//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Journey 
// by SigmatheAwesome 
//------------------------------//


Journey






Flying.

It's always flying.

Flying is what made her happy. The speed, the wind in her mane. The adrenalin. All of it.

Rainbow Dash, the fastest pegasus in Equestria. A title she would fiercely defend. Unless the Wonderbolts got that title, then she'd be the fastest non-Wonderbolt pegasus.

She skidded to a halt on a nearby cloud, taking in the sight. Around her were various clouds, above was Celestia's sun. Below her was an orchard of apples, a clearing, and a red barn somewhere in the distance. She eyed an orange mare, trotting her way to the orchard, ready to harvest. Beside her was a red stallion built like a mountain.

Rainbow wasn't the best at maths unless it involved something to do with flight. She calculated an angle of approach, an arc to follow, tracked the orange pony's speed and path, and numerous other subconscious formulae and equations filled her head.

She kicked off the cloud, keeping eyes on the mare. With a sharp burst from her wings she sped along, keeping steady on her path. She decided to glide in order to keep noise down; it was necessary for her plan.

When she started to lose altitude, and was close enough for it to be too late for the farmer, she kicked her wings into full gear, the sheer speed she was moving rippling the world's magic into something that sounded similar to a roaring engine.

Rainbow Dash was nearly on her target.

One problem she forgot, though.

Applejack saw her.

The farmer stepped to her side quickly, as the rainbow-maned projectile swiped for her then collided with the muddy road with a heavy thud and a light patter of dirt.

"Whoa there, Rainbow." Applejack said, pulling the pegasus out of the mud. "Don't wanna drown yourself."

Rainbow coughed out the mouthful of dirt she had in her mouth. "Darn it, AJ! Don't move next time!"

"Why not? Ya wanna give me a cuddle at sixty miles an hour?"

Rainbow blushed. "N-no! What would give you that idea?" Rainbow coughed again. "I was gonna... um, borrow your hat!"

Applejack raised an eyebrow. "Fer what reason?"

Rainbow remained silent. Her eyes drifted around, finally settling on Big McIntosh. "Um... I should get going!"

Before a reply from either could be given she was in the air, soaring away from the angry mare she knew she could kick like a jackhammer.





Rainbow Dash had decided to fly around a plain nearby Cloudsdale. The clouds were both high and low, allowing her to soar around with freedom and rest on a cloud nearby.

She twisted and turned, barrel-rolled and corkscrewed, flipped and dived. She copied moves from the Wonderbolts with her own twist, that being rainbows and probably a bit more dangerous locations. Some clouds were more solid than most ponies think, at least at high speeds.

She was in mid-Fireflash Twirl when she was hit in the side by something pony-sized, sending her and the object hurtling to the ground.

Rainbow's head hit the ground first, lapsing into blankness. When her consciousness finally came back, she growled.

"Hey, what's the big idea, jerk? I was fly... ay ay ay..."

She opened her eyes to see a very familiar (and downright awesome) sight. 

Soarin'.

She immediately squee'd, much to the Wonderbolt's wincing from the noise.

It was then that Rainbow Dash noticed that he was on top of her.

Her wings burst open.

Soarin' leapt off, hovering. "Sorry about that, Rainbow."

He remembers my name!

"I tried calling out to you five times-"

Oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh... 

"Uh, are you even listening?"

Rainbow shook her head. "Wha-? Oh, yeah, yeah."

Soarin' raised an eyebrow. "Anyway, I was meant to tap you on the shoulder, but a sharp gust pushed me into you."

"Uh... So, um, can I help you, S-soarin'?"

"Actually, yeah. Spitfire wants to have a talk with you."

Squee.

"Ow, my ears... Can you keep that down?"

"Sorry, it's just that-" She leapt up. "You. Wonderbolt. Need my help. Awesome levels 2000%."

"I'll let Spitfire explain."





"Um... Soarin'?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are we heading to the Cloudsdale hospital?"

Silence.

"Long story."

The two landed at the door of the hospital. The building was made of cloudstone, the same stuff the pillars around the place were made of. It was solid, more so than standard clouds, making it ideal for construction for cloudcities.

As they entered Rainbow spotted a familiar face. "Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy looked up. "Oh, hello Rainbow Dash. Hello Soarin'."

Soarin' waved.

"What are you doing here?"

"I, um, helped Soarin' bring Spitfire here." Fluttershy stretched her hooves out. "She's not the lightest of ponies..."

Soarin' chuckled. "Yep, I know." He walked up to reception, talking with the desk clerk.

"Why didn't you let me know, 'Shy? I'd loved to help her."

"Well, you were at Sweet Apple Acres, and she was kinda in bad condition..."

Rainbow Dash's heart skipped a beat. Spitfire... Bad condition?

Soarin' cleared his throat. "Rainbow? Come on."





The sight that Rainbow saw when she entered caused her heart to skip two beats.

Her idol, Spitfire, the most indestructible pony she knew aside from herself, under a blanket, looking tired and previously in pain. Big pain. Various medical stuffs were strapped onto her, some of which Rainbow recognised.

