The winter breeze travelled across my skin, exhilarating, making me feel freedom like I never had before. After being grounded for so long- from a hatchling to teenager, nearly fifty years- this first flight was the most amazing thing I had ever experienced. I felt as though I never wanted to touch the ground again.
Spike closed the book, eyes glazed with deep thoughts. The book, which was brown with a green dragon splashed across the front, had been given to him by Twilight after his quest to find out who he was. It was a rare book, taken from Celestia's own collection, one of the few copies from one of the few dragon writers, a first-hand account of how dragon's lives were, from beginning to end. Twilight felt that even if Spike couldn't live it himself, he might still want to know how it was.
He looked at his own wingless back, craning his neck. According to the author, Fang, his wings had always been there but couldn't support him until he was fully grown. Spikes back was completely smooth, other than his spikes running the length of his entire body. He sighed.
Across the room was a book called Species of Equestria, also borrowed from Celestia. Spike padded across the library to the table where it sat and took a chair. He flipped it to the dragon chapter, which was dog-eared from when he last looked over it.
"Dragons are the most mysterious of species in Equestria," he read aloud. He had pored over it just yesterday, but continued as though he had never seen the passage before. "They are among the most diverse, with over two hundred known types of dragon (page 223) and the most magical. They have extremely long lifespans, and, although not hostile to ponies, very territorial and will attack if within their domain. Depending on age (page 210) and species, hostility may increase or decrease. All documented knowledge of dragons, though limited, can be found in this book from page 205 to page 257. WARNING. ANY DRAGON, ANY AGE OR SPECIES, IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND SHOULD BE REPORTED IMMEDIATELY. DO NOT KEEP THESE CREATURES... oh, whatever," Spike said, and flipped to page 223. He began reading again. "Species of dragon are recognized by color, size, and shape. Most dragons are winged, with only nine species flightless. Many of the unwinged are extinct, due to the great Dragon Hunting (history of the dragons and ponies, page 206)."
Spike flipped to his page, fingers crossed. The page opened to reveal a rough sketch of a large, purple-and-green, full grown dragon, along with a picture of Spike's very own egg. His eyes skimmed the page until he found what he was looking for.
Flightless.
Spike's head hit the book and he moaned in disappointment. Behind him, he head the bell above the library door ring, but he didn't even bother looking up.
"Uh hey, Spike, is Twilight here? She had a new book she thought I'd like." Spike heard Rainbow Dash walk over to where he was sitting, face-down. The gentle clip-clip of her hooves stopped beside him. "Spike? You okay?"
"Twilight's in Canterlot," his muffled voice replied, mouth pressed against a page.
"Okay, I'll get the book later. Seriously, are you okay?"
Spike stayed silent.
"...Spike?"
He just sat, eyes closed, hoping she'd go away. Instead he felt her head shoving him out of his chair.
"Yahh!" He crashed to the ground, landing on his tail. He grabbed it tenderly- it hurt- and glared and Dash. "What?" he snarled.
Rainbow Dash glared back. "Yeah, I don't like being ignored. I asked you what was wrong."
Well..." Spike sighed in defeat and flopped back. "Every other dragon can fly and it sounds amazing but I can't," he gestured at the book without stopping, "so I won't even know what it feels like but it sounds great and I want to." It all came out in a rush, but Spike felt infinitely better once he had let it all out.
The pegasus was looking at the book. Then she laughed. "I think we can fix that," she said, before clamping her teeth on one of his spikes and swinging him on her back. She galloped outside, and Spike nearly fell off his new seat. He clutched at her neck.
Spreading her wings, Dash asked, "Are you ready?"
"Ready? What? Nooooo-" he screamed that last word as Dash took off, speeding straight up at an almost 90-degree angle. Spike felt himself sliding back, so he clamped his arms around her neck.
"You might rather grab my mane, so you don't choke me," she yelled back at him.
Spike unclasped his hands and grabbed onto Dash's purple streak. Right then, she flipped, nose pointed straight a the ground, and Spike slid forward. Together, they fell into a dive.
"Whoaaaaa!" Spike yelled as the ground got closer and closer. He could almost enjoy the view, but he felt like he was about to somersault right over Dash's head. Below, a sparkling river was getting larger. The sun glinted and flashed off the water, the dancing light nearly blinding him.
As the river grew ever closer, Spike wondered if Dash had actually been blinded or just had a death wish. "The river's pretty close now!" he shouted, but the wind tore his words away, and he wasn't even sure the pegasus had heard him.
The wings on either side of him flapped a couple of times, forcing them downward with an even greater speed, before snapping shut, clamped tightly to Dash's blue body. They shot, like a bullet, straight down, the pegasus grinning and laughing, the dragon screaming in terror. At the last second, her wings flared out and they grew level, her hooves barely skimming the water.
