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Welcome to the CMAA. 1,342 words
Field Frustrations1,855 words
Partners. Celestia help us all. 2,211 words
Rivals..?2,117 words
The oatmeal thickens1,789 words
Secrets, lies, and a pegasus in the sky1,669 words
The Event3,192 words
The Aftermath1,956 words
Politics is a lovely business. 1,970 words
Simmer and stir3,393 words
Boiling over3,094 words
Desperate Times3,890 words
A funny thing happened on the way to the office2,993 words
This is how it all ends3,928 words
Author's notes312 words

Welcome to the CMAA.

"Control, do you read? I have eyes on target. Repeat, eyes on target."

"Confirmed, Agent Seven. Maintain surveillance and await further instructions."

Star Dasher sighed and flexed his tiny grey wings, feeling like he'd be the last pony in Trottingham to fly. Most of the other pegasi in his class were already flitting around. Slowly, sure. Clumsily, also sure. But at least they could get off the ground for more than a few seconds!

He scuffed his hooves along the ground as he walked morosely along. At this rate, he'd also be the last in his class to get his cutie mark.

"Agent Seven, do you copy?"

"Copy, Control."

"Target approaching scene. Epiphometer is at 40%. Possibility of deployment, 40%"

"Confirmed, Control."

Thinking gloomy thoughts, Star Dasher was momentarily broken out of his reverie by a slight rustling in some nearby bushes. He glanced over, pushing his wild blue mane out of his eyes, but nothing further happened. He shrugged and continued on his way.

"Dammit, Agent Seven! That was too close. You need to be more careful.

"Sorry, Control."

The tiny colt went along his way for a few minutes, then stopped and sighed.

'This is doing me no good,' he decided, and shook his head. His dad always said that a positive outlook brought positive things to you. Star Dasher produced a wan smile and continued on his way.

And that was when he saw the tiny black kitten, clinging desperately to a branch halfway up a huge tree, mewing piteously.

"Target has entered scene. Repeat, target has entered the scene. Do you copy, Agent Seven?"

"Copy that, Control."

"Epiphometer at 73% and climbing. Prepare to fire, await further instructions."

"Confirmed, Control."

"H-hey, little guy," Star Dasher said hesitantly. The kitten mewed at him, looking at him with big eyes. "Are you stuck? I can go get help..."

Star looked around, but there was nopony nearby. Once again, he cursed himself for not being able to fly. If he could fly, he could get that poor kitten down with no problems. Instead, here he was, a pegasus stuck on the ground.

Just then, the kitten shifted, then squeaked in terror as its back legs slid off the branch it was clinging to, back feet windmilling frantically as it tried, and failed, to find a purchase on the rough bark. Its front claws were slipping, and Star Dasher was panicking.

"Oh, no! Hold on, kitty!" he said, then shouted as loud as he could, "Help! Somepony, help! There's a kitten—"

He cut off and watched in horror as the kitten fell from the branch.

"Epiphometer is at 84%, Agent Seven. Prepare to fire, hold for my order."

"Target in sight, shot is ready, Waiting on your go, Control."

He didn't think, he just reacted. His legs pedaled as he ran, and his tiny wings buzzed. Self-doubt wasn't even an option for him now, and that last barrier fell away as he launched himself into the air.

The kitten landed safely on his back and latched into his skin with needle-sharp claws. Star Dasher didn't even notice the pain, he was too focused on getting back to the ground with his delicate cargo intact.

A few seconds later, he glided to the ground and landed softly.

"Epiphometer at 94%. Hold your fire until 100%"

"Confirmed, Control. This isn't my first rodeo."

"Cut the back-talk, Agent Seven. Maintain visual and hold."

"Confirmed, control."

"Are you okay, little guy?" Star Dasher said, looking back at the wide-eyed kitten still attached to his back. Now he started feeling the claws, and with a pained chuckle, he said, "How about letting go of my coat?"

The kitten slowly retracted its claws as it started to realize that it was safe on the ground. It looked around, mewed happily, and jumped off of the colt's back.

Star Dasher smiled at it, and then looked back at the tree.

"Wow..." he said, wide-eyed. The tree was thirty feet away now. The branch that the kitten had fallen from was a good twenty feet up.

Star Dasher realized that he'd actually flown. For the first time in his young life, he'd flown. And not just for a little while, but for a pretty good distance, at least for a colt!

"Wait here," he told the kitten, which was ignoring him in favor of the much more important task of cleaning itself. Star leapt into the air, cautiously at first, and then with more confidence.

"I'm flying!" he shouted joyfully. He didn't have much in the way of endurance yet, and his wings were starting to hurt, but he was definitely flying!

"Ruby Racer can just stuff it!" he crowed as he banked, referring to a particularly obnoxious filly in his class who made sure to tease him at every opportunity about his lack of flying skills.

He landed and smiled at the kitten, who was regarding him solemnly.

"Thanks, little guy," he said. "If it hadn't been for you, I wouldn't have ever learned to fly. And all because I needed to help you..."

He trailed off, thinking.

"Epiphometer at 98%! Prepare to fire, on my mark!"

"Firing solution prepared and ready, Control!"

The kitten stared up at him, absolute trust in its eyes. Star Dasher thought about how good it felt using his wings to save the small animal from harm. He realized that he'd never felt better about himself than he did right now.

Rescuing animals wasn't something that he could do every day, he realized. There were only a certain number of cats in the world, and only a few of them got stuck in trees at any given moment. But that didn't mean that he couldn't figure out other ways to help animals and ponies out, now that he could fly!

Why, it could be the whole purpose of his life, using his wings to help others...

"100% confirmed! Fire!"

"Firing Cutie Cannon!"

Star Dasher felt a slight tingling on his backside and turned to see what it was, expecting to see a leaf had brushed up against him, or an insect had landed on him briefly. Instead, he was stunned to see a shooting star adorning his otherwise plain grey hide.

"My cutie mark," he whispered in wonder. Then he shouted, "Yes!" and launched himself high in the air.

"I got my cutie mark! I got my cutie mark!" he yelled triumphantly, then laughed with pure joy. Back on the ground, the kitten stared at him as if he were a madpony.

"Cutie Mark deployment confirmed. Good work, Agent Seven. Return to base."

"Confirmed, Control. And, thanks."

"You earned it. First cup of cider is on me."

"You're on!"

After a few victory laps, all while whooping and shouting at the top of his lungs, an exhausted Star Dasher landed and grinned at the cat.

"You know what?" he said to the feline. "You're lucky. I'm going to call you Lucky. Would you like to come home with me and get something to eat, Lucky?"

Lucky mewed what Star chose to assume was a 'yes'. He picked the kitten up and deposited it on his back.

"Ruby is going to be so mad," Star confided in his new pet. "She doesn't even have her cutie mark yet!"

Star Dasher walked the rest of the way home with a spring in his step, a whole world of possibilities stretching out before him.

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notMurphy

notMurphy #1 · Oct 1st, 2012 · 3 · ·

This is brilliant
Kittens make everything better

OwlTrowl

OwlTrowl #2 · Oct 1st, 2012 · 1 · ·

*Finishes the last two chapters of project Sunflower for the night, goes back to the user's homepage and sees a new story already up* ................. I will never doubt your writing speed again.

djthomp