The Stranded Pilot

A/N: A few things before the story: Sorry it's taken longer than expected, I was trying to get it just right and I recently got Homefront, I Am Alive and The Impossible Game for Xbox. Secondly, as you can see I'm now using tab-spacing for new paragraphs, so let me know whether you prefer it or not. Oh and Maverick finally flies IM SO EXCITED :D

*ahem*

on to the story.

(Visual Aid, the red line is the crash path, dot is the clearing)

Maverick jogged up path towards the clearing, his helmet under his arm astronaut style. He reached the guards and they automatically stepped aside, eyeing his uniform. He raised a hand and smiled in greeting, continuing to the clearing itself. He slowed to a brisk walk and saw a half dozen or so ponies assembled. Twilight had left earlier and met Rainbow Dash on the way, and the group had been added to with Luna, the three engineers and Jet. They were talking excitedly, except for Luna and Jet. They kept talking as Maverick approached and Twilight stepped forward.

"We need a way to communicate, and you have some sort of radio, don't you?" she asked.

Maverick nodded and held out the helmet. "The microphone is here, but the radio is in the plane. How are we going to communicate?"

"I think I can perform a spell used by the weather team unicorns. It should let us talk. Can I?" Twilight asked.

"Go ahead." Maverick held his hand out towards the plane. Twilight stepped towards it and closed her eyes. Her horn lit up and she placed it against the fuselage of the plane. A few seconds later there was a crackle of energy and a tiny pulse of magic shot through the plane, a small wave of purple that passed in a second.

"Ok, you should be able to talk to me now, and hear me back." Twilight said, walking across the runway back to him.

"Alright then, am I good to go?" Maverick asked.

"I don't see why not. Here's the map you wanted." Twilight levitated over a rolled up map.

"Thanks Twilight." Maverick turned and whistled to get the attention of the other ponies. They hushed and turned to look at him. "I'm good to go." He looked over the ponies. Luna and the engineers looked excited, Jet and Twilight intrigued and Dash was impatient.

"Come on!" she urged him on, lifting off herself.

Maverick jogged over to the plane sitting under the tenting and gestured to Twilight and dash to follow. Dash flew over and hovered over the open cockpit while Twilight made a gentler trot. She stopped in front of him.

"Twilight, if you can?" Maverick held out the helmet. It was engulfed the usual purple aura and after a flash of light, a somewhat smaller copy was floating next to the original. Maverick took his and nodded to Dash who hovered down and cautiously took the cloned helmet in her forelegs. Maverick smiled at her expression.

"Thanks Twilight. Now, you better step back." Maverick said. He turned, climbed up the rope ladder and stepped over the side of the cockpit. He stayed standing and waved Dash over before turning to face the navigator's seat behind him.

"Ok, this seat isn't really designed for a pony, but I think you'll fit. Sit with your back against the seat." Maverick waited as Dash lowered herself into the seat, sitting upright. Maverick took the helmet from between her hooves and placed it on her head, making her laugh. Maverick grinned. "Shush or it won't go on." He did up the buckle under her chin.

"Do I really have to wear this?" Dash asked, pushing the visor up as it slid down over her eyes.

"Yep. Safety measures. And you need it to attach the oxygen mask." Maverick explained.

Dash's eyes widened. "Oxygen mask?"

"Yeah. This thing goes so fast you need it to breathe properly. No need to be worried." Maverick said. Dash nodded. Maverick then realised the mask wouldn't fit over Dash's snout. "Great." he muttered. "Sorry Dash, but it's not going to fit."

Dash looked down and sighed sadly. Maverick heard a knocking and looked down to see Twilight.

"I know some proportion-altering spells." she said.

Maverick though this over. "How long will it last?" he asked.

"This spell's permanent." Twilight said.

"Ok then." Maverick nodded. Dash's look of excitement returned. The oxygen mask became bathed in a magical aura and, after a flash similar to the clone spell, it was longer. Long enough to fit over Dash's snout. Maverick turned and beamed at Twilight.

"Nice save Twi." Maverick turned his attention back to Dash and gave a basic rundown of her position and basic controls.

"…and hold down that button to speak to me or Twilight. Got all that?" Maverick asked.

Dash nodded. "Uh-huh!"

