Snippets of Eternity

by asylum1388

Training Day

Takes place between Chapters 9 & 10

Prereader: F0xhole

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Eighteen days since the coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Rainbow Dash galloped down a dirt path at full sprint. On any other day, she would have taken a moment to enjoy the cool wind in her mane, the smell of the crisp morning air, or the thousands of exotic plants that filled the Canterlot Castle Gardens around her; but today was not any other day. Right now she only had one thing on her mind: winning this race, and one more push was all she needed. She rounded the last turn and put everything she had into the last dozen meters, lowering her head and pressing her wings hard to her sides to pick up every ounce of speed she could manage.

“YES!” she cried out boastfully as she galloped past the massive statue that marked the finish line. “Ha! Told you I’d win. In your face!”

“Yeah, yeah, you beat this old stallion. Thirty years ago you wouldn’t have stood a chance!” an aging grey pegasus grunted as he slowed to a stop next to her.

“Still, Stormrider, I beat the Wonderbolts’ ground trainer in a hoofrace! Not very many ponies can say that,” Rainbow gloated, turning toward him with a massive grin.

“I’ll give you that one, kiddo,” he chuckled in reply. “You definitely deserve your spot in the Academy. You’re an amazing athlete.”

“Heh, thanks. Look on the bright side though, you beat Twilight!” Rainbow giggled, pointing a hoof at the Princess, who was only now catching up.

“Oh... yeah... let’s all laugh at the slow, out-of-shape bookworm!” Twilight gasped, desperately trying to catch her breath. “You know, I can normally keep up with Stormrider when you’re not here, Dash!”

“Not really. I take it easy so I can stay close and make sure you’re alright. You know, doing my job?” Stormrider chuckled.

“Great. Way to make me feel better about myself,” Twilight grumbled.

“Oh, quit bellyaching,” Rainbow scolded. “That’s what you get for not bothering to exercise for your entire life!”

“Exactly!” Stormrider proclaimed, stomping a hoof for emphasis. He turned to Rainbow Dash and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Alright, that’s all for today. You did well, kiddo. I’ll put a good word in for ya with Spitfire next time I see her. In the meantime, I’m leaving the Princess in your hooves.”

"Yes, sir!" Rainbow snapped to a sharp salute as he trotted off. She turned around and sauntered over to Twilight, who was greedily gulping water from a bottle. “See? I told you that it was better to work out in the morning. Now, not only will you be all amped up and ready for the day, but you’ve got nothing but free time later when you get your work done!” the pegasus charged, striking a brazen pose.

“I’ll also be sore and tired for the rest of the day,” Twilight groaned, stretching her limbs.

“That’s just because you’re outta shape. Give it a few weeks and it won’t be so bad,” Rainbow sniggered, clapping Twilight on the back. She then trotted over to a wicker basket laying several feet away and pulled a large muffin from within. “Alright, Twi, we’ve got a ton of things to cover today, so breakfast is going to have to be quick! How long do you have before that meeting?”

“Actually, I don’t have to go to that meeting anymore, so we have until lunch,” Twilight muttered, lethargically dragging herself over to the basket and digging a bagel out of it. “The nobles holding the meeting suddenly decided at the last minute that they’d rather hold it without me, so I’m free all morning. I still have to hold Court this afternoon though.”

“Wait, they’re holding an important meeting without you? Why?” Rainbow asked through a mouthful of muffin.

Twilight rolled her eyes and swallowed her food before speaking. “Well, they’re probably scheming something and don’t want me to hear what gets said, or by who. Nothing major.”

“Nothing major? That sounds very major to me, Twilight!” Rainbow grunted. “You sure you shouldn’t be there?”

“Nah. They’re always plotting against me, but they’re also always plotting against each other too. One way or another, I’ll find out what they’re trying to pull off, either from somepony who thinks that they can get in good with the Princess by tattling on the rest, or by somepony who thinks that they can set one of their rivals back by clueing me in on their schemes. Either way, I find out,” Twilight explained with a giggle. “All I have to do is wait and see who cracks first.”

“Wow... Remind me never to rely on a noble for anything,” Rainbow snickered.

