//------------------------------//
// Chapter 185 - The Fruit of Starlight's Labor 
// Story: Dadonequus Discord (Book 2) 
// by CrazedLaughter 
//------------------------------//

“So, what do you all think?” Starlight said with a grin as she beckoned you all closer to the jet.

After Trixie’s opening words, it was announced that the main event would be ready soon, it gave Starlight and Sunburst enough time to properly show you the jet from all sides. It really was smaller than most jets, and the wings, the way they were shaped, you’d think the jet looked like a kite of sorts. 

“It looks so cool!” Spike said as he excitingly flew up and looked through the cockpit canopy to see two seats and many different buttons and doodads. “This thing is gonna fly? Really? It looks like it can tear through mountains!”

“Er, no, it definitely can’t tear through mountains.” Starlight said with a nervous chuckle. “But it totally can fly. I’ve been through the plans over and over, and the pegasi engineering team Princess Cadance commissioned for me says our custom engine is ready to go.”

“A custom engine? Huh, I’ve never heard of any kind of engine that could move something like this before, much less fly. Tank’s little copter is basically some of the best a magic engine can do without burning out.” Twilight said as she pondered on it, she then grinned towards Starlight. “So how does it work then? How much magic does it use? What’s used as the ignition system? I want to know everything!”

“Ah, erm, well…” As Starlight began to step back, caught off guard by Twilight’s major interest, Sunburst steps in for her, adjusting his glasses as he began to explain.

“I actually am the, er, designer of the engine, in which I based everything on the blueprints provided to me by Starlight. You see, well, um, the engine itself is rather complicated. To start, we knew we needed some kind of cooling system for how much heat our proposed fuel source would produce. Thankfully, and luckily, ahm, Princess Cadance was happy to lend me her services to commission a team of pegasi engineers who could help with some of the components I required, given they were, well, the only ones with a suitable cooling unit. You see, well, the er, yes, the machine that produces cold air and snow, well, we had a miniature version of it made to be installed inside the jet. It should be obvious what it does, but if I need to say anything further, it keeps the engines from overheating. Then there are the hover jets located under the plane there, there, and here. We used a separate engine for those consisting of three converted storm machines to produce the winds needed for lift, while using specialized lightning rods to absorb and store electricity to help supplement the magic already inside the engine. As for the fuel source… Er… Ow!” Suddenly Starlight nudged him, and took over.

“The fuel source is right here!” Starlight said as she pulled out an odd cylinder. “It’s why we needed you, Spike. We need a puff of flame to get it going. We’re just gonna pop it in and then the jet will be ready to fly!”

“Oh, neat!” Spike said as he came back for a landing, looking the cylinder over. “Do I just blow in this hole?”

Starlight nodded “Yup, and then I’ll install it into the jet.”

Fluttershy came closer, looking the cylinder over, confused by it as she pointed at it. “What’s inside? I’ve never heard of anything just needing dragon flame before.”

“Well, actually, I’ve never heard of anything needing dragon flames either. Then again, we still don’t know too much about dragons. Did you two discover something new?” Twilight asked.

Sunburst looked to Starlight with a furrowed brow, and then grunted towards her. It looks like he wanted to say something, but something was stopping him.

“Ah, ahrm, Princess Ember actually helped with that one. It’s just a little stone we happened to read about in an old book Sunburst has. Turns out it was perfect for getting the plane going.” Starlight said with a big wide grin, as she began to sweat just a bit.

Sunburst’s mood suddenly soured as he took off his glasses to wipe them. “Yes, well, perfect for testing purposes anyway, given we don’t have any other source of fuel yet. The fuel from the blueprints doesn’t exist in Equestria. In fact, thirty percent of the jet is mostly improvised. The metal material used is the same kind pegasi use to keep their structures from falling through the clouds, a material that allows the jet to fly even faster when traveling through clouds due to a remarkable reaction that causes gravity to have no effect on it as long as it is within the clouds themselves. Hmm…” His eyes suddenly shift towards Starlight. “But yes, the fuel we’re using is suitable, again, for testing purposes.”

Something was up alright. And if it was as obvious as it seemed to be, then there was something dangerous about the fuel source. You watched as Spike blew a flame into the cylinder, in which Starlight, in haste, popped it into a slot that was located under the jet. Given how fast she crammed it in, there was something that was most definitely off. “Where did you guys even make this thing? Where did you find the time? I thought you were at the school most of the time, Starlight.”

