//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: So That's How This Works // Story: Learning To Fly // by CrimsonWolf360 //------------------------------// One Week Later Sweat poured from David's brow as he strained against the weights, pulling his wings down to the earth. He panted heavily as each passing second carried the full exertion his equine body was capable of. Finally, after the longest ten seconds of his life, his ears picked up on the sound of Storm blowing her whistle, and he unceremoniously dropped the weights to the ground. His sore wings snapped back to his sides in protest to their rough treatment, and he collapsed to the ground in a panting heap of exhausted pony. Storm trotted over to his side and gave him a congratulatory smack on the back. "There you go, Davey! Look at that! Only a week in and you're already holding forty five pounds up with each wing!" David rolled his eyes at her praise. "Yes... thank you, Stormy... I can now... carry half my body weight... with these wings and... I still can't pick up anything with my hooves... Woohoo." He deadpanned through heavy breaths. "Oh, come on now. Don't be like that. You've made a tremendous amount of progress in a really, really short amount of time. At this rate, we'll have you flying in a month or two!" Storm boasted, a massive smile on her face all the while. David got his breathing under control just in time to deeply sigh at Storm's bubbly attitude. "Come on, let's take a break. You look like you've earned it." Storm said good-heartedly. She offered him her hoof, which he happily wrapped his foreleg around and half pulled, half pushed to his hooves. The duo walked over to the wagon and Storm hopped up into the back. She dug around through the materials they brought out with them for a moment, with her rump sticking out in the air as she searched, before popping back up with a basket held by her teeth. She hopped out of the wagon and landed beside David, who struggled to keep a straight face and keep his chuckling under control. Storm raised an eyebrow at his antics. "Wahfpt?" She asked, still having the handle in her maw. "It's just... the way you were shaking your ass around while you were digging in there just looked like a dog digging for a bone." David admitted with a lighthearted laugh. Storm's cheeks puffed out in the most child-like fashion possible, and a hot blush rose from her chest to her forehead. She dropped the picnic basket and scrunched her muzzle up. "H-hey!" She pouted. David just laughed at her response and walked over to the weights they had piled up from earlier in the day to sit down. Storm glared daggers at him for a moment before giving a "hmmpf" and picking up the basket. She found her seat opposite of his and set down her cargo with practiced ease. She used her hooves to flip open the cover and pull out two dandelion sandwiches. She hoofed one over to David, who awkwardly used both hooves to cradle it and bring it close so that it wouldn't fall. Meanwhile, she brought hers to her mouth and took a large bite of her sandwich. They weren't particularly tasty, but they were high in fiber and provided much needed energy for David. Even with her own training routine being gutted slightly so as to give her more time to train him, Storm still needed the energy just as badly as he did. Being a pegasus did come with having a higher metabolism than a normal pony, after all. David took a bite out of his sandwich and let out a small hum of satisfaction. His muscles were burning and sore after the days training, particularly the last hour of weightlifting. He took another bite of his sandwich, and just like a battery, he felt his energy levels rise significantly. It was a welcome reprieve from the constant exhaustion he'd felt nearly every day since training began. He noticed that there was only enough sandwich left for one more bite, and his spirits immediately sank. Storm picked up on his apparent sadness and smirked. "What's wrong?" She asked. "I'm out of sandwich..." He replied. "Well then, you're lucky that I brought you a treat today." Storm began fishing through the basket again until she found what she was looking for. Her smirk turned to a grin as she pulled out a bag of beef jerky. She wiggled it in front of David to catch his attention, and was immediately rewarded by the pegasus's jaw dropping and drool beginning to leak out of his mouth. "Is... Is that... jerky?" He asked, clearly in awe at the sight. "It sure is. I remember Midnight telling me that your diet is still pretty much the same as before with just a few more pony options now, so I figured that