Twilight Sparkle Gets Flying Lessons (From a Wonderbolt)

Chapters

Prologue
A Blazing Fire
Preparations
To Be a Pegasus
Inner Strength

Prologue

“Ugh, seriously? It’s not that hard, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash smacked a hoof against her face and groaned into it. She’d been giving Twilight flying lessons for the better part of a month, and Twilight still couldn’t get the basics down.

Rainbow Dash wasn't known for being a patient pony. When things came easily to her and not for others, it was easy for her to become frustrated. But for the most part, she'd stuck with Twilight and tried her hardest to get her to show improvement—but to no avail. Every single day, they'd gone out to this field and practiced. Rainbow Dash would watch as Twilight attempted to get off the ground, give her some pointers and encouragement, and would witness as it all went down the drain and her friend plopped back down to the earth.

It was more than disheartening on her spirit. Could she really be that bad of a teacher?

“I’m sorry, Rainbow,” Twilight said, standing up on wobbly hooves. That was the fourth time she’d fallen flat on her face, just within this practice session. “I’ll try harder this time.”

Rainbow landed in front of Twilight, frowning. “I’m starting to think this is a lost cause,” she muttered under her breath. Then, louder, she said, “This time, make sure to flap both of your wings at the same time. That’s what keeps you balanced.”

Twilight nodded her understanding, screwing her face up in concentration. She beat her wings once, twice… The ground beneath her hooves dissolved, replaced with an airy emptiness. She dared not open her eyes now. That always led to her freezing up and falling back down to the ground.

“Keep going!” Rainbow couldn't believe how high Twilight was getting. For once in all the time she'd been working with her, she was actually getting somewhere. If she could maintain it, then they could go on to the next step! Excitement coursed through Rainbow Dash as she cheered for her friend.

However, on the other end of the spectrum, Rainbow’s voice had broken the calm spell that had fallen over Twilight. Her friend hadn’t sounded this lively in weeks. Twilight’s heart started beating faster, and sweat beaded down her face. If Rainbow was this pumped up… how high had she gotten?

Twilight tensed, and couldn’t stop herself from cracking an eye open. Big mistake. The alicorn’s wings locked up at once, and she only had time to gulp before she was falling back down to the earth. Wind tore at her fur and burned her eyes.

“Hold on!” Rainbow exclaimed from somewhere above, and it was mere seconds before strong hooves wrapped around Twilight’s midsection, halting her descent. But despite having only been falling for a short time, it felt like so much longer.

For Rainbow Dash, her victory was short-lived. She was tired of watching Twilight fail over and over again, no matter how hard she tried to get the pony to learn something. It was starting to wear down on her own confidence. If Twilight couldn't fly after a month had passed, it seemed unlikely that she ever would. And that would be a reflection on Rainbow Dash, not Twilight.

Rainbow dropped Twilight on the ground. “That’s it, I'm done.”

“W-what?” Twilight managed from her spot on the grass. She trembled from the adrenaline still coursing in her veins.

“I'm sorry, Twilight, but I can't handle this anymore. I'm not cut out to be a teacher, I'm really not.” Rainbow Dash waved her hoof in the air. “I think you should start looking for another pony to teach you.”

The pegasus spread her wings and took to the air. Twilight flinched at the burst of wind that lashed back at her, but she knew it wasn't done on purpose. Rainbow Dash seemed to be more upset with herself than anything.

Once it’d died down, Twilight poked a hoof at the ground and said, “This is my fault.” She glared back at her wings, useless as ever. “Stupid things. I didn’t ask for ‘em.”

Twilight sulked for a few minutes more before deciding to head back home. She was used to the stench of failure at this point, but Rainbow quitting was something new altogether and it dragged her down far more than a simple flight problem. Rainbow Dash was the Element of Loyalty and a pony with a lot of confidence. If she thought she couldn't teach Twilight how to fly, then nopony could.

Spike greeted her from within the library, “Hey, Twilight! How was practice today?”

She collapsed into a chair and planted her muzzle into the wooden table. “Terrible, I’m never going to learn how to fly.”

The soft tapping of baby dragon footsteps sounded in Twilight’s ear. “Don’t you think you’re being a bit… I don’t know, over-dramatic?”

“No!” Twilight snapped her head up and looked at her dragon assistant. “Rainbow’s one of the best flyers in all of Equestria, and she just told me I needed to look for a new teacher! If she thinks I’m a lost cause, then there really is no hope. Princess Celestia will be so disappointed when she finds out...”

“I think you’re making this into more of a problem than it really is,” Spike said, crossing his arms over his chest.

“No, Spike, this is serious! Princess Celestia will probably banish me from Equestria when she realizes how much of a failure I am. Especially since she’s halted my studies until I’ve learned how to fly! I’m not even allowed to check out a book from the Canterlot Archives until I can do it, it’s that big of a deal.”

“Wow, that sounds serious.”

Twilight sighed, hanging her head. “It is, Spike. And that’s why I need to break the news to her right away. There is no other pony that could teach me how to fly if she can't, so I might as well accept that.”

“Are you sure about that?” Spike asked, unsure.

“Yes. Now, take a note.” Twilight cleared her throat as Spike hesitantly grabbed parchment and a quill.

“Dear Princess Celestia, I regret to inform you that I am completely unable to fly. My mentor, Rainbow Dash, has come to this conclusion as well, and has quit. I’m afraid this is what it amounts to, and I’m sorry to be such a disappointment. I'm prepared to receive my due punishment. Your faithful student always, Twilight Sparkle.”

Spike frowned. “I don’t think this is such a good idea, Twilight. Haven’t you stopped to think that maybe Rainbow Dash just let her frustration get the best of her? I’m sure she’ll come around.”

“Just send it, Spike. If Rainbow changes her mind, she’ll tell me.” After a while, Spike shrugged and lifted the parchment, letting a fiery belch devour it. The wisp flew out a nearby window.

“I wish you’d listen to me more often,” Spike commented dryly. Within moments of his statement, he belched again and another letter replaced the one he’d sent. The dragon opened it.

“My most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle. There’s no need to be sorry. If your mentorship under Rainbow Dash’s wing wasn’t working out, why didn’t you tell me sooner? I’ve made arrangements for another pony to try their hoof at teaching you. She should arrive tomorrow, and I expect you’ll have more success this time. And remember, I await the good news. Princess Celestia.”

Spike set down the parchment after he’d finished reading. “...I wonder who the new pony is.”

Twilight looked as if she was glowing with happiness. She jumped up and down with a grin before pulling Spike in for a hug. “She’s not angry with me! Yes!”

“Put me down, Twilight!” He grabbed at his sides. “I don’t feel so good…”

The alicorn placed him on the ground and continued her joyous dance. Not only was Princess Celestia not disappointed in her, but she was sending another pony to teach her. Maybe this pony would be more experienced in teaching and finally be able to get her off the ground! Spike burped and another letter appeared. Twilight stopped dancing and stared at him as he opened the second one.

“I almost forgot to mention which pony you should expect. My apologies. I’ve contacted Spitfire, the captain of the Wonderbolts, to be your flight teacher. She is perhaps the most talented in this regard. I’ve enclosed a photograph of her so you know who to expect come morning. Princess Celestia.”

Twilight gasped and snatched the letter from Spike. She re-read it and pulled out the picture that had been included. “I can’t believe this! The captain of the Wonderbolts? I've never even had a real conversation with her!”

The alicorn gulped as she recalled the most recent instance she’d seen her up close—the time she’d gone to the Wonderbolt Academy to deliver a care package.

“…She’s going to kill me!”

Author's Note

I had this idea before season four had started (so before it became clear that Twilight could fly moderately well), and have been wanting to write a Spitfire/Twilight ship-fic for a long time. That's where this story came from. Anyway, I know this chapter is short, but it's only the prologue and doesn't represent my regular chapter length. I hope you enjoy this story as it comes to fruition.

Update 7/10/14: Officially edited and revised for a more friendly Rainbow Dash.

A Blazing Fire

Twilight Sparkle hadn’t gotten much sleep last night. After an entire month of trying (and failing) to learn how to fly with Rainbow Dash’s help, the mare had finally cracked. It wasn’t uncommon for Rainbow to lose her temper or to let her emotions get the best of her, but it always left a bitter afterthought.

But that wasn’t what had caused Twilight’s insomnia. No, what had brought it about was Rainbow Dash’s replacement, as proposed by Princess Celestia. Spitfire, captain of the Wonderbolts, renowned for her spicy attitude was going to be her new flight instructor. Twilight had only seen Spitfire a couple of instances in the past, and each time had been under questionable circumstances.

So, it was with shaky hooves that Twilight pulled herself out of bed. She’d pulled off all-nighters before, but she still felt pretty terrible. Spike, on the other hand, was completely at peace in his basket. Twilight figured he could use the extra sleep, so she didn’t bother waking him up. Besides, he didn’t need to suffer from her own mistakes.

“Maybe it won’t be so bad,” Twilight said as she made it to the kitchen. She poured pancake mix into a pan. “A pony at work is different than a pony in a casual setting.”

As the pancake mix settled, Twilight spread her overly large wings and looked back at them. “Except… Would this arrangement be considered work or casual?”

The alicorn flipped the pancake, and dismissed the thought. She decided one pancake was all she felt like eating, so when she’d finished making it, she trotted over to her dining table and began her small feast. It wasn’t much, but it left a warm feeling in her belly and made her a bit more confident. When she was almost done, Spike was walking down the steps, yawning.

“Hey, Twi,” he said, stretching. “How’d you sleep?”

“Pretty good,” she lied. “You?”

“Like a log!” Spike exclaimed with a toothy grin. “Or maybe a baby dragon, but that would be a little obvious. Anyway, can I have an aquamarine for breakfast today? Please?”

The dragon assistant held up the stone he’d raided from one of the kitchen drawers, pleading eyes boring into hers. Twilight sighed, then nodded. “Fine. Just one, okay?”

Spike hopped from foot to foot. “Wow, thanks, Twilight! This is gonna be so great…”

Twilight smiled as his infectious happiness finally caught up to her. The dragon nibbled on the aquamarine blissfully, apparently trying to savor it. Twilight levitated the parchment Princess Celestia had sent her yesterday, and re-read its content. Then, she glanced over at the clock on the wall.