“I am, but there are off days, Anon. Me and Sunburst would meet back at my old town and use my shack as a sort of headquarters as we looked over blueprints, planned with our assigned team, and tested everything. We, like, tested everything. This plane is actually a prototype, it itself hasn’t actually flown yet, something I’m planning on fixing today.” Starlight said as she looked proudly upon her creation. “I already gave it a name, the Kite oh oh.” Or really, as it said on the wing, the Kite-00. A little on the nose, but it is her thing.

“We haven’t exactly tested everything yet.” Sunburst said as he gave Starlight a hard look. “I wanted to perform a proper stress test first, given we haven’t checked… Well, how our fuel source handles the load of the plane itself. We only have theoreticals based on individual tests. Even then, testing the engine while the jet is grounded would only give us partial data.”

“Are you saying it's dangerous to actually fly the plane, Sunburst?” Twilight asked.

“O-of course not! That’s not what he said!” Starlight said as she quickly and nervously interjected. “If anything, that’s why we have the cooling unit the way it is, the co-pilot can even put it into a temporary overdrive if something begins to overheat. I made sure everything was compensated for, and…” She gives a hard look back at Sunburst. “It’s not like I’m going to overdo anything. It’s a simple demonstration of the jet. Nothing crazy, no stunts, just showing it off. Flying the plane is the only proper way to fully test it, and even then, we have so much testing data already, we already know what we can do and not do. The storm engines even work as intended, I got the jet into the stadium without a problem using those alone.”

Sunburst seemed like he really wanted to say something at this point, but he rolled his eyes, and gave up. “Yes, yes, we do have a lot of data. I-I just wanted to make sure nopony, including my best friend, was going to get hurt. But alright, I suppose I am worrying too much. I-I don’t know, I, well, I think I do know actually. I…” Sunburst sighed and gave Starlight a look of concern. “Just… Just do one quick run, and land the plane, ok? Please? I’m running all these numbers in my head and there’s still a chance of…” He looked back at all of you before looking back at Starlight. “Possible ‘problems’ that could be considered a catastrophe depending on who’s looking at it.” He whispered hard at Starlight

Starlight refused to back down, but she at least acknowledged his concern as she gave him a warmer smile and looked towards you. “Sunburst, I promise to keep it professional. Just a quick flight, that’s all. That’s why I’m taking Anon with me. He does have a deep understanding on how this works, and I’m sure his magic could help keep things together.”

Wut? You didn’t know how fucking jets worked. “Really? I mean… Really?”

Starlight nodded. “Yeah, you did give me the blueprints after all, I assume you know enough about jets to make a suitable co-pilot. Everything is simpler to read than what’s on a human jet, given the engine pretty much maintains itself. All you really need to do is make sure the overheat lights don’t blink red, that we’re maintaining proper pressure, stuff like that.”

“Wait!” Fluttershy suddenly cuts in as she realizes what Starlight is asking. “Why does this all sound so dangerous? You can’t really expect Anon to be on that scary thing, can you?” Fluttershy leans in and whispers to her “Anon can’t really fly too well. I don’t want him to do something wrong and get both you and himself hurt.”

“Fluttershy, it’ll be fine. Anon is super mature for his age.” Given Starlight knew your real age, she really literally meant that. “I mean, do you want to be my co-pilot, Anon?”

Wut? “Given Trixie’s presentation, I thought she’d be your… No never mind, I’m not gonna finish that thought.”

Starlight looked over at Trixie, who was still on stage as she began to set up more fireworks, probably for the flight of the jet itself. “I’d love to have her as a co-pilot, I just don’t think my ears would love it, if you know what I mean. Anyway, we’re going to be going pretty fast in this thing when we do a pass by the stadium. I plan to at least go a little past mach one.”

“Mach one? What’s that?” Fluttershy asked, confused.

“Oh, I can actually answer that one, Aunt Fluttershy. That’s the speed of sound, we’re going to be going faster than that, creating a sonic boom in the process!”  Boy did you feel smart saying that.

“Oh my, a sonic boom? Like a sonic rainboom? Can this thing fly faster than Rainbow Dash?” Fluttershy asked.

Both you, Sunburst, and Starlight nodded to that.

Which then grabbed Twilight’s attention. “That fast? How fast are we talking, exactly?”

“W-well, given the engine, and the build of the jet…. Erm, we theorize a speed of mach two point five.” Sunburst explained.

Twilight’s jaw dropped. “WHAT?! NOTHING IS THAT FAST! NOTHING!”

