Upon Melancholy Hill
By: Die Philosophen
Rainbow Dash was excited, too excited for other ponies terms as she stared at the paved runway, watching in awe as her father slowed the car to a stop a good way from any outgoing or ingoing aircraft. Why Rainbow Dash was excited? She'll finally be able to fly within a plane, a real one that used a engine, unlike Pegasi who used wings instead to fly high. Her father was already prepared, his solid black aviation hat wrapped securely around his head, his face covered in a balaclava and eyes covered by solid brass goggles, the red tint the same color as her eyes. The young filly flapped her wings excitedly as her father lifted her from the car seat and sat her on top of his shoulder, taking up barely enough space as they stared around, Rainbow staring left and right and pointed out various things on the private runway.
Her father wasn't truly her father by blood, but a human aviation pilot who entered the Equestrian lands by accident, and found himself a home within the lands after complex tests by Celestia, and her subsequent approval allowed him access. He was a strong-built man, standing a staggering six feet three inches, who enjoyed the outdoors, and menial labor jobs. How he adopted Rainbow Dash the filly never knew, and never cared to know, she had a father after her parents disappeared after her birth. And their love of aviation brought them closer together.
The mighty single-engine aircraft stood proudly across the tarmac, the oil black hull emblazoned with a rainbow stripe ending at the nose. Her father said that it was a Cessna One-fifty, an advanced aircraft with many different things that Rainbow had some difficulty understanding how it worked. But again, she didn't want to know, she just wanted to fly.
Taking her seat within the passenger side, Rainbow stared vividly around from her position, her mouth unable to cease talking as her father smiled brightly, her adopted daughter was just like him when it came to aeronautics, but when they got into the air, she would never stay quiet until they landed. Starting slow, her father pushed in the mixture knob to the aircraft, allowing the engine to have the largest amount of fuel at ready. Next, he pushed another knob in fully, followed by Rainbow Dash flipping the master switch on and smiling to her father as he opened the throttle a fourth of an inch inward, and finally turning the ignition switch into position until the engine fully started itself, Dash staring gleefully as her father quickly checked off the pre-flight checklist, and started down the runway slowly.
Soon enough the two were flying high into the sky, Rainbow Dash refusing to close her mouth as her father smiled, the Pegasus pointing towards Cloudsdale, climbing more than three thousand fleet into the air. Gliding towards the city, Isaac was greeted by the sight of other Pegasi flying nearby, many staring at the flying aircraft as Dash waved swiftly left-and-right at each one they passed by, some responding to her waving as her father slowly began singing, a music player near the dashboard started up...
Up on Melancholy Hill
There's a plastic tree
Are you here with me?
The song lyrics were familiar to Dash, the song that her father always played to her whenever it was appropriate, it felt like a theme song to them both. Though she couldn't understand whatever the singer meant, she always sung along with her father, memorizing each lyric since she was a newborn...
Just looking out on the day of another dream
Cloudsdale's residents stared in awe as her father gracefully flew amongst the cloud buildings, some close calls nearly costing a structure or two a bit of their cloud, but little harm had come. Soon enough Pegasi who could keep up with the aircraft were gliding close by the Cessna, some demanding a race by the familiar signs. When her father stared back towards her, Dash nodded quickly in response. Soon enough her father maximized the aircraft's speed, sending some Pegasi in the dust as their speed increased, soon enough they'd left the competitors behind in well under a minute, to Dashes guess. Again her father spoke the next part of their song, pointing towards Canterlot, a short enough distance away to her guess again.
Where you can't get what you want
but you can get me...
So let's set out to sea
Rainbow finished it off again,
Cause you are my medicine when you're close to me.
The evening sun casted a brilliant glow over Canterlot, the Cessna alerting some of the Unicorns below into what appeared to be angry or displeased reactions as the two glided carefully towards the castle, Dash barely making out the form of Princess Celestia staring up towards them, feeling a form of kindness wash over her, unable to resist waving her hoof down towards her as the plane looped around the castle, her father starting the third part:
So calling all the submarines,
'round the world we'll go
Canterlot was now behind them, the two directing towards their next destination of Sweet Apple Acres, and finally they'd spend the rest of their time flying around the Everfree, and land at the airstrip in Ponyville. Their journey was short as the aircraft sped along the airways, soon flying over the familiar apple orchards, acres and acres of orchards. Dash easily made out the sight of one of her best friends, Applejack, the orange-and-blonde pony waving up towards them as they passed by, heading towards the Everfree. Dash turned back in her seat as the night sky began to dawn over them, continuing the next two lyrics;
Does anybody know love,
if we're looking out on the day of another dream.
The canopy of the Everfree Forest was all that Rainbow Dash could see, for miles and miles away they'd go, and swing around again, barely any creatures that Dash wanted to see even appeared in exception for the fleeting glance of a Manticore watching them solemnly, knowing better than to chase such airborne prey. Looking around, Dash couldn't help by feel tired finally, after flying around for so long, it never dawned that Rainbow Dash would soon tire out when her adrenaline rush ended, only able to hear the last two lyrics to the incomplete song as Ponyville dawned over, Dash slowly closing her tired eyes as her father spoke the final words;
If you can't get what you want,
then you come with me....
And a quick song-based one I decided to write off before I get some sleep.
I wrote this in a feeling towards the various Darkfics I've read in my time, sort of makes me feel better knowing that there's always some more optimistic posts, though it doesn't mean I can't enjoy well-written stories as is.
Enjoy, I most certainly did.