Putting on a Silver Robe and Wizard Hat

by David Silver

171 - Flight School

The pegasus behind the counter looked like a mildly-bored stallion with partially extended wings, his snout directed down at a parchment that he was scribbling on busily with a mouth-held quill.

Silver stepped up to the counter and waited patiently a moment before raising a hoof and coughing softly into it.

The stallion looked up, glanced back down, then double-took back up at Silver. "Oh! Are you here to pick up one of the students? They're in the training field right now."

Silver smiled a little. "I was more interested in enrolling for some basic classes, so I'm not a danger to myself or any ponies around me."

The stallion frowned a little, looking Silver up and down. "Are you sure you don't have the wrong place? You're a bit, um, old to be just learning the basics of flying." His eyes stopped at Silver's horn and he blinked. "Shouldn't you be at--"

"No, please." Silver shook his head. "Ignore that. I'm just a pegasus that learned how to fly, but never learned the etiquettes and safe practices. I want to fix that." He raised a hoof to tap at the horn jutting from his brow. "Pretend this is just an odd mole."

"Mighty odd." He tilted his head a little. "Again, you're a bit old... We'll have to see where you stand, skill wise, before I can properly assign you to a class. We have a few, from teaching a foal how to first ride the air, to advanced lessons for adults." He slid to the floor. "Now, we're no racing academy, or stunt school like you'll find in Cloudsdale, but most ponies don't come here for that." He gestured to a plaque.

The plaque read, "Safety First, our motto to protect others and ourselves."

"My name's Air Cloud Born, but Air's fine." Air nodded at Silver. "Pleased to meet you, Mister...?"

"Silver, Silver Watch." Silver offered a hoof, met with a soft clop. "I'm looking forward to learning."

Air led the way through a few narrow hallways into a large interior gym. "We'll start inside. The floor's padded to avoid any nasty falls." He tapped at the ground with a hoof, demonstrating the give in the rubbery substance. "Cloudsdale has the advantage of working on top of clouds, but we manage. Now, spread those wings."

Silver flared out his wings and winced. Moving them so quickly from rest highlighted the differences between pegasus and lunar pegasus wings and he felt a few things pull painfully.

Air tilted his head. "Huh... Good reaction time, but your form's beyond sloppy. May I?" He reached gently for Silver's wings and folded them back against his body. With slow precision, he unfolded them. "Feel how they want to move? This is how you unfurl them. Go ahead and fold them up right, and show me again."

Silver twisted his wings up and down, feeling the muscles and nodding as he folded them back up and flared them out, avoiding the worst tense spots and managing it without any stabs of pain. He smiled with triumph. "I'm sure I'm giving a poor impression, but I can fly, I promise."

"Even if you can, you shouldn't." Air whistled softly. "You're an overgrown foal, no offense intended, Your Maje--"

"Please, just a mole, remember?"

Air quirked a little smile. "You say that, but why aren't you getting some royal trainer to take you through this? I don't do one-on-one training here, so you're going to be in a class of little foals half your size. Are you sure you're alright with that?"

Silver shook his head slowly as he gave a powerful flap, lifting into the air several inches before coming down slowly. "I want to learn like any other normal pegasus would learn it. I don't deserve 'royal' treatment just yet. Besides, flying isn't my job, so I won't ask Princess Celestia for special exceptions or allocations for that. Please, just like a normal pony, alright?"

"Alright, fine, normal pony." Air pointed at Silver. "Normal ponies pay five bits a week. Foals pay half, but you look like an adult to me."

That was about the first time Silver had been identified as a stallion, and he wasn't quite sure how to feel about it. He pulled a pouch from his pocket and pulled a few bits free with his 'mole', levitating them to Air. "Done. When do I begin?

Air cocked a brow as he accepted the coin. "No magic in the school. We teach pegasi, not unicorns. I have a foal's class starting tomorrow morning for introductory level. Be there, be polite, and don't make the actual foals feel nervous. You're an adult, so I expect you to let them take the spotlight." He smiled brightly and gave a salute. "Welcome to the school. Be diligent and steadfast and you'll graduate from that class as soon as you're ready."

Silver looked around the room, taking in the few simple looking trophies set on shelves and training equipment scattered about for pegasus students. "I'll be here tomorrow and we'll get started." He perked his ears at Air. "Who's my teacher? You have more than one, right?"

