A new flying buddy!

To other ponies a fear of heights may just seem like an overreaction. But one can never truly experience the true terror of a phobia unless they have one. Twilight couldn’t explain it. Nopony really could. It was an irrational fear that your entire being and soul would choose to avoid at all costs. So that’s what Twilight did; she just chose to avoid heights as best she could. But as an alicorn Twilight could not stand by and let this fear restrict her to the ground. She was a strong minded pony, and this phobia to her was just another challenge to overcome, another problem to solve. No matter how difficult it was, Twilight would come out on top.

The kiss that Rainbow Dash had given to her...Twilight was still unsure of what it meant. But it had given her confidence, and she had managed to jump of her own accord. Perhaps it was that; a kiss of encouragement.

Twilight opened her eyes very slowly. She expected to see the ground looming towards her…but she didn’t. Everything was perfectly still. Somewhere in the background Rainbow Dash was cheering.

She was…flying.

Yes! She was flying!

Twilight didn’t know how…but she was indeed flying. Her wings were flapping in unison, keeping her suspended in midair.

“I…I’m flying!” Twilight said in disbelief.

“Yes Twilight! You’re flying!” Rainbow Dash called excitedly from the cloud.

Twilight couldn’t believe it. She wasn’t even doing anything; her wings were flapping all by themselves.

Rainbow Dash went straight into teaching, not wanting to waste such an opportunity.

“Twilight, I want you to listen to me very carefully” Rainbow called out. “I want you to turn around in the air to face me. But to do that, you must think…you must imagine that you have already done it.”

How strange… imagining you have already done something to do it? But Twilight wasn’t going to argue. She focused, putting a mental image in her mind of herself turning in the air to face Rainbow Dash. But nothing happened. She did not move.

“Do not focus on the task” Rainbow Dash explained slowly. “Focus on the goal.”

Twilight understood. This time, she imagined that she had already turned to face her friend. She concentrated hard, and sure enough, she began to turn slowly in the air.

“I’m doing it!” Twilight squeaked happily.

Twilight made a full turn, and smiled with delight the whole time whilst doing it.

“Excellent! Now come forwards towards me!” Rainbow shouted.

Twilight concentrated, and thought hard about being in front of the cloud, and she began to fly slowly forwards.

“I’m doing it! I can fly!” Twilight shouted with glee.

She was only a few metres away now. But as she got closer and closer to her goal, a strong feeling of doubt began twisting in the pit of her stomach. She dreaded to think how far she was above the ground…

“Come on Twilight! You can do it!” Rainbow Dash called.

“Don’t look down…don’t look down…” Twilight repeated to herself, trying to focus her mind on the goal, and Rainbow Dash’s shouts of encouragement. But anxiety and fear began to cloud her mind, and it became harder and harder to focus. Twilight closed her eyes, and tried to avert her thoughts away from the height. She was so close.

“Yes Twilight! Just a little bit further!” Rainbow called again.

But Twilight's mind started wandering...back to the moment where Rainbow Dash had kissed her. Her mind and her heart were at battle, struggling to decide the meaning of Dash's irregular behaviour.  The thoughts obscuring her mind forced her to open her eyes, and she found herself floating in midair, with a very long drop below her. Fear took control. The world began to spin away. Twilight began to hyperventilate, her wings snapped to her sides and she began to fall helplessly through the air. She tried to make a sound, to cry out, but she couldn't. Fear had control of her body, and all she could do was watch as the ground loomed closer and closer.

Rainbow Dash saw Twilight falling towards the ground and jumped into action. Off the cloud she dived, putting her hooves over her head in the shape of an arrow as she flew downwards, beating her wings as hard as she could, determined to save her falling friend. She swooped down, catching Twilight in her hooves barely inches above the ground.

Rainbow Dash touched down softly on the long stretch of cloud, with Twilight’s hooves firmly clamped around her chest. She slowly sat down, keeping the terrified pony within her hooves, slowly stroking her shoulders and whispering soft words of reassurance in an attempt to calm her down.