“Eight o’clock. I wish Princess Celestia had been more specific on when Spitfire’s supposed to be getting here…”

Twilight handed Spike her dishes before she made her way to the library’s entrance. “I’m going to go wait at the train station, Spike. Would you mind taking care of the library until I get back?”

Spike straightened his back and saluted. “I gotcha covered, ma’am!”

Normally the dragon would’ve been sour about being left behind to do chores, but considering he’d gotten a treat this morning, he was more than willing. The aquamarine in his claws glittered.

“I’ll be back soon,” Twilight said just before opening the door. Behind her, Spike set his breakfast stone down and began to wash up his best friend’s dishes.

The trip to the train station was short, but Twilight found herself glancing up at the sky more than she should have been. She hoped she’d come across a rainbow, perhaps in the form of a messy tail hanging off a cloud, but it never happened.

“All aboard the Pony Express!” somepony shouted, catching Twilight off guard. Louder, the conductor said, “Five minutes until we leave for Canterlot!”

The train station was always excessively loud. Ponies and donkeys and all sorts of different creatures gathered, some more organized than others, and tried to get to where they were going. Twilight remembered doing an exclusive study on how travel could affect a pony’s outlook on life, back when she still attended Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. She’d gotten perfect marks on it, plus a bonus ten points for having included citations for every summary, paraphrase, and quote she used.

Research papers and independent studies were fun.

The train bound for Canterlot chugged to a start and soon disappeared from the station. As Twilight came to realize that she really didn’t know how long she was going to be waiting here, she took a seat on the bench. A pony with a mint green coat and lyre cutie mark reclined beside her, though she sat in a much more peculiar stance. It was how Spike usually sat in chairs.

“You waitin’ for somepony?”

Twilight blinked before meeting the pony’s gaze, realizing that she’d been staring at her for far too long.

“Um, yes,” was all she could manage.

“Me too,” came the chipper response. “The train station’s the best place to meet new ponies. It’s fun to guess what types of lives they lead or what they’re here for.”

Twilight nodded briefly, tearing her eyes away from her and back onto where the trains would be arriving. The sight-seeing pony slumped down into her seat and closed her eyes, as if for a nap. Her head was supported by one of her forelegs propped up on the bench’s armrest.

Thankfully, ponies didn’t go quite as crazy in Twilight’s presence as they did the first week after her coronation. Today was probably the first time in a while that nopony (especially little fillies and colts) had acknowledged her with a hearty outburst of “It’s Princess Twilight!” It was refreshing to blend in the way she used to. She was about to the point of going around wearing trench coats to hide her identity. Rarity would have a heart attack!

Twilight’s eyes drifted shut as her lack of sleep caught up to her. Her head bobbed a couple of times, but she managed to keep it upright. Even the noisy passersby didn’t disturb her, nor did the loud steam whistles.

It was nice.

That is, until somepony started tapping her shoulder. At first, Twilight didn’t respond. Obviously, it was that mint green unicorn trying to get her attention, and Twilight didn’t want to deal with that. When the incessant tapping didn’t go away, the alicorn groaned.

“Unless you can tell me what a super collider is, I don’t want to talk to you.”

“Wow, princess, I didn’t realize you had a thing for trivia.”

When Twilight’s brain registered that this pony was indeed not the same one that was sitting beside her earlier, her eyes snapped open. The mint green unicorn was now replaced by what looked to be a bright yellow mare in a bulky trench coat with a matching black fedora.

Apparently she wasn’t the only one who’d thought about wearing trench coats.

Twilight wasn’t able to formulate any response whatsoever, and could only find it in her to glance at the clock nearby—two entire hours had passed since she’d left the library.

“W-when did you get here?” she finally managed. The Wonderbolt in disguise shrugged lightly.

“It’s only been a few minutes,” Spitfire said as she pulled out what appeared to be a letter. Twilight recognized the royal seal on it, signifying it came from the desk of Princess Celestia.

Then, as if thinking better of it, the captain stuffed it back into her jacket’s inner pocket. She glanced around herself precariously. “Do you think we could talk somewhere a little more… private?”

Twilight thought for a moment before nodding. “Would the library be okay?”

Spitfire stood up, and Twilight followed suit. “Yes.”

So, Twilight led her new flight instructor through Ponyville, making a beeline straight for the Golden Oak Library. Her heart beat anxiously, and every silent step made her stomach twist even more. It was a feeling Twilight knew Fluttershy had to deal with on a daily basis.

“...How was the train ride?” the princess asked finally, unable to handle the silence any longer. A beat passed between the two, until out of nowhere Spitfire laughed without reservation. Twilight jumped at the sudden sound. “What’s so funny?”

“I didn’t take the train.”

Twilight stared at the other pony, her brows furrowing together. Thankfully, the captain answered her silent question.

“I flew here from Cloudsdale, Your Majesty.”

They’d reached the Ponyville library, but Twilight made no move to enter it. “Wait… You flew all the way from Cloudsdale to Ponyville? In less than a day? And how did you know I was at the train station?”

Spitfire straightened the fedora, which was starting to uncover some of her mane. A die-hard fan would have been able to figure out her identity just based on that small detail (and Twilight could think of somepony in particular that could pull that one off).

“It’s not that big of a deal; I’ve made the trip a few times in the past. When I arrived in Ponyville this morning, I came across a dragon that I recognized from the photograph Princess Celestia sent me. I asked him where Her Royal Highness was, and that led me to the train station.”

Twilight mulled this over before nodding. There was only one dragon in Ponyville, so she had to be talking about Spike. “That makes sense.”

Then, she pushed open the door to the library, allowing the two ponies entrance. Her dragon assistant, Spike, was sweeping the floor when they walked in.

He smiled. “Hey, Twilight! And Spitfire, it’s nice to see you again.”

Spitfire waited a moment, a blank look on her face, before she finally spoke. “What’d you say your name was again?”

Spike’s face fell. “It’s Spike. Spike. I told you like three times when you were here earlier. Spike the mighty dragon assistant, remember?”

The Wonderbolt captain’s expression showed no recognition. Instead, she shook her head and turned toward Twilight.

“We need to work out some details.” Again Spitfire pulled out the parchment she had hidden inside the trenchcoat she was wearing, and made sure it was safely placed on a nearby stand. Then, she slipped out of the trenchcoat and handed it over to a grumbling baby dragon. Spitfire plopped her fedora atop his head, which lifted his spirits some.

Now that the bulky, unfashionable clothing had been removed, Spitfire stretched out her wings. She looked a lot more comfortable like this, and much more like the captain of an elite team of flying ponies.

Then, Spitfire took a seat at the table, and Twilight, gulping nervously, took her seat directly across from her. Now that her new mentor had shed the ridiculous outfit she’d been wearing, she was a lot more intimidating. Her eyes seemed sharper and her mane looked almost as if it were a blazing fire. Her coat was entirely too bright, but it suited her.

She seemed like the type of pony that, no matter what the setting was, demanded all attention. What with the bright yellow coat, pointed gaze, messy mane, the tone of her voice and even just the confidence with which she carried herself. It was nerve-wracking to be in the presence of somepony so… vibrant. It made Twilight feel duller in comparison.

“I understand you’ve been having trouble flying.”

Twilight nodded slightly, hanging her head. Spitfire cleared her throat.

“Now, before we do anything, I need you to understand something. I’m the best of the best at what I do. And I respect anypony who wants to get better. But even though you’re a princess, I’m not going to treat you any differently.”

Twilight’s wings sprung open. She pushed herself up from her seat. “I don’t consider myself better than anypony! I want you to treat me just like you would any other pony. And I didn’t get to say so earlier, but that means I don’t want you to refer to me as ‘your highness’ or anything like that.”

The Wonderbolt captain smirked, but dipped her head behind her clasped hooves so Twilight couldn’t see it. “That’s perfect.”

Spike set down a tray between the two ponies (apparently for tea and crackers), and poured tea into two matching cups. Then he set the dishes down and took the tray away. He was still wearing the fedora.

“Thank you, Spike,” Twilight said as she levitated her tea cup and brought it to her lips.

“Yeah, thanks, little dude.” Spitfire lifted her drink with both hooves, oblivious to the seething dragon. Twilight felt bad for him, but the little inner hissy fit he was throwing was way too funny. He lifted the tray and stormed off, mumbling something along the lines of “My Celestia-given name is Spike, or Spike the brave knight, or number one assistant, not little dude..."

Spitfire set her cup down and leaned forward. “I’m afraid there’s more we need to discuss. If I’m going to be your personal trainer until you show results, I’m going to need a place to stay. In my rush to get here, I wasn’t able to make any arrangements. And somehow, I doubt there are any good hotels around here.”

Twilight blinked. Then, idly, she wondered if she should be offended by that last comment. “Well, since you’re already doing so much for me, it’d be the least I could do to provide a place for you to stay while you’re here. I have a spare bed you can use upstairs.”

"Thanks.” Spitfire looked like she was going to say something else, but stopped herself and frowned. Twilight stared back, confused, until finally the other mare spoke up.

“Uh… Princess, are you going to put those away?”

The subject of her gaze seemed painfully obvious now. After Twilight’s outburst about her not being any different from other ponies, her wings hadn’t gone back to their relaxed state. Instead, they had been upright this entire time.

Well, there was a good reminder of her inexperience.

“Oh, um, yes, of course,” Twilight said, blushing in embarrassment. She had trouble getting them down in a way that wouldn’t embarrass her further, so she resorted to using her hooves. At least they weren’t sticking out anymore.

Silence.

“Well, this is a worse case than what I expected.” Spitfire stood up and walked over to Twilight’s side of the table. “Princess, if I may, would you flex your wings?”

Twilight gulped—she wasn’t a shy pony by any means, but this was a touchy subject. She wasn’t confident in the least over her ability in anything wing-related, so performance anxiety (even for something as simple as flexing her wings) was to be expected.

Luckily, she was able to get them out easier than she had putting them away. Spitfire, not impressed, stared at Twilight.

“Now put them back.”

Twilight furrowed her brow, but did as she was told. As soon as they rested flat against her back, Spitfire spoke again.

“Open them back up.”