"Good. Oh, and one last thing. This thing covers distance like nothing else, and I need to know where I am." he held out the map and unrolled it over the controls in front of Dash. "Can you do that?"

Dash nodded faithfully. "Sure can. Now let's go!"

Maverick laughed. "Eager, huh?" He reached over and clipped the altered oxygen onto Dash's helmet. "That fit ok?" Maverick asked. Dash said something muffled through the mask then nodded. Maverick smiled and turned to face forwards. He put his own helmet on and clipped it tight before sitting down and attaching his own oxygen mask. He ran a radio test.

"Can you hear me Dash?"

A few seconds later and a nervous reply came back. "Uh huh."

"Can you hear us Twilight?" Maverick asked.

"Loud and clear Maverick." Twilight's voice came through the speaker.

"And I can hear you, so the spell worked. Alright, starting pre-flight tests." Maverick pressed the master switch and ran through the monotonous tests, moving the rudder, testing the flaps. Once he was content he raised a thumb to the group of ponies gathered at the runway's edge. He could just hear them talking over the hum of the power.

He reached above him and grasped the handle of the glass canopy, but turned to Dash and transmitted a message. "Not claustrophobic are ya, Dash?"

"Nope. I'm not afraid of anything." came the reply.

"Good, good." Maverick pulled the canopy shut over them, emitting a dull thud and a hiss as it sealed in place. Maverick waved the ponies at the runway edge back, pointing to the guard tent. When they had gotten adequately clear he powered the engine just enough to push the fighter out from under the tenting and onto the runway. He nudged the joystick and the plane turned to face down the runway. He opened one of his pockets and grabbed a pair of gloves. He pulled them on and looked to his left at the ponies arranged there. He took a second to think over the situation.

He had expected to test an experimental fighter in an electrical storm, come back, get a commendation and be back in time for Easter. Instead, he had been hit by a magical lightning bolt, been transported to another plane of reality, a world from a cartoon show of talking ponies no less. He had then crashed, befriended several of the locals, received help from a magical goddess that controlled the sun and was now sitting in his repaired fighter, on a DIY runway with a cyan pegasus sitting behind him in the navigators seat. That just happened to have a rainbow mane.

All in all, not your average day as an RAF pilot.

Maverick looked back down the runway. It was just hot enough to produce a heat haze near the end of the runway, in the plain he had initially aimed for. He spoke to Rainbow Dash.

"Hold on to your mane Dash." Maverick put the throttle full down and heard the turbines spin faster and faster. The fighter lurched forwards, almost unsure of itself, but gained speed incredibly quickly. Maverick could feel the plane juddering slightly, despite the smoothness of the runway. This was it. The deciding moment. If the plane didn't get enough speed, that would be it.

As the plane surpassed 150kph Maverick gently pulled up on the stick, tilting the aircraft back, pointing into the sky.

The moment of truth.

Maverick felt the shuddering stop. He looked to his side and saw the ground receding below him. He whooped and threw a fist in the air and he could Dash celebrating with him. Maverick pressed down the transmit button.

"This is Maverick, take-off successful!"

"Well done Maverick!" Twilight shouted.

"That is excellent news!" Maverick heard a familiar voice and laughed as he twigged.

"Hello Princess!"

"Greetings Maverick. Your craft is most spectacular!"

"Thank you. How are you doing Dash?" Maverick turned and looked behind him.

"I'm good! This is awesome!"

"Good to hear. Now, to test it." Maverick banked gently to test the flaps were still operating normally. The fighter tipped carefully to the left. Maverick pulled back and the plane began a gentle curve back towards the clearing.

"We're not landing already, are we?" Dash asked worriedly.

"No, just doing a fly over. Might want to cover your ears, ground ponies." Maverick warned.

A few seconds later Maverick passed over the clearing at 300kph, a hundred feet up. He eased up on the throttle and kept his speed level.

"Woooooh!" Dash shouted.

"That's the spirit! Glad to see you've perfected the radio." Maverick shouted, before turning towards Ponyville. He increased his altitude further and saw the tips of the town hall and the Carousel Boutique in the distance. At his current speed Maverick reached it in 10 seconds and flew over the whole town in just a few more. After a few minutes of flying in a circle pattern, testing the plane, Maverick decided it was safe to try more extreme manoeuvres.

"So Dash, you once asked if I ever did fancy moves. Wanna see one now?"

