//------------------------------//
// First Flight 
// Story: Take Flight 
// by Vinylshadow 
//------------------------------//

Pipp knew what was coming. She had agreed to it. She had trained for it. She knew there were no risks involved. Everything was safe, controlled, and within her power to end it at any time.

But as she stepped closer and closer to the newly-erected flying training grounds, every fiber of her being suddenly started protesting. She bit her lip to keep the words inside, but her breath came in short gasps, her steps became unsteady, and the world was slowly going dim-

Strong hooves pressed into her chest, halting her forward movement and she jerked back in surprise to see Zipp staring intently at her, eyes darting in their sockets as she analyzed her sister.

"Pipp? Talk to me."

The words and tone were gentle, and the hooves softened their touch, allowing Pipp to rock forward before sitting down hard enough to make her teeth rattle.

"I don't want to fly," she croaked, the words barely above a whisper. "The wires were one thing, but this...this is too much."

Zipp said nothing, standing still, watching her calmly, and Pipp fought back the urge to snap at her, knowing she was doing the right thing and letting her get it all out.

"I know I did the training, but there was the knowledge that flight was impossible, that it was more practice for the wires to make it look natural."

She'd read the video comments on her earlier performances, with a lot of ponies talking about what a clumsy flier she was, and a few of the older ones joked about there being wires.

Always a joke…

Pipp took a long slow breath, then ten more after it, slowly getting herself under control. She could feel the sweat on her coat and she fought the urge to shake it off-

"Don't."

Pipp blinked, lifting her head, not realizing it had drooped while her mind wandered, and she wrenched her attention back onto her sister, who was still calmly watching her.

"Let everything out. Get up, stretch, move. Your body is tense, and that's only going to harm you once you're off the ground."

Zipp, of course, had grasped the intricacies of flight almost immediately, thanks to her practice in the transportation hub, but she never boasted or showed off, spending more time with her hooves firmly on the ground beside her sister, guiding her when needed.

Pipp got to her hooves, and the whole world spun. Zipp was beside her in a flash, her warm body taking her weight with ease, and Pipp grinned at her before taking another deep breath, letting it out slowly, then stretched her legs one at a time, then lowered her chest to the ground, rocking back on her hooves, then forward, lowering her back as she did. She bent both left legs, then right, then lifted opposite legs, then did a quick trot in place, letting out a few quick short breaths. She then went through a shorter set of stretches, then nodded, turning to face Zipp.

"I'm ready."

Zipp looked like she wanted to say something, but simply nodded instead, and then continued forward, Zipp close to her sister's side, wings barely brushing against hers.

They reached the grounds, where the guards stood, keeping an eye on the equipment, harnesses, making sure the thick plush pads were firmly in place, and helping ponies that needed it. Thunder and Zoom greeted the princesses, then guided them through the process of putting on the control harness, then made sure all the safety features and backups were in working order.

Zipp took a few practice leaps into the air, flaring her wings to slow her fall back down, then nodded in satisfaction. She turned to Pipp, who hadn't moved after the harness went on. The guards moved away at a flick from Zipp, and she approached her sister.

"Ready?"

Pipp met her sister's gaze evenly, then shook her head. "No, but there's no way around this. I'll have to get used to this eventually, so may as well do it in the safest possible manner." She swallowed hard. "Lead on."

Zipp nodded, and they made their way up to the launch platform, barely a leg-length off the ground. Pipp eyed it dubiously.

"This is more for gliding," Zipp explained. "You need to get your hooves placed right for landings, and you don't want to be far off the ground for that lesson. Now, watch."

She stepped up to the edge of the platform, then jumped straight out, wings spreading, legs held in a running ready position. As soon as her hooves neared the ground, she moved them as if she was trotting, flapping her wings to slow herself as she did. She repeated the process from the end of the course, then jumped up beside Pipp.

"Ready?"

Pipp nodded, flapping her wings a few times. She'd watched her sister closely, then just before she jumped, she realized their bodies were nothing alike, and her limbs froze. She thudded to the ground, all four legs straight down.

"Nicely done!" Zipp said, leaping down beside her. "You didn't fall over! That's a great first step!"

Pipp nodded, glaring down at her traitorous limbs, then went through the limbering exercise again.

Twice more her limbs locked up, and she let out an irritated snort before limbering again. She trotted in a circle, jumping around in little hops and leaps, wings flapping. It took her a few precious moments to realize her legs were no longer touching ground, and she looked down. She also forgot to flap her wings, and the harness squeaked as it caught her, holding her gently in the air on its wires.

"Very good," Zipp said, holding out a hoof and gently pulling her down. "Now you just need to do that without blinding yourself to your surroundings."

"It's...weird," Pipp murmured, holding her wings out and peering at them. "Some of it feels...instinctual, like I'd done this before. That it's natural to want to spread your wings and fly."

Zipp nodded. "Good instinct. Hold onto that feeling."

Pipp went through the basic glide several more times, and finally, she managed to get her hooves to gently transition her from flight to a trot. She did that several more times, then did it faster. She fell a few times, but she got back to her hooves, shook herself, and tried again.

And again, and again, and again.

As the day wore on, she paused to take a drink, sighing in bliss as she stretched her wings and legs.

"How do you feel?" Zipp asked.

"Like a foal with five left hooves," Pipp said, examining them carefully for damage from her exertions. "I'm going to need a spa trip after this. And after every flight, I feel."

Zipp grinned. "Well, I'm sure there's a spa in Maretime Bay and Bridlewood for you to take advantage of for the trips to visit the others."

"You think so?" Pipp mused thoughtfully. "I hope so. If not, I suppose I could always open one of my own." Her eyes lit up. "Oh! Or perhaps a mane salon? Bless them, but the others don't seem to take care of their manes at all, and I'd like to be able to do something for them for all they've done for us…"

Zipp blinked, then shook her head, grinning all the while.