Chapter five
"The Princess said what?!" I exclaim in an irritated tone.
"That's what it says here Twilight!" Spike says, retreating a little at my frustration.
I snatch the scroll out of Spikes claws, and read it out loud myself, "My dear Twilight, this is a fascinating and, perhaps, volatile situation you are in.
"However, I think that you are more than capable to deal with this yourself, and this 'Dreamstrider', could prove to be a wealth of information about the very obscure human race and possibly even different and advanced technologies due to their lack of magic.
"I would come and meet Dreamstrider in person, however, I must attend my royal duties and I am confident that you can handle this yourself.
"Your mentor, Princess Celestia."
I start thinking out loud, "It just doesn't make any sense, I know she has her royal duties, but how am I supposed to handle something like this alone?!
"I may very well be capable, but there is a reason why I wasn't given responsibility over Discord when he was brought for reforming!
"Fluttershy was given that responsibility because she has a way with all creatures, but again, it wasn't me!, I have never done anything like this!"
"Twilight calm down!" Spike exclaims in the middle of my outburst, "If the Princess didn't think you could house her - him - or whatever Dreamstrider is indefinitely, then she wouldn't have asked."
Spike is right, I am going way over the top.
"Thanks Spike, I am overreacting a bit..."
"A bit?" He says in a surprised and slightly irritated tone.
"Fine, I overreacted a lot.
"And I don't have to do this alone either! I may be the one housing Dreamstrider, but my friends can also help and maybe we could even get some answers out of her together!"
Spike just stands and blinks, "Well, that's all fine with me, but just maybe Dreamstrider on some sort of holiday?
"And maybe she - he knew you were going to ask lots of questions, but perhaps it would be best not to barrage him with question after question like some interrogation?"
Spike has been nothing but right, maybe Dreamstrider is here to get away from something or someone? But she, or he, must have known we would have been curious after display after display like some circus show.
But still, it would be wrong to try and force answers out of Dreamstrider, I guess I will just have to ask questions over time.
Until then it would probably be a good idea to help Dreamstrider get settled-in here, and I will have to sort out some ground-rules for her accommodation here and how/what she intends to do here.
After-all, it would be awfully suspicious if a new pony in town was doing nothing all day and being asked questions all the time.
I let out a sigh, "Your right Spike, I'm getting ahead of myself here, I just need to relax some and when Dreamstrider comes back, I will need to set some rules for her accommodation here and of the such.
"I just need to clam down..."
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"Well, I at least got here faster than the Top Gear trio would've." I laugh to myself as I reach the Carousel Boutique, and look around for the general direction of the park.
Turns out, it's pretty much right under my muzzle.
Benches, check. Trees, check. Ponies chatting and playing with their pets, Check. Rainbow tail hanging from a tree... Dammit.
This is somewhat of the real version of those annoying side-quests in games where you have to ask people something until you find the information your there for in the first place.
"Let's see... Not may ponies around, this could be annoying..."
Just then, I see a yellow and pink blob of color on one end of the park.
"Well, if anyone has seen RD, then the best place to start is Fluttershy."
I start casually walking in the vague direction of Fluttershy, not wanting to make the timid mare think I'm charging her or something, she's sensitive like that.
As I get closer I can see that's she is leading a mother and her ducklings somewhere.
"Hey Fluttershy." I say in my softest voice, hoping that she won't do one of her five-foot jumps into the air. She didn't.
"Uh hello? Do I -" She says in her sweet voice as her eyes widen and she looks uneasy.
"I... Oh my... I-Is that you D-Dreamstrider?" Her voice shaky, no doubt to... Well, my difference in gender from what she remembers.
Now I feel a pang of guilt for the confusion Iv'e done her, but that can't be helped now I guess.
I continue with my quiet and soft voiced approach, "It's okay Fluttershy, I was just going to ask if you have seen Rainbow Dash anywhere?"
With her face behind her flowing pink mane, she spoke with a very cautious, but kind voice, "Yes, I-I have... She's in one of the trees just down there."
She pointed just behind her to an area with a few trees and a single bench.
"Thanks a lot Fluttershy." I say in a very slightly louder tone, to recognize her assistance.
"Sorry to have disturbed your trek here." I say, gesturing with my head to the mother and ducklings behind her.
She stays hidden in her mane, "It's fine... H-Have a nice day."
I simply give my head a small bow, "You too Fluttershy." And start walking in the general direction of where Rainbow Dash is supposed to be.
When I reach the relativity flat area, I look up at each tree, there is only about three, and no Rainbow Dash.
"Dammit" I mutter under my breath as I finish looking in the third tree.
But just then, my primal human senses go off, the kind you get when someone is watching you, your peripheral vision becomes clearer and you can feel ever individual hair on your body, but in this case I'm a pony, so I already feel really fuzzy.
Then, I hear the movement of wind, but not the natural kind. It's not really something you can explain, it just kinda fits at the time.
