Reader's Story

You toss your cloak onto the rack and stretch out your stiff wings. It feels good to finally get them out into the open air after having them covered all day. You give them a few flaps to loosen them up.

But you immediately regret it. Dust flies everywhere as the stagnant air become agitated for the first time in months. It burns your nose and eyes and covers your fur. You back out of the room and close the door, sneezing and rubbing your eyes to get the particles out. That's when you realize it might not be the best time to relax just yet. That room really needs to be cleaned before it can become livable.

You search for supplies. A vacuum, rags, maybe a bucket, but nothing of the sort is upstairs. Then you notice the tracks you're leaving behind with every step and decide to clean yourself off. You almost go to the bathroom, but then an idea pops in your head. There's a better way to get clean: Pegasus style. You brave the room again (remembering to hold your breath), open the window, stretch your wings, and leap outside. You go slow at first, letting your wings warm up a bit before working them.

As you fly leisurely over Ponyville, you look back over everywhere you had been. The market is just beginning to disperse as a few wagons break off from the group. Shopkeepers turn out the lights in their stores and lock the doors behind them. Fluttershy walks toward a cottage on the outskirts of town. The crazed lavender mare from earlier looks much more stable now, and the little dragon is sitting on her back as they head toward the library. In the distance, an orange mare and a large red buck trot to a barn after appearing from the orchard. Everypony looks happy and peaceful.

Now that your wings have warmed up, it's time to wipe the dust off your flank. You point your head forward and let your wings explode, shooting you like a streak across the sky. You close your eyes and let the wind flow across your body, clearing the dust as you think back on the day. Moved to a new town, tasted excellent muffins, found a place to live, met some strange ponies. Even with accidentally scaring Fluttershy and getting tackled, today had been a good day.

"Eeek!" Your eyes snap open at the sound to find yourself bearing down on a grey pegasus, mere seconds away from crashing.

"Whoa!" You swerve off to the side, narrowly avoiding the mare. Unfortunately, the sudden action throws off your balance and sends you careening down to the ground. A small dust cloud puffs around the impact site. "Ouch... Landed the wrong way on that one." You climb slowly back to your hooves and shake your head free of any remaining stars floating around. You hear a small thump nearby.

"Are you okay?" You look up to see the pegasus you nearly hit staring worriedly at you. She seems familiar, but you can't quite remember why.

"Yea, I'm fine," you reply.

"Oh, good." She breathes a sigh of relief and smiles. Then she blinks, and her eyes wonk out. "I'm glad you aren't hurt."

"Hey, I know you. You're the mare who bought the muffins. Ditzy, right?" you ask, your memory jogged as soon as you see her eyes.

"Have we met?" she asks in response, cocking her head to the side.

"Not before now. I saw you flying out of Sugarcube Corner earlier today. Mrs. Cake told me your name."

"Oh. What's your name?"

"I'm Reader."

"It's nice to meet you, Reader!" she says bubbly, taking your hoof and shaking it. She looks at your cutie mark, an open book with a ribbon slid between the pages, with one of her cocked eyes. "Does your cutie mark have something to do with reading?"

"Probably." She nods in understanding.

"My daughter likes to read too. She-- Oh My Gosh, my daughter! I have to go!" Without warning, Ditzy flies off, leaving you standing alone and slightly frazzled.

"Well, that was... interesting," you think aloud.

You give your wings a few test flaps to make sure they still work after your crash. They're still a bit sore, so you decide to walk through the park where you landed. You can hear the strumming of a harp nearby, plucked by a minty green unicorn sitting oddly on a park bench. Beside her lies a yellow earth pony with her eyes closed, just listening to the melody. A purple pony with a pink and bright pink mane strolls down the path from the school house and nods appreciatively at the two.

Another noise catches your ear. A low buzz, along with the slight creaking of spinning wheels.

"Scoots, watch out!" Suddenly three little fillies burst over a nearby hill. Two of them are sitting in a wagon, while the third drives them around with her noticeably under-developed wings. The three roar down the path, nearly barreling into you.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" you call after them, but they are already too far gone. Fearing what else may happen while trapped on the ground, you give your wings another test flap.

They feel fine, so you lift into the air and resume your flight, making sure to remember to keep your eyes open this time. Off you shoot, the wind clearing the dirt from the crash. Your wings beat powerfully, steadily, forcing the air past your body like two paddles on a canoe. Your fur ripples on your skin, tugging gently in waves. Your eyes become focused, and your breathing becomes calm and rhythmic.

"Hey, that's not bad form." You glance to the side to see the pegasus who tackled you earlier. "You've got that look in your eyes that says, 'Look out world. I'm a Pegasus!' I like it." You notice she's flying on her back with her hooves crossed behind her head.

"And you aren't even trying. Either that or you're just trying to show off." She grins and waves a hoof.

"Of course I'm not trying! If I were, you'd be eating my dust," she boasts. You notice the sun beginning to set. It's just about time to go home, but you owe this upstart for tackling you earlier and now for insulting your speed. You decide to...