“It’s okay Twilight…you’re safe now…”

Rainbow Dash’s presence and soothing words helped calm Twilight down. Her heart rate, breathing and pupil dilation returned to normal. The warming security of Rainbow Dash’s hooves made her feel safe, and she began to look around slowly, taking in her surroundings and confirming that safety.

“You…you saved me…” Twilight said, looking up at Rainbow Dash.

“I promised I would catch you” Rainbow Dash replied softly. “I don’t go back on promises.”

Rainbow Dash paused for a moment.

“You did really well, you know” she said, looking at Twilight. “When I first learned how to fly, I didn’t even manage to turn around! Let alone fly most of the way back!”

“But…I fell…” Twilight replied, frowning.

“Nopony makes the first jump” Rainbow Dash said. “You did awesome for a first time. After some practice, you’ll be able to fly without even thinking.”

Twilight smiled. “Thanks Rainbow Dash…you’re the best” she said, hugging the blue pegasus.

Rainbow Dash laughed. “Tell me something I don’t know!”

Twilight giggled.

“Remember, I can't teach you how to do this myself. I can only help you, ya know, like a guide. You gotta teach yourself, and your heart will do everything for you. Every pegasus knows that.” Rainbow Dash explained.

“I understand” Twilight said, standing up.

Rainbow Dash stood up, and beckoned Twilight to follow her as she walked back towards the house.

Rainbow Dash opened her mouth to speak, but before she was able to make a sound, Twilight interrupted.

“I want to go again” she said.

Rainbow Dash stopped. “Are you sure?” she asked, cocking her head. “I mean…didn’t that scare you?”

Twilight nodded. “Yes, that was the most terrifying thing I have ever experienced.”

Rainbow Dash raised her eyebrows, but said nothing.

“I want to be able to do this” Twilight said as she began pacing. “What’s the point of wings if you’re too afraid to use them? As they say, practice makes perfect, and that’s exactly what I want to do; practice.”

As she finished, she stopped pacing and waved her hoof into the air like a magician. “Practice."

“Well, if you really want to then let’s do it!” Rainbow Dash cheered enthusiastically.

Twilight smiled and the two mares started walking down the cloud towards the house once again.

Twilight came to a halt at the foot of the stairs again, and looked up to the top. She gulped and began to climb, but she stopped when she felt Rainbow Dash’s hoof fall gently onto her shoulder.

“I’m right behind you” Dash said assuringly, encouraging Twilight to begin her ascent.

Twilight gulped, and trundled slowly up the stairs again, but this time with Rainbow Dash close behind as morale support. Step by shaky step Twilight slowly made her way up the stairs of cloud. She reached the top and breathed out a loud sigh of relief, but it wasn’t over yet.

She breathed out slowly, and approached the edge of the cloud, keeping her chin up and her eyes forward. She can do this.

“Whenever you’re ready, Twi” Rainbow Dash said, waiting for Twilight’s move.

Twilight took a few long breaths, and closed her eyes. Using all the power in her mind, she forced herself to jump once again.

When she opened her eyes, she was in the same position as she remembered the last time she jumped; overlooking the fields of Ponyville. Twilight breathed out slowly, and focused on getting back to the cloud that Rainbow Dash was calling from.

Twilight was faster this time, and she had no trouble turning back around to face Rainbow Dash. But it was when she began to move forward, and that was when her mind went back to the kiss. She couldn't help it. It just replayed the recent memory in front of her over and over again, and she was forced to open here eyes. Then she began to become frightened, staring down at the world below. Her stomach clenched, and she found it harder and harder to focus on her goal of reaching the cloud.

