//------------------------------// // 9 - Flying 101 // Story: Return to Flight // by Outlaw Quadrant //------------------------------// Rainbow Dash was the adventurous type, at least when it came to anything related to flying. Her palette, on the other hoof, not so much compared to Swift. For this lunch session, he brought over a few paperboard containers boxes with a red building printed on the sides. More unusual were the chopsticks that came with the steaming-hot Tuesday meal but one whiff convinced her to take a taste test. Soon, she went into gobbling mode, eschewing the provided utensils. “Nice call on the food, Swift,” she mumbled, wiping some noodle bits off her lips. His chopsticks fell onto the floor, as did his nearly empty food box. “Did you really have to say it while I’m eating?” She held back a chuckle. “Sorry. I thought you wouldn’t go all—” She shuddered in place while sticking out her tongue. “Whatever,” he replied before grabbing onto a soda. “I still think this isn’t gonna work.” Rainbow walked his direction and then patted him on the shoulder. “It will. Trust me. There’s no way I’m stopping until you’re cured, Swift.” Bubbling soda exited his nostrils. “Ugh! Thanks a lot, Rainbow!” While he wiped himself with a napkin, Rainbow rummaged through random items spread across the floor. “So, are we playing another board game today?” She returned with a sparkling crimson electric guitar. “No. Thought I’d surprise you with a little something.” “I was gonna ask you about that. You know how to play it?” “Hey, yeah! I play this thing all the time!” “Then why is there a gift receipt taped to the back?” Rainbow ripped it off the guitar. “Never mind that. I’ve been practicing while waiting for you. Get ready for some awesome rocking music!” As her cyan hoof rose up, Rainbow closed her eyes and imagined she was on stage, her hair wild like the face paint and tattered clothes she wore. Her audience was a rowdy group, chanting Dash, surfing the crowds, holding up homemade signs or otherwise pushing their way toward the front for the best view. Behind her was a percussionist, keyboardist and a bassist, but they were merely mundane and replaceable support in this fantasy. She was the face of the band, the vocalist, the star, the one everypony from around Equestria came to see. That’s why her face was front and center on the posters, why the band’s name was Dashing Rainboom and why the lights from above shone on her the brightest. Down came her hoof, striking the strings and creating a sound that made the ground tremble and her audience holler. More notes came out of her guitar, accompanied by the lyrics coming from her mouth, both mixing in perfect harmony. Her head bobbed as the fervent energy from the crowds fed her ego but there was one problem. One pony within the thousands winced and grunted in pain, pulling the curtains open to the actual performance. The noise she generated from the guitar was an incomprehensible ear-splitting racket that even she would boo at for redefining terrible. Even so, she glared at the pony that shattered her fantasy into bits. Swift bore a sheepish grin, “Umm, well, you–your singing’s okay?” On purpose, she strummed some high notes. “Yeah, yeah. Maybe I’m not meant to be a rock star but I’d like to see you try!” She shoved the guitar into his possession. “Really? I–I’m not sure if—” “C’mon! Just give it a go!” After an audible gulp, he hit the chords in a slow jerky fashion. His first effort wasn’t offensive but lacked rhythm, tone or a sense of direction. However, with more twangs, the guitar’s tunes transformed into a simple but catchy riff that made the stallion slosh around his plentiful forelocks. Rainbow mimicked his motions until he ended the acoustic melody by holding his hoof high in the air. “Get out!” Rainbow delivered a playful shove, “How did you do that?” Swift rubbed his hair, “To be honest, one of my Brayside friends wanted to start a band and he sorta forced me to join. That was, um,” he chuckled away his nervousness, “all I could play after a whole month of trying.” “Don’t downplay it. That was pretty cool.” The compliment turned his cheeks pink. “But, you were a little off –tune. If this was a competition, I’d have to take some points off.” She might as well have thrown a tomato his direction. “Whatever, Rainbow. Whatever.” Then, he caught a glimpse of a round clock hanging on the kitchen wall. “Shoot. I better go.” “Already?” Rainbow’s smile inverted. He secured the guitar against the wall. “My bad. I have a few teammates working through their lunch, so I should check up on them before they flood something.” While she understood his concern, that did little to quell her disappointment. “Oh, okay.” Swift made his way toward the door but