//------------------------------//
// Chapter Four: Show and Substance 
// Story: Sky Dancer, the First Flying Unicorn 
// by Scroll 
//------------------------------//

    Father paused his story when he noticed his daughter was not really paying attention anymore. She was too distracted with picking up another rock or stick and launching it away at high speed without moving a leg muscle. She kept on doing it over and over again, sometimes making sound effects while she did it.

    Looking at this, her father regarded her with a mixture of puzzlement, surprise, and pride. Star Breeze made something that took him years of practice look easy. He honestly started to wonder if she might get her cutie mark before the end of his story. If she did, she might not be interested to hear the rest of the story, so busy would she be in exploring her own destiny excitedly.

    He chuckled to himself then hopped off the ground in slow motion. By making his body weight lighter using his magic, he fell back down to the earth like a feather but, before his body could hit the ground, he formed a cloud under him which he landed on instead. He tucked his legs underneath him. From there, he controlled the wind to blow the cloud he was on closer to the edge of the pond as he looked down into his own reflection in the water.

    Still quite small and young-looking, he thought as he looked down at his reflection. At this rate, it won't take long before my own daughter looks older than me.

    It's kind of annoying sometimes. In all the lands I traveled to, I still get mistaken for an elder foal on occasion. I make a request and sometimes the shopkeeper looks around in an attempt to locate my parents to make sure I have permission to purchase the thing I was after.

    “Hey Dad, check this out!” his daughter called to him excitedly.

    He looked back then widened his yellow-rimmed eyes as he watched his daughter suspend a rock hovering between two hooves that were each aimed at the hovering rock.

    “Neat, huh?” she asked in an only slightly excited tone but far less than he would have expected for her in this situation. “I'm using my energy to push the rock in both directions from my hooves. That makes the rock stuck in the middle between my hooves. Isn't this great?”

    “That's impressive, Sweetheart. Stunning, actually.”

    “Told you I am going to master magic!” she said proudly.

    “I had no doubt of that before. Now I feel even more certain.” He looked back down at his reflection above the water. “Keep practicing. I'm sure you'll only get better at this.”

    “Nah.” His daughter launched the stone she was hovering between her hooves away and trotted daintily over to her father. “I want to hear the rest of your story now.

    “Scoot over, Father or, better yet, make the cloud bigger.”

    “Sure.” Father closed his eyes and concentrated. The cloud expanded. He even shaped it into a makeshift couch in its form. She hopped onto it, using one flap of her wings to assist her jump. When she arrived, she settled on top of the cloud-couch by tucking her legs beneath her.

    “Continue,” she bade as casually as if she were merely turning a page in a book.

    “Okay, where was I?” Father asked himself.

    “Actually, before you continue,” Star Breeze interrupted, “there is something I want to say to you about what you just told me. About family legacy and blood magic and all that.

    “I don't know what you think, but I kinda think that family legacy does have some value. After all, I have seen whole family groups who shared a very similar cutie mark. If they could be so related as to share a very similar destiny then obviously lineage does have a significant influence.

    “We both seem related to this King Sombra character from way back when. He might have been mean but he was a powerful unicorn, right? Do you really think it's a coincidence that many members of our family ever since became powerful unicorns as well? We don't have to be evil about it, but still . . .

    “Your uncle was one of the strongest unicorns around and you have accomplished feats no unicorn has done before. Heck, you almost made it into the WONDERBOLTS! That's just amazing! Those are some of the best fliers in all of Equestria! Plus, you got all that weather magic and wind magic and um . . . other stuff.” She paused for a second as she glanced to her side without turning her head, then said, “Stuff-stuff-stuff.”

    She resumed looking at her father. “Anyway, continuing my point, I'm born from you but I became a pegasus and yet magic cries out to me in my blood, then I launch these stones easily on my first try so . . . don't you think there might be something to this?”

    “Perception controls reality,” her father said to her. “No matter what you believe, you'll always be right, at least with the things that matter to you.”

    “I guess that's true,” Star Breeze figured. “It can also mean that any pony who believes that their beliefs can't control fate then they really can't. Their disbelief brought them exactly what they expected, even if that belief is all about the lack of control.”

    “In my experience, belief or disbelief is only the first step in manifesting reality. Effort is the next step. At least, it manifests it quicker.”

    “Yeah, I guess.”

     “Anyway,” her father went on, “the rest of my time with my uncle went by pretty quick because I felt so absorbed by what he told me earlier. I was caught in an almost perpetual daydream ever since.

