//------------------------------//
// Chapter Six 
// Story: Turbulence 
// by Kody910 
//------------------------------//

Adrenaline pumping and blood rushing through your veins. It was a feeling you weren't fond...at least, at the moment.

Of course, it's a rather odd feeling. It's not every day you're being chased by the self-proclaimed 'best flyer in all of Ponyville.' Then again, considering her resume, that may not just be a self-made title. You don't know whether to be honored or frightened to have her chasing you.

"Get back here, you!"

Oh, right. Frightened.

Thanks to Thunderlane, you and Dash were forced into being enemies. Not so much enemies as you were rivals. That stupid CloudCam hasn't left you alone, and apparently finds your little chase scene here fascinating. As long as that thing is following you, you can't simply stop and talk with Dash. Any sort of fraternizing with the enemy results in disqualification, so your only option right now is to run.

You made your way out of the fog-infested area in which Rainbow had lost her flag. You didn't want to take a chance at getting ambushed in there. You already had your hooves full dealing with her. Thankfully, she wasn't putting up a huge fight, and you could tell she was trying to keep you in the game. If she really wanted to catch you, she probably could.

Instead, the two of you were playing a sort of game for the viewing audience. You had been flying for several minutes, just trying to look convincing for the camera. Whatever you two were doing, the audience must have loved it. The camera wouldn't let up chasing after you two.

"I'm gonna get you!" You hear Dash call out. You could hear the falsehood in her voice. She had been yelling like that ever since this game of cat-and-mouse started. You hoped her voice was muffled as far as the camera's sound was concerned, otherwise it wouldn't be hard to tell she was faking it.

Of course, the age-old obstacle of clouds was growing more annoying than it was useful. With most of the viewing audience probably knowing how good of a flyer Dash is, she couldn't simply lose you around a turn. She had to make this believable, lest you both be kicked out of the game and lose your chance at Thunderlane's defeat.

You still don't know if Dash's intentions behind breaking his record were honorable or not. Then again, if she only wanted her record back, why would she be letting you live? She would have no use for you now, seeing as she's out of the game. With both her and Thunderlane having been eliminated, would she really even care about the record at all, seeing as neither of them have a chance at improving upon it?

You still weren't sure, and there was still just a bit of doubt in your mind. For whatever reason, she wasn't taking you down yet. Until you had those answers, you figured it would be best to just continue along with the game.

At this point, you found yourself reentering the Falls Field. The number of rainbow-colored obstacles and strange absence of clouds confirmed that. As much as you would adore taking in the sights of the pastel-colored playground, the goose chase you found yourself involved in prevented that.

You realize that leading her in here was a bit of a bad move on your part. Rainbow Dash had supreme knowledge of this field, and could use it to its fullest in striking you down. She could take you down in a heartbeat if you let the candy-colored field get the better of you. Then again, perhaps that knowledge could come in handy...

You consider heading towards the Multicolor Maze again. Until then, you focus on avoiding being turned into a lollipop again. Weaving your way around the incoming pools of rainbow, you effortlessly glide around every incoming obstacle. Though the rainbow falls could potentially be more dangerous, there were nowhere near as many of them as there were clouds in the Fair Field. 

Without even looking back, you know Dash was having as little trouble as you were. Knowing this wouldn't be near enough to shake her off your tail, you focus only on getting to the Multicolor Maze. If memory serves you correctly, a CloudCam won't follow you in there, giving you at least a little leeway on making some sort of plan.

Within seconds, you spot the giant maze floating in the sky, its colors glistening in the sunlight. Without wasting time, you direct yourself towards one of the entrances and dive right in, your pursuer in tow. Looking back, you see the CloudCam hovering near the entrance, refusing to follow. You figured they were programmed to avoid this place. Couldn't have clouds getting lost in the maze, now could they?

You turn a corner and continue to fly at a slower pace, allowing Rainbow to catch up to you. When she rounds the corner, she slows down to match your speed.

"Okay, we're good for now...." She says with a pondering look on her face.

"So why should I believe you about Thunderlane?" You ask, not wasting time.

"Seriously!? Is now the best time for this?" She replies curtly.

"Yes! Now, before we have to start running again!"

"But, I...Ugh, fine!" She throws her hooves up in frustration before continuing. "Did you know Thunderlane has a little brother?" You shake your head. "His name's Rumble, and he's pretty torn up over this."

"Wait, what?" You respond.