stopped before reaching for the handle. “Hey, just wanted you to know that the team’s really making some headway. We might actually finish by around four today. Isn’t that wicked?” That lifted her spirits, although not by much. “That’s, um, great. I guess you’re really getting the hang of the job, huh?” “Eh?” “I’m just saying you’re getting more out of them than I ever could.” He shook his head. “Just lucky we didn’t have any big fires to put out so far today and besides, there was no way we’d be where we are if you didn’t help me out. I even told them you wanted me to check in with you every day. It was the only way I could see you during the day without raising anypony’s suspicion.” That small tidbit filled in one hole, but there was another. “Um, do they ask about me, by any chance?” Swift beamed, “Oh, yeah. They said I’m nicer, and more helpful—” Rainbow frowned. “—but you’re more fun, and you’re better dealing with trouble. They really do miss you out there, Rainbow. They can’t wait to see you again.” She trusted him enough to nod in agreement. “Yeah, I kinda miss my team, even Thunderlane and Raindrops.” Realizing she revealed too much of her soft side, “But don’t tell them that! You give them one inch of weakness, they’ll take a mile!” “I won’t,” he said, winking at her before closing the front door. This time, even the fact that she was alone couldn’t squash the joy that indeed, there were ponies out that that miss her company. The faster she could kick Flying Stress Syndrome out of her system, the sooner she could see them again. Four thirty. Swift had missed the promised deadline by half an hour. This time around, Rainbow paced right outside her door, unperturbed by the showers turning her forelock into a heavy mop. Every so often, she stared into the dimming clouds expecting a pegasus to break through at high velocity ferrying a cloud. Instead, he came into view from below. “You better have a good explanation,” Rainbow said, glowering. “You told me—” He raised his hoof, “I know, I know. I saw something happen down below as I was coming over here and I had to check it out.” Her eyes narrowing, “Well, c’mon! Tell me!” There was no immediate reply. “Well, um, I–I saw these three fillies near the river—” “Let me guess,” she interrupted. “The Cutie Mark Crusaders?” She released a long sigh. “What were they trying to do? Earn their cutie marks in rafting?” “No, it wasn’t that. They were by the trees setting up some type of flying rig, so I told them that was a bad idea in such bad weather. We got talking a bit and, well, um, that’s when one of them mentioned you.” Rainbow turned pale. The way he just spoke told her everything she needed to know. “Scootaloo’s trying to prove a point against me, isn’t she?” “Can’t say she’s too happy with you right now.” Then the silence came, an uneasy and lengthy pause that made Rainbow fidget in place. “Oh, yeah. I guess she would be. Um, did she at least, you know, get off the ground?” “Not really,” he answered without much emotion. “I stayed a while to help set up the ropes and stuff but it was sorta painful to watch. She kept trying and trying. Not even close.” The conversation died once more, furthering Rainbow’s uneasiness. After all, she denied lending her biggest fan any assistance in achieving flight, and yet, here was a pony putting in the extra mile for a relative stranger. Hypocrite, that was the nicest words she could use to describe herself; dirt might be more appropriate. “Fly? It’s, complicated,” said Rainbow in a hushed voice. “I wish I could explain this to you.” “You don’t have to. This is between you and Scootaloo.” “You’re not mad at me, are you?” He shrugged. “Rainbow, that’s just not my style. We get along together and that’s all that matters to me.” That cooled her nerves but not by a lot. “Thanks, I guess,” she said, as she boarded his cloud. “You’re not just saying that, are you?” Swift grunted as he pushed her ride into motion. “Cool your jets. Like I said, I’m not part of this, so I won’t poke around.” She believed that he would indeed drop the subject but Rainbow’s conscience refused to let this go. It was bad enough dealing with one huge problem. At least she could mitigate another before it ballooned to something far worse. “Do you want to know?” “You don’t have to. Really. I—” “I’m willing to fill you in,” she implored. Now he knew Rainbow was going to reveal all, regardless of his choice. With a nod, Swift tuned his ears to her voice as they travelled through the dense clouds. Expecting something long in duration, he took a more circular route toward their destination. “—so that’s pretty much it,” she finished. “I know. I’m making a big fuss about nothing, right?” He continued pushing his passenger on a straight path. “Nah. You