//------------------------------//
// The Element of Flight 
// Story: Foal of the Forest 
// by moguera 
//------------------------------//

Chapter 5: The Element of Flight

"So...how do we start?"  Scootaloo was still bobbing up and down in excitement.
"First off, we need to determine where you are," answered Dawn, "Are you able to fly yet?"
Scootaloo flushed and looked away.  She briefly considered trying to lie.  But she had the feeling that she wouldn't do very well.  In the end, she opted for the truth.  "No."
"Good," answered Dawn instantly, as though that was exactly the answer he had been hoping for.  The complete lack of inflection meant that his tone was neither mocking, nor conciliatory, which were the two responses Scootaloo was used to getting for her admission.
"Wait, why is that good?"
"Because the best place to start is at the beginning," said Dawn, as though that should answer everything.
"Huh?"
"Because the beginning for all pegasus skills is flight," he answered, "Before you can learn anything else, you must learn how to fly.  However, if you learned to fly like most pegasi do, we would have to take the time to make sure you 'unlearn' certain habits."
"So the way most pegasi learn to fly is wrong?"  Scootaloo raised a confused eyebrow.
Dawn shook his head slowly.  "Not wrong so much as it would interfere with what you want to learn here, which requires certain skills that most pegasi don't acquire when they learn to fly and are even more difficult to acquire because of that.  I could go into more detail, but it's unnecessary and you don't seem like the type for long-winded explanations."
"Nope," admitted Scootaloo, grinning sheepishly.
"Then we shall begin," said Dawn, "For this first step, you need to follow my instructions.  There will be no questions until afterwards.  I need you to listen to what I say."
"Um, okay," replied Scootaloo a bit hesitantly.
"First, close your eyes."
Doing as she was bid, Scootaloo allowed her eyes to drift shut.
"Now, take a deep breath, hold it, then release it."  Dawn watched as she followed his instructions.  "With each breath, let your thoughts drift out of your mind.  Thinking is unnecessary for this exercise and will only get in your way.  Keep breathing deeply."  Dawn's voice came in an even rhythm, its tones smooth and unwavering, something that made following his instructions easier than Scootaloo would normally have found.
She didn't know how long she had been standing there, simply breathing.  She had ceased being able to keep track of time and, strangely enough, she no longer had the impulse to care.  It was as though Scootaloo's normal impatience had flowed out along with her thoughts.
Dawn moved on to the next step.  "Keeping them level, unfold your wings just a little bit."  When Scootaloo had done as he had bid, he moved to the next step.  "As you exhale, send your breath to your wings.  Feel your breath flow through your wings, softly, gently, slowly stirring them awake."
Once again, there was a silent pause as Scootaloo did as she was told.  Normally, she would have had a devil of a time simply trying to understand what Dawn's instructions even meant.  But now she followed them without thinking.  She could feel her breath moving through her wings with each exhalation.  It was as though she was drawing in some kind of energy when she inhaled, an energy she sent to her wings when she exhaled.  It was faint at first, but she began to feel a tingle in her wings.  The feeling grew into a familiar itchy tingle that one gets when a limb that has fallen asleep is reawakened by restored blood flow.
As the feeling built, she heard Dawn's voice, which now sounded very far away.  "With each breath, extend your wings little by little until you can extend them no further.  Even then, reach out with them.  With every breath you take, reach...reach...reach..."
Scootaloo had never felt her wings so keenly before.  Nor had those limbs felt so genuinely awake.  She felt the light breeze flowing over the leading edge, swirling through her coverts before washing out past the tips of her primaries.  But the sensation did not end with her wings.  She vaguely and faintly felt something more, beyond the reach of her physical body.  Scootaloo had no method for understanding what it was that she felt, but it felt like an impression of the world beyond her, as though she could see things without her eyes but didn't yet know how to discern the forms of what she saw.
Before she could get distracted, Dawn moved on with the next set of instructions.  "Take that feeling in your wings and direct it downwards."
Scootaloo did so.  She hadn't reached very far before she felt some sort of resistance.  As if he were reading her mind, Dawn continued.  "Now act against that resistance you feel and push."
