//------------------------------//
// Dragon Training 
// Story: JUST In Case... 
// by YourNeighborhoodAlicorn 
//------------------------------//

Picking up from the pieces can be quite difficult with a story like this, yet I'll give my best shot. There never is a 'perfect' beginning to a story, just one that is of very best quality. So with that, we shall begin.

The sky was once again ruled by our dear Princess Celestia, and what better a day for flying than today? Our pony friends certainly agree. Spike was recently checked out of the hospital after some consultation from a dragon expert named Bright Idea. He had explained about all the changes Spike was going through and it had just marked that he had been going through a phase in his life. All dragons have earned their wings the same way Spike has and it is usual for them to go through extreme pain. Twilight asked him if he had any books on dragons so she can know about any other changes about Spike in the future and like a gentlecolt, he provided.

Like Rainbow Dash had promised, she decided to teach Spike how to fly. They were over at Rainbow's usual spot where she does tricks. The first thing she had to teach was to obviously get up into the air.

"OK Spike, can you flap your wings?" Rainbow Dash said while hovering above him.

Spike had replied with a single flap. "Check."

"Now, just relax all your muscles and start flapping and you'll be in the air in no time." Rainbow Dash flew a bit farther away from him to give him some space.

Spike begun to follow her instructions by inhaling and exhaling to relax his muscles. He then put all his might into flapping his wings. He levitated just a bit over the ground and leveled himself out without going any higher. He had a giant smile on his face, finally being able to feel the wind in his face. It was refreshing, and Spike was loving every second of it.

"Great! Now is when we get to the good stuff." Rainbow had signaled for Spike to get on her back, as Spike graciously followed. With all her force, she bolted through the sky, increasing altitude with every second. Spike was hanging on for dear life, trying not to fall. She had come to a quick stop at a group of clouds that were lined up in perfect order to form a walkway.

"Next thing you gotta know is how to cloud walk." She flew right next to the clouds with Spike still on her back. "Jump onto the clouds Spike."

Spike was nervous, but then again who wouldn't be? He was afraid he was going to fall through the cloud to his impending doom below. He had been hyperventilating and sweating uncontrollably. Every time he would send a look down to Equestria below, his anxiety would reach it's peak.

"Come on, Spike. You can do it." Rainbow assured him. "I'll be under the cloud, just in case you fall."
Spike proceeded to slowly lift one leg over the Pegasus's back and extend it towards the cloud. As he touched it, he was surprised to see that it was solid. His anxiety had died down a bit, but not fully. After about fifteen seconds of 'feeling' the cloud, he decided to jump onto it. Spike had his eyes closed and claws covering his face. When he came back to his senses, he saw he was standing on top of the cloud, not sinking nor falling through it. He looked over it to see Rainbow Dash right under the cloud, ready to catch him if he were to fall.

He began to tiptoe across the cloud walkway, moving inch by inch with each step. He did not want to think of the dire consequences if he were to fall. He remembered what Twilight had told him about the time she went to Cloudsdale to cheer on Rainbow Dash at the Young Flyers Competition. She was nervous about doing her signature Sonic Rainboom and felt as if she was going to fail as well and become the laughing stock of the whole city. But with enough devotion, and a Rarity in distress, she pulled through and became who she is today. Spike stopped tiptoeing and started walking.

The cloud was actually quite soft once you get used to it. It felt as if he was walking on air which technically he was. He had reached the end of the walkway and laid down. He stretched his arms out and curled his wings up. Sleep soon came to him in a matter of seconds and he was there, floating on the puff in the sky without a care in the world.

Rainbow Dash, on the other hoof had been waiting below for Spike to signal her to pick him up. She had grew tired of waiting and decided to fly up to find him. When she came up upon the cloud, she saw Spike sleeping and lying happily on the cloud.

Rainbow Dash sighed. "Just like when i started cloud walking for the first time."

She went over by Spike's side and decided to wait for him to wake up. She couldn't just leave the little drake there by himself. He was nervous enough to even walk on the cloud, let alone fly off of it. She'll take him over to Twilight's library when he wakes up and continue teaching him how to fly tomorrow.

She has never really seen Spike sleeping before. She noticed how for every snore, a little puff of smoke would come out of his nostrils. The little drake actually looked a bit cute in his sleep. Wait, did she just think of that? She shrugged that thought off and had sat there on the cloud waiting for him to wake up.

Though sleep was coming to her fast and she didn't want to fall asleep in the cold. Having no other solution she decided to lay down next to him, just close enough to absorb his body heat. She let slumber come over her and soon she was snoring just like Spike.

About a few hours later, Spike woke up groggily. He hasn’t slept like that in such a long time. When he woke up, everything was hazy and he couldn't move. He laid there still for some time, until he finally regained his vision. He saw what was constricting him. A drooling, smiling cyan pegasus had him locked in an embrace while she was asleep. He couldn't help but 
snicker a little when he saw her face. He slithered himself out carefully as to not wake up Rainbow Dash. He was stranded on a white cloud and his only way out was resting. It wasn't all that bad though. The cloud offered a breathtaking view. He could see Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres, the Everfree Forest, and the mountain ranges. All of these landmarks came together to make the home that he has come to know and love.

