//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Fast, Faster, Rainbow Dash // Story: My Little Pony: Horizon Adventures // by RushingWind-01 //------------------------------// So you dared. Why am I saying that? Because you love exciting adventures and you can never get enough of them. My name is Racer, Boss of Horizon Australia and Horizon Champion by my mark. Or rather, former Horizon Champion. I have to tell you something to take with you. Before this Festival became one of the best, there was a time where the ponies never had contact with Horizon. And through several incidents, five ponies have made first contact with Horizon Australia, each of them in a unique adventure. I'm going to tell you the stories that the ponies experienced in Horizon. It's called 'The Horizon Adventures'. The first story resolves around a Pegasus, whose incredible need for speed drove her into Horizon and almost into her undoing. And of course, I'm referring to none other than Rainbow Dash. It all started when Rainbow Dash drank a potion from Twilight Sparkle, a so-called 'Talent Enhancer', that greatly increased her strength and speed. Amazed by this astounding effect, she wanted to pull something off that nopony before her ever did. She wanted to go twice the speed of sound and therefore create a Double Rainboom. And as she was diving down and gaining more and more speed, it looked like she could fulfil her target... Twilight Sparkle appeared near a forest and watched Rainbow Dash dive down with a frighteningly rapid speed increase. "Rainbow Dash! You have to slow down! Nopony has ever gone this fast before. The side effects could be disastrous!" But Rainbow Dash didn't listen. "Rainbow Dash? Rainbow Dash! RAINBOW DAAASH!!!" Rainbow Dash went faster and faster, more portions of her body took a rainbow color, and then, upon reaching a specific speed, she actually did it. The Double Rainboom that Rainbow Dash created had such a huge explosive effect that it created a shockwave powerful enough to almost wipe Ponyville out of existence. It's so powerful even that the Rainboom could easily be seen from space. From the ruins of Ponyville's remains, the ponies who took cover came out of their hiding places. Everyone was thankful that they survived this incredibly powerful blow, but Twilight was worried. "Rainbow..." She teleported away and reappeared in the forest where Rainbow Dash vanished into. She found a trail of rainbow-colored fire and followed it until she found a dimensional rift which closed on her right when she found it. "Where did she go?" And you can all figure what happened... Living like Rainbow Dash Inside the dimensional rift, Rainbow Dash had a glimpse at several persons who all look like race drivers. Then, she got sucked into what seems like the end of the rift and got spat out with a Rainboom in some place green. She opened her eyes and looked around. "Wh-Where am I?", she wondered. Suddenly, she heard tire screeches. Then, she heard rustling from the bushes in front of her. "Who... Who is there?", she called out to the bushes. And then, someone came up. That person was me. "Hey!", I called out, in which Rainbow responded with a, "Whoa! Who are you?" I didn't seem intimidated, seeing as I was trying to calm Rainbow down. "Hey, hey. I won't harm you. I'm just a race driver here at Horizon." "Horizon?", asked Rainbow Dash. "Yes. You're here at Horizon Australia. The name's Racer, I'm the Festival Boss here.", I said. "Nice to meet ya, Racer.", said Rainbow. "I guess I was kinda surprised to see someone like you." "I'm kinda surprised myself, I mean... you are you. How did you get here?", I asked. I sure was curious how Rainbow Dash got to Horizon. "Well, I'm not sure... I just know that I pulled off a Double Rainboom, and next thing I knew, I'm here.", she responded. "Hum, looks like you traveled through the dimensions.", I noticed, "Hey, how about I lead you around the Festival?" Rainbow Dash couldn't say no to that. Someone leading her around a place she's never been to before is the best that can happen to her. I got into my car, a yellow Dodge Viper GTS with black stripes. Rainbow Dash lifted off and flew alongside my car as I was guiding her. When we got to the east coast of Australia, I explained: "We're now in Byron Bay. This is where Horizon Australia originated and grew up. Here's where I started building up the Festival and got it going further. The beginning of my career as Boss." Rainbow Dash loved the way the Festival looked. It was so big, and everyone was having fun. "Wow! That looks really awesome!", she exclaimed. Soon, we reached the Yarra Valley Festival Site. "This is Yarra Valley. A place where many offroaders can unleash their inner speed rush. This Festival is suited fairly well for the best offroaders." Rainbow Dash was amazed. "How in the world could one person lead a