Chapter 1
Sworn to Soar
Twilight ran down the hill with all she was worth. Her eyes narrowed with focus and determination. Her lips drew back into a tight, thin smile. The air around her crackled with a light discharge of magical energy. This was it. This time, she'd do it.
Fluttershy followed Twilight with everything she had, which didn't seem to be much. She hated galloping. Each beat of hoof on ground seemed loud as thunder to her. She counted out the steps to predict the hoof beats so they wouldn't catch her off guard as she prayed that this worked and she'd be done.
The charged air grew even more tense as Twilight's focus intensified. There it was. A large wooden ramp, curving the path before her upwards. Upwards, into that beautiful, inviting sky. She charged up the ramp, hooves pounding against the wood. She spread her wings! She leaped off the end! And she fell in a heap just beyond the ramp. It had been over a month since her coronation, and she hadn't been able to lift off once since her first flight! She smacked her hoof against the dirt in annoyance, then looked up. If practice still wasn't cutting it, she'd observe, learn, and try again. She watched for Fluttershy's take-off.
Fluttershy kept galloping, thinking her friend had simply veered down to fly closer to the ground. After all, that's what she would do. She neared the ramp. Oh, she hated going off ramps! She knew this was a bad idea! She—oh no! Her legs froze! Her wings locked themselves against her body! She skidded along the wooden surface, falling to the dirt below, and tumbling to a stop right on top of Twilight Sparkle.
“Oh! I-I'm so sorry!” She hopped off of her, never landing, hovering near the alicorn. “I...I froze up when I got to the ramp...”
“...It's OK, Fluttershy.” She sounded nearly heartbroken. The look of longing on her face as she watched Fluttershy float in the air sent surges of guilt through the pegasus. “I just don't get it! I'm sure I'm getting enough forward thrust...but now you're in the air without having to build up the momentum at all. Why can't I get these stupid things to work?!” She grimaced at the look her raised tones had put on the pegasus' face. “Sorry. I just...I want to be able to fly. I didn't think it was a big deal at first but...They should work! The musculature is appropriate, and the skeletal structure is fine! I've examined them, I've studied flight books, I even flew back when I first got them! I just don't understand why these stupid wings won't WORK.” Fluttershy shrunk back a little.
“I think I'm just a bad teacher...” She said, directing her gaze away from the newly crowned princess. “Maybe you should let Rainbow--” Twilight's eyes went wide. Her face was struck with horror.
“No. Nonononononononono NO. I can NOT let Rainbow Dash try to teach me to fly again.” After two weeks of training with Rainbow, nothing they'd tried had worked. Twilight's coach had grown frustrated, and gotten an incredibly dangerous idea.
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“Rainbow, I'm trying to learn to fly under my own power...” She said, as the daredevil lifted her higher and higher. “I don't really see what you carrying me is going to accomplish...”
“Hey, we've been at this for a while, and there's no progress. Now, I'm not gonna give up on you. So instead, I'm going to drop you.” She said calmly, smiling.
“...WHAT.” Twilight's eyes went wide, terror building in her heart.
“Relax, you have PLENTY of time before you reach the ground! Just keep trying to get flying before you hit the bottom.”
“I'M GOING TO HIT!?”
“No, of course not! When you're about to, just teleport to the ground!” Rainbow explained, displaying her lack of knowledge regarding teleportation.
“Rainbow! If I teleport while I'm falling, even after I teleport, I'll still be going just as fast in the same direction!” She squealed, thrashing, feeling very panicked, wishing Rainbow hadn't ensured a cleared sky, and that there were some clouds to fall on for a much safer descent.
“...Huh?”
“Teleporting only changes location, not inertia!! I'll be flattened!” She whimpered, desperate to get through to her.
“...Oh! Then that gives me an even better idea! I'll drop you--”
“WHY!?”
