Wind Chaser

by Thaylien

Chapter 5

Wind Chaser, Chapter 5.

In which they hit the beach.

Yes indeed, just so cliché, I build up the friendships, build up the fun, and then ruin it all with a well placed beach scene. I must be tired, I'm not usually this susceptible to weirdness in my writing.

I've also been reading way too much Through the Eyes of Another Pony, by CardsLafter. If you haven't already started on that, it is unequivocably one of the funniest fictions on the web, and only gets funnier from there. I can't spoil it for you, you have to read it, it's just pure magic to watch this man work. Link here: TTEOAP Your fan-fic reading life will not be complete without it.

* * *

There was a voice downstairs, a colt's voice... Dash rolled out of bed, bouncing slightly on the soft clouds of her floor, and then rubbed her eyes.

"There has to be something Kiri, it's like she has nothing in the house at all!" He sounded... he... Chaser! She bolted for the window, quicker than going down the inside, and zipped back in the front door only to find...

"Dash, did you know that you're completely out of food? I was going to make breakfast, but... what's wrong?" His brow dipped in concern.

"What? Wrong? Me?" She struggled to recover, "Nothing's wrong with me. What, uh, what's wrong with you?" Ugh... nice save genius, hope he doesn't call me on it.

"Well, nothing really, it's just that I thought I'd at least make breakfast, y'know, for letting me stay, but you've got nothing, not a scrap of food up here." The green parasprite buzzed in a little circle next to him, not taking its eyes off her.

"I just... I never eat up here..." She pulled a face, but then regretted it, trying to keep her usual cool face on.

"Never? Well, where do you eat? I'm starving." He cracked that lopsided smile, warm and eager to know.

"Uh... usually at Sugarcube Corner, or I grab something from the market." She didn't really eat breakfast, she wasn't much of a morning pony to begin with. This was the earliest she'd been up in a couple of months.

"Oh yeah?" Chaser gave her a look, as if he could read her thoughts printed on the outside of her head.

"Well, mostly." She countered,

"What about the rest of the day? You've honestly got no food in this kitchen at all." What was that? Was he making fun of her? Well, no, probably not, but why was he pushing?

"I don't cook, so what?" folding her hooves over her chest, she stuck her muzzle in the air, daring him to push further.

"Okay, breakfast out somewhere then. I don't have any money though... Hey, if you cover for me for a day or so, I could probably show you how to make some simple stuff so you don't have to keep buying your meals. I'm kind of a good cook, I'd be happy to help you out. Sound fair?" He paused in his walk to the door, looking down at her,

This was a little weird, the guy obviously hadn't seen her attempts at cooking before, the kitchen in her house was so clean because all she ever did in there was get a glass of water, in case she burned up anything more complicated, like milk.

But... heck, getting him breakfast was no biggie, she had plenty of bits from work, and he could try teaching her to cook if he liked, he probably wouldn't succeed anyway.

"Sure, let's go." Dash felt her usual grin settle into place as she rocketed out the door, leaving him to eat her contrail.

* * *

Princess Luna put down her letter from Twilight with a sigh. A dimensional traveler, deliberately here to help them, but unclear as to when, why or even how his help would be needed... it sounded a bit far-fetched. She would very much like to meet this young traveler, however affairs of state kept her bound while Twilight and her friends, and apparently this 'Wind Chaser' would be moving even further afield on this holiday of theirs, taking the newcomer with them.

On the other hoof, this letter wasn't the one she'd wished to receive, as interesting as it was. Her sister should have arrived at the Úlfur capital last night, but so far not a single message to confirm it...

Strange storms, dimension crossing heroes, and now her own sister not keeping in touch on an important diplomatic mission?

"'Look after the place, it'll be fun, you can make it a learning experience.' Oh how I wish that were the case, sister..."

* * *

"Beach, huh?" Chaser asked after a mouthful of apple cupcake.

"Yeah, Rarity's putting together everything we need, so all we do is show up and carry the bags." This was relaxing, the whole day stretched ahead with nothing but a train ride and some serious fun to interrupt the view. She rolled over on her cloud and kicked her back hooves over the edge.

Chaser's wings were making her jealous again, sort of, it didn't seem to matter which way up he was, just a few wafts of them kept him up and steady. He was watching the ponies below enjoying their mornings, like it was actually interesting to see it all.

She couldn't see the appeal, it was way more fun just to get a nap in before some trick flying.

