//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Failure is Always an Option // Story: Initial D: First Equestria Stage // by SixShooterOutlaw //------------------------------// Three days after their first lesson, Rainbow Dash was getting ready to teach them about basic flying. "So, we've covered hovering and you're getting good at that" Rainbow started explaining "Next we are moving to basic flying, it's simple" Rainbow started flapping her wings, then began hovering "All you have to do is, when you start hovering is push yourself forward like this" she propelled herself forward and she started moving in a straight line then she turned around and landed in front of the others "Now you guys try it". Kenji started flapping his wings, then began hovering a few feet off the ground. "Alright Kenji, now push yourself forward" Rainbow instructed him. Kenji then started to move forward slowly. "That's it!" Rainbow encouraged him "Now flap a little harder to go faster!". Kenji nodded and did just that, flew a few feet forward and landed, the landing was a bit wobbly though. "Great job" Rainbow said clapping her hooves "You're gonna need to work on your landing, but that was great for your first time". "Great job, Kenji, woohoo!" Fluttershy added happily. "Thanks, Rainbow" Kenji said, smiling. "It's your turn now, Itsuki" Rainbow told him. "Okay" Itsuki replied, he started flapping his wings, then began hovering. "Like I told Kenji" Rainbow explained "Push yourself forward". Itsuki attempted to and moved forward a few inches before falling down. "Let me try that again" Itsuki told Rainbow. Rainbow then gave him a 'Go ahead' gesture. Itsuki started hovering again, then he pushed him forward and got a few more inches farther than his first attempt before falling flat on his face with his hooves spread out again. "Are you okay man?" Kenji asked, sounding concerned. "Oooww" Itsuki groaned. "I'll get the first aid kit" Fluttershy told everyone as she flew off. Down at Sweet Apple Acres, Pinkie and Applejack were getting ready to teach Takumi to tote apples around in a cart. "You're getting better at this" Applejack told him "I want you to haul this cart of apples from here to the barn" Applejack pointed towards the barn, which was a couple yards away from them "And try to keep an eye out for rocks" Applejack warned "We don't wanna a repeat of the other day" Applejack added with a slight shudder. "Got it" Takumi responded, then Applejack hitched him up to the cart and he started to pull the cart slowly, still having a bit of a problem but not as much as before. He got half way there in just a few minutes, faster than he had before. "You're doing great, Takumi!" Pinkie said to him cheerfully, "If you keep this up, you'll be a pro in no time!". "Thanks, Pinkie" he replied smiling at her, once he got to the barn, he was slightly out of breath. Applejack and Pinkie Pie walked over to him. "That was great!" Applejack told him "Like Pinkie said, you'll be a master at this pretty soon if you keep improving like this". "That's cool" Takumi replied. "Let's keep working at it" Applejack said "You can't improve if you're not trying". "Alright" Takumi said and the three Earth ponies headed back to the tree they were standing under when they began the lesson. At Twilight's castle, Twilight and Rarity were getting ready for Iketani's next magic lesson. "Okay, Iketani" Twilight said to him "We are going try and have you lift something a little less...breakable" she pointed towards a broom lying on the floor "Now like with the teacup, focus on it". "But not too hard" Rarity added "We don't want broom splinters everywhere". "Alright" Iketani responded, he then started to focus on the broom, it started to lift off the ground. "Good job, now lift it a little higher" Twilight instructed, Iketani did it "Alright can you set it down by the wall over there?" Twilight asked him. "I can try" Iketani answered, he then tried to start moving it, but suddenly he lost control, launched it like a missile, Rarity and Twilight barely had time to jump out of the way of the low-flying broom and it embedded itself in the wall. "Sorry about that" Iketani said apologetically. "It's fine" Twilight replied as she walked over and tried to remove the broom from it's place in the wall. Twilight was struggling to get it out, so Rarity trotted over to help her pull it out. "How did he manage to embedded a broom into a crystal wall?" Rarity asked Twilight in a whisper "I mean, how much magic power would it take to do that?". "I have no idea" Twilight answered, keeping her voice low, they got the broom out of the wall and she brought it back to Iketani. "Let's try that again" Twilight told him. Iketani nodded his head in reply, then started to lift the broom again. It started to hover over the ground, but again he lost control of, it only this time instead of embedding it in the walls of the castle, it flew out of a nearby window and it was sticking bristle side up with it's handle deep in the ground. A brown Earth Pony stallion had a shocked expression on his face, knowing if he had walked a few inches more he would have been hit by it. Twilight stick her head out the window that was now broken "Sorry" she called to the Earth Pony who nodded in reply and continued on his way, Twilight pulled her head back in and sighed "This is going to be a loooong day" she added.