Learning to Fly

by Alex the Bolt

Tea and... Cupcakes?

With introductions out of the way, everypony naturally settled down to begin with the main event. The picnic itself. Everypony had brought something with them, so it looked like Bolt's mother had made the right call with the sandwiches. Pinkie Pie brought along cupcakes, as she had suggested earlier in the week. It looked like a few had already been snacked on in fact... The pink party pony was likely the culprit. Steele Bolt could understand her impatience though. After being the first to taste one, as Pinkie Pie had promised, he had to admit that the cupcake was rather tasty.

Pinkie Pie was practically on the edge of her non-existent seat as he tried the cupcake. Seeing her watch him taste her baking with such intensity naturally made Bolt feel quite uncomfortable, but it also added a sense of importance to his opinion. She clearly wanted him to enjoy her cupcake. So when he offered her a smile and a nod of approval, Pinkie bounced for joy, emitting a pleased squeal as she reached the maximum height of each bounce.

After the tasting session with Pinkie Pie, he was offered a cup of tea from Rarity. She had brought along an elegant teapot filled with finely made brew, as well as dainty cucumber sandwiches. It was lucky that their sandwiches had different fillings, or it could have made for an awkward unveiling. His mother had filled his sandwiches with watercress and rocket though, which still brought it's own complications to the table.

"Wasn't expecting you to bring anything along, Bolt!" Rainbow announced between bites from one of Pinkie's cupcakes, her magenta eyes watching curiously as he lowered the satchel he had been carrying to the ground and began offloading the generous stack of sandwiches.

"They look delicious though, darling! Did you prepare them yourself?" Rarity added, a cup of tea hovering in front of her with the aid of magic. The question caught Bolt a little off guard. He hadn't anticipated anypony asking the origin of the sandwiches, and it left him in a bit of a moral conundrum. Would he take the credit for their creation? If he did, then it could come to bite him on the flank later on... It would probably be safer to tell the truth.

"Ah, no. I don't have much culinary skill, to be honest. My mother made them." Bolt admitted, his gaze shifting timidly to the ground. He wasn't sure whether it was a good thing or a bad thing that he had relied on his mother for this, but he couldn't help feeling like it was the later. He suddenly felt self-conscious. At least, until a light blue aura enveloped one of his mother's sandwiches and allowed it to gently defy the laws of physics. His green orbs lifted to watch as Rarity brought the sandwich to her and took a modest bite from the corner; really taking her time chewing on that one bite. Finally though, she smiled Bolt's way.

"You'll have to thank your mother for us then. This sandwich is delicious!" The Unicorn spoke warmly, offering the tense stallion some solace. A small smile crossed Bolt's lips as he nodded his head earnestly.

"I will."

With Rarity's approval, the other mares began to curiously try Lilac Petal's sandwiches as well. All across the board, everypony seemed to agree with their friend's review of his mother's cooking prowess. It brought a smile to his face, the concern that had nagged at the back of his head briskly vanishing without a trace.

"Why don't you try one of these, Bolt?" A familiar voice abruptly caught his attention from his left side, causing his gaze to shift in that direction. He found a cookie hovering not far from his face, surrounded in a distinct purple aura. Glancing past the small animal shaped treat revealed Twilight Sparkle, whom offered him a smile and gestured towards the cookie. It would seem that this was her addition to the picnic. Bolt gave a nod of gratitude before biting onto the cookie so that Twilight could let go of the shortbread.

"Pinkie said that you're a mechanic of sorts?" The Princess continued curiously as she watched him take a bite out of the cookie she had given him, his hooves raising to hold onto the remainder of the cookie while he relished the sweet and savory taste of the bite he had taken. Bolt nodded his head in response to her question while he did this, just as Pinkie Pie abruptly entered the conversation upon hearing her name.

"Yup! He sure saved my flank! The party cannon has never been better!" The never-ending pink fluff-ball of energy announced with a big grin, that seemed to mostly be aimed at Bolt. Probably as a show of gratitude for his work earlier in the week. Cleaning up the party cannon sure had been a pain though. He had insisted multiple times afterwards that she not load it with things that could clog it up like that. Whether she took his advice to heart or not... He was unsure of.

"I find technology so fascinating! What drove you to start working with machinery?" Bolt blinked a few times as Twilight took the conversation in a direction he hadn't expected. She was the first pony in his whole life to actually show interest in his work on a deeper level. Sure, some ponies thought the concepts were cool; Rainbow Dash being a good example of that, but few were interested in the inner workings and his motivations. He was a little taken aback. He swallowed his mouthful of cookie hard, his eyes quickly dashing around to see if anypony else was paying attention to them. The rest of the group seemed quite happy chatting amongst themselves; Pinkie having drifted out of the conversation just as abruptly as she had entered it. It seemed this chat was truly between just him and Twilight now.