Scootaloo did as she was told.  For a moment, nothing happened.  Then she instinctively willed more effort into the act.  Slowly but surely, she felt the source of the resistance moving farther away.  It wasn't that she was pushing the resistance away, but rather that she was pushing herself away from it.  It wasn't long before the strain began to tell.  The muscles in her wings tightened.  She found it harder to keep her breathing even.  The orange filly grit her teeth as sweat beaded on her brow.  The strain was increasing, becoming almost too much to stand.
Just before she reached the breaking point, Dawn spoke.  "Open your eyes."
Scootaloo's eyes snapped open.  For a moment, she was certain that nothing had happened until she realized that she could no longer see Dawn.  Then she looked down.  Letting out a startled yelp Scootaloo realized that she had somehow risen up above the ground to her own height, her hooves dangling at the level her head would have normally been.  As the realization flooded into her, Dawn's instructions were forced out and the force holding her aloft vanished.  The startled filly dropped down onto her hooves.
For a moment, she simply sat there, gasping as the tension she had been feeling flowed out of her.  It left her feeling tiered, like she had just finished a strenuous workout.  The filly's breath came in ragged gasps.
"That was..." she said, forcing words out between breaths, "I was..."
"Flying?  Not quite."  Dawn's words drained the excitement out of her.  "But that is the first step.  Our first lesson is over."
Scootaloo blinked and sat down, hard.  "That's it?"
The colt nodded.  "I want you to try a few more times before you leave, just to ensure that you can manage it on your own.  Once you can, you will go home.  For the next week, you need to practice this exercise to the fullest extent of your abilities.  After a week, I will decide whether or not you are ready to move on to the next step."
"But that's lame," she complained, glaring at him, "I thought you were gonna teach me how to fly!"
"I am teaching you," answered Dawn, his tone not changing in the slightest, "But you cannot fly until your wings are ready.  And right now, they are not ready.  And neither are you."
"What!?" exclaimed Scootaloo, her wings flaring with irritation, "Just what do you mean by that?"
"This."  Dawn's wings moved with such speed that Scootaloo had hardly even seen them leave his sides before they returned.  She was hardly in a position to notice in any case as, by this point, she had taken flight.  Her body was caught in a powerful updraft that sent her rocketing into the sky like a cork out of a bottle.
Reaching the apex of her ascent, Scootaloo managed to orient herself to look down and immediately wish that she hadn't.  The ground was now over twenty, maybe even thirty pony-lengths below her.  Falling from this height could cause serious damage, if not kill her outright.  On reflex, Scootaloo's wings went into overdrive, buzzing like a hummingbird, she found that they did little to slow her as she began to plummet.  With a shriek, the filly began to fall towards what would be a very unhappy landing.
Scootaloo's eyes slammed shut as she prepared for the pain to come.  Instead, she received a very familiar sensation of falling into and then through the world’s softest pillow.  Her eyes opened just in time to see herself deposited back on the ground as gently as a wind-blown feather.
Gasping and shaking, Scootaloo stared up at Dawn, who returned her gaze impassively.  He didn't seem troubled in the slightest that he had nearly severely injured her.
"What the hay was that for?" she demanded.
"That skill I just taught you would have been able to slow or even stop your fall," said Dawn, "So tell me, why didn't you use it?"
"Geez, maybe because you just taught it to me," she snapped sarcastically, "It took all my concentration just to do it before.  How could you expect me to pull something off like that on the fly right now?"
"Exactly," said Dawn, bringing Scootaloo's mind to a screeching halt as she fought to process what had just happened.  It took her a moment, but she saw the trap that Dawn had led her into.
"That technique I taught you is about more than simply learning the basic principles of flight," explained Dawn, "It is also the first and most important flight skill you will learn; how to keep yourself from crashing.  With that technique, you can stop any falls you might have and avoid injury.  Make no mistake, you will fall many times before you truly learn to fly, so learning how to fall is critical to your success and survival.
"That skill takes all your effort now, but the more you practice with it, the easier it will be for you to use it.  Eventually, it will get to the point where you could do it without thinking about it.  Flying is similar to walking in that respect.  It can be terribly complicated to learn at first, but once you do, it will become as natural as breathing."
Dumbfounded, Scootaloo could only nod.  "Then why did you shoot me into the air like that?"
"I scared you, didn't I?" asked Dawn, moving slightly closer.
Recalling the feeling of falling while feeling like she might die, Scootaloo sniffed and nodded.  A shiver ran through her body.  Dawn had made her feel weak and helpless and she resented him for it.
