Appledashery

by Just Essay

The Hover of Things

"Uhhhh... Uhhhhhhh..." I trembled against the beating wind, levitating in place. "I... I-I don't think I can control it!"

"You totally can, kiddo! Just stick your wings straight out and pretend—like—they're cardboard cutouts!"

"C-c-cardboard cutouts?!" I stammered.

"Yeah! Like you stick to the side of your scooter when you pretend it's a glider!"

I felt my cheeks becoming flushed. "Y-you weren't supposed to see th-that!"

"Yeah, well, when the day comes that you get to fly on your own, you'll see all sorts of stuff! Now concentrate! Stick your wings straight out! Yeah, like that! I'm gonna turn the wind down!"

"No! No!" I blurted. "Please, Rainbow! Don't do that! I'll fall and bruise myself and everypony will laugh at me and—"

"Yeesh! Since when was your name 'Worryloo?!' Trust me. Stick your wings out. Keep them level. Angle out your tail."

"Okay... okayokayokay..." I clenched my teeth.

"Keep your eyes open."

I did so, fidgeting. "Just don't dr-drop me!"

"It's up to you to not drop yourself, squirt! Now keep calm."

"Uh huh..."

"Even spaces. Your light as a feather. That's it. There ya go!"

"When... uh..." I gulped. "Wh-when are you gonna drop the wind some, Rainbow Dash?"

Silence, save for the constant rustling of feathers.

"Rainbow D-Dash?"

"I dunno how to tell you this, kid, but I already did."

"You..." I blinked. "You did?" I glanced straight down from where I was hovering. "You did?!"

She smirked and nodded from below me. Rainbow Dash was lying on her back on the top of a hill, flapping her wings up at me, keeping my lightweight body afloat. Only, at this point, she was flapping her wings slower and slower—with about a third of the frequency with which she was beating those feathers before.

"But... b-but how am I still staying up?!" I stammered.

"Cuz you're doing what I told you to do!" Rainbow Dash winked. "Way to go, squirt! You've just graduated Feather Management 101!'"

"No way..." I glanced sideways, gawking at my outstretched wings as they kept me aloft in the gentle wind Rainbow was now making with her wings. "It's that simple?"

"Yup! Pretty much!" The mare winked. "Doing awesome stuff comes later. Now you're just mastering the basics."

"But... b-but I'm—" I slipped in midair.

"Level out!"

I did so, wincing. With a breath of relief, I resumed "gliding" through the wind current she was producing. "This is so... so c-cool!"

"You're a natural, kid! Must have gotten it from all that air you get with your scooter!"

"But... b-but that's the best I can ever do!" I bit my lip. "Even this is fake. Face it, Rainbow, I-I'll never get in the air like this by my own wings."

"Not with that attitude, you won't. Believe it, kid, you're making uber progress."

"You think so...?"

"If I had a bit for every punk with wings who got into the air by their own feathers but didn't know how to stay aloft once they got there..." She smirked. "Believe me, just by keeping adrift like you are now, you've got a huge leg up on the rest of the face-planters your age."

"Heh..." I chuckled, cheeks rosy. "Cool..."

"You're darn right, it's cool." She rested her forelimbs behind her neck while continuing to flap her wings. "I knew you'd have a handle on this! We both got the same chillaxing genes in our bloodstream, I bet!"

"You mean... like... we're cousins or something?"

"Sure, why not." She yawned. "Birds of a feather and all that jazz. Soon you'll be learning how to fly long distances. And gliding is the first key to doing it with style!"

"Heh... that's really awesome!"

"Uh huh."

"S-say, speaking of long distance travels, have you packed everything for your trip south with Applejack?"

Suddenly, Rainbow's eyes bulged. Her wings froze in place.

"G-guhhhh!" I flailed in midair before plummeting. "Rainbow Dasssssssh—!"

Whump! She caught me on the way down. Wincing, she sat up and plopped me on the ground. "Where... uh..." She gulped. "Where did you hear that, kid?"

"Uhm..." I fidgeted, dizzily standing upright on numb limbs. "Apple Bloom told me."

"She did?"

"Yeah. Big Mac is heading to Trottingham with Fluttershy and Applejack is heading to Orlandoats with you. She's super excited."

"Wh-who...?" Rainbow gulped a savage lump down her throat. "Applejack?"

"Huh? Oh, no, I-I meant Apple Bloom." I smiled. "This will be the first time in ages that she had the house all to herself."