Air crooked a hoof at himself. "I'm teaching that one. That isn't a coincidence. I want to keep an eye on you."

The sound of excited and young voices came as a gaggle of small pegasi trotted past, most flapping their wings in energetic but fruitless motions. One little filly looked off to the right into the training room and blinked at Silver and Air before she stepped in. "Wow, you're big."

Silver nodded at the filly. "Nice to meet you. Are you learning how to fly?"

She bobbed her head. "Uh huh. I'm good at it! Watch!" She spread her wings wide and took to the air quickly in a smooth upwards arc that had her near the high ceiling before she came down in a sudden dive at Silver.

He squawked in surprise and dove out of the way, letting her sail smoothly past and ending up with him sprawled on the ground.

Air whistled sharply. "One demerit! Violation of safe personal space. You know better than that." He clopped the soft ground and she landed with a guilty look. "Go with the others." She quickly scampered out of sight and Air turned to Silver as he stood back up. "A lot of the other students are going to take your size as a challenge. Please don't take the bait. I'm certain you would win in any real fight, but beating up foals is hardly a sign of any real adult."

Silver shook his head. "No real harm, she just surprised the heck out of me. She's not bad at flying."

Air frowned a little. "Being good at the motions is no good if you don't remain in full control at all times. If you hadn't jumped out of the way, she would have crashed into you, then flopped to the ground like a sack of bricks." He smirked a little. "I've seen her do it before. Now, put that out of your mind and I'll see you at sunrise, alright?"

Another pegasus, a mare, came strolling in the same direction the foals had scampered from and spotted Silver and Air quickly. "Oh, who's this?"

Air gestured at Silver. "Dawn Feather, meet Silver Watch, our newest student, introductory grade."

Dawn approached Silver with a curious expression. "He's awfully large and his wings look fully developed. How are you in introductory grade?" She hiked a brow at Silver.

He extended his right wing. "I'm missing some of the basics. I know how to fly, but we're starting at the bottom." Silver nodded to Dawn. "Nice to meet you. I guess I may end up in some of your classes depending on how it works out."

Dawn nodded uncertainly. "Maybe. Air, I'll be with the students until they're picked up." They exchanged a salute and off she went after the foals.

Air nodded at Silver. "She's probably thinking a lot of the same things I am, don't worry about it overmuch, just show us wrong with actions." He thrust a hoof up. "That is not an invitation to showboat or take risks."

"Safety first," quoted Silver earnestly before flashing a smile. "I'll try to do what you say to do and not more than that."

"Good, first instruction, no flying. Not even alone." He frowned a little. "You've got a lot of bad muscle memory and we're going to have to work it out of you. Don't make my job any harder by reinforcing bad techniques. See you tomorrow."

With that, he was dismissed, and Silver trotted out of the school to find somepony waiting for him. It looked like Night Watch, but she wasn't wearing her usual glasses and was looking at him... "Fast?"

Fast flashed with green flames, becoming her ruddy red self. "I knew leaving off the glasses was too much. How are you?"

Silver stepped up and gave her a hug. "I'm fine, just learning how to fly."

"About that..." Fast reached for a wing, brushing over it. "You're an alicorn... You do know what that means, right?"

Silver raised a brow with a silent question queried.

"I can sink my emotional fangs into you without worrying so much about hurting you." Fast circled around Silver. "The herd can be whole again!"

Silver felt the world spin around him. He hadn't considered that. He crashed to his haunches, gaping at Fast.

"W-what? Don't you? Oh..." Fast shrank back as if burned. "I... I just thought... Oh wow, what was I thinking? Of course you don't want me. You've moved on. I... sorry!" She turned and fled, leaving a stunned Silver behind.

What would Night say? What did he feel? He couldn't answer either at that moment.

Author's Note:

And that just happened.

This story earns its Drama tag thoroughly, I think. How will Silver handle this typo of life?

Comments

[Dravkwn]

I hereby claim this chapter as my favorite story for this time of night!

[Snow]

... ... No, that is pretty much the correct assumption made by Fast Change. He has moved on, and if Fast can be in a herd without draining Night, then she could have been in a herd without draining either of them, even if she wasn't actually around much. Meh, I say to you madame! Meh!