Twilight was starting to get annoyed; this felt pointless. Still, she flexed her wings out to their full span. Spitfire was a professional, and she knew what she was doing.

“Keep doing that, and I’ll stop you soon enough.” Spitfire trotted back to her seat and leaned back in it, though her eyes didn’t leave Twilight’s wings. The alicorn continued the exercise, though within a couple more reps she was starting to sweat.

“Sp—”

“Call me captain, if you would.”

Twilight glared. Rainbow Dash might have gotten frustrated and quit on her, but she was never quite so rude.

“Captain,” Twilight stressed, “How many times are you going to make me do this simple exercise?”

“I’ll tell you when to stop,” Spitfire repeated, resting her back legs on the table and leaning back even further.

Twilight watched the captain as she continued to relax. If this was punishment for having not been paying attention to her wings’ positioning earlier, then this was a bit harsh. And what was with that attitude? One second she’s reasonable and even a bit playful, and then the next she’s all stubborn and rude.

It was like a switch.

I think my wings are starting to cramp up, Twilight thought, but she tried to persevere past it. Her efforts had produced a small breeze, which Spitfire seemed to be enjoying. She didn’t even look like she was paying attention to Twilight.

The alicorn princess gritted her teeth, but took a deep breath and relaxed. When under Princess Celestia’s tutelage (back when it was in a classroom setting), her teacher always did things in a backwards, confusing manner that didn’t make sense until you were all finished. It was always a string of seemingly unrelated assignments that led to her learning a new spell or technique in the end. Maybe Spitfire was using that method.

But this pony was literally dozing off.

Twilight’s wings started to beat harder, causing a stronger wind to develop. Spitfire’s mane was catching it, and if Twilight thought it looked like a blazing fire earlier, it definitely fit the bill now. The sun was even casting light on it so it looked almost as if it were glowing.

But that observation wasn’t made with curiosity. Rather, it was noticed with a growing sense of irritation.

No, this pony obviously hasn’t made some intricate plan to teach me how to fly the way Princess Celestia would have. She’s sleeping. I mean, she’s probably tired from her fly here, but still… If she’s going to tell me to keep doing some stupid exercise until she tells me to stop she’d better be paying attention.

“Captain,” Twilight said after a while, but she was met with no response other than a small snore.

“Captain,” she repeated, louder this time. But Spitfire was still watching the back of her eyelids. Twilight Sparkle folded her wings back down and, though the previous rhythm had compelled her to, didn’t unfurl them again.

Out of nowhere, Spitfire jerked awake. It almost seemed like the lack of air hitting her face had woken her up.

“Well, excuse me, Princess!” she blurted out. She cleared her throat and straightened her mane out before speaking again, seeming almost bashful over her exclamation. “When did I tell you to stop?”

“Don’t call me princess. My name’s Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight reminded heatedly. “And you fell asleep. I’m not about to sit here for three hours straight doing flight motions while my mentor takes a nap.”

“What did you think you were gonna do when I got here? Talk about super colliders?”

Heat rushed to Twilight’s face, but she glared all the same. “Of course not! I’d just appreciate it if you’d supervise and make sure I don’t sprain a wing.”

Spitfire screwed up her expression in a you-can’t-be-serious look. Still, she took a deep breath and sat up straight.

“Okay, you win. You looked like you were getting a little winded there, but you had pretty good form. What I want you to do is every night before you go to bed, do thirty reps, and when you wake up in the morning, do thirty more. Take your time when doing it to make sure you do it correctly. Got it?”

Twilight nodded, a little surprised at how quickly Spitfire had conformed to her wishes. The captain continued.

“Good. We’ll continue our session tomorrow.” Spitfire drank the rest of her tea and stood up, stretching her wings. Twilight stood up too, her eyes wide.

“We’re finished already? But we’ve only barely scratched the surface!”

Spitfire frowned. “I’m your mentor, and I said we would continue class in the morning. I have things I need to attend to, so try not to hurt yourself while I’m gone. Hey, little dragon!”

Spike appeared from the kitchen, handling a dish in his claws. He glared at the pony who’d summoned him, who at an earlier point in time he looked up to and admired. He still did, but was more upset that she wouldn’t refer to him by his real name than anything.

“Could you bring me my coat?”

As Spike walked away, Twilight stepped closer to the pegasus. Her brow furrowed. “Excuse me, captain… But what do you plan on doing in town?”

The dragon assistant returned with Spitfire’s jacket, to which she promptly put on. Before the drake could get away, however, she grabbed the fedora atop his head and plopped it onto hers. His face turned red from the barely contained anger that coursed through him. Stiffly, he walked back into the kitchen.

Once her outfit was back on, Spitfire turned toward Twilight. “I need to buy some stuff.”

The alicorn frowned, but knew she had no authority over the mare’s actions. Spitfire trotted over to the door and cracked it open.

“I’ll be back in a bit,” she said briefly, “but don’t wait up.”

“Okay."

The door closed shut behind her, and as a few seconds passed, Twilight sat back down and sighed. She obviously wasn’t going to have an easy time with this pony. She just wished Rainbow Dash hadn’t overreacted earlier.

Then, Twilight heard what sounded like someone stubbing their toe against something heavy. It became clear Spike couldn’t contain his frustration any longer. “GRR! My name is SPIKE!”

Author's Note

And I present to all of you the first chapter of this story, excluding the prologue. I understand that a lot of you didn't agree with how I wrote Rainbow Dash, and that the overall shortness of the prologue might have made you question the worth of this story, but it's my hope that this chapter will have changed your outlook on my writing (and if not, I understand). I'm taking my time with this story to ensure I don't rush anything, so I hope you'll enjoy where it's going. Thanks for reading.

Also, anybody catch the references?

Preparations

“A Wonderbolt in Ponyville… A new recruit, I take it? Who’s the lucky pony?”

Spitfire had to resist the urge to laugh. She swallowed it down, and maintained a steady smile instead. It held a hint of amusement around its creases. “Hardly. It’s more of an assignment, really.”

The receptionist shifted her hooves around the documents she was holding, glancing sideways. Nopony else was present at the desk, besides the clock that beeped absently and the occasional sound of somepony walking down the hallway. A stamp was embroidered on the mare’s chest, just above a pocket. Ponyville Hospital was stitched clearly into it, with a simple black and white design. Underneath, a name tag made it clear that this pony’s name was Scarlet.

Scarlet said, “Oh, I see. Well, what was it that you needed again, dear?”

“I’m here on official Wonderbolts business,” Spitfire flashed her captain’s badge, “for something very important. May I speak to a doctor? Someone important, maybe?”

A pony couldn’t have looked more offended if she tried. The receptionist’s eyebrows shot up, and her lips parted. Her grip on the papers in her hooves tightened. When it finally registered, she huffed, stood up, and trotted off in a short clip.

Spitfire pretended not to notice.

When the mare returned, a stallion followed her, wearing a white coat that signified his status as a licensed medical official. Well, not officially, but everypony just assumed it anyway. His coat had the same hospital patch Scarlet’s did, but his name was Scrubs. He had a stethoscope hanging around his neck.

“Yes, ma’am? What is it you need?”

Spitfire stood up straighter, pulling out her Wonderbolt badge once again. Scarlet took her place at the desk once again, throwing metaphorical daggers at her.

Spitfire said once more, “I’m here for official Wonderbolt business, under the order of Princess Celestia herself. I require a D-4 Magic Neutralizing ring for my assignment.”

The doctor’s eyes narrowed. A beat of silence passed between them. “Isn’t that a bit extreme? Those are strictly for medical uses only, in the case that a unicorn needs to be stabilized during a procedure--”

“It is necessary.”

The stallion stared hard at her. “Surely I can convince you to utilize a lower tier item. Perhaps a D-2 ring…”

Spitfire shook her head, growing more weary of the drawn-out conversation. She knew what she needed; she had already planned it all out. “No, that won’t work. I told you what I needed, so it would be cool if you could go ahead and get it now. I would appreciate it.”

Brosque. Spitfire didn’t really care at this point, this exchange had gone on far longer than it should have, and she had other things she had to do.

Finally the doctor walked away, shaking his head. When he returned, he was holding a brown paper bag in his mouth. He handed it to Spitfire. Clearly he was a stallion of his principles, and this went against every one.

“As long as it’s for a good cause.”

“I swear it. It will be for the good of Equestria, in the long-run,” replied Spitfire. Scrubs visibly relaxed some. He smiled, causing Scarlet to smile, too. She must have admired the stallion very much.

“Have a good day now,” he said, returning to his office in the back. Spitfire waved, before turning around and trotting to her exit. Finally.

She addressed the mare over her shoulder, “Have a good day, Scarlet.”

She must not have been expecting it, because she didn’t reply right away. Spitfire didn’t wait, and instead went back outside.

She was more than happy to be out of the stuffy hospital. Spitfire couldn’t stand them, all the sick ponies, ponies who had given up, ponies who weren’t really there anymore… She swore to herself when she became a Wonderbolt that she would never find herself in that position. Not as a patient. Not as a loved one.

It would be too much to bear.

The captain shook her head as she stuffed the bag into the inner pocket of her trench coat, and found herself marveling at the village. “It’s such a small town,” she murmured to herself, her eyes following a pair of ponies going about their day. The brown stallion was carrying his marefriend’s groceries in his saddlebags, looking as if he was more than happy to do so. She laughed and poked him in the side in a teasing manner.

“And unusually happy civilians.”

Spitfire shook her head. She had one more stop before she would be satisfied enough to return to the library. Now, if only she could find what she was looking for...

The Wonderbolt approached the happy couple (who were still cracking jokes, apparently), intent on getting some directions.

“Excuse me,” she said. The stallion turned toward her, and the mare followed suit.

“Yes?”

Now that she was closer, Spitfire could better see the two ponies’ cutie marks. The stallion had an hourglass on his flank, and the mare had a rose.

“Can I get directions to the nearest seamstress?”

The stallion looked away while the red-headed pony’s expression brightened. “Oh, I know! The Carousel Boutique has the best fashion designer in all of Ponyville; if you need anything at all, Rarity is who you should see. Time Turner promised me he’d get me a dress from there, but never did!”

She glared at him, and he smiled bashfully. “Roseluck, please!”

