//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: A Birthday Flight 
// Story: The Rise of the Raptor 
// by Raptormon132 
//------------------------------//

Exactly eight years had passed since that joyful day. And that day, Nimbus Trail and Hawk Eye were planing to take their little boy, Raid Raptor out for a picnic, as well as taking him for his very first flight for his eighth birthday, only they were going to safely do it on the ground. Raid Raptor was in the family wagon waiting, super excited on going out to the meadow on the ground.

"Come on, Mum, Dad!" Raid Raptor said. "Let's go!"

"Just a minute, sweetie." Nimbus Trail walked out with some picnic supplies. "We just need to pack the last things we need for the picnic before we go."

Raid Raptor sat back down in the wagon, and waited as his parents packed all the things they needed. After five minutes of packing they were all set to go.

"Well, were all set." Hawk Eye and Nimbus Trail harnessed the wagon to themselves. "You ready, son?"

"Yeah!"

"Alright, son." Hawk Eye said. "Sit tight. We're on the move."

Soon enough, the whole family took off from their Cloudsdale home, and headed to the meadow on the ground some distance away. Raid Raptor looked over the side of the wagon, watching the clouds going as they passed by with the wind blowing in his face. Half an hour ticked by and Raid Raptor could see the meadow straight ahead on the ground. This made him all the more excited for him to see that they were almost there.

"There it is!" Raid Raptor said. "I see it!"

Hawk Eye smiled as they began to make their descend. "That's right, son! We're there!"

Raid Raptor bounced with glee. "Yay!" 

Soon enough, they landed in a grassy green meadow in front of a sign that read "Welcome To Tempest Meadow. A Perfect Place For Young First Fliers". There were a few other Pegasi families around taking their children out for their first ever flight too, for it was considered by many Pegasi in Cloudsdale to be one of the best and safest places for little fillies and colt to try flying. They soon pulled the wagon until they found a nice spot to set up their picnic. 







While Nimbus Trail stayed to set up the picnic, Hawk Eye took Raid Raptor to teach him how to fly nearby.

"Alright, son." Hawk Eye said. "Flap your wings, and try to get off the ground."

Raid Raptor. "Okay, Dad."

Raid Raptor spread his wings out and began to flap them hard. His father, Hawk Eye watched on with interest, then within a few seconds, he saw Raid Raptor beginning to hover a few inches off the ground.

"That's good, son." Hawk Eye said. "Now, try and move forward."

Raid Raptor leaned forward to move forward while hovering. He briefly moved forward until he lost his balance, and fell face first on the ground.

"Ow!"

"Whoops!"

Hawk Eye rushed over to Raid Raptor's side. Raid Raptor sobbed briefly from the pain from the fall as his father, Hawk Eye brushed him off. "Don't worry, Raid Raptor. It's just a bump on the head. It happens to many of us on our first try, but let's try again."

Raid Raptor rubbed his head were it was hurting, and began to frown. "I...I don't know. I'm scared to try again."

Hawk Eye smiled and patted his son on the shoulder. "You should've seen me when I was your age. When I tried flying for the first time, I always kept falling down face first in the dirt. And I got all covered in sores. And believe it or not, I was at first afraid to try again."

Raid Raptor looked up at Hawk Eye. "You were? But you're one of the best fliers of the Wonderbolts."

"I know, but it's true. I was scared of getting hurt again on my first flight. But do you know what I did?

"What?"

"I kept on trying. I got up and faced it, and continued to practice. Until I got the hang of it, and soon I was flying like everypony else." Hawk Eye smiled. "So how about we try again, son?"

Raid Raptor, thought for a moment, thinking about it. Finding out that his own father, Hawk Eye, one of the best fliers of the Wonderbolts went through the same as him. Raid Raptor got up to try flying with a look of confidence on his face. "Okay, Dad. I'll try again. I'll make you proud."

Hawk Eye proudly. "That's my boy. Now whenever your ready, try again."

After a moment to prepare, Raid Raptor once again spread his wings out and began to flap them hard. He closed his eyes and thought about how he wanted to make his father proud, and the the aerial shows he watch his father preformed. And within a few moments, he began to hover off the ground, only quite a bit higher than before this time.

"Careful, son!" Hawk Eye said. "You're really high now!"

Raid Raptor opened his eyes to see to his surprise that he was about 20 meters above the ground. He looked nervous and nearly lost control, but put on a face fall of great determination and confidence while remembering his father's story of what he went though. He leaned forward and began to move forward, then leaned left and right to get the feel of maneuvers. Feeling that he figured it out, Raid Raptor began to make some other maneuvers in the air, copying the maneuvers he watch his father do in the airshows he saw him preform, before deciding to making a dive. Hawk Eye watched with fright at Raid Raptor diving to the ground. Then right before Hawk Eye was about to try and catch him, Raid Raptor pulled out with his hooves brushing along many dandelions in the field and the white fluffy seeds fly away in the breeze. Hawk Eye sighed with relief at Raid Raptor pulling out, and gaining altitude again.

"I can fly, Dad!" Raid Raptor playfully giggled with joy. "I can fly!"

