//------------------------------//
// Fifth Day: Lessons Of Flight 
// Story: And He Silently Painted A Rainbow 
// by WritingSpirit 
//------------------------------//

	"Uh-huh! And then Rainbow was like 'hey, those are my skates!' and he was like," Pinkie changed her expression into a deadpan frown, "and he just skated around like whee, whee, WHEE~!"

The rest of her friends laughed once she fell from her seat with a thud, still snorting with laughter on the floor. Rainbow just shook her head at the exuberant randomness of her friend, kicking back to the edge of her seat as the pink mare passed to them the photos both her and her athletic pegasus friend had taken yesterday.
They were in Sugarcube Corner, celebrating a small 'Ice Portrait Party' or something, Rainbow couldn't remember exactly what it was called. She had left early at dawn to pick up some food for her and Taciturn, and had stopped by Sugarcube Corner to pick up a few muffins as a dessert. Surprisingly, all of her friends were gathered at the table in the store, the sight prompting her to join them as well. 
"Look at it. Just. Look. At. It!" she screeched happily. Each and every one of them: Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack and Rarity, marveled at the sight, with the latter unicorn being the first to comment:

"That's absolutely wonderful, darling. He must be somepony unique indeed!"
Rarity giggled with glee, her hooves quivering with excitement as she sipped on her chamomile tea, continuing:
"I am most certainly delighted to have a chance to meet him, of course, if Rainbow Dash would let me."

"Well, good luck with that, Rarity," Twilight replied with a small chuckle.
"He's not the most sociable pony you would ever meet in your lifetime. Ever."

"But he sure is good with paintin'," Applejack chortled, chugging down the remainder of her milkshake. The crude act made Rarity wrinkle her snout in disgust, though she soon turned to Rainbow, eager to know more about the new pony.
"After all," the farmpony added, "it's not only Rainbow who met 'im before. Ain't that right, Fluttersh'ah?"

"Oh! Um..." the butter-colored pegasus stuttered.
"It was only for a few times. I don't really see him after... well... Rainbow became his guardian."

"So, tell me, Rainbow," Rarity began, edging closer to the cyan mare.
"How is he like? Does he have delectable tastes? Does he have a rather... covetous appetite? I'm pretty sure he doesn't need all of this food, right darling?"

"I'm just stocking up, that's all," she replied, placing the box of muffins to the side. Rainbow knew that everypony else would be around the marketplace getting some food by tomorrow and, knowing Taciturn and his total abhorrence with crowds (she guessed), it would be more sensible for her to prepare everything for him instead of bringing him there tomorrow and let him shriek for the world to hear.
"As for his tastes... they're quite simple, really. He's pretty happy with Fluttershy's gift, by the way."

"Hear that, Fluttersh'ah?" Applejack spoke, nudging the pegasus.
"He likes yer gift! And ya keep tellin' me he doesn't like it."

"Um... tell him I said thank you... if you don't mind..."

"No prob, Flutters," she said with a wink.
"Maybe we'll stop by and meet you again. You should see his painting of you."

"I already told her and everypony else here about it before you came." Twilight cut in, her horn glimmering a pale violet as she lifted her own cup of tea.
"That," she added, "and your slightly rude outburst when you first saw it."

Rainbow's ears drooped the moment her scholarly friend said that, feeling the depressing weight of guilt pulling her heart down. It was a misunderstanding, she wanted to blurt out, though she knew it would come with a negative response from the unicorn once she did.
"She was angry with the ice skates too!" Pinkie Pie added. Oh no, here we go again.
"When he suddenly squished all the berries with it, Dashie became steaming red! As in exploding strawberries red! I  really thought she was going to melt the lake!"

"You lost your temper again?" the lavender mare quipped, all eyes turning to the now sheepish Rainbow Dash.
"You know you can't do this every single time. I mean, what if he suddenly just breaks down and runs away? What are you going to tell the doctors then?"

