“G-girls, I can’t do this…” Sunset stated, looking at the airplane parked at the terminal in front of her. She hugged her backpack against her chest, thoughts running through her head of everything that could go wrong.
Behind her, Rainbow groaned, sitting back in one of the rows of chairs as they waited to board, “Sunset, we just spent an hour getting through security. You can’t wimp out on us now.”
“Rainbow, it’s a giant metal contraption! It weighs thousands upon thousands of pounds. How can it fly!?”
“I don’t know, ask Twilight, all I know is that it does fly, and we’re getting on it.”
Twilight wrapped her arms around Sunset as she approached the stressed out girl in an attempt to comfort her. She gave Sunset a loving smile before it turned into a scowl as she looked to Rainbow, “Rainbow, don’t be so harsh on Sunset, aviophobia is not something to take lightly,” she then looked back to Sunset, gaining a small smile again, “Sunset, you have nothing to worry about, we’re all here for you and we’re going to have a fun time on our Spring Break. Don’t worry about how we get to there, these planes are the culmination of over a hundred years of research and advancements.”
“Twilight, birds are meant to fly, pegasi are meant to fly. Humans? Humans are not meant to fly,” The red and yellow haired girl looked to the other with pleading eyes, begging not to have to go on the plane. Unfortunately for her, Twilight wasn’t having any of it, as cute as it was.
“I’ll be sitting right next to you, you can hold my hand, hug me, whatever, we’ll get through this ok?”
Sunset sighed, rubbing her shoulder as she thought about it, even Twilight’s assurances weren’t doing a lot for her nerves. She knew all the troubles with airplanes, mechanical failures, disappearances, crashes. How did anyone trust these things? She tried to give Twilight the most convincing smile she could, “Can’t I just… not go on the trip? I’d be fine with that.”
Rainbow and Twilight, the only ones at the gate by that point besides Sunset, both gave her a deadpan look, “Sunset, we’re going to Roam, I know you want to see it just as much as the rest of us. Think about it, the capital of the Roaming Empire! Surely it’s worth the, admittedly long, flight!” Twilight had the goofy grin on her face that Sunset couldn’t help but love. Sunset knew Twilight was going to force her onto that plane one way or another. She gave a sigh and plomped herself down onto the chair next to Twilight, resigning herself to her fate.
A half hour passed quietly, with some small chit chat between the group of friends after the other half of them trickled back to the gate after getting food and looking at the Duty Free shops. Rarity was nice enough to get them all bottles of water, though Sunset didn’t know if she wanted to drink any of it for fear she might throw up. However, after some urging from Twilight, she took a few small sips.
Soon, it would be time to board the plane. The stewardesses in charge of managing the gate came over and started working. Sunset didn’t pay them any mind really except for when they mentioned over the loudspeaker that the flight was slightly overbooked and they needed one person to take a flight later in the day, they would even offer money. Sunset nearly jerked up at the opportunity if it wasn’t for the fact Twilight held her down in a faux hug. Sunset sighed and obeyed, staying seated. The more she thought about it, the harder it would have been to ever get on the aircraft without Twilight’s help.
Eventually, the time came for boarding to commence. Sunset and her friends lined up in the second of the five boarding lines, having saved up the money to get extra space in their seats for the overseas flight. As Rarity had said, might as well be comfortable during the long flight. For Sunset, boarding was like walking into her own coffin. Even though the air in the ramp was rather cold, the nervous girl couldn't help but sweat slightly as she entered the plane. She didn’t like how close the seats were, and how thick the exit door was. It felt to her like a bank vault. Soon though, she got to her seat, sitting down between Twilight, who sat by the window, and Rarity, who sat by by the aisle. As soon as she got in her seat, Sunset buckled her belt and tightened it almost to the point of it being uncomfortable, but it made her feel safe-ish. It took awhile for people to finish getting in their carry-ons stowed and to settle into their seats, but soon the attendants were sealing the door to the aircraft, meaning Sunset was finally in this for the long haul.
She gasped and jerked slightly as she felt the plane start to be moved backwards as the tow vehicle moved it into position to taxi to the runway. She didn’t know why it surprised her so much, but the suddenness caused Twilight to look to her with concern, “It’s ok Sunset, once we get in the air you won’t feel anything, maybe you’ll even be able to sleep through the flight.”