As Spike was admiring the view, he hadn't noticed that Rainbow Dash had awoken when he had crawled out of her hug. She got up and walked over to Spike, sitting next to him while he was still admiring the view.

"Enjoyin' the view?" She said while yawning.

"Hey bedmane," Spike said while pointing to her mane and laughing. It had been quite messy from sleeping on the cloud. She fixed it immediately. She didn't want to look bad in front of Spike. Wait, she just had that same thought again. She ignored the feeling, but it still kept poking at her inside.

"You ready to leave?" Rainbow said while stretching.

"Yeah." Spike had gotten up and walked over to the cyan pegasus. "You do realize Twilight is going to be furious right?"

"Don't worry, I'll explain to her what happened." Rainbow Dash earned a 'Are You Sure?' look from Spike. "She'll understand."

As soon as he mounted Rainbow Dash, she extended her wings, and for extra effect she trotted over to the beginning of the cloud walkway and ran all the way to the end, taking flight in a matter of seconds. Spike got used to being in the air and wasn't scared anymore. When he looked down, he didn't think of death, he thought of excitement. Every second in the air was more and more thrilling for him. He didn't want to be on the back of a flier, he wanted to be the flier.

Spike extended his wings and jumped off of Rainbow Dash's back. He took flight easily due to the fact they were already so high up in the air. Rainbow Dash saw her dragon pal wasn't on her back and instead was soaring across the sky in the opposite direction. She had taken pursuit, but man was Spike fast. His wings were perfectly aerodynamic and he had jumped of her at just the right angle. She immediately increased speed, and eventually caught up to him. She grabbed him and put him on her back once again and kept flying.

"Spike, what got into you?!" Rainbow had yelled while flying.

Spike had a giant grin on his face. "I knew you were gonna catch me. I wouldn't have done it if i thought you weren't. Plus, i really wanted to fly.”

Rainbow Dash blushed at the compliment. Wait, why was she blushing? Of course she was going to catch him. She was by far, the fastest pegasus in Equestria. But it was something about hearing it from Spike. She couldn't describe it but it felt enticing. Increasing speed she headed towards Ponyville, reaching the vicinity of Golden Oaks Library. Rainbow Dash wasn't one to just use the door. She had to be more awesome than that. She flew through the window, normally surprising any normal ponies. But Twilight was different. If she was immersed in a book, not even an earthquake can disturb her. While Spike and Rainbow Dash were trying to recover from the sudden crash, she was there reading the book that Bright Idea had given her. Seeing as this was their opportunity to sneak in. Unfortunately, at that very moment, Twilight had finished reading the book.

"Spike, where have you been?" Twilight said.

"Oh, I was teaching Spike how to fly and we lost track of time." Rainbow said while scratching her mane. "Sorry Twilight..."

"It's alright." She closed the book and headed upstairs. "Spike needs his training anyway."

Spike sighed in relief to the fact he wasn't in trouble. He proceeded to follow Twilight up the stairs when he saw Rainbow Dash still standing there.

"Oh...Um... See ya Rainbow." Spike waited for her to reply before heading upstairs.

"Bye Spike, same time tomorrow?" She said.

"Definitely." Spike smiled.

Rainbow Dash flew out the window the same manner she came in. Though, while she was flying back, that feeling had been tugging at her again. She kept trying to shake it off and continue her flight back to her cloud mansion. She had been flying slowly as she didn't have any energy left to fly faster. After what seemed like hours to her, she finally reached her home. She hated flying at such a slow rate. But after a long and exhausting day, she didn't care. She was helping Spike to fly and that was enough to keep her going. She enjoyed spending more time with Spike as they didn't hang out very often. Either he was cleaning and helping Twilight at the library or he would be off busy with something else.

She got back to her home, carelessly opening the door and closing it. She jumped onto her cloud bed and adjusted herself appropriately. She found herself in a comfortable position and began napping once again.

The next day brought a whole world of new adventure. Spike was headed towards the same spot as before to continue his training. He hoped that he was finished with the basics for he wanted to learn more advanced flying techniques. He wasn't walking anymore, he was flying. He learned to propel himself up and move forward at the same time, allowing him to levitate. Spike finally arrived at the ‘Training Area’ as he called it. While waiting for Rainbow Dash, Spike decided to do a bit of exercising. He saw other pegasi curl their wings up and down repeatedly to prepare them for flying. He decided to mimic them and started curling his wing, all the while moving it up and down. He could feel his wing straining after some time training. While Spike was working out in the middle of the field, Rainbow Dash was still lazily asleep in her mansion. 

She woke up groggily and did her usual morning chores. Fixed her mane, brushed her teeth, washed her hoofs, etc. As soon as she had finished, she headed out the door. While she was flying, she couldn't help but feel she had forgotten something. She did all her morning chores, fed Tank, locked all the doors in her house, yet she felt a nagging feeling and it was driving her to the edge of insanity. Right then, it hit her like a brick house. She had completely forgotten about Spike and his training. She immediately started to fly in the opposite direction as fast as she could. 