“--And then, when you're about to hit the ground, stay with me here, you teleport BACK UP HERE!” She beamed proudly. “Just keep doing that and you've got all the time to practice getting those wings working that you'd ever need!” Twilight could admit that this plan made some sense, if not for one fatal flaw.
“I can't keep teleporting forever! I'LL WEAR MYSELF OUUUUUUUUUUUUUT!!!!!!!!!!!” She plummeted mid-explanation, screaming and demanding help each time she wound up teleporting back to the pony waiting in the sky.
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“Oh dear!” Fluttershy was horrified at the story that Twilight had told her.
“It took nearly half an hour before I convinced her to slow down my descent and let me down on the ground safely... She still wanted to be my teacher, and...I'm grateful that she was willing to stick with me. But I am not letting her try to teach me to fly again.” She shivered, remembering the ground rushing up to meet her over and over, a crowd of bewildered townsfolk watching the repeated disappearances of their new princess just above the ground, hearing her screams. If she hadn't been distracted by the sheer, utter terror she'd felt, it might have been the most humiliating moment of her life.
“That's why I came to you,” Twilight said, giving a smile. “I knew your methods wouldn't be as rough as hers.”
“Well, um, the ramp was your idea, and I don't really have methods... and I let you down, too...”
“No, no, just a setback. We'll figure this out! Even if I don't manage to take off, I can watch you do it and try to adjust my technique!” She beamed, eager for her observational study.
“That's just what I mean, Twilight...You wanted to watch me go off the ramp even if you didn't get in the air, but I just fell...” She sadly lowered herself to the ground, landing softly and shrinking back, rubbing her off shoulder with her hoof, head down.
“...Don't worry about that, Fluttershy. We're both learning here. You're learning to teach, and I'm learning to fly. We're both bound to make some mistakes. The important thing is we learn from them. And I learned that you can't make yourself go off a ramp.” Twilight put her leg around her, doing her best to cheer her up. “This might not be easy, and it might not be quick, but I'm not ready to give up yet.” They shared a smile. “Come on back to the Library. I need to review my notes, and you can tell me if something doesn't add up.” They began walking towards town, their ramp left behind by the hill.
The two ponies arrived at the library, the pegasus shocked at the disarray of the books and notes scattered on the floor. A chalkboard stood in the center of the room with diagrams of wings, a few big words she didn't recognize, and a lot of smaller ones she couldn't figure out in this context. She stared, bewildered both by the dizzying explanation of flight before her, and the idea that she'd never actually understood just how she flew before. Twilight stood beside her, looking at it.
“Are you noticing anything incorrect?” She asked, hopeful. She was more than willing to be proven wrong if it meant that she could get even one step closer to flying.
“...I don't understand...” Fluttershy said, frowning.
“Oh, man, I must have really messed it up if it's that confusing...” She was starting to rethink her stance on being wrong.
“No, I mean...Well, for instance,” She pointed her hoof at the board. “I don't know what that is...”
“Bernouli's Principle?” Twilight asked, ears slicked back in confusion.
“Right, I've never heard of that...” She politely listened as the alicorn launched into a rambling explanation of fluid compression, and what it had to do with flying. “Wow...I never knew there was so much going on when I flew...” she blushed a bit at her own ignorance. “I don't think I can help you with your notes...” She grimaced, expecting Twilight to be disappointed.
“That's alright...” She looked around for another book that might have any kind of hint. “Hm...” She picked up an adventure book she'd read years before, seeming to remember a special technique for lift-off. “...Well, there's an idea...” she said, opening it up and flipping around to discover a particular passage. Fluttershy peeked over her shoulder.
“O-oh dear, are you sure?” She trembled at the idea.
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“Are you really, really sure?” Fluttershy asked, still not entirely on board with the idea. Big Macintosh stood before her, one hoof raised into the air, all four of Twilight's hooves resting on the bottom of his own. Granny Smith and Apple Bloom stood nearby, staring anxiously at the spectacle before them.
