Mommy and Daddy teach me to Fly!
“Mommy, when is daddy coming home?”
Mom turned away from the dishes to smile at me.
“You know that daddy comes home around five. What hour do we have now, sweetie?” she asked me.
“Umm…” The clock on the wall said it was… “Four! Four thirty!”
“That’s right!” applauded mommy, wiping her forehooves and approaching me. I felt her tickling muzzle on my neck – that and the perfume she wore. Every time I felt it, I imagined a whole field of daisies. “And daddy will be back in?”
I stuck out my tongue and thought hard. Math was something that I was still learning, and Miss Sunshine told me I’m doing very good!
“Ummm…. Uhh…. Me, me! Don’t tell me!” Mom chuckled while the numbers flew in front of my eyes. An hour had, like, sixty minutes right? It was thirty past four, so that’s… How did Miss Sunshine say it went? Take the smaller number away from the bigger one? So it was sixty minus thirty… And that gave… That gave!...
“Thirty minutes?” I said, jumping up and down. Her smile said it all – I did it! I’m smart, yay!
“Very good Aeria!” Mommy hugged me tightly, ruffling my mane a bit. I didn’t like it when other ponies did that, especially daddy, because he did it so hard. But mommy, her I can forgive. She always puts it back the way it was.
“But it’s thirty minutes! It’s sooo loooong!” I moaned into mum’s mane, deeply inhaling the wonderful flowery smell.
“Darling, patience is a very important skill. Especially in flying.”
My ears twitched – I wanted to fly! I wanted to fly so badly!
“Why is patience important, mommy?” I asked, following mommy as she let go of me and continued with her chores. It was time to dust some shelves.
“Well, for starters, you have to wait till the wind is just right. It can’t be too windy, and no wind at all will make you tired very soon. So you need to wait until the time will be juuust right.”
“But the older ponies that make weather, they fly in hard winds! And the Wonderbolts can fly in any wea-… wea…. AAaaaa-choooooo…”
Mommy laughed. She said I sneeze so ‘adorably’. There was nothing funny about it. I huffed and puffed the dust off my muzzle, giving mommy a stern look. That made her laugh even more.
“Hihi, sorry darling, I just can’t resist it. You’re the cutest, most adorable filly in all of Cloudsdale.”
Well, that’s more like it – because it was true. Everypony that came to visit mommy or daddy said the same thing, so it must be true. This time I forgave mommy for laughing at me. I was a big mare, not a filly anymore. Maybe not as big as Mommy or my brother Wing Dancer, but I could already count, write, do all the things grown-ups do! Except for one thing… And that was…
“Flying!”
“What’s that dear? I told you, you have to wait for daddy. He promised to teach you how to fly, and you know he always keeps his promise.”
“I know, I know! But it’s still twenty more minutes!”
Yes, I was very excited! I tried flying around the house before, but that always ended up with my head or leg hurting and mommy kissing it to make the pain go away. I just couldn’t wait to go outside and fly! High up in the air, with all the other kids! Not that I am a kid or anything. I’m a mare!
And with daddy at my side, I know I would be soaring with above our Cloudsdale home by dusk! Dad was a great flyer, and I saw him teach Wing Dancer not that long ago. They both had a lot of fun. Well, I’m going to have even more fun than my brother! Why? Because everypony says I’m a natural!
So what that I crashed into a drawer a few times. Mommy’s friends told me that at my age, they could barely lift off the ground! And me? I was hovering! Maybe just above the ground, with my hooves scraping at the cloudy floor, but counted! It was flying!
It was all in the wings. Mine were great! Strong, fast, flappy! I flapped them so hard one time that I managed to hit my head on the ceiling! And it is reaaaally high up! I mean, I couldn’t reach it even from the sofa, and that is as high as you can get without lifting off. I was so proud of myself that day… Too bad nopony believed me! Hmpf!
* * *
“I’m home!” I head from my room. That voice could only be one pony in the world.
