Newly crowned Alicorn Princess Twilight Sparkle walked the halls of Celestia’s palace. It had been two weeks since she took on the mantle of princess, since she took on new responsibilities, became an idea, and an inspiration to the masses.
The past two weeks were the busiest of her entire life; and with the life she’s lead, that’s saying something.
As Twilight walked down the hallway, a scroll held aloft in her magic, dangling between her legs. She resolved to double check her double checking of today’s checklist, just to make sure—for the countless time—that she hadn’t missed anything. Fortunately, her trusty number-one assistant was always close by.
“Spike! Spike! Where are you? I need my—”
“Emh, right behind you,” he mumbled, “under the pile of scrolls.” The dragon did his damndest to carry everything she needed. Despite his best efforts, several scrolls fell to the ground. Could anypony blame him? He was only a baby dragon after all.
“Oh there you are, Spike. What are you doing under those? By the way, have you seen my quill?”
The dragon dropped the scrolls and glared at her, one eyebrow raised high on his forehead. “You mean the one above your right ear?”
Glancing up at the top of Twilight's head, the dragon pointed to it. When Twilight realized what had happened, she laughed. Then she used her magic to bring the errant quill down to the paper. “Thanks Spike, I don’t know what I would do without you. I guess things are just getting away from me.”
“And that’s why you can always count on your number-one assistant!” Spike replied, chipperly.
With a nod of agreement, the alicorn continued down the hall mumbling and reviewing her list. The baby dragon following closely, doing his best to make sure she didn’t tread on the scroll as it dangled behind her. After three muzzle-plants, they had both learned that lesson the hard way.
Satisfied, she levitated the list and quill over to her number-one assistant before saying, “Alright, Spike I’ll call off the items, and you check them off to make sure I didn’t miss anything, not that that’s likely. Okay?”
Spike caught both items in his claws with well-practiced ease. “Ready when you are!”
“Clean up room.”
“Check!”
“Basic hygiene.”
“Check!”
“Make my bed.”
“Check!”
“Check on Owlowiscious.”
“Check.”
“Breakfast with the princess.”
“Check...”
“Morning lessons on filing last night’s paperwork for Princess Luna.”
“Check—although I still say she’s conning you into that.”
“Oh, Spike she’s a princess, she’d never do something like that.”
“Sure she wouldn’t,” Spike replied with a deadpan voice.
“Observations with Princess Celestia.”
“Check...”
“Proper edict when dealing with nobles.”
“Remind me again why setting them on fire is a no-no?”
“Spike!”
Spike mumbled. “Celestia laughed.”
The lavender alicorn paused and glared at him. Spike shrugged before replying, “I’m sorry, Twilight, go ahead.” The tone of his voice said he was anything but sorry. However, Twilight wasn’t the best at picking up on the dragon’s sarcasm.
“Then we had lunch.”
“Check...”
“Went back upstairs to brush my teeth.”
“Check...”
“The diplomatic meeting at one.”
“Sigh… check.”
“The one at two.”
“Check...”
“Two-thirty.”
“Check...”
“Four.”
“Check...”
“SPIKE!” Twilight called out.
“WHAT?” The dragon complained.
“I did that on purpose to see if you were paying attention. It wasn’t at four; it was at three-forty-five.”
“Whatever.” Spike shrugged. “Look, it’s been a long day.”
“Yeah, but we still gotta make tomorrow’s list.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Spike stated. He was about to flip the scroll over to start the process all over again when he noticed one last item. “Hey, you forgot something for today!”
“Hilarious, Spike. What could I have possibly forgotten?” Twilight replied with a roll of her eyes as she turned to the dragon.
“It’s right here: Practice your flying,” Spike stated as he pointed a claw to the last, unchecked box on the checklist.
“Flying? What else could I possibly have left to learn? I know how to fly. I know how to read the winds. Besides, I spend more time on the ground than in the air. I think I’ve learned everything I need to know about flying.”
“But Twilight, you promised Rainbow Dash you’d go flying once a day. And you’ve blown it off three times already.”
“I know I promised her that, but I think learning how to actually be a princess is more important than goofing off in the skies.”
“Goofing off in the skies‽” A loud voice echoed down the hall, causing both Twilight and Spike to snap their heads in its direction.
“Rainbow Dash‽” Spike called out as the brash cyan mare landed between him and Twilight. She was practically glaring at the alicorn.
“Oh, hi, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight spoke low, avoiding eye contact. “W-what are you doing here?”