"Yeah, Thunderlane even brags to his little bro about it. Rumble hates it, and he himself asked me to break the record! He thought it might make Thunderlane a little less, y'know...a little less of a jerk."

"And why should I believe you?" You ask skeptically.

"Ugh, short of bringing Rumble here to tell you, I can't prove it, alright? You just have to believe me when I say I'm not lying to you!" She's almost yelling at this point. Even with what would be a solid reason, you still were a bit unsure.

You open your mouth to respond, but you're stopped at the sound of approaching wings. Rainbow seems to notice it as well, and simply mouths the word 'run.' Without thinking, you turn and begin flying away from the mare. You can hear her following suit, and when you look back, you see two more ponies had joined in the chase. Great, like you needed more pressure. At least they were lagging behind Rainbow.

Looking forward again, you see multiple turns coming up. You realize how bad of an idea this was on your part now. You have no idea how to get through this maze! Panicking slightly, you only hope that you can get lucky and escape by some miracle.

Suddenly, you feel your left hoof getting slapped. Without a second thought, or much of a choice, you turn to the left down a tunnel. Looking back, you see Rainbow nodding slightly. Was she guiding you through the maze?

Bringing your eyes forward again, you simply continue down the corridor of colors. It was almost like you were going to have an epileptic episode, what with all these colors bombarding your retinas. Fighting off the slight nausea from the rapid-flashing tunnels, you continue forward.

Another fork in the tunnel was coming up. You slow down ever so discreetly to allow Rainbow to catch up again. Once you heard her getting very close, you felt a solid hit on your right leg. Taking the hint, you speed up and head down the right turn. Glancing back, you see Rainbow had fallen behind a bit, and the other two ponies were still in pursuit of you.

The two of you continue this system of slow down, directions, and speed up through most of the maze. Each turn you took, you noticed the two unwanted pursuers were falling behind more and more. You kept it up, and gradually your hopes began to build, thinking you might make it out of the maze unscathed.

With another slap on your left hoof, you turn down the corridor without a second thought. You cringe slightly at the sight before you. A flag-less mare was hovering in midair ahead, waiting to ambush you!

You had to think fast. You can't tackle her, you can't turn around, and you can't simply turn into another path. With very limited options, you come up with a risky plan. You kick it up a notch and speed right toward her, not letting up. Her face contorts slightly with fear, but she doesn't back down. With uncertainty in her features, she continues to hover in your way.

You aren't giving in though, and hope that your pseudo bluff works. You continue to speed toward her. She was growing closer at an incredible rate. Just when you are but a few feet from her, she gasps and shuts her eyes out of fear. 

That's your cue! At lightning speed, you twist yourself into a spin. You pulse your wings right as you go upside-down, and continue to spin. Once you're upright again, you tuck your wings in. Touching down on the bottom of the tunnel, you immediately bring yourself into a running position. Glancing back, you see the mare was just turning around to give chase, only to see her get thrown out of the way by Dash.

She brings herself into a reverse-flying position, her back facing you, and yells back. "He's mine!" If this were any other scenario, this wouldn't be as weird to hear.

Looking forward again, you see the exit to the tunnel is fast approaching! Kicking it up a notch, you race for it. Reaching the ledge, you jump off and bring yourself back into flight. You only hope that another CloudCam wouldn't end up chasing yo-

"You're not getting away from me!"

Why would Dash say something so cheesy? Unless... You glance back. Yep. A CloudCam was following her again.

Rolling your eyes at the persistent paparazzi pursuer, you fly a bit faster. At least you lost your followers from the tunnel. You hoped they could make their way out of the maze intact.

You suddenly begin to hear a loud, low-pitched siren. Strange, that was never mentioned in the opening ceremony. Is there some kind of emergency going on?

Looking up towards the sound, you see a gush of rainbow liquid falling right at you. Without thinking, you throw yourself into a barrel roll and narrowly dodge the incoming fall. Without slowing down, you look up. A large cloud with multiple ports on its underside was releasing new falls. The ports were numerous, and seemed to only serve the purpose of being a new obstacle. You curse the sick, otherworldly force who decided to throw these in your way.

Your multitasking skills are being put to the test now. You have to keep your eyes forward to avoid any existing falls. You look up constantly to keep a lookout for any new falls being released. You have to dodge any incoming falls. And to top it all off, you keep Rainbow's position in check, lest you get caught by her. All in all, a thrilling experience.