if you showed me that you were dedicated, I'd get you a reward. So, here you go." Storm answered before tossing the bag to him. David caught the bag in his jaws and immediately ripped into it. At least, he tried. He used his hooves to hold it in place while he tore at the top with his teeth, but the bag held firm, undeterred by his attacks. He changed strategy, trying to compress the bag length-wise and force the top open that way. The plastic strained as the air inside compressed against it, but yet again, it was all for naught, as the bag simply refused to pop or budge. Finally, David hopped off his seat and pressed the bag against the weights. He then brought his jaws down to bear on the top of the bag and pulled with all his might in a last ditch effort to rip the bag apart. The plastic stretched and gave under his force, and finally, it tore. Strips of jerky went flying everywhere, and David was flung on to his back from the force of the inertia. Time slowed down as he watched, in horror, the strips of dehydrated meat fly through the air and land all over the ground in every direction except within reach. Storm watched in awe as David lay there on the ground for a few moments before shaking her head and hopping off the weights to go check on him. "Come on, they're just on the ground. It's not like it's that dirty down there, besides, the dandelion sandwiches came from the ground too." Storm pointed out. "Yeah but they're washed and cleaned and not meat and meat gets ruined when you drop it on the ground okay?" David quickly responded from his position on the ground. Storm pursed her lips and cocked her head to the side, "You know, for an omnivore, you're a really picky eater." "Well excuuuuuuuuse me for wanting to eat clean food. I just... I'm so tired and sore, and that jerky was like the silver lining of my day. That was all I needed and now... now it'll just taste like dirt." David mournfully replied. "Do I need to smack you upside the head again? 'Cause I will totally do that if you don't stop overreacting." David let out a small whimper before rolling over to belly and pushing himself back up to his hooves. He hung his head low in sadness before a hoof smacked the back of his head... again. "Ow! For fucks sake!" David shouted. "Told you I'd do it." Storm smugly replied. "Ugh..." "It'll be alright, Davey. I'll buy you another bag tomorrow and you can eat it then." David was silent for a few moments before he slightly lifted his head and faced Storm again. "Promise?" "Promise." David perked back up at that and smiled again. He walked back over to his makeshift seat to find one lone strand of jerky sitting on the weights. His mouth began to water as he looked over it's shape and size, and before he knew what he was doing, he leaned down to pick it up with his teeth. "Hold on, Davey." Storm said, blocking his path with her foreleg. "Oh come on! What now!?" David shouted, exasperation clear in his voice. "Try to pick it up with your hoof." She ordered. David glanced between Storm and the jerky several times before sighing and reaching out with his right foreleg. He felt the food gently connect with his hoof, and he willed all of his power into picking it up with his natural magic. He screwed his eyes shut in concentration, and pushed even harder in an attempt to somehow feel the alien feeling of picking something up with just his hoof. The feeling was strange, and slightly alien to him, as if he was still grabbing with fingers that were simply invisible. All the same, he concentrated on feeling the jerky with his magic, and a sensation akin to two magnets connecting washed over his hoof. His hopes rose immediately, and David attempted to lift the meat with his newfound grip, alien as it was. Several tense seconds passed before the piece of jerky was gently lifted off of the weights in David's embrace, and brought fully into the air. He opened his eyes to the sight of the jerky being held by nothing other than his hoof and a massive smile immediately broke out on his face. He excitedly turned to face Storm to find her with the same expression of happiness on her face. "Davey! You're doing it!" She exclaimed. "I am! I really am! Holy shit!" David shouted back. He triumphantly thrust his hoof skyward and launched the jerky into the air. After a moment, it came crashing down and landed right in his mouth. David bit into the tough, dried meat and the smokey flavor instantly exploded across his taste buds. Jerky never tasted so sweet. After quickly finishing the jerky, David turned to Storm and wrapped his hooves around her in a tight hug. She happily accepted his