School! Flying! Falling! Goofing!

by Lazydrill

Ch. 22 The flight home.

Wind brushed through your mane and feathers as you flew up into the sky, Rainbow Dash flying further in front of you with Gloom carefully balanced on her back and Summer flying close to the rainbow mare while talking excitedly. Taking in a deep breath, you let it out slowly through your nose as you slowly flew after them, not wanting to put more stress on your muscles than they already had.

While your muscles still felt sore, you knew that if you took your time flying and didn't rush to get home, you would get there without problems. Taking a glance to the position of the sun, you noticed its edge was beginning to touch the horizon, starting to bask the sky in a gentle and warm orange hue. Your coat turned a warmer shade thanks to the setting sun, warming your feathers ever so slightly as the rays touched them.

You relaxed your four legs and let them dangle underneath as you relaxed more and began to glide more through the air than actually flying. Occasionally you flew past a cloud where your hooves would slide over it without effort, the soft cloud brushing your hooves comfortably.

Looking up to where your sisters were, you noticed Rainbow Dash flying almost the same as you. She almost glided through the air with beauty, her cyan coat looking warmer thanks to the sun's rays. Her mane and tail reflecting a small bit of sunlight as she gently flew from left to right in small swinging motions.

It was almost hypnotizing for your eyes to follow her like that, your thoughts doing their own thing as you simply followed Rainbow Dash flying through the air with your sisters around her. Summer seemed to take a liking in the rainbow mare as she kept flying around her while sometimes flying right in front of her and talk excitedly. While they were to far away for you to hear anything besides Summer's giggles that came from her every now and then, you couldn't help yourself but smile fondly at the display.

"Summer seems to take a liking towards Rainbow Dash. Even after she hit me this morning, Summer and Gloom weren't happy with her, but now they both seem to trust her like they trust Mom." You visioned Rainbow Dash as she was flying now, only then with two other foals that were from her... and you. The foal on her back having your mane style and colour while her coat was the mirror image of the mare she was resting on. The foal flying in front had the typical free style of her mother with the rainbow colours but had the back of her mane pulled into a ponytail. "What if... we could be like that? I... I think I want to be like that with her..."

Your thoughts were cut short as you heard Summer's giggles louder than before. Blinking a few times, your vision faded and Summer came into view as she giggled while flying. "Static! Did you know that Rainbow Dash is a Wonderbolt!?" Summer asked you excitedly as she kept a bit of distance in front of you.

Your eyebrow raised up and your mouth opened slightly, "She has to be joking. I know Rainbow Dash said she was going to be the next Wonderbolt captain when I met her... But there is NO WAY that that could be true. I know the Wonderbolts take only the best of the best. And even so, their training is very strict and hard. Not that I doubt Rainbow Dash's abilities, but to me, this seems to be out of her league if today's performing of her was any indication. Although, she does fly fast..."

"Uhm... Summy?" you said as you brushed your cheek for a second. "Who told you that?" Summer smiled broadly and pointed her right hoof behind her to the cyan mare who was still flying with care and ease, Gloom still laying on her back, seemingly sound asleep. You glanced back to Summer, "I am not saying that she's lying or anything... But I don't think that she is a Wonderbolt... And you know that I follow the Wonderbolts' activities, including when they're introducing new members, and Rainbow Dash was never announced..."

Summer looked thoughtful for a second, "Uhm... well you do keep track of the Wonderbolts because you like them so much... " Summer looked at you a bit saddened, her ears drooping halfway, "But... Why would Rainbow Dash lie to me about being a Wonderbolt? Do you know why she would lie brother?"

You couldn't give her an answer. Maybe it was best to ask Rainbow Dash yourself about it before making assumptions... "I'll ask her myself, Summy. But I don't think she is lying... it is just... hard to believe." Summer nodded gently and flew back to Rainbow Dash, hovering above her before landing gently on her back and nuzzling Gloom lightly.