“I came by to see how you were doing in your flight practice. Imagine my surprise when I overhear you’ve been skipping it.”
“I haven’t been ‘skipping it’. It just wasn’t at the top of my list. Just because I’m an alicorn now doesn’t mean I have the time to go around ‘flapping my wings’. My studies with the princess have just been my top priority.”
Rainbow’s jaw practically hit the ground. “Flapping your wings? Are you serious?”
“Rainbow, in Twilight's defense, she has be—”
“Spike, go away.” When Rainbow stated that, it wasn’t phrased as a request.
“Umm… Twilight?” Spike asked.
“You don’t have to be so rude to him, Dash. Spike, could you go into the other room for a bit? Rainbow and I need to have a talk.”
Spike hesitantly saluted and ran off as fast as his legs could carry him. He had seen the cyan pegasus angry before, but this… this was her pissed.
Rainbow’s ear flickered as she listened to his footprints around the corner. She waited until he was out of hearing range so she could say what she had to say about that comment. “Twilight, this is the first and only time I’ll probably ever say this, but Celestia, you’re dumb.”
“Gee, thanks Dash,” Twilight deadpanned, “how did you come up with that conclusion?”
The pegasus flapped her wings and took to the air. “You’re the smartest pony I’ve ever met in my life, but if you think flying is nothing more than ‘flapping your wings’, you’re dumb.”
“Look Dash, don’t get me wrong, I’m thankful for the time you’ve spent teaching me. I never would've gotten the hang of flying in the first place without your help; but, beyond getting from point A to point B, I don’t see what else I need to learn. I’m not on the weather team, so I don’t need to learn cloud moving or ‘busting’, and I’m not on the stunt team. What else could I possibly need to learn?”
“Flying isn’t something you learn, it’s something you feel, it’s something you experience; and you can only do that out there!” Dash was practically pleading with her.
With a sigh, the alicorn shook her head. “I understand that this is something you’re passionate about, Rainbow. And I respect that, I do, but I just don’t have time for this.”
“You need to make time for it, Twilight!” Dash landed in front of the alicorn’s path, blocking it.
Stopping before she ran into the pegasus, Twilight stared at her. “I don’t have the time to plan the time to make time for this, Dash.”
The pegasus face-hoofed. “So you’re saying it’s not worth your time?”
“That’s not what I’m saying at all. It’s just one of those things that have to take a back burner to more important matters. The princess is busy with running Equestria! Whatever little time she has to teach me how to be a princess is all the time I get. You have to understand that.”
“But, how can you…” Rainbow tried in vain to grasp the words to explain it, but they simply wouldn’t come.
“Look, Rainbow Dash, I’m going say this again. Thank you so much for everything you’ve taught me, and for even taking the time to come and check on me. I just don’t have the time to learn how to feel flying. I’m sorry.”
“I… I… I…” Rainbow tried saying something, only to pause and cock her head. “What if I can show you something that’ll make it worth your time?”
“Show me something? Dash, I don’t even have the time to practice flying. When could I have the time for you to show me something?”
“Now,” Dash said as she felt more confident in herself. “Right here, right now. We’ll make it a bet. Come fly with me, right now, and I’ll show you sights you’ve never even imagined. And if, by some chance, they don’t convince you, I’ll never bother you about it again. However, if I win, you have to find the time to make the time in your busy little schedule for flying with me.” Rainbow jabbed a hoof into Twilight's chest three times as she said the last words, “Every. Single. Day.”
“Right now‽ I can’t go right now! I have to double check my checklist, then check it again, and start tomorrow’s checklist!”
“Then I’ll just have to stay around you until you agree. I’m sure you’ll get sooo much done with me asking a million questions. Hey Twilight, what's the outfit made out of? Hey Twilight, what’s this book? Hey Twilight, what’s that—” A magical aura clamping her muzzle shut cut Dash off before she could finish that sentence.
With an eye twitch and a sigh, she spun around to face the other room. “Spike!”
“Coming Twilight!” the baby dragon yelled as he ran out of the room as fast as his little legs could carry him.
“What’s left on my checklist?”
Spike reached down and pulled out a scroll from his non-existent pants. As he unrolled the scroll, it ran down almost fifty hooves in length. “Let’s see, just dinner with Celestia and Luna.”
“I guess I can miss out on one dinner with the princesses. I’m sure they’ll understand, I did have flying on the list anyways.”
“Miss it?” Spike asked in a shocked expression.
