Sailing the solar wind.

by JadeCriminal

A Rare Event II

Rainbow Dash exulted in the feeling of wind beneath her wings. She exited the barn in Rapid Take-off maneuver and quickly gained altitude, heading towards the Ever-free forest. When she was close enough she whooped loudly and dropped like a stone trading altitude for speed, with a flex of her will her wingtips started releasing her patented rainbow trail as soon as she had enough velocity.

At near Rain-boom speed she aimed for the open space of the Forbidden Forest Road that lead most of the way to the hidden pathway to Zecora's hut. As she crossed the threshold she allowed herself a blink to adjust to the gloom the dense leaves created even during the day. She smirked. Like she'd let a little darkness stop her, she had worked out the trick to enhancing her eyes ages ago as a side effect of having to adjust her vision to rapid changes in speed and heading during trick flying.

As the cut off trail to the hut approached Rainbow Dash felt herself slipping into the zone as adrenaline started flowing through her veins. With a murmur the world slowed down and her mind sped up in the familiar staccato of trick time heartbeats.

In the blink of an eye she was weaving in and out of the trees following the main path as a warm up until she was near the hidden pathway to Zecora's hut. There she was forced to bleed off a little speed with a quick Stall and a Wingover. Pulling a 112 degree turn she was no rising up to the challenge of winding herself around the thickly growing branches, bushed and vines of the Ever-free forest proper, still flying faster them any pony could gallop.

Fifteen seconds after she left the Apple Farm a rainbow trailing Rainbow Dash flapped to a Rapid Halt in front of Zecora's hut, posing in the middle of a dissipating dust devil she had created with a sparkling rainbow illuminating the clearing before it faded.

Looking around she pouted when she realized no one was there to see her landing.

“Hey Apple Bloom! Zecora! You are are late!” She called out grouchily.

When no one responded Rainbow Dash walked closer to Zecora's hut. Seeing a faint glow coming from the hut she realized there ws definitely somepony there. Carefully she tippy-hooved towards the window.

As she approached she could hear a strange foreign words coming from the hut in Apple Bloom's voice. An then just as she caught a glimpse of the filly standing inside a glowing circle, a blinding flash of light and a deafening explosion caused her world to vanish and a blackness took her.

When she gathered her wit she found herself sitting on her rump just below Zecora's window blinking spots from her eyes. Thick blue smoke was flowing through the window and out of the hut and some pony was having a coughing fit.

“And now you see young Apple Bloom, undue haste invites backlash of doom.” Zecora spoke spookily before laughing.

“or in your case, of baldy gloom.” the zebra added snickering.

“What? But I... Oh no.. My mane!” A young wailing voice rang across the forest.

Rainbow Dash moved herself up and looked through the window. The thick smoke flowing out of the hut had thinned a little she could see the outline of two ponies. One smaller and one taller. She squinted, wondering if Apple Bloom really lost her mane.

“Your mane will grow but lesson heed! What would have happened if you were helping ponies in need?” Zecora instructs.

“But I wanted to get to the party on time.” Apple Bloom whined.

“Apple Bloom...” Zecora cautioned.

“I know I know. I was wrong. I will try Zecora. If I am doing anything that could hurt some pony I will be super extra Pinkie Pie Promise Careful." the filly acknowledged her mistake performing the traditional pinkie pie swear solemnly.

Zecora laughed at the young fillies antics and nodded. “The time is right to take heed and learn. When time is wrong take no wrong turn.” Zecora cautioned and patted the young filly fondly on the back.

As the mist cleared Rainbow Dash finally realized what she was seeing. Apple Bloom looked slightly singed and her mane had been replaced by a pink bald spot.

Dash felt it coming. It started as a snicker, grew into a guaff and then she collapsed into full blown laughter.

“Ah our escort came, and saw your shame.” Zecora teased while Apple Bloom blushed.

“Zecora... could you? You know...” Apple Bloom pleaded.