“Trust me, Fluttershy. I've got plenty of books that mention this. It even has a name! The 'fastball special!' Why would so many ponies use it in fiction if it didn't work in fact?” She said, desperately trying to believe her own argument.
“Princess Twilight, I really gotta say, I ain't altogether comfortable with this...” Big Macintosh told her, looking around nervously.
“Your repeated and insistent objections have been noted. Now get ready! Three, two--”
“WHAT IN TARNATION!? Big Macintosh, you best pray you ain't doin' what I think yer doin'!” The stallion breathed a heavy sigh of relief as his sister returned from bucking deep in the orchard. She unhitched her wagon and trotted over to them.
“AJ, I swear to you, t'weren't my idea! She asked me to! And I told her I didn't think it would work, but...” He mumbled quietly about royal authority.
“Well, put her on down, brother.” Macintosh began to follow his sister's advice, before the frustrated alicorn shouted her arguments.
“Noooo! Come on! I've got a whole pile of hay over there to fall in if this doesn't work! It's not a--” and from that very pile of hay sprouted a pony.
“PROBLEM!” Pinkie Pie had appeared on the scene. She rushed to Applejack, needing a farmer's input. Big Macintosh saw an excuse and set Twilight down, rushing over. Applejack froze for a moment at the lack of personal space she was getting, Pinkie staring into her eyes from less than an inch away.
“Uh...what seems ta--” She began to ask, before Pinkie cut her off.
“PETER PIPER PICKED A PECK OF PICKLED PEPPERS!” The assembled ponies shared looks of confusion. Twilight spoke up.
“So?”
“So, PROBLEM! Pickling of produce preceding picking?! Positively preposterous!” Twilight took a moment to process this before attempting to respond. The moment she opened her mouth, Granny Smith held up a hoof to silence the princess.
“Perhaps Peter Piper privately perfected proprietary pre-pick-pickling procedure?” Everyone just stared at her and Pinkie, dumbfounded as the latter rubbed her hoof on her chin.
“Hm...Ok, I guess that makes sense. Thanks, Granny Smith! Bye!” She casually walked away, having some pressing consumption that needed taking care of at Sugar Cube Corner.
“...Alright! Now that that's over, Big Macintosh--” Twilight turned towards the red stallion just in time to see him vanish deep into the orchard. “...GET BACK HERE!” She began to run after him, halted as Applejack took hold of her tail.
“Now just a consarn minute! What EXACTLY do y'all plan to accomplish, gettin' hurled by mah brother?” She demanded of the alicorn. It didn't matter if she was a princess, or one of her best friends, or how smart she was! This was just reckless. Shoot, this was downright stupid!
“...Maybe we should take a walk, so you can explain it in private?” Fluttershy suggested meekly, eliciting a groan of disappointment from Apple Bloom.
“...Fluttershy's right, Applejack...this...I'd rather keep this as quiet as possible.” Twilight hung her head sadly as she led her friends away from Applejack's family. Once she was satisfied with their sense of privacy, she sat down. “You see my wings?” She asked, extending them.
“Sure do. Y'all must be awful proud of 'em.”
“I would be, if I could use them. Applejack, since I got these wings, I have flown exactly ONCE. And that's just enough times to show me just how much I'd be missing out on if I never flew again. The freedom, the wind through my mane...” She stared at the sky, deep yearning in her voice.
“...Twi, no offense or nuthin', but it sounds like yer a li'l obsessed.” Applejack told her, putting her hoof on the purple pony's back. Fluttershy reluctantly nodded a little in agreement.
“I know I am!” She replied, shocking her friends a bit. “I can't stop thinking about it! I can't figure out why I'm not flying through the air on a whim! The math is sound, the physics make sense, but it doesn't work, and it's driving me nuts. Applejack, until I get this right, I'm stuck. I can't focus on anything else. But knowing that just makes it worse because then I have even more pressure to learn how to fly!” By the end of her confession, tears had begun to form in her eyes. Applejack and Fluttershy both moved in to comfort her.