Roseluck hmphed before looking back at Spitfire. “Anyway, it’s right around the corner. Are you new in town?”

“No,” Spitfire had to resist the urge to chuckle. “I’m just here on business, thank you.”

“Oh, well, if you’re ever in need of flowers…” Roseluck started digging in Time Turner’s saddlebag, and ended up pulling out a red rose with a business card attached. She handed it to Spitfire. “You should come visit my shop. Especially before you go to Daisy’s store, she’s always taking my clients.”

“You’re a walking advertisement, aren’t you?” Time Turner joked, to which his marefriend smacked him in the head playfully.

Spitfire nodded, deciding it was a good time to get out of there. “I’ll consider it, thank you for the directions.”

She put the rose in her trench coat and started walking away. Behind her, Time Turner and Roseluck were engaging in another of their silly lover’s quarrels, apparently about how often she would tell ponies about her store. It was pretty funny to listen to.

Soon enough Spitfire reached what looked like a very elegant building for such a shabby rundown town. The first thing that came to her mind was, This must be it.

She entered the building with little hesitation, a bell signaling above.

“I’ll be there in just a moment!” somepony shouted from somewhere within. Spitfire walked a little further into the room, and simply waited.

Eventually a pony with a white coat and stylish purple mane walked in. Her eyes were a deep blue, and upon sight, her jaw dropped.

“Oh… Oh my…” was all that she could say.

Spitfire stared.

“This is a DISASTER!” the unicorn mare exclaimed dramatically. Within seconds she was at Spitfire’s side, poking at her attire. “It’s a miracle that you made your way here, dear, this is a fashion emergency! Whatever convinced you to wear that monstrosity?”

“Um, this? It’s not that big of a deal…”

“But it is! Here, let me help you find something that would suit you more.” The crazy pony pulled Spitfire further into the Carousel Boutique.

“Look, all due respect, ma’am, but I’m not here for myself. The trench coat stays.” Spitfire dusted herself off and straightened her fedora. “Rarity, was it?”

Rarity’s expression could only be described as disappointment. “Um, yes. My name is certainly Rarity, and I welcome you to the Carousel Boutique. What did you come here for, besides what you really should have?”

The Wonderbolt decided to let that slide.

“Do you think you could make me a chicken suit?”

There was a beat of silence, in which Rarity simply stared in disbelief. Spitfire smiled in response to that look, finding pleasure in it.

“You can’t be serious.”

“I am.”

Rarity sighed and looked away, rubbing a hoof against her forehead. “Oh, I need all the business I can get, but a chicken suit…?”

Spitfire pulled out a small draw-string bag and waved it in front of the seamstress. It was rather hefty. “I’ll pay handsomely for it.”

Rarity’s expression lit up, almost as if there were sparkles in her eyes. She smiled widely, but thought better of it and straightened herself up. “I see. We can negotiate the costs later… But I shall accept the commission. I’ll need a pony to model it once I’ve got it put together, to ensure it fits correctly.”

Spitfire stashed the payment back into her trench coat. “Okay, I’ll be here. There needs to be holes for pegasus wings, too. How long will it take?”

The unicorn shifted her gaze over to the clock a little ways away, seeming to calculate. Then, she said, “I think I have just the right material in my desk… But it should be finished before the afternoon is up. Business has been a bit slow recently.”

Spitfire nodded her understanding. “Is there something I can do while I’m waiting?”

Rarity glanced around her home and workplace, but when she found nothing, she looked back at her customer with a smile. “Normally, my customers would leave the boutique while I work, but knowing Ponyville and you being a tourist—obviously—you may watch me as I work. I’m sure you have interesting stories to tell… Like about the origin of that horrid thing you’re wearing, or why anypony would ever want a chicken suit.”

“You’re right, they make quite the story.”

“...So you’re here to teach somepony how to fly?” Rarity said as she pulled the needle through the coarse white material.

“Yes, and that’s what this chicken suit is for.” Spitfire leaned against the pony mannequin to her right, barely suppressing a yawn. Rarity nodded once, lifting one of the sleeves and starting to sew the orange fabric to the body of the costume.

“How could a chicken suit possibly help a pony learn how to fly? I may not be a pegasus, but the very thought of wearing… such a fashionably backwards outfit is appalling.”

“Oh, it has its uses.”

Rarity frowned at such a non-committal answer, but didn’t reply. She simply continued her work and, within minutes, was finished. She lifted the awful looking costume she couldn’t believe she’d just created, and part of her wanted to doom it to the deepest pits of Tartarus.

But she looked over at the other pony and hesitantly said, “It’s finished. Would you mind trying it on to make sure it will fit the pony you intended it for?”

The Wonderbolt nodded, then looked around precariously, before shedding the trench coat and fedora. Rarity gasped.

“You!”

Spitfire stared, not quite understanding where the familiarity in that exclamation was coming from.

“What?”

“You’re the pony that was at the Best Flier’s Competition! The Wonderbolt, I believe? And you were at the Wonderbolt Academy where my friend went to a while ago! What was your name… It starts with an ‘S’, doesn't it?”

Spitfire jumped up and practically shoved a hoof in the other pony’s mouth before she could continue her ramble. “Don’t say it so loudly. There are some who would appear just at the mention of my name, especially since I don’t know you very well and we’re in such a public setting.”

Rarity nodded, to which Spitfire removed her hoof. The seamstress took a moment to compose herself before saying, “So it is you. What could you possibly be doing here in Ponyville? There’s hardly a pony here who could get you to visit just to teach them how to fly! ...Do you remember me?”

The Wonderbolt slipped into the chicken costume. “No, I meet a lot of ponies daily, so you can’t expect me to remember a pony I might have seen twice. The only thing I remember from the Young Flier’s Competition is the pony with the butterfly wings, and that was a nightmare.”

Rarity grew quiet as Spitfire finished getting the strange attire on. It fit her perfectly; it was silky smooth and comfortable on the inside, while feathery and not kind to the touch from the outside. There were holes for her wings, which could open and close with ease, and a single opening for the wearer’s face. Rarity had even created a cone that would sit on the pony’s nose, further defining them as a chicken. It was even fitted with a wattle and protruding tail feathers.

Whatever seemed to have bothered Rarity was gone within the next minute. She dropped the issue in mind and eyed the pony-chicken. “That looks pretty good, all things considered.”

“Yeah, this’ll be perfect,” Spitfire said from the air, testing how aerodynamic the material would be. She landed moments later, taking the costume off and returning to her original coat. She then pulled out the draw-string bag once again and tossed the entire thing to Rarity. “Will this cover it?”

Rarity looked within and was not disappointed; it was even more than she’d expected when Spitfire had pulled it out initially.

“Oh, it most certainly will.”

The captain smiled before folding up the costume and putting it in the very same paper bag she’d gotten from the store earlier. She started making her way to the door, the fedora hiding her fiery mane once more.

“Will I be seeing you again?” Rarity asked as she began to put her materials away. Spitfire shrugged.

“Most likely. I’ll, uh, be sure to put in a good word for you. Thanks for the swift and quality service.”

The seamstress smiled to herself, smoothing her mane out and levitating the leftover materials back into a neat pile over where she’d gotten them from. “You’re welcome, darling, do stop by whenever you’d like. Maybe we could gossip over a cup of tea, hm?”

The pegasus pony opened the door, the bell ringing from above for the second time that day. “Perhaps.”

Then, Spitfire figured it was about time to return to the library. The sun was beginning to set and she, being the absolutely amazing navigator that she is, was afraid she wouldn’t be able to find it once it grew dark.

Not to mention how tired she was. She could barely keep her eyes open at this point, let alone navigate properly. This town didn’t even have street signs, for pony’s sake. She’d been up since the early hours of the morning, just to make sure she got to Ponyville early enough to see what she was dealing with.

As a Wonderbolt, it was her sworn duty to uphold all of what Princess Celestia wished, and to help provide protection and defense on a moment’s notice. Everyone who signed up knew the risks.

But coming to a small town like this to teach a sheltered little princess how to fly… That wasn’t why she became a Wonderbolt in the first place. In fact, she was being tethered until the pony showed results. Fleetfoot was acting captain of the Wonderbolts for all air shows while she was away “on business”.

Obviously, if she was going to get put out for this then she wasn’t going to make it easy for her student, either. It was going to be a fun, if a little bumpy, ride… For her, at least.

It would be a fun story to tell to her teammates when she got back.

As Spitfire arrived at the library, she decided she would avoid running into the little purple dragon or the librarian (no need to raise suspicions about where she'd been... Plus she was beyond exhausted). So, she flew up through the window and set her things to the side before settling in the bed.

“Finally, I can relax…”

She stretched her wings out in the same manner she’d told Twilight to, and lounged in the bed for a moment, making sure none of her muscles were tight. This was an everyday ritual at this point, seeing as how she would fly for hours on end.

Then she buried herself underneath the blanket and gave way to a restful slumber. In the morning, she would give Twilight Sparkle a hard work-out worthy of a Wonderbolt. And nothing could be better than what she had planned with the chicken suit…

Within moments, Spitfire was fast asleep.

“I wonder what could be taking so long…” Twilight said, pacing. The sun set hours ago, and her new housemate hadn’t ever returned from her journey outside. “Do you think she’s lost?”

Spike shrugged and continued sweeping. “Maybe, maybe not. She could be sleeping on a cloud or something, don’t pegasi do that sometimes?”

“Yes,” Twilight replied, still walking back and forth. “But I highly doubt she would be doing that!”

“She said not to wait up!” Spike repeated. “Besides, she’ll come back eventually. It’s her responsibility to teach you now, she can’t just run away and not do it or something. Stop wearing a groove into the floor, sheesh.”

The dragon picked up the dust pan, now filled with dirt and trash, and went over to dispose of it. He made a big show of it, giving Twilight a ‘you should know better’ look. He did that a lot.

“You can’t expect me not to worry when a pony is unaccounted for, Spike!”

“Look, Twilight, you go get some sleep while I finish picking up. And if she doesn’t show up by the time I’m done I’ll wake you up and we can go look for her or something. Okay?”

The assistant’s reasoning was spot on, as it always was whenever Twilight’s wasn’t. They seemed to swap places in that way, whenever one of them went off the deep end. Twilight mulled it over, part of her just wanting to get some sleep, and the other telling her she’d be unable to.

