//------------------------------//
// First Flight 
// Story: Before Flight 
// by wkblack 
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        Coral lifted an eyebrow. “Really? You flew?”
        Aether shook her head excitedly.
        “So what was it like?”
        Aether inhaled. “Flight is the most invigorating experience in all of existence.” A smile spread across her face. “You're toeing the brink of life and death: at once you're terrified for your life, and yet you feel absolutely amazing.” The pegasus giggled to herself. “It's like the wind is caressing every feather—the feeling is like no other. The world just feels a bit brighter. I feel like I'm fulfilling my destiny!” Aether's voice trailed off, a dazed grin spread across her face.
        The blue mare stared in disbelief. “You joking, right Aether? Everyone knows we can't fly.”
        Overhearing the conversation, a bright orange pegasus with a cerulean mane began trotting over.
        Aether began, “Well, not on my own, but—”
        The male pegasus combed back his mane and addressed Aether: “You actually believe you can fly?” He chuckled. “Only the Bats can fly—our wings just aren't made for that sort of thing. After all,” he added, holding up his hoof, “the Codex says: 'None are appointed to fly but the batponies, the chosen of Avondale. Unto them are bestowed the keys of flight.' And the Codex is never wrong,” he concluded.
        “Blitz, you read their verses too much,” Aether asserted. “Just because we don't have leathery wings doesn't mean we can't fly! If you'd just give it a go, you'd see you could fly too!”
        “Hmph. You were just imagining yourself flying—you have an overactive imagination.”
        “But I did! I really did fly!” Aether protested.
        “Then why don't you fly now? Show me!” demanded Blitz.
        Aether snorted. “Well I need a wind to fly!”
        Coral tilted her head. “Why is that?”
        Turning back, she explained, “My wings are still too weak to pull myself off the ground. I have to be listening for the wind so my wings can be open at the same time as the wind is blowing.”
        “Oh, that's no excuse,” retorted Blitz snidely.
        “No! It's not an excuse! It's just how flight works! A good headwind gives you lift, and—”
        Blitz shook his head lightly and began trotting up the street. “Give up your blasphemy, Aether! Our feathery wings were not made to fly!” he called behind his back.
        Aether narrowed her eyes and soured her lips in frustration.
        Coral shook her head in agreement. “The winds are far too rough to fly in; you'd just end up hurting yourself. You know the story of my great-grandfather taking off his wing cover: he had rebelled against the bats as well, thinking he could fly. After opening his wings to fly, a tailwind hit him and broke his wings forward.” She shook her head. “He never recovered. That's why we need the covers: to protect us!”
        “But the winds aren't evil, they—”
        “The winds are not in our favour! My ancestor thought he could stabilize himself, but he was wrong! You don't need flight anyway,” she added. “The bats have shown us flight already. It's good enough to enjoy their stories. The Codex is full of them! You don't have to try and make up your own!”
        “Why do you think we even have wings!?” Aether asked, throwing up her hooves. “It's not just the batponies that can fly! Look. All our lives, we've been taught about their 'superiority, majesty, and grace,' but have you ever once tried to fly yourself? How could you know that it doesn't work without trying it for yourself?”
        Coral furrowed her eyebrows and opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She closed it.
        “I'm not making it up! Come with me to the cliff; I'll show you!”
        The blue mare paused, glancing at the pegasi around her. Then, biting her lip, she shook her head. “Maybe later. I . . . I need to tend to the shop.” She hurried back up the street and through her door.