"Hey Soarin'." The flame-maned pony said weakly, her mane looking substantially less like fire when it was down like it was. "Hey kid."

Rainbow would've fangirled if Spitfire was in better shape. "H-hey..."

"Come closer, so I don't have to yell." Rainbow obeyed, pulling up a seat next to her.

"I'd be overjoyed about meeting you if it weren't for the fact that..." She waved a hoof generally around the area. "You know."

"I get it." She stuck a hoof out from under her blanket and ruffled the spectral mane of the pegasus next to her. Her foreleg was covered in bandages, some parts soaked with blood. "Now, I have a big favour to ask you."

"Anything."

She smiled weakly. "A while ago, I was going on a little journey... One that was important to me. I couldn't complete it though-" She winced in pain, sucking in her breath sharply. "And I left something behind..."

"What sort of something?"

"A box. It contains some very personal and or important things to me. I currently can't go back to grab it."

"What sort of important things?" Rainbow wasn't about to ask what the personal stuff was.

"My Wonderbolt license..."

"You need a license to be a Wonderbolt?"

"It allows you to go to exclusive areas to train, and some discounts and stuff. More importantly, it allows me to be a Wonderbolt captain. Rules n' stuff."

"Why don't you get Soarin' to go? I mean, I'm good, but..."

Spitfire chuckled before wincing again. She moaned slightly this time. "He's coming with you, dummy."

Oh...

"The box is my colours. Can't miss it. It should be somewhere around... Um, can I have a map?"

Soarin' passed a map. Spitfire pointed with a hoof. "Around there."

Rainbow memorised the location as Soarin' put the map away. "That's quite far away... Like, past the frontier."

"Yeah, there's a reason..." Another wince of pain. "Ow... Anyway, you should get going..."

Rainbow acted on impulse; she placed her forelegs around Spitfire gently, hugging her but trying to avoid hurting her. "I won't fail you..."

Spitfire smiled. "I bet you're wondering why I can't go, aren't you?"

"Spitfire-"

"Shush." She turned to the spectral maned pegasus.

"Now that you mention it, I am curious."

Spitfire sat up, letting the blanket fall. Rainbow gasped loudly at the sight, and her heart skipped three or so beats.

Her wing was gone.

"Holy..." She leant in to examine the bandages. Where her wing was, a thick bandage covered it, stained with blood. "I... Wha... How...?"

"I dunno what happened. I hardly even remember how I got to your friend's."

"I remember." Soarin' stated. "Cloud drift. It's not every day you see a red cloud..."

Rainbow's eyes watered. "But... Are you..."

"Unless something else happens, I will be able to fly again." Spitfire grinned, and then pecked a thereafter flushed Rainbow Dash's cheek. "Now get going."





"You ok, Rainbow?" Soarin' asked.

Rainbow wiped tears from her eyes, which just brought more forward. "Not really. Imagine seeing your idol without something that is key to their reason for being your idol."

Soarin' hung his head low. "I can imagine." He looked up. "Ah, here we are, my place."

The two ponies entered. The apartment was small enough for two, but only showed signs of one pony living there. Various medals hung above a fireplace, some of which Rainbow Dash recognised as similar to some she had. A series of photographs were scattered on the same wall. Rainbow flew up to inspect. 

"You knew Spitfire when she was a filly?" She turned to another photo. "And a foal?"

"Of course."

Rainbow Dash felt her tail being bit into. Her normal reaction would be to buck behind her, or surrender as she usually did around Applejack. This time, she stiffened and fell to the floor.

"Now come on, we have to pack."

"O-ok..." She stood up, and examined Soarin' packing various clothes and foods into a metal cylinder. "Whoa, when did you get one of those?"

"Before I was a Wonderbolt I was a weather patrol pony. Like you are now, I presume?"

"Yeah..." Her eyes widened as a second one, wrapped in leather, was pulled out. "You have two?!"

"This one's Spitfire's. She never uses it, and she let me have it." He tossed it to Rainbow Dash. "Here, it's yours."

Rainbow caught it, fortunately. "Um... To keep or..."

"I'd say keep, but it's really Spitfire's. I'll work it out with her. Now, I'll meet you at the eastern edge of Cloudsdale in an hour, you go and pack."

Rainbow slipped the wrapped cylinder between her wings on her back. It was incredibly light as it was made mostly of Skymetal. "Right, see ya in 60."

She sped out the door before she could hear Soarin''s reply.





"I need a Freelance suit."

The quartermaster pegasus looked up from his book. "Rainbow, you're not a Freelance Officer. You are Ponyville's Captain."

"But I need it!" Rainbow slammed her hooves on the desk. "I'm going to the frontier."

"Why is that, may I ask?"

"I'm helping a friend get something back."

"And who is this friend of yours?"

"Spitfire, the Wonderbolt Spitfire."

The stallion chuckled condescendingly. "And my best friend is Princess Celestia."

"Ooh, really?" Pinkie appeared out of nowhere, startling the stallion and earning a 'Hey Pinks' from Rainbow Dash.