“You heard her, shortstuff. She’s coming flying with me!” Rainbow cheered as she did three loops in the air, her rainbow contrail left in her wake.
“It’s not like I have much of a choice. I need my ears to actually learn things,” Twilight said in a grumble.
Ignoring Twilight’s complaint, Rainbow swooped down after the third loop and scooped up the alicorn, not letting her get another word in edgewise, in fear that she might try and withdraw from their bet. “I got several awesome sights to show you!” Rainbow stated as she flew the two of them out of the nearest open window.
Despite her struggling, Rainbow made sure she didn’t let Twilight go until they were almost outside of Canterlot. When she finally did, the alicorn was none too happy with her.
“What did you just pick me up for‽ I can fly myself you know. I know the basics. You didn’t have to abduct me! What if you had dropped me‽” The distraught alicorn glared at her flying partner.
“What? You act like it’s a crime to abduct a princess or something?” Rainbow said back with a smirk.
“It is!” Twilight yelled.
“Oh really? So I’m like, what? Equestria’s most wanted now? Cool!”
“Haha, hilarious Dash,” Twilight deadpanned, “I bet that would look great on your record.”
Dash looped around. “I bet I’m the only mare that could make a mugshot twenty-percent cooler!”
“I’m sure the Wonderbolts would just love to see that picture,” the alicorn said in a snarky tone.
Dash paused in the air; she didn’t fall down, but she stopped moving forward. “Oh… yeah… right.”
“Don’t worry Dash, I won’t let them arrest you. You’re going to teach me something new. I should be excited.”
The pegasus lightly scratched the back of her head with a hoof. “Yeah, it’s east,” Rainbow stated as she pointed off to the east, her heading just south of Baltimare.
“Well you’re the one that got me out here, lead the way.”
Rainbow nodded and did just that. Twilight couldn’t help but notice that the mare’s confidence had shrunk a little with that threat to her future in the Wonderbolts. However, as they kept flying, she saw it return in small increments until she could no longer see that doubt that once festered there. After about ten minutes, it was Rainbow that broke the silence between them. “Here’s the first thing,” Dash stated as they kept flying forward.
“The first thing? How many things are there again? What is this anyways?” Twilight glanced between her friend and the field in front of them.
Her mouth dropped open when she saw it. Rainbow turned around and flew backwards so she could look at Twilight. “You see, they’re moving the clouds to Dodge City for a rainstorm. As such, right now is a perfect time to see the sunflower fields in full bloom. The clouds are being augmented by the rays of light from the sun bouncing off, giving them a reddish tint.”
Twilight could only nod her head, dumbstruck at the sight before her. All underneath her was a field of yellow in the form of sunflowers, each of which was turning to catch what rays of light they could before the clouds obscured it. The clouds themselves were being moved to a location by a swarm of pegasi; but at this distance she couldn’t see a single one. She only saw a wave of red tinted clouds moving over the horizon, catching the sunlight perfectly in a beautiful display of ambient... magic.
Finally releasing a breath she didn’t know she was holding, Twilight tore her gaze away from the field to glance at her friend. “It’s really beautiful, Dash. I didn’t know stuff like this existed.”
The look on Dash’s face was almost sad. “C’mon, there’s more to see,” the pegasus said the words; but she didn’t seem to feel them, almost like she was depressed about something. Rainbow left Twilight no time to ask as she increased her speed to the next destination.
They followed a river east, south of Baltimare. Twilight kept glancing over at Rainbow, trying to figure out what was wrong, and for that matter, where they were heading. Together, the two made decent time to the east coast, and their second destination: Horseshoe Bay.
“At this time of year Baltimare is largely at rest, there’s not too many ships coming and going so Horseshoe Bay is—”
“Lovely,” Twilight finished as they paused above the sea and turned to face the bay. She could only describe it as a sea of green. The flora from the nearby forests seemed like an extension of the bay itself. The water was crystal clear—almost like it was fresh from a bubbling spring—with large fish and even a few sea-ponies swimming underneath the surface. She watched in awe as small foals played on the beach: running, swimming, and simply enjoying themselves.
Dash had been right, the port itself was largely empty; however, there were still a few ships moving in and out of dock. The ponies on them were going about their daily lives, completely unaware of the splendor they were a part of.
“Dash, this is…”
“It’s Equestria,” Rainbow finished the alicorn’s sentence. “But it’s not all I wanted to show you, c’mon, you’ve got one more sight to see.”
