“What’s it like to fly?”
I stopped, looking down at the young dragon. Miss Twilight had asked me to check up on him once I got back, since Rainbow Dash and the team needed to fill out some paperwork or something. However, this lead to me accidentally knocking over a bookshelf after my rump bumped it, causing the whole shelf to tip over. I don’t know what went wrong. Really, it shouldn’t be so easy for something like that to fall over!
I looked at the little guy, both of us pausing the re-shelving as he looked back at me, “What do you mean, Spike?”
“Well, I just kinda wondered, you know?” he sighed, turning back to his work, “Twilight and the others went all the way to Rainbow Falls for the relay and stuff and I just started wondering. I mean, I’ve ridden in flying chariots and on Twilight’s back before, but…with how Rainbow Dash is always talking about how awesome it is and with how everypony looks up to the Wonderbolts, I just wondered what it’s like to fly on your own.”
I plopped my plot down and thought. Really, it wasn’t something I thought about. Heck, I doubt any Pegasus Pony ever really does. It’s not just something we do, it’s a part of who we are, a part of what we are.
Then I thought back to my first flight with Momma fluttering behind me, even though I kept telling her I could do it on my own. I flapped my little wings as I could as I started to hover into the air…
Then I rolled forward into the floor. One good thing about cloud houses, they make for soft crash landings.
Then, eventually, I got things right and I actually flew and it was…Indescribable.
Derpy Ditzymania Hooves isn’t a stupid pony, but I’m really not a deep thinker, either. And this question was a real head scratcher of a doozie.
“Well, it’s kind of hard to describe,” I thought for a moment, “I mean, just flying is cool and stuff, the wind whipping through your mane, falling and climbing, turning and banking, it’s all really…Windy, I guess?” I felt sorry, but as much as I thought, I couldn’t come up with a good explanation for the little fella, “Wouldn’t you be better off asking Rainbow Dash or Miss Twilight when they get back?”
Spike scoffed, “I’d probably just get a bunch of ‘awesome’s from Rainbow Dash. As for Twilight, well, I’ve flown with her and it’s not so much flying as it is slightly controlled falling. I can’t really blame her, since she’s learning what Pegasus Ponies normally learn as foals, but I doubt she thinks about anything besides not falling into things when she flies.”
I nodded slowly, I had seen Miss Twilight try and fly a few times and, admittedly, I had thought of letting her borrow a helmet from one of my old jobs, but then none of mine had a hole for her horn.
“I guess I understand,” I sigh, “But I just, I don’t,” I struggled to think of what to say.
“I just wondered,” The little dragon sighed, his eyes on the shelf instead of me, “When I…When I ran off to ‘find myself’ on during the Dragon Migration, I sorta noticed that all the other dragons had wings, no matter how old they were, or how big or how small, no matter if it looked like the wings were way too small for them, they could fly, and really well too. And then there’s me,” he paused, rolling his shoulders, “No wings. I was the only one, the only dragon I saw without wings, I guess it just made me wonder if that was just another thing that made me different from real dragons.”
I thought silently for a bit. I’d noticed Spike and Rainbow Dash had left for a bit back then, along with Miss Twilight (Which meant the Library was closed, but Miss Twilight didn’t fault me for the cook book I’d had out being late). I’d heard something about dragons, but I guess I didn’t think of that being anything more than Spike.
“Well,” I thought for a moment, “Flying is kinda just something you have to do. I don’t think you can really explain the way it feels. I’m sorry, Spike, I just-“
“It’s fine, Derpy,” He sighed, sliding the last book into its place with a sigh, “I guess it’s just one more thing I don’t have in common with my own kind. I mean, if I didn’t grow wing during my…my birthday,” I winced a little, knowing this was a tender subject for him, “I probably won’t end up with wings, anyway.”
I frowned seeing the little guy look so sad. I’ll admit, I didn’t really know Spike all too well, aside from just seeing him as often as you do somepony else in a small town, but I’d kind of like to think he was my friend, about as much as anypony else in Ponyville.
I thought for a moment, Spike turning to continue his normal chores, before I thought of something. I moved up close, probably startling the little fella as I wrapped my forelegs around him and resting my head on his, a bit to the side so his head spikes (I think griffins call it plumage, but I don’t know what it is on a dragon).
“Derpy, what-“
“Shhhhhh,” I shushed him, leaving us both in silence for a little while. Once I had what I wanted to say ready, I whispered, “Close your eyes, Spike.”
“What?”
“Just trust me and close your eyes,” a little reluctantly, he did as I asked before I started talking again, “Okay, now I want you to imagine yourself like, like a dragon-pony.”
“A dragon-pony?”
“Or a pony-dragon, a dragon that’s, you know, shaped like a pony,” I realized it probably wasn’t the best way to put it, but I was trying my best, “Just try, imagine you grew up into a pony-dragon and you have wings.”
“Oookay,” Spike said, sounding about as unsure as I felt.
“Alright, now you’re standing in a meadow, and you feel the wind rising, blowing against you. It feels stronger than usual because it’s catching your wings as the sun shines on you.”
“Alright…”
“Now you stretch out your wings, and give them a few test flaps,” I can feel his shoulder’s move against my barrel. Stretching out my own wings, the sudden puffs of air from their flaps seemed to startle him. Feeling his shoulders move, I kinda tried to figure what he was trying to do, feeling out ‘his’ wings.
“Okay, now you’ve got the kinks out of your wings, you flap and try to kick off of the ground,” I could feel his shoulders move again, my wings giving a few flaps, lifting us up an inch or two before falling again, “Okay, Spike, now try again.”
He took a deep breath, focusing in his mind as he tried to give a few more strong flaps, my wings lifted us up a little higher before I let us drop again.
“Okay, that’s better, but try to time your wing beats with a down stroke when you’re about to fall, okay?”
“Okay,” Spike nodded back against my chin. This time I let us hover a couple feet off of the ground.
“Great, Spike,” I praised him, “Look, you’re actually a few feet above the flowers,” it was hard to tell, but I think his eyes were still closed as he gasped, “Now, let’s see how well you can fly.”
I fluttered about carefully. Flying could be tricky for me sometimes, even more since I was awkwardly holding a small dragon, but he didn’t seem to notice, moving his shoulders against my chest, giggling slightly. He seemed to be really enjoying himself, his chuckles growing into full, joyful laughs as we flitted about.
But all good things come to an end, and with me, it usually ends with a ‘Bam!’
This time, it was just the wooden bust in the center of the library. Heavy as it was, we just sort of bounced off it and fell to the floor, breaking the imaginary spell as Spike came back to the real world. Even still, he seemed happier, so I guess it worked.
“Thanks, Derpy,” He said with a smile.
“No problem, Spike,” I return the smile, turning to leave him to his work.
“Hey, Derpy?” He stops me before I reach the door, “If I ever get my wings, will you teach me how to fly?”
My heart skipped a beat. Anypony who knew me knew I wasn’t a strong flier, in no shape to teach anypony else how to do it. But Spike trusted me enough, even though he barely knew me.
“When you grow your wings, I’ll teach you Spike,” I answered, turning back with a smile.
“A-And can we do this again?”
Turning back, I smiled sheepishly, “Of course, as long as it’s somewhere we won’t break anything.”
Author's Note
My entry in the Equestria Daily: Writer's Training Grounds 4, as simple as that.