> Out of the Blue > by moribundbunny > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Chapter 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rainbow Dash blinked. She had been daydreaming again as she sat on the bench outside her floating house. She realized that time had certainly gotten away from her as she watched the sun set on the distant horizon. By this time the magnificent orange glow that painted the clouds above was fading, and a gloomy purple now took it's place. Rainbow rubbed her eyes and observed the stunning view. "This is why living in the sky is so awesome." she thought to herself. She began to doze off as the celestial body continued to sink lower and lower in the sky. Even as the last beams of sunlight dipped below the mountains, Dash saw a streak of blue light shoot across the sky to the north. She blinked, rubbed her eyes again, and looked back up. "Am I seeing things?" she thought. There, it was unmistakable this time. It almost looked like a shooting star. There was definitely something up there. Eager to investigate, Dash flapped her wings and flew towards the strange streak of light. She flew up above the cloud layer and had a look around. The full moon lit up her surroundings but she could see nothing unusual in any direction. Dismayed, she felt like returning home. It was getting late after all. All of the sudden, a bolt of piercing blue light flashed across Rainbow's eyes. With a triumphant grin, she gave chase. It appeared to be a mile or two away, but that was nothing for Dash. Her body was streamlined, her hooves outstretched, her wings curved for maximum speed. She could see that streak of blue now. It was moving fast, but Dash was moving faster. Soon she would overtake it. The wind that blew in her face and through her fur was cold, but she enjoyed it. It was exhilarating, she felt alive. When she flew, the whole world disappeared as if she was floating in a sea of clouds. All that mattered was the rhythmic thumping of her heart, the wind rushing through her mane, and the roaring in her ears. This was peace and solitude for her. But tonight it meant something different, and she was about to find out what. She had almost caught up with the mystery she had been chasing when she noticed something surprising. She caught a glimpse of a familiar looking silhouette. "It's another pony!" she realized. Not just any pony either. From what she could see this pony didn't just have wings, it had a horn as well. Confused, Dash flew even faster to catch up. The air resistance was so intense that she was certain she'd be losing several feathers. The sacrifice was rewarded however, for she could now see who she had been pursuing. The moon shone down upon a dark blue mare with twinkling mane to match. Rainbow recognized her instantly, "Princess Luna?" she shouted above the wind. Evidently, the princess hadn't heard her, for she continued flying without paying any heed to Rainbow's call. Dash wondered what in Equestria she was doing out here. She also never realized that Luna could fly so fast. Coming up behind her, she shouted again "Hello? Luna?" Again receiving no response, Dash took to more aggressive methods. Pulling up to her left side she brashly shouted, "Hey, Princess! Anybody home?" At this, Luna turned her head and gazed sternly in Rainbow's direction. Dash immediately realized that she had been a bit rash and was about to apologize when Luna winked at her. She then took a sharp right and headed straight for a billowing storm cloud. Dash was a bit taken aback, but regaining her senses, she cautiously followed the princess as they made their way into the storm. Upon reaching the edge, Luna turned around and faced Rainbow. Dash halted and hovered for a moment, waiting for Luna to explain herself. "What are you doing out here Luna? Shouldn't you be in Canterlot?" Rainbow asked. Luna ignored her and simply gestured at the storm cloud with her horn. With no further warning, she sailed straight into the cloud and disappeared. Dash took this to mean, "follow me." and flew in after her. It was dark and wet inside the storm cloud. Rainbow Dash could feel every raindrop violently smack against her skin as she sped through. It made her feel tingly all over. The wind had picked up and, every now and then, Dash was thrown back and forth as if she was inside a raging cyclone. Every few seconds lightning would flash and reveal Luna. Sometimes just a few feet away, sometimes far in the distance. Dash was cold, wet, and tired. She hoped desperately that they would be out of this storm soon. Suddenly a lightning bolt struck barely 30 feet to her left. The thunder that came with it was so loud, Dash thought she might never hear again. She closed her eyes, and visualized herself floating. Just floating through a peaceful sea of clouds. She tried to block out everything else, the rain pelting her skin, the wind roaring past her ears, and the lightning blinding her with every blast. And for a moment, she was there. There was nothing, only Rainbow Dash. She stayed that way, alone with just her thoughts, for what seemed like an eternity. "Rainbow Dash!" came Luna's voice, strong and clear. Dash opened her eyes quickly and saw that she was still inside the storm. A strike of lightning gave her to know that Luna was close at hand. She had a feeling that they were almost through. And as it happened, she was right. In one glorious moment she burst through the other side and was greeted by the brightness and hospitality of the beautiful full moon. After all she had gone through, Dash couldn't help but feel giddy despite herself. "Luna, that was so awesome!" she exclaimed. But Luna wasn't there. In fact, as Dash came to realize as she looked around, Luna was nowhere to be found.