You waited a few moments, thinking back about the few Wonderbolts magazines you had read if anything about Rainbow Dash becoming a member of the group would pop-up. Thinking back the best you could, you couldn't recall any mentions of a rainbow maned mare becoming a Wonderbolt. The last one you recalled was Wind Lash, and she made it by only a mane hair during the final tryouts... the others that entered simply didn't met the requirements to become a Wonderbolt or failed.

"Mmhh... I wonder... Could she be let into the Wonderbolts without it being announced?" Your memories flashed shortly back to earlier in school when you were listening through the door of Miss Firefly. "Miss Firefly mentioned something about 'secret missions'... Maybe that had something to do with the Wonderbolts? Seems unlikely. I'll just ask her."

Flapping your wings slightly faster, and flinching a bit as your muscles voiced their protest in the form of you feeling pain coming from your wing muscles, you closed in on Rainbow Dash who hadn't changed her flying speed, so it was not hard to catch up with her. Getting close to her, you spared a glance at your little sister who was still laying between the wing bases of Rainbow Dash. Gloom was still lightly hugging her own tummy with her hooves while Summer lay close to her, giving an occasional nuzzle to comfort her twin, "I really hope it is nothing serious..."

"Hey Static. Coming to check up on Gloom?" Rainbow Dash asked as she noticed you flying slightly behind her. You looked from the twins over to Rainbow Dash, her muzzle looking back to you from over her shoulder. "She's doing okay. At least, as okay as a little filly with tummy ache can be." Rainbow Dash looked away from you and gave a glance at the twins before turning back to you with a concerned look, "I hope your little sister will get better soon."

The corners of your mouth raised at her concern for your sister's well being, "Thank you Rainbow Dash. I hope so too." Glancing shortly to Gloom, your ears drooped a bit sideways and you said, "I just hope it is nothing to bad and Mom will be able to help her." You sighed in defeat, "I feel bad for not being able to help her in any way, you know? The only thing I can do is assure her that everything will be fine and take her home..."

"Don't feel bad Static." You looked back to Rainbow Dash who smiled warmly at you. "You're doing everything you can. What more could a little filly ask from her big brother who puts their well being before anything else?"

Your ears perked up at her kind words, lifting your spirit slightly as she did, "Thanks. That means a lot to me." She smiled at you with a nod and went to look ahead again towards the city of Cloudsdale which was floating in the distance. Glancing towards the city yourself, you saw that it was still quite a distance away. You bit your lip lightly as you reminded yourself to ask her if she truly was a Wonderbolt, "Hey, Rainbow Dash?"

The rainbow maned mare looked to you again over her shoulder, "What's up?"

You looked away for a second before looking back at her, "Summer told me you said to her that you are a Wonderbolt. Is that true?"

Rainbow Dash smiled confidently with closed eyes, "Yup."

You were a bit stunned by her answer, not because of what she said, but the way how she said it. And maybe... because you could possibly be flying next to one of the Wonderbolts... "You're truly a Wonderbolt?" You asked with remaining disbelief.

She raised an eyebrow, "Yeah. Is it so hard to believe?"

Scratching your mane lightly, you said, "Well... I like the Wonderbolts... And I've never heard or seen that they announced you as a new member... So it is actually kinda hard to believe." You realized what you just said and looked to Rainbow Dash, who was narrowing her eyes. "Wait! I didn't mean it like that!" You said quickly. "I just meant that it is hard to believe that at first hoof!"

Rainbow Dash slowed down until she was flying next to you. Narrowing her eyes further, she stared straight into your eyes, "And what do you exactly mean by that then? Don't you trust me?"

You gulped lightly under her gaze, "I simply mean that the Wonderbolts always announce their new members, but of all the magazines I've read about them, they never mentioned you becoming part of their team. That is why I find it hard to believe that you're a Wonderbolt..." You looked away from Rainbow Dash, not wanting to look in her angry eyes longer than you had to.

Surprisingly, you heard her sigh gently, "Look Static, I truly am a member of the Wonderbolts. I can even show you proof later if you want to." You looked back at her, seeing her ears halfway down as she stared ahead. "A lot of ponies don't believe me when I say it. So that is why I reacted a bit... harsh. But it is the truth. I would never lie to you if it was about something serious... and the Wonderbolts are a serious thing for me." Rainbow Dash lowered her head a bit and she let her hoof pass through a cloud where you both flew over.