Festival this big?", she thought. But her joy reached its peak when we reached the Outback. "And this is the Outback, a little hypercar playground. And this Freeway here leads directly to Surfers Paradise. Come on, show me what you got!" "Oh yeah!" Rainbow Dash couldn't say no to a challenge. She charged forward and rushed over the straight line of the Freeway with such a high speed that she cleared it in seconds. But, shortly before she reached Surfers Paradise, she heard cracking and fell to the ground. She wanted to lift off into the sky again, but she fell down again. "Wh-what's going on? Why can't I fly?" Then, she remembered Twilight's words when she was examining her... "I need to monitor every stage of the potion. There could be terrible side effects. This is what you get for not thinking ahead!" Rainbow Dash got a shock. "Oh no... the potion! It must've worn off!" Suddenly, an awful lot of cars raced towards her and almost hit her, but she skillfully dodged the incoming vehicles. However, she was very desperate. "HEEEELP MEEEE!", she yelled, hoping that anyone would hear her. And then, with a 180 turn, a yellow Viper with black stripes stopped next to her. I got out of the car. "Hey, what's up?", I asked. Then, I saw Rainbow's broken wings. "Oh shoot. That doesn't look good.", I said concerned, "Come, ride with me." Rainbow Dash got into my car, and soon, we both entered Surfers Paradise, the city of Drifters. "You seem to have been overdoing it with your high speed flying. But that's fine, I've got something which is perfectly suited for a speed freak like you.", I said. Rainbow Dash was keen to see what that something was. Anything that's related to 'fast' is something she always liked. My Viper pulled up at a Garage. I took a remote, pointed it at the door, pushed a button and the door opened. Then, I drove the Viper into the Garage, and inside, we got out of the car. Inside, I went to a car that is covered under a tarpaulin. I said: "This car might not be as fast as you, but I can safely say that this is the fastest road-legal race car ever." I pulled away the tarpaulin and revealed a hypercar colored like Rainbow Dash. "I give you... the Hennessey Venom GT Spyder." Rainbow Dash was immensely impressed by the beauty of a vehicle. "Whoa... That one's... for me?" She has never seen such a vehicle in her entire life. "Yes. Modified by my very personal self.", I explained, "Top speed of 275 miles per hour, accelerates like a rocket, and extremely good handling thanks to the new race platform and Michelin Race Slicks. And trust me, I tested that." Rainbow Dash was stunned. "This guy obviously also knew how to modify cars to make them faster and better.", she thought. I opened the driver's door. "So, what do you say? Wanna take a ride in it?", I asked. Rainbow Dash couldn't say no. She ran to the car, jumped into the seat and started the engine. "But be careful, the car has an awful lot of power and could--" My words were cut off when Rainbow Dash slammed the gas pedal and instantly went out of control thanks to the wheelspin on the rear. "...spin with the rear wheels.", I finished. Rainbow Dash giggled. "Thanks for the warning." "Come on, let's have a cruise.", I said and we drove our cars out of the garage. In the Outback, we reached the Freeway again. Then, I challenged her: "Show me what your car is capable of!" "You got it!", said Rainbow Dash and drove onto the Freeway slowly before flooring it and racing over the Freeway with a speed of 275 mph, like I told her. Even the two turns on the Freeway couldn't stop her. Slowing down, she was able to take the left turn leading to the roundabout. After passing the sign gantry, she got her car to stop with a graceful 180 turn. "Wow... This car is amazing!", Rainbow Dash said in excitement. Soon after, my Viper came driving as well and I stopped next to Rainbow's vehicle. "Hey. I see you made it.", I said. "Oh yeah! The car is truly awesome!", Rainbow Dash exclaimed. "I know, right? Now, follow me. We can have a lot more fun here at Horizon.", I said. Rainbow Dash has quickly learned to handle her hypercar. A car like this, you need to learn to love it before handling it properly. And a lot of things that Rainbow Dash tried, she instantly liked it, not just reading Daring Do books. But fate has seen more for Rainbow Dash. What that is? You'll see... The V8 Meetup Over the next few hours, I showed Rainbow Dash the Speed Zones and Speed Traps, on which she could show what her car can do. Up to one night... We were cruising through Surfers Paradise, when we saw something going on there. "Hey, look! There seems to be a Street Race meetup. Wanna check it out?" "Sure, Racer. I'm with you.", Rainbow Dash said. We both went to the meetup and I saw a sign: "'V8 Engine Meetup - Let's see what your muscles can do!'