advances and hugged him back as tightly as she could. "I am so proud of you." She said. "Thank you. You're the best coach a guy could ask for, Stormy." He happily replied. Storm beamed as she squeezed David just a little tighter. Upon breaking the hug, she smiled and picked up another forty five pound weight with her wing. "So, you trust me now?" She asked with a raised eyebrow. "Absolutely." David immediately replied. Storm took up a more authoritarian posture before pacing back and forth in front of David, much like a general addressing her troops, "Alright, then it's time to step up your training a little bit. From now on, you're gonna pull the wagon to this field in the morning, and I'll pull it back in the afternoon. We're gonna start training you to glide too. Once your wings are strong enough, you'll be ready for actual flight. I give it... two months tops before you're up there soaring with the best of them. Who knows, we might even find out what your cutie mark is supposed to mean from all this." "Hell yeah." Storm smiled brightly, "Good. Now go get those forty five pounders. I want another four sets of ten, on the double!" David bolted for the weights and lifted them with his wings. He smiled through the pain and the soreness for the first time since training began. His mind was clear and focused, and he couldn't help the giddy feeling in his stomach as he thought about he happy this new revelation would make Midnight. Midnight rode the train from Canterlot to Ponyville for the first time in almost five years. Despite that time, she wasn't surprised in the slightest when the train suddenly jolted forward as it pulled out of the station and made way for its first stop. She absentmindedly gazed out the window to see the passing mountainside and beautiful Equestrian scenery while the train chugged along to its goal. As she swam about in her thoughts, a polite cough from her side caught her attention, and she turned to see the pony trying to get her attention. "Excuse me, Miss. Is this seat taken?" A sky blue pegasus stallion with a jet black mane and fiery orange eyes spoke with a slightly southern twang as her gaze fell on him. "Oh that one? No, go ahead." She politely replied. The pegasus took his seat across from her and whipped out a magazine from his saddlebags. From Midnight's angle, she could just barely make out the pair of wings he bore on his cutie mark, along with the wind gust blowing between them. "Do you race, by any chance?" Midnight asked, trying to make small talk to avoid the boredom of just staring out the window. "Hmm?" The pegasus inquired. "You're cutie mark. It just looks like the type a pegasus who's special talent is fast flying would have. Like, pretty much all the Wonderbolts have cutie marks with a pair of wings in them." Midnight explained. "Hehe, well pops probably wishes I was a 'bolt. I appreciate the thought that I could be one, but no, I'm not a Wonderbolt. I'm just a weatherpony." He replied. Midnight tilted her head in confusion, "What were you doing all the way over here in Canterlot? I thought Cloudsdale was the only city that employed weatherponies this time of year." "Well, I live in Canterlot. It's a bit of a commute to Ponyville, then from there to Cloudsdale, but I only work three days a week so I get to be home with my wife most of the time. It works out." He answered with a shrug. "Oh, okay. That actually sounds pretty nice. But still, the flight to Cloudsdale is at least another half hour flight on top of the two hour train ride. That must be rough." "Well, it's only a thirty minute flight if you're slow. I usually make it in five." He smugly replied. "Five minutes? How in Equestria do you make that flight in five minutes?" She questioned. "Easy. I fly fast." Midnight frowned slightly at his answer. "What's your name?" She asked. "Wind Rider." "Wait, you mean like-" She started. "Yes, I mean like the Wonderbolt. He's my dad. Also an Ex-Wonderbolt." He cut her off. "You don't sound like you like him." Midnight cautiously continued. "Well, lets just say that he wanted me to continue his legacy, and when I chose not to... our relationship kinda... ended." He explained. "I'm so sorry to hear that. That couldn't have been easy for you." Midnight empathized. "Ahaha, don't be. It's for the best. My dad isn't exactly the kind of guy you cry over losing his good graces. This was years ago anyways, and I think we're both better off for it." He nonchalantly dismissed. "Still... I can't imagine never seeing my dad again." "It's easier if you can't stand the guy. Anyways, I've been talking all about myself this whole