Your ears perked up, "She would never lie to me..."

"It's just that..." Rainbow Dash sighed again, "I just don't feel that comfortable when I'm put on covers and all that. I love being a Wonderbolt, it is the thing I've always wanted. But the attention that comes along with it... it is just not me. At least, the big audiences are not for me. I can handle small crowds, but that's it."

You nodded at her in understanding, knowing that you yourself were not comfortable when many ponies were focused on you, especially when you had to showcase a few times in the previous years during school. You hesitated for a moment, but slowly, you extended your left hoof and touched her shoulder in what you hoped to be a reassuring gesture. Rainbow Dash looked up at your touch. "It is okay, Rainbow Dash. I understand. I don't like the bigger crowds either. Hay, I begin to sweat when I need to stand in front of my own class and tell about a certain subject. Let alone perform in front of hundreds of ponies from all over Equestria."

You words managed to lift her spirits up like she did for you before, "Thanks Static." Her smile turned into a slight grin, "You can't even speak in front of your own class, heh. That makes my discomfort look like heroism!" she said while raising her head up in pride.

You retracted your hoof and rolled your eyes, "There is the Rainbow Dash I met."

"The Rainbow Dash you met will never go away! Nor will she change!"

"I hope so. It would be a shame if you changed who you were."

Rainbow Dash grinned slightly and turned to you with a knowing look, "And why would it be a shame if I changed who I was?"

You were oblivious to where she hinted at and answered with what you always thought when ponies wanted to change themselves, "You may change who you are, sure. But never change into something that you are not from within." Rainbow Dash's expression changed into slight confusion, her ears turning your way. "You see, there are ponies who change as they get older, which is naturally when they age." Your ear flicked briefly and you looked forward, "But you also have ponies who change into somepony who they aren't from within. I think staying who you truly are... is something that everypony should do. There is nothing better than to be yourself," you finished as you turned to Rainbow Dash with a smile.

"Mommy and Daddy say the same!" Summer chirped in with a happy tone, making Rainbow Dash look over her shoulder. "My brother is right; ponies should always be who they truly are."

You glanced to Summer with pride, "Well said Summy." Your sister looked back at you with a smile and wagged her tail a bit before laying her head gently over Gloom again.

"Hhmm... I wish more ponies would follow that," Rainbow Dash said as she turned her muzzle to you and brushed a few red hairs of her mane out of her eye.

You cocked your head a bit to the side and raised an eyebrow, "Why is that? Somepony you know changed the way he or she was?"

Rainbow Dash sighed and waved her right hoof nonchalantly, "Never mind that. Lets just say that I've seen certain ponies that I know change themselves into something they were not. It never ended good..." She sighed again, "I'm glad to know that you won't do such a thing. I also hope other ponies will take your words to hearth."

You chuckled lightly, "Well, honestly, they are not my words. They are from my parents."

Rainbow Dash cocked her head sideways in curiosity, "From your parents?"

"Yeah. They have said it multiple times to me and my sisters. Whenever we felt a bit down or had troubles with other ponies, they would always comfort us and repeat those words, telling us that everything would always be okay, as long as we stayed true to who we really are." You smiled as you thought back at the times where you would come home and felt down from what happened throughout the day. Your mother would almost instantly be by your side, asking you what happened when she saw your demeanor. She and your Dad were always able to lift you and your sisters' spirits, putting all fears to rest with their simple quote; "...And remember, whatever happens, whenever it happens, always be yourself. You'll be able to get through anything if you stay true to who you're deep within. There is no obstacle in life you will not be able to overcome as yourself." You briefly thought back at the time your mother said those words when she sat on the side of your bed when you had a bad dream all those years back.

Glancing back to Summer on Rainbow Dash's back, you saw her smiling at you. Turning your gaze to that of Rainbow Dash, you saw her smiling warmly at you with a faint glimmer in her eye. For a moment, you kept looking into her eyes, her magenta irises reflecting the orange hue of the sun that was lowering to your right. Rainbow Dash held your gaze locked with her own, you nor her trying to break the contact.