... What do you say, Rainbow? Do you want to show them how it's done?" "Aren't you going to drive with me?", Rainbow Dash asked. "My Viper has a V10. I can't participate. But I'll be cheering you on! Good luck!", I said. A little bit unsure that I wasn't going with her, Rainbow Dash went to the starting line of the race. There were a lot of highly tuned vehicles, among them C7 Corvettes, Challengers, and even V8 Supercars like the Holden Commodore. Rainbow Dash has never driven a Street Race before, but one thing was clear - she was free to drive when the others were driving. And when they did, she floored it, accelerating like a rocket. She had some problems figuring out where the track was headed because there were no boundaries, so she sometimes got passed. But since Rainbow Dash got used to her car so quickly, she was able to recover fast and get back in the action. And all of those traits combined with superior handling and power allowed Rainbow Dash to win the race! Rainbow Dash stopped her car with a swift 180 turn. "Yes! First place!", she screamed. Then, she noticed that a Corvette pulled up near her, and then, a street racer nicknamed Wolf got out of the vehicle. "Hey there. That was damn good driving! Not many people succeed in driving a V8 engine so stable like you do. Maybe I'll see you again in another race.", Wolf said and went off to his car again. Rainbow Dash succeeded in winning the Street Race and therefore earned recognition from one of the best Street Racers at Horizon. But what else will await her? And can she ever make it back to Ponyville? Only time will tell... Swift through the Rainforest After Rainbow Dash learned to love her car and won a race with it, I thought that it might be time for a tougher test. I took her to the Rainforest Grand Sprint, one of my favorite race routes in Australia. "Okay, Rainbow Dash.", I said to her, "This should be easy for you. Clear the track in a set amount of time. How about... 3 minutes and 30 seconds?" "Oh, make that 2:50. I can do that easily.", Rainbow Dash said, knowing what she'll do. "Fine. I'll give you 2 minutes 50. Let's see if you can do it.", I said to her. At the starting line, I saw Rainbow Dash rev up the engine of her hypercar, and then, she took off. Since Rainbow Dash has been driving the car for a long time now, she was able to master every turn this track threw at her. Whether it was a light turn, a K turn, a quick turn and even the tough turns near the end of the track, Rainbow Dash mastered them all. In the end, she achieved a time of 2:44.586. She was filled with joy and beaming with pride. She stopped her car next to me. I was truly impressed of the time she hit. "Wow, I never thought you could achieve a time as fast as that. That was even better than me when I tried the track for the very first time.", I said to her. "Heh, impressed?", Rainbow Dash asked me. "Oh yes. I see, we're going to get along very well, Rainbow Dash. Okay, cruise around for a little while. I got some planning to do. You know, as Festival Boss..." Rainbow Dash nodded, and then, she drove off. That Rainbow Dash succeeded in getting a time in her very first run that was way better than the time I hit in my very first run showed what a great potential she had. She sure was something special. And fate has seen more things for her... Snake Venom What Rainbow Dash showed off with her hypercar was just more than a brilliant achievement. And it should be more of a great time for her... Or so it seemed... While Rainbow Dash was cruising through Australia with her Hennessey Venom, she suddenly ran into five 2015 Dodge Challengers, all equipped with V10 Viper engines. The five drivers got out of their cars, one of them being Master, one of the best Street Racers at Horizon. "Nice car.", he said. "I got it from Racer.", Rainbow Dash said. "Racer, you say?", Master said, "He sure makes good cars. Hmmm... 6.2 liter Twin Turbo V8, Michelin Race Slicks, a custom race platform... You hardly need any downforce to match up against Track Toys." Another street racer, Ronald, challenged Rainbow: "But do you think you can keep up with our masterpieces? 2015 Dodge Challengers with V10 Viper engines, custom made." "I can take you easily! Come on, let's race!", Rainbow Dash said excited. "You got it! And buckle up, this may get intense!", Master said. The Challengers drive to the start, and Rainbow Dash followed them. A person at the start gave the signal by firing a flare into the air. When he fired it, everyone took off, with Rainbow Dash taking the lead early and racing away from the Challengers. The track was not an easy one, with some tough turns, but also with some high speed parts. Rainbow Dash had to dodge several traffic cars on her way to the finish, but even so, she gained a huge distance from her rivals and managed to finish up in first place. Rainbow Dash stopped her car, Master's Challenger next