time, but I haven't heard any of your story. What's your name?" "Midnight Shadow." "Hold on a second... You're Midnight? As in the Midnight Shadow that's dating that human?" He asked, suddenly much more invested in the conversation. "Uh... yes? Why?" Midnight hesitantly replied. "My wife is practically obsessed with him. She keeps heading out in the mornings to help train him to fly like a pegasus ever since he got swapped into a pony." Wind Rider explained. "Hold on, Storm Shield is your wife?" She asked in disbelief. "Yeah. So you know her then. She's been practically obsessed with your human for the last... well pretty much since he got here." He continued. "Yeah. Storm was a really great friend when David was going through a pretty hard time... I don't think either of us would have made it out okay if it weren't for her." Midnight gratefully replied. "Hehe, that's my Stormy. You'd never think she'd end up a royal guard with how kind she is, but hey, somepony has to keep the Princess safe. That's kinda why I married her, you know? That kind heart, the way she can just make you smile even after a bad day... she's one of a kind." Wind Rider reminisced, a happy smile crossing his face. "I'm really happy for the two of you. If she makes you half as happy as she makes David every time they see each other, then you guys have it made." "Thank you. How about you and the big guy? I've heard enough from Stormy about you two to know it's getting pretty serious. When are you two gonna tie the knot?" He asked with a wiggle of his eyebrows. Midnight felt a hot blush form on her chest and seep up to her cheeks. "W-well, uh... You see, I-I'm not really all too sure yet. We've only been dating for a few months and... you know... stuff." "Aw come on, you can tell me. I'm not gonna go gossiping or anything. I'm just curious. Storm keeps telling me that you were going to propose any day now. I'd like to be able to surprise her with news like this." "Well... I'm just... not too sure yet. As much as I love him, we're going through a bit of a rough patch right now. He's just been having a really hard time adapting to his new body and the stress of that has made him a little... I don't know, distant? I know these kinds of things happen but I've just been having a hard time dealing with it lately." She admitted with a frown. "Oh come on. You saved his life! He'd probably do anything for you. If you just told him that, he'd probably go out of his way to fix it." Wind Rider reasoned. "Well, yeah, maybe... But it's not just so easy as just telling him that. He's different from a pony, you know?" She reasoned. "True, but you just told me all that and you didn't even know who I was until five minutes ago." "Well yeah but... It's just one of those things, you know? Like... it's easier to talk to a pony you don't know very well about personal stuff since you know they don't have any reason to tell the pony you have an issue with." "I think you'll find that it's not as hard as you might think it is." Midnight sighed, "I hope you're right." The train pulled into Ponyville and came to a screeching halt. The horn blared over the train station to signal the passengers to leave and allow new passengers to board before the next departure. Within a few minutes, Midnight found herself leaving the train station and waving goodbye to Wind Rider. She continued on through the town without paying much attention to the ponies running about and living their daily lives. A passing glance at the local town square told her all she needed to know about Ponyville. It was quiet. Eventually her eyes came to rest on a small, two story building residing just a block away from the center of town. It's bright yellow coloring was unmistakable to her eyes, and she allowed a thin smile to grace her lips as her gaze fell onto her adoptive parents house. The charcoal unicorn trotted along the block until she arrived at the house in question and knocked on the door a few times. After a few moments of silence, she heard hoofsteps in the house, and the sound of the front door unlocking reached her ears. The door swung open, and standing in its place, was a tall, nearly pitch black Thestral stallion. His dark red leathery wings caught some of the morning sunlight, and he gazed back at her with blood red eyes. "Midnight!" He cheered. "Dad!" She replied, a wide smile on her face. He wasted no time, and pulled her into a tight hug which, she happily reciprocated. After a moment, they separated and he waved for her to enter. "Come in, come in. Your mom and I haven't seen you in ages! Sapphire! Come down here, Midnight's here!" He