"Hey Static! Rainbow Dash! Stop mushing over each other!" You and Rainbow Dash shook your heads a bit as Summer voiced herself. "We are already at Cloudsdale and you two are going to pass over it if you continue!" Summer said half annoyed and half happy.

"Huh? We are at Cloudsdale already?" Rainbow Dash asked to nopony in particular. You and Rainbow looked down and noticed that Summer was right. You were already flying over the Colosseum, that was the middle of the large floating city. "How did we get all the way here without noticing?"

You shrugged the best you could, "I don't really know... Anyway, I'll take the lead from here," you said as you gently raised your right wing and lowered your left wing while turning your body to the left. You shot a quick glance over your left shoulder and saw Rainbow Dash mimicking your movements, although she took a wider arc as to not let your sisters slide off of her back. You thanked her inwardly for the small, but meaningful gesture.

Straightening yourself again, you flew over the market center of Cloudsdale. Many pegasi walking or hovering as they got their groceries while they still had sunlight left. You smiled as you saw the various ponies in the street. You even noticed Sky Edge walking through the market with his father beside him, his father holding a piece of paper in his right hoof while Sky was putting some groceries away in his saddle bags. Waving towards the both of them, you felt awkward as multiple ponies started waving back at you, but none of them were Sky or his dad. You slowly lowered your hoof until it was dangling below you again.

"Hehe, it seems you know a lot of ponies Static." Rainbow Dash said as she came flying to your right with a teasing smile on her muzzle.

You lifted your left hoof and scratched your mane awkwardly as you looked to Rainbow Dash, "Hehe... I guess I do... Dear Celestia... that felt odd as I don't know what." You lowered your hoof down again and gave a toothy smile to Rainbow Dash.

The mare next to you rolled her eyes playfully. "To who were you waving? Or trying to..." She asked as she went to looking down and to the many ponies on the clouds below.

You also looked back down again but noticed that the market was already disappearing behind the both of you as you flew over it. "I was trying to wave at Sky Edge and his father."

Rainbow Dash hummed to herself, sounding to be in thought. You glanced at her as she tapped her chin with her right hoof, "Sky Edge... That is the pony from your... I mean... our class, right? The stallion with the white mane, tail and blue coat?" Rainbow Dash looked at you for confirmation with a raised eyebrow.

You gave her a pleased nod, "That's him." You looked ahead and saw a playground in the distance, meaning that home wasn't much further.

"Hhmm... He would be a good match with her..."

You turned again to Rainbow Dash as you heard her mumble something, "What did you say Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash's eyes expanded slightly and she chuckled weakly, "Uhm, nothing!"

You raised your eyebrow at her reaction but shrugged it off. "Alright. We are close now to my home now." Passing over the playground, you angled your wings so you could descent, Rainbow Dash following your motions as you glided down into the street below.

Landing on the clouds, you folded your wings weakly to your sides, your wing muscles letting you know they had enough for today by aching with every motion until they were fully rested against your sides. "By Celestia... I hope my wings feel better tomorrow." You said to yourself. You brought your chest to the ground and unfurled your wings upward, stretching your body as you straightened your hind legs and held your flank in the air while wagging your tail a bit. "Aahh-" you groaned out softly as you felt a few muscles in your back pop. "That's better."

The clouds shifted under your hooves as you stood up normal again. "So, how much further is your home?" Rainbow Dash said as she landed next to you and folded her wings against her sides.

You glanced at her as she went to look about the rows of houses along the street, "We're close by." Summer got up from Rainbow Dash's back and fluttered down to the ground. "Summer, can you get home and tell Mom what happened to Gloomy?" Summer looked briefly at you before unfurling her wings and zipping down the road. She stopped in front of a house and flew inside.

"You live there?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Yeah. C'mon, the sooner we get my sister home the better."

"Right."