"I did that to press the point home," said the colt in his normal, flat tone, "I could have simply given you that lecture and saved you the trouble, but you might not have taken that explanation to heart and followed my instructions if I simply used words.  Worse, you might have tried something reckless and hurt yourself in the process.  To avoid those problems, I sought to impress the need for you to follow my instructions in the strongest possible manner."
Chastised, the orange filly looked down.  Now that she thought about it, she really would have had a difficult time just swallowing Dawn's words.  Even more importantly, she was fairly certain she might have simply blown off what she thought were lame instructions and tried to do something that appealed to her.  Dawn's demonstration had made the potential results all too clear.
"I also had another reason."
Dawn's words made her look up at him in confusion.
"I did that to show you that as long as you are training with me, I shall always catch you when you fall.  When you are practicing on your own, you will need to take care with what you do so that you do not exceed your limits and hurt yourself.  But when you are with me, I promise that you will always be safe, no matter what we try."
His voice, normally flat and almost mechanical at times, had taken on an earnest tone that Scootaloo had never heard from him before in the time they had spent together that day.  She found herself smiling at the thought.  "Thank you," she whispered.
"So, now that we are done..." Dawn stopped talking and looked sharply back at Ponyville.  Wondering what had distracted him, Scootaloo did the same.  She suddenly saw a prismatic streak fill her vision before she was nearly bowled over by the arrival of a frantic Rainbow Dash.  As the filly spun in place, she caught flashes of yellow and pink, indicating that Fluttershy had arrived as well.
"Scootaloo!  You okay, squirt!?" asked Rainbow as she grasped the little filly's orange shoulders, "I heard ya scream a little ways off!"
Shaking her head to get rid of her disorientation Scootaloo tried to figure out what was happening.  Over Rainbow's shoulder, she saw Fluttershy talking frantically, yet quietly, with Dawn.
Rainbow Dash was already moving on.  "Listen Scoots, you don't have to be afraid of this colt.  I mean he may look creepy, but..."
"I know, Rainbow Dash," interjected Scootaloo, giggling, "Dawn was teaching me how to fly."
"Wait!...What?"  Rainbow's excuses and explanations petered out as she digested Scootaloo's words.  The little filly was fairly certain she could see the gears in her idol's brain turning as she processed what Scootaloo had told her.  Behind Rainbow, Fluttershy was apparently trying to reassure Dawn that Scootaloo wasn't a threat and was getting a similar response.
Silence descended on the four ponies as they tried to come to terms with the situation.  Finally, Fluttershy decided to take the initiative.  "Why don't we go inside and talk over some tea."
Some initiative.


	
It took a little while, but Scootaloo and Dawn were able to explain the circumstances of their meeting...well, Scootaloo mostly.  Now that he was no longer in instructor mode, Dawn had gone nearly silent again, chiming in every so often to clarify something.  Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash got to tell Scootaloo the story of how they had met Dawn, including how he saved Fluttershy from Flash Spark.
"Which makes me curious, kiddo," said Dash, eyeing Dawn dubiously, "Fluttershy told me something about a martial art that uses your wings.  That sounds kinda crazy to me."
"Perhaps," agreed Dawn, "But I do not actually use my wings, not directly."
"Ha!" barked Rainbow, "Told ya!"  Her triumphant grin faded into an expression of befuddlement as the rest of Dawn's statement registered.  "What do you mean, not directly?"
Dawn took a deep breath, slipping back into instructor mode.  "My master taught me the Gale King style of pegasus martial arts.  It is a style that does not use the body, so much as it uses the fullest extent of pegasus magic."
"What the hay does that mean?" demanded Rainbow.
Dawn's eyes drifted closed.  "My master told me that it is easy to overlook the full extent of pegasus magic, even though it's what allows us to fly.  He explained that the magic that allows us to soar through the skies and manipulate the weather itself is born of our magic.  The Gale King takes that magic and develops it to its natural extreme."
"Well I know about pegasus magic," admitted Rainbow, "Our ability to move the clouds and buck lightning bolts out of clouds are products of that.  Even the tornado we use to get water to Cloudsdale is like a collective spell.  But what does our flight have to do with it?"