Spike clutched his stomach. He looked up, using the clouds as markers, and marveled at how high he had been. Naseau forgotten, Spike raised both hands in the air and whooped. Dash craned her neck and grinned at him.
"Ready for another go?"
Spike grabbed her mane again. "Definitely."
Dash rose in the air, flicking water from her hooves. She lazily circled, going higher and higher. This time, Spike could admire the view. He marveled at how after the fall, everything seemed greener and more beautiful. Ponyville lay sprawled at his left, tiny dots of ponies going about their business. To his right was the Everfree Forest. Beyond both of those was a patchwork of farms, yards, and other woods, all making a gigantic quilt that covered Equestria.
"It's beautiful," he breathed.
"Huh?" Dash looked down and chuckled. "I guess it is. But you want to really see Ponyville with new eyes?"
Spike wasn't sure what she meant, but agreed anyway. She soared to a nearby cloud, the biggest cloud he had ever seen. It was as thick as the library was tall, and about a hundred wide. Nearby, two pegasi were kicking the cloud over and over, and it was getting gradually darker in that one spot.
Dash landed on the cloud. "What're they doing?" Spike asked, pointing at the ponies.
Dash barely glanced over. "This is for that big storm next week. They're making it angry, so we'll get plenty of rain and lightning." She paused, head cocked. "I guess I should send out a notice about it."
"Huh. That's really cool."
"Yeah. You ready to go?"
"Sure."
Dash shot into the air, leaving a rainbow trail behind her. They climbed until they were about a hundred feet above the cloud, and Dash stopped. "Grab hold!" she yelled, and they dove down.
The cloud poofed around them, and suddenly all Spike could see was a fluffy mess, like fog, but a million times denser. Frozen shards of ice pelted him, stinging his scales and melting on contact. They clung to his eyelashes, the only place they wouldn't turn to liquid.
They shot out of the cloud, and Spike gasped at the transformation of the land beneath him. The crystals on his eyelashes made everything glitter, and tiny rainbows flitted over his vision. Slowly they melted, and he blinked the droplets away.
"Cool, huh?" Rainbow Dash asked.
"Yes," he whispered. "Amazing."
Dash did a couple of loops, and Spike yelled at the thrill of being upside down, miles above the earth. Suddenly, Dash stopped.
"Uh, hey, is Twi coming back today?"
"Yeah, why?" Spike peered over Dash's shoulder. Far below, a tiny purple dot was gesturing angrily. "Oh. Uh-oh."
"We're already in trouble, aren't we?"
"Yeah."
"Then we might as well take one more dive, huh?" Dash asked, before bucking up violently. Surprised, Spike let go and began plummeting towards earth, screaming. He flipped over, and all he could see was the earth rushing towards him before his eyes teared up at the wind.
"Hey!"
He blinked and looked to his left. A rainbow blur was falling too, beside him.
"Don't worry Spike, I got you!" Then she disappeared.
Spike began flapping his arms up and down, willing wings to appear, but they didn't. "Oh, Celestia," he moaned, almost level with the trees surrounding a frightened-looking Twilight. Spike was close enough to make out the look of horror on her face.
Suddenly, he landed, hard, on something. Rainbow Dash.
"Oof, kid, you need to lay off the gems," she said cheerfully. He clutched at her neck, forgetting about what she said earlier about choking. She took one more loop, taking him upside down once again, before landing gracefully beside Twilight.
The unicorn stood there in shock for what felt like an hour before she started screaming at them. "Rainbow Dash! What were you doing? Why did you drop him? Oh my Celestia, is he hurt?" she shrieked, grabbing Spike off Dash's back and flipping him back in forth in front of her, examining him. The flopping about made Spike feel sick, and he retched.
"Err, sorry, Twilight," Dash managed, eyes transfixed on Spike's jerky movements.
"Is that all you have?" she said, screeching. "No excuse? Nothing? You were just having fun messing with him?"
"Huh? No, he said he wanted to-"
"He's a baby dragon, Rainbow Dash! A baby!" she cried.
Spike moaned where he was laying on the ground, Twilight's magic having discarded him after her inspection. "Twilight, I wanted to go fly, really."
Twilight huffed. "Well, that is the last time! I've never- augh, Dash! I can't believe you."
"Sorry, Twilight." She shrugged, then glanced over where an enormous cloud was gathered. "Oh, by the way, there's a storm scheduled Tuesday."
Twilight grunted angrily. "C'mon, Spike." She stormed towards the library. Spike trudged behind sadly.
"Thanks for the flight, Rainbow Dash. One is better than never."
Rainbow Dash stretched her wings, ready to take flight again. She grinned down at him and winked. "Oh, I wouldn't say just one. Twilight's not always around, you know. This was just a practice flight. We'll do the real stuff next time.
"Next time, we'll touch the stars."