You started walking down the road to the house Summer went into with Rainbow Dash keeping pace next to you. Not a moment later, the door to your house flew open and your mother dashed out of the house, stopping at the end of the small yard and looking around franticly. She saw you walking with Rainbow Dash and closed the distance fast between you and her. "Static! What happened?! Where is she!?" your mother asked as she flew up to you and squeezed your face between her hooves, her eyes the size of pinpricks with her mane in a mess.

"She is on Rainbow Dash's back, Mom." Your mother released you and zipped over to the mare next to you. "I couldn't carry her home because of my wings. But Rainbow Dash offered to take her back home for me."

As if on cue, Rainbow Dash stepped sideways so that her wings were looking down the street, her rainbow tail brushing slightly past your hind leg, making you slightly and pleasantly shiver. "She has tummy ache, Miss Spark."

Your mother sighed in slight relief as Rainbow Dash told her about the tummy ache. "By the princesses... Summy made it sound much worse when she told me about Gloomy." Your mother looked visibly relieved, her features relaxing more as she took a deep breath and let it out again. She landed on the clouds and folded her ruffled wings to her sides. She walked to Rainbow Dash and craned her neck over her back so she could see Gloomy who curled up under her own small wings. "Gloomy, dear? Does your tummy hurt so much?" your mother asked full of concern as she gently nuzzled your little sister's mane.

Gloom let out a small murmur and swayed her tail around herself. Your Mom looked with sadness at your little sister but her muzzle wore a gentle smile, "I don't think it is anything bad." Your mom unfurled her wings and lifted herself into the air, hovering closer to Rainbow Dash before lowering her fore hooves and carefully grabbing Gloom under her withers. Lifting up Gloom, your mother gently moved her with her hooves so she was cradling your sister. She glanced briefly at Gloom and nuzzled her, "Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash cocked her head sideways in curiosity, "Yes?"

Before Rainbow Dash could say anything else, your mother flew to the mare and threw her left fore leg around the rainbow mare, hugging her while she still cradled Gloom in her other fore leg, "Thank you. For bringing my little filly home." Rainbow Dash stood perplexed as she was hugged warmly by your mother. "Maybe you don't know it yet, but my foals are everything to me," your mother said as she released Rainbow Dash and put her free hoof to cradle Gloom as well.

Rainbow Dash smiled at your mother and turned a bit so she stood next to you again, "Well I didn't expect to get a hug right away, so I take it they indeed mean a lot to you."

You mother gave a warm smile while hovering and spun around, "They do. You'll know what I mean when you've foals of your own." Your mother flew slowly back to your house, taking Gloom inside with her and disappearing from view, leaving you with Rainbow Dash standing on the sidewalk.

All the while you smiled as you saw your mother interact with Rainbow Dash, you noticed the rainbow mare lift her hoof in uncertainty as your mother mentioned about foals. Glancing to the mare next to you, you saw just the tiniest amount of red gracing her cheeks through her blue coat.
"...is your mother always so... direct?" Rainbow Dash asked as she lowered her hoof to the ground and shook her head from side to side.

"Only to ponies that she likes. But then again, you need to be really trying to get her to not like you." You said with a chuckle. Ruffling your feathers a bit, you began stepping forward to your own house. You stopped shortly after, "Oh!" craning your neck over your shoulder, you looked at Rainbow Dash who stood still where she had been standing on for the last few minutes. "Hey Rainbow Dash, would you like to join us for dinner? My Mom could make Princess Celestia jealous with her cooking."

Rainbow Dash looked taken back by your question but recovered, "No thank you, Static. I have dinner at home myself." She brushed her left hoof lightly with her right, "Static I... uhm..."

You turned to her and walked back over to her. "Yeah? It is okay if you've dinner at home yourself, Rainbow Dash. You don't have to stay and eat with my family if you don't want to," you said as you cocked your head a bit to the side, a slight confused expression on your muzzle

Rainbow Dash seemed to be in some conflict as her eyes darted over the clouds, leaving you with questions as to what was wrong. "No... it is not that I don't want to or anything..." she said as she finally looked up to meet your eyes. "I'm just... Ugh!" Rainbow Dash sighed deeply and walked over to you.

"What's...!"