The falls overhead were being released in rapid succession. Why would they pick such a perfect time to let these things loose? You don't know, but you do know that you hate it. You prayed to Celestia that one of these falls would at least strike the CloudCam and get rid of it for you. Screw the budget, you want some mercy!

Through all the twisting and weaving around falls, you realize that your flight path had changed drastically. The Multicolor Maze was no longer behind you. Instead, it was to your left. How did this happen, and if you are this off-course, where's Rainbow?

At least one of these questions would be answered in the near future. Winding your way around another newly released fall, you suddenly find yourself face-to-face with Rainbow Dash.

Before you even get the chance to speak, you are suddenly hit by a torrent of water from above. Or, rather, a torrent of rainbow. Snapping your eyes open, you can't see anywhere in the thick liquid. With absolutely no sense of direction, you force yourself into a clumsy swim, just hoping to escape the fall.

After a few seconds of a less-than-graceful swim, you manage to get out. You rub your eyes and rapidly flap your wings to dispel the sticky liquid. Rainbows never were the best material to bathe in. After a second of flapping, you're able to keep yourself afloat in the air.

You turn around to the fall, only to be greeted by a rainbow-covered body flying at you.

After a rather painful collision, you and your attacker are sent spiraling downward. Both of you scream as you plummet, and you have absolutely no idea which way is what, further disorienting you. A few seconds of unguided falling pass before the two of you collapse onto a cloud. To your left is a pool of rainbow which lazily pours over the edge.

Your attacker lifts herself up and shakes her body, throwing rainbow-matter every which way. Some of it lands on your face, which you wipe off with a spare hoof. Once she had cleared her face to an acceptable state, she looks into your eyes.

The two of you go silent. This seemed like a familiar scenario.

With a rather noticeable blush on her face, she simply stammers for a few seconds. Why were her wings halfway unfolded? You noticed you had a warmth in your cheeks as well. Why did this seem to be such a common theme for you today?

A sound from behind her catches the attention of both of you. A CloudCam decided to broadcast this little scenario to the world. What was possibly one of the most awkward moments in your life, on your back with a rather cute mare on top of you, both of you soaking wet, is now live for every pony in the world to see. Wonderful.

She bites her bottom lip, knowing what was behind her. "Er, aha! I've got you now!" She exclaims, feigning victory in her voice. "This will all be over quick!" 

She begins to reach for your flag. You needed to think, and fast. A bit of a difficult task considering your situation. Even then, options were short on supply. With hitting her out of the question, you had to think of some way to get her off of you in a believable fashion.

"Don't try anything fishy now!" She says, her hoof dragging your flag from underneath you. Think, dammit, think! What can you do? The cloud under your back is solid as stone, so you can't simply hope to bore through it. Time was running out!

"Don't try anything fishy now!" She repeats, emphasizing the word fishy. Her hoof was now wrapping around your flag, prepping to tear it off. Come on, think! What could you do!? Something tricky, something devious, something...fishy.

What's that word that rhymes with fish? Well, sort of rhymes with it? Dish? Bliss? Miss?

...Oh no. Is that really all you can do? Is there no other way?

Doesn't look like it. Whether or not you and her would enjoy this, you know she will kill you for it.

With as much reluctance as you could possibly bear, you bring your lips forward and lock them with hers. Her eyes go wide and she brings her head back slightly, but not enough to break it off. Her wings shoot up with an audible 'pomf,' and her body locks up. Just before you close your eyes, you can see her face has turned red as a rainbow.

She tasted sort of like berries. A mixture of all kinds, that somehow blended harmoniously into something sweet. Something,  dare you say it, delectable. Almost like a rainbow of flavors. You dared not try anything with your tongue though, lest you get your skull ripped off.

After a few seconds, you pull away. Your cheeks are warmer than the sun, and rightfully so. She wasn't even looking at you. Her eyes were focused on nothing in particular, just staring off into the distance. Her wings were completely rigid, and her body was frozen in place.

"You...I....we just...uh..." She stammers helplessly, unable to form a sentence consisting of more than a few words.

"Ah...heh heh!" You chuckle helplessly. Taking the opportunity, you quickly slide out from beneath her. Standing up, you flap your wings and bring yourself into the air. She hasn't moved a muscle, and it doesn't look like she will for some time. Not wasting time, you fly off, with your flag intact.

At least the CloudCam was generous enough to not follow you, if only so it could broadcast someone else's embarrassment.