Learning to Fly

by Alex the Bolt

The Calm after the Storm

The quiet rattling of the train upon it's rails resounded, moonlight blanketing the land of Equestria. This would typically be more than enough to lull Steele Bolt off into a blissful slumber; especially after such an eventful day. Yet he found himself fighting any fatigue he felt, his emerald eyes staring out at the scenery through the train's window. He found a certain level of wonderment from observing the world at sleep. The way the moonlight reflected off of pools of water, the gentle blue of the night sky leaving a mellowed tone to Equestria. It led to his mind drifting to thoughts of the Princess that related to it; he could understand why Luna might be so proud of this period of the day. It was a shame that it was still quite under-appreciated.

"Either way, that stunt was awesome, Twilight!" Bolt turned his head to look at the pony sharing his seat on the train; Rainbow Dash. She and Twilight Sparkle had been sharing a vivid conversation for the past hour, as their train made it's way from Canterlot to Ponyville. Likely to pass the time, since the journey was far from exciting. He hadn't really been paying attention to what they had been talking about until now though. It appeared to be a discussion on Twilight's role in the Summer Sun Festival, or at least, that's where the conversation had led to at this point anyway.

"Thanks, Rainbow. Maybe you could call it my... Sonic Twilight Boom?" The Princess of Friendship's attempt at humor had mixed results. On one side of the spectrum, Bolt simply raised an eyebrow, remaining quiet so he wouldn't get roped into the conversation. That name hardly rolled off the tongue... On the other hand, Rainbow Dash seemed to find it at least a little amusing; judging from her unladylike snort. How like her, Bolt thought to himself.

His gaze wandered away from the two winged mares as they continued their conversation, his emerald orbs falling on a familiar pale yellow Pegasus whom sat across from him. Fluttershy was the last member of the group that was still awake; the remaining three having fallen into a quiet slumber a while ago. He watched the shy pony as she looked between her two friends while they spoke to each other, content with simply listening in and not contributing to the conversation. He could relate.

He was happy to leave it at that. But as he considered adjusting his gaze, their eyes met. Bolt's mind had a hiccup as he stared into Fluttershy's cerulean eyes; the stallion completely taken by surprise at her attention suddenly shifting to him. This eye contact remained for a brief moment, before both ponies looked away from each other in silent embarrassment. Bolt's eyes shifted sheepishly to the ground, wholeheartedly expecting that to be the end of his interaction with Fluttershy. They were both quite socially awkward after all - not typically the type to strike up a conversation. His expectations were crushed in an instant however.

"Um... Did you... Have a nice time?" The stallion's emerald eyes rose to look at the source of the stammering voice, finding Fluttershy's gentle gaze had returned to him. Unlike the first time, their eye contact didn't waver; possibly because it was intentionally done this time. Bolt searched for the words to say in response to that question. The Summer Sun Festival had taken up most of the day, filling it with activities found typically at festivals such of these. Novel games to take part in, plenty of food and drink to experiment, a large variety of ponies to meet. All of this was rather alien to Bolt though, and he hadn't gone into it with high expectations. He wouldn't have gone at all, if not for the insistence of the group of mares. According to them, he had played a role in the events that allowed the festival to happen at all. He felt that was an exaggeration though. Regardless, he had actually ended up enjoyed himself somewhat. The new experience wasn't as painful as he had anticipated - largely due to his company, most likely. He wasn't sure if he would be enthusiastic about attending another event like it though.

"Oh dear... Didn't you enjoy yourself?" Bolt blinked as he heard Fluttershy's soft tone once again, which brought attention to just how long he had taken to reply to her question. He had simply gotten lost in his thoughts, but that pause could have easily been seen as hesitation, especially by somepony like Fluttershy. He shook his head softly, quickly dispelling the misunderstanding.

"Oh no, that's not it. I had my doubts beforehand, but I was pleasantly surprised." Bolt's words seemed to ease Fluttershy's spirits, as evident by the smile that crossed her features. She wasn't the only pony listening to his thoughts on the events of the day though. A rough nudge into his side forced his attention to shift to the pony next to him, his gaze falling on a smug Rainbow Dash looking his way.

