It wasn't easy being the Princess of Equestria, with every pony counting on her. She couldn't let them down. Twilight Sparkle knew it was going to be a long and hard road ahead.
"Hey, egghead!" shouted Rainbow Dash, dropping down and practically assaulting her with a snuggle.
Twilight giggled and rolled her eyes at Rainbow's nickname for her. "You do know, Rainbow, that reading isn't a bad thing, right? I thought I taught you that already."
"Yeah? So what about it? You're still an egghead," Rainbow replied with a slight raise of her brow.
Twilight sighed heavily. Sometimes, even her friends could drive her crazy. Even so, she still loved them, they were her friends. She was constantly learning new things about friendship from them, and being with them made her happy. She looked back at Rainbow coming out of her own thoughts, and speaking up.
"Nevermind. So, you said you were gonna help me fly?" asked Twilight. She hated how being a Princess was consuming a lot of her time. She didn't have nearly enough lists and variables for how her new wings would affect her. What if other ponies thought she was special? She didn't want to feel alienated from her friends, from Ponyville. This place meant so much to her, she couldn't. She wouldn't let her status change her.
“Yep! You get to learn how to fly from the most awesome flyer of them all. Not to brag or anything, but the Wonderbolts have me on their radar, and that is pretty epic.” Rainbow declared, her lips rising upwards into a smug grin, as she jabbed her elbow into Twilight’s side, a certain cockiness and bravado to her.
Twilight felt lost adrift in a whirlwind of thoughts and emotions. She bite her bottom lip. What if her wings changed her? What if other ponies treated her differently? She didn’t want that. She only wanted to make friends, and learn the values of friendship, as she had with her friends. Closing her eyes, she didn’t even register Rainbow’s words, until she felt the jab in her barrel.
"Twilight! Hello? Any pony home in there?" asked Rainbow, tilting her head towards her, almost concerned, as she continued prodding her until she actually responded to her.
"Sorry, Rainbow. This whole Princess thing has me really stressed out. There's so much I don't know. So many things that could go wrong... what if I'm not ready?"
"Of course you're ready! I mean come on, we've saved Equestria like, half a dozen times by now. Listen to me, Twilight. You're talented, intelligent, and extremely gifted in magic. You got this! And even if you fall, which you won't, I'll be right there to catch you." Rainbow smirked, wrapping a wing around Twilight's barrel.
"Thanks, Rainbow. That really means a lot to me," said Twilight, a slight smile rising up on her cheeks. Being a Princess could be hard, challenging, and full of change. But if there was one thing she now knew, it was that her friendships with the others would stay the same.
"Are you ready for those flying lessons now, recruit?" asked Rainbow, dawning a pair of sunglasses. "We're going to work you hard and fast, and by the time I'm done, you'll be flying like a champion!"
"As ready as I'll ever be, ma’am,"Twilight responded as she mock-saluted, while flashing her a wink.
“Woah, now. I ain’t no teacher. Call me... Captain. Yeah, just like Captain Spitfire!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, nodding her head up and down as she said aloud.
The start was not exactly how she pictured it. Rainbow was shouting at Twilight about body posture, how to hold her wings out, and the proper breathing techniques.
"Keep those wings out! Straighten up, keep your wings even. Remember to breathe in and out. Make sure your hindlegs are spread. Keep your front together! Eyes on me, recruit!" shouted Rainbow Dash.
Twilight felt tense as she shifted her body and adjusted her stance,wings spread out evenly to each side. She took deep breaths as she spread her hindlegs and prepared herself for flight. She could do this. These wings wouldn't change her.
Twilight never asked for any of this, she hadn't even realized how much she needed friendship in her life. She had been focusing on her studies for so long that she hadn't even noticed how lonely she was, how much she needed friends like Rainbow in her life. She couldn’t stop grinning, despite the pain she felt throughout her body. She knew Rainbow wouldn’t take it easy on her, and she was glad for it. She wanted to master this new skill as quickly as possible. There was no time for errors. Who knew when they might have to save Equestria from some evil villain once more? She had to be ready, and Rainbow understood that.
"What's so funny, recruit? You better not think I'm going easy on you just because we're friends!"
"Nothing! I was just remembering how we met. That's all."
"Yeah? Well start remembering what I'm telling you! We are going to get you flying or my name isn't Rainbow Dash," Rainbow scolded her.
She couldn't help but giggle. She knew Rainbow was very serious about her drills and practices, and in a way, so was she. In this moment, for once, Twilight didn't feel like a Princess, she felt like a normal unicorn once more. She knew things would keep changing, but the one thing she knew would always remain was the friendships she had made with the other's.
"Now, close your eyes. Picture the sky in your mind. Feel the air enveloping you. Let go of any worry and fear, and think only of being as light as a feather. Now, flap those wings, and soar into the sky!" explained Rainbow, doing the technique alongside her friend, but keeping her eyes open.
"Light as a feather. Let go of worry and fear. Soar into the sky." Twilight repeated back, as she took a few deep breaths in and out. She could do this. It was just like walking, just different. She spread her wings out and began flapping them by her sides, using the strength of her hindlegs to lift herself up into the sky. She immediately felt herself struggling to get used used to being in the air. Rainbow Dash was right there in front of her, surveying her, watching closely in case she was needed.
Twilight felt relieved to have her there, it eased her mind to know she wasn't alone. She knew she wasn't going to be anywhere near as good as Rainbow, but not crashing felt like a good start.
"Hmm… not too shabby. You're still a bit stiff in the wings. Ease up a bit."
Twilight let her wings loosen up, it feeling easier to control thereafter. She couldn't stop looking at Rainbow as she shifted and adjusted her frame. Flying wasn't easy like magic had been. She felt she had mastered that rather easily.
Twilight knew nothing in life was truly easy, you had to earn it. She had earned her wings, and the friendships around her, and for the first time in forever since gaining her wings, she felt like a normal pony again. Being a Princess wouldn't change her. She looked different, but she was still Twilight Sparkle, and she was flying with one of her best friends.
The wind whipped at her back, the tingly feeling of the bitter chill of the air made her wings tingle, as she giggled as she flew next to Rainbow. Soaring through the sky, right next to her, made her realize just what it meant to truly be at ease. This was what it felt to be weightless, to have all the worries, and anxieties and fears just vanish. Once you embraced the sky. It all vanished, as quickly.Twilight could feel it, she could hear it, sense it, but mostly accept her life wasn’t going to change just because she had wings. Not when she had friends like her to be here and show her the future ahead was bright.
She felt what Rainbow had been telling her. She felt light as a feather as she flew beside Rainbow. She smiled towards her, knowing how much she was holding herself back so the two of them could enjoy the sky together. Truly, Rainbow Dash was the Element of Loyalty, always staying by her side. Just as she was the Element of Magic, and now a Princess. She didn't know what lay ahead, but she felt relief washing over her, knowing she could count on her friends to be there for her. She’d be there for them too, and new adventures would await all of them, and she wouldn’t have to face it alone. They’d be right there.
Flying beside Rainbow, Twilight felt a light hearted, almost weightless feeling, as her heart pounded against her chest. So this was what it felt like to fly...
