//------------------------------// // Expected // Story: Less // by Duplex Fields //------------------------------// We pegasi are born thinking vertically. As I entered Ponyville's library, I smelled vapor. "Twilight?" I said, looking up. "Oh, hey Scootaloo," said Twilight Sparkle from above me. She was perched on a tiny puff of cloud, with a goofy grin on her face. It reminded me of the time she told us her cutie mark story and went nuts. In a happy way, not the kind of nuts she usually goes. She leaped onto the staircase, and made her way down to my level. "I just made my first cloud! Isn't it neat?" I looked at the puff again. "Yeah, it's a nice one. Hey, why didn't you fly down instead of using the stairs?" Twilight looked behind her, fluttered her wings once, and looked back at me with a sheepish smile. "I kinda forget they're there sometimes. That's pretty ironic, considering I'm studying up on my new pegasus magic right now. Have you ever made a cloud?" she asked eagerly. "All the time," I said, "My dad works at the windmill next to Sweetie Belle's house. The water wheel makes a lot of spray, so it gets really humid in the wheelhouse. But pegasi don't make them by hoof anymore, except in science class. Up in Cloudsdale, they have giant cloudmakers that go whoosh, and make the clouds that way." I threw my hooves up for emphasis on the whoosh. "I've seen them. We went on a tour of the weather factory when we were in Cloudsdale for Rainbow Dash's Best Young Fliers competition. And I helped measure the waterspout last year, before I got my wings." Twilight's words made my tummy hurt and made me frown. "What's wrong, Scootaloo?" I looked down and rubbed one forehoof against my other leg. "You just got your wings, and you're already as good a flier as Fluttershy. I was hoping..." The library fell silent. She opened her mouth to speak, but closed it again. It was awkward. I hate awkward. Awkwardness was going to happen no matter what, so I had to get it out of the way as fast as I could. With a scowl on my face, I rose to all fours, looked her straight in the eye, then lowered on a foreknee, my head respectfully to the ground. "Princess Twilight Sparkle," I said, squeezing my eyes shut, as I sped through the phrase I'd researched and rehearsed in secret, "I humbly ask you to consider this lowly pony's simple petition. I can't fly, but I want to, more than anything else in the whole wide world. Can you help me?" There. I'd said it, and it couldn't be taken back. I breathed heavily. It was one of the scariest things I'd ever done, telling an adult about my weakness, but she was a superhero and also the princess of friendship. Surely she could-- "You can't fly?" she asked. I rose from my position of suppuration, and once again looked her in the eyes. "You didn't know?" "No, I didn't." said Twilight as she walked around that big table in the middle of the library, talking to the shelves, "I guess I didn't really pay attention. I mean, you're always riding around on that scooter of yours with my friends' sisters, and neither of them is a pegasus, so I just assumed you were on the ground because you wanted to be here. Have you asked Rainbow Dash to help you fly?" I blushed, but Twilight continued talking. "I know you look up to her, and I'm sure she'd be willing to teach you if you want to learn." "I don't know if it's something I can learn," I said, "What if I can't fly at all? What if she gets tired of hanging around with a grounder and replaces me as the head of her fan club? What if she doesn't want to be like a big sister anymore?" Twilight smiled. "I'm sure Rainbow Dash would understand. After all, she was friends with Fluttershy back when she wasn't a good flier either." I admit, I whined when I said, "But she could fly a little, I can't fly at all." "At all? Not even a bit? But that doesn't make sense," said Twilight, "I see you pulling that cart all the time, and Rainbow said you towed your friends a long way the other day. Your wings should be strong enough." She rubbed her jaw with a hoof. "Well, I'm willing to try to help you fly." She smirked. "Hey, that rhymed. I think Zecora's rubbing off on me." I rolled my eyes. I just had to pick the dorkiest princess. --- At Twilight's request, I hauled her out to Sweet Apple Acres with a bunch of sciencey equipment in my wagon. The course for the Sisterhooves Social was empty of ponies and obstacles, which was something of a relief to me. I really didn't want anypony to see me out here. Twilight lifted the items from the wagon, and set them down with her magic in the middle of the track. "Okay, first I'd like to get a reading on our wingpower. I haven't ever measured mine," she said, grinning and flapping, "so this should be interesting." She put a table fan next to the track. "Oh," I said, feeling a bit excited, "Are you setting up a wind tunnel?" "What?" she said, glancing at the device. "No, this isn't a fan. It's an anemometer. It will measure our accelerative velocity and translate it into wingpower, thus gauging our anti-gravitational potential." I caught about half of that. "So how do I use it?" "Well," she said, "I'll demonstrate." She teleported halfway around the track, and started running. She put her wings out, and I could see the angle was wrong. As soon as she lifted her hooves, she sprawled and tumbled into the dirt, skidding to a stop. I ran over to her. "Are you okay?" She climbed to her hooves, and checked each of her six limbs systematically. "Yeah, I'm fine. Good thing one of the pegasus magics is extra sturdiness. One time, Rainbow Dash was doing tricks at at least a third the speed of sound, and slammed into the ground. It looked like a horrible crash, but she only broke one wing, and she only had to stay off it for a week." I remembered the time I'd fallen from a cloud at least ten stories off the ground. "It sure does come in handy sometimes," I agreed. "I've had to fix my scooter a bunch of times, but I haven't broken any bones yet." Twilight looked out across the track. "Go watch the dial on the anemometer. When I zip past, write down the number." I trotted over, stood in position, and waved. "Ready," I called out. Flexing her oversize wings, she tried again. This time she picked up speed swiftly and launched into the air. She was a little unsteady, and flew a bit high for ground-skimming, but by the time she got lined up with the anemometer, she was level and low. I felt a rush of wind as she passed, but I kept my eyes on the needle. "7 3/4," I wrote. She stumbled a bit as she landed, but recovered as she trotted back to me. Her mane was blown back, and she was grinning. "Flying fast is fun," she said, looking a bit dazed. I wished I knew what that was like. "Okay, my turn." I trotted toward the starting line. "Wait," called out Twilight, "You forgot your scooter." "I don't need it," I called back, "Watch this." I steadied myself, steadying myself as I buzzed my wings. The pressure behind threatened to topple me onto my face. At the last possible moment, I lifted my front hooves. My mane flew back as I burst forward. I could feel my hooves skittering across the ground as I followed the curve of the track. My wings felt strong and powerful. My speed was undeniable. As I zipped past Twilight, I felt sure I was at least as strong as her. After all, I was going twice as fast as she had. Grinning, I slowed my wings and turned the skim into a gallop. I breathed hard as I turned and headed back to the ammometer. "So," I said, "How'd I do?" She had an odd look on her face as she spun the ammonometer by hoof. "I don't understand it," she said, "It was working fine a minute ago." "What's wrong?" I asked. "The needle didn't even budge," she said, kicking the device in frustration. "Let's test it again." Twilight zipped around the track a couple of times, registering just over seven and a half each time. Then I tried. And again. And again. Whether I used my scooter or not, my wingpower registered as zero. I was just about ready to buck that amononommeter into scrap metal. "What's wrong with it, Twilight?" I asked. "I've been watching the magic using a detection spell," she said. "The anemometer detects anti-gravitational potential, and it looks like it's working like it's supposed to." "It doesn't just measure airspeed?" She looked at me with an apologetic face. "It's specifically designed to measure the pegasus magic that gives you lift. Wingpower is a magical force, and from what I've read, every pegasus is supposed to have it, but somehow..." she trailed off. "I don't," I said, tucking my wings at my sides and sitting down. That ache was back in the pit of my belly.