//------------------------------//
// Dash 
// Story: Brotherhood is Magic 
// by GauntletsofRai 
//------------------------------//

	Dionysius, or Dash as he like to be called, sat sullenly on the edge of the high wall that surrounded the observatory atop the mountain formally know as the 'Cloud Vale.' He looked up at the clouds that hung just a few feet above his head and gave a sigh of discontent. He had been assigned to manage the observatory that the seers used to study the night sky and divine the future. When you lived in the Cloud Vale, you either gained 'the foresight' and became a seer, or you joined the Equestrian National Guard. And since Dash had about as much foresight as a fish had legs, he was immediately shipped off to the Guard's training camp. He had soared through the ranks, beating all the other recruits in the areas of physical prowess. But he was so fast, that he was banned from the racing track. He was so good with a bow, that he had been banned from the archery contests just to keep it fair. And he was so competitive, that he was finally banned from the practice fields all together after he almost killed a new recruit with a fatal neck blow. General Hollding, the master of arms,  had declared his training complete, if only to get rid of him. I really didn't mean to hurt the kid, honest! Dash had checked on the recruit every hour of every day for four days straight to see if he was okay, but that hadn't changed the fact that he was a reckless hothead.      
Since Dash wasn't old enough to join the Guard yet, he was biding his time doing menial tasks while he was still banned from the practice field. His least favorite being that he had to 'manage' the observatory, which he thought was the most stupid job ever, since no one even used it during the day. He spent most of the week sitting around and moping on the wall, looking down the steep mountainside, or up at the clouds. What he wanted more than anything though, was to fly. It was a big pastime  with the people of the Vale to fly on their specially crafted gliders that floated on the wind. Most times they were used to get a closer look at the clouds in order to form various weather predictions, but they were also invigoratingly fun to ride. Last time Dash flew his glider while he was at his 'post', General Hollding had given him an annoyingly long lecture about responsibility in the battle field, and had made him scour the chain mail in the armory until sundown, which was much later than sundown at the bottom of the mountain, due to it's monolithic height.     
Dash renewed his anger at this injustice as he saw three gliders fly by the mountainside, coasting on the updrafts of thermal air that escaped from strategically placed crevices in the mountain. He pushed a hand through his flamboyantly colored hair, done in stripes of each color of the rainbow, denoting him as an honorary member of the Color Guard; a special forces squad that led the most covert operations. He had been promised a position due to his abilities as soon as he reached the age of 19, which was considered the age of military acceptance. He had fought with the General about this, but the law strictly prohibited him from joining until he was of age. Needless to say, the specially made tunic of cyan blue for his house color, with a rainbow stripe down the spine and sleeves, had quickly lost its luster after the first few weeks of menial chores.    
"Look at those amateurs. I could fly circles around those kids!" Dash looked down at his glider, a staff-like piece of sturdy wood about seven feet long, with fan-like wings that folded neatly to the sides when not in use. He was tempted to take it and jump, right here and now, and show those kids a few things about what REAL flying was all about. There was no doubt that Dash was the best flyer in all of the Cloud Vale, but he liked to remind people as often as he could. After all, he knew where each of the updraft channels were, and could easily fly around the mountain and back up again in ten seconds flat, without the General being any the wiser. Jumping at the challenge he just gave himself, Dash picked up his glider and extended the wings, which shot out to either side. He reconsidered for a moment as he looked down the steep mountainside, but the feeling passed as he shoved his feet and hands into the stirrups and jumped into the wild blue yonder.       
Flying was like nothing else in the whole world. The sensation of falling overwhelms you at first, but when you pull up and ride the draft of air beneath you, you feel invincible. Faster than the winter winds, Dash zoomed across the face of the mountain, going diagonally so as to curve around the contour of the mountain. As he hit the first updraft, he shot straight up into the air, shouting with adrenaline fueled ecstasy as he shot through the clouds. As he leveled out, he turned to the right and headed down towards the next updraft, and saw the three amateurs from earlier. Feeling particularly showboat-ish, he caught the updraft and headed straight towards the middle of their sloppy flight formation. He pulled his wings in and did a wicked corkscrew as he shot between them, breaking their pattern. He pulled his wings back out and turned to see their faces, but what he saw made his smile drop faster than a rock thrown off a cliff. General Hollding was coming around the mountain on his own glider, just above the cloud level. OH SHIT.              
Dash banked hard to the left in order to put himself out of the General's line of sight. He hugged the side of the mountain, catching the updrafts as he went. But it was no use, since the General would see that he was not at his post before he had time to get back up to the observatory. He thought hard about what to do, struggling to hit the updrafts while at the same time making sure he wasn't too close to the mountainside. He swerved too far to the right and missed his next updraft, sending him lower and lower by the second. He strained his watering eyes, looking for a vent nearby, but the last one was the only one for another three miles on this side of the mountain. A vicious blast of air bore down on Dash's back, driving him down even further. He fought to keep his position against the wind without hitting the mountainside, straining against the wings of his glider.   
