//------------------------------// // Chapter 1 // Story: The Journey of a Lifetime // by sqarishoctagon //------------------------------// Wind Surfer squinted into the rain, straining to continue on through the raging storm. The thunderstorm had arrived quite suddenly, and being from the Everfree Forest, was not tamed. Ahead and around her, in a “V” formation, were the Wonderbolts, clearing a path through the storm. They had been joined by several other teams of weather ponies to help punch a pathway through the storm, both to break it up, and help Wind Surfer through what would likely be the hardest part of her journey. All around her, the storm raged, buffeting the thirty or so pegasus ponies that dared to breach its depths. At times, they threatened to be blown into one another; Wind Surfer thought she saw a pegasus almost get swept away in the storm. She was barely able to recover. The raw power of the storm was unimaginable, and as lightning arced across the sky blinding the pegasus ponies, they raced through to the heart of the storm Wind Surfer was scared, to be sure, but one glance at her idol dispelled any doubts that she held. The rainbow-maned pegasus’ face was obscured by her iconic flight suit, but her mouth was set in grim determination and her multihued mane whipped about, exposed by the flight suit. Matching her stance, a renewed determination filled her being, and Wind Surfer put on a new burst of strength. After what seemed like hours, the group finally reached the heart of the storm. There were few things that could impress a pegasus who had flown from one end of Equestria to the other, but the heart of a storm never failed to do so. Upon breaching the inner wall of the heart, the teams were met with a serious updraft that immediately threw the less experienced ponies off-course. The other ponies could barely keep the straight path that was originally planned. A towering hollow chamber, surrounded by clouds formed the heart of the storm. It beat with the reverberations thunder from all sides. Stretching several miles high, and more than a thousand feet across, it was a sight to behold. All around the walls were threads of lightning flashing in every direction, the accompanying thunder magnified a thousand times by the sheer acoustic effect of the massive chamber. Wind Surfer was reasonably sure that the uppermost edges of the storm brushed the edges of space, for sheer size of the column. She glanced down. The base of the titanic hollow was made up of a roiling mass of grey storm clouds that was too unstable for even the most hardened of pegasus ponies to fly into. A shout from below: a young mare had gotten caught in a bad wind shear, and, from the looks of it, was about to be torn in half. Without hesitation, Rainbow Dash, and her counterpart in formation, Soarin, entered a steep dive to save her. She disappeared into the raging wall of the storm in the blink of an eye. They wouldn’t have been able to save her, even if they did see where she was blown to... Wind Surfer thought, morbidly. Her thoughts were interrupted as a huge, rare phenomenon entered her vision: the largest sphere of ball lightning that had ever been seen by a pony. Easily hundreds of feet across, it occupied the majority of the space the chamber enclosed. Several more pegasus ponies dropped out of formation as their wings locked in sheer fright of the spectral appearance. Oh, no... Not now! This can’t be happening... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ This is happening. It was all she could do to not simply explode with excitement, standing at the top of the highest tower accessible to ordinary citizens of Equestria. Wind Surfer inhaled, taking in the sights and sounds around her. Below, a massive crowd of literally thousands of ponies, cheering for her; chanting her name. The crowds filled every street of Canterlot, each pony straining to see the mare who was attempting the amazing feat. Balloons floated aimlessly around the tower, adding to the carnival atmosphere. Behind her, on the balcony, were her heroes, the Wonderbolts. Specifically, her idols, Lieutenant Rainbow Dash, and Captain Spitfire, both with encouraging smiles on their faces. Closer to the castle, on a private balcony and overlooking the festivities, were the two Princesses themselves, Celestia and Luna. The Wonderbolts had been incredibly kind to her, even after failing the tryouts. They had supported her, even as she had quite literally nothing to give in return. So, when Wind Surfer told them about the feat, they supported her wholeheartedly. And here she was, about to embark on a journey never attempted by any other pony in the history of Equestria. Through the generous donation from somepony that Rainbow Dash knew, Wind Surfer had been supplied with a flight suit of comparable quality to those worn by the Wonderbolts themselves. She had also been supplied with special goggles that had been infused with magic, causing them to tint accordingly with the ambient light. Incredulous, Wind Surfer had asked Rainbow Dash earlier where she had gotten the equipment. “I know ponies. Being a Wonderbolt kind of helps, you know?” Rainbow merely smirked, and added in a more serious