//------------------------------// // Chasing Rainbows // Story: So, You've Grown Wings // by Steel Resolve //------------------------------// Celestia sped towards the streak of colors. She couldn't help but grin wildly, she hadn't really stretched her wings in centuries. Her advisers insisted she be carted everywhere, apparently the people felt their Princess should be pampered. She snorted in derision, she could out fly any of the pegasi on her staff. Only one alive had given her pause recently, the mare she was chasing now. She had truly admired this mare's ability, the Sonic Rainboom was legendary for a reason. Pegasi had strived for it for centuries, little realizing the origin of the legend had not been a pegasus at all. Celestia did not wish to spoil anypony's dreams, it took her powerful wings and magic to do it. Or it had, until the Element of loyalty looked down to see a friend in danger. That single act had outclassed every other competitor in the Best Young Flyers competition, even allowing for her earlier flubs crashing into cloud columns and nearly destroying Celestia's own viewing box with that spinning cloud. Celestia could have gone after Rarity herself that day, and in fact had sent the Wonderbolts to help initially, but when she'd seen the signs of the cone forming at Rainbow's muzzle her attention had been rapt. Could she do it? Could an ordinary pegasus break the barrier? She tried to remember... had Tornado been this fast? She couldn't recall if she was or not. She held a hope in her heart, a bit selfish really, but it had been so long since she'd really had a challenge. Celestia had not raced in eons, but her muscles did what they had always done when she prepared for a race. She flexed her great wings, then she examined the cyan mare streaking across the sky exclaiming in delight. A fine pegasi, yes; a wonderful friend, no question; courageous, without a doubt. But could she race? Really race? Please, Celestia thought. It has been so long since I have been tested, let this mare test me. Let her be a glorious racer. Let her be both quick and fast, smart and agile. Give her a matchless mind for tactics, stunts the equal of mine. Please, please, it’s been so long: let her be a master! Rainbow Dash looked back, she could make out a pursuer... Pinkie Pie? No, Pinkie had quickly grown bored with racing, she had a party to plan. "Hey, whoever you are, if you think you can keep up with me you've got another thing coming!" Celestia had to smile. No one had directly challenged her in so long and it was thrilling! She let the cyan mare maintain her lead, let her build up courage, dodging gracefully between the clouds, letting her wings alone maintain the distance. Then her horn glowed and she was behind the nearest cloud, the cyan mare had not expected it and was slow reacting. Celestia flashed immediately out from the cloud, spiraling in a barrel roll around Dash, and the mare slowed, faltered, got her equilibrium, continued moving away. Dash looked back. "Celestia? Oh this is gonna be good! Okay princess, you want a race you got it!" Celestia was impressed with the quickness of the return. Most mares the size of Rainbow Dash would have gone down in a nosedive or, at the least, been severely impaired by the wake of her air currents. The mare did neither; she simply adjusted, gave a mighty beat to accelerate through the wake, and continued flying. They were moving parallel to a giant cloud-bank now, and the fluffy clouds pegasi would normally gather for larger storms were behind them, mostly. The mare was slowly being led toward a group of large storm clouds, for Celestia was anxious to see how well she moved when quarters were close, when you could not maneuver with total freedom. She continued to lead, and then the clouds were surrounding them. Celestia suddenly threw her body against a nearby cloud, rebounded off it with stunning force, lunging with incredible speed. She had hurt the mare's pride, tickling her with her wing, along the left side. A touch was all. But it was humiliating. Immediately the mare increased her speed, getting her position away from the storm system, getting out into the open air. Celestia raced on, not bothering to try to check the other mare's flight; there would always be time for that later. Then Rainbow pulled off a set of stunning tricks, they came with no warning and the speed and intensity were terrifying. Her wings flashed in the light again and again, Celesta was only too delighted to watch. She was not entirely familiar with the style of the stunts. She could hear the mare chanting their names as she performed them. Rainbow Dash sped about, showing off for the princess that had just outperformed every show the Wonderbolts had ever done. "Here's the "Super Speed Strut"!" she said, moving at a speed only another Alicorn could match, much less follow visually, and casually strutting her legs as she did so. "The Fantastic Filly Flash!" Here she rose high into the air and dove into a nose-dive, She recovered and her sudden acceleration created a flash in her wake. "Here's one I just thought of! I call it the "Sonic Tornado Boom", okay the name needs work but just watch!" She began by flying at a dizzying speed in a circular motion, creating a raging tornado from the surrounding clouds. Somehow the tornado had rainbows flowing throughout it. It made for a beautiful, if somewhat terrifying, sight. Dash rose high into the air and dove into the center at a previously unheard of speed. At the center of the raging tornado she broke the sound barrier with such force it seemed to rip the air itself. Celestia could smell ozone and see clouds bursting out of the formation in an explosion of sound and color. She then spotted a cyan mare falling to the ground. She sped to her and caught her gently. "Gotcha!" She whispered. "Come, my little pony, we have a party to attend." ------------------------------------------------- Author's note: Large portions of this chapter are an adaption to the sword fight in the novel The Princess Bride: a 1973 fantasy novel written by William Goldman. No plagiarism is intended, I simply think that scene is made of pure awesome and I wanted to write something racing and stunt related similar to it.