"I'm trying to keep my cool. I've said it already."
With a sigh, Rainbow drank the remainder of her chocolate milkshake, brushing her disheveled mane to the side. Her laid-back actions were only met with skepticism not only from Twilight, but from Applejack as well.
"Plus," she added, "I've been reading your present, Twi. I just need some time to get used to it, that's all."

"If you say so..." Twilight's voice trailed off, the lavender mare finishing her drink.
"Just don't try anything brash. You'll never know what might happen."

"I'm sure she would listen!" Pinkie quickly cut in with a diffident laugh.
"Won'tcha Dashie?"

Rainbow could feel the pressure of all five pairs of eyes staring back at her, awaiting for a correct decision from her. She restrained a gulp down her throat, her responsibility as Taciturn's guardian starting to look a hundred times harder than before once they were involved.
Despite that, there was no way she would ditch Tassee behind; she's the Element of Loyalty, for Celestia's sake! She was given a job, and she will do her duty until the very end. With a sigh, she gave a short, simple answer:

"I'll try."







"And that's the last plate, Tassee!"

Rainbow wiped the dripping sweat off her head, having trotting to and fro between rooms to serve the ever-tolerant Taciturn at the table, who just stared blankly at the salad of carrots and apples before him. Gradually, the colt started to munch on his food, his guardian already gobbling up her share of breakfast/lunch until there was nothing left.
It was about noon when Rainbow finally reached home. The colt had slept in, being worn out from all the ice-skating he did yesterday, though he was standing at the edges of the doorstep once she returned. His face beamed the moment he spotted her in the horizon, the sight of which also making the mare smile as well. Surprisingly, he never touched his art tools yet, and she would know if he did; it would usually be arranged in a neat row across the floor if he ever did use it.

Taciturn soon finished his meal, giving into his hunger as he hurriedly yet elegantly ate the rest of his salad. With a soft, plaintive whimper, he quickly trotted towards his guardian's side, the mare studying a few scrawled notes she held in a black logbook.
"Guess what, Tassee?" Rainbow said, perking his interest whilst she handed him his scarf.
"We're going to the field today! You're gonna watch me do a few tricks for the Wonderbolt tryouts I'm going for later. Plus, you're gonna meet one of my fans! Ain't that great?"

The colt nodded enthusiastically, which made her smile at his simplicity and docility. He was becoming a little more sociable than last time, she thought to herself, her chest puffing up with pride. That, plus the fact that Scootaloo was eager to meet him as well, settled her conclusion that there will be nothing to worry about. Hopefully.
Turning to Taciturn, Rainbow's breathing stopped the moment his black eyes stared back into hers, the mare immediately turning away. Her hooves started to tremble, which only beckoned the colt closer, worried for her well-being.

"I... I-I'm fine! Perfectly fine!" she stammered. "Just a little excited to test out a few moves, that's all!"
With that, he gave a jubilant, relieved grin, happily prancing out the door and leaving her to calm down. Why is she feeling jumpy all of the sudden? He's harmless, Rainbow Dash. There's nothing wrong, Rainbow Dash, she consoled herself, not long before following after her patient, sighing warmly as she saw him being mesmerized by the rainbow liquid spewing out from her house again.
"Come on, buddy!" she snapped him from his daze.
"We'll walk there, if that's what you like."

Of course, Taciturn gave another silent, earnest nod. It was becoming more of a trademark of his, seeing his cheerful expression and his symbiotic spirit that came along with it. There were times where Rainbow would wonder how he would cope with days such as this, when she would take off in the skies and leave him on the ground.
At least he won't be alone this time, she said to herself.

The walk was draggy: Rainbow usually sees any sort of ground movement as draggy anyway. Despite her opinions as such, Taciturn was happily traipsing down the road, looking around for anything in the winter plains.
Occasionally, a few animals would cross their paths; there was a family of hares searching for a new burrow, and a few birds chirping in the branches of the trees. Even in the glades, there would be one or two butterflies around the bushes, patiently waiting for the flowers to bloom in the eve of springtime.