"Should they be going that fast?" He sounded worried, so she followed his pointing hoof,

"Not that hill again...!" She spotted the carriage, driverless, and careening down the steep hill at the top of Ponyville. It would go for weeks with nothing happening, then, out of the blue, somepony would forget the brakes and end up chasing his own cart to the cliff. "C'mon Chaser, we need to save 'em."

The white pegasus just nodded, righting himself and joining her in a stomach-left-behind dive to the road below.

"GRAB THE TRACES!" She yelled to him over the rush of the wind, already she could see the terrified faces of the four or five ponies in the back of the wagon.

They pulled level, each of them taking one of the long arms in their hooves, "LEFT OR RIGHT?" Chaser yelled to her,

"UP!" She yelled back, starting to climb.

Slowly but surely, the shaking and rattling farm wagon lifted its front wheels, then its back ones, off the ground. "Keep it steady!" She warned him.

All pony transports were made with the idea that a pegasus or two could make it an air transport, so when they hauled on the tracers again, the entire wagon leveled out and followed them through the air. The passengers seemed to start breathing again, and Chaser kept checking back on them, until she gave him something better to do, "Follow my lead, bleed off the speed as we go."

Another nod and he was matching her as she slowed the wagon, curving round in a huge arc and heading back to the foot of the hill where the driver was waiting with awed happiness on his face. His friends, or his family more likely, and his wagon were safe. With a final clatter of wooden wheels and rattly hinges, the two mis-matched pegasus ponies landed back on the road without too much drama.

"Thank you! Thank you!!" The driver insisted on shaking both of them by the hoof, and a younger filly jumped out of the cart and hugged Dash and then Chaser and shyly thanking them both too. The other ponies seemed a little too shaken to do more than wheeze and get their breath back from the fear and adrenaline rush.

"Just doing m'duty." Dash ripped off a cheesy salute and rocketed back into the sky.

"Uh, likewise," she heard her heroic sidekick add hastily, and he followed as closely as he could.

He caught up with her back at cloud level, "Didn't see that coming... Does that kind of thing happen often?"

"Meh, depends. We can go for months between 'em, or sometimes you get two or three in a few days." She reclined on a cloud again, back legs crossed, hoof behind her head and the other lazily waving in the air to emphasise her point. "It's just lucky I'm always around to save their sorry flanks."

"I guess they are," He smirked, and lolled onto another patch of whiteness, parasprite buzzing around him, "what d'you think Kiri? I'm amazed the cloud doesn't tip over from the size of that ego right now."

"You sayin' I've got a big head?!" She got in his face as much as possible without leaving her cloud,

"Yeah!" He laughed, "But it's not like you haven't earned it. That was pretty awesome back there, I'm just glad I could help."

She blushed when she realised he was just teasing, she just hadn't wanted somepony she'd just met to think she was all egotistical about being a hero or anything. She'd learned that lesson at least.

The clock struck the hour, "That the time?" Chaser had an eye trained on the clock tower, "We should head over to Rarity's."

"Let's go then." She agreed, and they took off trailing a rainbow contrail and a vapour burst from the clouds they'd reclined on.

* * *

"Good morning, Princess, I trust you slept well?"

Princess Celestia seated herself at the rather grand dining table in the gathering room of this wing of the palace, a place reserved for dignitaries it seemed, judging by the portraits of official looking members of several different species hanging on the walls.

Pride of place at the far end of the hall was a stained glass window depicting a scene from Úlfur history, she repressed a shudder when she saw that the bottom quarter of the image was stained red to show a pool of blood.

"Well indeed, Margeir, my suite is most elegant, and your servants are exquisitely courteous." It always paid to compliment the help to their master, the good mood was almost always reflected in the service later.

"Splendid." The wolf clapped his paws together and began to tuck into his breakfast politely.

"There is one thing, though," She decided to broach the subject, "I have been unable to send my customary daily letter to my sister in Equestria, would you happen to know why?"

Green eyes widened in effusive surprise, "Oh why yes, of course... yes, that would be it. The palace is warded at all times, but as our magic doesn't match your magic, it would naturally think of yours as alien and prevent it. I must confess it has happened before with a visiting monarch and I beg you to please forgive me for not remembering it sooner. For the mean time, would you be content to pass your letter on to me, that I may send it via our means?"

"Of course, Ambassador, I'm pleased to know that a conflict of magic is all that's behind it, I was starting to fear I'd gone a little strange in the head." She laughed a polite laugh to show the joke, and the ambassador laughed with her out of good manners.