tone, “Besides, you might not be Wonderbolt material, but it's the least we could do for you.” Taking another deep breath, she exhaled slowly, and focused on the giant clock tower in Canterlot's main square. Liftoff was scheduled for ten o'clock sharp, and she wasn't going to miss it. Five minutes to go... She tensed in anticipation, ready to leap from the tower. “Keep it loose, kid.” Spitfire spoke up from behind her. “You don’t wanna stress yourself out now.” “Yes, ma’m!” Wind surfer turned to regard her idols, and swallowed hard. “Nervous much?” Asked Rainbow Dash, jokingly. “Its only all of Equestria judging your every move... Oh, wait--” Before she could get another word in, Rainbow was ribbed by Spitfire, who shot her a warning glance, that clearly stated: play nice! “Ha! Nervous doesn’t even begin to describe it!” Wind Surfer laughed, trying to ease the tension. “Don’t worry. I’d say you deserve your namesake after those tryouts. If anypony can do this, it’s you,” said Spitfire, encouragingly. “Of, course, I could do it, too. If I found the time...” Rainbow Dash struck a pose, which only garnered an annoyed rumble from the rest of the team. Spitfire rolled her eyes at the display. “I’m not forgetting anything, right?” “Just to be sure, lets run through that checklist again: Packs?” Soarin stepped up. “Check.” Wind Surfer rummaged through her supplies. They were to be housed in a pair of weatherproof saddlebags. “Goggles?” “Yep!” “That mask?” “Uh... Yea.” The mask, another gift from Rainbow’s mysterious benefactors was intended to clear any unnecessary debris from her face, in case of a sudden storm. “Food?” “Yep.” “Both maps?” “Check.” They were both maps of the world. The first was a large foldable map, that fit into her saddlebags. Though not very detailed outside of Equestria, it would suffice. The other was a simpler version encased in a band wrapped around her right forehoof. “Watch and Compass?” “Yea.” The watch/compass combination was a gift from a watchmaker in Cloudsdale. Secured around her left forehoof, it would save her time. “Your water pack?” Wind Surfer wriggled. It was indeed secured firmly to her back. “Yep.” “Let me check the straps on your bag.” Spitfire stepped closer, and began tightening the straps on her saddlebag and water pack. “Pay attention now. Thirty seconds left.” “Thanks.” Wind Surfer turned back to the crowds. They had begun counting down. Three... Two... One... On cue, Wind Surfer closed her eyes, and leaned forward. To the astonishment of the thousands of ponies watching her, she fell right off the edge of the balcony. One... She could feel herself begin to accelerate. Two... Her mane and tail whipped around her, and soon found a suitable, streamlined position behind her. Three... A faint bronze vapor trail, the color of the leaf that adorned her flank, began to form behind her. Four... Inhale, exhale. Five... Now. With tiny adjustments from her wings, she streamlined herself into a proper dive, and fully unfurled her wings. The air filled them, and they whipped open to their fullest potential, causing the crowds to gasp with astonishment. She opened her eyes, and sailed high above the crowds, climbing an updraft she found. By instinct, she knew the Wonderbolts were behind her. The wind caressed her mane, more lovingly than she had ever experienced by merely flying. She gained altitude and flew once around the tower, then turned to give the princesses a honorary flyby. Then, with the sun on her back, she set course into the west, and the vast reaches the Everfree Forest. ~The Present~ She realized Spitfire was calling back to her. “What?!” Wind Surfer screamed above the terrific noise the ball lightning was throwing. “Get your flank outta here! We’ll worry about this! You fly up and over!” Spitfire repeated, gesturing wildly. “Got it!” Wind Surfer shouted. She broke formation, just as Spitfire began calling orders to the other Wonderbolts to begin breaking up the massive storm. The remaining weather teams took heed from Spitfire, and began mobilizing their own teams. Wind Surfer quickly found an updraft that seemed to climb the walls of the gigantic column. Glancing down, she could see that the unreal lightning had begun to dissipate with the efforts of the weather teams. Wind Surfer squinted through her goggles, thankful that they greatly reduced the intensity of the flashing lightning, and pressed on, further up the column. Suddenly, she hit a powerful updraft, stronger than the last, and rocketed up into the mysterious heights of the storm. Wind Surfer struggled to keep her wings straight, trying to use the updraft to its fullest potential. Thousands of feet below her, Spitfire risked a glance upwards, to check the safety of the Wonderbolts’ charge. She paused in awe. A bronze column of clouds trailed behind the rapidly receding figure of Wind Surfer. Threaded with lightning of an impossible shade of a darker, richer bronze, the column grew, drawing its strength from the clouds around it. Beyond all reasoning, the cloud remained a streamlined cone of bronze, as it rose up to the unfathomable heights of the storm. Trails of smaller clouds wrapped themselves around the enormous vapor cone, spiraling upwards with it. It