"I told you it would be great!" The rainbow maned mare chimed in with a confident grin on her face. True to her word, Rainbow Dash had told Steele Bolt that the Summer Sun Festival would be 'awesome.' It was her contribution to the groups cooperative attempt at convincing Bolt to tag along to the festival; which had obviously succeeded. He simply rolled his eyes in response; not wanting to add any fuel to her insufferable ego.

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A pause came about after that conversation dried up. Tired minds hardly helped productive thought after all. The ambient sounds of the train chugging along and the unceremonious snoring of Pinkie Pie filled the carriage, hindering the chance of golden silence from surrounding them. That was probably a secret blessing though; since it would be all too easy to fall asleep in such a setting. This somewhat awkward pause didn't remain for long, thankfully.

"You seem to be fitting in well, Bolt." The stallion raised his head from it's resting place on his upturned hoof upon hearing that, the voice belonging to the Princess of Friendship. He offered her a quizzical expression, a little bemused over where this topic had suddenly come from. He hadn't expected it, but it was certainly better than no conversation at all. "I'm relieved, to be honest. I was worried you wouldn't open up to us." Twilight elaborated; a smile upon her face that was so gentle that it could contend with Fluttershy herself.

"Well I wasn't worried for a second!" Rainbow Dash interjected with a surprising amount of energy, considering her no doubt fatigued state, going as far as wrapping a wing around Bolt. The Earth pony's ears flattened as he looked in the multi-coloured maned mare's direction, whom was a little too close for comfort at the moment. He detected subtle wafts of her scent, that was how close she was to him... Her words didn't help his discomfort either.

"Why do you sound so confident? There's nothing special about me." Steele Bolt spoke with disdain, his gaze dropping as thoughts of self loathing crept through his brain. Here he was, surrounded by six incredibly significant mares. Each of them had heavily assisted in saving Equestria multiple times, even if this was relatively recent news to a recluse like him. Regardless, his accomplishments paled in comparison to theirs. When considering this, it didn't feel right to be spending so much time with these ponies. They were practically celebrities!

"What makes you say that? The fact that we're friends proves how awesome you are!" Rainbow quickly countered, her grip on the crestfallen stallion tightening slightly as she offered him a disapproving scowl. Her words of encouragement came as a surprise to him, but her bear-like grip was even more so. Bolt could only squirm. There was no way she was letting him go until he conceded, but he wasn't entirely convinced. That must have been obvious by his expression, as Twilight quickly picked up where Rainbow Dash left off.

"Rainbow has a point. You've made exciting progress in the field of engineering, and your perseverance in the face of failure is to be admired." The Alicorn spoke positively, enthusiasm in her tone of voice. She definitely meant what she was saying, which only served to embarrass Bolt, bringing a light crimson colour to his cheeks. He wasn't used to being complimented like this, or at all for that matter. Everypony had always thought his quirks and ambitions were weird and unnatural, yet here were six mares that saw merit in them instead. He could feel an alien feeling filling his chest, a warm, fuzzy feeling.

"You might be too hard on yourself..." A quite, meek voice concluded, the owner obvious before Bolt had even looked in her direction. Fluttershy sat with a gentle look on her face, a tender smile that sort to comfort the insecure stallion. What a kind mare... He couldn't help but return her smile, his eyes beginning to water as the moving comments from his new found friends filled him with emotion.

"Maybe..." The Earth pony muttered quietly, looking away from the three of them as his lip quivered subtly. He wasn't one to let others see him in a moment of weakness, but there was nowhere for him to run to. He swallowed his pride, but refused to let the waterworks start. That was not a bridge he was willing to cross. Not right now.

Looks were shared between the three mares; whom seemed pleased that their comments hadn't been completely shot down by the stallion. Some semblance of progress had been made on building Bolt some self confidence. From there, the conversation continued onto other topics, so that Bolt could be spared from further embarrassment. But throughout the remainder of the trip to Ponyville, Rainbow Dash didn't remove her wing from around the dull coloured pony.

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A yawn left Steele Bolt's lips as he wandered away from the train station. They had arrived in Ponyville roughly ten minutes prior, but that time had been filled with tired farewells as the group split up to return to their respective homes. It was safe to say that each and every member was eager to get some much deserved rest, and Bolt was no exception. He wasn't entirely alone just yet though.

