It was a pleasant morning in Ponyville as Fluttershy led a line of ducks to the pond. They were quacking happily about visiting their cousins from the park in Fillydelphia. Fluttershy stepped aside as they took to the water, offering sharp quacks of thanks.
“You’re welcome!” she replied.
The ducks, however, suddenly began to swim away as fast as they could. They seemed terrified about something. Fluttershy wondered what it could be when she heard a pair of voices shouting overhead—and getting louder every second.
“You’re too low! Pull up! Pull up!”
“I am—uh oh! Watch out, Fluttershy!”
“Huh?” Fluttershy had only a moment to look up and spot the giant purple storm diving toward her. Then they were crashing into the pond in a giant splash, scattering what few ducks were left.
Coughing and spluttering, Fluttershy spread her wings and flew herself out of the water. She shook herself off and air-dried her mane and tail as best she could. Then she gasped when she saw who had crashed into her.
Twilight Sparkle sat miserably in the pond, her newly-acquired wings drooping beside her. Her crown was askew, as there was now a frog sitting on top of her head. It croaked once and leapt back into the water.
“Oh, Twilight!” Fluttershy landed on the ground as her friend used magic to levitate herself and dry off. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine,” Twilight said, though she didn’t sound fine. She adjusted the crown and looked at her wings. “Just trying to get used to these.”
“I told you it wasn’t going to be easy!” Fluttershy noticed Rainbow Dash coming in for a controlled landing beside them. The pegasus was wearing her coach’s cap and had a whistle around her neck. “Basic maneuvers are something all fillies learn at Flight Camp. You just have to work a little bit harder, but I know you can do it, Twilight!”
“Gosh, I didn’t know you were in flight training,” Fluttershy commented.
Twilight kept twitching her wings experimentally. “Princess Celestia says that I need time to get used to all the aspects of being an alicorn. I may know magic like the back of my hoof, but flying isn’t the same.” She smiled through her misery. “Fortunately, I’ve got Rainbow Dash to show me how it’s done.”
“And I can honestly say you’re not off to a flying start, rookie!” Rainbow Dash blew her whistle, prompting Twilight to stand at attention. “Now, off your hooves and on those wings! Let’s see some hustle!”
“Yes, ma’am!” Twilight shot a glance at Fluttershy. “Uh, can I make a suggestion, ma’am?”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “What is it?”
“Maybe my flight training would go a lot more smoothly if I had a wingmate?”
“Hmm.” The blue pegasus rubbed her chin with her hoof, then looked over at Fluttershy. “You might be right, Princess Rookie. What do you say, Fluttershy? Are you up for showing her how it’s done?”
“Me?” Fluttershy shrank back under her mane for cover. “Oh, no, no, no. I couldn’t! I mean, what if I make a mistake? What if Twilight gets hurt and it’s all my fault? I’d never forgive myself if that happened!”
Twilight put a reassuring hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “I’m sure you’ll do fine. You’re one of the best fliers in Ponyville. Remember that time when you helped everyone get that water funnel to Cloudsdale?”
“Yeah, that was all you!” Rainbow Dash hovered off the ground in a triumphant pose. “So don’t let your new princess down!”
Fluttershy looked between the two ponies. “Well, if you think it’ll help….”
Twilight leaned and nuzzled her. “I do.”
Fighting the urge to blush, Fluttershy sighed. When she lifted her head, she put on a more serious expression. “Okay. For you, Twilight, I’ll do it!”
“That’s the spirit!” Rainbow Dash blew her whistle. “Alright, rookies! On those wings! Let’s move, move, move!”
Even with Rainbow Dash’s aggressive coaching, Twilight found it easier to follow Fluttershy’s lead. The timid pegasus was still a hesitant flier, but she was no less graceful in the air. Twilight was having a blast soaring alongside her, even getting in a few loops through the clouds. The only real hassle was coordinating her flying with her magic as she tried to keep her crown on through every maneuver. Did Celestia and Luna have to learn how to do this when they became princesses? she wondered more than once.
“The real trick is to move with the air currents,” Fluttershy advised during a low sweep over Ponyville. “That way, you won’t burn up your strength when you need to start flapping!”
“Right!” Twilight looked down at the houses and streets below. Everypony looked so small down there. No one even seemed to notice her flying. But why would they? What was one more pegasus in the air?
Guess they can’t see my crown and horn from down there, she thought with a laugh.