    “There were some things that brought me out of my stupor temporarily. Some of uncle's foals came to me and told me they understood how I felt, that their father had that effect on every pony. That he had a special way to alter one's perception in life.

    “After they told me that, I realized why they were snickering behind my back before I took off on my first nature trot with my uncle. They must have realized what was in store for me to some degree, and the surprise it was likely to evoke made them giddy with anticipation.

    “It felt like an odd contrast of continuing the daily chores of the farm when the weight of all that knowledge hung on me. It felt very surreal to do something so ordinary when we all learned something so extraordinary from him.

    “Sometimes I noticed a few odd quirks among his family as well like his foals launching chicken feed from their hooves without moving their hooves, only aiming it in a certain direction.

    “There was an intense magical feeling built under and mostly hidden underneath all that mediocrity but that feeling never went away after I first noticed it. It felt as if the farm was merely a disguise and what it actually was was a portal to another world or another universe entirely. There was that electric sense of excitement in the air.

    “Maybe I just imagined it.

    “Ramadon's foals acted like these extraordinary things were perfectly ordinary but, if you think about it, they were raised with this kind of knowledge their whole lives so, in a way, they thought the extraordinary was ordinary. It's an odd perspective to view as an outsider to all of this.

    “But, eventually, my time with my extended family was done and I returned to Canterlot with my father.”



xoxo



    {But nothing felt the same ever since then. I continued my studies and did many ordinary things as I did before but, for me, something changed about reality. It's like when you take a peek at what's really behind the black curtain, you can't unsee it. The knowledge sticks with you, altering how you feel or see everything else from then on.

    {Whatever the case, it had the side effect of making life feel less boring. It felt like everything I was doing might be building up to something important but the youth in me felt anxious. Being a foal like that, one wants all their brightest wishes granted right away.

    {As usual, I continued to look out my window during breaks of my studies and imagine the possibilities of flying out in the sky with intense passionate yearning but, unlike before, I was starting to look upon it with an eye like it was a serious possibility.

    {That's how I felt ever since I came back from my visit with my uncle and after that nature trot in particular. I felt like anything was possible, even the very extraordinary.

    {Off and on I'd also practice holding objects with anything other than my magic or hooves or try to launch objects away from my hoof. That practice met with mixed results. Perhaps I was not trying hard enough.

    {In my heart, I was constantly pulled to the sky. Anything else felt like an unnecessary distraction.

    {But one day your mother came to me with an exciting proposal, except it was more like a surprise. She had something in mind, that much was clear, but she didn't say what it was and she wanted to include me. I basically just shrugged and said, “Okay.” It was something to do, at the very least, but I'll never forget the look on my father's face when I asked for permission to go play with her.

    {There were various sitters we hired to help take care of me since he, himself, was often too busy but, on that particular day, he happened to be there and I remember feeling nervous as I asked for permission to go out and play with your mother. He asked for clarification on whom I intended to hang out with. Despite my misgivings, I was actually honest with him that day. I studied his face carefully for his reaction. Because I was paying close attention, I noticed his crestfallen disappointed reaction and yet he said yes.

    {That pretty much was my exact expectations even though I had hoped for something better. I knew him well enough to gauge his true preferences. If he had his way, I would only hang out with other wealthy ponies in Canterlot, except his desires were even more specific than that. Not only did he want me to hang out with only wealthy ponies, but wealthy unicorn ponies in particular because he felt like that kind of socialization would further encourage my magical growth.

    {I gotta admit, too, there were plenty of those in Canterlot. If you sought out rich unicorn ponies then Canterlot is actually one of the best places to find them in Equestria.

    {The broader truth of the matter is bigger than that.

    {Sure, wealthy unicorns composed a greater percentage of the population compared to most other cities but, on the whole, they were still in the minority compared to the rest of the total population in Canterlot.

    {Commoners are called that for a reason, they are common. There are more of them then there are of us. That's the bottom line.

    {I felt disheartened at my father's disappointment in me for my choice of friends. Instead, I would have appreciated his true approval so I could feel more freedom to express my true interests in front of him. I wanted to bond with him on levels I could approve of. It was sad when I realized that it really was too much to ask.}

    “But at least he let you do it, right?” Star Breeze reminded her father. “You asked for his permission and he said yes. That isn't a no, so why were you still disappointed?”