[Shadow Lance]

you did not have to give us this chapter silver, you deserve your rest! us night dwellers have things to do like sleeping

[Dravkwn]

7222452 It's not really fair though. Fast and Silver were split apart before they were even truly together. At least, that is how I feel about it.

[Shadow Lance]

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img15.deviantart.net/28f7/i/2013/236/9/a/watching_over_the_night_by_inuhoshi_to_darkpen-d6jj3dx.png

could not find pictures of ponys but here is everyones daily fill

[DJ_Arashi_Rora]

7222452
You are intact correct sir or madam, but I'm now sad that Fast would then appear even less. And with all the bullshit herding Silver is doing, I'm surprised he didn't jump on the opportunity.

And since no one has said it yet, the way Silver is treating his alicorn status is somewhat grating on my nerves. He went though a hell of alot to get where he is, and all of what happened feels cheapened when he dismisses his new status.

[Snow]

7222526 It's not his status as an alicorn I feel like he's dismissing, it's the connected status of 'royalty' that gets tacked onto it. Frankly I'm amazed anypony even notices, given how blase ponies are about Twilight's status, generally.

As far as the herding thing goes... well Silver did say "Nobody else gets in for now." Besides, if Silver really cared about having a harem of wives (and one husband) he'd have stuck in the overly real 'dream' world with his rainbows and happy ending. Fast is just there to stir drama.

[Shadow Lance]

7222526 i agree, im just waiting for that one person to get mad and snap at his behavior

[tsaukpaetra]

Wow, just like dream times, eh? Fast's appearance was... confusing. Then again, she always was a little impulsive, huh?
Keep going! ;)

[Boulder]

7222547 Don't understand how Fast thinks this will have anything to do with her responsibility towards her hive, no matter what Silver's status alicorn, royal or otherwise, she is still needed there. Silver should have explained better to Air that he only just obtained the wings recently but has had dream experience with lunar pony wings which is probably going to show.

[harts fire]

flight school is going to be a vary fun story ark I can see lots of fun times.

and now
Fast change and Silver?
has Silver Really moved on?
has Fast moved on?
Silver needs to tell Night about this, how will Night react to this?
there is so many questions in just this one chapter.
I so wish my TS was fixed so I cod chat with Silver as it is always fun and so many ideas just roll off of him, he a genius with his story's.

[Daremo]

glanced down - glanced back down

Silver was identified Silver had been identified

strolling in the direction -strolling in the same direction

*****

It was a good chapter, then the last 9 paragraphs turned it into a great chapter!

Fast ran in the dream, so I suppose that's another point that played out similarly but different than in the waking world.

He pulled a pouch from his pocket

Is this like putting a portable hole into a bag of holding? Silver, are you trying to implode the universe? Again??

[Booster Spice]

For some reason I see Silver in a nightmare Nigh costume of changeling and foals dressed as leeches hanging off all over him, and calling it The Princes new Clothes.

[David Silver]

7223229 Fast was petty and selfish once, but laudable and noble in her actions in the waking world. She's been a good princess to her hive, but does that make her a good fit for this awkward situation? What of smoldering feelings left behind?

At least the typos were swept out of the gym to make room for the next class.

[Cursed Quill]

Good job fixing the "next chapter button missing" typo. Too bad it's on red tape instead of lessons.

It seems to be missing again though.

[David Silver]

7223432 Oops, I'll get to fixing that.

[Not so New Brony]

That Drama bomb was sudden and unexpected...I'm with Silver, I admit that I didn't even consider that.

[Dragonfox]

Now I have to say that I know that Silver still love Fast Change.The question is does Night Watch Love Fast Change? Is he going to run after her quickly or talk to night watch firs Silver life has thrown him another screwball. It will be fun to see what happens next.

Keep up the good work you're doing and I look forward to the next chapter.

Dragonfox

[David Silver]

7223570 I enjoy writing these for you and everypony else :) Thanks for the kind words!

[Morphy]

7223077

Didn't Air already tell Silver to not fly because he has bad technique from muscle memory? Makes me wonder if Air will start telling Silver to un-learn what he's learned so he can start over properly? Extra points if he says it like Yoda, heh.

[Typist Gray]

Aw he'll. Can't anything ever be simple?

[Numinos]

Huh, flying school is surprisingly logical decision, especially in this story. Poor Silver, he needs way more horseshoes than he have. Better learn some duplication spells : )

Also, walking with just one horseshoe should be quite uncomfortable.