//------------------------------// // That's Why They Call Me Loyalty // Story: Becoming Rainbow Dash: A Tale of Two Worlds // by Freescript the Bard //------------------------------// <> Day 1… Still <> "Gah!" Ker-piff! Okay, I think I have to face the facts, I admitted inwardly, spitting out a mouthful of dirt for the hundred and twenty-fifth time in an hour's span. I suck at flying. It wasn't that I was unable to get any lift, or couldn't hold a hover. Actually; the opposite was true in this case. As I discovered, pegasi have amazingly strong wing muscles, and their hollow bones and aerodynamic form, coupled with the fact that I was now inhabiting the body of a developed flier, made takeoff easy as a flap of the wings. The problem is that, because of my ease in flight, my ascents were very uncontrolled and unbalanced, resulting in me either pitching too far forward or back. Which, in turn, caused me to spend most of the time eating dirt. "Come on!" I yelled at myself. "I'm a better pilot than I am a driver, I have a knowledge of aviation that would make Orville and Wilbur jealous, and to top it all off, I'm incarnating a creature that spends more time in the sky than they are awake! Why can't I hold a simple hover?!" I stomped my hoof into the ground, grinding into the soil. "I'm just…" I faltered, my wings slowly drooping. "I'm useless. If I can't fly, then getting to New York is out of the question. Hell, I can't even walk there without attracting attention!" My heart fell into my stomach, a lump forming in my throat. I flopped down on the grass, turning over to look at the darkening sky. Why did this have to happen to me? I asked silently. Out of all the fan-fiction writers in the world, why me? Why not someone better, like Pen Stroke or Rust? I closed my eyes, letting the situation in my mind distill; all the facts floating to the surface of my consciousness. When I opened my eyes, I was staring at a cyan hoof. I can never play guitar, or flute again. I can't drive my car. I can't get a job. I can't get a decent education, or fly a plane, or have anything a normal person could! The stumpy appendage blurred, my eyes filling with tears. Any chance I had for any kind of life in this world is gone. Stolen away by some freak accident… With that thought, I curled up on the well-trimmed lawn, letting the sadness and emotion flow down my cheeks without a sob. I wish this could all just go away… My eyes shot open with revelation, then narrowed with angst. This wasn't an accident! Someone wanted to turn me into a pony! I flared my wings, propelling myself into a flip and landing perfectly on my hooves, but I was too angry to notice my feat. --- Somewhere, deep within the ground, a spot among the rock began to glow an indescribable light. Soon enough, choice minerals were drawn to the site, a mixture of rubies, platinum, and gold. --- I stood with a scowl on my face, looking to the dark-blue sky opposite the setting sun. Whoever did this, I'll find them. I'll make them change me back. Not only me, but Lauren Faust, Tara Strong, and anyone else whose lives they've stolen away! Turning my gaze up, I locked on to a solitary puff of cumulus in the sky. --- The minerals shifted, bonding and warping into the shape the magic deemed necessary. More and more energy was poured into it, the mass of crystal and precious metals taking on a refined form. Finally, the rubies simmered, binding each singular gem into one solid individual. It was in the shape of a bolt of red lightning. --- In the subconscious of my mind, I became aware of a faint tug on my thoughts, as if egging me on. But I didn't care. Lauren Faust and Tara need me. I will not leave them hanging! I'm going to go to New York, find them, and then I can help them with this. I glared at the offending cloud. It probably should have bothered me that I was now glowing with a brilliant red light. And I'll be damned if I'm going to let something like distance get between me and the ones depending on me! In my brain, a deep magenta enveloped my vision. That very moment I saw the answer to my problem. Wing movements, muscle timing, angle of attack, air drag… they all flew through my head in less time it took to blink. My mind made the connections between the mechanics and the nerves in my body. Snatching my pre-packed bag containing my ten-inch notebook laptop, phone, a few snacks and a Mountain Dew off the ground, I slung it across my back and readied myself. The red glow was stronger than ever. With the cloud as my goal, I crouched low with my forelegs, spreading my wings out and up. When the moment was right, I tensed my muscles… …and propelled myself through the air. About half a second later, most of the cloud had disappeared from a powerful kick of my back hooves, leaving only a square yard for me to sit on. I stood on the perch, gazing with a triumphant look at the orange sun. That's when my brain kicked back in, and I gave a startle. "Holy schist! I was flying!" I exclaimed, slapping a hoof to the side of my head. Experimentally, I looked down at what I was standing on. I can stand on Earth clouds? Freaking awesome! At first, I worried about how I was going to get down, but as soon as I stepped to the edge and opened my wings, I felt the breeze in my feathers, and a kind of muscle-memory activated. Somehow, learning to fly just became instinct. Suddenly at the edge of my peripheral vision, there was a small glint, just enough to get my attention. Mildly curious, I looked down… …and gasped. The reflected light had come from a ruby, embedded in a gold and platinum necklace, which hung around my neck. It weighed absolutely nothing, but remained hanging firmly tight to my body as if it was twice the weight it appeared to be. The gem in the center was shaped like a lighting bolt. T-the… Element of Loyalty?!? My logical mind wanted to find out more. How did it get around my neck, and why? Could it do anything special? Was it the cause of the strange flying revelation? I shook my head, distorting my thoughts. Stop right there, egghead! I berated myself. There's no time for that! So what if I have an Element of Harmony? If anything, it means I have another asset… however useful it is. Smiling, I turned away from the sun. In the darkening shadow, the ruby in the Element seemed to glow. No more wasting time! "Onward and upward!" I shouted to the wind. In a single move I dove off the cloud, gave a powerful thrust down and back with my wings, and propelled eastward for the city that never sleeps. ~+~+~+~ Mrs. Knight got home early from the reunion, closing the front door and setting her bags of groceries down. "Markus, I'm home, honey!" she called ambiguously, knowing well that her son was not paying attention, as usual. She made her way to the kitchen, and was about to open the fridge when a piece of paper on the countertop caught her attention. Curious, she moved to it and read it. A full minute later, she was slumped on the couch in disbelief. To my family, whoever should find this note, I am leaving. Maybe not forever, but a long time I think. Please don't think that I don't love you all, because I do, but there's something I need to do. Something's happened to me, and the only chance of me fixing it is if I leave, and none of you try to find me. Hopefully I can get these dang feathered weights to work by the time you get home, and I won't be there. I need to go now; writing with hooves is extremely time-consuming. Your loving son (or daughter, considering the circumstances), -Markus ~+~+~+~ Discord suddenly lurched, startling John. The draconequus' eagle talon was gripping at his heart, as if he had heartburn. "What is it? What's wrong?" inquired the human, looking at his counterpart with concern. Slumping back in the chair and summoning a glass of chocolate milk, Discord wiped his brow. "Well, that was certainly unexpected," he stated, chugging the glass right of the milk. "And that's saying something. I am the king of unexpected!" John gave him a quizzical look, prying further. "If you must know, I think I felt a little… nah, that's impossible! I should know; I'm the baron of impossible!" "Care to elaborate, lord of nonsense?" the actor asked, rolling his eyes. "Oh, John, you flatter me," Discord chimed. "If you must know, I had the weirdest feeling of… harmony…" John de Lancie's brows furrowed. If the feeling was correct, then their plans could possibly be compromised. Deciding not to rile the chimera, he changed the subject. "So how do you want to redo the foreign policy when all is said and done?" Discord smiled. "With horses and bayonets, of course."