    “I was disappointed because of his disappointment. He let me do it reluctantly. If you know that to be true then it's disheartening. Since I'd far rather have him proud of me, it hurt me to get the opposite reaction instead.”

    “Strange.” Star Breeze had a puzzled look. “If he only wanted you to hang out with other rich unicorns then why do you think he let you go out and play with mom on that particular day?”

    “I had a theory about that as soon as I trotted out the door to the manor while putting on a school uniform dark gray cloak, and that theory was my mom. I think something she once said to him convinced him to let me go and play with whomever I wanted despite his own objections. Even beyond the grave, she consistently remained the most positive influence in my life in terms of freedom and acceptance if my theory is true.”

    Star Breeze frowned. “In that case, I wish I had gotten to know her. When will you ever get around to that story?”

    Father smiled at his daughter as he said, “Tell you what. I'll get around to that story on another day. In the meantime, I'll mention her here and there when it actually applies to the time period I'm describing, like the time I left the manor to play with your mother. In a way, it goes to show you that even death does not completely remove the ponies we care about from our lives. Their influence can be felt in many ways, especially if you really pay attention. I've also been told many times to seek her from within my heart. I've actually done that sometimes and sometimes I can actually hear her sing. Usually it's a lullaby that very intensely conveyed her love to me.”

    “Aw! That sounds so sweet!” Star Breeze said in a gushy way.

    {Anyway, moving on with the story, most of my mind expected your mom to show me to some of her friends or brag about her skills in various sports games. Her intent was to surprise me with something. Considering what I had expected before hoof, she succeeded in her goal when I found out what we were actually up to.

    {In a way, her plan was illegal though. If you want to get technical, it was more of a minor crime. That was one of the surprises she had for me, and I couldn't entirely call that a pleasant surprise. If I had told my father the whole truth on the plans she had intended, he very likely would have said no.

    {Anyway, she and I went to the side of Canterlot castle where she apparently stashed a ladder with rope. I asked what that was for, and she shushed me and said it was a secret. I grew more and more nervous as I followed her. Using the rope-ladder, she flew one end of it up several buildings, several times, and I proceeded to climb it after she secured the other side. This happened several times before we reached the top. When we got there, I noticed an excellent view of the city below us, and beyond that edge was a much lower valley. That sight reminded me that Canterlot was basically built on a ledge in the middle of a steep cliff. This destination also revealed this cloud track beyond the city. I dismissed it at first but it turned out to be the primary reason we were here.}

    “Ooo!” Star Breeze widened her eyes. “It was a Wonderbolt track, wasn't it?”

    “Yeah, or at least that's one of its purposes,” her father answered. “It was also the reason we were there.”

    “Then you two saw a Wonderbolt show without paying for it. Interesting, and kind of clever.” Star Breeze grew a mischievous look. “I'm curious, though, was that the first time you ever saw a Wonderbolt show?”

    “Your mom asked me that question too, so I'll tell you the same answer now that I told her back then.”

    {Yes. That was, in fact, the first time I ever beheld the Wonderbolts. I wonder if you noticed I did not get out that much back then. Also, as I established to you earlier, your mom was a big fan of the Bolts at the time. So much so that she wanted to be a Wonderbolt when she grew up and, back then, I honestly thought she had it in her. Until that day, however, I did not assess the situation with a detailed perspective. Until then, I had never seen the Wonderbolts in action before or knew how great they really were.

    {Your mom was delighted to no end, of course, though she smiled a bit less whenever she looked over towards me. I think it was because my reaction was difficult to gauge. Speaking of myself, I can honestly say that I was impressed, but not exactly amazed. Now you might expect otherwise, especially considering my later history with them, but when I first beheld the Wonderbolts I was actually a bit underwhelmed. Their flying skills really were impressive, and they used those skills to fantastic visual displays.}

    “But?” Star Breeze prompted.

    {Basically, your mom asked me that too. I loved the sky and she knew that. I guess she figured seeing one of their shows, albeit somewhat illegally, would be a natural fit for me. What better way to showcase a pegasus mastery of the sky than by an aerial performance with the best fliers in all of Equestria?}

    “Exactly. What better way is there?” Stern Wing asked her friend back then while they sat on a slightly slanted roof of a castle. “You love the sky. I thought you would be thrilled to see the Bolts in action, so what gives?”

    “It's hard to explain,” said Quill from an upright sitting position. “The best way I can describe it is all show and no substance.”