"Well, apparently our wings are too small to actually carry us, so we actually use magic to get off the ground," said Dawn by way of explanation, "There was a whole lot more about something my master called the meridians, but I had trouble following that part.  The basic idea is that our wings are the primary tools we use for our magic, so the Gale King relies on the wings to direct that magic in attack and defense."
"So that's what you're teaching me?" asked Scootaloo.
Dawn shrugged.  "More or less.  I couldn't fly when my master started teaching me, which he thought was a good thing.  Like I told you, the way most pegasi learn to fly isn't very compatible with the Gale King."
"Oh," said Fluttershy, "So...um...you can fly then, Dawn?"
The colt nodded.  "Yes."
"I'm gonna have to think about this," muttered Rainbow Dash, "I'd really like to see what this fighting style of yours can do sometime.  But it's getting late, so we should hold off on a demonstration until later."
"Late?"  Scootaloo processed that for a moment before it clicked in her head.  "OH HORSEAPPLES!!!  I'M GONNA BE LATE!!!"
"Scootaloo!" admonished Fluttershy, "You're much too young to use words like that!"
"Never mind that!" exclaimed the filly, "I've gotta go!  Oh Celestia!  Mom's probably worried sick and dad's gonna ground me for a  month!  I just know it!"
"Hey chill kiddo," said Rainbow Dash with an amused smile as she rested a hoof on Scootaloo's shoulder, "I'll walk ya home.  Don't worry, you'll be fine."
"You will?"  Scootaloo's eyes sparkled as she was flooded with equal parts relief that she would have an adult to vouch for her whereabouts and excitement that her personal idol would be willing to walk her home.  "That would be so awesome!"
Rainbow chuckled as she got up from her seat.  "No prob kid.  Let's get going.  See you later Fluttershy, Dawn."
"Yeah, bye!" added Scootaloo as she made for the door.
"Remember to practice," urged Dawn as the little filly bolted out.
Once the two of them were gone, Fluttershy turned to look at Dawn.  "That was very kind of you to help her with her flying."
For the first time since she had met him, Fluttershy got to see some real emotion from the colt as he looked away with red cheeks.  "It was nothing.  That was the first time I've been approached so eagerly about something other than my eyes."
"Um...about that," said Fluttershy softly, "Do you know why ponies don't like your eyes?"
"I know that they are supposed to look like Nightmare Moon's, but I can't see how that makes me a threat to them.  I heard some ponies calling me a demon before..."  Dawn trailed off as harsh memories came to the surface of his thoughts.
"Um, my friend actually showed me a book that gives one explanation for your eyes," said Fluttershy, looking away sadly, "It wasn't a very nice explanation."
"Does your friend believe that explanation?" asked Dawn.
"She said it was a bunch of...horseapples," answered Fluttershy, having to force the swear out of her mouth, "So she didn't believe it.  But I don't know if that's because she doesn't believe that your eyes mean you're a demon or that she doesn't believe that ponies with your eyes even exist."
"What do you think would happen if she found out?"
Fluttershy tapped her chin as she thought for a moment.  "Well, Twilight is always good about thinking things through before judging.  We have a zebra friend named Zecora who actually lives in the Everfree Forest, like you did.  We were all really scared of her, except for Twilight, who knew about zebras and realized that Zecora wasn't a bad pony.  So if she met you, she'd probably want to find out more about you before she made any decision."
The yellow pegasus turned her attention back to her guest.  "Would you like for me to tell Twilight about you?"
Dawn frowned and considered it for a moment.  "I suppose it couldn't hurt."


	
Scootaloo's wings provided a droning buzz that hung in the background as she drove her scooter along.  Rainbow Dash glided slightly off to one side, her hooves barely shy of skimming the ground as she kept pace with her young admirer. Given the late hour, the sun had begun to set, which made even the well-kept roads of Ponyville potentially perilous, forcing Scootaloo to rein in her speed, which suited her just fine.  Normally she would have rushed home as fast as she could.  But now, she had a legitimate excuse for being out so late.  Even more importantly, she was free to spend time with her idol, something she wanted to draw out for as long as possible.
"So what was it like kiddo?" asked Rainbow, referring to the lessons Dawn had been giving.
"It was weird," admitted Scootaloo, "My wings never felt like that before.  It was a tingly feeling, like the one you get when you lay down wrong and your leg falls asleep."