"Seems he's going to remember all of this," Rainbow surmised, seeing his eyes darting at every possible sight to see. Their destination soon unfolded in the horizon, the liberal space and chilly breeze of the winter eliciting a quelling, foggy sigh from her mouth. The sight of a certain orange filly buzzing around impatiently added to her contentment, prompting to gallop down the hillside.
"Hey, squirt!" she cried out, waving her hoof while Taciturn scurried from behind. There was a loud gasp, before Scootaloo instantly rushed to her, giving her idol a tight hug.

"I thought you wouldn't make it again!" the filly cried.

"And miss out a few training sessions with my number one fan?" she exclaimed.
"Hah! Like that would ever happen!"

"Hey! You brought him along!"
Scootaloo hurriedly whirled past her idol, glancing up at Taciturn with an excited giggle. The colt could only stare blankly down at the filly, his wings fluttering uneasily once she crept closer to him. Her purple eyes suddenly sparkled, before she turned back to Rainbow Dash with a devious grin.
"Did you do something to his wings?" she asked teasingly, referring to the tinted tips of his seven feathery folds. Rainbow  just rolled her eyes while the filly giggled, before she buckled her hooves.

"Alright, Scoots," she said, stretching her back and wings.
"We're gonna do some warm-ups first. A few small exercises, some laps around the skies, then it's off for some flight training for you. What do you say?"

"What about him?" Scootaloo asked whilst doing a few push-ups, beckoning her head towards Taciturn, who was punching holes in the snow.
"Can he come along?"

"To tell you the truth, I'm not really sure."
Rainbow wanted to walk away and continue their exercises, though Scootaloo suddenly scrunched her face up and stopping her in her tracks, the sight making her face pale immediately.
Not the Celestia-damned puppy dog face! She wanted to scream at the filly, more at herself for her emotions screeching and prying at the very walls of her heart. She won't give in! She's not Rarity! She. Won't. Give. In!

"Of course he can come!" she suddenly blurted out, making the filly jump jubilantly with glee as if she had triumphantly earned her Cutie Mark. So much for not giving in...
"I have to ask him first. He's not really a natural when it comes to flying however."

With a slightly dejected sigh, Rainbow trotted towards Taciturn, trying her best to smile.
"Tassee," she called out, earning his attention almost immediately.
"Wanna come fly with us? I'll promise you'll be safe!"

Another happy nod. The cyan pegasus could only shake her head sympathetically as the colt raced over to her side; if he only knew he was that easygoing when she had first met him.
Rainbow turned back to Scootaloo, who was already stretching and getting ready for their flight. Her head, however, was worrying over Taciturn's perception of flying and how she was going to cope with carrying him on the back. Sure, it would be an extra exercise, but the weight she had to carry, despite being surprisingly light, would mean a higher chance of crashing. Knowing him, he would probably cling onto her before crashing instead of flying away, which will endanger both of their lives as well. She can't risk training for the tryouts knowing something like that would happen.
There's only one solution. Something that will help all of them together.

"Scoots!" she called to the filly, plopping her and Taciturn together.
"This is how it's gonna work. Each of you guys will learn how to fly. I would help you guys, and you guys will help each other to fly as well. Does that sound good?"

"So I have to help an older pony to fly?" Scootaloo rephrased, quivering with excitement when Rainbow nodded.
"Alright! I'm game with that! Wait 'till Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle hears about this! Maybe I can even get a new Cutie Mark from it!"

"Okay, let's start from the basics."
With that, Rainbow trotted towards their front, looking at her two attentive students. Scootaloo gave a salute like a loyal private to her captain, though Taciturn just stared at her every movements, already uncertain of his choice.
"First, you guys have to picture yourselves in the sky," she said, unfurling her own wings.
"Feel the wind. Know where each and every single cloud is at."

