• Published 2nd May 2015
  • 1,823 Views, 12 Comments

Dash and Burn - TheMessenger



Rainbow returns to Ponyville to find a certain baby dragon all grown with a set of wings. When Spike tries motivating himself by comparing the number of crashes Rainbow had to his own, Rainbow makes their contest official with a bet.

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Chapter 3

Spike leafed through the comic book, barely sparing the colorful panels a cursory glance before turning to the next page. Occasionally, he'd turn to the large opened text book at his side and read a few passages before groaning and returning to his comic. The wind howled outside, sending a shiver down the dragon's back. Reluctantly, he got up and closed the window curtain, deafening the sound.

When he plopped himself back on his bed, his tail knocked the comic book onto the floor. With his back still against the soft mattress, Spike reached for the book with his feet, trying to grab it with his toes. He soon gave up and reached for the textbook instead.

"Apart from weight, there are three major forces of drag that impede a bird's aerial flight," Spike read. "Frictional drag due to friction between air and body surfaces, form drag, or pressure drag, caused by the frontal area of the body, and lift-induced drag which is caused by wingtip vortices--"

Something knocked against the window. Spike sprung up, dropping the book into his lap, and stared at the window. Whatever was outside knocked again. "Tree branch?" he considered out loud before shaking his head and reminding himself that he was no longer residing in the Golden Oak Library. There, that might have been a branch clawing menacingly at the glass, but here, in the castle, there weren't even trees that close by.

No, something else was trying to get in, and Spike leapt to his feet, preparing to call Twilight. His blood chilled when he remembered where the princess was today, and panic began to bubble within him, until he noticed the dragon staring at him from the reflective crystal floor. Suddenly, all anxiety was replaced with shame, and Spike struggled with the urge to slap his forehead.

"The mighty dragon, afraid of a little wind," he murmured as he marched to the window and brushed aside the curtains. He blinked, took a step back, and let his jaw go slack. Rainbow Dash, with her mane blown to one side by the wind, hovered on the other side of the window, tapping frantically at the glass. Seeing Spike, she pounded her hoof more forcefully, knocking the dragon out of his stupor.

Spike removed the latch, and in tumbled Rainbow. She landed on her fore hooves and kicked the window closed with her hind ones, then shook herself and removed the twigs and leaves out of her fur and mane. When she had finished smoothing out her coat and hair, she started brushing through her wings. "Crazy weather, huh?" she said with feathers in her mouth.

"Rainbow, w-what are you doing here?" Spike exclaimed. "You know we have a front door, right?"

"Yeah, but nopony answered when I knocked." Rainbow Dash threw her head back and leaned against the wall. As she looked around, Spike leaned over and picked up the fallen comic book from the floor. "So, does Fluttershy know you have a poster of her from her modeling days?"

"It was a gift!" Spike blurted, jumping in front of the picture of the posing pegasus.

"A gift?" Rainbow laughed. "From who?"

"Whom."

"Never heard of them."

Spike groaned. "Pinkie Pie gave it to me. I don't know why she did, but it didn't feel right throwing it away."

"So you taped it to your wall?"

"I have other posters too, you know." The dragon gestured to the various pictures on the wall, images of the scenic Crystal Empire, super heroines in colorful costumes, the princesses surrounded by guards. Rainbow smirked at the sight of her captain posing in a skintight Wonderbolt flight suit while wearing a sultry smile.

Following Rainbow's gaze, Spike began to blush. "What are you doing here anyways?" he asked, stepping between Rainbow and the poster of Spitfire.

"Thought I'd watch you and Twilight practice," Rainbow answered, taking a seat on the mattress. "We're tied, you know, one more crash and I win."

"Yeah, I know," Spike growled. "Yesterday shouldn't have counted, I wouldn't have crashed so much if it weren't for the Crusaders."

"Hey, you're the one who should've been paying attention," said Rainbow. "So what, aren't you going to fly today?"

"Not today. Twilight's out, and I don't think I should try flying without her supervising. I've already gotten into enough trouble, if Twilight's not around, the mayor might kick me out of town." Spike laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head.

"Huh. So where is Twilight anyways?"

"In Canterlot, preparing for her trip to Alpacastan," Spike explained. "Princess Celestia giving her a lesson of diplomacy or something, and Princess Luna's going to--"

"Wait, hold up, Alpacastan? What's that?" Rainbow asked.

Spike's eyes narrowed. "She didn't tell you guys yet?"

"Tell us what?"

"Come on, Twilight, seriously?" Spike groaned. "Alpacastan's a country, you've never heard of it because it's still in the middle of being made. Twilight's going over there later this year to help smooth things out."

"Building a new country? Twilight's moving up in the world, huh?" Rainbow chuckled. "Why'd she keep it a secret though?"