to her. "Wow. So it's true what Racer said. You really could become one of the best drivers at Horizon. The thing is just - so far, nobody has survived a race against Racer.", Master said. "What do you mean by that?", Rainbow Dash asked, a bit puzzled. "Imagine, hundreds have tried it, and none of them succeded to beat Racer. I'd suggest you get some training before you face him.", Master said. "I probably won't be staying long... But if you say so...", Rainbow Dash said. "Cool. See you around." And then, Master and his companions drove off. "Maybe I should talk to Racer about that...", Rainbow Dash thought before she drove off in her hypercar as well. Another race that Rainbow Dash took home. But what Master said was true by that time. Up to that point, nobody was able to beat me. Master suggested her to train before she faces me. And this training is tougher than anything she has ever seen at Horizon. But that... is a different story... Hypercar Showdown Rainbow Dash showed the best refinement at Horizon Australia. She tamed her hypercar, beat one of my best race times, defeated several street racers... And now, she's preparing for her biggest duel ever. Rainbow Dash entered the Byron Bay Festival Site. I was working on new events for the Festival. "Racer?", she said to me. I turned around and saw her. "Oh, it's you, Rainbow Dash. What is it?", I asked. "Some say that nobody survived a race against you. Is that true?", she asked. "Right. So far, nobody was able to surpass me. For a very long time, I am one of the best drivers. The Goliath Circuit Race will be the highlight of the Horizon 2017 Race Season.", I explained. "I wish I could stay so I can take part in that race too...", Rainbow Dash said, a bit brought down. "Well, I could arrange something for you...", I said, "But you could use some training." "Some guy in a Challenger said that to me too.", Rainbow Dash said. "That probably was Master. He wanted to become one of the best for a long time, but it didn't quite work out. He cut himself off and turned to the Street Scene.", I explained. Rainbow Dash hardly knew anything about anyone at the Festival, but was thankful that at least one knew about the backstories of the drivers. "I'm going to set up an event on the Highway Circuit. It's by far the best Circuit at Horizon. Short, consise and fast. It's in the Outback. I'll meet you there.", I said. Rainbow Dash nodded and jumped into her car. Then, she headed off for the Highway Circuit in the Outback. At the starting line, I went to Rainbow Dash's car and said to her: "The best training would be if you try to keep a certain speed for as long as possible. Go ahead, try it out!" Rainbow Dash glanced at me with a look that said: "Easy. Count on it." And when the green light came, twelve hypercars launched off the starting line. There were a lot of awesome hypercars in the grid - a Bugatti Veyron Super Sport, a Ferrari FXX K, a Koenigsegg Regera and even a Porsche 918. But none of them were a match for Rainbow Dash's hypercar. Utilizing amazing acceleration and an astounding turning ability, she was able to race over the circuit with ease, passing one car after another. On the second lap, Rainbow Dash remembered my words - attempt to keep a high speed. So Rainbow Dash knew that she needed to play riskier. She tried to find the limit of her car as well as the highest speed to take the turns with while still maintaining control over her car. The final lap - that was Rainbow's chance for an amazing lap time! She perfected the driving line, raced over the track as fast as she could and she actually managed to do it! After another victory lap, she stopped her car with grace. I went over to her car to congratulate her: "My goodness, you really lost your opponents back there!" "You wanna mess with me, you gotta try earlier.", Rainbow Dash said. "You're doing really good. Stay on standby while I prepare something else.", I said. "Okay. See ya.", Rainbow Dash said. I went to my Viper, got in and drove off. Rainbow Dash's training was a resounding success. She succeeded in losing her opponents with a very high racing pace. But a way harder challenge awaits her. A challenge which will most likely strain all things that she learned. What challenge that is? You'll see... The Fastest Rival Rainbow Dash really had an awesome time at Horizon. But now, she had to face her biggest challenge yet: me. I gave Rainbow Dash the coordinates for a race route I made up of my own and met Rainbow Dash there. We both pulled up at the starting line and Rainbow Dash took a good look at my car, a Koenigsegg One:1. "Nice car, Racer.", she said to me. "I modified and reinforced it with Warren and my very own knowledge. The car has an acceleration like a rocket and can easily hit 263 miles per hour. Without all this downforce, it would probably be more.", I explained. "Truly a