Finally, she decided there’d be no harm in agreeing with his sentiment. “Alright, you win. If something comes up, you have to wake me up though, promise?”

Spike mock-saluted, his tail straightening behind him. “Aye-aye, cap’n!”

Twilight gave him a hard look, as if testing him. Then, she turned around and began her trek up the stairs. Every step brought another level of weariness upon her, leaving her wanting sleep more than ever. After Spitfire had left to do whatever it was she did in town, Twilight practiced those wing exercises. For a very, very long time. She wanted to be able to fly more than anything, just so she could get back to her studies. The actual aspect of flying wasn’t what she cared about, even when she had the skill under her belt she probably would never do it anyway.

But still, Princess Celestia thought it was important, so here she was with a professional trainer. Hopefully the Wonderbolt’s level of expertise would make this experience as painless as possible.

Once she hit the last step, Twilight began to do her wing reps. She knew once she reached the bedroom, nothing was going to keep her from passing out right then and there. The alicorn reached the bathroom and began to brush her teeth. The multi-tasking proved to be a bit difficult, as she had to keep pausing her brushing to keep up with the reps.

But with time she finished both, washed up, and slinked into her bedroom. She was so exhausted, she could hardly recall all of the elements of the Periodic Table, and that was an issue. Internally she thanked Spike for watching out for her, glad that she could get some rest.

Twilight slid into her bed, a light sigh escaping her. She took a moment to appreciate the warmth that surrounded her and the plush bedding pressing against her stiff wings. It felt so relaxing.

Just as Twilight’s eyes closed and she began to drift away, she felt a ghost sensation of a pony’s hoof, thrown across her stomach. At first she ignored it, thinking nothing of it. There wasn’t anypony there.

But then she felt herself getting pulled lightly toward the other side of the bed, and now she was starting to realize that there definitely was somepony here.

Then, a pony whispered in her ear, “Mm, babe…”

Twilight jumped out of bed with a shriek. She had never, ever slept with another pony at such close quarters, much less been called something like that. She was so freaked out she couldn’t even recall what the pony’s voice sounded like, much less a single element on the Periodic Table.

“Huh, what?” The rustling of bed sheets made it clear the stranger had sat up in bed. Twilight lit up the room with a spell, and her eyebrows lifted in surprise at the pony residing in her bed.

“Captain?”

The two ponies stared at one another for a few moments, bathed in silence. Spitfire started to grow embarrassed, shrinking down slightly with a light blush on her face.

“Er… I, uh… Am I in your bed?”

Twilight nodded once, starting to feel embarrassed herself. Spitfire stood up and walked over to the now apparent bed on the other side of the room, trying to defuse the situation with the least amount of awkwardness as she could. As she stepped up on the bed, she oriented herself toward Twilight. Her gaze was averted.

“We will never speak of this again.”

“That’s fine by me,” Twilight agreed. She didn’t even care about why Spitfire was in the bedroom despite having gone out long ago, after such an awkward situation. She glanced at the door, where Spike stood, peering in. He gave her a thumbs-up with an unsure expression, to which Twilight nodded simply. Then he smiled and went back downstairs.

Twilight figured her shriek must have unnerved him.

The alicorn princess turned the light out and returned to her bed, still feeling sheepish about what had just occurred. She heard a similar sound as Spitfire apparently laid back down, too. I wonder what she was dreaming about. Gosh, that was awkward. She must be one of those ponies who likes cuddling in their sleep.

Twilight Sparkle rolled over, letting her eyes close once more. There was no reason to worry about something that small; it was completely accidental. It could've happened to anypony. Plus if she was going to do more training in the morning, she needed her beauty sleep. Hopefully Spitfire wouldn’t hold this against her and make the work-out even harder. That would be awful!

Soon enough, both Twilight and Spitfire had drifted back to sleep in their respective beds, and Spike slinked in a little while later into his basket.

It was a restful night for all three.

Author's Note

Revised 12/5/14.

To Be a Pegasus

“Hey, Twily, what’re you doing?”

Twilight straightened her back, smirking, and made a show of her wings. She flew up and swirled in the air, spelling out her initials in the sky: ‘TS’.

“Flying, of course!” she replied at last, sticking her chest out. Rainbow Dash frowned and crossed her forelegs over her own chest. After a moment, her frown became a smirk and her eyes sparkled.

“Yeah, well, I can see that. I’m surprised that you were able to get off the ground!” Rainbow flew up and did a backflip mid-air. Upon righting herself, she was muzzle-to-muzzle with Twilight. “What would you say to a race? All the way to the Everfree Forest, best pony wins.”

Twilight Sparkle found herself grinning, pressing her muzzle against her competitor. “I would say, ‘Eat my dust!’ ”

Then, the alicorn dashed off, nothing more than a purple blur left behind. Rainbow Dash chased after her, and the two raced around clouds, the weather soon turning sour. The sunny day became overcast, and rain, thunder, and lightning took over. It was loud and frightening, almost as if there were an evil presence commanding the sky.

Lightning struck a tree, setting it ablaze. But Twilight and Rainbow were not deterred in their race. Twilight was determined to beat Rainbow Dash, and to show her how great a flyer she was. At the last neck of the race—Twilight was about to prove herself, prove that she wasn’t a failure, prove that Rainbow Dash was wrong about everything—something flashed, then everything went dark.

“No!”

Twilight sat up with a start, sweat beading down her neck. She was breathing hard, the dream still heavy in her mind. Her wings were rigid, her eyes glassy, and her bedding tousled from tossing and turning in her sleep.

“Everything okay?”

Twilight Sparkle glanced to her left to see Spitfire standing at her bedside, an expression mixed with concern and apprehension. The scent of muffins wafted through the air, setting the alicorn princess more at ease. Her heart began to slow.

She nodded. “I’m fine. I just had a nightmare, that’s all.”

Twilight got out of bed and stretched her still stiff wings, trying to relax them enough so they could rest at her sides. Upon sight of Spitfire’s upturned eyebrow, she felt the need to elaborate.

“A nightmare, nothing more.”

Slightly embarrassed, Twilight bypassed Spitfire and made her way to the bathroom. Spitfire shrugged, and headed downstairs, where Spike had been making muffins.

After cleaning herself up and convincing herself the dream meant nothing (after all, Twilight doubted she’d ever be able to fly like that), she brushed her hair and returned to the library’s main floor. The smell of freshly baked muffins compelled her.

There, Spitfire was plopping a blueberry muffin into her mouth. Spike was wearing his frilly apron with the pink heart on it, seeming to wait for his second batch of muffins. After he saw Twilight, he grinned.

“Good morning, Twilight! I made some muffins.” The dragon gestured to the table, where it became clear a basket full of strawberry, blueberry, and chocolate muffins awaited. There were plenty of them for everypony.

“Thank you, my number one assistant,” Twilight said, smiling as she took a seat opposite Spitfire. “Are you going to join us?”

Spike glanced at the oven, his chef’s hat shifting slightly at the movement. “Yeah, I’m just waiting for my specialty muffins—chock-full of gems of all kinds!”

Part of Twilight wanted to scold Spike for eating gems for breakfast two days in a row, but she decided to let it slide, just this once. She lowered the hoof she didn’t realize she’d raised when preparing to reprimand the young drake.

Twilight lifted a muffin with her magic and was about to take a bite when it was suddenly snatched away. She stared at the pegasus in front of her.

Spitfire said, “No magic. While you’re learning how to fly, you will be, strictly, a pegasus pony. As far as I’m concerned, that horn is nonexistent.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped. Indignation flared from within her, her wings doing just the same as a response to the extreme emotion. She pointed at her cutie mark several times before she was finally able to speak. “My special talent is magic, I can’t just… stop! You have got to be kidding me!”

“Nope!” she said cheerfully. Then, she reached into a brown paper bag she’d apparently brought with her. A ring was revealed when Spitfire pulled her hoof out.

A very, very familiar ring.

“Don’t tell me that’s what I think it is.”

“It’s a Magic Neutralizing ring. Once you put this puppy on, any spell you attempt will be ‘cancelled’, as it were. Magic will become impossible as long as you wear it,” Spitfire explained, turning it over in her hooves. She slid it across the table toward Twilight. “And I insist that you do. To learn how to fly, you need to think like a pegasus.”

Twilight glared, but her resolve was fading. Spitfire had a point. The alicorn figured if she always had magic as a crutch, she would go nowhere in flight training. Maybe that was the issue she had with Rainbow Dash...

Despite that, Twilight was not about to give up her magic because this pony told her to.

“Look, I’m not doing this to be mean.” Spitfire leaned forward, her hooves clasped. “I really do think that this is something necessary for you to learn how to fly properly.”

Twilight sighed, looking back down at the ring. It’s only for a little while, right? What harm could it do?

"And if I don't?"

"I won't teach you."

Twilight found her eyebrows lifting up at the prospect. Would this pony really disobey Princess Celestia's direct orders? For some reason Twilight didn't think it would have been too hard to believe. This pony could probably talk her way out of a diamond dog's lair, if she didn't decide to use brute force. Twilight didn't have it in her to even suggest disappointing Princess Celestia.

She had no choice.

With that thought in mind, she lifted the ring and slipped it onto her horn. There was a spark of protest, but once the ring was at her horn’s base, it felt lifeless and numb. Twilight had only worn one of these rings once in her lifetime, back in her school days. It was in her Magic Accessories class, sponsored by Professor Severing Snake. The old pony explained that he’d gotten his name because, mere days after he was born, he had ripped a snake in half. The guy was cold-blooded, from what Twilight could remember. It was that day in class that, as punishment for knowing all the answers (and being “a nuisance”), Severing Snake had forced Twilight to wear a Magic Neutralizing ring.

It was the most awful hour of her life.

Spitfire smiled in satisfaction, nodding her approval. Twilight already felt dead inside. Spike, however, was as cheery as always. He didn’t seem to care a lick about what the other two had been talking about, and only hopped onto his own seat and began chowing down on his newly acquired muffins.

The dragon didn’t care for the heat that still came off the muffins in waves. Any pony who attempted to eat muffins that hot definitely had a death wish.