"Here," she levitated the sealed scroll across to his waiting paw and he smiled at her once more,

"I shall see to it that it get's taken exactly where it's needed to be." His tongue tried to loll out of his mouth before he quickly licked it back in again and shut his jaw.

Everything was proceeding as planned.

* * *

"Oh... nevermind." Chaser closed his eyes in frustration and his body seemed to collapse, a shimmer of light and air blurred his outline for a moment and he opened his eyes as a regular earth pony.

Twilight had to admit, that was a neat trick, she had to learn how he did it.

"What? I don't fit in these seats..." He protested as he caught the girls looking at him.

"That's 'cause you're sitting so weird." Dash pointed out,

"So unrefined, darling."

"She's right, y'all do sit kinda funny." AJ snickered,

"Right... I'll try it your way then." He turned his body around and sat down properly, "It's just... I'm comfortable, but my mind says I shouldn't be, y'know?" He sighed.

"Hmm, probably a mental holdover interfering with your perceived proprioception. You did say you weren't a pony before you came here."

"Probably, I mean, where I come from I walk on two legs, not four."

"Pro-pri... ceh... what?" Dash looked confused,

"Pro-pri-o-ception," Chaser enunciated the word, "It's being able to feel where different parts of your body are and be aware of what they're doing. Your hoof-eye coordination is based on how good your proprioception is."

Twilight was impressed, she'd been expecting to have to explain it herself.

"Oh, I think I get it." the pegasus mare thought about it for a bit, "So you're saying that you feel like you should be more comfortable sitting differently, because you used to sit differently before you came here?"

"Got it in one." He smiled.

"Oh look!" Fluttershy pressed her face to the window, "I can see the ocean!"

They crammed themselves to the windows, sliding them open and hanging their heads out into the warm summer air that rushed past. Rarity quickly clapped a hoof to her sun-hat to stop it from blowing away, and they stared in wonder. Even Chaser, who'd seen many things, loved getting his first glimpse of the sea when he went to new worlds. The morning sunshine beamed from behind them, stretching the train's shadow onto the coarse grasses and intermittent sand of the coastal track. Twilight gasped as she took in the vast expanse of water, seeing the blues and greens of it stretching out for miles and miles until they met the sky in a sharp band right at the horizon.

The town of Neighmouth was approaching fast around the long bend of track, a harbour town with the bay full of the colourful sails of yachts and fishing boats.

"I sure hope nothing happens while we're here..." She heard Chaser mutter from the window in front of her, his smile still in place, but his eyes serious as he watched the idyllic little town draw closer. She hoped nothing did either.

Twilight put her hoof out and rested it on Chaser's shoulder, at which he gave her a real smile, to let her know he wasn't feeling down.

"Hey! Don't you know what this means?!" Pinkie waved her hooves, "It's nearly time for ice cream!"

"Boy is it ever!" Applejack agreed,

"I simply must find some time to compare the two most famous ice cream makers in Equestria," Rarity enthused, "Neighmouth and Purbuck ice creams are simply to die for. Even if I will have to watch what I eat for a while afterwards." She fussed with her hat and ducked back inside.

"Who compares?" Pinkie was back inside and rummaging under her seat, "I just want ice cream!" She hauled out a saddlebag bulging with tubs, popped one open with the corner of her hoof and jammed her mouth over it instead. The tub deflated like a juice-box as Pinkie vacuumed the contents, then it popped from her lips and the gluttonous pink face lit up with a grin.

"That was de-licious!" She nearly fell over backwards with her hooves waving for joy, then winced, clutching her head "Oooh... brain freeze..."

Twilight and the others couldn't help but laugh, if nothing else, Pinkie's timing was always perfect.

* * *

"So, Spike..." He kicked a hoof in the sand. It was a beautiful day here, all thanks to the weather ponies of course, but nonetheless, the sun shone brightly, the wide sands glittered and the blue of the ocean was stunning. Ponies were here in plenty, but not enough to make it crowded, everypony had space to run or sunbathe or splash in the surf.

"Wind Chaser." the little dragon gave him a sidelong look, they were both waiting outside the shower block, the girls were taking their time.

"Nice to meet you."

"Likewise."

"Didn't see you on the trip here."

"Nope, I like my journeys quiet, so Twilight let me sleep in the baggage car."

Chaser covered a laugh, "They were a little... enthusiastic. Still, I kinda like 'em."

"Like 'em? Who do you like?" The eye Chaser could see narrowed, Keep it light, he's obviously got a point with this. Kirianna cautioned him.