Starlight’s grin, it became smarmy there, as she waved her hoof at Twilight. “Thiiiiiiis is. We don’t even have to dive towards the ground to do it either, it really is that fast… Theoretically, but very possibly.”

“Oh boy, theoretically or not, don’t even mention that to Rainbow Dash.” Spike said as he already began rubbing his head. “A machine flying faster than she can?” Spike suddenly shuddered at the thought. “Rainbow would become like you did when you didn’t have a lesson for Princess Celestia, Twilight.”

“Spiiike.” Twilight whined. “Why does everypony seem to mention that all of a sudden?”

“Oh, if I did, I d-didn’t mean to, Twilight.” Fluttershy said most apologetically.

Christ, A full on ‘Lesson Zero’ Rainbow Dash. There’s a scary fucking thought, Spike was right to shiver like that, that’s fucking scary. Like, she’d probably end up like how the fandom interprets Pinkamena. But then… “Isn’t she gonna find out anyway when we fly the jet?”

“Well, I guess I can go at just mach one.” Starlight said with a groan. “She shouldn’t complain at all, to be honest. She’s still the fastest pony around when it comes to natural speed… It just so happens that my ‘kite’ is faster.”

You know what? You wanted to be a part of that, you wanted to see Rainbow Dash lose her shit at something like this, something that could at least match her speed. “Ok, if it’s that fast then, er, I’ll be your co-pilot. I can be her co-pilot, right Aunt Fluttershy?” You say as you give her the big sad colt eyes, even rubbing your right forehoof on your forehead like a cat.

“I- Anon, ummm. How safe is this plane, exactly?” Fluttershy asked both Sunburst and Starlight on this, deeply concerned that you could just be putting yourself in a metal screaming deathtrap.

“Er, it’s safe, relatively speaking.” Sunburst said as he suddenly felt deep guilt for saying that, given how he felt before.

“Fluttershy, I promise you, nothing is going to happen while Anon is with me. Think of it, your nephew, a big part of revolutionizing how everypony travels. Doesn’t that sound amazing?” Starlight said, trying to get her to agree. 

“But what’s wrong with what we have now? It just… It just all seems safer than something like this.” Fluttershy said, feeling she was sure a flying metal machine could be dangerous.

“Well, what about blimps? One little pop and the whole thing goes down. And pegasi pulled chariots? All you need is for one of them to get a stomach ache or a sudden flu and BAM, they fall into certain doom! With this, Anon will at least be secured by all this metal.” Starlight said with a big grin towards her, using her magic to toss a rock at the plane, doing nothing to it. “See? Not even a dent.”

“Well… Ok, but I think he should wear a helmet” Fluttershy requests, despite the irony. She even gets closer to Starlight to whisper. “I don’t know, but I feel I need to check him into a hospital sooner or later. I feel like his head might be calloused… I-I don’t even know if that’s possible, but I just don’t want him hitting his head, ok?”

“No problem, there are helmets waiting on the seats for both me and him. So, is that a yes, for sure? Maybe?” Starlight asks as she rolls her hoof around, trying to get a definitive answer.

Fluttershy nodded. “Yes, as long as Anon is absolutely sure he can handle it.”

“Tch, of course I can. I’m the hero colt, remember? And I’m sure this thing is the sturdiest thing in all Equestria.” You said. With a wicked grin as you approached the jet.

“Then ok. But, Anon! Wait!” Fluttershy calls out to you as she rushes towards you, and stops, giving you a kiss on the forehead. Which… Causes the entire crowd looking down at you to let out a sigh of contentment over the cute display. “Ok, now you can go.”

“T-thanks, Aunt Fluttershy.” You hop up to give her a kiss on the cheek, before going back towards the plane. “I’ll be ok, really.”

“Don’t worry, Fluttershy. Trust me, everything is going to be alright.” Starlight reassures her, before joining you.

Using her magic, Starlight opens the canopy of the jet and lifts both you and herself onto the seats. As the canopy closes, you take a look at what you had to ‘play’ with, which wasn’t a lot. “Huh, I was expecting it to be somewhat computery. Everything looks so simple. I see some overheat lights, and something for the landing gear, speedometer, altimeter, somethingers. Ejection buttons, that's neat. What’s this handle for again?”

“That’s for you to pull just in case any of those overheat lights start blinking.” Starlight said as her excitement began to mount. She used her magic to plop on your helmet as she plopped on hers. “And check this out! These helmets are enchanted with a spell that lets you see through clouds! I bet humans didn’t have a helmet like that, huh?” 