"Actually, it's because I want to fly." He answered truthfully with a slightly hushed voice, as if he didn't want everypony else hearing him. His eyes shifting so that he wasn't looking at Twilight directly as well, insecurity showing in his mannerisms. No pony ever seemed to take his life goal seriously. An Earth pony that wanted to fly like a Pegasus? Preposterous! With that in mind, he didn't have the courage to look Twilight in the eye. He expected the same reaction from her. He could still see her face in his peripheral vision though, and her expression didn't mask her surprise at his answer. However, that quickly turned to excitement.

"Oh really? How have you set about doing that?" The Princess asked as she rose the cup of tea Rarity had prepared for her before this conversation to her lips, taking a short sip before turning her full attention back on Bolt. The stallion turned his gaze back to meet her eye to eye, his eyes slightly wide as no judgmental look or comment came from his company.

"Um... I've created a sort of propulsion system... It's not quite perfected yet though."

"Propulsion? Are you using rocket power? Or something else?"

"Ah, yes. Rocket power has been the most reliable. I tried making artificial wings once. That didn't go so well..."

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Before he knew it, Steele Bolt was in an in-depth conversation with Twilight Sparkle about his 'Mechanical Flight Propulsion Pack'. Or 'Jetpack', for short. Truth be told, he had never felt so invigorated before. Being able to talk about his work to an individual that was just as interested and intellectually adept as he was excited him - made him more talkative than he had ever been before. The two of them quickly became immersed in their conversation, sharing ideas on how to perfect his schematics. Twilight gave him some valuable insight, in fact; like proposing that he use a fuel source for the jetpack that would allow it to be self-sustaining. He had been so determined to just make it flight worthy, that he hadn't considered what would happen once he succeeded. It seemed a little anti-climatic to finally gain this ability, only to have it limited to short amounts of time before he would need to land and refuel. The sky wouldn't be the limit then, his fuel supply would be. She gave him a lot to think about.

"I would love to visit your workshop and have a look sometime!" Twilight said enthusiastically, her eyes seemingly sparkling from the passion their conversation had worked up. Bolt honestly wouldn't have been surprised if he looked the same. He certainly felt like it. He always tried to keep himself motivated, yet he hadn't felt this inspired in a long time.

"Sure, you're welcome any time. Your insight would be a great help." Steele Bolt spoke with a smile. It felt strange; inviting another pony over to his humble abode so freely. A mare, no less. But he hadn't felt a connection like this with any other pony before. It was like he had found his best friend or something, though he tried not to let himself get too excited. This was still drastically out of his comfort zone after all, so it felt unrealistic to expect anypony to call him their friend.

"I don't mean to interrupt you two eggheads, but would ya'll like some pie?" The distinct accent of Applejack had both ponies turning their heads to find that she had scooted closer to them, a hoof pushing a lovely smelling pie towards them. The scent alone had Bolt resisting the urge to lick his lips. Instead, he gave a soft, restrained nod.

"Yes, please."

"I'd love some, Applejack." Twilight added with a smile to her friend. With an okay from both ponies, Applejack gave a hearty chuckle before grabbing a knife with her mouth and beginning to cut the pie into slices. Soon enough, two slices were presented to Bolt and Twilight, one for each of them.

"I don't mean to toot my own horn, but ya'll never tasted an apple pie before ya' had one with Apple family apples!" Applejack spoke with undeniable confidence, which was clearly written all over her face. Bolt couldn't help wondering if the pie was going to be as good as she claimed it to be. She was certainly proud of her baking, and the apples that went into it. There was only one way to find out... He leaned down to the slice of pie and took a bite out of it, slowly chewing on it as he taste-tested it. Regardless of the confidence that she had displayed, Applejack was now staring intently, as if she had baked that pie to win a competition, and Bolt was the judge. Needless to say, it was delicious.

"This is really good." Steele Bolt confirmed with a lick of his lips, before leaning down for a second bite. Another hearty chuckle left Applejack as she looked away humbly, as if she hadn't had a doubt in her mind that he would enjoy the apple pie. Maybe she hadn't. He certainly couldn't read minds.

"Glad ya' like it, sugarcube! If ya' want more, lemme' know." The southern pony spoke cheerfully, her green eyes shifting to watch as Twilight finished swallowing her second bite from her own slice of pie. A smile from the Princess was enough to tell Applejack how much she approved of her baking, bringing an even bigger grin to the Earth pony's face.