"Well Twilight's been nice to talk to, she's the only one that sounds like she reads books out of the bunch, and Dash is fun to hang out with, she really... gets the whole flying thing. Applejack's a sweetheart, I really have to admire how hardworking and honest she is. Rarity's nice, but... I kinda half think she's sizing me up for a make-over the whole time, makes me feel a little uncomfortable. Pinkie's a laugh a minute, I half want to sit back and watch her make ponies smile, but half want to join in with all her crazy stunts. And Fluttershy's adorable, but I wish she'd stop hiding from me all the time."

"You don't like Rarity?" He seemed to be testing the idea,

"Well, she's probably a nice girl and all, but I'd rather hang out with Dash or Twilight, they're the ones who're into what I'm into."

"Good, because I've really got this thing for her and-" He smacked his palm over his mouth, blushing through his scales Aww, he's adorable!

"Secret's safe with me, little guy." He winked.

"Phew." the hand came away and wiped imaginary sweat off his brow, "So what's this I hear about flying, anyway?"

"What have you heard?" the white pony answered with his own question.

"Twilight said you can fly, she really wants to run tests on your wings, but..."

"I don't have any?" Chaser chuckled,

"No, I mean, well, unless they're stick-on or something." He seemed to be imagining what stick-on wings would be like.

"No, they're not stick-on," Chaser laughed a little harder, "I can transform. I probably shouldn't do it here, while there are a lot of ponies watching, but it's pretty epic."

"Promise you'll show me later?"

"Guarantee it." the little guy grinned up at him,

"I see you boys are getting along fine." Their heads turned towards Twilight's voice and both jaws dropped.

Applejack chuckled, "Y'know, I'd say they're impressed."

"Naturally, dear, I did put a lot of thought into these."

Say something genius, stop spacing out over ponies! I'm trying, this pony mind has hardwiring...

"You look... amazing..." Spike was floating, eyes the size of saucers and his gaze was locked onto Rarity in awe.

"Wow, that's... yeah..." Chaser managed,

The girls laughed at the two of them, "C'mon, lets find a place for our stuff and hit the surf!" Dash raced to the skies.

"Yes, indeed, Chaser, be a dear and help carry our bags? There's a good boy." Oh, tell me you're not going to just wag your tail and- Chaser smiled, moving at last, grabbing the nearest two bags in his teeth, swinging them to his back, and reaching for more, ... Oh for the love of... that's just... Ugh! Men!

Spike tried to do his part, hauling a bag from the sand onto his shoulder, what he succeeded in doing was spinning himself around and face-planting the ground, the bag landing on top with a rather upsetting thud.

"Here little guy, let me get that." Chaser chuckled and picked up both the bag and the dragon with his teeth, setting Spike down on his feet again with the bag firmly settled over his scaly shoulders.

"Thanks," Spike scrubbed sand from his face and spit out a few stray grains, "you're alright, Chaser, y'know?"

Chaser just nudged him on the shoulder with a grin and followed the girls.

Rarity really had done her work well, he had to admit, and his mind was a little conflicted over it. Always found that the case in worlds where he became a different species. He was a human, and a spoken for one at that, but every time he changed shape it came with a whole new hardwiring of things which sparked 'interest' in a male. A little known fact for humans is that the most common and well received signal a female sends that tips the balance in a man's mind between 'hmm, she looks nice' to 'hmm, maybe I should try asking her out' is whether or not she smiles in his direction, or better yet, if she smiles when their eyes meet. It's a powerful gesture, more so than people realise. But there are some things that a man will always find attractive, shapes, sizes, movements and so on. The same is true for male ponies, and males of every species out there, it's even worse for the sentient ones.

Whatever it was that ponies found attractive, those six had it in spades. Shapely legs, or the right kind of flanks, or necks, manes and tails, even something as simple as height if it came to that. Chaser was having a hard time not staring at anything, even with practice, luckily Rarity had given him a spare pair of sunglasses, so he felt fairly safe in examining the outfits she'd designed.