It’s like when you’re very young, and you go down to your local swimming pool with your parents and some friends. You have fun, swimming underwater and splashing around in the shallow end of the pool, generally causing anarchy between the many groups of children there. When you’re feeling brave, you challenge your friends to see how far out they dare to swim towards the deep end; where all the sharks and jellyfish roam. You quit shortly after your little feet can no longer touch the tiled bottom of the pool, swimming back to the shallow end as fast as you can to put as much distance as you could between you and the terrifying monsters that lurked in the depths of the 2 metre deep water. You leave shortly after, knowing that you will come back yet again to see who will swim out the farthest, and risk being pulled down to the bottom by the creatures of the deep.

That’s exactly how Twilight felt. She felt like a foal again, being scared by the deep end of the pool. She fought against the fear and anxiety that was trying to take control, and battled against her mind's constant contemplation of the previous kiss. But it was no use. She couldn’t stop herself looking down. It was like a reflex, you just can’t stop it. Twilight’s wings froze again, and she dropped like a stone.

Rainbow Dash leaped to the rescue once more, swooping down again and catching Twilight safely in her hooves, before flying away, back to the cloud. Rainbow Dash lowered herself down, and carefully dropped Twilight down onto the cloud, before dropping herself down next to her.

Twilight was annoyed. A second time the same thing had happened, and she had fallen at exactly the same spot. She was trembling in fear, but she wasn’t going to let that slow her down. Twilight wanted to ask Rainbow Dash about this kiss, to set things straight, to get some answers. But she couldn't...she was so frustrated about failing to fly, and she'd never been in a position like this before. She couldn't ask such an awkward question...

“Again!” Twilight shouted out of frustration, and she took off, heading for the platform jump again.

Rainbow Dash took off running after her. “Twilight, wait!”

But Twilight wasn’t going to wait. She was going to succeed, even if that meant jumping off the same damn cloud again, and again, and again.

***

For the next three hours, Twilight continued to jump off the cloud. Each time she became a little faster, her turning and moving was quicker, and there was less of a delay between her actions in the air. She didn’t really have to think that much anymore. She could just do it. But every single time, whenever she began to fly forwards towards victory, it was taken sharply from her, and she fell, time and time again. But every single time, Rainbow Dash zoomed down and caught her, safely returning her to the runway for another jump. As the day drew on, the afternoon became evening, and the bright sky became dark.

***

“Twilight!” Rainbow Dash yelled, panting heavily. “Can…we…stop…for…one…second?”

Rainbow Dash was exhausted. Every time Twilight made a jump, she became faster at turning and moving in the air, which meant she fell sooner. So Rainbow Dash was constantly going back and forth, speeding down as fast as she could to catch Twilight in her hooves, before flying back to the runway, where Twilight would proceed to dash up the stairs, and leap off the top again. Rainbow Dash’s hooves, wings and chest were all aching from the constant ferrying of the purple mare, and she wasn’t sure how much longer she could last.

Twilight stopped running, and looked back at her tired-out a friend, who was struggling to catch her breath.

“Same thing happened, Twilight” Rainbow Dash said in between short breathes. “Every single time you've gotten faster, but you’re not going anywhere . You've done awesome today, but can we just give it a rest? I’m so unbelievably tired…”

Twilight stomped her hoof on the white fluffy ground in frustration.

“No! I must do this!” she said, preparing to climb the stairs to the platform again.

“Are you sure? We can always come back to it tommor-

“Don’t you see, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight interrupted, turning around. “I won’t be able to sleep at night knowing that I can’t do this. I’m sure you out of all ponies would know that feeling! I have to overcome this, and I’ll be damned if I don’t!

Twilight knew she could do this.

Rainbow Dash smiled empathetically, knowing how much this meant to Twilight.

“Okay…just this once more?” she asked. “I’m so knackered…and it’s getting dark too…”

Twilight thought for a moment, looking up at the darkening sky. “I suppose so” she said reluctantly.

“Great” Rainbow Dash said, wiping her brow with her hoof.

