//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 - Falling In 
// Story: Rainbow Typhoon 
// by Nonsanity 
//------------------------------//


CHAPTER 1


Falling In



Diving, wings stowed and eyes closed, the brush of warm summer air ruffling her feathers as her speed steadily increased, Rainbow Dash dropped from the sky.

Plenty of time.

Her ears twitched to the sweet sound of rushing wind, its changing pitch and volume as clear to her as any compass or map. Every hair of her tail and mane, trailing behind her and whipping about in the vortex of her passage, sent its own little wind report and spoke to her of speed and angle. Her calm, regular breathing brought scents of sky and ground, the smell of fresh leaves and sweet, ripening apples growing stronger by the second.

Almost there.

Her senses merged to tell her, without calculation or conscious thought, exactly how far she was from the ground and how much longer she could fall. She didn't need to count. She didn't need to see. She knew this sky.

She began to feel the heart-pounding rush of instinct versus will, the innate desire to stop her fall before she crashed to the ground, struggling against the combined product of her senses and skill that told her she still had time.

Just a little farther.

As that life-or-death conflict built within her, wing muscles twitching in their desperate desire to save her from certain destruction, talent and experience whispered seductively to her, "No, not yet."

She lived for these moments, flavored with the spicy sweetness that lines the edge of the impossible, hot danger mixed with cool confidence. She wished this moment could last forever, but she knew it would be only fleeting.

This is what sky is for.

Even as her pegasus nature screamed at her to fling her wings wide, she squeezed out every last moment of that exhilarating betrayal of her instincts. She let her wings open only slowly, casually, as if she had all the time in the world. As they reached their full extension, still loose and ineffectual, she was ready.

Now!

Her muscles tightened. Her feathers bit the air. The rushing wind solidified beneath her curving wings and her stomach lunged downward. Her tail was nearly yanked from her as it belatedly chased her abrupt change of direction. Every hair and feather clamored for her attention as the stress of her maneuver built—then tapered off.

She heard a crisp rustling sound and opened her eyes.

A blurred ocean of bright green leaves flashed past, just beneath her hooves, shaking in the wake of her passage as she zoomed over the top of the rolling orchard.

The moment lingered as she absorbed just how close she had come to the trees this time—closer than ever before—and then she rocketed up into the sky. Looping and twirling, she laughed in the joy of her accomplishment.

"I did it!"

Every inch of her coat vibrated with the memory of her fall, her speed, the rush. Dash whooped and hollered as ground and sky chased each other over her head though barrel roll after barrel roll.

After she had thrown all of her excited energy into her aerial acrobatics, the immediacy of Dash's joy began to fade into a deep satisfaction, and she slowed down. She started to lose altitude in an easy glide over the rooftops of Ponyville, headed for the center of town and still grinning at her accomplishment.

Wait until the others hear about this!



———



Dash slowly glided down between the colorful stalls that surrounded the town's main square, each selling a variety of flowers, fruits, or vegetables to the bustling shoppers. Her transition from air to land was smooth and effortless as her hooves touched the ground for the first time that day.

She scuffed at the dirt with a hoof, a small frown on her face. After the exhilarating morning she'd had, Dash wouldn't have cared if she never set her hooves on the ground again. It was flat and hard and covered with things just waiting to be crashed into. Comparing that to the vast, empty sky with its soft clouds and unending room to soar and glide, there was simply no reason to ever come down.

Well, one reason—my friends. She sniffed the air. Okay, and lunch.

Dash circled the market, the delicious smells of fragrant blossoms and fresh produce filling her nose. She began to wonder where all her friends might be today. Applejack's stall isn't here. Guess she's working at the farm. Rarity's probably working too. Maybe Twilight's out shopping—she's always running out of ink and paper.

Dash glanced up at the clock tower. Wow. It's later than I thought. No wonder I'm—Her stomach joined her thoughts with a hungry growl. She sighed. I guess I'd better get something to eat first.

With a final glance around the square, Dash turned to depart.

"Hi!"

"Gah!" shouted Dash, leaping into the air away from Pinkie Pie, who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere right in front of her. "Pinkie! Don't do that."

"Oh, I just wanted to say that it looked like you were looking for something so I thought I'd see if you wanted somepony to look with you because I'm a really good looker and looking with a friend is always better than looking alone." Pinkie gasped in a big breath.

Dash dropped back to the ground with a puzzled expression on her face. "Was... there a question in there, somewhere?"

"Of course, silly!" said Pinkie, leaning in close to Dash and lowering her voice to a hoarse almost-whisper. "Want me to help you look for it?"

Dash blinked and said flatly, "Look for what?"

"Why, whatever it is you're looking for, of course!" Pinkie replied, bouncing up and down.

Laughing, Dash said, "I'm just looking for some lunch. You wanna get some with me? I've got something really cool to tell you about!"

Pinkie perked up. "Ooh, lunch and a story? That sounds great! I know just the place, too," she said as she spun around and bounced away—followed a moment later by a grinning Dash.

Pinkie Pie's energetic and rather vertical gait gave her a head start, so Dash took to the air and flew after her friend. When she caught up, she found a conversation had started without her.

