//------------------------------//
// On Wings the Color of Sky 
// Story: Becoming Rainbow Dash: A Tale of Two Worlds 
// by Freescript the Bard 
//------------------------------//

<> Day 7 <>

"Ah! R-Rainb- I mean Markus! Fancy seeing you here!"

I winced. Schist, he caught me. "Um, this is my room…" I said to Twilight, who was standing in the doorway. With the exception of my laptop, I had loaded my things into my bag, which wasn't all that much to be honest.

"Oh… well, hehe, sorry…" he said nervously, very much like Twilight. "Anyway, how are you?"

I sighed, picking up my laptop from the desk and trying to slide it into the bag. Packing without fingers is harder than it sounds. "Been better, I guess."

"It's just…" he began, "yesterday, Twilight Sparkle and Isaac fused, creating me."

With a half-hearted chuckle, I smiled at the purple unicorn. "So can I call you Twisaac, now?"

Twilight looked at me with offense. "No!" he argued. "Just Twilight… and anyway, that wasn't all of Twilight. Just her memories, feelings toward others, and her magic." 

I was half listening at this point, focusing on getting the computer into the travel bag. "Uh huh…" I mumble, finally shoving the black rectangle into my pack and swinging it over my back.

"Well…" he hesitates, as if unsure of his wording. "You wanna say goodbye first?"

Blinking at the dreaded word, I turned to him. The pony I saw there wasn't the same one I had met earlier. He was much more docile than a few days ago, like he had just experienced a worldly fact. "What gave me away?" I asked with light-hearted sarcasm.

He replied with a sarcastic tone, "The fact that I'm the only other Element of Harmony you've met?"

This lifted my spirits a little, so I smirked playfully. "Really? I would think the bag would be a bigger clue."

"I know. That's a clue too," he said matter-of-factly.

I gave him a sad smile, then threw the Element of Loyalty over my head to rest on my neck. "I'm just… restless," I told him… er, her. Stop calling her a male. She's more female than male at this point. "It's in my nature, Twi. I always needed to keep moving, I just didn't have a… way to move. Now…" I gave my wings a shake for emphasis. "…I'm finally free."

"Well, see you, I guess," she said, her expression falling. "I'll miss you."

I chuckled. "Oh c'mere, you big egghead." I trotted over and gave her a big hug. "I'll be back, not for a while, but I am still the Element of Loyalty."

Twilight wrapped her forelegs around me in return. "Thank you." She released me, looking a little better. "Well, goodbye… and see you in a couple days."

"Count on it," I said, opening the window and perching on the window sill. Just as I'm about to take off, I turned back to my friend. Friend… yeah, that fits perfectly. "Tell Saw Blade that she slaps like a mare."

With that, I gave a powerful flap, launching into the air. I was too down to perform any aerobatics or maneuvers. As I rose above the cloud level, I glanced back at the factory. The Element around my neck gave a small twinge, reminding me I still had friends at that building, who cared for my safety. I mean, I know Saw Blade was a little… harsh, but even so, I still considered her my friend.

Rivalry is just another word for friendly competition.

But still, I'm not doing any good sitting idly while there are ponies out there who could need help or guidance. With Discord on the rise, he's sure to cause some grief.

The days were becoming shorter. With all that was going on, I didn't really notice how late the sun rose. A chill blew past me, the sun only an hour past rising. It was a good chill, the coldness seeping through my feathers and my coat, soothing my worked flight muscles. Mornings like this were only going to get colder as it got darker and the Earth tilted away from the sun. I don't mind. Pegasi are resistant to the cold and heat, as well as other kinds of…

I stopped my thoughts. Where did that come from?! Sure, there were fan theories about the extent of pegasus magic, as well as how magic itself worked. But they way I thought it… it was like I knew it was fact.

I sighed, knowing full well what the reason was. Rainbow Dash isn't exactly the most… mentally fortuitous pony. Her control over the merge must be slipping. As soon as I mentioned the mare's pensive willpower, I felt a twinge of annoyance in the forefront of my brain, causing a headache. "Ow! I'm sorry, alright? You don't need to make a fuss!"

Yelling at a pony in your head, Markus? I'm starting to doubt your own mental status.

"Shut up, brain."

Heh… gladly.

Pushing aside my troll of a conscience, I continued on my southwestern path. The way I had it figured, I could stop in DC, which was a five hour trip by my reckoning. Which meant a late lunch. Buck… I'm gonna be flying on empty by the time I reach Baltimore.

The reason I wanted to stop by DC wasn't really anything other than to show our nation's capitol that we existed, as well as a pit stop for food and rest. More for the food, as politicians can't be bothered lift their noses out of their disputes, even for a rainbow pegasus flying right over their heads.

Of course, there is still Carol's husband. The congressman. At the thought of the middle-aged woman, the Element gave another twitch backward, drawn toward the place I had made so many friendships.

Dismissively, I swatted at a bit of wispy cloud. Friendship… Isn't that what the show we love is all about? Back in Wisconsin, I didn't make many new friends. Not because I was unlikable, but because I was unnoticeable. Being five-foot-four didn't help either. Most friends I did have were those that the status quo look at with a raised eyebrow. Band and choir geeks, weirdos, Bronies, and nerds were amongst us. Heh, if Ben could see me now…

As the thought process continued, I began to frown. I never said goodbye to any of them… or my family, technically. I just flew off… My altitude began to falter, so I gave a few power flaps. Maybe I can visit on my nationwide tour. Just show up and chat a bit, and say a formal farewell.

Don't take what you're given for granted, and don't focus on what was taken.

I smiled. I can go anywhere, do whatever I want! Wings for the win! As if to prove my own point, I performed a small inverted roll. It was then that I saw the true blessing of all this. I had gotten my wish. All this time I've been worried about losing my fingers and my old life that I didn't recognize what I had been given. A dream answered, and a new life!

The sun glinted off the Lower Bay, reflecting my newfound elation and excitement. C'mon Dash. We have a world to see and new friendships to forge…

In my subconscious, I felt a jump of anticipation.

A/N: I'm trying to bring back the inner writer. I had been neglecting him, and don't want him to go to waste. Granted, my mind is being merged with a pony, but that's certainly no excuse!