Twilight slowly walked up the stairs again, reaching the top and preparing herself for her final jump of day. This jump would be different. This time she would succeed. Twilight walked over to the edge of the cloud and looked out over the distant fields, calming her body and focusing her mind. She was ready.

Twilight kept her eyes open this time as she jumped, looking far off into the horizon to distract herself from the distance between her and the ground. She quickly turned, and began to fly slowly forwards, keeping her eyes fixed on the edge of the cloud, fighting the urge to look down.

Rainbow Dash began shouting words of optimism and encouragement, trying to help Twilight in every way she could.

But Twilight's mind began to wander again, and could not resist the urge to look down, no matter how she tried. But just as she was about to look down, and give up all hope…

“I love you, Twilight!” Rainbow Dash yelled.

Twilight’s head shot up before she had a chance to get a glimpse of the ground below. Did Rainbow Dash just say what she though she said? Twilight’s fears and worries suddenly disappeared, and she was left hovering in the air, staring at a blushing Rainbow Dash.

“…What!?” Twilight asked, taken aback by Rainbow Dash’s sudden outburst of affection.

She didn’t really say that, did she?

“You heard me, Twi” Rainbow Dash called. “…I love you.”

Twilight was astounded. She was too surprised to say anything at all. She just lingered in midair, mouth agape.

“You act surprised…why do you think I kissed you earlier?” Rainbow Dash called again.

Rainbow Dash had never kissed her before, or shown any feelings towards her in that way at all. Twilight's mind was still replaying that scene of the kiss in her mind, and now she finally knew what it meant.

“I thought that was just because I was scared!” Twilight blurted out, finally managing to speak.

“No Twilight… I’ve loved you since…well, for as long as I can remember” Dash replied.

Rainbow Dash was serious…but why is she telling her all this now?

“Why? Why tell me all this now? You’ve never mentioned or hinted these feelings towards me before!” Twilight shouted. She sounded…almost angry.

Rainbow Dash scratched her ear. “Well, uh, we’ve never really been alone for long enough so I could tell you…until now…”

What? Twilight was always alone in the library, apart from when spike was around. Why didn’t she tell her there?

“But if you have…loved me for so long then why didn’t you just come to the library? Tell me there, there’s never anypony else around!” Twilight shouted again.

Rainbow Dash sighed and hung her head. “I have…many times…”

Twilight landed on the cloud in front of Rainbow Dash.

“What…?” she asked softly, suddenly lowering her voice.

Rainbow Dash’s eyes widened, and she looked to the sides of Twilight, over the edge of the cloud.

“Twilight, did you just-

“I know what I did, but that’s not important right now” Twilight said sternly.

Twilight knew well that she had managed to fly all the way back to the cloud to success, without looking down. How she managed it; she didn’t know, but somehow she had subconsciously flown her way forwards without even realising it. But there were more important matters to attend to, and now wasn’t the time for a big victory dance. She wanted to know what Rainbow Dash meant.

Rainbow Dash frowned and beckoned Twilight to follow her as she trotted down the stairs, through the back door of the house and into the living room.

The room was quite bare, just a few brightly coloured sofas arranged in a square around a fireplace. There was a small clock on the mantelpiece, slowly ticking away the seconds, next to a few framed pictures. Two of the pictures were of the Wonderbolts, one of Twilight and the final one containing all of Rainbow Dash’s 5 best friends.

Dash sat down on one of the sofas, and signalled Twilight to do the same.

“So…you said…you’ve come to the library a lot…when I’m there to tell me that…you love me?” Twilight asked, sitting down next to her friend.

Rainbow Dash nodded, but said nothing.

“But I’ve never noticed you there at all…” Twilight said, her voice trailing off.

“Exactly!” Rainbow Dash cried unhappily, covering her face with her hooves. “I come over almost every week, and I knock on your door load of times, but I never get a answer, so I let myself in. And every…single…time I enter, I see you just…sitting there, buried in a book, your eyes darting back and forth slowly with the same bleak expression on your face. You spend all of your spare time…reading and studying...”

