//------------------------------// // Part 1 // Story: Change in Plans // by jessekruz //------------------------------// “Twilight... I still don't understand why an egghead like you would try to fly before you had any practice. I figured that you'd at least be brainy enough to know that you would need some training first.” Rainbow Dash said with a stern tone in her voice. “I was excited! I read three books about it last night, and figured that if I applied all the basic principles of flight and aerodynamics, I would at least be able fly around the kingdom.” Twilight explained while trying not to look Rainbow Dash in the eyes. “Just look at how that turned out for you! You ended up crash-landing in one of the towers, almost breaking your face on the way down! You're lucky that Rarity was making me wear a dress that didn’t constrict my movements too much and I was able to catch you before you actually hit the ground. If I weren’t there, who knows what would have happened." “I know, Rainbow... Thanks again for saving me, but please stop bringing it up! It was embarrassing enough at the time, and I don’t need to keep hearing about it. Also, the only reason I crashed was because I'd forgotten how strong the winds could get around the towers, and hadn’t really read much about flying in high turbulence. That was in the next chapter.” “Whatever... Anyway, I'm here to teach you how to actually fly and land like any other Pegasus, or Alicorn, in your case. All I ask of you is to follow my instructions and to do exactly what I say. This way, we don’t have any repeats from the castle." “Okay, I understand. What is it that you want me to do first?” “The first thing you'll be learning is how to hover, but first... Let's see if your books taught you anything about hovering.” Even before she'd finished speaking, Rainbow Dash had already flown up to about the height of the nearest tree and began to flap her wings casually, remaining in that one spot. “Okay, I’ll give a try.” she said without giving it much thought, considering most Pegasus foals were able to hover by their first week. Twilight unsteadily began to flap her wings, slowly gaining more height with every flap until she was level with Rainbow Dash. “Well, I guess you can learn some things from books,” Rainbow Dash said, slightly shocked, “Now, just stay in that position for a bit longer and maybe we can move on to something a little harder.” A couple of seconds later, Twilight felt the wind begin to pick up. Without even realizing it, Twilight was leaning to the side. The next thing she knew, she was on her back, staring up at Rainbow Dash. “See, egghead! I was right! Sometimes, a book isn't able to help you. Sometimes, you just need someone to help you. Anyway, with your first try out of the way... Watch me closely, and by the end of the day I promise you'll be able to hover as good as me… Well, maybe not as good as me, but as good as Fluttershy.” After six grueling hours of non-stop training with Rainbow Dash, Twilight wasn’t sure if she was actually getting better, or Rainbow Dash was just too stubborn and too loyal a friend to give up on her. She assumed the latter of the two. “Rainbow Dash... I'm sorry, but that's all I can do today. My wings are about to give out and I don’t think I can withstand another crash.” “Come on! You seemed like you were just getting the hang of it. How about another try before you go? It won’t kill you.” “Actually, I think it just might... So, please let me go. We'll practice again tomorrow after you get off work.” “Okay, fine... But promise you'll be here the second I am so we can continue our lessons.” “Alright, Rainbow Dash. I Pinkie promise you I won’t be late.” she said while making the appropriate hoof movements. Almost before Twilight had finished her sentence, Rainbow Dash was up in the air heading for Sweet Apple Acres, leaving a rainbow trail in her wake. With that, Twilight began to head home, not even attempting to fly for fear that she would succumb to exhaustion and fall to the ground once more. As she made her way back to the library, she spotted Scootaloo by herself. This struck her as odd, so even though she was about to fall over, she decided to investigate and see what was up with Scootaloo. “Hey, Scootaloo! Is anything wrong? Where are the rest of the crusaders?” “Hey, Twilight. Nothing's wrong, I've just been looking for Rainbow Dash all day. I asked a few ponies around town, but they haven’t seen her either. I knew she didn’t have cloud duty today, so I figured I would ask her if she would let me hang out with her. But it seems like she's just disappeared! I even checked her house to see if she was sleeping, but she wasn’t there. Do you know where she might be?” “Actually... I was just with her. She was giving me flying lessons all day in a field close by Sweet Apple Acres.” “Oh, that explains it! So, do you know where she is now? Maybe she'll hang out with me for a bit before I have to head back home.” she said, regaining the smile she usually had. “She didn’t really say, but when I saw her leaving she seemed to be heading to the orchard to get a nap in.” “Okay. Thanks, Twilight! I’ve gotta go now; maybe I can catch Rainbow Dash before she wakes up from her nap and goes somewhere else!” As she left, Twilight noticed something that she'd never really thought about before. Scootaloo’s wings weren't fully developed for a filly of that age. Twilight was surprised that she'd never seen this before, although in hindsight it wasn't actually odd that she hadn’t noticed it. Since Scootaloo always used her scooter to get around, that didn't require much effort. The most Twilight had seen was her hovering a few feet off the ground. This sparked Twilight's curiosity and caused her to start thinking more about Scootaloo’s problem. Finally, she arrived at the library, feeling extremely tired. She didn't want to try and find the key in her bag, so she knocked on the door. Almost immediately, it was opened by Spike. “Twilight, you're home! I was starting to get worried. I thought you were only going to be practicing for a couple of hours...” he said in a scolding tone, which was contrasted by his worried expression. “Sorry, Spike... Rainbow Dash kind of got carried away, and I wasn’t exactly the best student. I was barely able to perform the most basic of flying maneuvers, but that doesn’t matter now. Can you do me a favor and find all the books on Pegasus anatomy?” “Why would you need to read about that?” he asked in confusion. “Well... Let’s just say it will help me understand wings a bit more.” “Okay, I guess that works for me.” he commented, coming back with a stack of books only seconds later, “Here you go: all the books on Pegasus anatomy that are not already checked out.” "This is why you're my number one assistant, Spike.” she replied, patting him on the head, “Alright, Spike. I have one more thing I would like you to do. I plan on spending the rest of the evening researching, and I want you to take the rest of the night off in appreciation for all that you have done around the library recently.” “Really?!” Twilight simply nodded her head in agreement. He ran up to her and gave her a hug saying, “Thank you, Twilight! I'm going to head to Rarity’s and see if she needs any help!” “Okay, Spike, just make sure that you're home before dark.” she said as he ran out the door, accidentally leaving it open in his excitement. “Well, at least I know he'll be busy for the rest of the evening...” she closed the door, “Now, let's see if I can find any information on Pegasi that relates to little Scootaloo.”