“It looks pretty good on you!” Spitfire commented, as relaxed as ever. She ate another muffin. “Don’t forget to do your wing exercises, though. Once you finish, we’ll get started.”

“Uh, thanks,” Twilight replied, unsure of the compliment. Then she frowned, but began to unfold her wings to follow the order. She continued, “Where did you go yesterday, anyway? And when did you get back?”

Spitfire pointed at the paper bag resting on the table. To Twilight’s dismay, it still looked like there was plenty in it. “I bought a few things, and when I got back here, I was really tired so I just flew upstairs and passed out. I’m, uh… really sorry about the mix-up though. I didn’t mean to do that.”

“It’s no problem,” Twilight replied between reps, “It just would’ve been nice to know when you got back. That could’ve helped to… avoid that awkwardness, wouldn’t you say?”

“What awkwardness?” Spike piped up, curious about last night’s happenings. Neither pony paid him any mind.

Spitfire looked away bashfully. “Yeah, I know. I wasn’t thinking straight at the time, I just really wanted some sleep. I’m sorry.”

The pegasus drew circles in the table, avoiding eye contact with both Twilight and her assistant. Then, she stood up.

“You ready to go?” the Wonderbolt said. Twilight nodded and got up as well, having just finished her exercises. Spitfire donned the trench coat and fedora and stuffed the paper bag into the inner lining of the jacket. Spike watched.

Twilight frowned. “Where exactly are we going?”

Spitfire led the way to the door, a cursory glance sent Twilight’s way. “While flying here yesterday, I came across this open field, and I figured it’d be perfect for what we’re doing.”

The alicorn only nodded, and looked over at Spike. “I’ll be back soon, alright? You can stay here or go to Rarity’s, if you’d like.”

A knowing smirk crossed Twilight’s muzzle when Spike’s expression lit up. He hurriedly finished his meal before washing the dish and racing over to give Twilight a hug—all in the matter of seconds. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I can’t wait to see her!”

Then, the dragon pushed past Spitfire lightly and raced outside, apparently intent on reaching the Carousel Boutique in less than a minute.

The Wonderbolt chuckled. “Does he have a crush?”

Twilight smiled and caught up to Spitfire’s position at the door. “Yes, but don’t say anything about it to him. He’s pretty touchy about it.”

“I understand.”

With that said, both ponies made their way outside, and walked casually to the outskirts of Ponyville. Spitfire saw the lovely couple from the other day, Time Turner and Roseluck. This time, however, it was at her flower stand. There were many beautiful flowers, most of which roses (for obvious reasons). Upon sight, Roseluck waved exuberantly. Spitfire nodded in her direction but didn’t make a show of it; Twilight didn’t even notice.

In fact, the alicorn princess still had her eyes on the sky, hoping to see a rainbow somewhere. But by the time they reached the field, Rainbow Dash was still nowhere to be seen.

Spitfire took the trench coat and fedora off at once, showing off her bright yellow coat and fiery mane to the world. Twilight stretched, feeling a bit nervous and unsure of how hard whatever was to come would be.

What she wasn’t expecting, however, was exactly what came next.

Spitfire pulled out a white mass out of the paper bag. As it was unfolded, there was orange and red attached to the overall white… thing. Twilight didn’t know what it was until she saw Spitfire smiling, pulling out an orange cone to go with it.

“A… A chicken costume?”

Spitfire was enjoying this far more than any decent pony should. Twilight wasn’t. “Go ahead, put it on.”

“But—”

“Chickens can only fly short distances. Therefore, until you prove otherwise, you are at the lowest rank possible—chicken.” Spitfire straightened herself up, her eyes hardening.

"I might put on a Magic Neutralizing ring, but I will not stoop this low. I refuse." Twilight Sparkle squared her shoulders.

"Do you want to disappoint Princess Celestia? Because if you don't put that on, the training will not work properly and you will learn nothing. It is temporary, for pony's sake! Besides, a princess must have knowledge of what it's like from the bottom up, before she can rule anything. No one will listen to a princess who got it all for no reason."

"Hey! You don't know anything about me!" protested Twilight indignantly, anger flaring up within her. Her wings sprang out.

Spitfire took a deep breath, steadying herself. She smoothed her mane out. "Okay, okay... I'm sorry, that was uncalled for. I sometimes get a little bit emotional." She glanced away before meeting Twilight's gaze. "Please understand that everything I'm doing is for a reason. I promise."

Twilight waited a moment, trying to read the merit behind what Spitfire had said. Eventually she replied, "Fine, I forgive you. We have only just met, after all."

The alicorn slipped into the chicken suit without any more protests.

Spitfire smiled genuinely, without any hint of sarcasm or amusement at Twilight's expense. It was a nice change. Twilight liked it so much better. “Now that we have that settled... get on the ground.”

Twilight stared in confusion, but did as she was told. Spitfire got down in front of her, too. Spitfire said, “Have you ever heard of wing-ups?”

“Are you talking about when a pony does a push-up, but instead of using their hooves, they use their wings?” she questioned. Spitfire grinned in response.

“Bingo. Okay, so I want you to do twenty. I’ll show you the correct form, see”—Spitfire lifted her hooves behind her back and let her wings rest on the ground—“You have to ensure you’re completely straight, and that your hooves won’t have even the slightest chance of touching the ground. Then, you let your wings do all the work.”

Spitfire lifted herself up with her wings with ease and perfection, before leaning back down. She didn’t touch the earth. She said, “You can’t touch the ground until you finish all twenty, or else you have to start over.”

Twilight nodded, swallowing. She never was one for physical exercise. She preferred books and nights spent sipping tea and reading editorials. She hoped she wouldn’t be embarrassed by her lack of strength, especially in her wings.

Nonetheless, Twilight assumed the position. She lifted herself off the ground once, and with a bit of struggling, was able to go all the way up. Spitfire followed her pace. Then, Twilight went back down, and pushed herself back up. It became easier the second time, and the third time came instinctively.

But then… it started to grow difficult. Twilight’s breathing became labored and sweat beaded down her face. She was in the middle of pushing up on her eleventh winged push-up.

“Keep going, you’re more than halfway done! Don’t give up,” Spitfire exclaimed. Twilight began to shake from holding her weight up so long, and her wings couldn’t take it. She hit the ground with a plop.

The Wonderbolt sighed. Her wings were perfectly still and held up her weight easily. She wasn’t sweating at all, or even showing any signs of weariness.

Spitfire then sat up on her haunches. “That wasn’t too bad. Now, tell me, why did you give up?”

“I… I didn’t,” Twilight said between breaths. Her wings already ached.

“Well, what went through your mind just now?”

Twilight didn’t reply. Instead, she worked on getting her breath back. Spitfire didn’t rush her; it was quite the contrary, actually. She was being really patient about it. The chicken costume was making it feel even hotter than it actually was, prompting more sweat.

Eventually, Twilight was able to sit up. “I was thinking about how my wings were starting to hurt, that there was no logical way for me to get to twenty, about how I really didn’t want to have to start over—”

Spitfire shook her head, causing Twilight to trail off. The pegasus said, “No, no, no. You’re thinking like a unicorn. You need to assume the role of a natural-born pegasus! Instead of thinking ‘Oh, my wings hurt,’ tell yourself ‘This will be worth it in the end.’ Don’t you dare say ‘I can’t do this,’ or ‘there’s no way I can,’ what I want you to think instead is ‘I can overcome any obstacle if I put my mind to it.’ If you think about what will happen if you fail, you’re already telling yourself that you will not succeed. So don’t!”

Passionately, Spitfire hit the ground with a hoof. “You got that, Twilight Sparkle?”

Twilight nodded, a little surprised by her teacher’s outburst. But she took her words to heart, nodding for a second time.

“Okay, I’m ready to try again.”

The Wonderbolt’s eyebrows lifted, but she smiled. “That’s what I like to hear.”

The two ponies got ready to start their push-ups once again, and this time, it came a lot easier to Twilight. She lifted herself, went back down, lifted herself again, and went back down. It was simplistic, but her muscles were once again starting to ache.

This time, instead of telling herself negative, statistical things, she tried inspiring herself the way Spitfire had explained. To her surprise, she passed the eleventh wing-up, and kept going—straight through to twenty.

Upon reaching the new benchmark Twilight had to keep herself from jumping up and yelling of her success. There were so many issues with how she was trying to fly before—why couldn’t she see it? It wasn’t Rainbow Dash’s fault and Twilight wasn’t unteachable, she just needed a professional!

Things were sure to go better now. Twilight was feeling confident in her small victory, positive that it would only lead to even more, much more significant victories and the conquering of inner demons. Was this what it meant to be a pegasus?

Besides Fluttershy, of course. She was a rare case.

“That was great!” Spitfire stood up, grinning. She truly felt happy for the princess and even more confident in her abilities. Obviously, this was just proving her superior skills as captain of the most elite team of flyers in all of Equestria.

Plus, Twilight Sparkle’s smile was starting to become infectious.

“Thanks!” Twilight replied cheerily. She jumped up and spread her wings, feeling light inside. “What now? Should I run fifty laps? Flap my wings a hundred and twenty-three times? I thought you were a crazy pony ever since you got here, but wow, you’re a miracle worker! I can see that now. I feel the best I have in a really long time! So, what next, captain?”

To Spitfire, Twilight was reminiscent of a little filly who’d only just learned how to be airborne. She was talking faster and could barely sit still, with an eager tone and expression giving her away hours before her words would.

Spitfire chuckled at the comparison, and all that could go through her mind was, Sheltered princesses…

“From now on, we will perform twenty winged push-ups before we start our lessons. They help maintain and improve wing strength, which will in turn help you keep yourself aloft in the air for longer periods of time, once we get to that point.”

“I understand.”

Spitfire smiled, pleased. “But now the real lesson begins. Proper breathing is key, and it’s the first thing you need to work on. No pegasus can concentrate or keep in the air if they can’t regulate the air within them in the most precise way.”

Twilight should have figured this would be the very first lesson. It was pretty obvious—after all, she had to learn a specific breathing technique in order to cast spells when she was still learning them.

She wondered if it would be different.

Spitfire was sitting on her flank, but straightened her back and spread her wings. She said, “Okay, so I want you to sit like this.”