"... and some tea, though not the lemon kind, the other one, and all these little cakes. So cute and tasty, I just wanted to eat them all up." Here Pinkie stopped short to lick her lips, eyes slightly glazed at the memory of the delicious sweets.

Dash interrupted before Pinkie could continue. "How about this place? I don't think I've ever eaten here." She waved a hoof at the small, rose-covered outdoor cafe they had paused next to, just beyond the main square. Its dozen-or-so low tables were surrounded by pillows and decorated with flowery pink tablecloths set with more fresh roses in vases. Not really my style, thought Dash, but she was too excited to tell somepony about her awesome stunt to traipse around Ponyville all day.

"Okay!" said Pinkie, and she hopped over to the nearest table and plopped down onto a pillow. "You know, I'm surprised you're having lunch with me."

Dash drew back, surprised. "What do you mean? I like eating with my friends." True, I don't do it that often.

"Oh, it's not that. I just thought you would have been off to see them, like everypony else," said Pinkie, picking up the menu and burying her nose in it.

"Huh?" asked Dash, settling onto the pillow across from her friend.

"I mean, you of all ponies I'd expect to be there when they arrived," came the further comment from around the menu.

"Where? Who?"

Pinkie Pie's head emerged from behind the list of appetizers. "Why, at the train station to see the Wonderbolts, of course."

Dash leapt into the air in surprise, startling the lustrously maned waiter that was approaching their table balancing a tray with two glasses of water on his back—which he barely avoided spilling. "The Wonderbolts? Here? Now?"

Pinkie just looked up at the hovering Dash with a quizzical expression. "Well, they were, but—"

"Oh! I, ah..." Dash stammered as she looked in panic at the table, Pinkie Pie, and the agitated waiter carefully setting down the glasses of water. "Um. I gotta give you a raincheck, Pinkie.

"We'll have lunch tomorrow, okay?" Dash shouted over her shoulder as she shot off towards the train station, her back-blast knocking the toupee off the waiter's head.

"Hmm," mused Pinkie Pie, gazing after the rapidly vanishing Dash. "We'll both have this," she said to the waiter, pointing at the menu as he desperately tried to replace his hairpiece.



———



Dash arced up into the clear blue sky over Ponyville, speeding towards the other side of town and the train station. The Wonderbolts, here! I hope they remember me.

She immediately chided herself for her own cynicism. Of course they'll remember me. I saved the lives of three of them, including Captain Spitfire! And it's not like I didn't do well at the Academy. They've got to remember me.

As Dash flew quickly towards the station, nerves jangling, her thoughts slipped into an excited loop. I hope they remember me...

Even as she descended, however, Dash could see that something was wrong. The platform she landed upon was deserted. Worse than that, there wasn't even a train there and—

No Wonderbolts.

She stared down the track, the gusty wind tossing her mane and tail about in a messy rainbow swirl behind her. The platform was silent but for the rustle of the trees on the far side of the empty tracks. Not even a hint of coal smoke lingered in the air.

I missed them.

All the excitement of seeing her idols again drained away from her, causing Dash to shiver in the warm afternoon wind, a small cramp forming in the pit of her stomach. She looked over at the schedule board on the side of the station building. The last train left before I even got back to town, when I was still falling from the sky.

Oh, if only they could have seen that! I'd be a Wonderbolt for sure.

She sighed and kicked at the platform's boards, the missed opportunity leaving an empty hole inside her.

She was startled by hoofsteps behind her. "You okay, Miss?" asked the stationmaster.

"Oh, ah—" She sniffed and tossed back her mane, forcing a cocky smile. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." She straightened up, chest out. Gotta stay cool.

"Oh, okay. You seemed distressed," he said, looking at her closely.

"Me? No! I'm cool. Just... hangin' out. Yeah." She shifted to a slightly more casual pose to reinforce her words.

"Ah. At the train station?" The stationmaster raised an eyebrow.

Dash hesitated, casting about for inspiration. She saw the station's clock and quickly said, "Oh, hey! Look at the time. I've got to meet a friend for lunch. Nice talkin' with ya!" She leapt into the sky before he could say anything more. "Later!"

Once airborne, she let out a whoosh of breath. I wonder if Pinkie's still there.



———



It's amazing how everything can seem okay after a good meal, thought a pleasantly full Dash as she leisurely swung through the sky, breaking small puffs of cloud into ragged tatters that drifted apart and faded away.

She had returned to the cafe to find Pinkie Pie still there and two plates of what turned out to be absolutely delicious food just arriving at the table. Perfect Pinkie timing.

Happy to be flying again, Dash began looping and curving lazily through the sky—but not without pattern or reason. Much as a pony walking home might start to whistle a familiar tune to herself, so Dash began to unconsciously fly through the paces of the Wonderbolts' aerial routines, which were far more familiar to her than any song.