"Sleepy?" His companion asked softly, her pale pink mane blowing softly in the evening breeze. Bolt hadn't been aware of this until tonight, but he and Fluttershy actually lived pretty close to each other, and thus the two of them had decided to walk home together. A modest yawn of her own slipped out after her enquiry, which made it all too clear that the stallion wasn't the only one feeling the effects of the fatigue built up over the day.

"I think we all are." The Earth pony responded to the Pegasus with a crooked smile, coaxing a quiet giggle and a nod of agreement out of her. And then silence. That was one thing that Bolt could truly appreciate about Fluttershy's company. There was very little pointless small talk. Just the enjoyment of having another's presence by one's side, a pleasure that he still wasn't entirely used to.

He stiffled another yawn, actually bothering to raise a hoof to mask it this time. His eyes naturally closed during this action; his gaze falling upon the sight of his home in the distance once his eyelids opened again. The sight was a welcoming one. Thoughts of his warm, comfortable bed crossed his mind, motivating his tired body to push on, his pace increasing so that he could reach his destination that little bit faster. Slowly, but surely, his home grew closer to them, until they finally stopped outside.

"Well, this is it for me." Bolt spoke as he turned his head to face the Pegasus standing next to him, whom was currently admiring the view of his home. She smiled softly as she looked over the property, before turning to look the stallion's way.

"You have a lovely home." She spoke with a tone of voice so sweet that it could give somepony a toothache, the compliment taking Bolt by surprise once again. He couldn't quite grasp what part of his worn down, grubby home was lovely, but considering how genuine she sounded, he doubted Fluttershy was simply saying that to be polite. She didn't seem like that type of pony anyway.

"Uh, thanks. Want to come in for a drink or something...?" The stallion offered, echoes of the manners his mother had hammered into his skull passing through his mind. He failed to realise the implications of asking a mare into his home for a drink though, so when Fluttershy's cheeks turned a faint shade of pink, he was more than a little confused.

"O-Oh no, thank you. I really should get home... Thank you though..." The Pegasus shyed away from Bolt, her gaze fluttering around in a desperate attempt to avoid eye contact with the stallion in front of her. His eyebrow raised as he watched her reaction, equal parts curious and confused by how uncomfortable she seemed by his offer.

"Uh... Are you alright? Did I say something wrong...?" Steele Bolt asked, tilting his head to the side as one ear followed the motion, tipping to the side while the other remained pointed into the air. It was uncanny how much the gesture mimicked that of a dog, yet he didn't even seem aware of that fact.

"O-Oh, it's nothing... I'm just really tired..." Fluttershy's attempt at playing off her reaction only served to make Bolt suspicious, his eyes narrowing slightly as he tried to pick up any hints that she might be lying. Sadly, he wasn't all that great at reading other ponies, and he had no reason to doubt Fluttershy's word, even if her behaviour did seem a little odd... He decided to shrug it off, much to the mare's relief.

"W-Well, I'm glad you enjoyed yourself today, B-Bolt... Um... If you ever need anything... You can come see me..." Fluttershy muttered her farewell to the stallion with a voice that gradually diminished in volume, her new found shyness likely brought on by his accidental advance on her moments prior. Not that the dense stallion was aware of this... He simply smiled at her, and nodded his head.

"Same to you. Though you'll probably have to let yourself in... I don't always hear when I have guests..." Bolt replied honestly, raising an eyebrow as he glanced towards his home. He couldn't help it. When he became invested in his work, the world around him just melted away. Which was probably why Rainbow Dash found it so easy to sneak up on him... He huffed at that thought.

"G-Goodnight!" The stammering Pegasus spoke quickly, taking a few steps back before turning around so she could begin on the short trip from Bolt's house to her own home. The stallion rose a hoof into the air and waved to Fluttershy as she took her leave, before crudely yawning, not bothering to even muffle it now that he was finally alone. It was time to head to bed, and he couldn't be happier.

Author's Note:

Kept you waiting, huh. Sorry this chapter took so long to come out, I've really struggled with completing it. Probably not my best work either, but I just wanted to get it done towards the end there, haha. I was aiming to start building a bond between Bolt and Flutters, since they're basically neighbors. Anyways, I hope you all enjoy. See you in the next one! Whenever it comes out...