"Yeah!"

"Might want to hold on then."

Maverick activated the flaps and dropped the thrust.

"Dumping speed!"

He tilted the stick to the left and pulled back, sharply altering the fighter's trajectory. As soon as it had changed enough Maverick put on full throttle and de-activated flaps. The fighter sped up in the new direction. Maverick could hear Dash shouting in the back through the mask.

"Geez, that was heavy!"

"G-Force. Whaddya think of that?"

"Awesome!"

"That was most impressive. I have not seen an airship do that before." Luna commented.

"Most can't." Maverick explained. "Now then, I think we're ready for a little speed test."

"Speed test?" Dash asked excitedly.

"Yep. Hold on to your mane! Again!"

Maverick took the throttle up to full. The ground became a blur.

"So Dash, you wanted a sonic boom?" Maverick asked.

A few seconds later saw them back over Ponyville, just as the supersonic aircraft surpassed the speed of sound. A cone of condensed water blasted around the aircraft as it sped through the invisible force of physics and a sharp crack was heard as they broke the sound barrier. Maverick banked left and right, making the air entrails from the wing tips dance. Maverick levelled the speed at 1,500kph.

"And THAT'S how we do it!" Maverick shouted. It wasn't often he got to fly like this without having some sort of objective. He soon lowered the thrust to below the sound barrier, knowing any faster than Mach 1 would suck the battery dry after half an hour.

"This is SO cool!"

"Ok Dash, time to do your job. Where are we?"

Dash used the compass and map Maverick had given her. "Ok, we're heading south over Whitetail woods, east of the clearing. We're heading to Hoofington.

"Ok, I'm going to fly a holding circle around Ponyville. Need to make sure this thing is up to scratch." as soon as Maverick said it he banked hard to the right and circled back towards Ponyville.

As he closed down on the clearing he saw something out of the corner of his eye, coming into view alongside him. When he looked it became several something's, several blue something's.

"The Wonderbolts!" Dash shouted.

"I was wondering then they would show up." Maverick laughed. He gave the soaring pegasi a thumb up. The lead pegasus, whom he guessed to be Spitfire, waved back at him. Maverick banked lightly to the right, increasing the distance between the pegasi and the Lightning. After levelling out he spoke to Dash.

"MIGHT want to hold on to something. Ready?"

"Uh-huh."

"Alright then." Maverick tipped the stick to the side, making the plane barrel roll to the right, further away from the Wonderbolts. They responded by falling into a V formation around him, Spitfire flying next to the cockpit. She knocked against the window and when Maverick looked, she mouthed the words 'Follow me'. Maverick nodded and she flew further forward, just in front of the fighter's cockpit. She led the craft over Ponyville and her wingponies broke off and did corkscrews away from the Eurofighter.

"Alright, I'm gonna try something big. Hold on."

"As usual. Ok."

Maverick pulled back so they were pointed upwards at 30 degree angle to gain altitude. After a few seconds he pulled back drastically, pointing them up vertically. He didn't let up and soon the aircraft was upside down. He kept going and soon enough they were rocketing towards the ground. Maverick whooped in joy as the ground got closer and closer and they levelled out. Maverick looked back at Dash and saw her eyes wide through the visor. Maverick laughed.

"You don't have much faith in me, do you Dash?"

"Well, the ground was getting pretty close."

"And I thought you weren't afraid of anything."

"I wasn't. I was just temporarily frightened."

"Whatever." Maverick chuckled. "Anyway, I'm pretty sure this thing is airworthy after those stunts. I'm gonna head back to the clearing. You might want to get ready for that Twilight."

"We have to land already?" Dash asked.

"We've been in the air for half an hour Dash. Besides, all I was gonna do was test it in this flight. There's gonna be more Dash." Maverick banked towards Whitetail woods.

"Alright." Dash sighed.

"Besides, I'm sure the Wonderbolts want to talk…"

"Hurry up and land!"

"If you say so." Maverick laughed. He turned back towards the clearing, the runway in sight a kilometre away. The Wonderbolts formed up in a V formation around him. He lowered the throttle until he was doing just above stalling speed and lowered the landing gear. 40 feet up they crossed the end of runway so he dropped the thrust below stalling and activated the flaps.

"Warning. Warning. Stall Imminent."