    “NO SUBSTANCE?!” Stern Wing reflected in an objecting and questioning tone. “Those pegasi practiced all of their lives and very hard to get that good. I thought you would be thrilled. How can you call that,” she gestured to the Bolts as they continued their performance, “empty of meaning?”

    “Because showmanship is all they are accomplishing,” Quill answered. “Granted, it's a very good show and I'm sure it is born of many years of hard practice but, at the end of the day, what else does it accomplish? We see a show, we get entertained for a moment, we go home, then the moment is over and our lives go on. What meaning is there to their performance that has any lasting impact?”

    “Inspiration,” Stern Wing answered immediately. “In fact, that's the real reason the Bolts were created in the first place. It was shows like this that cheered Celestia up shortly after she had to banish her sister to the moon. You can't say that Celestia's mood isn't important, especially after this long, but the Bolt's influence doesn't stop there. They inspire every pegasus who see them to try their best. Even if they never succeed to get that good, they very likely end up better than they otherwise would have been had they never seen the show in the first place. That is a lasting impact.”

    “Lasting in what way?” Quill challenged as he looked at his friend. “If a pegasus sees this and it inspires him or her to become a Wonderbolt someday then what have they really accomplished if they succeed in that goal? They end up as the performer of the next generation of ponies and the cycle goes on. The benefits seem mostly confined within this loop. Beyond that, they are just another stage performer. One with a lot of glamour and intense training, that's true. I suppose there are lasting health benefits to pushing one's self to the limit as they can. In the end, however, they are not heroes . . . they are just glorified performers.”

    “That's not true!” Stern Wing immediately challenged. Quill looked at her, ready to assess her argument. “I will admit it was the primary reason for their initial formation and, for the most part, it is what they've done ever since but, once in a while, including these days, they have done other benefits for Equestria as well.”

    “Like cutting ribbons to new buildings and kissing babies?” Quill queried in an empty tone. “Any celebrity can do that,” Quill said with a dismissive wave of a hoof.

    “No. They save lives,” Stern Wing replied sternly.

    Quill grew interested. “Okay, now we're talking about important. That is what a real hero does, but in what way do they provide this contribution to society? How do they do it, and why?”

    “Well, think about it. Pegasus, in general, have the easiest time traveling across vast distances, and the Wonderbolt's are the best of the best in this regard. They can fly faster and longer than any other pegasus in the sky. They are also a very disciplined team. They learn to work very well together.”

    “So?” Quill prompted, not intending to be remotely sarcastic. He was really on the edge of his seat, eagerly willing to learn the answer to that question.

    “So . . . they are a disciplined military unit with the fastest response time when it comes to responding to any potential crisis in Equestria. If they ever hear about it somehow then the only other ponies who can get to a particular emergency situation faster are ponies who already happen to be on the scene. Even then, most ponies are not trained in hoofing a crisis better than the Bolts.

    “For instance, if the Bolts learned there is a forest on fire and they know it will threaten pony lives if left unchecked then, not only are they the fastest team to respond to the situation, but they are also well equipped to hoofle it once they get there. They've got nerves of steel, every one of them. They'll get to the situation and immediately take charge of it without panicking. In this case, I can see them doing several potential things. They'd probably bring in rain clouds from anywhere in the vicinity and bring it over the fire and dump tons and tons of water onto the fire which will either extinguish it entirely or buy them time and help steer the fire away from other ponies. They can also facilitate the evacuation of all the endangered ponies in the area in a calm and orderly manner. If necessary, they have even been known to swoop in and carry those who can't fly away from the danger, at least across short distances. Being the strongest fliers, they can carry extra weight for at least a short while.

    “Lately I heard they've been on a roll in this regard. Somehow they are getting special insight where a crisis will occur and they show up miraculously to save the day over and over. Many-many ponies owe their lives to the Bolts these days. Still think they aren't heroes?”

    “Actually, no. You have successfully assuaged my opinion of them. Now I'm impressed,” Quill admitted. “That tells me their roll really isn't limited to just performance. They are also, in effect, an efficient emergency response team who save pony lives where and when it really counts. Largely for those reasons, they have earned my respect.”

    “Good,” Stern Wing said with satisfaction and relief. “I couldn't stand another minute you bad-talking my personal heroes.”

    “Well, you see my point too, right? Sure they are excellent performers. Really-really good at that job, but if that's all they are and all they ever were, do you see why I might consider their ultimate contribution a tad limiting?”