just need to tell Scoots what you told me. She’ll get it.” She let herself fall flat on her back on the cloud. “I can’t just open up to her like that. What if she thinks it’s a lame excuse and she sees me differently afterwards? “Well, you told me, didn’t you?” “But it’s different with you.” “Why’s that?” Rainbow tripped up on her potential answers. She wouldn’t hold a conversation like this except with Fluttershy, sometimes. “You know? I’m not sure. Maybe I just… it’s just is.” “Then take a chance with Scoot and tell her everything, Rainbow. At least it shows you care about her.” She slowly nodded. “I’ll think about it, but there’s one more thing I want to ask you, Swift.” Instantly, his stomach twisted into a knot, while his wings spluttered, robbing him of forward momentum. I am not getting used to his at all. “What’s with the bags around your eyes? Have you’ve been getting enough sleep?” He bit his lower lip. Not really. As both broke through the chamber wall, Swift breathed a sigh of relief. “No worries,” Swift said, nudging up the corners of his mouth. “I’ve been working a bit too hard, nothing more. So, shall we start?” After Rainbow hopped off the cloud, she scrutinized the area as though it was an enchanted garden. Even if this was her second time coming here, her giddiness matched that of every morning when bugle horns woke her up to another great day at Junior Speedsters Camp. What did damper her mood was that she wasn’t at the point where she could tackle every obstacle. Instead, she guessed that based on where they stood, her trainer would utilize the runway; she asked him for a confirmation. “Gotcha,” the stallion replied. “Before we actually start, I need to gauge your hoof speed. Rainbow, how about—” There was no need asking the mare to line up for a gallop down the runway. “C’mon! I don’t have all day! Let’s go! Let’s go!” He took his time lining up with her and then went through a series of stretches. “Ready to lose, slow colt?” Rainbow asked, leering his way. “Whatever,” he said, continuing his routine. Rainbow slapped her face. “Oh, geez. That’s a totally weak answer! Come up with something better, please? Must I remind you about your pegasus pride?” Hearing his name sounded like a better alternative than Rainbow yapping about an old-fashioned concept. Alas, he racked his mind in coming up with something that would appease her, a phrase that was not overly pompous and simple. Once he came up with it, he moved his blue-tinted goggles over his eyes. “I’ll, um, let my wings do the talking?” He forced a grin. Rainbow faced him, baffled. “Well, that was, um?” She waggled her foreleg. “Eh. You’re learning, though, and that’s good. Guess I’m a good influence on you.” “You’re an influence, all right,” he replied in a deadpan tone. “Good influence,” she corrected, jabbing him on the side. “Whatever.” Swift placed his left hoof forwards while aiming his nose toward the end of the runway. “Okay, on three. One, two, three!” Both pegasi pushed off, scuffing off some cloud particles in their wake. As Rainbow accelerated, she glanced right to confirm her lead. Instead, the grey stallion had pulled ahead by half a length. When she asked her hooves what the hay was going on, they responded that they had the gas pedal pegged to the floor but they had not yet reached top speed. Once she hit her stride, they were at the midpoint and the gap was shrinking fast. She drifted in his direction with an urge to knock him out of balance - too dirty in her mind. Besides, Rainbow had this victory secured by the three quarter mark, only for Swift to slip in behind her. Somehow, he narrowed the distance but not close enough to challenge her to the end of the runway. “Rainbow Dash,” she wheezed as she tapped the brakes, “wins the Canterky Derby!” She raised her hooves, imitating a cheering crowd. “Again?” Swift rested on the floor, his lungs working overtime. “That runway’s, longer… than I thought.” After a few seconds, he woozily got back on his hooves. “I think it’ll work.” “What will work?” He moved his head at some rope lying close by. Swift grabbed a strand and then tied it around his body. “We’re going a little old school, if you get my drift.” “I think I get the picture,” she answered, grabbing onto the rope’s loose end. “Run straight down the runway, lift and tug me around. I, um,” Her face turned red, “my parents did this with me.” “Gotcha,” he answered with a diffusing smile. “We’ll start at about half hoof speed.” Rainbow finished the knot. “Can’t we just go all out?” Swift moaned. “No, Rainbow. We should take it nice and easy for now. Pull on the rope if you need me to slow down. And we are cleared for takeoff!” The pair trotted down the runway with Rainbow keeping enough distance behind me to allow