“Heh, I highly doubt that… but we’ll see.”
The plane kept on rolling, moving towards the runway for take off. Sunset gripped her armrests tighter with every bump she felt. If she wasn’t paying such close attention to the safety briefing she might have overwhelmed herself on focusing on just the planes movements. She was starting to feel woefully unprepared for what was coming. Twilight, thankfully, saw how much trouble Sunset was having and took hand in her own, squeezing lightly to comfort her. It didn’t help Sunset much, nor did Rarity doing the same with her other hand soon after.
“Cabin crew, prepare for take-off,” Sunset’s breath caught in her throat as the announcement came over the P.A. system. She closed her eyes tightly and squeezed her two friends hands. If she heard the grunts from the two beside her, she didn’t show it, the fear in her making her breathing go quicker, and the rational side of her head trying to counter it.
The plane moved forward. The rational side of the girls head slowly losing to the fear as the aircraft gained speed, pushing the passengers back into their seats. Sunset was sure something was wrong, it was too bumpy, they hadn’t just taken off like she was expecting. That’s when she felt her weight shifting downwards as the plane started to pull up. She let out a whimper as she felt the aircraft gain altitude and start to maneuver into the flight path.
“Nngh, darling, hand, breaking, please,” Sunset let out a gasp as she released Rarity’s hand, giving a quick apology. Twilight didn’t seem to have the same qualms as Rarity, or at least she didn’t say anything to Sunset. She seemed ok with letting Sunset let out her anxiety on her hand, though she might need to have it checked when they get home. Thankfully for the red and yellow haired girl, the plane started to ease into a climb, enough that she started to take deep breaths, slowly calming down.
“Sweet Celestia, it’s not all that bad right?” Sunset whispered, leaning her head back as she shut her eyes.
Twilight shook her hand a bit as Sunset finally released her vice grip. Even if she was in pain, she gave a small giggle, “Not until we land, hopefully.”
Sunset gave a slow nod, not looking forward to landing, from everything she read and researched, landing is the most dangerous part of a flight, she wasn’t looking forward to that. Twilight put a hand on Sunset, giving a small squeeze, “You should try to get some sleep, it’s a long flight and it’s easier to sleep through it. That’s what I’m gonna do at least.”
“You can sleep in this thing? It’s loud and uncomfortable.”
Twilight gave a small chuckle, opening up a packet that contained the blanket the airline provided each passenger. It wasn’t the best blanket, but Twilight wasn’t going to complain, “You know me Sunset, I can sleep through most anything, and I’ve slept on flights before. It’s just a matter of getting relaxed enough.”
She laid the blanket over herself, but instead of leaning back or to the window, she leaned towards Sunset, putting her head on the girl’s shoulder, citing that it’s more comfortable than any pillow. Sunset gave a small chuckle herself, probably the first time in an hour or so she was able to laugh at all. She understood Twilight did often like using her as a pillow, but she saw through what Twilight was doing too. Sunset couldn’t panic and worry about the plane if she was worrying about making sure she didn’t disturb Twilight. Twilight was a genius after all.
Sunset leaned her head on Twilight’s, focusing on her breathing. The ride was rather smooth for now, and she had to admit she was a bit tired from having stayed up to get on the overnight flight. To her right, Rarity herself was starting to get her own beauty sleep. All around them people were trying to sleep, or read, or whatever they decided to do, but the plane was quiet; save for the engines. Sunset couldn’t help but let the engines become background noise, leaving her to start to drift into a, while not exactly restful, but calm sleep.
Sunset woke with a jerk as Twilight’s head banged into hers, likewise causing Twilight to wake up. Sunset’s heart began to race as she felt the plane begin to shake and rumble. She had no clue what was going on, and the quick glance towards the half asleep - but still worried-looking- Twilight pushed her over the edge. They were going to crash, that had to be it, right? No, what was she thinking? Twilight said these things were super sa-. Another rumble shook the plane. The seatbelt sign lit up. The flight attendants moved to their seats to strap in themselves. They were going down, they were going to crash. It became more and more apparent as the plane shook.