called to his wife. The sound of hoofsteps upstairs caught Midnight's attention, and she turned her gaze to the stairs in the corner of the room. Only a second later, a slightly blueish-silver thestral mare with purple wings and amber eyes came trotting down the stairs. Her eyes lit up upon seeing Midnight, and she added a slight bounce to her step to close the distance even faster. "Oh, Midnight! It's so good to see you again!" She exclaimed, wrapping Midnight in another tight hug. "It's good to see you too, mom. I missed you guys." Midnight managed through having her ribs crushed. "We missed you too dear. It's not so often we get to see you since we moved, and I'd hate to think that we were growing apart." Her father replied. "Oh come now, Ardent. Midnight's just a very busy mare these days. We can't expect her to come see us every single chance she gets." Sapphire chastised, releasing her death grip on Midnight. "Hehe, it's fine, mom. Dad's right. I really should come here and see you guys more often. It's just that the last year has been beyond hectic." Midnight spoke up before her dad could say anything. "You're telling me. What with that alien that landed near Canterlot last fall and everything, Equestria's been going nuts over that! There's talk of an invasion and all kinds of crazy ideas. Honestly, I'm just surprised the fella survived. I heard it was a rough landing." Ardent replied. "Oh yes, what were they calling him in the papers, dear? A... humon?" Sapphire asked. "A human. He was a human, and his name is David." Midnight answered. "Oh, that's right. A human. Also, what kind of a name is 'David'? I've never heard of a name like that before." Sapphire continued. Midnight's eyes flicked back and forth between her parents, "Well, I'm not entirely sure... but I think it sounds nice... and he's very nice." "Oh? You've met him? What's he like? I heard that he was a predator species with fangs and claws sharp enough to skin a dragon." Ardent chimed in. "Ahaha, no, no David does not have fangs or claws, hehe... He's got some sharp teeth, but nothing to be afraid of. He's an omnivore, not a carnivore, so he mostly eats what we eat." Midnight explained. "Well, you sure seem to know an awful lot about him. How long have you known him for?" Sapphire asked. Midnight scratched the back of her head with her hoof, "Well... pretty much since he got here..." "Oh so you've known him for a long time then. Why didn't you send us a letter or something? We would've loved to meet the only alien this side of Equestria." Ardent said with an enthusiastic wave of his hoof. "Well... You guys are going to get to meet him... I just wanted to talk to you beforehoof." Midnight explained while a blush formed on her cheeks. "What do you mean?" Sapphire asked. "Well... We're... kind of.... dating..." Midnight sheepishly replied. Ardent stood stock-still and his eyes widened at the news while Sapphire only blinked. The room filled with silence for a few moments before it became almost unbearable for Midnight and she began to visibly sweat. "You're... dating him?" Ardent asked, having recovered slightly from the shock. "Yes..." Midnight replied, pawing at the floor all the while. "Well... that's some news you don't hear every day... how... how long have you been together for?" Sapphire inquired. "Uh... almost nine months now..." Midnight replied, her voice nearly a whisper. "Nine months!? And you didn't tell us until now!?" Sapphire shrieked. "I was busy! He almost died like five times the first six months he was here! The last few months have just been so busy that I kinda... forgot..." Midnight tried to defend herself, but her voice grew weaker the longer she spoke. "Oh that's just an excuse! Nine months and you didn't even find the time to write a letter to say 'hey mom and dad, I'm doing well, not dead or anything, and oh, by the way, I'm dating an alien!' Don't you think this is kind of the type of thing you would want to tell us sooner rather than later?" Sapphire chastised. Midnight's ears flattened against her head and hey eyes fell to the floor, "I just... I wasn't sure how you'd react..." Sapphire's intense gaze instantly softened and she sighed before pulling Midnight into another hug, "Honey, we're not upset. I'm sorry for yelling. It's just that we worry about you when you're gone and don't talk to us for a long time," She released her hug and placed a hoof on Midnight's wither, "And when you say that you're not only familiar with an alien, but you're in a relationship with him, then it scares us. We don't know anything about him, just what we've read in the papers. Besides... we