some slack on the rope. Soon, she held her wings horizontal to allow the air to flow around them. She kept her nose slanted downward, keeping her weight planted on the runway. Swift craned back his head. “Rainbow! Rotate!” She stared back with a puzzled stare. “Push off!” “Ok!” Along with a sprightly step, Rainbow flapped her wings and she floated into the Equestrian skies. What a joy it was to fly but she couldn’t even scream it out. Stress leaped out of the darkness and sent tremors all across her body. Ten feet was all she could manage before she began losing attitude control. Although she was too distracted for a rope tug, Swift noticed the problem and decreased speed, only for the strand to reach its limits. Rainbow banked left and skidded hard onto the runway, her flank leaving a swerving skid mark on the false asphalt. Swift rushed to the downed pegasus. Rainbow banged on the clouds. “Darnit. I won’t let this” – She stood up – “beat me! No way!” He smiled at her sheer defiance of the tears streaming down her face. Surely, she could succeed in short order but fifteen tries later, she found a new way to make an ungraceful crash via somersaults and skids. On attempt sixteen, her face smacked the centerline and chose to keep it there. Moments later, she sensed Swift’s presence nearby but continued with her sniveling. “You’re not quitting on me,” he said, all but challenging his friend. “You’re stronger than that.” With her hind hoof, she delivered a weak kick to his ribs. “I’m not quitting. It’s just really, really hard.” “I know but you’re doing good so far.” Finally, Rainbow mustered the pride to sit on her haunches and rub her veined eyes. “How did you ever get through this?” He peered through the ceiling and into the hazy starry veil that draped across the Equestrian sky. “I, um, wanted to go back.” “Back where?” “Back to the skies. I’ve been flying for the longest time but I didn’t really appreciate it until I was out of commission. What kept me going is being able to fly again. My friend said I was being really stubborn about it too.” She raised a skeptical eyebrow, “You’re pulling my mane, Swift.” The stallion hurled but held back any unpleasantness. “No fibbing, Rainbow. You know what I did once I could keep myself in the air? I flew around Saddlecloud until my wings were sore. I’d bet you’d want to do something like that too.” “Actually—” She craned her head into his sights – “the first thing I wanna do once I’m ready is race you. I haven’t forgotten about that.” He scrunched his face, “Do we really have to?” Rainbow raised her muzzle, “You better believe it!” Then, she pawed the floor. “Actually, I’d probably have to wait until I’m completely cured. Now that I think about it, how do I know I’ve beaten this thing?” His blank expression was that of a stallion asked what Commander Hurricane had for lunch as a filly. “Well, it’s—” He found comfort shaking off some loose blue strands from his hair –“that bad feeling just went away.” “That’s it?” He hesitated on his nod. “Doc said everything checked out.” Her gut feeling was churning just enough to bring discomfort. This should’ve been answering what color was the sky but it didn’t sound like it. “Um, okay?” “You’ll know when you’re free of this thing better than I will,” he said as he examined the rope’s condition. “Until then, we keep pushing.” “Full speed?” Swift pointed down the runway, “Full speed!” In synchronous motion, the duo trotted with renewed vigor. Swift wouldn’t even perform a head check this time; he trusted that Rainbow could maintain flight. She, in turn, focused on the hanging cloud hoops. That’s where she wanted to go tonight and no condition would tell her otherwise. Even so, her wings struggled to provide lift as she ascended from the runway. Cyan plumage fell off the quivering appendages, and if Rainbow couldn’t maintain her fortitude, she would crash, again. I’m not going to quit! I want to fly! I want to go home, to the skies! That’s where I belong! Her internal struggle manifested into the dreary universe where it was Rainbow and the menacing barrier that had taunted her all this time. With a big step forward, the mare’s hooves send a shockwave that struck the wall with enough force to make a small dent. Immediately, the fear receded like the shift from high to low tide. Wing power stabilized as did her breathing intervals, prompting her to pull on the rope. When Swift glanced to the rear, there was no point asking the reason why she needed his attention; she had graduated from hovering to flying. Their speed was nowhere close to maximum, but that was beside the point. “Wicked!” he proclaimed, raising his hoof. Nothing in the world could steal Rainbow’s wide grin. “Woooooo yeah! Look at me! I’m making this look