Just as he was about to give up hope, an idea struck him. He could free-fall for a few hundred feet, and then catch the first of the updrafts on the side of the mountain and ride the rest of them back up. It was risky, but it was the only option he had right now. He would most definitely get chewed out harder than ever, but punishment was a small price to pay for not dying.                 
He pulled in his wings and dropped like a stone, still hugging the side of the mountain. He searched for the vent on the mountainside; a dark crevice with a wooden scaffold on the outside. he spotted it immediately and opened his wings ever so slightly to push him in the vent's direction. He opened his wings to catch the full breadth of the updraft and a sudden wind caught him from his underside and pushed him away from the mountain. He screamed as he began to spiral out of control towards the ground. By the time he had regained his balance, he was dangerously close to the tree line that ended with the property of the local apple orchard. He pulled up on his wings as hard as he could in order to catch the wind and slow down, but just as he was inches from the ground, a man in a purple tunic, holding a staff, and another taller man in an orange jacket stepped out of the orchard into the open air.      
Dash tried to yell and warn them, but his voice stuck in his throat as he made a b-line towards the purple clothed one, who he now recognized as a wizard. He braced for impact as he soared straight towards the wizard, but instead of hitting a solid mass like he expected, he had the sensation of belly-flopping on the still surface of a pond. The force of the impact was cushioned considerably as Dash and the wizard both hit the ground, the force field stopping what would have been a nasty and fatal collision.       
"What the hell?" The large man with the straw-colored hair lifted Dash off of the wizard, who laid groaning on the ground. Dash shook himself before he blacked out, and looked down to see that, thankfully, his glider had not been broken in the crash. Dash disentangled himself from the large man and brushed himself off, wincing at the various bruises that covered his body.   
The wizard grabbed his staff and propped himself back up into a standing position. "Where did you even come from?" 
Dash kicked his glider upwards with a flick of his foot and caught it with his outstretched hand. "Just a flying mishap, happens all the time. Now if you'll excuse me, I gotta go."  
The taller one stepped in front of him, blocking his path. "Just who are you, anyways?"      
Feeling cornered, Dash shot back with a retort. "Wouldn't you like to know?"      
The wizard spoke up, tapping Dash on the shoulder with his staff. "You wouldn't happen to be Dionysius of the Cloud Vale, would you?"    
Dash brushed the staff away with apparent disgust. "It's Dash, first of all. Second, how did you know who I am? You want an autograph or something?"     
The wizard tried to hide what appeared to be disgust on his face. "I noticed you're part of the Color Guard. Princess Celestia has requested that you accompany us on a quest to the North, to investi-"    
"Psh, yeah right. Why would the Princess choose ME for a quest? I'm not even officially part of the Guard yet."      
"I don't question the Princess' decisions. I'm Thomas, by the way. This is Jack, he owns Sweet Apple Acres. He and three others will be joining our quest."                                          
Dash eyed the both of them suspiciously. He wasn't one to jump into something he wasn't sure was even real. "You got some kind of proof this is a real quest?"    
The wizard Thomas pulled out a scroll with a royal solar seal on the outside."Alright, I guess that looks pretty real." Although Dash couldn't deny that the documentation was real, he was still wary of the two men before him. "Just let me get my stuff, and I'll be right with you guys."   
"Sounds good. Meet us and the rest of the team at the Mannsville north gate at noon." Thomas held out his hand for a handshake, and Dash grasped it and shook. The big one, Jack, reached out his hand as well. Dash grabbed his hand and squeezed back as hard as he could, rivaling the large man's vice-like grip. They went silently at it like this for a few seconds, sizing each other up, before Thomas broke them up with a cough of impatience. Dash walked away, trying hard to keep his pride intact, and jumped into the air on his glider.       

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"What a hothead." Jack shook his head as the rainbow striped menace flew off.    
Thomas muttered under his breath. "let's hope the rest aren't as big of ass holes."   
"Pardon?"   
"Oh, nothing." Thomas pulled out the scroll once more and looked at the names on the list. He pondered for a while as the two resumed their pace down the road towards the village. "The next person on the list is Roald Westmorland. It says he owns... a clothing store?"     
"Hey, I know him. He made this jacket I'm wearin' right now. He even added my fam'ly crest, free of charge!" Jack pointed to the group of three red apples that was masterfully stitched onto the breast of his orange jacket. "Come to think of it, he just happens to be a wizard, just like you!"    
Thomas rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he walked along the road. It would be interesting to meet another wizard such as himself. He had often encountered other wizards at Camelot, but had never knew any of them besides his professors personally. I wonder if he knows any advanced magical theory? The rest of the way to the village, Thomas became more and more excited at the prospect of meeting a wizard he could discuss magic with. Not that Jack wasn't good company, but let's face it, he knows as much about magic as a, well... apple farmer.           

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