Rainbow Dash always [verb]s in style

[elementofloyalty]

Okay, ponies, listen up! The name's Rainbow Dash! There's... probably at least one more of me out there, but that doesn't change the facts. Fact number one: I'm Ponyville's weatherpony, and that means I need a roll call from all you pegasi out there! There's a lot of responsibilities you have that you need to be aware of, so listen up! First of all: DO NOT CHANGE THE WEATHER. We are on a schedule here, people. A one-cloud rainstorm, fine. Deciding you want a sunny day when we've got downpour slated, not fine.

Second: Do not harass the flying tortoise. I'm serious. You do not want to mess with that little guy, he'll end you. Oh yeah, that goes for all you OTHER ponies too, if he's near the ground. He may or may not be a trained combat pet at this point. I'm not sure. But even if he's not, still, do not give that guy grief. Attention and respect is cool though.

Third of all, do not just make homes on clouds. Napping is fine, that's practically what they're there for, but they're not homes. Use a sensible house like a normal pony. If you need help constructing a cloud home, I'm sure Twilight has plenty of books in the library that she'd be happy to loan you.

Fourth, if you think you're fast, you're not, and I'm taking all challengers to prove it. [Rainbow winks broadly at the scroll.]

Oh yeah, and uh, if anypony shows up named...

[Rainbow stops, considers, then shakes her head.]

...Nah. Never mind.

Comments

[tinkertytonk]

[Bertie gapes as he watches Rainbow race toward him. True to her name, she looks like a fragment of the stuff that had got it into its head to make a runner on whatever pot of gold it was meant to be pointing toward.

[He waves enthusiastically from the ground to catch her attention.]

Ms. Dash, I'm down here!

[elementofloyalty]

[Said rainbow blur drops down to whip tightly around him in a shameless display of showing-off before resolving into the pegasus pony, hovering in midair in front of him.]

Not hard to find at all.

[tinkertytonk]

[Bertie's thoroughly impressed.]

I say! You really are the fastest, Ms. Dash! How do you manage to turn like that?

[elementofloyalty]

Good flying isn't just about speed, it's also agility and guts. You have to be fast enough to push it to the limit, agile enough to avoid the perils along the way, and brave enough to dare it in the first place!

[tinkertytonk]

Agility. Guts. Righto!

[He nods and puts on a Very Determined expression.]

I think I've got the bravery down pat. Nerves crafted of the chilliest of chilled steel. It's more striking out on the right path once I've got into the air. I crashed into a wall the first time I tried going anywhere. Although that did give me opportunity to meet Ms. Trixie... And running into that tree gave me a reason to lob a 'what ho' in Ms. Star's direction.

Well, in any case, as fantastic as the happenings might be when applying the Wooster corpus to any tallish and stationary objects, it does make a stallion feel dashed in a rather literal way.

[elementofloyalty]

Right, so, one of the first lessons of flying is to watch where you're going.

[Rainbow, you HYPOCRITE]

So, why not start out practicing higher? When they say the sky's the limit, they have us pegasi in mind.

[tinkertytonk]

[Faint heart never won open skies, it seems.]

That sounds like a smashing idea.

[He launches off the ground, flapping his wings hard and aiming his hooves upward. He manages a diagonal and has to zig back to avoid clipping the roof of the school house. It's a near thing, though, as his turn is wide. After the close encounter, Bertie finds he's higher than everything else around and flies in a circle, uncertain what he's supposed to do from here. Rainbow Dash and Flare Star had proven hovering was possible, but he's not entirely sure how to stop forward momentum for something like that.]

[elementofloyalty]

[Speaking of 'proving hovering is possible', Rainbow positions herself in the middle of his circle, turning easily as he flies around to shout encouragement.]

Right, you've definitely got it now! Now, start testing yourself! You need to know your limits! Oh, wait, hold on.

[She darts up into the air, then comes back down with a cloud.]

[tinkertytonk]

[He's curious about her cloud, but Flare Star had mentioned resting on them. It's still amazing to see her just grab one, and he can't help grinning.]

Should I try to go faster? I'm not entirely sure how to do much apart from charging forward at the moment.

[elementofloyalty]

Hmm... I'm highly in favor of speed, but maybe you should work on slowing down before you get to speeding up. Otherwise, you tend to get slowed down... violently. By whatever you hit.