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"Shame Spike couldn't join us." Applejack stated with half a mouthful of scone and jam, courtesy of Fluttershy. Every other pony was also indulging in this simple, but delicious treat. The timid Pegasus seemed absolutely thrilled that everypony was enjoying her baking though; a big, yet soft smile plastered to her face as she watched her friends eating. Bolt noticed that she hadn't eaten a lot herself the whole time. He wasn't sure whether that was because of his presence, or that she simply didn't eat a lot. He didn't have the heart to ask her. So long as she was enjoying herself, that was all that mattered really.

"There were some library duties that needed taking care of. I did offer to help, but he insisted I attend the picnic instead..." Twilight elaborated after finishing her first scone, a soft sigh leaving her lips. It would seem that she was none too happy with leaving Spike to deal with the tasks alone, but Bolt was more curious about who this 'Spike' was.

"Spike?" He asked with a humble voice, loud enough to be heard but quiet enough to not draw too much attention to himself. It appeared that at that moment it had only just dawned on the mares that he hadn't been introduced to the last member of their group yet. Twilight was quick to rectify that.

"Ah, you haven't met Spike yet! He's my assistant. A baby dragon." The Princess explained quickly and simply, which was appreciated. Bolt gave a nod as he mulled over the information disclosed to him, before pausing suddenly.

"Dragon?"

"Yes. I hatched him as part of my entrance exam for school." Twilight seemed quite proud as she announced that, though Bolt really couldn't blame her for that. Hatching a dragon was no small feat, and certainly not one he had heard of in his modest lifetime. It was a testament to her power, though that was hardly surprising, considering she was an Alicorn.

"... Aren't dragons typically rather... Mean-spirited?"

"Oh no, not our Spikey-Wikey! He's lovely." Rarity slipped into the conversation at that point, causing Bolt to turn his attention away from Twilight, his eyebrow raising from the added comment. A friendly dragon was unheard of, at least for him. He couldn't help feeling a little curious about meeting such a dragon. He was sure it would be an interesting experience. Ah well. Maybe next time.

___________________________________________________________________________

The picnic continued on for another hour or so, but once the food was gone, it was decided that now would be a good time to pack up and call it a day. They had spent a good portion of the day together after all, and each of them had things they still needed to do for night was upon them. The blanket that they had all been sat on, that had been donated by Rarity, was neatly folded by the two ponies that could harness magic while the remaining ponies packed away the utensils. Naturally, Bolt assisted in this. After being treated to free food and surprisingly pleasant company, he felt obligated to do his part.

The seven ponies made their way back into Ponyville at a steady pace, enjoying small talk along the way. The weather had been consistent through out the day, with the sun shining brightly down on them, while a nice breeze stopped them from getting too hot. Bolt closed his eyes as he felt the wind brush through his mane, leaving him feeling quite relaxed as he gravitated towards the back of the group. Upon opening his eyes, he found himself walking beside Fluttershy. Out of all the mares present, he had spoken to her the least. Neither of them were socially confident ponies, so that fact was unsurprising. It felt wrong to get along with her friends, but not make an effort with her, so Bolt bit the bullet.

"Uh... Did you have a good time?" The stallion asked with a soft tone of voice, which somehow managed to startle the timid Pegasus. Fluttershy let out a quiet little yelp as her big, blue eyes fell on him, a look of surprise on her face. It would appear that she hadn't expected him to try and strike up a conversation with her.

"U-Um... Yes... I had a nice time..." She muttered quietly, her gaze falling to the ground she walked on as a small smile crossed her lips. A silence began to surround them immediately afterwards, the sound of chatter from the ponies in front of them, and their hoofsteps, filling the air. That was, until Fluttershy suddenly spoke up again.

"U-Um... Oh dear... D-Did you enjoy yourself as well?" Bolt's focus had wandered off elsewhere, so her words were nearly lost on him. His head slowly turned to look her way, his green orbs peering at her curiously as he tilted his head to the side. He hadn't quite caught what she had tried to say.

"Did you say something?"

"U-Um... Did you... Enjoy yourself too?" Fluttershy tried again, straining herself to raise her soft spoken voice to a more audible level as her timid gaze rose to look Bolt in the eye. The eye contact didn't last for very long, but at least he had actually heard her this time.

"Ah, yeah, I did." He replied simply, unsure of what else he could add in response to her question. So with that, their conversation came to an abrupt end. Neither pony really had anything else to say, and both of them probably appreciated the silence more than another attempt at small talk anyway. Thus, the quiet remained around the two until the group made it back to Ponyville.

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The group slowly dissipated once they reached Ponyville. Rarity and Pinkie Pie wandered off first, since they're destinations conflicted with those of the remainder of the group. Fluttershy slipped away after that, mumbling that animals were waiting for her and she needed to hurry. Bolt wasn't quite sure if he understood what she meant by that. Did she look after animals or something? It left him perplexed for a few moments, before the next distraction popped up.