        Aether shook the memory from her mind. Focus. That was weeks ago.
        From the top of the peak, the two mares could see the entire valley below, lit by the rising sun. Woodburn lay small in the distance, with the eastern desert spreading beyond. The winds died down for a moment and Aether removed her wing cover. Her mane's white streaks practically glowed in the sunlight. Stretching out her wings, she motioned for Canary to do the same.
        Her friend hesitated, prancing from hoof to hoof. “It would feel too weird removing it—I mean, everyone wears them.”
        Aether frowned. “Why? Why do we even wear them?”
        Canary fumbled over her words. “Be-because it-it's awkward to show your wings in public! What, you think we should parade around naked?” She threw up a hoof in exasperation.
        Aether rolled her eyes. “Look. If we're going to be fliers, we'll have to get used to seeing each other without them on. Besides,” she added, “it's not awkward if no one is wearing them.”
        Her friend wasn't budging.
        “Here, let me help you.” Aether moved to grab the white sash wrapped around her friend.
        Canary quickly held up her hoof between them, pushing her away. “No. I'm fine.” Canary slipped off her cover and cautiously opening up her wings. “It feels so weird,” she stated, staring at her open wings, “I'm not sure if—” A gust of wind cut her off, knocking her off her hooves. She flailed wildly at the ground beneath her, unable to grab anything on the rocky surface. “AETHER!”
        Aether darted after Canary's tail, biting it just before she blew off the cliff. Aether braced herself against the rocks and reigned in Canary like a kite. Meanwhile, Canary tried to stop hyperventilating.
        “It's okay!” Aether promised. “The winds just do that sometimes; you have to embrace it! They won't hurt you if you're not fighting them,” she reminded.
        Canary raised her eyebrow suspiciously. “There's a reason we keep our wing covers on—these winds are insane! No way I'm just going to let them blow me around!”
        Aether placed her hoof on Canary's shoulder, mustering her best puppy dog eyes. “Please? Just give it a go.” She smiled, hoping it would spread over to her friend's face.
        Though visibly shaken, the yellow mare nodded. “If you could do it . . . then so can I.” Canary nodded to assure herself of this.
        The two mares positioned themselves back onto the edge of the cliff, and Aether began instruction. “As I was saying, you need to trust the wind. It's really the easiest way—if we try and fly without the wind's help, we'll get exhausted. On the other hand, if we keep our wings shut when the wind is trying to lift us, we'll just get exhausted from fighting against it.” Aether spread her wings. “I need you to mirror me, okay?”
        The yellow mare shakily opened her wings in response.
        Aether chuckled. “Relax! You look like you want to hide under your bed!” She gave her friend a little punch.
        Canary blushed, wings cringing at the tips. “I nearly fell off the cliff, in case you forgot!”
        Aether nodded cheerfully. “Yep! And that's what started it all for me! In fact,” Aether moved closer, leaning against Canary. “Maybe a little shove—”
        Canary pushed back her friend. “Don't even think about it,” she commanded, eyes narrowing. Canary lifted her wings regally, ready for the wind to lift her.
        Aether felt a gentle breeze push at her right wing quickly followed by her left. Southern wind. “Turn right!” she commanded abruptly, “A wind is coming!” Below them, the trees bent as if a massive creature ploughed through their thicks. A howl arose as the wind played through the forest below like pipes. Aether's feathers rustled in harmony with the leaves, anticipating the blast. Nearly there, she calculated, a smile growing on her lips.
        Bam! The wind knocked the two pegasi off their feet and into the air. The wind blew their bodies off the cliff like crumbs wiped off a table. “KEEP YOUR WINGS OPEN!” Aether shouted at her terrified friend, straining with all her might to do the same.
        “AAAAAAHHHH!!” Canary responded.
        A familiar warm breeze came from below, pushing the two mares upwards. Aether began laughing. “Woo hoo! Now this is living!” she shouted, seeing Canary rise as well.
        Canary began to tremble. “He. He he. Hahahahah! Oh Aether, we're flying!”
        Aether grinned back at her friend. “Now loosen up before you hurt yourself—your wings are stiff as boards! You'll be sore for days if you don't relax!”
        As best she could, the yellow mare let up the tension in her muscles. It actually felt nice—the air caressed her every feather, making them tingle in excitement.
        Their bodies moved like clouds in the wind, as if the pegasi were part of the air itself. Aether smiled from the familiar surge of energy and glided in a wide circle over and under her friend.
        Canary, on the other hoof, had had little more than survival on her mind as she glided. Her fear paused when she saw Aether pass below her: her friend's eyes glowed a bright gold, as if they were on fire. “Aether? You're glowing!”
        “Ha ha, thanks! You've got a bit of shimmer yourself!” ending with a wink.
        Canary sighed. “No, literally! You—”
        “Aim left of that tall tree there,” Aether interrupted, motioning towards a dark pine in front of them. “There's a little space we can squeeze into if we're careful—” but her voice trailed off as she heard the snapping of branches behind her. “Or not.”

