesting against this, but I just keep going. I'm over a grassland at this point, don't even know where I am. I might have been flying for 30 minutes, maybe 4 hours, it's hard to tell when you feel like I do.

My wings keep on protesting, and I keep on ignoring them. I'm over some kind of a swamp now, and want to keep going.

My left wing suddenly decides to stop working, and I can't do anything to make it start again. I can control pretty well with one wing, and begin to start descending slowly. Then my right wing stops working. I start just plain falling! I remember what my flight instructor told me to do in this situation, get into a ball, tuck your head in, land on your back, better to injure your wings than your organs. I try my best to do that, and suddenly the ground is coming up to meet me. The last thing I see before I hit the ground is a tiny wooden house.

CLOUD

This Daring Doo book is bloody amazing! She's so strong, so independent, so... awesome. I really hope there are ponies like her at Appleloosa. Kinda impressed with myself, I finished the first three books in half a night! The fourth one now, "Daring Doo and the Griffon's Goblet". Wonder what a Griffon is, guess I'll find out if I read the book.

"As Daring walked out of the temple, a rainbow formed right above her head..."

A rainbow? Wonder what that is? Might as well look it up in the dictionary. "Rainbow- noun, A spectrum of seven colors in a line that crosses the sky. Made in factories." Gosh, that sounds like it's beautiful. I wonder what the seven colors are? I'm sure they go together like eggs on bread.

I wonder if rainbows exist in Appleloosa. That's got to be a great job, working in a factory that makes lines of pure color. Wonder what they're made of, though? Best not think about it, I'd get too confused. Back to the reading. Yeah, that's right, Doo, beat the living stuffing out of that "Ahuizotl" guy. He can't keep you down, he just delays you doing what you do best, and that's what's awesome about you. You don't back down. Am I seriously talking to a fictional character? I really need someone to talk to about things.

What was that sound?