"Uhhhh..."

"I mean aside from Granny Smith being there, of course." I giggled. "Funny how Apple Bloom gets excited about the silliest of things. I-I mean I'm home alone all the time and you don't see me busting a gut!"

"Does... uhm..." Rainbow Dash rubbed her scalp, fidgeting. "Does Apple Bloom ever talk about Applejack?"

"Huh?" I squinted at her. "Like... in what way?"

Rainbow's blue fuzz turned a noticeable shade of indigo. "Er..." She coughed, then coughed again. "Never mind. It's... uh... no big deal."

"What's going on down in Fillyday, anyways?" I raised an eyebrow. "Is there an alligator needing a friendship lesson?"

"Heh. I doubt we'll be going as far south as the Evergallops."

"I almost wish I could go," I said, pawing at the ground with my hoof. "You and Applejack? Having a super long road trip? Camping out? Sounds like a whole lotta fun!"

"Yeahhhhhhh..." Rainbow Dash suddenly sighed, her ears drooping. "Super funnn..."

"You sure there isn't room for another pony on Applejack's wagon?"

"Heh..." She ruffled my mane for some reason, smirking. "Trust me, kid. You don't wanna stick around for this one."

"Awwwwww..."

"But don't you worry!" She squats down low, smirking at me. "I'll totally give you tons of lessons when I get back! You've got gliding down pat. Next is exercising those wing muscles! I'm gonna get you into the air or my middle name isn't 'Dastardly!'"

"Isn't it, though?"

"You'd better believe it, kid."

"Heheh... cool!" I smirked, gazing up at her. "The way you make it sound, Rainbow, it's as if this trip is gonna give you your own second wind!"

"Heh..." Rainbow Dash gulped and flapped her wings, hovering above me. "We'll have to see about that..."

Comments

[BabySkittleMonster]

*Squee!!!* ... Umm... *cough*. I didn't do that. That was not me making such sounds. Nope. Nuh uh. Even if that was an adorable little scene between Scoots and Dash. Uh... Did I say adorable? I meant... Um... No, I meant adorable. It's the only word that fits right. Yep. Uh huh.

[Lord Dragon]

5293862 Indeed.

[RainbowJack2000]

I just want this trip to happen already. I'm getting really impatient.

[Sharp Quill]

Is Rainbow Dash hallucinating first-person Scootaloo perspective?

[YoshiFawful64]

5293862
Silly BabySkittleMonster, you should never try to hide your squees.

[RoboRed]

"What's going on down in Fillyday, anyways?"

I believe it's supposed to be "Fillyda".

[zaponator]

Mmm, love the Scootaloo chapters.
Best filly is best filly.

[Jay_Baker]

Oooooooh I can't wait to till the road trip I wonder if rainbow will confess. I think she might confess on the way back from the trip, but I could be wrong you never know. :D

[Lightning Bearer]

Scootaloo would be best third wheel.

[Salad king]

Ss&e is a huge troll, he tells us were getting a load of of Apple with dash time and then delays it a tonne XD

[Fishberry]

I feel compelled to echo Sharp Quill's sentiment from a few chapters back... a poison joak incident would be pretty darn entertaining. Imagine if Dashie turned into a rule 63 version of herself... and her horror upon realizing she's attracted to stallions, maybe even crushing on Macky!

[bonamb]

OH GOD
I CAUGHT UP
WHAT DO I DO WITH MY LIFE NOW

[Leftover of Saikano]

"The way you make it sound, Rainbow, it's as if this trip is gonna give you your own second wind!"

No alternate dimension Eljunbyro here. But I imagine a blind zebra, an amputee unicorn, and a lame pegasus (and maybe a shattered draconequus) could stage a rise of the imperfects and take over Equestria.

[Fishberry]

... Rainbow Dastardly Awesome Professionalism Dash?

[Appledash_Gurl]

5301822 I know im late...but u forgot Danger...

[LucyHorseThing]

5301822
And Deadline.

[arancaytar]

second wind

An Eljunbyro, you might say?

[Boop-Happy Lass]

8491536
Eyyy.

[Brazilianguy17]

"But don't you worry!" She squats down low, smirking at me. "I'll totally give you tons of lessons when I get back! You've got gliding down pat. Next is exercising those wing muscles! I'm gonna get you into the air or my middle name isn't 'Dastardly!'"

Aw ,you didn't add that up to the ongoing joke of "rainbow danger professionalism whatever dash"