“A nature's source you cannot force.” Zecora cautioned as she reached to take a vial from one of her shelves.

“Aw.” Apple Bloom bit her lip. “How long?.”

“Do not worry my young friend, Your mane will grow back in the end.” Zecora assured her while applying a lotion to Apple Bloom's bald patches and singed bits.

While they were speaking Rainbow Dash came to her senses and eased down on the laughter.

“Hey you two. What happened.” Rainbow Dash stuck her head through the window and asked with a tinge of worry. She knew Zecora would not endanger someone needlessly but...

“I was learning how to protect against fire. Only... I was late gathering the ingredients and tried to hurry things up to get to the party in time. And then...” The young filly looked down, embarrassed.

“When Fire Spirits you insult with haste. They turn around and...” Here she paused and created a small fire in her hoof and breathed it at the filly. “...Give you a taste.”

Apple Bloom flinched as the flame struck her square in the forehead.

“Hey. That didn't hurt?” She wondered.

“Of course young Apple Bloom. I would never invite your doom.” Zecora nodded sagely.

“You protected me from the backlash before I even started the potion?” Apple bloom wondered in awe.

“You have shown the signs of haste, invited doom your flesh to taste.” Zecora shrugged while petting the filly fondly.

“You can say that again. I'll never ever be hasty with magic again.” Apple Bloom laughed and then grew serious. “It still stinks I have to wait for days for my mane to grow back a little.”

Rainbow Dash looked between the two and finally shook her head.

“Ok you two, enough with the mambo-jumbo. We need to hoof it if we want to make it on time.” she insisted.

“Aren't you going to ask more about what I was doing?” Apple Bloom asked. In her experience there was no way an adult would just shrug things off like that.

“Aw hey no! I get enough of this kind of thing from Twilight. As far as I am concerned you are safe with your teacher and that is all that counts. I singed a feather or two in my time too you know.” Rainbow Dash waved the whole thing off.

“I smell a story, a lesson as well. We will walk, please Dash, do tell.” Zecora wryly encouraged the Pegasus, intrigued.

“Well. I was still working as an apprentice rainbow-crafter at the Rainbow Factory and...”

Twilight walked out to the big stage that stood against the back wall of the Apple Family Barn and looked at the crowd of ponies gathered in front of it with a feeling of pride and affection welling inside her.

She had checked the last check on her check-list, scried for Apple Bloom And Zecora, who were on their way to the farm with the flowers they needed to decorate the tables, and now she exulted in the glory of a job well done.

Everything was complete. The last decorations would be done when Zecora came, the drinks and other preparations were completed on budget and ahead of schedule and DJ pon3 managed to fix the problem with the sound system. And now it was time for a speech.

She took a deep breath, resisted the urge to call up her cue cards and thought about the relevant passages from the motivational speaking instruction booklet.

“All right! Excellent work every-pony!” She exclaimed enthusiastically giving her audience a big smile.

“We are finished early and within budget. I wanted to tell you how proud I am of each and every one of you. Give yourselves a great big stomp of approval. You earned it.” She called out stomping her own hooves against the floor in the popular pony version of applause. The crowd was enthusiastically noisy and Twilight smiled a proud smile at them.

“It is now time to relax and have fun at the Pinkie Pie Pre-Party Party until our harmonious handsome honorary guest arrives.” She announced and caused a small titter of laughter to spread at her alliterations.

She looked around for her co-organizer who was still missing, not noticing Pinkie Pie sneaking up behind her in her patented Pink Nin-pony costume.

“Speaking of Pinkie, has anyone...” She started and then stopped when she felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise just before Pinkie Pie struck.

“Pinkie Pie popped up behind Twilight and put a proud hoof around her co-host.” The Pink Ninja intoned into the microphone while popping up behind Twilight and putting a foreleg around her friend.

Twilight snorted and returned the one hoofed embrace. She should have expected this.

“And then she announced that everyone should remember to have fun!” Pinkie pie added while grinning cheekily and then tilted the mike at Twilight who added her own two bits.