so easy! Hey! Can we do the hoops now?” “Not yet. I’d like to get your speed up some more first. We'll just circle the chamber and work on landings.” Rainbow’s smile fell off her face. Simple maneuvers sounded like a major bore but Swift got her this far. She wasn’t going to question his methods, yet. “You’re the boss.” Swift guided her in an elongated circling pattern within the training grounds, keeping the speeds at cruise mode. Once they neared the runway’s glide path, he aligned his body to make a smooth landing. For him, this was a cakewalk; he had no issues with this during his recovery. As for Rainbow, so many days without flight meant her internal gyroscopes fell out of alignment. Every few seconds, she played with wing power and her angle of attack, believing she was swinging off course like a pendulum. In the end, her hooves touched left of centerline, and then skidded across the surface. Rainbow stumbled to a stop upright, a good reason for a hoof pump. “Finally! Just a few more of those, and I’ll be back to my usual stellar self! C’mon, let’s—” Swift’s head slumped and his breathing slowed. Rainbow yanked the rope three times. “Hey! What’s wrong with you?” His mouth stretched to its limits, “N–nothingjustabittired.” “A bit?” He waved her off. “No worries. I can” – He yawned a second time “—keep going.” The stallion wasn’t kidding. Once airborne, he tugged Rainbow around the chamber, onto the runway and back up in the air again without a break. Initially, she had other concerns on her plate; every tug of the rope brought her speed up and right up to another battle with Flying Stress Syndrome. It had no qualms delivering cheap shots but they lacked the devastating power it had from earlier in the evening. When she asked Swift whether her diminishing fear meant progress, he struggled in processing his words. “Yeah, it’s… you’re—” He slapped his cheek, rebooting his brain “My bad. A good sign but don’t let your guard down.” After another hour, she did but not because of overconfidence or carelessness. Swift’s speed had remained the same all this time. He said little and only bothered with three additional landing attempts, none within the last twenty minutes. If he had an autopilot switch, it was stuck in the on position. She might’ve loved the skies but even this was testing her patience. Tugging on the rope, “C’mon, Swift. Let’s head down.” Her jaw slackened when he didn’t react with some type of convulsion – that would come after a five-second delay. “Ugggggh,” he moaned, nicking up his goggles. “Way to get my attention!” Rainbow reeled, not expecting such a terse reply. “Never mind that. It’s time for you to get some shuteye.” He raised a foreleg. “Uh, uh, uh,” she said, slapping away his counterargument before he could say it. “You’re gonna lie on the clouds below and sleep. No buts.” “No.” She slammed the brakes, the transition from flight mode to hover a little shaky. She pulled him in with the rope, “What do you mean, no?” His veined eyes twitched, “N—O. No. I already told you I don’t like naps.” “Too bad!” Rainbow pointed downward. “You, nap, now!” “Who are you, my mother? Geez!” Rainbow wanted to bop him in the head. This wasn’t the pony that she befriended at all. It was some grouchy stranger that wasn’t giving her the time of day. For once, she had to calm down somepony else. “I’m not, but I’m your friend.” She reached out and grabbed his hoof. “Please? I’m just looking out for you.” The moment her coat brushed against his, Swift’s reasoning kicked back into service. He winced once he realized what he said. “Rainbow, Sorry. I can’t be helping you if—” “Don’t worry about it,” she spoke, using his hoof to pat his cheek. “Just get some sleep, okay?” A respite, Swift’s body certainly beckoned for one. Many of his vitals were already shutting down when he landed beside the runway. Rainbow said a few words, but he couldn’t make any sense of it. His eyelids gave him just enough for him to decode the message; she was taking a nap as well. While she fluffed a piece of cloud to use as a pillow, he required no such comfort. Once his hooves had enough of carrying his weight, he allowed his frame to land sideways on the chamber floor. In less than two minutes, he took a step into unconsciousness, only for the blinds to flap open. Even in his exhausted condition, his ears picked up a pig snoring in the immediate vicinity. Pig couldn’t fly, at least not willingly. The only source could be from the cyan mare slumped a few feet away from him. Why I am not surprised? Shutting his eyes to the world, he found serenity in the darkness, where he hoped that the next thing he saw was a relaxing fantasy world or Rainbow Dash aching him to resume training. Instead, he saw wooden fencing ready to strike