Flying… I was actually flying!
I spread my hind hooves apart, reviling in the feeling of the late afternoon wind as it rushed by me. Above, the rhythmic wing beats assured me that I was safe.
“We’re almost there. Ya ok down there?” Dawn looked down on me and I craned my neck to meet his brilliant silver gaze.
“More than Ok. I’m so envious that you can come up here whenever you please. It’s…” I paused momentarily as I grasped for the right words “it’s like I’m in Celestia’s Realm.”
A well mannered laugh from above. “I thought you’d like it. I still remember the first time that I flew. Dad took me up in his hooves. We went so high, and I was so afraid.” A warm smile; Dawn’s eyes glazed over. “He reassured me though with this look that only he could pull off. He calmed me right down, yes he did.” A wistful chuckle. “You could only imagine ma' surprise when he dropped me. I was shocked! How could he of used ma' trust so carelessly?”
We were dipping lower. My suspended hooves began to scrape across the cloud cover. Dawn gave a few powerful upstrokes to gain altitude again.
“It was then that I realized that he was fallin' with me as well. He shouted to me over the howlin’ wind; he told me to spread ma' wings and fly. He told me that ma' instincts would kick in once I performed right.”
On the horizon a pointed cliff rose. The rocky protrusion was so tall that it punched a hole right through the cloud cover.
“And when I finally spread ma' wings and felt that wind… Celestia, I can hardly explain to you how good it felt. I was in ma' element, I knew it. All ma' fear left me, all ma' worry. I glided like the sun goddess herself; glided with ma’ dad to the cliff ahead.” He motioned with his muzzle at the mountaintop we were heading too. With the reason behind Dawn’s anecdote reviled, I felt a fit of deep gratification bloom in my heart.
In a graceful move, Dawn spiraled down to hover around the rocky plateau, gently releasing me into a patch of soft moss. Seconds later he was again by my side. Even though I was back on the ground, I still felt like I was flying. A dense layer of fluffy white clouds fifty hoof's down from where I stood hid all traces of the ground world from me.
“By Celestia, it’s so beautiful up here!” I exclaimed, taking it all in with wide eyes.
“Ain’t it? I used to come here often with ma’ Dad.”
“I see.”
“Here, take a gander.” He walked over to a dead tree. The leafless pillar was the only tall piece of foliage in the area. I ambled over to take a peek at what my colt-friend was pointing at. Engraved by what must have been a sharpened stone, two names were carved into the broad trunk:
‘Dawnfire + Bushfire’ and then, fainter and rather sloppy; 'the best dad in the whole wide world!'
Bushfire, so that's the name of the mysterious stallion the two brothers talk so fondly of.
I turned away from the carving to talk, but caught myself as I noticed the tender calm that had smoothed away all emotion from the silver pegasi’s face. In silence, Dawn reached out and stroked the carving lovingly with a steady hoof.
“I miss ya dad,” he mumbled. “I hope they’re treatin’ ya well up there. We’ll meet again though. That I know.”
As quickly as the strange mood had settled over the pegasus, it left and he turned. A wide smile that I could only return split his features, shattering his prior state. I felt a weight lift off my chest. I hated seeing him so distraught.
“But enough of ma' dilly dallyin', I’ve got somethin’ ta' share with ya.”
“Oh really?” I returned.
“You bet Filly! Just sit on down on the moss back there, I have some stuff hidden in this hollow…” his voice drawled off as he searched the tree.
Nodding, I backed up and sat down; allowing the dashing colt to find what he was looking for. After a moment or two a happy “found it!” drew my attention away from the slowly setting sun. When I turned, Dawn was walking towards me, smiling around a bottle of see-through alcohol clenched firmly between his teeth.
I rose an eyebrow. “Suddenly I find myself jumping to the conclusion that bringing me here was not simply a spur of the moment sorta thing.”
“Ya caught me Filly. I set it all up. Damn you’re clever.”