I trotted as fast as I could, making long leaps with the help of my awesome wings. In just a few jumps I saw him – daddy, standing in the door frame, taking off his factory helmet and bowtie. He had the most awesome job in the universe – he made rainbows! I could tell which ones were daddy’s work – the other day, this really vibrant, colorful one appeared, and it had daddy written all over it, all in capital letter – no, scratch that, in large, sparkling, glowing, rainbow capital letters. I was so proud of him!
And now he was home! I launched myself at him, sticking to his neck.
“Daddy! Daddy! Welcome home daddy! Let’s go, let’s go outside! Teach me to fly!” I shouted at him, trying to drag him outside.
All he did was stand there and laugh. He scooped me up and kissed me on the muzzle, messing up my mane. I tried to resist, but he then started tickling me.
“Darling, leave the poor dear alone. Can’t you see she’s fighting for breath?” Mommy came over and saved me, kissing daddy on the lips while I tried to not giggle anymore. Daddy was the ticklemaster – he knew all the moves, and I mean all of them. I sometimes heard him tickle mommy late at night.
“Mommy, tell daddy to take me outside!” I demanded, finally being put down. My excited jumping was thawed by yet another mane ruffling.
“Aeria, let dad rest a bit after work, okay?” said mommy, helping me fix my hair. I think I’ll start wearing it shorter.
“It’s fine, love. I totally understand her. I was just as excited on the first day as she is now.” I got a warm smile from dad and a wet kiss on the forehead. “After dinner, okay?”
“Mommy, when’s dinner?” I asked, putting on the best puppy dog eyes I could.
* * *
I was so excited that I nearly choked on a turnip during dinner. I didn’t even notice when Wing Dancer came back home – as always, he just said his hello and closed himself in his room. I sometimes tried to see what he did in there, but he would always shoo me away or tell me I’m too little to understand. Huh, I’m not little! I’m a big mare! And soon, I’ll learn… I’ll know how to…
“Flyyyy!!” I screamed aloud, nearly falling from my chair. Daddy caught me and set me straight, patting me on the head.
“Right, of course. Ten minutes and we’re off.”
“But daaaaad, you said after dinner! It is after dinner!” I put on my irresistible look again, allowing my chin to shake slightly.
Mom and dad smiled and sighed at the same time.
“I know, but it is a bad idea to fly with your stomach full. You might get a bad tummy ache. You don’t want that, don’t you sweetheart?”
“Noooo,” I groaned. Last time I had a tummy ache, I had to stay in bed all the time. Mommy gave me some icky medicine that only made it worse and in the end we had to throw away my favorite stars-and-moons bed sheet. I still like my clouds-and-rainbows one, but… Oh, nevermind.
“Patience, Aeria. You will get to fly soon enough.”
“I knoooow… But I want noooooow.”
“Hihi, I don’t dare doubt that.”
* * *
Finally. This was it. The moment. The time. Daddy left the sofa, with my help of course. My hind legs weren’t strong enough to budge him, so I had to bite him in the leg to wake him up. He fell down with a thump – the sound probably woke him.
“It’s ten minutes, it’s ten minutes! Outside! Fly! Daddy! Now, now now!” I jumped up and down flapping my wings so hard I swear I was near the ceiling again.
Dad picked himself up, rubbing his side, flapping his wings too. He did it too lazily to leave the ground, though.
“Yes, yes, right. Honey, we’re going out!” he called out.
Mommy turned the TV off and followed us to the door.
“Mommy, are you coming too? You’re going to watch me fly?!”
“Of course, darling! I wouldn’t miss it for the world!” she hugged me tightly, the image of flowery fields accompanying me on the way to the hill just outside our home.
“Alright, lesson one. We’ll start slow. What do you know about flying, Aeria?”