“Hey! Cadance is a noble, remember?”

“You know what I meant!” Rainbow groaned.

“Yeah, I’m just pushing your buttons,” Twilight giggled. “So, what’s the plan for today? More maneuvering?”

“Nope, today we’re going for height!” Rainbow asserted proudly.

“H-height?” Twilight stammered. “Y-you mean like altitude?’

“What else would I mean?” Rainbow groaned sarcastically. “You’re not scared are you?”

“No! ...Yes,” Twilight simpered. “A-are you sure? Couldn’t we just review the things we went over yesterday? I’m not sure I got—”

“No, Twilight. You can practice all the other stuff when I’m back in Ponyville, but if we don’t get to everything before I go, then we’re sunk!” Rainbow interrupted. “We need to do this!”

“I-I don’t know Rainbow...”

“Come on, you can do it! Just fly up to the top of that wall,” Rainbow pressed encouragingly, pointing at one of the castle’s stone battlements. “You’ve gone higher than that in your balloon.”

“Yeah, but that’s different! I’m still standing on something when I’m riding in it,” Twilight moaned.

“No, it’s not different at all!” Rainbow asserted. She stepped up to Twilight and got face to face with her friend. “You can do it. I’ll be right below you the whole time; I promise.”

Twilight remained silent, simply staring at Rainbow skeptically, and the pegasus sighed at her. “Twilight, you trust me, right?”

“Of course I do, Dash!”

“Then trust me to catch you if you fall,” Rainbow said softly. “I know you can do it, but I’ll be ready to swoop in and save the day, just in case.”

“O-okay, Dash. I’ll try...” Twilight sighed, turning to stare up at the ledge.

“Good. Now, we’ll start from a hover and take it nice and slow. Just remember to breathe,” Rainbow instructed, circling around to Twilight’s side. “Stretch your wings... bend your knees... and lift off!”

Twilight followed Rainbow’s instructions to the letter and proceeded to hover a meter off the ground, where she was quickly joined by her tutor. “Okay. I’m ready, I think...”

“Perfect. Now just start flying, and I’ll follow you up. And don’t worry, I promise not to just stare at your flank the whole time,” Rainbow said with a teasing smirk.

“You better not,” Twilight retorted, attempting to sound playful. She gritted her teeth in determination and began to rise.

Five meters up... Ten meters up... Fifteen meters up, she climbed. She pushed everything out of her mind, ignoring the wind in her mane and feathers, oblivious to the sun on her back. Focusing solely on her target, she made it twenty meters up before making the disastrous mistake of looking down.

She choked. Her courage failed her and she felt her heart jump into her throat as her wings became stiff. Panic rose in her chest as her ascent slowed to a stop and she began losing altitude. “No... No!”

She opened her mouth to shriek in terror, but her scream caught in her throat when a strong pair of hooves gripped her tightly around the waist. “I gotcha, Twi! Just stay calm and keep flying.”

Resisting the urge to writhe in Rainbow’s grasp, Twilight flapped her wings for all she was worth, desperate to reach the top of the wall and put something solid beneath her. Grunting with each thrust, she began to rise again, lifting herself the last few meters upwards, before landing roughly on the battlement.

“I... I...”

“You did it, Twilight!” Rainbow cheered. “See? I told you you could do it!”

“I-I really did, didn’t I?” Twilight stuttered, carefully looking over the edge. “That wasn’t too bad! A little shaky near the end, but not bad.”

Rainbow clapped her on the back again, laughing happily, “Keep this up, and you’ll be the second best flyer in Equestria in no time flat!”

“Why do I have to settle for second best? I bet I could top you with enough practice,” Twilight replied with a smirk.

“Oh really? Okay, if you’re so sure, how about we race back down to the ground?” Rainbow challenged smugly.

The smirk immediately fell from Twilight’s face as she took a hesitant glance at the ground. “O-on second thought, I think I have enough titles. Why don’t you go ahead and keep that one?”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought, smartflank,” Rainbow chuckled. She looked upward at the next bat “Alright, that’s enough slacking. I want to see if we can get you up to the roof before lunch!”