“I know, right?” I smirked, levitating the bottle from his muzzle.
He chuckled and sat down beside me. Using a bout of Unicorn magic, I unscrewed the weighty bottle. As the lid fell off, a sparkling in the hollow of it drew my attention. Words in glossy silver said the following;
Will you marry me?
My maw formed an ‘O’. I was speechless. Shocked. My heart began to flutter. Were my eyes betraying me? I slowly turned to Dawn. He was red with anticipation. When he spoke his voice was soft, and laced with hesitation.
“We’ve known each other for four years now, right? I remember the first time ma' brother introduced you to me; I remember that hot night. The mornin’ after I felt as though I’d made a connection with ya. Ever since then we’ve just gotten closer an' closer.” A moment of reflective silence. “Vinyl, you’ve turned Bale’s and ma' life around, and we are truthfully grateful. If it weren’t for you I don’t know where we would be, where I would be.”
I went to say something, but my voice caught.
Dawn, eager to hear my response, wrapped it up. “I see bright horizons for the two of us, Vinyl; I can see us raising a family together. Will. Will ya marry me?”
Lost in the moment, I began to cry happily. In a swift move Dawn pulled me close to him.
“Hey Filly, you don’t need ta’ cry. It’s all right.”
I nodded and took a few deep breaths, calming down enough to vocalize my answer.
“I will, Dawn. I will.”
That was all the antsy pegasus needed to hear. Like a loaded spring he took off, soaring into the air and circling far above, pulling off flips and twists, shouting his excitement; vocalizing his relief. When the silver pegasus came back to earth, I was concerned that the smile he was sporting would split his face in half.
“I’m so happy! I thought ya' might a turned it down, but ya didn’t, and now, and now. Are we engaged? Sweet Sun Goddess we are. This is… this is…”
“Shh,” I murmured, placing a gentle hoof on the rambling pegasi’s maw. Dawn stilled. Pulling his mouth away he smiled sheepishly.
“Sorry filly. I’m just so excited; aint’ you?”
“You think I’m not?” I replied. “If only you knew how long I’ve been waiting on this day!" I smiled playfully. “Dammit, why did it take you so long to propose?” I hoofed him lightly on the shoulder and he laughed wholeheartedly in return.
“And that’s why I love ya’ filly! You’ve got a good sense a humor.”
“Is that all you love me for, really?” I smirked. “What else?” in a swift move I advanced on him, tipping the bottle and taking a large swing of the drink before passing it on to Dawn.
“Damn Filly. You know what else.” He took an equally large swig of the drink before giving it back.
I took another gulp for good measure before placing the bottle on the rocky ground. The Alcohol rushed to my head, loosening my tongue and activating my assertiveness. All the emotion I'd experienced over the last half an hour rushed back to me in the form of passion. Leaning in I embraced my lover, kissing him roughly. It took ten seconds flat for Dawn to return the embrace, deviously advancing his hooves down my side and towards her flank. I whinnied in excitement.
When I awoke, I immediately took note of three things. It was mid-morning, I smelled like rut… and Dawnfire was breathing irregularly. It sounded like he had a sore throat. Furrowing my brow in concern, I gently nuzzled him awake. Dawn stirred and then his eyes fluttered open. Squinting against the sun above, he smiled lazily up at my silhouetted figure. “Mornin’ filly,” he mumbled, rolling over and onto his chest.
“Morning, Dawn. How are you feeling?”
“Fine, got a little tickle in ma' throat.” He got up and stretched. “Damn filly! You worked me last night.”
I smiled sheepishly. “What can I say… alcohol does stuff to me.”
“Indeed it does! I think I need ta' start storing more bottles of hard cider extract in nooks and crannies.”
I laughed mischievously. “And you don’t have a problem with me leading? A stud like you?”
“Who am I tryin' to prove myself too?” he retorted. “I’m fine takin' the back seat; I get as much of the experience as you anyways.”