    Stern Wing shook her head in disagreement as she said, “In that case, you might be undervaluing the importance of a good performance. Things like this cheer good ponies up. Without their influence, maybe all ponies would be in a bad mood more consistently. Also to call it unimportant mocks those who find such things their true calling in life and genuinely feel great fulfillment in doing shows like this. Why should they deserve disrespect for doing something that really makes them happy? I swear, you can be such an idiot sometimes, but I still love ya.”

    Quill shrugged as his gaze resumed following the Wonderbolts while he said to her, “Well, as you know, I don't get out much. Lately, I've been getting a sharper and sharper idea of how limiting life of only book studying can really be. It breeds a sense of detachment from the world, making budding scholars like me think that all life in Equestria is just words in a book. It doesn't convey the true underlying experience of the moment those books are written about, and lately, I've been feeling the burden of this lifestyle more and more.”

    “And that's not your fault,” Stern Wing realized with pity with a sidelong remorseful glance at her friend. “I know it might sound hard, but you have got to try to convince your dad to let you out of the house more often. Life is passing you by while you are busy studying in your little colt-cave. There's so much more out there for you to explore.”

    “I know,” Quill said sadly as he looked down, depressed. “Or at least . . . I am beginning to realize that.”

    “Book smarts have their place too,” Stern Wing amended in an attempt to cheer up her friend. “For starters, you know lots of stuff that I don't because of that. I think you need more than just that to balance out your life. Also, you need good exercise. In all the time I have ever known you, you hardly grew an inch.”

    “That's abnormal at this point?” Quill asked his friend curiously with a glance at her to his side with his eyes only while the direction of his head remained aimed downward.

    “A bit,” Stern Wing admitted at him with a slight wince to her face. “Every pony is different, but I'm beginning to get a little concerned for you. More proper diet and exercise are very good for-”

    “Hey you two! What are you two doing up there?” called a palace guard pegasus who flew up to investigate why two young foals were up on the castle roof.

    “Uh-oh! Let's scram!” Stern Wing encouraged as she leaped onto her hooves. Quill used his magic to float to his hooves. Back then she thought Quill was going to climb down the rope-ladder that was still attached to the side of this castle but even she was surprised by Quill's far more bold plan. He ended up putting on his hood (which stuck his horn through an opening in the hood which also helped to secure it to his head) and telekinetically tied four points of his cloak to the ends of all four hooves. After that, he simply leaped off the edge of the building which startled both Stern Wing and the approaching guard. In fact, due to the guard's intense surprise, he hesitated in mid-flight towards the two young foals. While that happened, Quill glided away from the castle roof using his own Silver Horn Academy cloak as a makeshift parachute/glider.

    Both Stern Wing and the guard remained where they were for a few seconds, stunned at this sight. Eventually, the guard regarded Stern Wing with that same stunned look. Upon looking back, it finally snapped in her head that she was trying to get away from this guard too. She leaped away just in time to avoid his own attempt to snatch her. She also glided down away from the castle roof. Being a pegasus himself, he could have followed them if it weren't for two things. Number one; he didn't want to leave too far from his post. Number two; he had just seen something very startling and amazing that was definitely going to make the highlight of that particular day. He saw a young foal leap off the edge of this building in what he, at first, presumed to be a suicide attempt only to then witness something rather amazing. Even as Quill flew off, his concern for the young pony lingered. Any part of that cloak might untie itself along the young foal's descent so the guard continued to watch to see if the young foal safely made it to the ground. When eventually the young foal did, the guard shook his stunned head and drifted off in dazed bewilderment.

    {And your mom later complained about my reckless action as well. She had the same concerns, that any corner of my cloak might untie itself and I'd plummet to my death. For my part, the only thing I could say is I knew I was in good hooves. I knew the sky would not let me fall. I have never feared heights. I have never feared the sky. When I told your mom that, she said, “Well, yeah. The air is not the problem. Usually it's the ground catching up at high speed that puts a damper on a ponies mood.”

    {To a point, I understood what she meant. I understood why she was concerned but I had a hard time explaining why I felt so secure. It was just instinct, like it would be for a flying squirrel. I just knew how to move. I knew how to tilt myself to control my trajectory. I knew how to read the wind and the sky in a way that probably far exceeded the average pegasus. I guess you could say that, in my heart, I was a pegasus. There are many later who made that same observation. Some meant it in contempt and others didn't. Either way, they usually affected my mood deeply. I was always a sensitive pony at heart.

    {I am the wind, and the wind is easily affected by external pressures.}