I began reciting all the things our teacher taught about flying. Control, thrust, balance, synchronous wing flapping…
“Yes, yes, very good. Those are the basics, something you have to know in your head. But flying isn’t all about remembering to keep your hooves tight to your body or performing full wing swings to keep a steady altitude. What is the most important thing is feeling it. The wind, your body, your wings… Do you understand, sweetie pie?”
“Ummm….” No, I didn’t
“Let me show you. Flap your wings as hard as you can.”
This was the moment I was waiting for all my life. I unfolded my wings, straightening them to their full width. The silver feathers glistered in the sun – they looked magnificent. Slowly, I gave them a push down. As they almost reached the bottom, I changed the movement direction, jerking them upwards in a half-folded state. I repeated the motion over and over again, faster and faster.
Quite soon I felt wind gather under my wings, which were beginning to be a blur – my hooves didn’t need to support my body anymore, as it was lifting upwards. I strained hard, finally lifting off the ground… But my back was hurting. I was already very tired. How come? At home, I could flap like this for hours on end…
I finally stopped, the strain too much for me to handle. I collapsed into the cloud, bouncing delicately on its surface for a while.
“Not bad. How did it feel?” asked daddy with a smile.
“Eh…. Eh…. Different…” I could barely slip a word between mouthfuls of air I had to take. I’ve never been so tired! “… Why? At home… Eh… Eh… I could…”
“I know, darling. That is the first difference. Here, in the open, we have all the good and the bad of weather – air currents, different pressure, wind blowing from many directions… When the air moves, you have to adjust to it. Feel it.”
“Eh… Eh… Huh?”
“I think she had enough for now,” chuckled mommy.
Oh no! Not enough already! I jumped back to a standing position, giving mommy a stern look.
“No.” I said simply. She smiled, so did daddy.
“Okay, okay. Then settle down a little. Breathe deeply… No, not shallow, that’s bad for your throat… In… Out… Yes, that’s it… In… and out… Good,” nodded dad, patting me on the head. “Controlling your breath is important in flying too. Now, close your eyes. C’mon, close them.”
What was I to do? I closed my eyes. What was that supposed to do? This wasn’t flying.
“Can you feel the wind?”
Stupid question. Wind is all around. It blows all the time. Without wind, Pegasus wouldn’t be able to fly.
“Yes. What has this got to do with flying?”
“Can you tell where it blows from? Can you feel it on your skin, as it ripples through your fur? Through your mane, your wings?”
“Huh?” I asked, opening my eyes to see daddy sticking his headup to the sun. He had his eyes closed and was tilting his head slightly, as if listening to something.
“Listen to the wind, Aeria,” he said.
I looked at mommy – she had her eyes closed too and was doing the same thing daddy was. Huh…
So I closed my eyes too. Raised my head. The sun’s rays felt good on my face. The wind was blowing all around, gently petting my mane, my tail, my skin. The fur on my body moved in waves, causing a sensation of ripples to travel through my legs, neck, my back. It was strange. I never paid attention to it before. It felt so… So nice. These surges, they had directions. Left to right, up to down, all around, circulating my body. They all came a bit from the left side, somewhere around my ear. Without knowing it, I tilted my head in that direction. After a few more adjustments, I had my muzzle facing the wind. It was barely there, blowing over me, but I felt it. I was standing against tides of air, gentle yet firm. My wings rose slightly, scooping the wind into them. I felt being tugged backwards.
I got a bit scared when my forehooves started losing connection to the ground, so I broke out of this good feeling and opened my eyes. Mom and dad were looking at me, their eyes and muzzles smiling widely.
“Did you feel it?” asked dad, excitement in his voice.
“I did… I did, I did!” I cheered, allowing myself to be hugged by mom and dad at the same time. They were soft and warm compared to the embrace of the wind I just felt. I snuggled up to them kissing their necks.
“Now, try it again,” said daddy, letting go. “Feel the wind again. When you’ll feel it, flap your wings. Do it gently, just a little bit… In the rhythm that is here,” he finished, tapping me on the chest.