suddenly occurred to Spitfire that perhaps Wind Surfer was Wonderbolt material after all. Tearing her eyes from the incredible scene before her, she returned to the task at hand. Oblivious to the spectacle below her, Wind Surfer felt herself accelerating beyond all belief. By now, the walls of the chamber were a single blur of grey, streaked with the occasional yellow flash. She quickly realized that the updraft she was riding was not going to take her up and over the storm, but to the lower limits of the Stratosphere. Twisting carefully, as to not interrupt her forward momentum, she retrieved the specialized debris mask from her saddlebags and put it on.The incessant pattering of water eased, letting her concentrate on the task at hand. First things first. I need a crosswind. Or something, just to get me off of this updraft. Surfer glanced around at first, then realized the fruitlessness of her actions. Scolding herself, she closed her eyes and felt with her wings, probing the air currents. There! Seizing her chance, a deft twist of her wings brought her up off of the central upwelling, and sent her sailing towards the sides of the chamber. Bracing herself, Wind Surfer tucked her wings in, and punched through the wall. For several tense seconds, she wondered if she had miscalculated her altitude. Buffeted around, it would be almost impossible to find the central chamber, and try again. Oh, no... She felt herself begin to fall, buffeted by the furious winds of the storm wall. Abruptly, the winds stopped. Wind Surfer spread her wings instinctively, opened her eyes and looked around. “Woo! Yea!” Triumphant, she performed a quick flip, and surveyed her surroundings. All around her stretched a white mass of clouds, completely still in the glaring sun. If not for her goggles, she would have been blinded. She glanced at her compass to get her bearings, and continued gliding west. It was not an easy task. The air around her seemed dead, completely devoid of motion. Above her, the sky was a sharp blue mass that stretched for miles, fading into the seemingly endless sea of clouds. Looking straight up, the sky darkened, showing the very edge of space. Very likely, she had flown higher than any pegasus had ever done. She also became acutely aware of the biting cold surrounding her. Again thankful for Rainbow Dash’s mysterious friends, the flight suit saw to it that she did not freeze. She risked a glance backwards, and paused in shock at the sheer size of the column she had climbed. Looking up, it remained strong for what seemed a good two miles, before being whisked away by the mysterious upper atmosphere. Rising for another few thousand feet, however, was a rapidly disintegrating bronze cone, laced with lightning. Did I do that? She wondered. It looks amazing! In truth, it was something otherworldly. Taking a deep breath, and continuing west, she became aware of the mask on her face, and the effect it must have on her voice. Grinning, Surfer began talking to herself in what she thought was a very good impression of the villain from a recent hit movie: Alien Ponies from Outer Space. “Fear not small, primitive ponies!” Surfer declared, in as deep a tone she could muster. “We come in piece! We need only to see your leader.” “Lies!” She cried, imitating the story’s main protagonist; a high-pitched squeal, which was difficult to manage through the mask. “You’ve come to kill us ALL!” Wind Surfer was about to respond when a sharp crackle of thunder rattled her thoughts. She froze, and landed on the clouds below. Throwing caution into the wind, she glanced around, trying to locate the origin of the thunder. Inexplicably, a spot of cloud a mere few feet in front of her exploded in a flash of lightning. The goggles and mask, while keeping her vision clear, did nothing for the deafening crash of thunder. On pure adrenaline, Surfer bolted up and away from the source, realized she was flying north, and quickly course-corrected. Surfer cursed, realizing that she had forgotten one of the basic rules of storm flying. The top of the storm is just as dangerous as the storm itself, in that lightning can and will jump from the top, and into the air. You can never predict were the next strike will be, so keep moving, and NOT in a straight line. Double back if you must. How could I have been that stupid?! Wind Surfer mentally kicked herself for her momentary lapse. Come on! Her frantic pace betrayed her fear, as she zigzagged all around the top of the storm. Several rumbles pealed out from behind her, but she paid them no heed. Desperate, she put on an extra burst of speed. Had anypony seen her, they would’ve sworn to Celestia she was flying faster than Rainbow Dash. After several tense minutes of flying, the sounds of thunder began to fade into the distance. Wind Surfer looked below her. Thankfully, the clouds seemed to thin, if only a little. Anything was better than the hellish storm she left behind. She decided against flying into the mass below her. She again began gliding over the clouds, supplementing herself with a downstroke every so often. The downstrokes served a dual purpose: to keep her aloft, and as a natural de-icing precaution. A few hours later, Wind Surfer’s