You froze as out of nowhere you were being hugged by Rainbow Dash. Her right fore leg thrown around your neck, hugging you against her while her head rested next to yours, her mane slightly tracing over your face as a bit of wind blew it over your muzzle. You stood there, simply frozen by the sudden hug of the rainbow mare. After a moment, she calmly spoke up, "I'm glad I met you today. Also, I never really thanked you for getting me out of trouble with the headmistress."

You chuckled gently and found yourself hugging her back, "Think nothing of it. I got you into trouble in the first place. It only felt right to at least try and get you out of there. Even if it meant getting myself into trouble." You felt her give you a soft squeeze. "Besides, I'm the one to be glad to have met you." Rainbow Dash released you and looked quizzically at you. Smiling warmly at her, you closed your eyes and lowered your head a bit, "You've helped me bring my sisters home when I couldn't. If anything, I should be thanking you."

Rainbow Dash took a small step back, creating some distance between the two of you. "Just like my Mom said, my sisters also mean the world to me." Rainbow Dash moved her head sideways while she kept her eyes locked with yours. "It is hard to explain to somepony who doesn't have foals or younger siblings..."

"I... I guess it is a bit similar that is between me and Scootaloo...?" Rainbow Dash questioned as she raised her head up and flicked her tail.

You pondered for a moment, "Well... I guess it can be the same." You thought back on the moments you've had with your sisters, going as far back as to their very birth where you held them for the first time. "Although, it will never be completely the same."

Rainbow Dash gave a 'hum' in thought, "I wonder what it will feel like... you know..." You cocked her head to the side in curiosity of what she was going to say. A small blush grazed her cheeks, barely visible, but you could see it. Rainbow Dash ruffled her wings nervously, "...To have a foal... or two..."

Your wings twitched and you felt your cheeks become warm, "...You... you do...?"

Rainbow Dash looked to the ground and pawed at it, "...Well... In truth, ever since I got close with Scootaloo I've sometimes wondered about it and..." Rainbow Dash opened her mouth and closed it again. She raised her right hoof up a bit and froze, "...wait..." her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates, "Did I just all say that to you...?" You gave a hesitant nod. Rainbow Dash took a few steps back while her eyes darted around, "I... I need to... I need to go..."

You took a step forward without knowing why you did so, "Rainbow Dash it is..."

"I"MSORRYIREALLYNEEDTOGOSEEYOUTOMORROWATSCHOOL!" Rainbow Dash blurted out as she unfurled her wings and shot off into the sky, leaving you stunned behind on the clouds.

"Where did Rainbow Dash go?" Summer's voice helped you out of your staring. "She didn't say goodbye..." she said with a sad tone and fluttered onto your back, her hind legs on your withers and her fore hooves on your mane.

You didn't know exactly either. Looking up, you saw Summer glancing down to you, her violet eyes sparkling with her head a bit sideways. "I don't really know, Summy. Maybe she forgot the time and needed to be home for dinner?" Summer 'hummed' her agreement. You shortly glanced back to where the rainbow mare had zipped off to, only to see the sun dangling on the horizon. "Lets get back inside. Maybe we can help Mom with Gloom or make dinner."

Summer 'hummed' her approval again as she lay her muzzle onto your mane. Ruffling your feathers for a bit, you gave a quick yawn and spun softly around to face your home. Walking through the front yard, you entered through the doorway and closed the door behind you with a soft 'click'.

"Don't help Mommy with cooking though, you are just like Daddy when it comes to making food." Summer said with a gentle chuckle from above your mane.

"Thank you for the compliment Summy. Just like Mom, you always bring it subtle." you said with a roll of your eyes.

Author's Note:

Well then. This took far longer than it should've... Sorry about that. Summer ( Not your little sister.) the REAL summer is a pain in to write with the temperatures. Anyways, let me know if you enjoyed, or what you didn't enjoy as much.

Comments

[ItsOnlyMagic]

It's about time for this, but otherwise I enjoyed this chapter.

Also, a quick correction

You even noticed Sky Edge walking through the market with his farther beside him

[Lazydrill]

7464108 Indeed it is. Also, thanks for the pointer, I missed that with the editing...