“Don't you worry no more, sug. If we put our heads together, I'm sure we can come up with somethin'. Fer now, yer kinda makin' some dangerous plans--”
“Not as dangerous as Rainbow's.” Twilight replied, having some sense of limits to what she'd do to be able to fly again.
“...I don't think I wanna know. But I reckon it'd be best if you just let it be fer today. Let's all head on home, think on it a bit, and tomorrow, we'll meet up and see iffin' we can't figure it out. Alright?” Fluttershy nodded enthusiastically, eager to get back to her animals, and Twilight reluctantly went along with Applejack's suggestion. As she began walking home, Twilight noticed the sun beginning to set. Had she really spent the whole day trying to get back to the sky? When she walked through her front door, she gave a tired smile to see all the books back on the shelves, and her notes organized into neat piles.
“Spike!” She called out. Her assistant rushed down the stairs.
“Yeah, Twilight?” He jumped a bit when she pulled him into a hug. “What's gotten into you?”
“Spike, I'm sorry...I know I haven't been able to pay much attention to you lately, and I've been busy, and I'm leaving big messes for you to clean up...So, thank you. Thank you for putting up with it and being the best assistant I could ever have...”
“Geez, Twilight, you're making me blush!” The baby dragon chuckled in embarrassment. He broke out of the hug to see the exhausted look on her face. “...Why don't I make you some nice tea? You look like you've had a rough day.”
Twilight chuckled softly. “Spike, you're too good to me.”
“Well, I have to be! I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle's loyal assistant! It's a very important job!” He beamed, proud of both his work and his station. Twilight patted him on the head, smiling.
“...I think I will take that tea...if you don't mind bringing it up to my room.” He gave a proud salute, and ran off as she went up the stairs. “Evening, Owlowiscious.” She smiled at the bird as he hooted in return, and sat down on top of her bed, looking out the window, staring up at the night sky. She sighed, longing to fly.
“Hoo?” The owl called from his perch, his body facing away as his head swiveled toward her.
“Easy for you to say...You'll probably never have to live without it.” She responded to his imagined question. She looked over at him, grinning. Then, she saw it. “THAT'S IT!” She exclaimed, just as Spike entered, causing him to drop the tray, tea pot and all, on the floor.
“Aw, mannn...I'll get the mop.” He sullenly left the room, and while Twilight felt a twinge of guilt, she couldn't help but feel incredibly excited about her revelation. She seemed downright giddy as she levitated the tray, placed the broken shards of the dishes on it, and finally placed it on her desk. She climbed into bed, pulling the covers over herself, sighing as she stared up at the moon.
“I'm almost there...” She yawned. “Almost...there...” She drifted off to sleep.
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Twilight waited, trotting in place excitedly, a massive grin plastered on her face. She'd skipped breakfast, but she couldn't force her friends to do the same. She had been waiting for over an hour, but she'd been too excited to stay at home. She had to tell AJ and Fluttershy what she'd figured out! Unfortunately, another hour would pass before she got her chance.
Applejack trotted up happily, and clearly proud of herself. Fluttershy slowly shuffled over to them.
“I, um...I thought of some ideas, but...none of them were very good...” Fluttershy told them, sadly.
“Well that's alright, sugarcube, 'cause I think I solved our little puzzle!”
“Me too!” Twilight and Applejack grinned. Knowing that she hadn't let her friends down, Fluttershy's spirits improved drastically.
“First, let's go see Rarity!” Both the earth pony and alicorn announced in unison, before giving surprised looks to each other.
“...So that I can get my tail done.” Twilight added. “What was your idea for Rarity?”
“...Well, I reckon there's two ponies in this town that got themselves flyin' around when they first got wings. She's the other one. But what's yer tail got to do with anything?”
“Well, when I got home and saw Owlowiscious, it just clicked. Birds use their tails to stabilize and direct themselves when flying. My tail was styled and full of product when I first flew! I bet that had a lot to do with it! But you're right, we should definitely ask about how she got a handle on things so quickly when I gave her wings...” The three of them began moving towards the Carousel Boutique.