stomach reminded her of the time. She looked around for a suitable patch cloud upon which to rest. Alighting on the cloud, she pulled out a frugal lunch from her pack, and glanced up at the sun, which was now well into its decent in the sky. She finished her lunch, and decided it was high time to begin her decent back within sight of land. Standing up and stretching, she took one last look at the bleak, alien world, and took off. Wind Surfer angled her wings to make a slow flight back below the clouds. It was turbulent, to say the least, as she was tossed by the winds. Though uncomfortable, it wasn’t nearly the same intensity as the storm winds, and she didn’t have to deal with a driving rain. Eventually, the wind petered out, giving way to a gloomy sky. It was almost impossible to see anything through the mass of clouds, so she kept up her slow but steady decent. Thankfully, the grey mass gave way abruptly, showing a slightly less grey Equestria below. Wind Surfer checked her map on her wrist, and saw that she was a few hours outside of Stalliongrad. She kept up her pace, but dropped a few thousand feet, coming in view of the land below. Thankfully, she had left the Everfree Forest behind, and was moving at a swift pace. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A few mindless hours later, the sun was now touching the horizon, and the friendly lights of Stalliongrad came into view. Her spirits lifting, Wind Surfer put on an extra burst of speed, and flew towards the city’s central park. Strangely, it was not green, or even grey. Instead, it was a multitude of different colors, standing out from the rest of the city’s bleak grey buildings. Squinting in the fading light, Wind Surfer realized that the park was filled to capacity with ponies, each straining to catch a glimpse of the pegasus in the making of history. Upon seeing her, a single shout went up and the crowd erupted. The cheering was incredible, to say the least. She alighted on a patch of grass that had been cleared for landing. Wind Surfer glanced around, smiling at the multitude of ponies that were now cheering her name. “Hello, and welcome to Stalliongrad!” A large earth pony with a scroll for a cutie mark trotted up. He had to holler over the noise of the crowd. “You can only be Wind Surfer!” Amazed, Wind Surfer looked around. “Indeed I am! Is this all for me?” She asked, incredulously. “Yes, ma’am! I’m Mayor Scroll! I’ll show you around!” He turned and trotted away, glancing back expectantly. “Oh! R-right!” Wind Surfer fell into step behind him. She was immediately mobbed by the old and young alike. “See here! Will you sign this?” “Wait! Sign my son’s picture of you!” “Sign my daughter’s flank!” Wind Surfer balked. Before she could act though, she was shoved into a veritable firing squad of cameras. “Smile!” “What was it like, flying through that storm?” “Aren’t you tired at all?” Suddenly, the Mayor of Stalliongrad shoved her past the reporters, and to a (somewhat) less busy part of the park. “We’ve arranged for you to visit the local orphanage here in Stalliongrad, just as you requested,” he turned, facing Wind Surfer. “Are you sure you wish to do this? There are plenty of hotels around here who are more than willing to house a celebrity.” “I’m sure,” she said firmly. “Where are they meeting me?” “Right over there.” The Mayor gestured to a group of ponies standing off to the side. Their leader, and likely caregiver, was an older colt whose special talent, it seemed, was creating a home. By now, however, the major reporters had caught up with the pair, firing question after question. “What’s your favorite color?” A single voice stood out from the rest. Wind Surfer searched for its source; it came from a tiny pegasus filly, who stood with the assortment of ponies. “My favorite color? Why bronze, of course!” She responded. Ignoring the other reporters, she strode up to the colt, and introduced herself to the caregiver. The mass of reporters caught onto the cue and fell silent. “I’m Redtail. I run the local orphanage.” He extended a hoof, which Wind Surfer took. “I help these little colts and fillies get ready to face the world!” It was obvious that Redtail was quite proud of what he did. Wind Surfer immediately decided that she liked him very much. “Would you care to show me about the city?” “Why, of course! Follow us!” He turned, and the small group of foals followed him. The filly who addressed her earlier spoke up again. “Aren’t you comin’?” She asked. Wind Surfer nodded, and looked at the Mayor. “I’ll come along as well,” he said. The pair trotted after the group. They were followed everywhere throughout the city. The reporters hung on to every word she said, every comment she made, and every reaction she had. Catching on to this, Wind Surfer decided to use this to her advantage, pointing out various problems in the city’s infrastructure (much to the mayor’s disdain). With a little bit of luck, I could change the whole system of the city... They finally arrived at the orphanage where Redtail and his charges stayed. It was really a beautiful place, complete with a large front yard, an even bigger backyard, and a large house. However, one would’ve never been able to tell it was an