Twilight nodded for Dash to take the lead; part of her was still awestruck at what she was seeing and the simple fact that she didn’t even know it existed like… this. The other part, the larger part, was simply worrying about her friend. Dash still seemed depressed.
Together, their path purposely took a scenic route; they skirted the edges of the badlands and then back up north, passing over Dodge City. Twilight couldn’t help but admire everything in a different light. The longer they flew, the more she saw. The more she saw, the longer they flew. It was like she was seeing everything for the very first time in her life.
In some regards, that was true.
Twilight looked up in time to see the clouds being moved away from Dodge City. The rainstorm had served its purpose and was no longer necessary, the pegasi were just starting to clear the clouds.
She expected Dash to turn to her, what she got was the cyan mare landing instead.
“Dash… what’s going on?” Twilight asked as she landed right next to her.
The pegasus gestured one wing up to the hill they were staring at. It blocked their view of Dodge City, and replaced it with a single oak tree instead.
“Is this what you wanted to show me?” Twilight asked.
Rainbow shook her head no and pointed one more time.
Twilight looked up, just in time to see some of the pegasi practically drawing on the sky with a rainbow. Others slowly moved the clouds apart, letting the sunlight bleed through the cracks, illuminating the sky. The dark clouds were a striking contrast against the single beam of shining light that illumed the tree, almost as if it was a gift from Celestia herself. The seven colors of the rainbow started shimmering in and out of existence in front of the two friends.
“After a rainstorm, we always put up a rainbow to cheer everypony up.” Rainbow’s voice was almost expressionless.
Tearing her gaze from the sight before her, Twilight stared at her friend, ears drooping at the sound of her voice. “Rainbow Dash, what’s wrong? Did I do something?”
Rainbow turned to Twilight and tried to cock a reassuring smile, she tried, but failed. “Twilight, you called flying nothing more than ‘flapping your wings’. Flying is so much more, it’s… it’s… this. It’s all of this and a million more sights. This is… this is Equestria. How can you be a princess of it if you don’t know it? If you don’t go out and see it?”
Had it been any other mare, there would have been a tear in her eye.
“I… I never thought of it that way. I’m sorry Rainbow Dash. I’m so sorry.” Twilight spoke solemnly, dropping her gaze to her hoofs.
Rainbow looked down at her hooves one more time before shaking her head. “Sorry, totally uncool right? C’mon, let’s get you back, you’ve got tomorrow’s checklist to double check a second time or something, right?” At those words, she took back to the air.
“Wait, Dash…”
The cyan pegasus didn’t wait, she didn’t even slow down. Twilight was forced to take flight after her and play catchup with a mare that could perform the sonic rainboom. Her only saving grace was that Dash wasn’t actively trying to lose her. Had that been the case, she never would’ve had a chance.
Even still, they were past Rumbling Rock Ridge before she managed it.
“Rainbow Dash, stop! Hold up a second!”
Dash paused, her expression almost emotionless, like she hadn’t even noticed Twilight was struggling to keep up. “What is it, Twilight?”
“I was wrong okay? I was wrong to put flying off. I was wrong to just assume there was nothing else I needed to learn. That it was just ‘flapping my wings’. These things you showed me… they were incredible! Yet you’re acting so depressed. Why? If this is what you wanted to show me why are you, so… so—”
“Twilight,” Rainbow interrupted, “you know how Fluttershy feels about flying, no?” Twilight nodded her response. “She’s a pegasus that’s afraid of heights. I can’t go flying with her, while she might go with me, she’d hate it. I thought… I thought…”
“You thought what?” Twilight asked.
“I thought when you got your wings, I’d finally have a friend that I could share my world with.”
“Rainbow Dash...“
“Stupid right? I know, you’re a princess, and that… that has to come first…”
“It’s not stupid, Dash. I’m the one that was being stupid. The entire reason I even became a princess in the first place is you and the girls. Now look at me, shoving all of you aside just to spend more time with the princess.”
Dash looked up, almost like she wanted to ask what that meant. Twilight cut her off before she could. “Dash, will you go flying with me? Every single day?”
The light both physically and metaphorically returned to Dash’s face; as, at that moment, Celestia started to lower the sun. The beams of light lit up the pegasus, turning her frown into a smile. “You… you mean it?”
“Every word of it.” The alicorn beamed at her friend.
“Ahh yeah!” Dash shouted as she did three loops in the air. “I’ve got my flying buddy!” she screamed as she flew loops in the air, at the end of the third loop she hugged Twilight in her hooves.