masterpiece. Do you think it can last through the race?", Rainbow Dash challenged me. "Well, if not, then you can catch the parts if you can't keep up.", I challenged her back. I revved the engine several times, and Rainbow Dash did the same. "Ready, Rainbow Dash?", I asked her. As we kept revving the engines, we waited for the green light - the signal to start. When it finally came, we both took off. I took the lead early in the race, and went through the turns with very nice speed. Rainbow Dash followed me very close behind, but she sure managed to keep up, even if her cornering speed wasn't as good as mine was. Then came the Freeway, the chance to test the speed of our cars. I raced over the Freeway with such high speed that the Speedometer eventually stopped at 424 km/h, which was roughly over 263 mph. Still, with the difference I made in the turns, Rainbow Dash came flying by with the 12 additional mph she had in her hypercar, allowing her to pass me. After some more fast turns, Rainbow Dash ended up winning the duel against me. We both stopped our cars, and I was really impressed about Rainbow Dash's driving skills. "Wow, Rainbow Dash. This may have only been a private duel, but to see that someone's actually faster than me... Didn't think that would happen.", I said. "What can I say?", Rainbow Dash said triumphant, "You messed with the fastest Pegasus ever." "That's true.", I said, "Maybe your wing injury will fade as well. But before that... I have to show you something. Follow me." I drove ahead and Rainbow Dash followed me. Soon, we arrived at the Pink Lakes and got out of our cars. Then, we stared at the sunset and my eyes slightly filled with tears. "Have you ever seen something as beautiful as this?", I asked. "I'll put it like this...", Rainbow Dash started as her eyes filled with tears as well, "I have seen a lot of sunsets, but this... is beautiful." "You know, Rainbow," I said, "I always come here when I feel lonely, especially in a sunset. This sight is just so beautiful and let's you forget all your worries at once." I looked at Rainbow Dash and saw that she's sobbing silently. "What's wrong, Dashie?", I asked. Rainbow Dash tried to get a grip. "I... it's just... I miss my home, Ponyville... I'd like to know what my friends are doing..." I knew that I couldn't do anything, so in order to comfort her, I said: "Agh, I wish I could take you back there... As loyal friends do..." Suddenly, Rainbow Dash heard a voice. "Raaainbow Daaash..." Rainbow Dash looked around. "Pinkie Pie?" "Raaainbow Daaash..." She wanted to go and look for her, when I said: "Hey. I had a really nice time with you. In all my time as a Boss, I rarely had so much fun in the Festival like these last few days. Maybe you can stop by again sometime." "Sure. See ya.", Rainbow Dash said and went off to look for Pinkie Pie. "Pinkie Pie! Where are you?" "Ooover heeere..." Rainbow Dash looked around, but Pinkie was nowhere to be found. "Where?" Rainbow Dash trotted on the spot, seeing as she heard voices, but didn't know from where. Suddenly, a dimensional rift opened and Pinkie Pie came out of it. "Right here, silly-billy!", she said and pulled Rainbow Dash into the dimensional rift. At the end of the dimensional rift, both of them ended up in Twilight's library, but Twilight didn't seem happy about Rainbow's return. She showed her the destruction she caused - it looked like a nuke struck the town. In the end, Rainbow Dash gave in. "Yeah... Get Spike." "Dear Princess Celestia... Today I learned not to take things that don't belong to me. Because I didn't think ahead, I ended up hurting a lot of my friends. And that's the last thing I ever wanted to do. Because of my greed, I wound up in a pretty bad spot. And if it weren't for my friend Pinkie Pie, who... who..." "What did you do?", Rainbow Dash asked. Pinkie Pie responded: "Well, after you disappeared, Twilight made another potion and made me drink it. It tasted like snozzberries. I'm not sure what it was, but after drinking it, I was suddenly able to see through the fabric of time and space... Which, by the way, also tastes like snozzberries!" Rainbow Dash couldn't figure anything that Pinkie just said, but she continued: "Pinkie Pie... helped. And if it weren't for her, I would have never made it back to Ponyville. From now on, I'll make sure to ask before taking something that isn't mine." "Wait... We're not supposed to take things that aren't ours?", Pinkie Pie asked as she headed for the door. "What do I do with this then?" She opened the door and revealed a pink Nissan Silvia S15 standing outside. Twilight and Rainbow Dash both looked puzzled. And so, Rainbow Dash's first time at Horizon was over. A very emotional story, but there's a lot more to tell. Two offroaders came up, Rarity dreamed of Australia, and I... Like I said, a lot more to tell. End of Chapter 1.