I twist around and see nothing there. I was about to look up when my entire body was covered in what must have been over a dozen buckets worth of water over me.
I found her.
I can hear that trademark giggle coming from the cloud above me, and I see the prankster mares tail and part of her foreleg draped over the edge of the cloud.
I put on a smile and even giggle along with her because I really can't get angry with her, I know something like this was gonna happen at some point.
"Found you at long last." I say, still giggling a little, "How's the weather up there Dash?"
I see her head from over the edge of the cloud, most of her giggling subsided but still has a smile plastered to her face,
"Weathers just fine!" She exclaims in her tomboyish voice, "Hey, I don't remember you being a guy yesterday."
I roll my eyes, "Long story, but it seems I am still flightless besides the transformation.
"But at least I'm more 'Down to earth' than you, with your head in the clouds."
That could have been worse, but it sends us both into a, be it brief, fit of laughter.
"Yeah yeah," She says after she had recovered from my terrible pun, "I overheard you and Fluttershy from a few back, heard your looking for me."
I take a deep breath, thinking of doing that Pinkie Pie thing of doing a one hundred word explanation in a few seconds, but at the last moment revoke that decision and go for the short version.
"I was..." I sigh, "Looking for you to ask if you had decided if I was worth your time as a flight student? Considering I'm essentially an earth pony with two feathery lumps on his back."
Her face went momentarily expressionless and blinked and she remembered what she and I had said last night, no doubt she had mostly forgotten about it until now.
My expression droops slightly, because I know she is gonna say n-
"Agh, come on then slowpoke," She says as she dismounts from atop her cloud, and glides to the ground after doing a back flip or two, "Lets see what kinda muscle those wings have in them."
My pupils widen and I feel a smile coming on as I suppress an involuntary squee.
But the squee comes through anyway.
"I... Bu-.. You... I'm dreaming aren't I?" I stammer.
"Or I hit my head sometime earlier and am now either dead or in some form of coma."
She just looks at me with a somewhat confused and disapproving glance.
"I don't think either of us are dreaming Dreamstrider, unless you are doing one of your wierdo mind spell thingies."
I get a grip on myself, why would I come if I thought there was no chance of this happening?
I take a deep breath and steady myself, "Right..."
"So, what is it that you want me to be doing?" I asked in a studious tone, but not going hyper anymore.
"I want you to flap your wings like this as hard as you can." She says as she flaps her wings, not in a figure-of-eight like I thought, but more of a really thin, vertical loop type shape like someone swimming.
"Then I can see where to start with you." She finishes.
I nod and start mimicking her movement. This is a lot harder than I thought, my wings move quite freely, but to get any lift out of them takes a great deal of effort.
Dash was about to face-hoof, but just then I hit the sweet spot with my wings and my lift increased dramatically, and now am hovering very unsteadily about six inches off the ground.
There is a look of surprise on her face as I begin to steady myself... Then lose control and do a flip-and-face plant routine to the ground with a rather sickening smack and crack sound.
"Ouch!" I exclaim, "I think I dislocated something."
As I say that, Rainbows expression only slightly changes, with but a hint of worry in her face, she asks, "Well, you did good for a first time."
I get up and take a survey of my body, then I notice that my jaw hurts a lot.
"Thanks," I manage to speak with a great deal of pain, "One moment please."
I walk toward a nearby tree and smack my jaw against it, with a clunk, my jaw is back where it's supposed to be, but not before I loudly muffle a few grunts of pain.
"What was that for?" The curious, rainbow-maned equine asks me from a few inches above my head.
"I found out what I dislocated," I say whilst moving my jaw about, "It was my jaw.
"I'm actually surprised that anything could get dislocated from that small fall."
"Well," Dash says, "It was rather a spectacular fall, but come on, a small spin-out wont stop you."
"Will it?" She asks as she shoves her face next to mine, her eyes slightly narrowed to impose a presence of authority.
"No ma'am." I reply with the best mock-salute I can do.
She just gives me what is supposed to be an encouraging smile, but I think she is still inwardly laughing at my spectacular first tumble.
"Well, given that you have the wingpower," She exclaims, "I think the first thing is to practice a steady hover, then we can go on to actual flying."
"Whatever you say boss." I say in a terrible Brooklyn accent impersonation.
She just narrows her eyes a little at me and I revoke my previous statement, "I mean, of course Rainbow Dash..."
I almost reflexively called her by her pet-name 'Dashie' at the end, but she didn't notice.
"Right." She says, "Well come on, we haven't got all day! Flap those wings!"
This is the first time Iv'e really had someone coach me like this, Iv'e always been passive to P.E mostly.
We practice for about fifteen minutes before my lack of exercise really catches up to me. But luckily, by then I have almost gotten how to steady myself successfully after several more spectacular tumbles, but no-more dislocated limbs thankfully.