"No, of course not."

Pinkie thought. "I can help you with that!" She bounced up, spewing a plan that wasn't ever going to reach past that stage. She stopped in front of Rainbow Dash, deciding that dealing with her friend was better than trying to make this guy and Celestia PFFs. "Do you need any help, Dashie?"

"Yeah, I'm trying to get a..." She pulled out a small booklet. "Jovia Industries Weather-Containment Suit."

"I think I might have one. Hang on." Pinkie bolted out the door. About ten seconds later she returned. "Nope, sorry."

"Darn." Rainbow turned to leave. "I'll have to go without."

"Ooh, Dash, what are you doing anyway?"

"I'm going on a journey with Soarin'. Finding something that belongs to Spitfire."

"Can I join?"

"Uh... No. Sorry."

"Okie dokie lokie!" Pinkie bounced off, unfazed. She paused mid-air. "Wait."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow.

"I've gotta make you some snacks! I'll see you shortly!" She bounced off.

"What a weird mare..." She turned to take off. "But I like her for that."





Rainbow Dash had filled the empty container on her back with some warming clothes and basic bedding, as well as a few cans of preserved foods from her cupboards. On the way to Cloudsdale Pinkie had used a crazy contraption to deliver a bunch of sugary foods, which managed to take up the remaining space in her container. Eventually she reached the eastern edge of Cloudsdale, where a pale-blue stallion waited.

"'Bout time you showed up."

"Sorry, ponies got in the way." She landed next to him on the cloud. "So, when do we leave?"

"I'm thinking tomorrow." He said, pointing a hoof at the setting sun. "You did take a lot of time."

"Do you know how hard it is to choose between apples and pears?" She said, remembering her battle on choosing one of the two fruits. She eventually just grabbed both.

Soarin' laughed. "No, I'm not really one for pears."

Rainbow smirked. "More for me, then."

Both sat in silence for a second before they broke out into laughter. 

"Why is that so funny?!" Rainbow squealed, still laughing.

"We're tired..." Soarin trailed off, laughter finally ending. "We should find a place to sleep."

"Your place or mine?"

Laughter.

"I have a spare bed," Rainbow added. "So I guess it'll be my place."

"Sounds good."





"How the heck is your place bigger than mine?"

Rainbow placed her container next to her own bed, and then flew down to set up the spare. "My parents bought it for me."

"Lucky."

"Actually, they did it so I could move out and not bother them. They didn't even want the money for it."

"So, what are your parents like?" Soarin' asked, flying into the room. 

"My mum was awesome. She's a professional flyer, teaching young pegasi how to fly. Earns a lot. Dad's a Cloudsdale noble. He's soooo boring..."

"Sounds ok."

"Mum is. Dad, I think, hates me. Maybe because I took after my mum too much. I mean, I have her hair." She pointed to her mane. "I got my coat from Dad's sister, who was equally boring."

"Wait, hang on, you're a Cloudsdale noble?"

"Nah, I'm just a Cloudsdaleian." She fake gagged. "Ugh, why would I wanna be one of those uptight ponies?"

Soarin' laughed. "Let me guess, he tried forcing his lifestyle on you too much."

"Exactly..." She shuddered. "Mum's more of a free spirit. Celestia knows how the two got together..."

"Hm..." Soarin' thought. "What's your mother's name?"

"Spectrum. Well, that's her first name. I guess, 'cos she's married, she's Spectrum Dash. I dunno what her maiden name is."

"Spectrum... Oh, now I know!"





"I can't do it!" A small colt yelled, teetering on the edge of a cloud.

A white mare, with a flowing rainbow mane, looked at him softly. "Yes you can, Soarin' High. Just believe in yourself."

"But I'll fall!"

"If you do, I'll catch you. But you can do it. Remember, don't force your wings, and just push gently."

Soarin' looked down, stiff as a stone. "But-"

"Just flap your wings gently."

The colt took a breath, and leapt off. He pushed his wings, strongly but not as strong as he had before. He screwed his eyes shut, refusing to look at the sky around him.

"Well done, Soarin'."

Soarin' pried his eyes open. He was flying. Flying! He did a little twirl which he nearly plummeted from, but he straightened out, laughing. He buzzed back to the cloud, beaming like mad.

The white pegasus ruffled his mane. "Congrats, kiddo. You can fly."

Soarin leapt for joy, deciding to hover there. "Can we show dad?"

"What do you think we're doing now?" She took into the air gently, hovering alongside the beaming colt. "Come on."

"You're the best, Spectrum!" He gripped her in a tight hug.





"You knew my mum..."

"That I did. Heck, she taught me to fly."

"How old were you?"

"Very young. Some pegasi are early flyers, like us two and my sister." He sighed. "I did ask her if she had a foal herself, before she stopped teaching me. She said she had one coming."

"And that's when she stopped working for a while..." She beamed. "That's just... awesome. My mum taught you to fly!"

"That it is, now," He yawned. "I need some sleep. See you in the morning."

Rainbow took off to her room, turning back to look at the stallion. "G'night!"