him at the speed of light. “Oh—” The Saddlecloud tornado pulled him into its jaws and tore him apart like tissue paper. Even then, the slender stallion fought to stay alive despite knowing the outcome. The menacing dark monster spat him out and howled a manic laugh as it watched the pegasus fall from the skies toward the towering trees. Wake up, Fly! You’re dreaming! This isn’t real. This isn’t real! Swift continued falling out of the skies, with the fastest of Saddlecloud’s Weather Team racing to be his savior. He called out to them for help but alas, they would not come. His fate sealed, primal fear ripped through his vocal chords and into the grimly lit skies. The branches of doom parted for a swirling mass of nothingness. Wha–what’s going on? His wingtips transformed into particles and then dissipated. They were gone, all gone and soon enough, more of his appendages faded into black. “Please! Not again! No! No! Nooooooooooooo!” “Wake up!” In a flash, he had a close-up look of colorful hair strands lightly touching his cheeks. They soon parted, allowing him to discover a pair of trembling magenta staring straight at him. Before they could hypnotize him with a spell, his universe experienced a massive earthquake. “Wake up!” Rainbow pleaded. “I’mmm alllready uuuppppp!” he answered. Rainbow released him but he chose to stay on the floor. “I’m” — He patted his chest “—I’m good.” Rainbow did a headshake, “No, you’re not. I heard you screaming and it sca—, I mean, I was… you had a really bad nightmare, didn’t you?” She figured that much out already, but Swift used the lowest volume to acknowledge it. “You could say that, Rainbow.” After a pregnant pause, she clutched her mouth. “Saddlecloud,” she whispered. “It was that day, wasn’t it?” For any other subject, he would’ve congratulated her for her excellent deduction. “I see bits and pieces of it every once in a while. The nightmares don’t usually bother me, but since Saturday, they’ve been way more intense.” “Saturday? Saturday!” A brain flash sent legitimate fear running down her spine. “But that’s when you started helping me! Darnit! Why didn’t you tell me anything?” “I didn’t want to worry you.” “Well, I am,” she huffed, slamming her hoof beside his head. “I mean, what if these nightmares mean something, something really bad?” Her trembling passed onto him. “Whoa, whoa, whoa. Let’s not jump to conclusions. Yeah, they flared up after I started helping you but that could just be stress.” Rainbow thought he had a point. In her weaker moments, whimsical scenarios with a mathematically minute probability felt very much realistic and certain. This was not one of those; every fiber in her body told her there was something wrong with her friend and as the element of loyalty, she wasn’t backing off. “Swift?” He gagged as though he swallowed rancid fruit. “I just don’t like this. We should see Nurse Redheart tomorrow. Maybe she’ll know something.” If the nurse had any knowledge, Swift wasn’t aware of it. Besides, the one time he brought up the bad dreams to his first physician, the doctor shared his indifference. ‘It is nothing’ he had remarked with confidence. He expected a similar line from Redheart, so he had no problems hearing it once more if it appeased Rainbow. He finally got on his hooves. “Gotcha but no worries. I’m sure she’ll clear me.” Swift then noticed the moon’s position. “So, do you want to keep going? We still have some time left.” If they had slept for more than ten minutes, she would’ve said yes. Already, her eyelids strained themselves staying open. How Swift could possibly be more alert than she was a mystery she was too tired to solve. “Let’s not. We should wait until we know what’s going on, right?” “Eh?” Rainbow playing it safe was Swift’s biggest surprise of the evening. Sure, she was beginning to stretch her mouth for yawns, but he assured himself that his welfare was the motivating factor. Shoot. I think she’s going bonkers over this. It’s not like— Instantly, an invisible fist knocked all the air out of his lungs. Vertigo threw off his balance but Rainbow saved him from a fall. “Hey! What’s going on? Say something!” Flashes of dark skies appeared in front of him. Ominous clouds drifted toward him, triggering a piercing klaxon that sent his heart rate through the roof. His wings folded open, and then moved as though they had jammed. What is this? Where am I? The clouds retreated but not before frightening the stallion with a subtle swirling motion emanating from the bottom. His pupils trembled at a presence he thought had long since gone. Yet it was there tucked in the deepest reaches of his soul, trapped in a cage but clawing at the bars. An eye blink brought him back to a colder harsher reality. What in Equestria is going on?