“No… No they didn’t, that's kind of cool. But, er, Starlight, I gotta ask you a question.” Because you did make a note of it. Everything from her dodgy responses to Fluttershy to Sunburst’s annoyance and choice of words.

“What’s that?” Starlight asked, as you could hear clicking going on from the pilot’s seat.

“What’s really going on with this jet? You and Sunburst were acting really funny about how safe this thing was. So what is it? It’s the engine, isn’t it?” You ask her, rather directly.

Starlight let out a heavy groan. “C’mon, Anon. I have checked everything over fifty times, the engine is fine. I mean, you’ve never heard of dragonstones, have you?”

“No, what are they?” You asked, hazarding a thought that they might be as dangerous as the name implies. Because they sure as hell don’t grant wishes.

“Well, as Princess Ember explained it to me, they are special gems that young dragons use to prank each other, or to throw into volcanoes. They can only be found in the deepest caverns in the dragon lands, and when introduced to extreme heat, along with the flame of a dragon, they start to produce a lot of potential energy, just waiting to be let out. Using my heavily modified engine, we are able to use that potential energy as kinetic energy, creating thrust! So, what’s the problem?” Starlight asked.

“Well, you got overheat lights for one. What happens if any of these things overheat? Do they explode?” Yeah, that was probably it. “They explode, don’t they?”

Starlight let out a strange noise, she knew she was caught. “Y-yes… Yeah. Buuuuut, they’re only temporary. Even then, we have so many safety systems in place, that there’s nearly no chance of that happening. Besides, we’re only going to do a simple run and-GYAH!” Starlight yelped out as a familiar blue pegasus smacked onto the canopy.

“HOLY CRAP!” Even you were spooked, Rainbow Dash just flew right in and started to bash at the canopy.

Starlight lifts the canopy as Trixie’s voice can suddenly be heard. You both could hear her explaining the top speeds of the jet and how it could best any pegasus in Eques- Oh, that was probably the reason. Rainbow Dash hovered upwards, looking down at the both of you with disdain. “Faster than any pegasi, huh? Is that right? Did everypony suddenly forget I can do the Sonic Rainboom? You did! Didn’t you! And Anon, you’re in on this?! Didn’t I teach you better than that?”

You raise an eyebrow at her. “You trained me, that’s it. Look, let me just say it now so there isn’t a problem. You’re still the fastest in Equestria, nopony can say you aren’t. It’s just this machine is faster. But, you know, it’s a machine, it shouldn’t matter to you that much.”

“You’re sounding like Flim and Flam there, Anon. There is nothing, neither pony nor whatever this is, that is faster than me. So how about it, wanna prove how fast it really is, then race me.” Rainbow Dash challenged as she beckoned with her hoof. “And I better get a good challenge out of this thing, because, you know, you’re my friends. I don’t want to humiliate you too hard, ya know?”

DID SHE JUST COMPARE YOU TO- 

You just narrow your eyes at her and nod. “Ok.”

You’d think Starlight would have freaked out at that, but then you remember, she isn’t Twilight. She too looked rather angry at being mocked, giving Rainbow Dash the same expression you were giving. “To Manehatten.”

“What?!” Rainbow Dash said in surprise. “I was thinking to at least Canterlot, Manehatten is too far to do in a single race.”

“You hear that, Anon? Manehatten is too hard for her to do in a single race.” Starlight said with a chuckle.

“I think it’s too easy for us, I was gonna say the Crystal Empire to be honest.” You say with a shrug.

“What?! But I like Rainbow Dash’s idea! We can fly to Canterlot, and crash it into the castle! It’s not a starship, but it’ll do!” Said Scrappy, who somehow got behind you, sitting at the top of your seat.

“Scrappy, get out of here already!” Sheesh! You had to shoo him away with your hooves. The hell did he even come from.

“Hmph, I was only joking… Kinda, depends on Master Applebloom’s reaction.” Scrappy said with a snort, as he grew wings within his dog form and flew off.

“Ok then…” Starlight said, befuddled by that exchange before looking back at Rainbow Dash. “So, Manehatten? Or do you want to call the whole thing off? I’d hate to have to embarrass you, Rainbow Dash. You’re my friend, ya know?” Starlight said, giving her a condescending wink.

Rainbow Dash started to calculate the best she could in her head, it almost looked like her mane was going to burst into flame trying to figure out whatever was going on. She looked back, and started to mutter something. Until finally… “Manehatten, huh?”

“Manehatten and back.” Both you and Starlight say at the same time.