"Hmm," mused Dash, "Are you sure you want to learn how to fly that way?"
Scootaloo looked down, keeping her eyes on the road as much as possible and not trusting herself to look at Rainbow.  "I don't know.  But no matter what else I try, I can't get off the ground.  But I was actually flying...well, hovering today.  It makes me kinda want to keep trying."
"Heh, I guess I don't get to teach you after all."
"Sorry."
Rainbow reached over with a hoof and brushed it through Scootaloo's mane.  "Don't be, kid.  You're just learning to fly in a different way than I did.  That doesn't make you better or worse, it simply makes you you.  I'm just happy knowing that you'll get to fly.  We'll have to do it together sometime and you can show me what you learned."
"Okay."  Rainbow's words of encouragement brought a slight smile to the filly's face.
"Just one thing though," said Rainbow, "I know you'll probably want to tell your friends about this, and that's fine.  But when you mention Dawn, don't talk about his eyes."
Scootaloo almost tripped and crashed, but managed to maintain her control before giving Rainbow a quick confused glance.  "Why?"
"Well, it's a bit of a problem and why Dawn is staying at Fluttershy's and not going into Ponyville.  I guess he's gotten some bad treatment from ponies because of the way his eyes are, so he's really wary of trying to hang around a lot of other ponies right now."
"But why?  I mean his eyes are a little strange, but I think they're kind of awesome."
Rainbow snorted.  "So do I kiddo.  The problem is that they look a lot like Nightmare Moon's eyes.  So we're worried ponies might think that Dawn has something to do with her."
"Oh," murmured the orange filly, briefly remembering the terror of that fateful Summer Sun Celebration.  She'd had nightmares for weeks afterwards.
"So is that a promise?" asked Rainbow.
"Yeah," agreed Scootaloo.  They had entered the town proper and were coming up on the street where Scootaloo's house was.  Her body unconsciously tensed.  She hated it because, while she loved her parents, she found herself wary of returning home each day.  She wasn't exactly dreading it, but coming home was more like an irritating homework assignment she wanted to put off as long as possible before having to deal with it.  Going home earlier meant spending more time with her father and his expectations.
"Kid?"
"Yeah, Rainbow Dash?"
"Have you talked to your dad about Flight School?"
Scootaloo gulped at the sudden change in topic.  "Not yet," she admitted, "He's talked to me about it...talked at me about it is more like it."
"He's pretty dead set on sending you there, isn't he?"
"Yeah."
There was no time for further conversation as the pair arrived at the front door of Scootaloo's home.  The little filly slowly trotted up to the door, while Rainbow settled on the front step next to her.  The blue mare knocked gently, but assertively.  Inside, Scootaloo could hear the faint sound of hooves as somepony approached.  Please be mom.  Please be mom.
The door opened to reveal an orange and vivd purple mare, who smiled happily at the sight of her daughter.  "Scootaloo, you're late."
Scootaloo released the breath she wasn't even aware she had been holding.  "Sorry abut that mom," said the filly in an earnest tone.
"That was my fault, Mrs. Cream," said Rainbow Dash, "Scootaloo's been learning to fly and her first lesson wrapped up kind of late."
"You've been teaching Scootaloo how to fly."  There was a cautious edge to Melon's voice.
Rainbow Dash grinned sheepishly and blushed.  "Actually, I'm not the one teaching her.  It's somepony I know who can fit Scoots' needs."
"I...see," said Melon Cream, raising an eyebrow, "And do I know this pony?"
"No," replied Rainbow Dash, "He's a little bit shy and he just arrived here recently."
"He did?"  Melon blinked in confusion.  "But I didn't receive any party invitations."
Rainbow had to laugh at that.  "Sorry about that.  Pinkie hasn't gotten to throw her party for him yet.  He's not used to being around other ponies, so we're trying to help him adjust before we give him the the full Ponyville treatment.  Him teaching Scootaloo how to fly is part of that.  So, in a way, she's helping him as much as he's helping her."
"And do you trust this pony?"
"I do.  He's staying with Fluttershy now."
Melon visibly relaxed.  "Well, if Miss Fluttershy trusts him enough to allow him to stay in her house, I don't see how we have anything to worry about."
"Thanks mom," said Scootaloo grinning.