Twilight did so, spreading her larger wings and sitting back the way her mentor was. She watched as Spitfire slowed her breathing to a near standstill, and did as best she could to mimic her.

The Wonderbolt explained, “As a new flyer, you need to master some breathing techniques. Before you take off or even think of getting off the ground, your breathing needs to be steady and slow. It provides you enough energy and keeps your concentration on your wings—plus it keeps you from freaking out, most of the time.”

“That would make sense. A raised breathing rate could easily turn into hyperventilating, which definitely would not produce positive results for a pony exercising. It could lead to a black-out.”

Spitfire agreed, and the two practised breathing long and slow. She explained that you should never let your breathing get too fast, even when pushing yourself. Obviously you needed to breathe a little harder if you were racing or doing an air show, for example, but it should never make you feel unbalanced or make you see black spots. For safety reasons, you should land immediately if you start to feel woozy.

With time the two’s first lesson reached a conclusion. Spitfire decided that the sun setting was the best indicator that they’d been out practicing long enough, and that Twilight was prepared for the next lesson. For trying her best and doing well, the captain allowed her to take the chicken costume off… but not without explaining she would be wearing it again in the morning.

The two made their way back to the library without any issues. Nopony interrupted them, and they even engaged in a little casual banter about Ponyville. Twilight decided that, despite some rough edges, Spitfire could make a pretty good friend. At least, when she was out of captain-mode. The pony she became then was ruthless and unfriendly.

Once they made it back Twilight made a meal out of hayburgers, and a bit into dinner Spike returned home. He was exuding happiness.

“Hey, Spike, I made enough hayburgers for you to have some,” Twilight said, rather proud of herself.

Spitfire raised a hoof and added, “Yeah, little dude, these things are tasty.”

The alicorn beamed as Spike walked over to the table and grabbed one for himself. Her smile grew even wider when his eyes lit up and he practically inhaled the burger along with a second. Twilight wasn’t a good cook by any means, but she could make a mean hayburger.

They continued eating as Spike told them about his day at Rarity’s—mostly, about how he was her chivalrous knight in shining armor and how he saved her life… by fetching the purple fabric and sequins. But hey, no one was going to burst his bubble or self-confidence.

Eventually they finished the meal, picked up, and all unanimously decided it was time for bed. Spike ran himself rampant around all of Ponyville on Rarity’s behalf, and Twilight was feeling sleepy because of all the excitement she’d had today. Plus the ring on her horn had drained her of energy.

Spitfire seemed to follow the regular pegasus attitude, and didn’t turn down a chance for some shut-eye. Rainbow Dash was the same way about naps, and always had been.

Rainbow Dash and Spitfire were alike in many ways, but there were many differences as well. Idly, as sleep began to take her, Twilight wondered if they’d get along. It would be interesting to see how that would work.

Author's Note

Revised 12/5/14.

Inner Strength

Spitfire had never slept so well. Clouds were so plush, soft, comforting and warm, but this bed felt special. Spitfire didn’t normally sleep on beds, except in times where she would go out of town for an air show, but there was something exquisite about this one.

Maybe it was the mattress that conformed to Spitfire’s form. Or better yet the firm yet yielding pillows, that had barely mussed up her mane.

Or…

Maybe it was the sight of a silly alicorn princess on another bed, with her wings stiff and upright, her blanket tossed completely off her. When Spitfire had woken up to that sight, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

There was something innocent about it, and it was hard not to find it endearing. She knew the wings were a new addition to the mare that lay in front of her, but it was still awfully funny how she didn’t have any more control over them than a filly would.

Spitfire stretched her form over the soft mattress, almost feline-like. Her wings sprouted to life as she stretched them out, too. It felt amazing after a good night’s rest. The captain’s wings were larger than that of an average pegasus’, which allowed her greater flight times and speed. It saved her points in endurance, too, because she didn’t have to exert as much energy as some of the other ponies.

This advantage was a tremendous help in her line of work. Plus, it was even better for keeping her warm.

After glancing at the window, Spitfire realized that it was far too early to wake up her student. It was bound to be cold outside, and low temperatures cause muscles to tense up, increasing the likelihood of an injury. Twilight Sparkle wasn’t prepared for different conditions. Not yet.

So, Spitfire decided she could use some time to herself. She tiptoed over to the window, pushed it open, and let herself out. The cold air woke her up and made her feel alive. Her wings carried her up, up, up… She didn’t know where she was going, but it was relaxing.

Eventually she settled back, clasping her hooves underneath her head, and allowing her wings to take her backwards. The wind through her mane, through the creases in every feather of her wings, rustling against her fur… It was amazing. Unicorns and earth ponies had no idea what they were missing out on. She wouldn’t give her wings up for the world.

Spitfire mused to herself about the past couple of days. She wondered if she’d been too callous on the princess, if maybe she should let up. She remembered how she learned how to fly: A strict teacher who ingrained into her mind every single vocabulary term associated with flying by forcing her to rattle them off while she tried to get off the ground. Not only that, but when she messed up, she would be punished.

It was tough, but it was what made her into such a formidable flyer. Determination and the want from within to succeed.

That was what she needed from Twilight Sparkle.

And—ha!—that chicken costume! Oh, that was a laugh. Spitfire smiled to herself. The attire did indeed have a purpose besides looking silly and a little bit cute. The material she asked Rarity to make it out of was very breathable, and lightweight. It conformed to the wearer’s body on the inside, helping to perfect any movements you make and to create the least amount of resistance possible. Not only that, but it had an air bubble, trapped within the fabric. It helped keep you airborne, and made it easier for you to lift off.

Like Spitfire had told Twilight, it was necessary. She was being harsh on her, but she needed to be. Everything had a purpose. As a teacher, she had her own methods… But as a pony…

“Woah! Spitfire?!”

Oops. Cover blown.

The sound of air being displaced as the pegasus dashed over to her left a sour taste in Spitfire’s mouth. The peaceful morning flight was out.

Spitfire righted herself to meet the pony who had addressed her. She hadn’t thought anypony would be out and about at five in the morning.

“Wow, my Wonderbolt sense really was tingling!” the mare chattered excitedly, “Have you finally come to enlist me?”

Oh, right, Spitfire remembered this pony. It was Rainbow Dash. “Sorry, kiddo, maybe next time.”

“Kiddo?” Rainbow Dash’s nose crinkled up. Moments later, her eyes lit up. She clasped her hooves together and said quietly to herself, “She called me kiddo!”

Spitfire was not a stranger to admirers. She did not reply to Rainbow, and rather focused on the sun behind her.

Rainbow Dash said, “So what are you doing here, then, if not for me? Oh! Is there a show?! Where? When? I want to see it! Wonderbolts show, here I come!”

The mare pumped a hoof into the air.

Spitfire thought it was funny how this pony was acting around her. She ran a hoof through her mane, still slightly messy from when she’d gotten up that morning. “No, I’m afraid not. I’m here on business, actually, but it’s not worth mentioning. What are you doing up so early, anyway?”

Rainbow Dash glowed with happiness at the prospect of her idol asking a question about her. “I was just taking care of my duties around the town, cloud-busting and all. Taking care of crime and helping out any ponies who needed me. Cleaning up the streets,” she boasted.

Spitfire doubted that there were any ponies walking around town at this hour, and doubted even more that Rainbow Dash had gotten up early to bust clouds and clean the streets. She didn’t know her very well, but she could tell that much. Bags were under Rainbow’s eyes.

“Well, kid, why don’t you go back and get some sleep. Heroes need rest, too.”

Spitfire just wanted it to be silent again. Rainbow Dash hesitated, but finally smiled.

“Oh, well, thanks! You've got a point. Um, yeah, I guess I could do that,” she smiled awkwardly as she spoke. “How long will you be in Ponyville?”

“As long as it takes.”

“Oh… Well, see you around?” Rainbow Dash waited, vulnerable and nervous. Spitfire felt that the conversation had been leaning on her the whole time, and the pressure was annoying. She decided to let the pegasus have some peace.

“Yeah, see ya.”

Rainbow beamed, another sun to rival that of the one set in the horizon, before she nodded and flew off. She could improve her form, and her speed could still be maximized. The pegasus had not yet reached her full potential.

At this point in time, Spitfire felt it was time to return to the library. The cool air had already begun to fill with warmth, and the Wonderbolt had found peace that morning. She was prepared to take the next step in Twilight’s training.

Breathing and strength exercises.

Spitfire went ahead and flew back to her current residence. She decided to push herself for the fun of it, and went as fast as she could. It felt great, she hadn’t been able to fly like this in what felt like ages. She rarely participated in the Wonderbolt derbies, and even when she did, she’d throw the race and let one of her teammates win. Everypony already knew her name, so there was no point.

Spitfire was perched back on the windowsill in what she counted as eight and a half seconds. Pleased, she let her wings rest at her sides. Her eyes fell upon a bed now devoid of princesses. It had been made neatly, without a single crease, the pillows stacked perfectly.

The Wonderbolt decided this was to be expected.

She hopped down and closed the window behind her, drawing the curtains. Footsteps sounded outside of the bedroom, so Spitfire trotted to meet them. They were quick and light steps, obviously being taken by someone of small stature with short legs. The way they struck the ground was not hoof-like; there was no clopping sound. It had to be the little dragon.

Spitfire’s deduction was proved as she stepped out into the hallway. Spike had a handful of towels in his claws, precariously tipping from side to side. He hadn’t noticed her over his predicament. Every step was a chore from the looks of it.

“Hey, dragon-man,” Spitfire called, causing the one addressed to almost lose his grip. He glared at her as soon as he had steadied himself.

“What’s the big idea?” he huffed out. “Are you trying to make me drop these?”

Spitfire walked over next to him and bent down. She spread her wings out, the tips reaching toward the ceiling. “Here, I can help you.”

Spike blinked. Then he blinked again. “What?”

“Just place the towels on my back and I’ll take them for you,” she said. “I’ve gotta do something around here, right?”

She smiled. Spike hesitated, but returned a smile of his own. His was thankful and genuine. He lifted the towels up, his arms shaking from the exertion, but was able to steady them onto her back. Spike let out a gust of air now that his arms had been freed.