orphanage. The fillies and colts bolted into the house, excited to have an esteemed guest visiting. A slightly older filly walked up. “You’ll have to excuse our messes. We weren’t able to clean up the place before you arrived...” She trailed off, embarrassed. “That’s alright.” The filly immediately brightened, and took off for the house as well. A cough from behind interrupted the pegasus’ thoughts. Wind Surfer turned to face the Mayor. “I will be meeting with you tomorrow, right?” he asked. “Yes, in the park. I’ll be leaving at eight’o’clock.” The Mayor turned and left. Wind Surfer finally relaxed, and entered the home. This is what they call a mess? The inside was spotless, even before the fillies and colts had finished cleaning it. She placed her belongings near the door. Glancing around, she could already smell the aromas of a promising meal wafting from the kitchen. Wait- If Redtail’s out here, then- “Some of the teenagers that live here prepare the dinner for everypony else.” Redtail answered her thoughts. Before he could continue, Wind Surfer was seized by the gaggle of foals who immediately began parading her around the house, showing her everything there was to see. “Look at this! Its the drawing room!” A filly pointed into a large room whose walls were covered with drawings, each signed and dated. Apparently, they missed the point of a 'drawing room', and Redtail didn’t have the heart to correct them. “This is where we all sleep! Isn’t it cool?” The group turned her down a hallway, that was clearly designated for bedrooms. “And here’s my room! Do you like Space Ponies? I think they’re cool!” A colt pointed into a room “That’s where I got art cutie mark!” Another filly pointed to a wall, elaborately decorated in crayon. Impressive, thought Wind Surfer. “Here’s where I puked last week! It’s still stained!” A rather proud-looking colt proclaimed. “Oh! Do you like my doll collection?” A filly gestured into a room filled with various dolls in a wide range of repair, from dilapidated, to near pristine conditions. Wow! An slightly older colt had another collection, this one of newspaper clippings. His selection included everything from the local firefighters to the Ponyville Six. “What do you think?” He flipped to the last page, and pointed to the latest addition: Pegasus To Fly Around The World. It was an article from today’s paper. “I added this just before they saw you land.” They reached the end of the dormitory hall. Framed up on the wall was a signed poster of The Wonderbolts. The foals looked at her expectantly, gauging her reaction. Wind Surfer leaned in and began reading the names. Huh?! “I-I don’t recognize any of these names!” She was taken aback. “Well, except one: Spitfire.” “That’s because those Wonderbolts all retired when we were little.” Redtail trotted up behind her. “Remember: Spitfire was the youngest recruit ever. And only because her father lead the squad back then.” “That makes sense now. How did you get that?” “I looked up to them, and waited for my chance. Though I can’t fly, they’re an inspiration to everypony. Come on! Dinner’s ready!” Wind Surfer followed Redtail back down the hallway, into another, larger room that was clearly designated as a dining room. It was filled with a random assortment of chairs and tables each filled with a young pony. They looked at her expectantly. “Um...” “Well? Let’s eat!” Redtail covered her awkward moment. With a flourish, the teens who had been preparing the meal used their magic to deliver it onto the tables, where it was evenly divvied up into portions by the oldest pony there. “Here’s a seat!” Redtail indicated a chair next to his at a makeshift head table. “Dig in!” The meal passed in a blur. Her fatigue had finally caught up with her, and coupled with the constant stream of questions, she was worn out. At the end of the meal, the crowd bade her goodnight, and moved to their rooms. Redtail lead her to the guest room, carrying her belongings with her. “We’ll wake you up, bright an early! Trust me.” He winked. “Goodnight.” “Goodnight. Oh! And Redtail?" "Yes?" "Thanks for everything.” “No problem.” Before settling in for the night, Wind Surfer pulled a small journal she had bought for the journey. Pulling off her flight suit, she settled into her bed, and began to write. Day 1: Stalliongrad Kindness appears anywhere, if one knows where to look. Today I was taken in by an orphanage, was fed and given a bed without a second thought. I hope I can be an inspiration to these fillies and colts. They have quite an opportunity here. I do hope they take advantage of it. They may never hear my story, but I hope they know that I was no different than them. Today was quite the adventure, from some well-spent time with my idols, to the storm of the century. I do believe that I was the first pegasus to ever touch the edges of space itself. To be that close to Princess Luna’s own domain was, electrifying, to say the least. Her very own creation was close enough to touch... And this is just the start of my journey. Tomorrow will be a new day, filled with new adventures. Tomorrow, I will cross the Westernmost border of our fair land of Equestria. I am ready to face whatever may await me across the border.