Rainbow Dash gulped at first, until suddenly she became as angry as a stirred up hornet. “Hey! You’re just trying to scare me off, aren’t you?! Well, you know what?! I just realized that I’m so fast, I can get to Manehatten, take a big rest, and fly all the way back here before that hunk of junk even reaches the halfway point! So how about that, huh?!” Rainbow Dash challenged.

“Works for me, you can even have a head start. Good luck!” Starlight said as she quickly closed the canopy and leaned back with a groan. “Uuuuuugh, way to go Trixie, totally off script.”

You shrug. “Whatever, look, if this thing is as fast as you say, we should be able to beat Rainbow Dash in like twenty minutes, maybe less. Right?”

“Yeah, actually, if we go at maximum thrus- Oh no.” Starlight’s pupil’s shrunk, as she became frozen in fear at what she just suggested. “Maximum thrust, in a race, to Manehatten, that far… Ooooooh good, we’re going to either be big fat failures… Or great big fireballs.”

“Starlight, what’s the matter?” You ask as you slap on your horn.

“Oh, nothing, just realizing we’ll be pushing the greatest creation in all Equestria to its limit, creating, then, the greatest fireworks show in Equestria, that’s all.” Starlight said in a low voice.

“Yeah, yeah, that can happen.” You say calmly. “I can even say this is a hypocritical moment. What, with you telling me how dangerous Chrysalis is, while you try to pull off a dangerous stunt like this.”

“N-gh, u-uh… Y-you’re right.” Starlight said as all her enthusiasm began to drain out of her. “I really messed up. I don’t even know what I was thinking. This whole thing is hypocritical of everything, ponykind wasn’t meant to have something like this.” Starlight said as she leaned forward, looking down in shame.


“Probably… Then again, I do have a horn that could keep things together and make sure we don’t end up a giant fireball. Know what I’m saying? It wouldn't even be cheating.” You just wanted her to acknowledge she too was doing something dangerous, that was it. You fully intended to beat Rainbow Dash. And fuck, If Rainbow Dash does accuse you of cheating, you were sure Fluttershy would go down her throat for that accusation.

“Huh?” Starlight turned her head back, looking behind the seat to see you smirking, pointing at your horn. Suddenly, she began to smile, then smirk, as her hope began to return. “You’re an asshole, you know that?”

“I thought you weren’t using human curses.” You say, grinning back.

“Only during work, Alright, let’s… Let’s do this then, Rainbow Dash took the whole head start thing seriously, and I refuse to lose to her.” Starlight said as she began to start up the engines. “Starting storm powered hover jets, stabilizers are in place, and preparing for liftoff!”

“W-woah!” Damn, the storm engines were loud as fuck, but maybe that was because it sounded like a literal storm was going off inside the jet. “Sheesh, you weren’t kidding about the hover jets, huh?”

“Nope, but I knew those would work, for sure. Now? Oh yes, here comes the best part, you ready?” Starlight asks as she prepares to start the main engine.

“Maybe? Think we should give her a bit more of a head start?” You ask, rather coyly.

“Nah. She probably only even took the head start because she figured she’d never be able to make the distance without wearing herself out. But this baby? Well, you can’t wear out a machine.” Starlight said with a cackle.

“No you can’t. Ok, Starlight! Let’s GOSRBORGFHBNOFBJNSFD” Oh shit, the acceleration on this thing! HOLY SHIT! YOU WEREN’T READY TO GO THIS FAST!

“YEAH! IT’S WORKING!” Starlight yelled out as the skin on the side of her mouth began to flap backwards. “Y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y-y! Y-y-y-yeah! HAHA! Feel that s-s-s-speed!” She said, unable to keep her voice steady due to the speed and excitement. Starlight then hit a switch, causing everything to feel more stabilized. “There we go! Haha! Another great thing you can do with magic, stabilize the cockpit. I really shouldn’t, but It’s hard to focus on piloting when your face is becoming as flat as a pancake.” Starlight, not taking her eye off the skies, says with pure exhilaration in her voice. “How are you doing, Anon?”

You reply by hurling onto your bottom hooves.

“I… Huh. Maybe Fluttershy was right, you could be getting ill from all those headbonks.” Starlight said as she checked the engines on her end. “Ok, so far so good. Anon, for now, just use the handle whenever you see any of the engine lights blink. Don’t pull on it too hard, or you may end up icing up the whole thing. And er, if we go critical anyway, well, your horn really can make sure we don’t explode, right?” She asks.

You reply by hurling… again.

“Ok then, I’ll just wait til' you’re settled then.” Starlight said