Sunset started to breathe heavily, closing her eyes tightly as well as gripping the seat with a near vice grip. The shaking and shuddering seemed to be getting worse and worse, somewhere behind her, one of the overhead luggage bins fell open, sounding like the plane ripping apart. She gasped and jerked as she felt a hand land on her own. Twilight’s, no doubt. The purple haired girl’s attempts to calm Sunset down wouldn’t work this time, however, the panicking girl barely registering anything Twilight might be saying. Sunset’s full attention was on the plane and its movements, the rumbling, the shaking, the sound of the engine, nothing else seemed to matter.
Sunset didn’t know how long it was before she heard Twilight, but eventually, she was able to hear someone else’s breathing, quick and panicking, like her own. Opening her eyes a bit, Sunset saw her girlfriend’s worried look, gazing at Sunset. Her heart was still racing due to the movements of the plane, that, now that she thought about it a bit, was getting gentler, and more back to normal. The more rational part of her brain was starting to scream at her again, telling her that everything was going to be fine, and to quit worrying, especially because Twilight was getting upset. She tried to control her breathing, forcing herself to take in a breath, hold it for a moment, before letting it back out. Yes, it might not have been the same exact time between each held breath, but slowly, she, and the airplane, seemed to be calming down.
Ok good, the next step to let Twilight know she was ok. She hated the idea that Twilight was worrying about her to such a degree. As her breathing seemed to get under control, she moved her right hand to her left, placing it on Twilight’s shaking hand, giving it a squeeze as she looked into the purple haired girls eyes. She wanted to give her a smile, but with the way her her heart was still racing, she didn’t feel she deserved a smile just yet. Maybe when the plane landed, yea, maybe then. Instead, it was Twilight to give her a small smile, recovering from her panic attack far quicker than Sunset was. Sunset gave a tilt of her head, before crossing her arms, giving Twilight a sour look.
“You tricked me.”
“Hmm, maybe, but it got you to calm down, so are you really mad?”
Sunset puffed her cheeks a bit, a blush on her face, half from anger half from embarrassment. This was all the response Sunset gave, though it didn’t matter to Twilight as she gave a small giggle as she hugged Sunset. She knew Sunset was thankful for the ruse, even if it was a bit mean. The red and yellow haired girl did, thankfully, lean her head on Twilight’s, confirming she wasn’t totally mad. The girl re-adjusted her glasses as she looked up to Sunset.
“We have another hour before we start to land, do you want to read with me?”
Sunset gave her a small roll of the eyes along with a small smirk as she nodded. Together they would read one of Twilight’s many books. This one specifically about where they were going. Learning about the beautiful and historical Roam, filled Sunset with even more desire to get there than she already had. It also gave her a much needed rest from worrying about the fact they were in a metal coffin flying over a vast ocean. Nope, she wasn’t thinking about that, or the fact they still needed to land at all.
“Cabin, prepare for landing.”
The announcement came over the speaker along with the ‘fasten seatbelts’ sign. Sunset’s heart began to beat faster as she thought about it more. She didn’t think she’d go into another panic attack, but she definitely wasn’t taking it like nothing. She nudged Rarity awake. Surprisingly, the girl slept through the whole flight, even through the turbulence and Sunset’s panic attack. Then again, she’d had to deal with the CMC sleepovers more than once.
It seemed that Sunset was masking her panicking a bit better this time. Twilight was holding her hand and looking out the window at the clouds that would soon part to reveal the Bitalian countryside and the city of Roam. Sunset didn’t want to look out the window and be reminded of how high they were, but from the pictures in Twilight’s book, Sunset was rather curious to see what it actually looked like.
Thankfully, she didn’t have to wait long as the the plane broke out of the cloud bank, bathing the aircraft in the light of the morning sun. Aside from the bright light, they were met with miles upon miles of beautiful farmland and small houses dotting the fields. It was amazing to see for Sunset, Sure she had seen Sweet Apple Acres, but that was the only farm she’s ever seen and never from above.