With a laugh, the alicorn hugged her back before looking her in the eyes. “What now? I still have time, if you still want to spend it with me?”
“You know, the view over Ponyville when Luna brings out the stars is amazing at this time of night,” Dash stated.
“Sounds good to me, flying buddy.”
Together the two flew—really flew—not just travel from point A to point B. They felt the flight in all the ways Rainbow had said. For her part, Rainbow Dash couldn’t help but do loops, spins, and twirls in the evening air.
Twilight watched her friend have fun, and laughed along with her. She made several attempts to duplicate what Rainbow did. They were amateurish at best, but it didn’t matter. At the end of each attempt, she’d be greeted by that cyan grin.
They were over Ponyville far too soon for either of their tastes. However, they had cleared the distance, and they did it together. Rainbow picked the perfect little cloud to land on without a second glace.
Twilight followed her, completely out of breath, exhausted, but not able to stop smiling as she came in for a landing right beside Dash. Without intending to, she landed with her coat pressed right up against the pegasus’s.
“That was… that was…” Twilight tried to say through several deep breaths.
“Fun?” Dash asked.
“Yeah,” Twilight replied, nudging the mare with her shoulder. “Even if it did take my breath away at times.”
“If you think that took your breath away, look up,” Dash replied, her eyelids bouncing to the heavens for Twilight to follow.
“Huh?” Twilight questioned before lifting her gaze. What she saw was exactly as Dash promised. “Are you seeing this? Why aren’t you looking at this?” Twilight asked as her gaze bounced between her friend and the open sky, not believing how clear and perfect it was. It was like a still picture but thousands of times clearer. A picture that would never tarnish with age nor weather.
Luna had out done herself that night. The stars above littered the heavens, shining with a red and purple tint as the last rays of sunlight made themselves known. With her bare eye, Twilight could spot every constellation to be seen. Over in the distance, she could see Canterlot mountain lit up in the starlight, shining like a beacon in the night. “Dash… this is amazing. I mean, I’ve studied the stars forever, but…”
“First time you really looked at them, not just through a telescope?” The pegasus asked almost in a yawn. While Twilight had been looking at the stars, her gaze was only for the alicorn. Still, even she couldn’t help but feel tired after the day's events. With a shrug, Dash curled up for a quick nap on the cloud.
“Yeah, you know, when it’s wasn’t a meteor storm or something,” Twilight replied. “How come you don’t do this like, every night?”
Twilight had no clue if the next thing Rainbow said was intentional or not, but with the pegasus in a sleepy delirium, she heard her say, “I get all the stars I want everytime I look at you.”
Blushing, Twilight tore her gaze away from the night sky and to her cyan friend. Dash was already asleep though. “Dash…”
At that moment the wind picked up and she felt herself shiver from the cold air. The pegasus’s back scrunched up, uncomfortably from the cold. The alicorn chuckled softly and stretched out a tired wing over the pegasus, wrapping her up warmly in the process.
She smiled as she kissed Dash on the forehead. “Thank you, Rainbow Dash. Thank you for sharing your world with me. I can’t wait to see what else you’ve got to show me.”
At those words, the pegasus almost seemed to smile.
Twilight smiled too as she lay her head down right next to Dash’s. In truth she was just as tired, if not more so, than the pegasus. While she’d normally never go to sleep on a cloud over the town she called her home. It was simply too perfect of a moment to ruin. She felt her friend’s muzzle subconsciously nuzzle into her mane as sleep came to claim her.
It was truly a whole new world up here, and she had the greatest partner in the world to share it with.
***
Two clouds back and five up, a pink alicorn and a dark blue alicorn each admired the sight before them.
“That doesn’t mean thou has won,” Luna complained.
“Oh shush, they kissed, pay up,” Cadance said with a smile.
“Twilight simply… pecked Rainbow on the forehead. T’was not a kiss.”
“A peck is a kiss,” Cadance replied. “Or are you trying to welch, auntie?”
Luna huffed, but eventually rescinded. She reached in and pulled out a bag of bits from her saddlebags. “How’d thou know, anyway?”
“You serious?” Cadance asked with a smile.
Luna huffed again as she nonchalantly tossed the bag of bits to Cadance, who had to act quickly to catch them in her magic. “We still cannot believe thou ratted out Twilight to Rainbow, or talked us into helping you arrange this.”
“I can’t believe you’d bet against me,” Cadance said with a smile. “After all, you always bet on love.”