I nodded my head and closed my eyes again. I was so excited I didn’t feel anything. I tried what daddy told me to do – calm my breath… Inhale… Exhale… In… Out… In…
The wind was now a bit to the right…
Out…
Somewhere around my shoulder…
In…
I turned slightly, lowering my head, scooping the wind into my mane…
And out…
My wings unfolded of their own accord… I gave them a slight push down. I felt the wind turn there, move downwards, graze my belly and hooves.
Up…
My feathers were like a map now – the wind was moving through them in a pattern I could feel, but when I tried to focus on it, it just went away… Feel it..
Down…
The gust was stronger now and I knew my hind legs nearly lifted off. Faster…
Up… And down…
I was tilting forwards this time… The map on my wings told me to shift just a little bit backwards… Flap slightly ‘lower’ and more against the wind that I could tell was all around me…
Up, and down… And up again…
I was as light as any of my feathers. I totally didn’t notice that my hooves no longer felt the soft, cushiony cloud I was standing on.
Down, and up, and faster, and faster…
My back didn’t hurt. I felt the muscles work, but not like at home or just a few moments before. It was harmony. Balance. Whenever I would feel I would tip one way or the other, my wings would shift slightly, flap slower or faster, tilt me in the right direction…
“You’re flying! You’re flying!” I heard from below. Who was that? The wind didn’t have a voice. That sound reminded me of something… Flowers… Plains of colorful flowers… Mommy?
I opened my eyes and looked around. There was nopony in sight. I felt my eyes widen and… I glanced downwards.
Mommy and daddy were below me, at least a couple of feet below me. They were cheering and yelling my name. I couldn’t believe it. I was in the air… No, I am in the air! I can fly! I can soar!
“Look at me! Look at me! I’m a Wonderbolt!”
I looked at my back, ready to thank and kiss my wings, but as I did so, I twisted too much – I lost the frail balance that I had… It felt like falling off the tip of a needle. I was still flapping my wings, but that did not stop my descent towards ground… I braced for the fall…
Landing in daddy's embrace. Cloud puffs kicked up where we landed – despite the shock I was giggling and daddy was laughing. Mommy joined in and we all hugged.
I could fly. My greatest dream, it finally came true!
“I’m so proud, darling!” said mommy though tears, nuzzling me affectionately.
“I can fly! I can fly!” I yelled at the top of my longs, the voice muffled by mom and dad’s manes.
* * *
Wing Dancer came out to congratulate me and mess up my mane after we came back. I wanted to stay outside and fly some more, but daddy said that it takes time and I need to be patient. I didn’t like the idea much, but he did help me fly today, so I guess I’ll just learn this whole ‘being patient’ thing. I’ll ace it, just like everything else. Math, Flying, being Adorable – I can do it all. I’m a natural.
I kept going on and on about the things I felt while being in the air – the wind, the balance, the harmony. Mom and dad listened, smiling and commenting from time to time. I am certain that I repeated myself a few times, but they didn’t seem to notice. They told me they were proud of me at least a dozen times themselves, so yeah.
Night came really fast today. I didn’t even notice when the evening cartoons ended – it didn’t matter, though. I could fly, who needed the adventures of Dinky and Winky?
As always, mommy tucked me in. The clouds-and-rainbows sheet still smelled like brand new.
“It’s time to go to sleep, my little Wonderbolt.”
“Mommy… Will daddy teach me to fly tomorrow too?” I yawned. For some reason I was very tired now.
“Of course, dear. After he comes back from work.”
“When will that be?” I murmured, fighting with my eyelids. The darn things wanted… to close… So badly…
“At five, as always, my little flyer,” whispered mommy, turning the lamp on the table off and giving me a kiss.
Bed was so comfortable… Mommy’s hair smelled like flowers… Beautiful, rainbow colored flowers… Mmmmm… I can fly over those fields… With daddy, mommy and Wing Dancer… Together… Where the wind sings us a song and takes us to the smiling sun…