“Okay, not bad!” Rainbow Dash crossed her arms as she flew ahead of the duo. “But let’s step it up. Give me ten laps around Ponyville! Starting… now!”
The moment she blew her whistle, Fluttershy yelped and raced ahead. Twilight was quick to follow, though she was getting exhausted. She’d gotten a good breakfast at Cloudsdale, but she’d burned all off those calories with the morning exercises. She calculated that she was flying in bursts of about five to ten minutes, so that meant she was burning calories at a rate of over a hundred and twenty—
“Hey, Princess! Less thinking, more flying!” Rainbow Dash called out. She blew her whistle twice for good measure.
“Yes, ma’am!” Twilight grit her teeth and raced after Fluttershy, who had gotten quite a head start.
However, when she looked back and saw Twilight trailing after her, the yellow pegasus suddenly dropped her speed. She winked as Twilight came up alongside her.
“Hey, don’t give her any slack!” their friend-turned-coach cried out.
“But I don’t want to be rude!” Fluttershy challenged. “She’s a princess now!”
Rainbow Dash pointed her hoof at the open skies. “No excuses! If Twilight’s going to fly right, she’ll need to get tough and quick. Now get moving, girls!”
“Don’t worry about me,” Twilight told her. “I’ll go at my own pace.”
“Oh, okay. Sorry.” With another adorable blush, Fluttershy took off ahead of her.
Twilight smiled and flapped her wings for just an extra burst of speed. Now it was getting good.
Around noon, they landed for a break at Cloudsdale. Much to Twilight’s embarrassment, a flock of local pegasi had gathered to witness her arrival and cheer her on. She readjusted her crown, suddenly self-conscious about her training.
“Hey, ease off, everypony!” Rainbow Dash blew her whistle as she landed. “Give her some space! She might be a princess now, but she’s still a rookie flier! That means no publicity and no special treatment, got that?”
Though still awestruck, the crowd slowly dispersed. Twilight felt bad for them, but she knew Rainbow Dash was right. She had to give her flying lessons all her effort, just like she’d done as a filly in her magic studies.
They ended up having lunch at the Raincloud Café. Rainbow Dash insisted on her two fliers having a plate of fresh vegetables, one slice of bread, and some kind of protein shake. Twilight could barely stomach the shake, but she did her best for Rainbow’s sake.
Fluttershy, on the other hand, still seemed nervous. She barely ate her meal and left her shake half-finished. It seemed easy for her to stay quiet while Rainbow Dash chattered on about their days at Flight Camp and the training regimen at the Wonderbolt Academy. Twilight hoped she was feeling okay.
She made a note to talk to her alone when they were done for the day.
“When I was a filly, my old coach said that confidence is key for a true flier.” Rainbow Dash pulled out a dark bundle from the cloud on which they stood and offered it to Twilight. “So maybe we’ll ditch that awkward crown and give you something better for training.”
Twilight gasped. “A Wonderbolt uniform? Where’d you get that?”
“I bought it at a costume shop,” Rainbow Dash replied with a smug smile. “What? You think they just give these out to anypony? You’ve got to earn a real Wonderbolt flight suit.”
“I guess you’re right.” Twilight needed some help getting into it. She supposed it really was a costume. No flight suit probably rustled and crinkled that much. “Won’t this increase the drag on my airspeed, though?”
“Don’t worry. It’ll give you something to overcome. Imagine how great you’ll fly without this!” Rainbow Dash blew her whistle. “Now come on, Princess Rookie! Up and at them!”
Twilight put on her goggles and spread her wings. Then she flew in a quick loop around the cloud. Even with the costume dragging, she still made it around in record time.
Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof victoriously. “Not bad, rookie! Not bad at all! Now let’s see some dives!” She turned and blew her whistle. “Hey, Fluttershy! Where are you? Front and center on the double!”
“Ah! Coming!” The yellow pegasus appeared from behind a smaller cloud. She was also wearing goggles and had tied her mane back. When she saw Twilight in her Wonderbolt costume, she beamed with joy. “I like your costume, Twilight!”
“It’s a flight suit!” Rainbow Dash corrected her. She blew her whistle twice. “Now get to diving!”
Twilight looked Fluttershy in the eye and nodded. Her friend nodded back, then took off in a long spiraling dive. Twilight gulped when she saw how fast she was going. Then she remembered that she was an honorary Wonderbolt for now and took off after her.
