Anon03/22/26, 03:00No.43121683
>The bright blues of the afternoon sky have already begun tipping towards the golds of evening by the time (You) and Gale make it to Ponyville
>Even with the cart ride ending early you're cutting it a bit fine
>Bit of a total freak accident, but that's the norm for Ponyville, even if the chill groove of the past week made them less frequent
>(You)'ve always prided yourself on your ability to go with the flow, and that's not about to change now
>As is quickly becoming common, (You) are Pinkie Pie
>And this Date/"Traveling Party" is still on a roll, if a bit of a rocky one
>In the least, Gale seems to be in good spirits
>While most ponies would be trembling and wanting to go home already, that encounter with the bugbear seems to have been exciting for him
>For somepony like Gale, it's probably a novelty
>Not a lot of bugbear attacks when running the Weather Inspection circuit, surely
>That hectic roaming schedule of his is what inspired you to call this a "Traveling Party", in fact
>Fluttershy and Rainbow had told you all about how often the stallion was on the road, in the sky, or even out at sea making sure the various cities, villages, and hamlets of Equestria were up to task for the various weathers they were requesting
>So, with the cart around the farm attempting to represent land-travel, that leads you to your next destination...
"And here we are! Just in time, I hope you aren't too tired after that gallop!"
>Saddle Lake isn't the biggest lake in Equestria
>But it'll serve just fine for your planned boat ride, representing sea travel!
>The pony who so generously lent you his rowboat, Sea Salt, waves enthusiastically towards you as you approach
>"Right on time, Pinkie! You two have fun, now!"
>Sharing a smile with Anon, you get on the cute little rowboat and push off
>Saddle Lake has just enough space to let you drift in circles
>You had initially insisted on rowing the boat yourself, given that this was your idea and all, but Anon had talked you into trading off so that both of you could get the chance to relax and enjoy the ride
>Time passes just like that, nothing but the sound of the waves, birds conversing in the nearby trees, the distant sounds of society
>It all feels very far away
>This kind of silence...
>In a way it reminds you of the Rock Farm before your first party
>Quiet, orderly
>Rarely a word spoken that wasn't 'good morning', 'you're working this field today', 'pass the butter'
>The sort of quiet that you simply grew to be unable to stand until that Rainboom caused something inside of you to explode, too
>Despite the familiarity, you don't feel the urge to make an outburst
>Or pull something silly out of your mane and rend the quiet with noise
>You're... comfortable, in a way you didn't think you could be
>Anon catches your eye and flashes you a small grin, before his lips part to speak
>"So, what brought this on?"
>You're a bit thrown by the question
"What do you mean?"