“I would also like to caution the entertainers that the pit trap has not yet been removed from the stage design.” Twilight Sparkle informed the audience. “And while this time I have it from a good source that there are no honey badgers present inside the pit...”

“I made a Pinkie Pie swear to Fluttershy and everything.” Pinkie Pie interjected.

“Yes, still, entertainers are cautioned to stay away from the big pink lever.” Twilight finished.

“Yep, keep away from the lever unless you want to be Pied!” Pinkie Pie giggled.

“Pinkie!” Twilight growled at the Pink hazard she had befriended a long time ago.

The Pink Prankster smiled and leaned close to Twilight and whispered as if just for her. The microphone had no difficulty picking up her whispering.

“Relax Twilight. The Pinkie Pie Pit Trap is one hundred and ten percent Pinkie Pie safe. Also, between you and me even the honey badgers from last time were actually bribed not to hurt any pony and only pretended to be angry.” Pinkie Pie winked conspiratorially seemingly un-aware that the microphone spread the whisper to the rest of the room..

“But Fluttershy said they were upset. They even ignored her!” Twilight protested.

“Oh they like Fluttershy, they just think she worries too much. Honey Badgers don't give a hoot.” Pinkie Pie nodded sagely.

“Well, as long as it's safe.” Twilight said raising her voice to the crowd and glanced at her planning partner.

“As Pinkie Pie always says: time to party!” She announced in tandem with the party mare and the crowd of satisfied ponies cheered.

During Twilight's speech the barn doors popped open and Rainbow dash flew backwards through them followed by a giggling, mane-less Apple Bloom and a smiling Zecora, who was carrying saddle-baskets full of bright colorful flowers.

Apple Bloom's mane has grown a tiny smidgen by now so her head was not quite so pink, thus improving her mood significantly.

“And that's why after I single hoofedly saved the factory from a rainbow tank explosion my supervisor suggested that I should be promoted to chief weather pony for Pony-ville As far away from Clouds-dale as he could send me at the time.” Rainbow announced giggling to herself.

“I now feel a certain dread. Should I move as far in-stead?” Zecora teased the flying mare, giving her a mischievous glance.

“Nah,” Apple Bloom waved Zecora's 'concerns' away. “She has no control over Ever-free weather anyway.”

Zecora and Apple Bloom started chuckling and then Rainbow Dash joined them happy that they like her tale of folly.

“Yeah, laugh it up Miss Missing Mane.” Rainbow Dash stuck her tongue out at the filly and chuckled just as Twilight And Pinkie Pie finished announcing that it was time to party. The crowd gathered against the stage cheered and started to spread across the room and the general noise level in the room raised to an excited murmur.

“Yeah well at least I never flooded and entire city with rainbow.” Apple Bloom stuck her tongue right back.

They were finally noticed now that the attention was away from Twilight and Pinkie and some ponies threw surprised glances at Zecora and her young apprentice.

“Apple Bloom your poor mane!” Sweetie Bell called from across the room and rushed to hug her mane-less friend.

“What happened you run into a rampaging dragon and had to give it the old one two?” Scootalo asked eagerly while jumping, somersaulting and punching at the air. Then she joined the hug and ran her hoof across her friend's extremely short mane.

“Wicked!” She proclaimed at Bloom while Sweetie just spluttered, still in shock from the drastically different appearance of her friend.

Apple Bloom hugged her friends back and then put on a sinister face.

“Ok girls listen carefully to my tale of woe.” She started gloomily.

“It all started on a dark and stormy night!” Bloom proclaimed when she was rudely interrupted.

“Apple Bloom!” Scotaloo punched her in the shoulder lightly. “The real story!”

“Ok, ok so it was a bright shiny afternoon. Way to spoil my story.” Apple Bloom complained as the Cutie Mark Crusaders gravitated toward the cupcake table and the Pre-party party got into a full swing.

Comments

[Moon_Fire]

and I am glad I am tracking this

[Hivemind]