Fluttershy thought about speaking up, about telling Twilight how her own tail, and certainly Rainbow's tail, had never needed any treatment to help them fly, but she knew her birds, and she knew Twilight was right about their tails. It might not be necessary, but she wanted her friend to have access to all the advantages she'd be able to get. At the very least, it couldn't hurt. She stirred from her thoughts to realize that she'd fallen a dozen or so paces behind her friends.
They reached the door just as Fluttershy finished catching up to them. As they entered, Rarity looked up from a dress she was setting up for display on a mannequin. “Oh, girls! So good to see you all! To what do I owe the pleasure?” Twilight grimaced, realizing she'd once again have to explain her failure to get her wings to work. She closed her eyes, took a deep, calming breath, and just barreled through it.
“Rarity, I haven't been able to fly since my coronation, I really want to fly again, I've been having a lot of trouble with all my attempts.” She stopped, opened her eyes, and asked hopefully, “Will you help me?”
“...You have to ask? Of course! However I can! Though I'm certainly not sure what I could do...” As she started to muse on the idea, Applejack spoke up, taking her hat off and holding it to her chest.
“Well, actually, we had a few ideas. Fer instance, Twilight thinks if'n ya style up her tail like it was when she flew before, she'll have better luck. And I was thinkin' maybe you could offer some tips from when she gave you wings?” She smiled at Rarity, who looked a bit hurt.
“So, you've been working on this for a while then...Without me?”
“Rarity, it's not that I don't trust your opinions or ideas,” Twilight told her, resting a hoof on the seamstress' shoulder, “I... I'm embarrassed by it. I didn't want to tell anyone I didn't have to. Rainbow and Fluttershy know because they were the obvious choices to go to for help.”
“An' I know 'cause I caught her tellin' my big brother to chuck her into the sky.” Applejack added.
“...Well, at least I'm not the last of our social circle to hear of it. Though, goodness knows that doesn't preclude being the last to KNOW. One never can tell with Pinkie Pie. Anyway, come along. I don't remember much, the young flier’s competition was so long ago, but I'll tell you what I can while I work on your tail.”
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The work was done. Her tail was styled into a perfectly aerodynamic form. She led the other three back to her ramp, this time, planning to run down it alone. She walked up the hill, turned around, and took a deep breath. “Here I go!” She called to her friends. She broke into a full gallop, putting all her strength into it. She felt the magical energy crackle around her, forcing it's way from her horn due to her excitement. This was going to work. It had to! She reached the ramp! She leaped off the edge, spread her wings, and once more plummeted to the ground unceremoniously.
Her friends stood over her, none of them sure what they could possibly say. Twilight clenched her eyes shut, tears spilling out. “........AUGH! WHY!? WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY?! WHY WON'T IT WORK?!” she sobbed, slamming her hooves on the ground. The other three felt terrible. None of them had managed to do anything of any real use. They stood, waiting, as Twilight finally calmed back down. She stood up, staring at the ground as tears fell from her eyes.
“Th-thanks...for trying...I guess I'm just a lost cause...” She slowly walked away, dragging her hooves with every step.
“Aw, come on, Twi...”
“Dear, there must be something else we can try!” She turned back towards them at hearing their protests.
“Thank you, all three of you, really, but it's hopeless. I'm...I'm a broken princess. Nothing works, and between you three and Rainbow, I've tried everything. We're out of ideas...”
“N-no...” Fluttershy spoke in a very light whisper. “No we're not...” She said, a bit louder. Twilight looked to her, cocking her head, and sniffling a bit.
“W-what do you mean, Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy looked down at the ground. “I...I told you, I did have some ideas...they're not very good ones, but...nobody has any...and...and I'm not going to let you give up, Twilight. Not when it means so much to you...Because I know you'd never let me give up.” Despite the conviction in her words, she was trembling. Twilight stood a while in thought.