By sunset, everything had gone great. Twilight was pleased to see that her flying had really improved. She wasn’t pulling tricks like Rainbow Dash, but she could kick a few clouds with most of the pegasi in Ponyville. And despite what Rainbow Dash said, she was pleased that she had read up enough about aerodynamics and pegasus flight theory to put it into practice.
Fluttershy, however, had gone home as soon as they were done. She didn’t even stop to say goodbye, blushing as she flew off. Twilight was concerned and decided to follow her at a distance.
By the time she got to Fluttershy’s cottage, however, there was no sign of the pegasus. She knocked on the front door, which was answered by Angel Bunny.
“Is she home?” Twilight asked. “Is she okay?”
The white rabbit shrugged and closed the door on her. Twilight looked around, trying to think where she could be.
When she noticed a large swarm of orange butterflies huddled under a tree, she decided she might have found her. Twilight was tempted to fly over, but she didn’t want to startle her. She trotted over as quietly as she could.
When she approached, Twilight cleared her throat. “Fluttershy, are you there?”
Fluttershy yelped, scattering the butterflies away from her. She turned to Twilight with a sad frown and downcast eyes.
“I’m sorry for disturbing you,” said Twilight, taking a cautious step forward. She winced at how loud the Wonderbolt costume was rustling. “I just wanted to see if you were all right. You seemed upset when practice was over.”
“It’s nothing, Twilight.” Fluttershy hung her head. “Nothing you can’t help. I was…” She swallowed. “I was ashamed. I was so happy when I heard you were becoming a princess! And then you were trying so hard to fly and I wanted to help, but…”
“Are you upset because of how Rainbow Dash treated me? I know she can be rough, but she means well—”
“No, it wasn’t that at all.” Fluttershy sank below her mane, just like she’d done when she and Twilight had first met. “It’s you, Twilight. It’s how I feel about you. I just thought… you wouldn’t have time for somepony like me.”
Twilight didn’t know what to say. She’d had those same thoughts on the day of her coronation. Of course it was an honor to be made a princess, but what if it meant giving up her dearest friends? But she knew Celestia wouldn’t ask that of her. The Princess had entrusted them with the Elements of Harmony, and it was their friendship that had helped Twilight solve the unfinished spell and gave her the chance to become an alicorn.
“Fluttershy, I’m only a princess because of ponies like you,” Twilight explained. She came over and nuzzled her softly. “I might have new powers and responsibilities, but I’ll always have time for my very best friends.” When the pegasus didn’t respond, Twilight put a hoof on her shoulder and added, “And I could never stop caring about you.”
“R-really?” Fluttershy looked up with a hesitant smile. “You mean it?”
Twilight hugged her. “I do.”
The pegasus squeaked in delight and nuzzled her back. Then Twilight heard a quick flutter of wings and looked up to see Rainbow Dash landing nearby.
“Well, looks like you two got everything figured out.” She tossed away her cap and whistle. “That’s enough for today, Twilight. I think you’ll do just fine as a flier.”
“Thanks, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight pulled away from Fluttershy, she shook her hind legs. “So can I take this costume off now? The flight diaper is really starting to chafe.”
“Wait a minute,” Fluttershy exclaimed. She tilted her head. “Flight diaper?”
Rainbow Dash snorted with laughter.
“It’s part of the Wonderbolt uniform,” Twilight explained, remembering her chat with Rainbow Dash after they’d finished practice. “They wear diapers during their performances, don’t they?”
“Actually… they don’t.”
“What?!”
By that point, Rainbow Dash had gone from snorting and giggling to full-out laughter. She rolled on the ground and wiped tears from her eyes.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” she gasped. “But how often do you get a chance to pull a prank on a princess?”
“Rainbow Dash!” Twilight grabbed the costume with her teeth and ripped it off in a single pull. Then she furiously kicked off the diaper and summoned the crown onto her head. “I’ll have your hide for this!”
“Only if you can catch me, Princess!” Rainbow Dash was back on her hooves and took off in a running leap, leaving a rainbow streak behind her.
Twilight spread her wings and flew straight after her. Neither the g-forces nor the vertigo bothered her. Nothing bothered her now, except for that annoying pegasus racing back for Cloudsdale.
She heard a furious flapping behind her and turned to see Fluttershy, now catching up with her. Twilight smiled as they bumped wings together and gave chase.
Now this, thought Twilight, is how a Princess should fly.
Author's Note
I don't know how things will turn out in Season 4, but I thought this would be a nice idea. No reason Twilight's personality has to change just because her body has.