[tinkertytonk]

[Bertie considers this the sagest of advice, indeed. He's a little nervous to quit flapping or otherwise slow down, though. The ground's an awfully long ways away. Still, he's determined to follow Rainbow's suggestion.]

So, it's just sort of... flapping backward or more slowly?

[elementofloyalty]

A little, but it's less that and more how much push you give with each flap. Like walking slow or walking fast, you don't really change up how MUCH your feet move, but how much you push off the ground with each step.

[tinkertytonk]

[That's a comparison he can work with. It's a little awkard getting out of the rhythm he'd built up, but Bertie manages with only a few stutters that have his drop a few feet. Soon enough, he's flying in a more leisurely circle around Rainbow Dash.]

This is nice, but how do you manage that hover-y bit?

[elementofloyalty]

[She nods, beaming at his progress.]

Okay, so, standing still isn't really standing still. All your muscles are still doing their job to hold you up and keep your balance and all that. Hovering is like that, except you're in the air.

[tinkertytonk]

[This proves a little more difficult. Bertie tries to slow further, but ends up going backward after a moment. He tries to go forward again and winds up more rocking back and forth in the air than actually hovering.]

I think this one might take a little more than one session, Ms. Dash. Dreadfully sorry!

[elementofloyalty]

Hey, don't give up too quick, you're making progress. Hold on!

[She darts in front of him to catch him by the shoulders and hold him firmly in place, her own wingpower more than a match for whatever momentum he might be able to muster.]

Okay! Try to find the sweet spot!

[tinkertytonk]

[Bertie freezes for a moment when she grabs hold of him, not particularly used to having girls just take hold unless going in for a kiss or a slap. As no press of the ditto or application of hoof to face appear to be forthcoming, and instinct insists he keep flapping so as not to plummet, it doesn't last very long.]

R-right! Just a... just a moment.

[It takes a few seconds to find it, but once he hits on the balancing point where it doesn't feel like he's trying to fight against her hold, his face lights up.]

I think I've got it!

[elementofloyalty]

[Welcome to the first taste of what will doubtless be a lot of new experiences, especially if he keeps sticking around Rainbow.]

All right, just hold it... I'm gonna let go.

[She eases her hooves off his shoulders slowly.]

[tinkertytonk]

[He stays more-or-less in place after she takes her hooves away. It's not as graceful or effortless and she makes it look, but he's determined.]

Hah! I feel like a proper hummingbird. Give me a proper beak, and I'll be ready to have at a few tasty flowers, eh? This is brilliant, Ms. Dash. Most every colt dreams of flying, of course, be he never expects to actually get to do it.

[elementofloyalty]

Why would you need a beak? Flowers are pretty tasty just for eating.

[You're a horse now, Bertie, remember? Meanwhile, Rainbow darts around him to observe him from every angle, assessing his form and efforts.]

Okay, now start up and then try to slow down to a hover again.

[tinkertytonk]

[Give him a break Rainbow. He's been a horse for all of a week.]

Ahah. I suppose they are. But just a moment.

[He breaks out of his hovering to rise a few feet. Going back to hovering takes him a good ten seconds, though it feels longer. There is a filly to impress, after all!]

This is a bit exhausting. Ms. Flare Star said it would be an awful lot of work to be flying about. I didn't realize she meant the actual flying bit.

[elementofloyalty]

It's because you're thinking about it. Once you get to the point where you're not, everyday flying will be as easy as walking for you.

[She's... not impressed, and probably never ever WILL be impressed with your flying, Bertie.]

Just don't judge yourself by what I can do.

[tinkertytonk]

I can't imagine many being able to measure up to you, Ms. Dash. If there are any in the first place.

[It's meant as an honest compliment, though it's offered in a very off-hoof way as he struggles to maintain the hover.]

But I'll take your word on it getting easier. At least there's this marvelous business of cloud hopping if one does get a bit tuckered out, what?

[elementofloyalty]

Just remember -- you work hard, you play hard, and you rest hard.

[She glances quickly around, then leans in closer.]

Especially the second two!

[tinkertytonk]

[That's a philosophy Bertie can get behind with all four hooves if he's going to be required to do work at all.]

Hah! Sounds like the right sort of stuff, Ms. Dash. There was one other thing I wanted to ask you about. It's something Ms. Pie had mentioned, but I think we might need to land.

[He motions to the ground.]

She said pegasi could hold things with their wings. Can you really?