"What was that?" Dash asked worriedly.

"Don't worry, we need to stall." Maverick pulled back and there was a squeal of rubber as the landing gear touched down.

"Ok, slow, slow." Maverick muttered as the fighter sailed down the runway. The flaps were doing their job and soon enough they were coasting at 20kph as they neared the clearing. They reached a stop 5 metres before the end, facing the gently flowing river.

"And THAT, ladies and gentlemen, is how we humans fly." Maverick looked out of the canopy to see the group of ponies stamping on the ground in applause.

"Now THAT was awesome!"

"Enjoyed it Dash?" Maverick laughed as he turned off the power. The turbines slowed and the whirring died down as Maverick unclipped the oxygen mask, took a breath and sat back in his seat for a moment. He released the canopy, slid it back and stood up and stretched. He turned to Dash who was currently trying to unattach her own oxygen mask, but was having little luck. Maverick reached over and undid it and her helmet buckle for her.

"There you are Dash." Maverick said and she jumped into the air, spread her wings and flew down to the group, the helmet still on her head. Maverick sat back down in his seat and finished shutting down the plane. When he looked back towards the group the Wonderbolts had touched down and he noticed half a dozen new ponies talking to the rest of the group. Pinkie Pie had arrived and was holding a tub of popcorn and Rarity, Applejack and Big Mac were with the crusaders, standing at the back of the group. The three fillies had journalist hats and notepads. Maverick chuckled. This should be good.

He stood up again and climbed over the side of the cockpit and slid down the side. He grunted as he landed. It was a fair bit higher with the landing gear. He dusted his hands and took off his gloves as Spitfire walked over.

"I never figured your airship would be as fast as that. We had trouble keeping up." Spitfire said admiringly.

Dash walked over and joined them. "So that's how humans fly?" she pushed the visor on her helmet up.

"Pretty much." Maverick nodded.

"And the Sonic Rainboom!" Dash flew into the air over Maverick. "I had no idea airships could do that!"

"Didn't you want a race Dash?" Maverick asked, his arms crossed.

Spitfire raised an eyebrow. "A race huh? I wanna see this."

Dash nearly fainted when she heard this. Maverick covered for her.

"The batteries low, it'll take another day or two to recharge. Speaking of which, I still need to find out how to push it back under the tent." Maverick turned to look at the monstrous machine.

"I can help with that." Twilight stepped forward and Maverick laughed.

"What would I do without you Twilight?" he asked.

"Have your plane still stuck in the dirt?" Twilight asked as her magical aura surrounded the plane. A second later a second joined it, this one dark. It took a whole two seconds for Maverick to figure out whose it was. Luna stepped up.

"After such a display, I shall help you replace your airship."

Maverick stepped forward and physically helped push the aircraft backwards under the tent. Once it was in place he crawled under the plane and removed the service panel, sliding it aside with a clatter, before standing up and walking behind the aircraft where the three generators were placed. One was whirring and powering his IPhone.

"Tell me, what is the purpose of these devices?" Maverick looked behind him and saw Luna.

"They make electricity to power the plane. And my IPhone." he held up the now fully powered device. Luna smiled sheepishly.

"One did not know there was a limit to the device." she apologized.

Maverick waved her off. "You don't need to apologize. Anyway…" Maverick picked up a roll of cable that was connected to all three generators and unravelled it, walking towards the service panel. He went prone and crawled under before placing the cable into the batteries recharge port. He stood up again and released the bolts that were stopping the generators spinning. As soon as he did they began whirring, generating power.

"There." Maverick stood up and placed his hands on his hips. A second later a party horn went off in his ear making him stumble. He looked round and saw Pinkie Pie; the party pony had a party hat on her head.

"Gabby Gums wants an interview and we need to have a party to celebrate your plane being fixed!" she looked at his IPhone. "And now we can use some of your music!"

Knowing it was easier to agree, Maverick nodded. It was time for celebration after all.

A/N: I hope I lived up to your expectations. As a side bonus, not really precise with the story but close enough. And I thought it was pretty cool. I can't post the picture here, but just copy the URL.

http://i730.photobucket.com/albums/ww301/xBNDx/MLP-FiM%20Megathread/Normal%20Pics/40471-airplaneartistscratch42fighterplanerainbow\_dash.jpg