        Aether brushed leaves out of Canary's mane as they walked down the forest path.
        “You can see why the bats write so highly of it,” Canary began, “I've never felt so alive!”
        Aether bobbed her head in agreement. “It just keeps getting better!”
        A leaf fell in front of Aether, brushing her nose as it fell. “What's been keeping us from it? It feels so natural . . . ”
        “Uh, maybe the fact that we never use our wings, and anyone who even thinks about it is written off as mad?”
        “But why is that!?”
        Canary paused. I wonder where it started... “My dad told me his library had a journal hidden in it somewhere; I'm sure it says something about it.” Canary brightened. “Oh, I can't wait to tell the others about this! They'll be so excited to know they can fly! Everyone should know what it feels like!”
        “I hope you're right.” Aether grimly pursed her lips.
        A few trees later Canary asked, “So what was with that glowing?” Canary worried whether she should have asked; the smile on Aether's face edged on insanity.
        “I get this same kick every time I fly! I feel . . . ” She closed her eyes in thought. “I feel like I'm fulfilling my purpose in life; as if the whole of Avondale is rooting for me!”
        Canary furrowed her eyebrows. Did I feel that? She remembered feeling good, but not that good. “How do you know it's not just in your head?”
        Aether shrugged happily. “I don't. But that's just how I feel.”
        The two mares nearly skipped home, hearts still pounding with excitement from the fall.

        “Please Chartreuse; you need to give it a try, at least!”
        “No, I don't.” The light green colt shrugged off the yellow mare. “I've never flown before, and I'm not about to now. The wind just doesn't work like that for me.” He began to pace away.
        “Well have you actually opened your wings?” Canary shouted after him.
        He paused. “I did once. And it did feel great, but it's too dangerous—the wind could snap you in half. Besides. Imagine if you had your wings open in public; how embarrassing would that be?” Chartreuse shook his head. “We just can't do that in this world.” Closing his ears to their explanations, he left the two mares standing in the centre of the street.
        Canary felt Aether's hoof over her shoulders.
        “He'll turn around someday,” Aether reassured her.
        The yellow mare nodded, still staring at the dirt passing below her. Then, her head shot up. “Coral! She'll listen!” she said, half to Aether, half to herself, and ran up the street. Ever since Canary had lost her parents, Coral Blue had taken her on as her own. Though Coral was closer in age to an older sister, Canary still considered her a mother.
        They arrived soon at Coral's house and let themselves in. Coral took offence at friends knocking on the door. “You belong here!” she would protest.

        “But I really did! I did fly!”
        The mare shook her head, her wavy violet mane moving with her. “You two don't need to make up stories to make yourselves feel better. Just stick with the truth—that's why the bats say we only need the codex: it's a perfect source of truth. We don't need any other book, so you two don't need any other story.”
        Canary stomped her hoof. “Why can't you believe us! It happened!”
        “No, it can't!”
        “Well have you ever tried?”
        Coral bit her lip. “I did once . . . But it didn't work. The one time I tried to fly, the one time I needed it most, I got nothing. I was on the edge of killing myself, and the winds did nothing to help me!”
        Canary raised her eyebrows in concern. “Why did you never tell me?”
        Coral sniffled. “I don't want to hurt you, Canary. You and Aether need to go now. But remember: the winds are not in our favour; don't try and fool yourself otherwise.” Placing her hoof on Canary's face, she added, “and I don't want to see you hurt.”
        
        The two mares lay on their favourite hill at sunset. The hill lay north of Woodburn, just before the forest line began.
        “Chimera,” decided Aether.
        Canary scrunched her eyes. “No, I'm definitely seeing a dragon.”
        The winds carried the shapeless clouds as fast as Canary's thoughts. There has to be somebody out there who would listen... “Aether?”
        “Hmm?”
        “Why don't they see?”
        A halting voice answered from below their hooves: “I'd like to see.” A thin grey mare stepped over to them, entering their field of vision. “I-I overheard you speaking to some of the ponies in the town...” Cirrus kicked at the dirt for a moment. Summoning her courage, she asked hurriedly, “Did you really fly? Can you show me?”
        A smile spread from Canary to Aether. “We'd love to~”