Spitfire had expected the towels to be much heavier than they actually were. She positioned her wings to ensure they kept the tower on her back straight.

“Thanks!” Spike said, stretching his arms over his head.

Spitfire nodded. “Where did you say these were going?”

“To the bathroom,” he replied, pointing down the hallway. “It’s the last room on the right. We just put them in the cabinet space. I’m going to go downstairs and work on breakfast, how do home-made donuts sound?”

“Lovely,” Spitfire said, “I’ll be down in a moment.”

Spike and Spitfire shared another smile, and the dragon skipped down the steps with an extra bounce in his step. Spitfire didn’t realize she could make someone so happy with such a simple gesture, but it was a rewarding feeling.

Spitfire took her time down the hallway, to ensure she didn’t mess up the towels propped atop her. It wasn’t too difficult a task.

Eventually she reached the door Spike had said belonged to the bathroom. As she approached, she noticed steam billowing out from underneath the door. It was warm on her hooves. Something else caught Spitfire’s attention, however.

Somepony was singing in the shower.

Spitfire couldn’t tell what the words were, but felt that they were beautiful. She wasn’t a fan of music or singing, but this tune was so melodic, it felt as if this mare had reached for the heavens and actually obtained a piece of it with her voice.

Is this Twilight Sparkle? she wondered, fascination creeping into her.

Spitfire listened for a few more moments before she finally found it in her to move. She decided she had to finish this task with the towels, and then she would return to Spike. She wouldn’t alert Twilight that she had heard her singing in the shower, that would just be weird.

So, Spitfire pushed open the door quietly, steam hitting her in the face. It felt inviting, but not nearly as much so as the singing. It was even more amazing with the door open.

The Wonderbolt stepped into the restroom, searching for the cabinet space the dragon had mentioned. It was even closer to the shower.

Spitfire stepped toward it. She opened the doors and stuffed the towels inside. Spitfire didn’t dare glimpse toward the pony showering, and once she had finished her task, all but flew out. Twilight was none the wiser.

Once outside, Spitfire finally found it in her to breathe. She didn’t realize she’d been holding her breath.

What just happened? she wondered. Spitfire swallowed the lump in her throat and dismissed it. So Twilight knew how to sing really well. Big deal. Spitfire rested her wings against her side despite jitters.

She wanted to go out for another flight to get some fresh air, but knew it was better not to. Instead, she trotted away from the bathroom and down the stairs, where the scent of something baking hit her. Even though she could not hear Twilight singing, it was still in her mind.

Spike was munching on a gem at his seat, wearing Spitfire’s fedora once again. He must have really liked it.

But once he saw her, he pulled the jewel away and waved, “Hey, Spitfire! Everything go okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” Spitfire said, smiling to reassure him.

Spike nibbled on the red stone fervently. “Great! Thanks for your help. Twilight was all like ‘we need clean towels, Spike!’ this morning and made me do the laundry… I dunno what the big rush was, really. I mean, today is laundry day; it would have gotten done eventually. Like, what’s more important, laundry or breakfast? I bet it’s ‘cause she wanted to shower.”

The dragon popped the rest of the gem into his mouth and swallowed. “So was she in there?”

Spitfire tried not to think too much about it. She only said, “Yeah.”

“I knew it!” he exclaimed. He pumped a fist into the air with too much excitement. Spike’s smile turned devious. “She’s always doin’ that.”

“Telling you to do something?”

“No, showering. Who does that? I just take a bath once a week. It gets the job done, I tell ya.” Spitfire’s eyes bugged out of her head at the concept. He didn’t seem to notice the reaction she had broadcasted.

Yuck.

Spike got up and went over to the oven, slipping on pink oven mitts. He pulled out a rack full of donuts, and began to put icing and sprinkles on them. The heat of the tray and the donuts didn’t seem to bother him one bit.

“Oh, donuts?”

Spitfire almost jumped. At the top of the staircase stood Twilight Sparkle. She was smiling really widely as she trotted down the staircase. She too had a bounce in her gait.

Spitfire could hear it now. Her voice even when she wasn’t singing was a chime in itself.

“Yup!” chirped Spike. “I was feeling like sweet this morning. Do you think Rarity would like one?”

“I think she would love it.” Twilight took a seat next to Spitfire, directing a smile towards her. “Good morning to you, Captain! I noticed you weren’t here when I got up. Where’d you go?”

Spitfire swallowed. “Just, uh, out flying around. You know the drill… More importantly, did you do the morning exercises?”

“Yes ma’am!” Twilight saluted. She was in such a good mood this morning. “What is our next lesson about? I’m eager to learn!”

Spike handed Spitfire a plate with two donuts on it, and two for Twilight. The donuts were a pale yellow, with purple icing and darker purple and pink sprinkles. They looked delicious. Twilight’s were similar, but with yellow sprinkles instead.

Spitfire said, “We have to continue working on your strength and your breathing. I have some new ideas for exercises.”

She munched on a donut thoughtfully. It felt warm and delicate in her mouth, and it gave her an excuse to keep quiet. Twilight took a bite of her own, smiling. She was not opposed to what Spitfire had said.

Eventually, after Spike had inhaled his own meal, he excused himself for his own venture to the restroom. Twilight joked about him not getting out of the bathtub for the next seven hours, to which Spitfire laughed. Twilight even mentioned that there would be no hot water for the whole town. Spitfire laughed harder.

Spitfire calmed herself down long enough to ask if Twilight was ready for training. Twilight was more than ready, apparently, because at the question she jumped up into the air.

“And for the chicken suit?”

Twilight was a little bit less enthused at the mention of it.

“Don’t look like that, the suit actually has properties embedded into it,” Spitfire said, unable to stop herself. Why was she revealing so much unnecessary information? “It helps with flight. The materials I had it made out of are special. Like I said before, everything has a purpose.”

Twilight brightened up. “Really?”

“Yes. And isn’t it fun?”

“I think I would have more fun if you were the one wearing it.”

Spitfire pretended to be insulted. “Oh, please!” She was having too much fun with this. “Well, maybe one day I’ll get one, you never know. I don’t think it would suit me, really.”

Twilight nodded, smiling slyly. She went upstairs and returned with a bag—the one she would be keeping the chicken suit in. Spitfire got into her own outfit, trench coat and fedora (that Spike conveniently left on the table), and the two trailed outside.

There wasn’t a whole lot of conversation going on between them; Spitfire kept getting lost in her thoughts. She hadn’t even noticed the lack of speech herself. Twilight didn’t mind.

In the field, Spitfire made Twilight repeat her wing exercises. She was getting much, much better already. Spitfire had her go really, agonizingly slow, and then had her do so really quickly. Her form was improving. It was almost to the point where she could fly on those wings… Provided she had the strength for it.

That was what was next, anyway.

Pleased, Spitfire had her stop. Twilight was fixing to put on the chicken suit, but the Wonderbolt stopped her.

“Not yet.”

After seeing Twilight’s confused expression, her eyebrows drawn together, she explained. “The chicken suit’s purpose was to help you when you start flying. It cushions your falls and helps keep you in the air. It actually was helping you when you were doing your wing-ups yesterday. But today? You need to do them alone. No crutch.”

“But wait, why did you make me wear it yesterday, then?” Twilight crossed her forelegs over her chest.

“Two reasons… One, because I thought it would be fun. And two, because it would help you to begin with. But I don’t think you need it right now.”

Spitfire got down on the ground, prompting Twilight to do the same. Spitfire sensed that her companion wanted more of an explanation than she was being given.

“The strength you hold in your wings is one of your greatest assets as a pegasus.” Spitfire pushed herself up on her wings, folded her hooves behind her, and proceeded to do wing-ups with speed that Twilight didn’t think possible. She didn’t break a sweat.

“Unbending will, determination, and practice. That is how you get there. Now, do them with me.”

Twilight nodded, feeling confident. She assumed the position Spitfire did, and pushed herself up. After doing her first wing-up, she could feel the difference from yesterday. She had felt so amazing about it yesterday, but now… Her wings burned.

Spitfire watched as Twilight winced and shook lightly. “Hey, it gets easier. Just get through your first couple and you know you’ll be fine.”

Twilight did five wing-ups and was getting to her sixth, when her wings gave out. They ached.

“What a difference…”

“I know. But come on, you can do it. Let’s try again.”

A whole day passed and Twilight didn’t get to put on the chicken suit once. The sun was already setting, and all they had done was practice wing-ups. Twilight had gotten to a solid seventeen. And Spitfire had even had her do a few different exercises.

One was spreading her wings against resistance. Spitfire had tied her wings down loosely, and Twilight was to get her wings out of their containment. She succeeded eventually. Another exercise she had Twilight do was opening one wing, while keeping the other one down. It was much harder than it sounded, because the other wing would keep trying to go up. Spitfire had said it was to help her grow accustomed to moving her wings around. She even had her twist her wings around in all sorts of ways, which pegasi do when under adverse weather conditions. Oh, and who could forget the breathing exercises?

It was all fun, except the part where Twilight had to keep going back to doing wing-ups. Even after the training, her wings burned.

But there was something Twilight was enjoying most of all. As a student who’d been studying friendship for a long time now, it was thrilling. She felt that she could become good friends with Spitfire with the way things were going.

That night, Spitfire went to take a shower, and complained that there really was no more hot water. Spike slinked away, blushing and avoiding her gaze. Twilight giggled. And as Spitfire gave Spike a smile and Spike grinned back, Twilight couldn’t help smiling, too.

Author's Note

Previous chapters have been revised slightly, but do not necessarily have to be reread. I would recommend it (especially considering the time it's been since I last updated), but it is not a must.

Here I will tell you what was changed, in the case that you do not want to go back.

Instead of getting the Magic Neutralizing ring from a general store, Spitfire goes to a hospital to retrieve it. Furthermore, Rainbow Dash has been revised in the prologue to be more friendly, loyal, and understanding. And finally, Spitfire has been edited very slightly in the previous chapter, to solidify her personality when she is in captain-mode.

With those changes made, I believe the story will be stronger. In any case, I am going to get back into updating this story as often as I can until it reaches completion. (There are reasons behind the temporary hiatus, but I won't mention them here. I really am very sorry about it.) Regardless, thank you very much for reading.