Love of flight

As soon as we'd landed, Crystal excused herself to go home and sleep. Luna and I stayed behind at my crash site so she could get a good look at it and I could answer any questions she'd undoubtedly have. After showing her the exterior, I opened the cockpit to show her the inside. The whole thing confused her to no end. "What is this for?" or "What does this thing do?" were the most common questions. Overall, I'd say my presentation of a Cessna 172 Skyhawk was pretty good, considering the state of the poor bird.

"So, you said this thing needs something called a runway to get into the air, correct?" Luna asked.

"Yes, and this Cessna needs about one thousand, six hundred and thirty feet minimum to take off," I explained.

"Any particular direction it should face?" Luna asked.

"As long as it's flat and straight, the runway can face any direction," I explained, "Why do you ask?".

Luna didn't answer, but instead lit up her horn. I was really confused at this point... what was she doing? It was then that I saw a blue strip race across the ground... she was making a magic runway. I don't really know why she'd take the time, though, I'd never get my crashed Cessna into the air again. As soon as the magic runway finished, Luna used her magic to clear away some trees that would impede takeoff. I really don't know why she did all this.

"With all due respect, Princess, that's just wasted time and effort," I said, "With my plane in it's current state, it'll never move... forget about getting airborne".

That's when she really surprised me. The next spell she cast was on my plane. It was obvious she wanted to fix it, but I didn't think she could. She didn't know what kind of engine it used, how it should look... she had no idea what she was doing. I let her try though... not like it'd hurt anything. If anything, it actually worked. Magic is awesome. I was no longer looking at a destroyed Cessna, but one that looked fresh from the factory. She also shrank it so I could actually pilot it properly.

"How did you do that?" I asked.

"I used an advanced repair spell," Luna said, "It can return anything that is broken back to its original state. You could give me a crumpled up ball of something, and this spell would turn it back into its original form and make it look brand new".

"If only we had that ability in my world," I said, "Just one last problem".

"And that is?" Luna asked.

"Fuel," I said, "Without fuel, this might as well be a nice metal statue".

"And where is this fuel kept?" Luna asked.

"In the wings," I said.

"Then let us get some water in those wings," Luna said.

"Water doesn't work as fuel," I said, confused.

"When touched by magic, water can power almost anything," Luna said, "It'll be a little taxing, but worth it in the end".

"If this actually works, I'll owe you big time," I said.

"Simply think of it as a gift," Luna said, "No repayment needed".

I went to get enough water to fill the wings. I was still skeptical about the whole thing, but I was willing to give it a shot. If Luna could actually get water to fuel my plane, I'd love her forever.

How many of you can say you've kissed royalty? Add me to that list now. I was able to line my plane up with the runway Luna created for me. After doing so, I shut off the engine, got out, walked right over to Luna, and kissed her. Did I mention she's cute when she blushes?

"Whatever was that for?" Luna asked.

"You fixed my plane, and gave me a runway to use," I said.

"So, is this a custom of your world in such cases?" Luna asked.

"Not really, no," I said, "I just... to be honest, I don't know what I was thinking".

"Well, you are definitely welcome," Luna said, "Though, one question".

"Ask away," I said.

"Does it really have to be so loud?" Luna asked.

"There's no way to fix that," I said, "Unless you can make it mute with magic".

"Only on living things," Luna said.

"Well, even if you could make it mute, I'd ask that you not," I said, "I kind of like the sound of the engine. It's also an audio cue at certain times".

"Well... alright then," Luna said.

"And whenever you want to take a flight, just ask," I said, "It's the least I can do".

"I still have time left," Luna said.

"And I'm too tired to keep us safely airborne," I said, "But, we can take a flight tomorrow night if you want".

"That would be wonderful," Luna said.

Ponies sure know how to make beds. Being able to finally fit in one, I could notice just how soft it is. But all good things must end, and the new day was soon to accept my presence. As I awoke, I was assaulted with the smell of fresh waffles. After getting out of bed and stretching, I went downstairs into the kitchen to get my breakfast for the day.

"So, you able to fly now?" Crystal asked.

"Luna fixed my plane, created a runway, and made it so water can act as fuel," I said, "Yea, I can fly now".

"Well then, wanna show me how this plane of yours works?" Crystal asked.

"I don't see why not," I said.

I would have to get used to that request. No doubt there's tons of non-pegasus ponies who would love to fly at least once. Hell, I could probably even open up an aerial tour business. I don't have  commercial pilot's license, but should that really matter in Equestria where those laws don't exist? Only thing I need to know is how the money works in this world so I can set a reasonable price.

After breakfast, I got all cleaned up and nice... going to need some more clothes, though. Oh well, I'll just go shopping for custom fitted clothes later today. Anyway, I went outside and walked over to my very new looking plane. I opened the cockpit, grabbed my checklist, measuring stick, and filtered fuel beaker. I then began to go about checking everything off so I could safely fly.

"So... when are we going up?" Crystal asked.

"First, I need to make sure everything on this checklist can be checked off," I said, "Unlike a pegasus, a plane can't just stop in mid-air if something goes wrong".

"Well, that's interesting," Crystal said, "How long does it normally take?".

"About 5 minutes, give or take," I said.

Everything is fine on the outside, everything is fine on the inside, let's get airborne. After strapping myself in, I went through the steps of getting the engine started properly. Crystal was starting to get kind of bored of waiting at this point, but she'd just have to deal with it. The engine was roaring healthily, everything was in perfect order, it was like this plane had never been touched. Magic is awesome.

"Ponyville traffic, Cessna November-Seven-Five-Echo-Romeo, departing runway Two-Five, straight out," I said.

The radio was incredibly useless, but habits are hard to break. Anyway, I pushed the throttle all the way in, lifted my feet, and did my best to keep on the runway as my Cessna began to speed up. I'm glad Luna was smart enough to give me some space to lift up. I hit the minimum takeoff speed at the very edge of the runway, but that didn't matter this time as my take off was successful... but I would have to ask Luna to extend the runway before I try to take off again.

"This is amazing!" Crystal exclaimed as she looked out the window.

"I'm glad you like it," I said.

The whole flight took close to an hour, but we went all over the place. Equestria looks really nice from the air... though I kind of felt like I was on a slight acid trip with all the bright colors everywhere. Did I mention I also managed to accidently scare the poor pegasi living in Cloudsdale? Yea... oops. Oh well, now it's time to land.

"Ponyville traffic, Cessna November-Seven-Five-Echo-Romeo, approaching runway Seven to land," I said "Alright, so we're going to stall just above the runway, and there's going to be a rather loud noise. Just ignore it, it'll be alright".

"Whatever you say, you're the one flying this thing after all," Crystal said.

At about five feet above the runway, I lifted the nose up, prompting the stall warning to go berserk. She knew it was coming, but poor Crystal was still freaked out by the stall warning. As the front wheel touched down, she could set her heart rate back to normal. I'd have to see if Luna could make a nice little turning area so I could turn my plane around with ease. For now, I'd just have to settle for my current spot on the runway.

"That was incredible," Crystal said, "Though, don't be surprised if you're not allowed to visit Cloudsdale after that stunt you pulled there".

"Yea... I'll probably hear that later," I said, rubbing the back of my head.

First flight in Equestria was a total success. Knowing that, I could now officially think about starting up a flight business. Yea, I might be offered a way to go home, but I might actually turn it down. After only about twenty four hours, life here in Equestria seems to just be so much nicer than what I'm used to from my world. The only real reason I'd probably even think about going back at this point is to be with my human friends, all of whom aren't even local anyway, and family with a way to come back here any time I want. That's a bridge I'll cross when, or if, I ever get to it.