After reading a book by Spitfire's personal trainer, Rainbow Dash decides that the best way to get closer to her ultimate goal of joining the Wonderbolts is to add strength training to her practices by having one of her friends ride her. However, when she decides that Twilight Sparkle is just the mare for the job, the pegasus gets a bit more than she bargained for.

Artwork by Piggybank12. Used with permission. Thanks to DPV111 for assisting me with story planning.

When Rarity has Twilight over for tea, she learns her friend has a big confession to make. But what is really going on here?

Twilight Sparkle comes across a small, battered diary detailing a new form of transportation. While the research is sloppy and the notes incomplete, Twilight takes it upon herself to see that the ancient project is completed.

Of course, nopony said it would be easy.

Twilight ventures out into the mountains to see a once-in-a-lifetime event. Disappointed by her friends not coming with her, Twilight crosses paths with a kindred spirit.

When the young Twilight gets her mind set on something, nothing will pull her away. Sometimes this determination leads her to do great things; other times it dumps her in the pouring rain. And, of course, she drags princess Celestia along for the ride.

Discord has a problem. He has a tendency to not think through his actions all that well, poor impulse control, and no ability to figure out how others will feel about what he does. Even with a friend helping him, sooner or later he's going to do something that'll get him stoned or hit with a reforming spell or whatnot. So what's he to do? Ask the smartest pony in Equestria for a solution, of course!

He probably wasn't expecting to get "Have Celestia let you rule Equestria again" for a response.

No one else was probably expecting to enjoy it.

Now with a reading by Crafty Arts!
And a Spanish translation!

Today is Princess Twilight Sparkle’s 500th birthday, and her most faithful student, an earth pony with a familiar name, can’t wait to celebrate!

Notes:
- Cover art by ErinKarsath, used with permission. Check out her DeviantArt page.
- This is a story in the Birthdayverse, and you can find the sequel here.
- Many thanks to my faithful Pre-Reader and all around super-duper best pony, Blood Lord. Go read his story, too!
- This was written during the season 3 hiatus of MLP:FiM.

"All my life, I've wanted to fly
But I don't have the wings, and I wonder why
I can't break away..."
Most pegasi figure out flying easily enough. Heck, most of them figure out how to do it before they even get their cutie marks.

But not me. I couldn’t do it, no matter how hard I tried. I couldn’t even hover. Not for more than a few seconds, anyway. And not even Rainbow Dash, the greatest flier in Equestria, could seem to help me. We tried everything, and I failed every time. Day after day, I tried – and day after day, I failed, until finally I was ready to just give up. I’d never be able to do it. Nopony would ever be able to help me to fly...

...until one day, somepony did.

What started as a normal friendly visit ends up taking two ponies on a trip down memory lane that leads them both to realize their friendship began even before Rainbow Dash's first sonic rainboom.

==Originally written Fall 2011== Equestria Daily Post==
After a long day of ruling Equestria, the Royal Sisters need a chance to unwind. Luna's solution is a few glasses of her once famous Moonshine, a drink distilled from moonlight. Celestia has been sober for a thousand years, but the temptation to have "just one" glass proves too great. Yet, when that one glass turns into several, it's Twilight who will have to deal with the princesses when they’re drunk off their flanks.