Scootaloo held back a giggle. "You're saying it like those pilots in the movies!" she exclaimed.

"That's because those words are usually true," her idol responded tactically, ruffling her wings in preparation for the flight to come as she continued:
"Take a deep breath," she stopped and did as she said, "spread your wings to your fullest and let yourself go. You gotta feel where every single tip of your feather moves and keep your cool. Then, you just..."

Rainbow suddenly leaped into the air, her students watching in amazement as she soared into the air, letting her wings take her through the pellucid daylight of the sky. Her tail lashed out a streak of rainbow, temporarily marking her trail as she zoomed past many of the clouds around her, laughing out of liberation and freedom.
The wintry, frosty air ran down her lungs, empowering her with a satisfying chill of energy. It soaked down to the very bottoms of her hooves, prompting her to raise up the speed before diving back down to the ground, landing with a near-silent crunch into the snow.

"Wow!!" Scootaloo exclaimed, her watery eyes marveling at the other mare.
"So you just have to imagine, right? To prepare for the inevitable and stuff like that, right?"

"That's the spirit, squirt!" she nudged the filly, the two laughing at each other.
Rainbow turned to her other, more reluctant student with a sinking feeling of doubt and concern, the colt generally staring at the ground with his breathing a shiver. She wasn't sure if it was from the cold, though there was a sense of qualm behind it. An aura of trepidation.
"You wanna try it out, Tassee?" she offered. There wasn't a response from him, which only seemed to disturb her.

Scootaloo was already flitting across the field, trying her best to do more than a buzzing hover above the ground. Her concentration into flying was fully-fledged; the same which she hope could be said for Taciturn.
"You know I can't leave you here alone," Rainbow said with a sigh, though the stallion merely huddled away.
"J-just tell me what's wrong! Maybe I could, well... change things a little!"

Again, he never responded, yet this time he glanced around the sky, his wings twitching noticeably.
Wait! That spark! Rainbow held her breath, knowing there was no mistake: it was the very same one lighting up his pupils! She had seen it in herself before, in front of her mirror sometimes when she yearned the fast-paced fuel of adrenaline, when she yearned the everlasting expanse of freedom.
When she yearned for the prowess of flight. The salvation that every pegasus will always have.

"So you wanna fly, don'tcha?" Rainbow asked, to which she finally received a nod. The hesitance was still there, proving her theories: that Taciturn wanted to fly, no doubt, but there was fear. It reminded her of her paranoia when she was entering the Best Young Flyer's Competition, the thought of it making her smile.
"Well, there's always a first for everything, Tassee," she chirped, sitting down with her back facing him.

Taciturn's black pupils widened, stepping backwards into the snow.
"D-Dash?" he muttered with uncertainty, realizing what his guardian was beckoning him to do.

"Come on! Just climb onto my back!" she ushered.
"I promise there's nothing to worry about, okay?"

Slowly, he crept forward, his shivering hooves clinging onto her back. Rainbow could feel his feathery weight settling comfortably on top of her, his grip on her shoulders anything but loose. His wings were anxiously flapping about, displaying his vain attempts at containing his distress.
"Just hang on tight, Tassee," she consoled; in response he gave a short whimper, forcing out a small, consoling chuckle once she kicked back her hooves.
"Here... we... GO!!"

Taciturn wailed loudly the moment they took off into the skies, soaring speedily past every single cloud in their way. His screaming grew louder once she took a sharp turn and a nose dive, his face paling a lighter shade of white like it was a roller-coaster ride.
Rainbow laughed a little, gliding through the lower levels of the air and close to the plains beneath her. She could already feel the blades of grass tingling at her skin, though not before hearing another familiar voice.

"Wait for me!!" Scootaloo yelled, galloping through the green.
"I wanna have a turn too! I wanna have a turn too!"