They felt the plane adjust course, tilting to the right, momentarily giving them a view of mostly clear sky, a few clouds scattered around before leveling out revealing their ultimate destination. Roam. To say it was big would be an exaggeration to Equestrians like them, the city simply couldn't compare to a city like Manehattan. It wasn’t an Equestrian city though, it was part of the old continent, and one of biggest there. Not to mention beautiful. They could see just how ancient yet modern the city looked. They saw the aqueducts and the Colosseum, but also modern glass and concrete buildings; it was truly amazing to see the combination of old and new in such a city. It did leave Sunset with one problem however, she started to notice just how close to the ground they were getting.
“Twilight, cover the window please…” She took a deep breath, Twilight doing as she asked without question, even though the small sigh she gave indicated she did want to keep looking. Sunset started to sweat slightly, and her grip on the seat became more firm. She could feel the plane dropping altitude steadily minute by minute. She felt the color drain from her face right along with the plane, leading up to the landing. Soon, it came.
The plane and the passengers jerked as the wheels hit the runway and bounced back up. Sunset swore she heard even Twilight squeak in surprise, though it always could have been herself. The wheels touched down again, this time staying on the ground as the aircraft started to bounce and on the asphalt. Next came the nose gear touching down, signalling the plane finally on the ground, but it also meant that the hard braking of the plane began, throwing Sunset and the others hard against their seatbelts as the plane started to make its way to a slower speed.
It felt like an hour to Sunset, her knuckles going white as she gripped the seat, though in actuality it was only a minute or so. The only way she knew it was over was when she heard people start clapping. She glanced up then to Twilight who moved the blinds back up. Outside it showed the airport, and the fact they were completely safe on the ground, taxiing to the terminal. She gasped out a small laugh, thanking Celestia that they were finally on the ground. She didn’t really even pay attention to the announcement made over the loudspeaker, something about the local weather. She was just too relieved.
“See? It wasn’t that bad Sunset,” Twilight said, rubbing her cheek against her girlfriend’s, “Plus it gets better with each flight, before you know it you won’t mind at all.”
“Yea right, I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it.”
“Well darling at least we don’t have to get on one for another week,” Rarity chimed in, unhooking her seatbelt. Both Twilight and Sunset gave her rather cross looks, to which she simply gave a small shrug before turning her head to speak to the other member of their group, sitting in different rows.
Sunset gave a sigh as she rested her head on Twilight’s shoulder. She knew Rarity was right but she pushed that thought as far as she could into the back of her mind. Let future Sunset deal with it, present Sunset just wanted to get off the plane.
Disembarking went slowly, the passengers taking their time to grab their bags from the overhead bin. It’s not that they wanted to take their time, they were just forced to due to the tightness of the aircraft. Eventually though, the group of girls got off the plane with Sunset only needing a bit of help from Twilight to stop her legs from wobbling. Sunset nearly kissed the floor as she stepped out through the hatch of the plane, but instead just hugged Twilight tightly.
They were finally in Roam, though they had to pass customs and get their bags, but they were out of danger for the most part, and that was all that Sunset really cared about. Now she could forget her fears and just go and enjoy her vacation. She wouldn’t have to worry about a stupid plane again for another week, but surely it wouldn’t be as bad as that first flight… right? Bah, not present Sunset’s problem, her problem now was simply going to get food with her friends, a problem the rest of them were already discussing. She chuckled as she started listening to the conversation.
“How about one of the cute little cafes outside? It’d be nice to have some real food...and get out of the airport,” Rarity offered. It wasn’t exactly a surprise; she’d spent the last few weeks raving about how she wanted to try authentic Bitalian cuisine.
“I say we just grab something here, I’m starving,” Rainbow responded as she worked out some kinks in her neck. Applejack and Fluttershy were quick to agree with their rainbow haired friend. Twilight and Pinkie, on the other hand, agreed with Rarity.
“Well I guess it’s up to you, Sunny,” Twilight nearly purred out, sliding up to Sunset, who gave a small roll of her eyes as she watched Twilight’s attempts to sway her opinion.
“Let’s get through customs and then decide. Not like there’s any food here anyway.”
Thankfully everyone agreed with Sunset on that and they all made their way into the next section of the building… only to discover the busiest customs area the group had ever seen.
“Yea, let’s eat as soon as we get past this mess,” Sunset couldn’t help but laugh as the rest of the girls sighed loudly, even the -up till that point- excited Pinkie Pie.
“Agreed,” they said in unison.
