I am my own OC

by KittyrinnAiko

Chapter 34: Go Fish

“Go fish,” One of our escorts said over his radio as our group made its way between government buildings. We'd put the morning's difficulties behind us. Our conversation was casual as we walked along at a relaxed pace while ignoring the curious looks we were getting.

“Go fish?” Cadance asked.

“Call for the Ace of Hearts,” He explained. “It’s a reference to your cutie mark, Ma’am, and we are headed for the ponds.”

“Ah, makes sense,” Cadance replied with an amused smile. “So who’s looking?”

“The Knave of Shields,” He offered with just a hint of a smirk.

“I think he means Shining Armor,” Sunset offered with a big smile.

“Funny how when the foal is not my own I just want to put as much distance between us as I can, but when it’s my own I just want to keep her as close as possible,” Spitfire whispered to Luna.

“I’ve always had a weak spot for foals in general. Our own will always be special.” Luna offered.

“Hey, Scootaloo,” I called over to her. “You got up there by yourself.”

“And?” Scootaloo asked.

“She’s trying to point out that you flew,” Spitfire offered. “All you needed was the right motivation.”

“It was looking like I might get trampled,” Scootaloo protested. “And that was hardly flying.”

“It’s a start,” Spitfire offered. “I can give you pointers, and I think it might help to stop using the scooter. At least cut back on how much you use it. You are producing a lot of backwash. Enough to propel yourself and two other fillies on a wagon I hear. That tells me you have more than enough magic. It’s your technique that needs addressing. Instead of directing all that air straight back, you need to push some of it down. Go on, stand up, and spread your wings.”

“Alright, I guess,” Scootaloo offered and stood up on Spitfire’s back. She found herself automatically compensating for Spitfire’s gait.

“Can you feel the air moving past us as we walk?” Spitfire asked.

“Yes,” Scootaloo replied.

“Now angle your wings so you can feel the breeze trying to lift them up.”

“OK…”

“Relax your muscles, bend the elbow, bend the wrists, bring your wings up, and don’t worry about air slipping through, that’s supposed to happen on the basic upstroke. Got that? Now, while maintaining that optimum angle, straighten out your wings and bring them down. You should feel a lot of resistance.”

“Alright,” Scootaloo said as she lifted up ever so slightly. Her eyes lit up on the downstroke. Not quite airborne just yet though.

“Maintain a nice slow steady beat and do it again,” Spitfire instructed.

“But Rainbow Dash says to just flap my wings as hard as I can?” Scootaloo offered as she brought her wings back up.

“Rainbow Dash is what we call a natural. She intuitively knows what to do without having to think about it,” Spitfire offered. I’ve got a hunch Spitfire might have called Dash an idiot if she hadn’t already figured out that Scootaloo has a fan crush on Dash. “If she understood the mechanics of flight, she would never have broken the sound barrier as a filly because she would have known it was impossible.”

“It is?” Scootaloo asked.

“And she did it anyway,” Spitfire offered.” The point is that because she does such phenomenal flying without having to think about it, she lacks the vocabulary needed to teach it.”

“Now,” Spitfire continued. “When you bring your wings down you are going to want to reach forward a little bit. When you are doing it right, your wings will follow an elliptical pattern.”

Now Scootaloo was slowly beginning to lift off on the downstroke even though she wasn’t putting a lot of effort into her motions.

“Now before you take off when stopping you are going to spread your wings out as far as they will go while bringing your leading edge up to block airflow,” Spitfire instructed and had to hold in a laugh when Scootaloo propelled herself backward.

Scootaloo threw her wings back thinking to arrest her backward motion and suddenly found herself lifting up as the leading edge of her wing flipped backward. Pony wing structure while ideally suited to flight that mimicked most birds, pony wings were capable of generating lift on the backstroke. How else could they hover like a hummingbird? She then brought her wings down and lifted up a little further. She adjusted several times as she worked her wings harder. A delighted smile lit up her face as she seemed to have an aha moment and suddenly she was flying. Granted that she was all over the place while she figured out how to maintain a steady straight line of flight, but she was flying.

I was pretty sure Spitfire had mixed emotions as she kept jinking back and forth on the ground possibly thinking to catch Scootaloo. I jumped off Luna’s back and was soon up in the air a little above Scootaloo who was presently laughing like a mad filly.