“...I guess I never did let my teacher actually try to teach me...” She wiped her tears away. “So, what's the plan?”
“Um, uh...” Fluttershy's eyes darted between Rarity and Applejack.
“Well, it seems she's got a bit of a performance anxiety, so I suppose we should take our leave.” Rarity announced, drawing a blush from the pegasus and a nod from the earth pony. Soon, Twilight and Fluttershy stood on the outskirts of Ponyville, all alone. Twilight watched her flight coach expectantly, though not overly optimistically.
“W-well, um, I want you to watch my wings and do what I do.” She extended one, then, angling it upward, extended the other. Twilight mirrored the action, and several others.
“Can I ask you a question?” Twilight said, frowning as she continued to mirror Fluttershy, who nodded. “What's the point of this?”
“Oh, when I take care of birds who've been recovering from a hurt wing, I always do this with them. That way I can make sure they can move both wings properly, and without any problems.” At this, Twilight grew a lot more confident in Fluttershy's competency as her teacher, as well as her own chances to get into the air.
“...I can't believe I didn't think of that! And you've TAUGHT birds to fly, too, haven't you? Little baby birds?” She asked, her mood drastically improving. Fluttershy gave a bashful nod, a bit startled by Twilight's sudden change of mood.
“Oh, um...I suppose? Sometimes? Usually their mommies and daddies take care of that...I've only taught one or two, when the parents were injured...Anyway, that's enough of that...” She folded in her wings, Twilight following suit. “I want you to go ahead and flap.”
“Ok...what for?” Twilight asked, quickly flapping her wings. She could feel herself pushing the air down, but, as usual, her hooves remained firmly on the ground.
“So I can...Oh my...Slower, please...” Fluttershy asked, watching the purple wings. They slowed their rhythm. “Good. Keep flapping like that...” She circled around Twilight, watching her wings slowly drift up and down. “...hm...your technique's fine...Did you try--” She cut herself off, looking ashamed. “No, that's silly, of course you did.”
“What? Come on, just tell me what your idea is. Maybe I didn't try it. Maybe it's the one thing I didn't think to try.” She smiled at Fluttershy, trying to keep her coach confident.
“Well...Did you try magic?” She asked, deeply ashamed at having such a silly question.
“Magic? Fluttershy, magic isn't part of flying...I mean, there isn't a pegasus alive who needs magic to fly.” Twilight told her.
“Oh, yes, I know, and...and I'm sorry, it's just, I thought, maybe because you're not a pegasus...” She lowered her head, hiding behind her mane. Twilight stared blankly at her, causing her to feel even more self conscious.
As Fluttershy grew even less certain that this was a valid idea, Twilight decided it made more and more sense. Fluttershy was right, she wasn't a pegasus. She was an alicorn. A being so rare that there weren't any manuals on how one flew. She'd just assumed the rules would be the same as a pegasus, because nothing said they weren't the same.
“Fluttershy, you're a genius!” She suddenly shouted, everything clicking into place in her brain, hugging the nervous pony tightly.
“Oh, um, really? Well, uh, that's nice...” She replied, fidgeting uncomfortably at the contact.
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Applejack and Rarity were wandering through Ponyville, worrying about their friends. “Ya think they'll be able to pull it off, just the two of 'em?” Applejack asked.
“Well...I'm honestly not sure, but...I must remain hopeful.”
“Hey! Hey, guys!” Rainbow landed in front of them. “Have you seen Twilight? I wanted to ask her how...um...something was going...” The last she'd heard, Twilight had only told her and Fluttershy about her problem.
“If you're referring to her flight attempts, she's working with Fluttershy as we speak.” Rarity told her, a bit of worry in her voice.
“Wait, you guys know about it?” Rainbow hovered a few feet off the ground.
“Well, she thought to come to me for advice... I did, after all, have wings of my own for a time...” Rarity fidgeted a bit. She always felt uncomfortable discussing the competition with Rainbow Dash.