Hawk Eye watched with caution as Raid Raptor did many maneuvers in the air like if he was in an airshow having the time of his life. Hawk Eye was scared, but at the same time amazed at how fast he got the hang of it. Just fell down, then get back up and tried again. It was like if his son had been doing it all his life. And considering he was also a valued member of the Wonderbolts, and one of their best fliers made him all the more proud to see how his son was flying, for he knew his son had a good teacher. Nevertheless, the maneuvers Raid Raptor was doing was dangerous if one did not know what they were doing, and Hawk Eye was very concerned for his son's safety. Hawk Eye was about to tell Raid Raptor to stop and not get too carried away when Nimbus Trail called out from the picnic close by.

"Hawk Eye, Raid Raptor!" Nimbus Trail said. "Lunch is ready!"

"Coming, honey!" Hawk Eye turned back to Raid Raptor. "Come on down, son! It's lunch time!"

"Yeah! Lunch time."

Raid Raptor flew down and tried to land, but he did not know how to, so he had no choice, but to crash land on the most convenient thing he could think of. His own father's hooves. Raid Raptor began to direct himself and flew straight towards Hawk Eye. Hawk Eye got worried and rushed in a position to catch his airborne son flying straight towards him. Raid Raptor flew down at high speed, with Hawk Eye catching him in his hooves before falling backwards on his back on impact. Raid Raptor looks up face to face with his father, who looked back at him with a serious, unimpressed look like if he was in trouble. Raid Raptor braced himself for the worst.

"Sorry about that, Raid Raptor." Hawk Eye said. "I guess I forgot to teach you how to land properly."

Raid Raptor looked up at his father and smiled. "But did you see me? I was flying, and doing tricks, just like you."

"Those maneuvers are very dangerous! What were you thinking?! You could get hurt those, or worse!"

Raid Raptor looked away and frowned at his father, Hawk Eye's words with a small tear coming out of his eye, not expecting his father to be upset with him, instead of proud of him. Then Hawk Eye's serious look quickly shifted to pity at seeing his son saddened, for he understood that he was only trying to make him proud.

"I'm sorry, Raid Raptor." Hawk Eye said. "I know you were trying to make me proud, and I am proud. But those maneuvers are dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. I do them because I practice them, and I know what I'm doing. I don't want you to do any of those without any proper supervision or training. I don't want you to get hurt. Can you promise me?"

Raid Raptor said nothing, he just nodded sadly. Hawk Eye patted his son's head, and gently removed him up from himself to get up.

"Come on, son. Don't be sad. You didn't get hurt, so everything's okay." Hawk Eye gave Raid Raptor a smile. "We'll continue practising, and talk about it later. Let's have lunch, and we'll have cake too. After all, it's your birthday. You shouldn't sad on your birthday. You'll feel better after that. Okay?"

Raid Raptor sniffled and wiped his eyes. "Okay."







Raid Raptor and his parents sat on a picnic blanket enjoying a really nice picnic lunch. After a while, Raid Raptor began to feel better from his father's understandable brief scolding. Then they all got to the very thing that they were all looking forward to enjoy, the birthday cake. A white-and-brown choc-vanilla cake with melted milk chocolate words "Happy 8th Birthday, Raid Raptor" decorated on the top of a slab of white chocolate on top, and eight birthday candles burned brightly. This sight made Raid Raptor all the more better and happy.

"Happy Birthday, son." Hawk Eye said.

Nimbus Trail smiled. "Now make a wish and blow out the candles." 

Raid Raptor took a breath and blew out the candles on the top of the cake. "Yay! This is a great birthday. Let's eat the cake."

Nimbus Trail held up a gentle hoof to halt Raid Raptor. "Not yet, sweetie. We still have to give you your birthday present."

"A present?" Raid Raptor asked.

Nimbus Trail nodded. "That's right. You see, taking you out here for a picnic and to teach you how to fly wasn't your gift." She looked at Hawk Eye, and he nodded at her. "You see, your father and I have talked it over, and we decided to send you to Junior Speedster Flight Camp for the summer."

Raid Raptor's face lit-up with overwhelming joy at what he was just told, for it was where he had always wanted to go to ever since he heard about it from other kids at school. "Really?"

Hawk Eye and Nimbus Trail both nodded. "I will teach you many things first, but after seeing you fly like that today, your mother and I believe you're ready, and will be ready by this summer."

Raid Raptor began to jumping with overwhelming joy, before he embracing his loving parents in a heartfelt hug. ”Yay! Thank you, Mum and Dad! You're the best mum and dad in the world!”

"We knew you'd love that, birthday boy." Nimbus Trail said.

"Happy birthday, son."

Nimbus Trail picked up a cake knife with her mouth. "Now, let get to that cake."

"And after this, we can start flying practice again." Hawk Eye said.

They all sat back down as Nimbus Trail began to cut the birthday cake. After that, Hawk Eye and Raid Raptor continued flying practice, and started to teach him some maneuvers with safety. It was a great day out in Tempest Meadow, and they were all intending to enjoy every minute of it.