Rainbow Dash raised her head, and Twilight could see tears in the blue mare’s eyes. Twilight opened her mouth to speak, but Rainbow Dash continued before she could even make a sound.

“And it saddens me…” Rainbow continued, struggling to fight back the tears. “You never notice anypony when you’re studying…there could be a war going on right outside the library…and you’d never notice. I hardly even see you outside anymore. That’s why I sent you a letter…because you would never notice me knocking…”

A single tear rolled down Rainbow Dash’s cheek, and she let out a sad whimper, one you might expect from Fluttershy.

“So when I see you, just sitting there…I just leave…I can’t bear to see you like that. That wasn’t the pony I fell in love with…” Rainbow Dash finished, sniffling loudly.

Every sentence Rainbow Dash uttered felt like a bullet piercing Twilight’s heart. Everything the cyan mare said was true…she’d spent so long studying in the library that she had neglected and forgotten the most important thing in her life…her friends…

Twilight began to sob quietly, and she threw her hooves around Rainbow Dash, pulling her into a tight hug.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash…” Twilight whispered, choking up. “I’m so…so sorry…”

Rainbow Dash said nothing, but rested her head against Twilight’s cheek. The two mares sat in the quiet for a while, holding each other close, comforting one another and wiping away their tears.

***

Rainbow Dash broke the silence.

“Twilight…” she said, holding Twilight at hooves length, gazing into her purple eyes.

“…Yes, Rainbow Dash?” Twilight replied softly.

“Do…do you…love me?” Rainbow Dash asked.

Twilight sighed, and breathed out slowly.

“Look Rainbow Dash…” Twilight said softly, trying to say this in the nicest way possible. “You’re my best friend, and I love you…but…not in that way…”

“Oh…I see…” replied Rainbow Dash, breaking eye contact and hanging her head.

Twilight placed her hoof gently under Dash’s chin, and moved it slowly upwards so the two ponies were face to face once again.

“And I mean that in the nicest way possible…because that doesn’t mean we can’t still be friends…” Twilight said, smiling warmly.

Rainbow Dash attempted to form a smile, but she was too crushed inside to move a muscle.

The clock on the mantelpiece began to chime subtly, but just enough for Twilight to hear.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven chimes. Seven O’clock.

“Oh…I’m sorry Rainbow Dash but…I have to go, it’s getting dark and I need to wake up Spike from his nap, or he won’t be able to sleep tonight” Twilight said, stifling a nervous laugh. “I’m sorry it’s sudden, but I only just realised what time it is. You promise me you’ll be okay?” she said, stroking Rainbow Dash’s chin with her hoof.

Rainbow Dash gave a small nod, wiping her eyes as Twilight pulled slowly out of the embrace and stood up.

“I’m sorry, Rainbow Dash…” Twilight said, trying to think of something more comforting to say. “I’ll be back tomorrow for some more flying…if that’s okay with you…”

Rainbow Dash nodded again, but this time she spoke. “I…I guess I’ll have a training plan…for tomorrow…I’ll…just get started on that…” she said, standing up and beginning to head for her bedroom. “I’ll…see you 'round…”

Twilight couldn’t help but feel really awful as she watched the cyan mare disappear up the stairs to her room. She knew Rainbow Dash was a tough pony but she couldn’t imagine how she must be feeling right now…

Twilight had never been rejected by anypony, simply because she’d never asked. But Twilight had no idea about Rainbow Dash’s feelings for her, and she wasn’t going to make any rash decisions. She hated to see her friend hurt in such a way, but she wasn’t exactly going to turn around and say ‘I love you’ back, when that wasn’t really true.

But over it all, she felt a strong sense of guilt in the pit of her stomach, and as she slowly walked back through Ponyville towards the library, she wondered if she was making the right choice at all.