I swear, if someone was video-taping me, I would be the next YouTube hit within the hour.
I collapse onto the ground while hyperventilating.
"Oh come on!" The rainbow streaked blur says above me, my eyes have become un-focused from who knows what, "You can't expect me to stick around if you cant even last fifteen minutes!"
"I... Never used to... Do much... P.E..." I say as I fumble to get any words out of my mouth, "And now... I think I... Should have..."
She just rolled her eyes as she flies around a little, probably the flying equivalent of fidgeting.
"What?" I say as I begin to recover, "Your the one... Who was able to perform a Sonic Rainboom when... When you were just a filly!"
Her gaze returns to me and I continue, "And I can't even run a quarter of a mile without getting winded!"
"You must have been one lazy pony, even the school fillies can run for longer!" She exclaims.
"Hey..." I begin as I get back up on my hooves, "Now I'm a pony I can probably go for longer considering that's what more-or-less what their - or rather, our, legs are built for.
"But I still probably wouldn't be able to go very far anyway.
"Human bodies are designed for dexterity and operation in confined or cramped conditions, not for running long distances."
I look around to see if anybody - or anypony was around to hear that.
"Kay, just hurry up with the resting and stuff, I'm getting bored." She says in a disinterested tone.
She turns away and starts flying slowly in circles with her limbs drooped, then I have an idea.
I pluck a feather from my wing, only a little more painful than plucking a hair from your head, and hover it over Rainbow Dash.
She doesn't notice, so I use the feather to tickle her right ear as she continues to fly around in circles.
She stops and looks to her right and scratches her ear, then I tickle the other one. Now completely confused, she starts waving behind her head, as if to brush away a fly, but as she is distracted with that, I sneak the feather down to the base of her neck and begin tickling her.
She is laughing like a maniac, and somehow staying in flight, so I decide to stop before it's her that ends up with the dislocated jaw.
"Hey, how'd you do that?" She fumbles as she recovers from the tickle attack.
I give a giggle and reply, "I can still use magic Dash, you didn't think I would just give up my magical abilities to become a Pegasus did you?"
"Oh yeah... Heh..." She rubs to back of her neck, "The umm... Mare to a Colt thing... Bit obvious."
"It's fine," I say reassuringly, "Shall we move on?"
Dash nods her head as we continue on with the hovering, then to go on to movement.
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"Agh!" I exclaim as I slowly pace back and forth in the middle of the library, "None of this makes any sense, humans can't exist, gender-swap spells are near impossible, and inter-dimensional travel is impossible!
"This can't be possible, therefore isn't be possible, and can't be happening and it's all fake!"
I stop my pacing and lower my head in defeat and whisper to myself, "But then why do I believe him?"
I have been like this for half an hour, I usually am doing something useful or am doing something useful to distract myself from my problems, like mine now... Except I can't stop thinking about it.
It's like a ten-thousand piece puzzle that is made of glass, then was shattered and the remains are spread over a hundred mile radius!
And it isn't possible to complete the puzzle, but you know it's there and it is possible, but it's impossible because it would take you longer than all your years just to find the pieces of the puzzle, let-alone put it together and make sense of it!
I need answers if I'm ever going to rest again.
"Spike!" I call across the library, "I'm going out! I probably will be back by around sundown at the latest."
I see the green and purple figure slowly making it way down the stairs from the upper level, down to the ground floor.
"May I ask where you going?" He asks in a relaxed but huffy voice.
"I'm going to find Dreamstrider, because I need answers if I'm going to sleep tonight."
"Fine..." The baby dragon mumbles.
"Alright..." I say as I reach the door and swing it open with my magic, "Goodbye Spike! Don't do anything silly when I'm away!" I chant.
"I won't." He grumbles barley audibly.
I just close the door gently and make my way to the park, no doubt that's where he would be by now.
"This is either all a game, or it's the biggest magical event to happen in history." I think to myself, "Either way, I need to know, at the very least, some of the truth behind this."
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I am now straining my strength and dexterity to the max as I fly forward at a snails pace, trying not to lose balance, fall, spin or anything else that would cause me to fail.
"Come on! Flap those wings, you won't get anywhere if you can't push yourself!" Rainbow Dash says as she beckons me forward with a good coaches attitude.
I can feel my lungs turn to metal, and the sides of my vision are pulsing with every heartbeat. But I'm using more oxegen than my body can take in, and my vision is fading and turning black...
"I am really unfit." I think to myself as I let myself stop flapping my wings and slam to the ground. My wings are exhausted along with every other limb in my body, but they remain fixed in place as they stiffen out of my control.
I now look like a large, colorful, dead fly.
My own lack of fitness surprises me, as I try to move but my body rejects the commands from my brain. I can hear the somehow muffled exclamations of my best, and first coach, calling me to get back up, but I can't.
Just then, my vision is met by a screen of black as I think I go unconscious.