//------------------------------// // Road Trip Schenanigans // Story: Becoming Rainbow Dash: A Tale of Two Worlds // by Freescript the Bard //------------------------------// <> Day 7 <> "So, your human name is Markus, right?" I glanced back at Airheart. We were thirty minutes out of DC, still over Virginia. In order to appeal to my avian instincts, I instructed Airheart to fly directly behind me. It was a pair-flock technique to have the faster flier at point to take the blunt of the drag, so the slower of the two could ride the wake and keep pace. That way, we could still travel at my faster-than-average airspeed. "Yeah, why?" She began to snicker audibly. "So let me get this straight; you're a guy… in a mare's body?" At this point, she lost it, laughing to the brink of flight-unbalance. "If I were you…" I growled, "I would never speak of that again." The venom in my voice was enough to quiet her. However, the sudden silence of the empty sky was disheartening, and I looked back at her. "How'd you learn to fly, anyhow?" I asked. Airheart looked a little uncomfortable at my question, her flight swerving a little. "Um… the pony in my head taught me…" I was silent for a minute. "You know, a week ago I would have called you crazy, but then again, I wasn't Rainbow Dash a week ago." Absently, I did a half aileron roll, as if to watch the world turn upside down to match the metaphorical state. "Back then, people stayed people and ponies stayed ponies." Airheart watched my maneuver with fascination. "Where did you learn to fly? I couldn't do that to save my life!" Now upside down, I looked down my tail at her. "I, um, kinda cheated…" I explained. "Hold on one second." I closed my eyes, focusing inward. Within the confides of my mind, in the back of my consciousness, I probed around a sort of psychic tether. Taking it in my mental grip I tugged, and back in reality, the space around my neck flashed a brilliant magenta, and I felt the comforting presence of the Element of Loyalty. "This thing kinda downloaded pegasus instincts into my head. It helps to know a schist-ton of aviation stuff." She remained face-frozen for the next fifteen minutes. --- "That cloud looks like a duck from this angle!" called Airheart, pointing at the indicated cloud. I searched the expanse of sky, looking for some cloud formation to match her cloud-shape. But whenever I tried to see a form in a cumulus, my aviator/pegasus mind immediately began to analyze wind currents and thermals around it. I grumbled. "This is stupid." --- "So, where did you get those flight goggles?" I asked Airheart. "I woke up with them on. Evidently, these are a family heirloom from Airheart's grandmother, and she never likes taking them off," she replied. "At least, that's what she told me." She looked at me and giggled a little. "You're jealous, aren't you?" "I'm not, but Dash is rather vocal about the idea of getting a piece of unique headgear." --- "Um, Markus?" inquired Airheart. "I gotta go…" "Go?" I asked, confused. "Go where?" "No, I mean… go." "Go?" "Go!" "Oh! You have to– right, of course," I stammered. "Wait a minute, why didn't you take care of that when I asked you after dinner… ten minutes ago?!" "I didn't have to go then!" Airheart quipped. I groaned and facehoofed. "Fine, we can stop at the next town. If it's an emergency, you can just land in that small forest and–" I didn't have time to finish as the pink mare dove, plummeting for the grove of deciduous trees. --- One thing about being a pony that amused me to no extent was the singing. All ponies have this sort of dormant harmonious magic that makes them prone to breaking out into an original song. Because this magic is identical in every pony, any one could join into a song, even if they didn't know the lyrics. Step out of your front door The road ahead is vast Your destination awaits Home is in the past! I soloed out, letting my (Rainbow Dash's) improved singing voice ring out over the Appalachians. After my verse, Airheart joined in on her own accord. Still a long way to go But we're closer with every beat The scenery will pass us by With every mile that passes beneath She finalized her solo, and we joined together for the next verse. Let's fly away (let's fly away) Into this beautiful and shinning day Let's fly away (let's fly away) And keep the journey on it's way! As usual when I get into a song, the rest was a blur of harmony and light-hearted singing. It's really kinda hard to recall a song when the magic around you is driving it, not yourself. But what was most memorable for me was the finale, the two of us on a cloud, ringing out that very last note. But soon enough, we were smiling about it and continuing on our way. --- "So… now that you're female, would you date mares, or stallions?" "I SAID DROP IT!" --- I alighted down on our makeshift platform of cloud, setting the bag in my mouth down, making sure it had cloud-retention. "It's only a few donuts, but we now have breakfast for tomorrow." Airheart shrugged from her reclined position against a puff of cloud. "Better than nothing," she said with a smile. The mare looked over the edge at the grid of lights that was Columbus, Ohio. "I have a friend here who's a Brony. We can visit her tomorrow, if you want." "Sure," I replied. "We can go after breakfast." In terms of sleeping as a pony, we were very human-like, laying on our backs and sides. I settled in next to Airheart and pulled a blanket of cloudstuff over myself, the other pegasus doing the same. Much to my surprise, the condensation was actually insulated, countering the chill of the night as we two pegasi fell into a comfortable sleep.