"Just let us know the next time you plan on staying outside this late.  Your father won't approve of you always going out on a school night."  Melon Cream led her daughter through the door before giving a nod to Rainbow.  "Good night, Miss Dash."
"Good night Mrs. Cream.  Good night squirt."  The door shut and Rainbow took to the skies, heading back to her own home.


	
"And just where have you been young lady?" demanded Cirrus as Scootaloo cowered in the doorway to the living room, "You've already missed dinner.  I bet you haven't done your homework either.  How many times have I told you that you'll never amount to anything if you spend your days fooling around with those two delinquents."
Scootaloo bristled and glared at her father, her fear of him overshadowed by indignation on behalf of her fellow crusaders.  "Don't talk about Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom like that!  They are not delinquents!"
"DON'T TALK BACK TO ME YOU BRAT!!!" roared Cirrus, rising up above his daughter.  The fury in his voice hit Scootaloo like a slap to her face, "I have given the best years of my life to raising you!  I give you a home!  I put food on the table!  I send you to school and plan for your future!  So don't you dare take that tone with me you ungrateful foal!  If you can't show proper respect to your father I'll have no choice but to send you elsewhere."
Scootaloo shrank away from her father's wrath.  Before things could escalate any further, Melon stepped in, her presence bringing the entire situation to a standstill.
"That's enough dear," she said, sending her husband a disapproving frown, "You are being unreasonable.  Besides, Miss Dash vouched for Scootaloo's time."
Oh here we go.  Scootaloo cringed at Rainbow's name, remembering how irritated Cirrus Stratus sometimes got when she talked about her idol.
"And you think that makes it any better?" demanded Cirrus, "If anything, that makes it worse.  I will not have a daughter of mine being influenced by a shiftless layabout dropout."
"She was learning how to fly," said Melon, standing firm against her husband's tirade, "And I have heard enough from you about this.  You are going to calm down or you will sleep on the couch tonight.  Do you understand?"
Cirrus opened his mouth to protest, but quailed under his wife's gaze.  Sagging in defeat, he settled and nodded.  Satisfied with his response, Melon turned back to their daughter.  "Now then Scootaloo, come into the kitchen with me and I'll make you some dinner.  In the meantime, you can tell me about your flying lesson."
Scootaloo did as she was told and half an hour and a daisy sandwich later found her explaining Dawn's instructions for her practice for a week.
"I get why he wants me to practice that skill," sighed the filly, "But why do I have to wait a whole week for my next lesson?  Only practicing one thing is going to get boring really fast."
Melon smiled and ruffled her daughter's hair.  "He's probably trying to get you to learn discipline."
Scootaloo grimaced.  She hated that word.  "Why would he want to do that?"
Melon could only chuckle at her daughter's petulance.  "I don't know much about what it takes to learn how to fly, dear.  But I can imagine that, like most skills,  the more you practice at it, the better you get.  You'll find this assignment quite difficult, I think.  It requires you to focus and it demands your time.  You may have to give up some of the time you spend with your Crusader friends if you want to master this skill and the others this colt will teach you.  The more you learn, the more time your practice is going to demand from you."
Scootaloo had found a sudden interest in her empty plate.  "So I have to give up my friends?"
"Of course not!  But you might not be able to spend as much time with them as you used to.  It was the same with me.  I had friends when I was a filly.  But as I grew up, I ended up with other things that required my time.  Does that mean we were any less friends because of it?"  Melon Cream gently nuzzled her daughter.
Scootaloo thought over her mother's words.  The entire reason she had been out by Fluttershy's house, alone, had been because her own friends had things they needed to do in their lives rather than simply crusade all the time.  Sure she had been lonely, but Scootaloo found she couldn't resent Apple Bloom or Sweetie Belle for having those things.  And now, it seemed that she had gained one of her own.  Maybe that's a part of growing up, she mused, unaware of the smile that spread across her face as she remembered Dawn's mysterious, turquoise eyes, It doesn't seem that bad at all.
Scootaloo looked up at the sound of her mother's amused chuckle.  Melon Cream was grinning mischievously down at her daughter, an expression that made Scootaloo cringe.  Her cheeks began to turn red, although she didn't know why.  "Wh-what's up with at creepy grin mom?  Seriously, you're creeping me out."
Laughing, Melon nuzzled her daughter's fuchsia mane.  "It's nothing you need to worry about just yet dear.  Now it's time for bed."