“An' I caught her tryin' ta use mah brother as a launch pad. She was standin' on his hoof, tryin' ta get him to chuck her into the air.” Applejack, seeing the look on Rainbow Dash's face, immediately regretted sharing this. “Rainbow, don't you even think about it.”
“Too late, already did!” Rainbow Dash took off toward Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack put her hoof to her forehead in annoyance.
“Sweet Celestia, don't anypony get that this is a bad idea?!”
“Oh, Applejack...” Rarity patted her on the shoulder. “I know it's not much...but I know it's a terrible idea.”
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Twilight took a deep breath, trembling a bit with how nervous she was. Twice in as many days she'd gone off this ramp, and both times she'd just fallen, humiliated and beaten by that despicable gravity. This time, though, she had a new plan. Magic. Almost her whole life, magic had been second nature. Relying on it had come to her as naturally as breathing, but now she'd been focusing instead on the mechanics and the physics. She desperately prayed this would work. Each time she'd gone off that ramp, her excitement and determination had caused magic to begin seeping out from her horn, charging the air, and she'd only let it dissipate out of her when she'd tried to fly. This time, she would put it to use. The air crackled slightly as she kicked off, galloping down the hill. She silently begged her wings and her horn to get her into the air. She reached the ramp. She spread her wings, and she focused on that field of energy around her, pulling on it as she ran up the ramp, reshaping it. She kicked off against the edge of the ramp as she reached the air. She was doing it!
“I'M FLYING!!! I'M FLYIIIIIIIIIING!” She squealed, soaring into the sky! She was an alicorn, and she finally understood. They did not fly on the air, they flew on currents they generated! Currents in the fields of magic flowing all through Equestria! Magic was natural to Twilight Sparkle, and now that she'd relied on her nature, she had finally touched the sky.
“LOOK OUT!!!” A rainbow streak barreled through the air toward her! She narrowly dodged it, looking after it, baffled.
“...Rainbow Dash?” She asked, hovering in place. “...Wait, I can hover now! Fluttershy, I'm doing it!”
“Way to go, Twilight!” Fluttershy yelled, to the degree that Fluttershy could yell, which left it barely audible.
“I have to go tell the others!” She flew off toward Ponyville, and found Applejack and Rarity! “APPLEJACK, RARITY, I'M DOING IT!” Applejack hollered with pride, throwing her hat into the air, as Rarity squealed with delight. Twilight saw Pinkie hopping down the street! She flew over to her, cheering. Pinkie waved at her, laughing happily, knowing only that her friend was having a good time.
“I have to go find Rainbow Dash! I have to...” She slowly descended, landing on solid ground. “Wait, she shot past me right after I took off...What was that about?” Applejack stared at the princess flatly.
“Well, I reckon that's my fault, seein' as I accidentally told her what you had Big Macintosh trying to do. Now do y'all get why it's such a bad idea?” Twilight nodded, looking worried. She focused her power, a field of energy forming around her. She began flapping her wings, ascending into the air without any need to build up thrust. Even though it had clearly worked, she was still ecstatic to find that the previous run wasn't a fluke.
“I...think I need to go try and figure out where Rainbow landed.” She told her friends, looking off toward the distance as she rose up. She took a deep breath, and pushed forth hard, wind whistling in her ears and across her wings as she soared over the town, the ponies of Ponyville cheering as their princess flew over head. She finally found Rainbow, who was on the way back to town.
“Oh, good! I was worried you crashed or something...”
“TWILIGHT, YOU'RE FLYING!” Rainbow shouted, staring in shock.
“....I'M FLYING!” She squealed back. After so long, after all her failures, it still didn't feel entirely real. Twilight Sparkle had done it. The vast sky was now hers to visit at will. She took a deep breath, looking out over the vast landscape beneath her. She felt so amazing, so alive! And she had her friends to thank for it.
The End.