Shortly after this we rounded a corner that opened out onto a small park and botanic garden where a pond was located. Between us and the pond was Shining Armor and Rainbow Dash.

Scootaloo saw Dash and raced for her, did a barrel roll, unintentionally I’d imagine by the looks of her form, and began back winging frantically as she realized she was going too fast. Spitfire was hot on her tail, I grabbed Scootaloo in my magic pulling her up moments before spitfire tumbled into Dash followed by the two of them bowling into the pond.

“You got it under control?” I called Scootaloo.

“I’m good, you can let me go,” Scootaloo called back. A moment later she was landing on the side of the bank grinning at a very wet Rainbow Dash and Spitfire. As for myself, I couldn’t resist landing on the pond and paddling about like a duck.

“How are you not sinking?” Scootaloo asked. Her attention had diverted to me quite possibly because she’d likely never seen any pony do what I was doing.

“Cup air in your under-plumage and you’ll bob around like a cork,” I offered, and a moment later Scootaloo is in the water paddling about with me.

“Commander Spitfire?” Shining asked with concern in his tone.

Spitfire sat up, shook the water out of her mane, and looked about, her gaze locking on Scootaloo. Dash was flat on her back floating in the pond.

“Did I just see Scootaloo, and then Spitfire crashed into me?” Dash asked of no one specific. She was just sort of throwing the question out there.

Scootaloo paddled over to Dash, looked down at her, and announced, “I can fly.” She then paddled over to the shore, shook herself off, and with a pronk managed to get herself airborne again.

I on the other hoof decided that I was going to do a water take-off. The next minute and a half saw me frantically paddling and flapping. I’ll be honest, I was about to give up when a swell of water pushed me up and I was finally able to get into the air. When I turned I saw that the swell had been created by both Lofty and Luna. They looked a little distressed too.

“Thank you, Mom, thank you Ms Lofty,” I called as I flew past them.

“You looked like something was after you!” Lofty called.

“I wanted to try a water take-off,” I offered as I swung back around.

“I should have known!” Mom replied with a big smile. “Truly there can’t be anything in this pond that’s big enough to go after a filly. Especially that filly.”

At least it’s a warm morning. Which could possibly explain what happened next.

“Woo-hoo!” Cadance called as she ran and then lept out over the pond. She held her wings out just long enough to put herself in the general vicinity of Lofty and Luna and then dropped into the water with a mighty splash.

“Oh it is on!” Mom declared and then brought forth a mighty splash with a wing. What followed next was the group of adult pegasi and alicorns engaging in a frolicsome splash fight. Lofty and Sunset burst out laughing, and our impromptu escort was at a complete loss.

“So, should we try to stop them?” One of the guards asked Shining Armor.

“Kind of looks like fun to me,” Holiday offered.

“And I’m thinking that it might be safer to just let them get it out of their system,” Shining Armor cautioned. “What?” he asked in response to Sunset’s chuckling.

“Well, there is the opportunity to ogle a certain wet princess,” Sunset teased.

“It’s not like that,” Shining protested as an aqua blue aura enveloped him. “It’s the getting drug in part,” he offered as he began to slowly slide ever closer to the pond despite the fact he’d dug his hooves in.

“Shining Armor,” Called Captain Quartermane as he walked over to the as yet land-bound ponies. “I heard a report of mares frolicking in the pond... Shining Armor?”

“Save yourself, sir, I’m done for,” Shining Armor announced as he slid closer and closer to the pond.

“Sir, I fear that the only way to stop this is to call Princess Celestia,” Offered one of the rank and file guards.

“Commander Sparkle?” Quartermane asked. “Hang on, is that Commander Spitfire in there too?”

“It’s Princess Cadance who’s got a hold of me,” Shining Armor announced as he slid ever closer to the pond.

“Princess Luna is with them too,” offered a guard.

“Ah, and that must be Specialist Dash. Any idea what started this kerfuffle?”

“Young Miss Scootaloo made her first flight, and nearly crashed into the Specialist. Commander Spitfire, while attempting the catch Miss Scootaloo, collided with the Specialist with the two going into the drink. Princess Nova decided to try her hoof at a water take-off, and then Princess Luna and Ms Lofty dove in thinking something was after her. Pandemonium soon followed.

