This one time at Flight Camp

Nopony knows exactly when gravity was invented, but most ponies agree it was a mistake. It causes problems for ponies, from ruined kitchenware to severe anvil-related cranial trauma. If gravity were capable of having feelings, it would probably feel pretty smug about managing to cause so much trouble. It would also really, really hate pegasi.

Indeed, there are a number of myths and legends amongst the ground-bound races that claim that the pegasi were created solely as a massive “go do unmentionable things to yourself, you sanguinary illegitimate offspring” to gravity. The pegasi themselves used to believe that gravity was a punishment to the lesser races for some crime or another (the nature of the crime was generally left vague, because nopony really cared about what the lessers got up to), though this belief gradually lost in popularity after the three pony races became more friendly towards one another, making way for the belief that gravity was a curse by an evil deity designed to keep down[1] the earth ponies and unicorns. In turn, this idea is losing ground nowadays due to more and more ponies admitting that they just don’t know.

There are very few ponies gravity would hate (if gravity were capable of having feelings) quite as much as Rainbow Danger Professionalism Miriam Dash. Even as a little filly she was completely disregarded the notion that objects (specifically, herself) ought to be attracted to the ground. Not only that, but she encouraged other ponies to do the same.

More than a few young pegasi at Flight Camp had first tried out stunt flying attempting to copy Rainbow Dash. She typically didn’t even have to make an effort to encourage them, which didn’t stop her from making said effort anyway - indeed, it was one of the few things she put any effort in at all. Her fans weren’t usually quite as good at avoiding gravity as she was, leading to more than a few crash-landings and earning her the ire of the camp’s medical staff, but she considered learning to be a better flyer much more important than such silly concerns as “being mindful of risks” or “safety regulations” .

Why a pony like Rainbow Dash was friends with a pony like Fluttershy, who was only considered capable of flight by technicality, was anypony’s guess. Why Fluttershy returned the feeling was a lot more obvious - while she wasn’t entirely comfortable with some of the ways Rainbow Dash dealt with ponies bullying her, she had to admit the bullying had greatly decreased ever since one of her tormentors had been caught by a tornado, carried off to the other side of Cloudsdale, and dumped unceremoniously in a pool of colourful sludge leaking out of the Rainbow Factory.

One summer evening, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash were sitting on a cloud overlooking the camp, watching the ponies below and enjoying the sunset.

“It’s so lame you can’t really fly yet,” Rainbow Dash said. “But I bet you’ll get the hang of it any day now!”

“Oh, it’s okay really,” Fluttershy said. “I mean, maybe it’ll be fine if I just stay on the surface.”

“But you have to learn how to fly! How will you get from Cloudsdale to the ground and back if you can’t fly?”

“I could maybe live on the ground,” Fluttershy said.

Rainbow Dash considered this for a moment. “I don’t follow,” she said.

“I mean living like the earth ponies and unicorns, in a house down below.”

If Fluttershy had said she wanted to personally paint the sky a muddy brown, it would’ve made more sense to Rainbow Dash - and Rainbow Dash did not like the colour brown.

“But then how would you get to Cloudsdale?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Fluttershy gave an apologetic smile, but didn’t have the heart to answer.

“Sometimes I wonder what it’s like being unable to fly,” Rainbow Dash said. “It must be really lame.”

“Well, it means you have to walk everywhere, I guess,” Fluttershy said. “It’s really not bad when you’re used to it.”

“I don’t think I’d ever be able to get used to something like that.” Without even noticing, Dash took to the air. “I don’t think I’ve ever spent an entire day without flying.”

“You always look so free when you’re flying,” Fluttershy said. “I wonder what it would be like.”

They were both silent for a moment, basking in the last few rays of the sun.

“Hey, why don’t I show you what it’s like?” Rainbow Dash said.

“W-what do you mean?”

“Just hold on to me, and I’ll fly you around!”

Against her better judgement, Fluttershy complied.

The next thing she knew, she was travelling up at an alarming speed. She made the critical mistake of looking down, and noticed the cloud they had been sitting on had suddenly become remarkably small. In fact, Cloudsdale itself wasn’t all that big any more. She decided that this was the point where she ought to start screaming.

Hearing the pitiful wailing, Rainbow Dash slowed down. “How are you holding up?” she asked.

“I-I’m fine,” Fluttershy said. “Just a little startled is all.” She held on as tight as she could. It wasn’t enough to make her feel at ease, but at least she felt comfortable enough to stop screaming. Both ponies were aware that flying through the air while clinging on to one another was bound to lead to rumours. Rainbow Dash couldn’t care less. She regarded rumours like she regarded gravity - something to be ignored completely. Fluttershy had resigned herself to the fact that ponies would always be talking about her, and decided that ponies talking about whether or not she and Rainbow Dash were an item was a nice change of pace from ponies talking about her being a rubbish flyer - and she had to admit she wasn’t entirely sure if she didn’t secretly want to be an item with Rainbow Dash.

For the next few minutes, Rainbow Dash flew at a leisurely pace, occasionally making a wide turn, a shallow dive down or a gradual climb up. She could feel Fluttershy’s grip loosening a little. “You enjoying your flight yet?” Dash asked.

“It’s actually pretty nice,” Fluttershy said.

“Ready for something a little more intense?”

Fluttershy was actually quite sure she wasn’t, but for the second time that evening, she ignored her better judgement. “I-I think I can manage, yes.”

This time around, Rainbow Dash didn’t instantly accelerate to breakneck speeds. She only picked up speed and altitude gradually, giving Fluttershy some time to adjust. Then, she dived down, before pulling back up and doing a double loop. She twisted and turned through the sky, albeit not quite as wildly as she usually would. She kept it up for several minutes, until after one particularly sharp turn to the right, she suddenly felt a good deal lighter. She looked around her. She found Fluttershy just behind her to her left.

“Uh, Fluttershy, don’t look now, but you’re flying,” Rainbow Dash said. “Entirely on your own.”

Fluttershy, of course, did look, and in perfect accordance with the rules of slapstick, dropped down like a brick. Rainbow Dash didn’t waste a moment to dive after her, and while she managed to catch up to Fluttershy and grab her admirably well, she had slightly more difficulty with slowing her down. They landed on a cloud with a soft ‘pomf’.

“That. was. awesome!” Dash said. “You actually managed to fly! On your own! I knew you had it in you!”

“Oh my goodness,” Fluttershy said.

Rainbow Dash grabbed Fluttershy into a tight embrace.

“Tomorrow, I’m going to show you how to do all of my raddest tricks!” Dash said. “It’s going to be so cool!”

Fluttershy fainted.

[1] The pony responsible for this specific phrase was later exiled by Commander Hurricane for gratuitous puns[2].

[2] Commander Hurricane is still widely admired as the ideal example of “tough but fair”.

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