Twilight was fitted with a night-sky blue one-piece, hugging her lines, matching sunglasses and blue sun hat, which let her horn through at the brim (also served the function of keeping it on if the breeze blew), while her waist was accented by a white strip of fabric tied off at the side. Applejack followed close by with a dark green swimsuit top accented by red lines and some denim 'shorts' that were cut off and artfully ragged around her back legs, her mane and tail had been let loose, probably against her protests, and the stetson set off the look perfectly. Fluttershy wore what appeared to be a light green two-piece swimsuit, the lines oddly seeming revealing, despite ponies thinking clothes were optional, modified by an even paler green sarong affair that rippled in the breeze, her sunhat was a demure white affair with a green trimming and her sunglasses were equally green. Pinkie was finding it impossibly easy to bounce around on the sand... she'd been given a white and baby-blue striped one piece with a childish frill around the hips, she'd lost whatever hat she'd been given long ago, but seemed to be rocking the pale blue sunglasses. Rarity looked to be giving Spike a heart attack with a vivid red one-piece that fastened in layers of thin straps all up her back, a white sarong and white sun-hat and red-trimmed dark sunglasses. Finally his eyes caught up with Dash above them, zipping around like a mad thing, her outfit was a sleek, dark racing suit accented by white lines, her sunglasses were black like his own and she too had 'misplaced' her sun-hat, rainbow mane flying free, her one concession to fashion was a splash of rainbow fabric tied at her waist and running free to her tail on one side, much like a sarong only shorter.

How Rarity had put all this together in such a short time was unknown to him. His own board shorts were a similar mystery, with their printed pattern of the mark from his flank Cutie mark? I'm sure the little ones said that... in thin lines all over them, his tail felt a little odd sticking out from the hole in the back, but he could put up with that for now.

They found a clear spot without bother, although he couldn't believe how far they made him walk, whereupon the saddlebags revealed some surprises that Chaser never expected. Two complete beach umbrellas, some spindly, but comfortable, folding recliners, and beach towels for all of them emblazoned with cutie marks for each, even himself.

"Rarity, I... don't know what to say, how did you manage this?" Chaser shook the towel out and stared at the weaving work.

"Oh hush, fabric's no bother if it's something this simple." She doffed a hoof at him nonchalantly, "And I'd already gotten practice doing the others, even my widdle Spikey-wikey's." Chaser had to cover a surprised laugh as she did the pony equivalent of pinching the dragon's cheek affectionately, giving him a gentle shake. Spike's towel was a green and purple patterned, very teenage, garish looking thing, but he seemed to be... was he cuddling it? Probably.

They spread out, each finding somewhere comfortable, under the shade or out of it, but just when Chaser was getting to appreciate the fun of being at the beach again, a rainbow streak impacted the sand in front of him throwing up a burst of grit.

"Chaser! You and me! Right now! Skyball!"

I wondered why she'd been so quiet... Oh shut it, you're such a pessimist. "Skyball?"

"Cool Star and Tornado are running their mouths up there, I need a second player and you're it."

"Hey Dash! Stop playing with the earth ponies and get a player already!" A purple pegasus stallion with a blonde mane and a twister for a cutie mark hovered above with a smirk on his face,

"Unless you want to bring Fluttershy, but that's your crushing defeat." The one next to him was a bored looking cream stallion with a red mane and a blue five-pointed star for his cutie mark, his voice seemed entirely unconcerned.

Fluttershy cringed a little, making Chaser step between the gentle girl and the invaders, giving them his best 'Did I step in something? No? Oh, you must have been talking.' look. "Personally I think Fluttershy would be more than enough for you two, but I think I'll take it from here. Ladies? I'll be back." He gave the girls a polite nod, and transformed. Right now, in front of strangers, with no fear of revealing the transcendants to humanity? He felt like there should have been some background music playing. Don't worry, I've had Club Foot running in my head since you stood up. Thanks, nice touch.

"You wanted a game? You've got a game." Dash grinned, the white pegasus next to her matching her grin for grin.

* * *

"Come on, brother, why are we waiting?" a growl echoed the thunder,

"Orders." the blue eyed wolf replied,

"That's what I mean! We could have this land under our pads already if only they would give us the word."

"Don't forget, that pony princess tore through our net with barely a thought, if we don't ensure the storm is too strong even for her, we'll never succeed."

"And we have! We could conquer a hundred Equestrias with this massing!"

"No... her sister is here. Young and inexperienced, the Regent claims, but powerful. With her and the pegasus ponies... even this may not be enough." He bayed, sending a collumn of air towering high to force the clouds into even more extreme pressure and charge. The constant friction of maintaining the storm had blasted every tree for miles around with discharging lightning.

"We could still-"

"We wait for orders! Until the trap is ready to spring, it would mean our heads to spring it early."

Amber and blue eyes held each other's gaze for tense seconds, and then parted to tend to the monster they had created.

* * *

Ahh, first chapter of the year, it feels good... not as long as some of the previous ones due to wall-o-description, but that's not important. I hope you're enjoying, because I'm loving getting this out of my system...

Also? 2012, Make It Happen. The Year of Friendship