Soon the thrill of the daring maneuvers built up inside her, and she started to put more effort into flying the moves at full speed and getting them all just right. What started as a simple flight home turned into a full flying workout. Sweat beaded on her brow and flanks, only to be blown briskly away by the wind. She was soon deep in some of the hardest and most elaborate stunts the Wonderbolts ever did during their shows—and she was loving every second of it.

As she was in the middle of a reverse corkscrew maneuver, something unusual caught her eye. She was flying upside down when she spotted two figures sitting on a hump of cloud just outside her front door, watching her. The oddity of that was enough to shake her from the pattern she was flying, but it was the next realization that sent her hurtling out-of-control through her bedroom window.

Bouncing off the bed, she hopped one-legged across the room, trying to disentangle herself from the blanket, then half fell, half flew down the stairs. She ran up and along the living room wall as she zoomed around the corner, barreling towards the front of the house, accidentally sliding on the hall carpet the rest of the way.

The two figures rose and approached the house. They jumped slightly as a massive thud rocked the still-closed door. A moment later, it opened, and a sweaty and disheveled Dash panted before them, wide-eyed.

"Hello there, Rainbow Dash," said an amused Spitfire, Soarin grinning by her side. "We've got a bit of a proposition for you."



———



She had no choice but to invite them in. They'd been sitting outside her house for over an hour, waiting for her to come home! Oh, the embarrassment. The house was a mess, she was a mess, and her attempt to rapidly clean a path through to the living room was quickly stopped by the kind but forceful pair—who firmly placed her on her couch.

So Dash found herself sitting on her couch in her living room in her house across from Spitfire—captain of the Wonderbolts—while ace flyer Soarin was puttering about in her kitchen making them some tea.

It can't be real!

A tinkling crash from the kitchen was quickly followed by "Ah. Um... I'll pay for that!"

Maybe it can be.

Spitfire chuckled. "Don't worry. Soarin usually restricts himself to breaking only one priceless antique a day."

Inside, Dash was quivering with excitement. Outside, she could only sit up, stiff and straight, with a tight, nervous smile on her face that threatened to split her head in two.

"Um," began Dash, unsure how all these butterflies could fit into her stomach, "he can break as much as he likes."

Soarin returned, shakily balancing a tea tray on his back, to the sound of Spitfire's laughter. "What's so funny?" he demanded.

"Oh, nothing," said Spitfire, winking at Dash. "Just some girl bonding."

Bonding! squealed Dash inside her head. With Spitfire!

As Soarin struggled to transfer the teacups to the table, Spitfire jumped up. "Here, let me get that," she said, grabbing the teapot before it could fall off the swiftly tilting tray.

"I don't know how waiters can do this so easily. It's hard!" said Soarin, flexing his back and feeling the empty tray wobble precariously.

"You could stabilize it with your wings," suggested Dash, who then cringed inside for offering serving tips to a Wonderbolt.

"Ha!" Spitfire laughed again as she poured. "Not here ten minutes and she's already coming up with good suggestions. Just like she did at the Academy."

"Told you she has what it takes," said Soarin, craning his neck around to watch the tray as he supported it with his half-open wings. "Hey. This works!"

Spitfire tilted her head and gave him a wry grin. "Going to give up your day job?"

Soarin snorted. "You can't get rid of me that easily, Captain—as much as I know you'd love to," he replied, waggling his eyebrows at Spitfire. Then he set the tray aside and took the fluffy cloud cushion next to hers.

Both Wonderbolts turned to look at Dash.

A small, nervous giggle threatened to escape Dash's lips. She forced her mouth into a tighter smile.

Dash was suddenly very sure she would always remember this moment, the image of it burned into her memory forever. Spitfire and Soarin, each sitting on a little cloud pillow, both looking at her, smiling, with only the steam from the tea between them and her.

Dash blinked herself back to the here-and-now as Spitfire began talking.

"I should tell you why we're here, but first, let me fill you in on recent events. We have only one more stop in our tour this year—the day after tomorrow in Manehatten. However, we've run into a bit of a problem." She glanced at Soarin then, but he was focused solely on Dash with an odd smile on his face.

Spitfire picked up her teacup. Dash, feeling some need to stay as connected to her guests as possible, did the same.

After taking a sip, Spitfire continued, "You see, yesterday at Haytona Beach, we had... a bit of an accident."

"Well, Silver Lining had the accident, to be precise," interrupted Soarin, still staring intently at Dash as if he were expecting some reaction from her. "Flew smack into a slalom pole. He was blown off course by a sudden gale from a ocean storm. Broke a wing."

"Yes. And he's not the only one that's grounded—two others have ponypox." Spitfire shook her head ruefully. "Two backups have always been enough to cover any problems or illnesses, and when there aren't any members out of action they give everypony a chance to take a break from the routine. But this latest setback leaves us one short for our last show."

Soarin leaned in a little closer. Dash felt like a bug under a microscope. She scrunched up a bit beneath his intent gaze and took a sip of her tea—then stared at the cup incredulously. When did I get a tea set, anyway?

Spitfire continued, "So we'd like you to fill in and join the Wonderbolts for our last show."

Soarin deftly reached out and caught the teacup as it fell. "Can't break another one, now, can we?" he said, grinning widely.



———