didn't know you were ready for a relationship again after..." Sapphire trailed off. "I know, and I'm sorry for not keeping you in the loop... but I'm okay. David's a great stallion and he loves me. That's... also kinda why I'm here." Ardent walked alongside her and looked at her with a mix of concern and curiosity, "Because..." He trailed off, motioning for her to pick up where he left off. "Because I need your advice. You know about how he's a pony now, right?" Midnight asked. "Well, we heard some rumors in the paper but we didn't think that it was possible." Sapphire answered. "It is. He's a pegasus now, and despite his best efforts... he's having a really hard time figuring out how to be a pony. He can't pick things up with his hooves yet, he can't fly, and he gets so frustrated that it kills me inside but I don't know what to do." Midnight explained. "That does sound tough... He sounds like a newborn foal, just learning how his body works. That wouldn't be easy for anypony." Ardent replied. "Exactly. Which is why I wanted your advice. I talked with Princess Celestia a couple of weeks ago and she told me to just be patient, but I'm getting more and more worried that this struggle he's going through is driving a wedge between us and I can't seem to stop it... So I've been doing some research. I sent some letters to Princess Twilight and asked her to help me look into it, and she's found something that might be promising." "What did you ask her to look into?" Sapphire asked. "A way to make him human again. If nothing else, then just for short periods of time, but I feel like just that little bit of freedom would change everything for him. Especially if his body never fully adapts to Equestria." Midnight said, a trail of sadness ever present in her voice. "Well that sounds like it solves everypony's issues right there. What do you need our advice for?" Ardent asked. "Because... of what Princess Celestia said... That day... when we had to change him into a pony... that was the hardest decision I've ever made in my entire life... Every time he drops something or stumbles or gets angry because he just can't do what the rest of us can, I feel so damn guilty. I agreed to the spell... not him... I made the choice to change him into one of us so that he wouldn't be ripped away from me. He tells me that he's thankful for what I did, but I just can't shake this feeling that he resents me for it and deep down... he hates me for it..." Tears began to form in Midnight's eyes, and she deftly wiped them away before continuing. Sapphire and Ardent both drew closer to her as she wiped the tears away, and a comforting hoof was placed on each of her withers. "Honey..." Sapphire whispered. "I just... I just want to make him happy again... but every time I try to help, he tells me that he wants to do it himself. He keeps saying that he feels like a burden and I don't understand how I can make it clear to him that he's not. I know making him human again will make him happy, I just know it... but the princess told me that I should just give it more time and I'd find out... I mean, what if offering this to him just makes him angry? A way to be himself again for a few minutes a day... It'd be like locking a dog in a cage and only letting it out for a few minutes a day... I've already taken his humanity away... I don't want to wave it in front of his face and mock him with it..." She explained, barely keeping her eyes off the floor the whole time. "Well... when you put it like that... maybe it'd be better to ask him." Ardent reasoned. "But he's just going to say that he's fine with things being the way they are. That's who he is, dad. He doesn't want you to worry about him. He's stubborn like that..." Midnight pouted. "Hehe, sounds like somepony we know." Sapphire chimed in. "Har har." "Oh, come now, dear. I think you already know the answer I'm going to give you." Sapphire said. Midnight raised an eyebrow. "Listen to your heart, dear. It's never steered you wrong before, has it?" Midnight's brow furrowed and her lips pursed. She took a moment to think over her mother's words before biting her lip and shaking her head. "Exactly. You already know what you need to do. You just have to follow that." Sapphire said, placing a hoof over Midnight's heart. Midnight allowed a small smile to form on her lips, "Thanks mom. You too dad." Ardent and Sapphire both smiled. "Any time, dear." "Oh yeah... One more thing." "What is it?" Ardent asked. "Well... if this all works out the way I'm hoping it will... I was thinking of asking him to marry me afterwards..." Midnight answered. Sapphire fainted.