Spike shrugged. "Don't know. It's a pretty long trip, so we won't be in Ponyville for a few months. I guess she's a little worried about how everypony'll react to the news."

"Yeah, well, I know I'd definitely feel worse if she suddenly left without saying good bye." Rainbow scowled. "Just, man, I thought we were past all these secrets."

"We don't leave for a while, I'm sure she'll tell everypony eventually, before we have to go. Well, at least, that's what she keeps telling me." Spike sighed. "I don't know, maybe it would help if you went to her first."

"I'll talk to the girls, see what they think," Rainbow Dash decided. She turned to the dragon. "You keep saying we. That mean you're going with her?"

"That's the plan. Well, hopefully," Spike said, his shoulders sagging. "There aren't any trains to Alpacastan, and it's too far away to walk. We have to fly there, and if I can't fly on my own, I can't go. I mean, it's not like I can ride Twilight all the way there now that I'm bigger and--what's so funny?"

"Pft, n-nothing," Rainbow insisted, choking down her giggles. "Ride Twilight." She took a deep breath and calmed down. "Can't you take a balloon or something?"

"Too slow, and Twilight doesn't want to bring a chariot. She thinks it might give the locals the wrong impression."

"So that's why you're learning to fly. I thought you were training pretty intensely," Rainbow said. Spike nodded in reply.

"Yeah, not that it's doing much good," the dragon said tiredly.

"Well, you're not going to get much better by sitting inside, moping and reading comic books." Rainbow got up and pushed Spike toward the door.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"No offense to Twilight or anything, but she's not me, and if you want to learn to fly, why not learn from the best?" Rainbow boasted as they made their way through the castle.

"You'll teach me? But what about our bet?" Spike asked as they approached the front door.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to teach you wrong just to watch you crash. You've pretty much lost already without my help," Rainbow laughed.

"Have you seen the weather outside?"

"Yeah, no duh, but you can't expect everyday to be perfect," Rainbow Dash argued. "What if you and Twilight run into a storm during your trip? Come on, think of it as a training exercise."

The two passed through the castle gates and stepped onto the grassy field outside. Spike looked up at the gray clouds above and frowned. Rainbow Dash, noticing the dragon's anxious features, patted Spike's shoulder. "Hey, no reason to be nervous, okay? You've got a Wonderbolt by your side. Look, forget about the bet, alright? I'm not going to let a friend hurt themselves, so you can relax."

"O-okay."

"No, seriously, relax," Rainbow ordered. "Your back's too tense, no wonder you have a hard time getting off the ground. Bend your knees. Alright, good," Rainbow said, nodding as Spike followed her instructions. "Now remember, you want strong wing beats, not quick and weak flaps."

"Okay."

"Now forget about the running start. Just spring up and flap those wings. Watch." Rainbow Dash demonstrated, leaping into the air and hovering above the dragon. "Now you try."

Spike copied the pegasus's motions. For a second, he hovered right beside Rainbow before falling back to earth and landing on his feet. "I didn't crash!" he quickly assured.

"Congrats, want a medal?" Rainbow responded sarcastically. "Come on, try again. This time, flap just as you leap."

Spike experienced a few more failed starts, but each failure had resulted in a few more seconds of airtime and additional advice and occasional encouragement from Rainbow. "That's it, Spike, keep it up!" she shouted as Spike's hovering steadied. "Alright, now follow me. Keep those wings beating strong."

The two rose into the sky. Spike struggled to keep up and threatened to lose his balance at every turn, but before he could panic and fall, Rainbow Dash would always slow to his side and instructed him. "Focus, Spike," she commanded over the wailing winds. "Come on, is that tail just for decoration? Keep it straight, or you'll just give yourself more resistance."

Spike's teeth grounded against each other as he fought to concentrate. Rainbow nodded approvingly as his uncertain wing beats became confident and with strength. His back straightened, and he no longer lagged as far behind his new teacher as before; like an arrow, he cut through the air, following Rainbow Dash around, under, and above clouds.

The wind suddenly started to pick up, almost knocking Rainbow off balance. Rain drops, caught by the wind, stung her cheeks and her sides. "Alright, let's wrap this up!" she shouted. "Time to land. Slow your wing beats to descend and--Spike?" Rainbow gasped. "Spike!"

Panic was etched on the dragon's face as the winds pushed him every which way like a rag doll. His wings flapped uselessly, caught in the storm like a canvas tent torn asunder. His limbs flailed in desperation and fear. Rainbow Dash saw Spike's mouth move, but the winds drowned out his cry.

"Stop panicking!" Rainbow ordered. "Stay calm, you can regain control, just stop--"

He fell, as if cruelly dropped by the winds. Spike's claws grabbed upwards toward Rainbow as she dove after him. The freezing air rubbed her face raw, but she ignored the discomfort, forcing herself to move faster. The ground quickly drew closer and closer, and Rainbow's vision began to blur before everything faded away.