"Well then! Heads up, squirt!"
With that, Rainbow suddenly picked the filly up from the ground, catching her in her hooves like a pelican would do the same for fish. Scootaloo could only gasped in awe at the scenery, even more at her idol, though it was quickly reduced into a fit of giggles. Taciturn was still quivering behind her back, but he wouldn't be for long, however; it was time for Rainbow to display her own form of art.
The cyan mare ruffled her wings a little, before she suddenly lifted herself and her two passengers into the air. She sped past the rays of light and broke through a fragile wall of clouds, before slowly letting the air rush through her feathers, her wings far apart as they glided through the air.

"Look at that!" Scootaloo exclaimed from her hooves, pointing happily into the distance the town of Ponyville, surrounded by pastures and trees. In the distance was the regal city of Canterlot, ever elegant like a blooming daisy in the horizon, complete with its sprinkling waterfall streaming powerfully down the steep mountain. The heavenly rays of sunlight erupted into beams of rays, effortlessly captivating the eyes of the three pegasi viewing the breathtaking scenery.
Taciturn's head rose from behind Rainbow's back, his mouth steadily opening at the dazzling scene of nature all around him. Peering behind her shoulder, his guardian watched warmly as he started to smile, the mare beginning to do the same at her accomplishment.

"You like it, Tassee?" she asked, to which he gave an exuberant nod.
"Someday, when you'll be able to fly," Rainbow began, "you're gonna see this every day of your life. And when that day comes, you don't need to climb onto my back anymore."

Another nod, though it was hesitant. She herself felt something tingle within her chest, unsure whether it was the fickle spark of excitement, or another one of disappointment. It felt like the latter: there was a bittersweet tinge of emotion tugging at her heart.
"Just remember I'm your guardian, Tassee," she added, trying to lighten things up.

"I'm here to protect and help you. It's my job."







Black.

There wasn't a sound, nor a feeling. There was only the morbid tides of black. The monstrosity clawed at the very ends of her tail, trying to pull her back into its jaws; to drown her in its own despair.
Rainbow desperately struggled to pull free, her wings trapped by the sticky substance of black. Her eyes stung once she was consumed by it, as was her mind. Her hooves kicked and jerked about, though it was no use. With the last of her energy, she screamed the only word she could think of in her right mind, before sinking into the solitary cold.
"Tassee!!"

A loud gasp erupted through the roof of her own mouth as Rainbow jolted awake with a shock, her panting receding once she realized she was in the comfort of her own home. Cold sweat ran down her joints, tingling her skin with a disheartening sense of fear.
She wiped her eyes, lifting herself up from her bed as she trotted outside the room, trying to rid the nightmarish thoughts out of her head. Her mane was disheveled, with stray strands of her spectrum hair sticking out from its usually striped ocean, only showing the fatigue and anxiety she was under.

"Rainbow?"

"Tassee!" she exclaimed with a gasp, spotting the pale stallion perched at her balcony.
"You scared me for a moment."

Taciturn said nothing, instead resuming his viewing of the night sky outside.
Princess Luna did a great job tonight: the full moon glowed a heavenly dim light in its nocturnal splendor, enveloping all those below in a sea of dark blue. The stars that were hung around in wasn't a disappointment either, twinkling brightly and jubilantly across the black sky.
Black. Rainbow shuddered once she thought of that.

"You getting some sleep, buddy?" she asked Taciturn, settling beside the colt.
"Tomorrow might be a big day for you."

There was an inaudible murmur from him, leaving his guardian to shake her head.
"Well, you better rest up, you know," she said with a yawn, eventually giving in to her fatigue.
"You'll never know when you might nee-"

Rainbow let out another long and loud yawn, heading back to her bedroom and plopping back onto the bed, pushing the thoughts of Taciturn's well being back to her head. Her eyes fluttered once in a while, before finally closing shut, tossing her back into the discomforting sensation of sleep.
The colt merely gave her tired guardian one last glance, before gazing back at the night sky.

"Sleep," he muttered.