It was right about here that Scootaloo misjudged and crashed into the pond. “I’m good!” she called as she climbed out while soaking wet, and for the briefest of time, her horn was visible prior to her shaking the water out.

“Not one word,” Ms holiday cautioned. “She’s Commander Spitfire’s filly and we’ve known about the horn for some time. We’d feared she’d never fly at all. She’s no unicorn magic to speak of, but who’s to say what the future will bring.”

“Aw come on, Cady!” Armor exclaimed moments before he got dunked. He came up a moment later with a lily pad complete with a little frog upon his head.

“You’re so cute,” Cadance teased.

“And I’m going to be up all night cleaning my armor,” Shining protested.

“And I’ve my best uniform on. Lighten up a little,” Dash chastised even though by now the frolicking had ended.

“Captain Quartermane,” Luna announced a moment later, acknowledging his presence. “You see, Nova fell in, and we all thought there was something after her.”

“Right, you just stick with that story,” Captain Quartermane drolled.

“It’s true,” Lofty offered. “At least that’s how it all started.”

“Isn’t there a luncheon scheduled?” Captain Quartermane prompted.

“Lunch… oh dear!?” Luna exclaimed and started leapfrogging her way out of the pond. She was clear in four leaps. “Come on, if we head back now we’ll have just enough time to get cleaned up and dried off.”

“Rainbow Dash, Spitfire, you might as well come too,” Cadance offered as she waded out.

“And what about me?” Shining Armor protested.

“Listen to him, wants to shower with the mares,” Spitfire teased as she and dash waded out followed by Lofty who seemed to have been the furthest out.

A couple of moment’s later we were on our way back up to the Keep. And what a sight we were. Granted I’d already dried myself off with a good shake, Schootaloo wasn’t that bad, Holiday and Sunset hadn’t joined in, but Lofty, Mom, Spitfire, and Dash were all quite soaked. So much so that they were still dripping when we approached the gates to the Keep. Mom couldn't help but bubble over with sparkling laughter at the looks on the faces of the lined-up petitioners.

Comments

[Gargon94]

This is a cute chapter. They are all family in a way anyways. Or going to be for some.

[KittyrinnAiko]

10731153
I like to think that Shining Armor and Cadance try to keep their relationship confidential, but everyone in the Guard knows anyway. ;)

[Gargon94]

10731162
Ok.

[Da Fennec]

Love your explanation of why Rainbow Dash naps so much. Though it sounds like a wonder anyone ever finds her at home. I'd say the portrayal of Granny Smith is over the top but known people like that. From this story line into the canon its logical especially considering how Granny didn't tell Bright Mac about being a baron she wouldn't tell Big Mac either

[Da Fennec]

10731162 Candance and Shining Armour the secret that everyone round them knows and lets them believe they've kept hidden

[KittyrinnAiko]

10771745
I've known my fair share of over-the-top people. Both the show and the comics had Granny doing some questionable things, so ya, she's a little over the top at times. As for the Barony, Equestria is effectively a principality ruled by a Princess. Even after Luna's return, control over the government is still heavily in Celestia's favor. So I decided to just run with the idea that all the Earth ponies with large estates all received a Title from Princess Celestia. Handing out noble titles to Earth ponies would be a good way to maintain a good balance of power. Which in a way makes the bravado of certain Nobal Unicorns all the more pompous. And Granny, Granny was a filly when she moved to Ponyville. In the show, they go to see Princess Celestia who tells them which area of Equestria they can have and any talk of Titles simply wouldn't have fit Granny's world view. She'd think it a joke and ignore it. She thinks they earned the land simply by settling there while completely ignoring the fact that all land in Equestria not already settled is at the disposition of the crown.

[Dravkwn]

“ I’m good, you can let me go,” Scootaloo called back. A moment later she was landing on the side of the bank grinning at a very wet Rainbow Dash and Spitfire. As for myself, I couldn’t resist landing on the pond and paddling about like a duck.

Honk!

[Wellivazey]

10773696
I'd be running too!

[Bronyshot2020]

10773696
Fluttershy’s face makes me wonder what twilight said lol