Next, they ran into a bulky red stallion, whom turned out to be Applejack's brother. She decided to go along with him to help with the chores he was doing for Apple Acres, and thus the southern mare took her leave as well. The group had finally fallen to a number Bolt was more comfortable dealing with.

"Well, this is my stop." Twilight spoke up as she came to a halt, her head turning briefly in the direction of a grand looking tree that looked to have been converted into a building. Her attention shifted back to her remaining company not even a moment later, a smile on her face as she looked Bolt's way.

"Would you mind if I stopped by for a visit tomorrow? I'd love to see some of your inventions." Her request was honest and harmless enough, but it surprised Bolt none the less. He'd had more visitors in this past week than in his entire life. It was a little overwhelming when he thought about it, but at the same time, he didn't really mind the prospect of sharing some of his work with Twilight. If today was anything to go by, she might have some useful insight to offer.

"Uh, sure."

"Great! I'll bring Spike along too! See you tomorrow." The Princess of Friendship offered Steele Bolt an enthusiastic smile before taking her leave, her tail swishing from side to side in a thrilled manner. That naturally brought attention to her flank, which caused Bolt to look away hastily. He didn't typically indulge himself in looking at mare's rears, and he wasn't about to start now. This brought his focus onto Rainbow Dash though, whom surprisingly hadn't taken off yet.

"Alright, champ. I've got some time before I have to scoot. What do you wanna' do?" The renowned flyer inquired with a raised eyebrow, causing Bolt to raise an eyebrow of his own. She was expecting him to entertain her until she had something better to do? He frowned and shook his head softly, stepping around her so he could begin his short journey home.

"No thanks. I'd rather get back to my workshop." He stated honestly, and rather bluntly. Considering how insistent she had been earlier though, he doubted it would be that easy. He assumed right. The sound of beating wings made it abundantly clear that he was being followed; he didn't need to turn around to check.

"Well, I'd better make sure you get home safe and sound then, huh." Not exactly what he had expected from her, but it was better than being dragged around for her amusement.

___________________________________________________________________________

Soon enough, Steele Bolt found himself outside his humble home. It was a reassuring sight, even if he had admittedly quite enjoyed himself today. There really was no place like home. But as he stepped forwards to let himself in, he realised that his company was still standing next to him. His hoof lingered against the frame of the door as he turned his head to look at Rainbow Dash, who seemed dead set on following him inside.

"Well, thanks for today. I'll be seeing you." He tried to make his intentions as known as possible. He just wanted to be left alone. Yet she didn't leave. The playful grin that crossed Rainbow's face made it seem that she simply didn't care, rather than being too dense to notice.

"What? Not going to invite me in for coffee?" The multi-coloured Pegasus asked as she held up her grin. Bolt gave her a deadpan stare in return, unsure whether she was being serious or not. Her faltering poker face quickly made it clear that she wasn't though, and the laughter that followed just cemented the fact.

"You're a regular comedian." The stallion stated dryly, his brow furrowing as his green eyes stared blankly at Rainbow's magenta orbs. His words were enough to help her recover from her fit of giggles apparently, as she raised a hoof to wipe away a non-existent tear.

"Yeah. I crack myself up too." Rainbow's familiar grin quickly re-emerged after she spoke, her wings extending as she stretched her back in front of Bolt, which earned her a raised eyebrow from the stallion. What on Equestria was she doing?

"Welp. It's been fun, dork." With one mighty flap of her wings, Rainbow took off into the sky, staying within earshot of Bolt just long enough to offer her farewell before catapulting off at an unimaginable speed. It would seem that she had decided to respect his wishes after all. No doubt she would come to collect for her kindness later though. Bolt stood there for a moment, with his hoof still on his door, as he waited for the vapor trail she had produced to vanish from view.

"... Rude."

Author's Note:

Another chapter already? I'm spoiling you folks! Honestly though, I wanted to get this out because I might not be able to prepare another chapter for a week or so. I'm heading to a convention tomorrow, and I'll likely be busy on Monday, or Tuesday. If I'm not busy on Monday then I should be able to work on the seventh chapter! I return to work on Wednesday though, so... I'll be sure to keep the writing up as much as possible. Don't worry!

Talking of writing, I was surprised how enjoyable it was to write this chapter. It just all kinda' fell together, which is always such a pleasure! Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this new chapter!

Comments

[Jonny Bench]

I kinda hope scootaloo ends up asking bolt for help once he gets his jet pack working. I'm so glad to see this story get updated too