Spike was still there, having just finished exercising. He was wondering what was taking Rainbow so long. He was about to leave, when he heard the sound barrier break. That only meant one thing. Rainbow Dash was doing one of her famous Sonic Rainboom. When Spike looked up however, he didn't see an expanding rainbow ring. He had looked all over. Not one sign of a techni-color rainbow.

Though while Spike was looking over the horizon for the non-existent rainbow, a certain rainbow-maned pegasus was waiting right behind him. She decided to prank Spike and sneak up behind him. When she got close enough, she tackled him playfully to the floor. She was laughing while Spike was lying on the ground looking to see the perpetrator that had attacked him. He saw it was his dear trainer, Rainbow Dash.

“Hey Rainbow, was that you who broke the sound barrier just now?” Spike was still a bit dazed from the sudden tackle.

“Yeah,” She said while smiling. “Who else could it have been?”

“I thought you could only break it when you do a Sonic Rainboom,” Spike said while looking at her dumbfounded.

“I’m fast enough to break it without even trying,” She said.

Spike envied her. She was truly the fastest pegasus to ever come soaring out of Cloudsdale, maybe even Equestria. If she could break the sound barrier like nothing, it’s no wonder she can do a Sonic Rainboom. He wanted to be like her in every way. Well, not like how Scootaloo looked up to her, but differently.

“Can we get to training now? I've been waiting long enough.” Spike said while Rainbow flew off of him and he proceeded to stand up.

“Alrighty then,” Rainbow Dash said. “What do you want to learn today?”

“Can we continue on the basics?” Spike said.

“Sure, I actually have an idea.” Rainbow proceeded to zoom off in one direction, returning in seconds with a large plastic ring. “I got this from Pinkie. Pretty cool, am i right? Not as cool as me though.” She once again started laughing at her own joke. “Anyway, your job is to fly as fast as you can through this ring as many times as you can in three minutes.”

“Simple enough.” Spike extended his wings, ready to start. “Ready!”

With that, Rainbow Dash blew the whistle she also got from Pinkie Pie. Spike took off going as fast as he could towards the ring. In Spike’s mind, everything was going in slow motion. He can’t stop for anything. He was going to dominate that ring and nothing was going to stop him. Rainbow Dash was astonished at how fast he was going. He managed to pass the rings a total of seventy-three times on the first minute. Rainbow Dash decided to make it a bit more challenging.

She started moving around to make going through the ring a bit more difficult for Spike. That hadn’t affected Spike’s statistics much as he managed on the second minute to go through the ring a total of sixty-seven times. Rainbow began to increase speed and Spike was starting to have difficulty, knowing he couldn’t keep going much longer. He had managed to go through thirty-nine times as he could barely keep up with Dash’s speed.

“Impressive, Spike!” She flew back down to ground level.

“Not... Fast... Enough...” Spike said while hyperventilating. “Can i get a redo?”

“Maybe tomorrow, Spike,” She said. “We have to keep going with the training.”

Disappointed, Spike prepared himself for the next part of his training.

“For the next part of the training, what i want you to do IS... a loopty-loop.”

“That’s it?” Spike said confusedly.

“Yup,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Easy enough.” What Spike didn't know what that Rainbow Dash had a plan.

As Spike prepared himself to do the somersault, Rainbow Dash laid down in the shade of a nearby tree.
Spike took off and immediately started to curve into the loop.

“Eat your heart out, Rain-” Spike was interrupted as he reached the top of the loop, losing control and falling. Rainbow had pulled out a mattress, knowing that failure was imminent. Spike plummeted, landing onto the mattress.

“What? How did i fail?” Spike said, getting up from the mattress.

“You’re supposed to stop flapping and stretch when you reach the top of the loop.” Rainbow Dash said. “Like this.”

She got up from against the tree and zoomed into the same circular loop Spike had failed. In a matter of seconds, she reached the top of the loop and extended her front hooves and her back hooves as much as she could away from her body. She curved her body a bit to match the wind of the loop. Spike was watching from the ground as she perfectly executed the trick that he couldn’t. She performed so elegantly as she had Spike’s eyes locked on her the entire time. She finished the trick and returned to Spike, who had his jaw dropped from watching the technique that played out before him.

“That was... Woah.” Spike said, still dumbfounded.

“Well, your turn, Spike.” Rainbow went back to resting by the tree. Spike was still shocked at how amazing she looked when she pulled off that simple trick. The sun shone on her in a way that made her dazzle. Her mane hit the sun’s rays in just the right angle, exposing her hidden beauty.

Spike prepared to take off again, wary of the tip Rainbow Dash had given him. He took off once more, and when he reached around to the top of the loop and stretched as Rainbow Dash had instructed. He felt the wind carry him as he went around in the other direction coming back to ground level to meet Rainbow Dash. Rainbow was watching as she was resting by the oak tree. He actually looked pretty cool while he was flying.

“Hey, I did it! Does this mean we’re done with the basics?” Spike said, landing right next to Rainbow.

“Nice job, Spike, and no. It has just begun.” Rainbow replied.