“Hmm, whatever. I’m not complaining or anything, just curious.” I stopped momentarily to gaze off into the distance before continuing on a completely new segue. “So, should we head back now?
“Sounds like a plan. I bet about now Bale’s wondering where we’re at.” He began to hover. “You just stand still filly, I’ll take ya.”
Unlike on the arrival, leaving the mountain’s peak was tricky. A brisk crosswind battered my side, splaying my mane wildly in all directions. Brushing a stray strand of horse hair out from my eyes, I shouted up to Dawn, who was flapping madly.
“Dawn! You ok up there?”
“Yup. I’ve braved much worse... trust me. Did ya know I almost made it into Manhattan’s weather control? This here is just some mountain turbulence. Don’t get your tail in a twist.”
It was about five minutes later that a shout from above jolted me out of my daydreaming.
“What?” I shrilled, feeling panic flood into my body. I diden't like the tone of that. “What’s wrong?”
“Ma', ma' wing. Damn I think, I think I twisted it.” With a lurch, we began to lose altitude.
“Huh?” My voice went up an octave to be shrill. “But you said…”
“I know what I said, ok?” His voice rose to meet my own. “But even I can’t predict sudden…” he groaned and flapped upwards, desperate to keep their course. “Gusts,” he finished, pain lacing his voice. He coughed a few times violently.
“I can’t hold us up for much longer, damn, I’m so sorry for this, Vinyl,” he grunted.
"Just get us safely on the ground, ok. I know you can do this. Apologies can come later.” I was shocked that he was apologizing in the midst of all this.
No response from above, but the fact that the dangerous dropping had turned into controlled spiraling confirmed that he had heard me. As we dropped beneath the cloud cover, the expanse of the world unfolded like a map. I felt my spirits sink. We still had a ways to go, and the spiral was already beginning to become sloppy....
“Oh buck!” Dawn shouted before howling in agony.
Another buffeting gust had struck him, totaling his wing completely. One moment I was clenched between the firm grasp of his hooves, the next, I was free falling. The wind rushed up to meet me. Looking to my left I saw Dawn, who must have fallen unconscious as his body registered the immense amount of pain attacking his system.
I have to act, it's now or never.
Calming my nerves the best I could, I unleashed a stream of magic. It spread to first envelop Dawn, wrapping around in turn to cover myself. My head pounded furiously from the exertion. Closing my eyes tightly, I called upon every drop of will to give me the strength to slow my descent. For a few seconds it felt as though my attempts were going to be in vane, however, gradually, thankfully, our momentum decreased. In the span of a minute the two of us had slowed to a stop. Sighing in relief I drifted Dawn to the ground. As soon as I felt my hooves touch, my magic tapered off and I collapsed into a heap. My head felt as though it had been stamped on.
When I finally came to, the silhouette of Dawnfire was looming above me.
“Vinyl? Vinyl?” he cried. Though I couldn't see his expression, I could tell from the way he spoke that he was deeply concerned.
On the third ‘Vinyl’, I roused. "Ya?"
“Thank Celestia you’re ok!” Dawn exclaimed. “What in the name of Luna happened? How did we get down? The last thing I remember is that gust and then… nothin'.”
“I… I carried you.” A shaky breath. “Using my magic.”
“Ya did?!” He sounded amazed. “Damn, so that’s why you're actin' like this. I’m so sorry. I don’t know what happened. Normally I can take a lot more and…”
“Oh, shush you,” I murmured, finding enough energy to give a weak smile. "We’re safe now, and I’m… I’m tired.” As if to emphasize my claim I yawned. “I’m gonna catch some sleep,ok?”
“Take all the rest ya need, Vinyl,” Dawn reassured. “Ya damn right deserve it. Actually…” he sighed as a wave of exhaustion fell over him again. “I think I might catch some sleep as well.” The Pegasus fell down into the warm grass beside me, spent, breathing irregularly.