//------------------------------// // Tricky - Shadepal P // Story: AppleDash Group Collab // by DbzOrDie //------------------------------// Applejack was a simple pony. She cared not for extravagance, flamboyance, or flair - much unlike her rainbow-maned counterpart. She didn't need a lot to keep her happy - just her family, her friends, and her farm. But opportunities like these only came around once in a lifetime, and Applejack figured she may as well give it a shot. She was beginning to remember why she didn't usually give things like this a shot. "Come on, AJ, you've almost got it!" "Ah know, ah know, but it's jus' so...tricky!" "The AJ I fell in love with wouldn't give up this easy!" "Ah ain't givin' up, ah'm jus' sayin' how hard it is!" "Come on, AJ! You can lift your own body weight can't you? That's basically all you're doing here!" "Course ah can! It's a little harder like this, though! Ah ain't never had wings before!" Earlier that morning, Twilight had informed them of a new spell she was working on, which allowed rapid healing of minor muscular injuries, and that she needed another two ponies to test it on - choosing Applejack and Rainbow, because their "frequent physical activity and athleticism made muscular injuries likely". Dash told Twilight she had sore wings, and Applejack a strain in her barrel. The spell was performed simultaneously on the two of them, and while each were relieved of their injuries, an "executional mistake" led to Applejack being adorned with a large, graceful set of wings. Fortunately, Twilight had prepared a counter-spell - however Dash insisted AJ at least experiment with her feathered appendages before removing them, conditions to which Applejack eventually agreed. They'd spent most of the day in the fields of Sweet Apple Acres, Rainbow guiding AJ through the basic steps of flying. It had proved far easier said than done, though, because teaching a fully grown pony to fly was certainly trickier than teaching a foal. They'd gotten there in the end though, and now Rainbow was getting to some of the finer points. "Okay, from the top: simple corkscrew. You come in, lead with the hooves, one big wing beat, then just rotate your body. It's that easy!" "Yeah, easy fer you! In case ya didn't notice, I only learnt to fly this morning!" Applejack let out a sigh. "Kay, Ah'll give it one last crack. Then that's it fer me - Ah ain't cut out for trick-flyin'". Rainbow, although disappointed she'd be losing her flying buddy, decided that was fair enough. She hovered over to Applejack and, with a small kiss to her muzzle, gave her a soft reminder: "No matter what happens, I'll always be here to catch you." With that, she moved away from the (now slightly redder) orange pony and gave her a signal to start. They were still relatively close to the ground, but high enough that Applejack had to remind herself not to look down from time to time. She took a gulp, and began her run-up. Lead with the hooves... Applejack stuck her forehooves out ahead of her, feeling especially vulnerable to the wind. One big wing beat... Applejack closed her eyes and focused on getting the most force out of her wings as possible. ...and rotate! In one quick movement, Applejack twisted her body to her right, and felt the world around her spin. Just as quickly, she brought her left shoulder down and opened her eyes. She was upside down. In a panic, she screamed "CATCH ME CATCH ME CATCH ME" before trying desperately to turn herself the right way up, by way of bringing her head and hooves vertical and flapping her wings madly. A moment later, she felt a soft thud and a pair of hooves wrap around her. "Ah...am not dead! Ah'm not dead!" she exclaimed. "Not only that, but you just completed a perfect corkscrew into an inverted roll with your eyes closed! AJ, are you sure you aren't a Wonderbolt in disguise?" Rainbow said with a huge grin. Applejack breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at the compliment. "Thanks, but Ah was jus' tryin' to stop myself going straight into an apple tree..." "Why? I do that all the time - they're really comfy!" Applejack just shook her head. "Yeah, well, Ah think Ah prefer bein' under 'em." At this point, they'd reached the ground, an old friend Applejack embraced dearly. She noted to herself to never take having something solid to stand on for granted. "Sun's almost going down. Guess we oughta head over to Twi's and get these things off, eh?" Rainbow said, catching Applejack's attention. She looked back over her shoulder at her newly acquired wings. Then she got an idea, and let a smile creep onto her face. She stepped towards her marefriend, and, with as much control as a pony who'd had wings for half a day could muster, stroked one down Dash's side and hovered on her cutie mark. "Actually, there's somethin' Ah wanna try first..."