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Falling Backwards

by Tofu-Monstrosity

Chapter 8

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“Can we go now?”

“No.”

“Can we go now?”

“No.”

“What about now?”

“Rainbow! I’ve told you a thousand times! We can’t go out until Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack get here!” Twilight Sparkle snapped at Rainbow Dash. It had only been a day since getting her wings freed and Rainbow Dash was itching to fly. Twilight was uneasy all day; she had barely gotten any sleep last night due to one of her paranoid fits.

Spike walked in from the kitchen to where the two mares were in the center of the library and handed her a cup of tea. “Thanks Spike.” Twilight muttered, sipping the drink absentmindedly. Rainbow Dash paced around the room, looking out the windows and jumping up and down trying to get any lift at all. She only fell back to the floor in a thud. Twilight rubbed her temples in frustration.

“Are you going to be ok?” Spike asked Twilight, his green eyes shifting from the hyperactive pegasus to the sluggish alicorn.

“I don’t know.” Twilight sighed. “I’ve read everything I could on pegasus flight, all that is documented anyway.” She shrugged and felt her nerves rise as she peered out the window and saw the forms of her friends coming to the door.

The knock at the door sent Rainbow Dash into a tizzy. “They here!” She bounced around, not looking where she was going and crashed into a bookshelf. To Twilight’s relief Rainbow Dash wasn’t hurt and none of her books fell. “They here!” Rainbow Dash repeated while standing up seemingly unfazed.

Twilight opened the door and there stood her friends, Fluttershy, Rarity and Applejack. “Hi girls.” Twilight smiled and let them inside. Rainbow Dash rushed up to them.

“We goin’ flyin!” She exclaimed disregarding any personal space they had. The smile she wore filled her face. The three mares glanced nervously to each other.

“Yeah, we’re going to try anyway…” Applejack chuckled.

“Where’s Pinkie Pie?” Twilight asked, when she invited the pink pony to come she was met with an excuse, which was very unlike the party pony.

“She said she had to work but invited us over after flight practice.” Rarity explained. Twilight nodded in understanding.

“Ready!” Spike interjected and joined them in the main room with a first aid kit at the ready.

“Ready!” Rainbow Dash bounced around the small dragon with her wings flared. Twilight let out a heavy sigh.

“Let’s get this over with…”

The six of them walked out past Sweet Apple Acres in a decent sized clearing. The grass was untrimmed (much to Rarity’s distaste) but it offered a soft crash pad.

“There’s a light breeze.” Applejack observed, seeing Rarity’s mane flow gently.

“That should work to our advantage.” Twilight gazed up at the partly cloudy sky. “From what I’ve read a light breeze is helpful to gain lift.” Twilight extended her wings. Rainbow Dash squealed in excitement and opened her wings and flapped them haphazardly.

“Am I flyin?” Rainbow Dash asked, her eyes squeezed closed.

“No dear.” Rarity deadpanned and Rainbow Dash opened her eyes and looked at the ground in disappointment.

“How do ya teach a pegasus how to fly?” Applejack looked to Fluttershy who hadn’t said a word the entire time.

“Oh, there are a few different ways, it’s like teaching a bird how to fly.” Fluttershy opened her wings and looked up at the clouds. “Usually if there are two pegasi parents one will stand on one cloud with the foal and the other on another cloud nearby and you just urge the foal to the other cloud using their wings.” Fluttershy explained. “That’s how most parents in Cloudsdale do it.” Fluttershy looked back down to the ground. “Getting from the ground up is harder…” She said nervously.

“Right.” Twilight scrunched her face in thought. Spike sat back in the soft grass, getting comfortable for a long day. Rarity pulled out a blanket from her saddlebag and sat down on the picnic blanket. “Well, first thing’s first.” Twilight said to Rainbow Dash, looking at her outstretched wings. “Flapping. Up. Down.” Twilight raised and lowered her wings as she said the directions. Rainbow Dash focused and did the same with her own wings before she broke out into a smile and giggled.

“Good!” Twilight encouraged, remembering only a few months ago when it was Rainbow Dash teaching her to fly. She never thought the roles would be reversed.

“To most pegasi it comes naturally,” Fluttershy added, “To gain lift you have to jump with your legs and push your wings down at the same time.” Fluttershy demonstrated by over-exaggerating her movements. Her wings pushed down at the same time as she jumped in the air. She hovered a few feet off of the ground before landing delicately.

“I’ll do it with you.” Twilight urged Rainbow Dash. “Ready?”

“Ready!” Rainbow Dash dawned her patented smirk that resembled her old self.

“Jump!” Twilight jumped into the air and pushed her wings down and lifted into the air, flapping her wings to keep herself aloft. Rainbow, on the other hand was out of sync and jumped in the air, to fall back down on her face.

“I’m on it!” Spike jumped up with the first aid box and rushed over to Rainbow Dash. Twilight flew down and she and Fluttershy raced over. Rainbow Dash stood up, wrinkling her nose but with vigor in her features.

She pushed Spike away before he could bandage her nose and tried again. Coordinating her jump with her wing flaps she was able to hover for a few seconds before faltering.

“That’s good.” Twilight encouraged. Rainbow didn’t acknowledge her and jumped again, flapping her wings like mad and hovering for a bit longer before falling. By no means was it graceful and not to the same acrobatic finesse Rainbow Dash used to have but she was able to hover in the air for up to a minute.

“Ok! Next step.” Twilight consulted one of her books on flight. “Movement, it’s all about angling the wings.” She read aloud. Fluttershy demonstrated by flapping her wings on the ground and showing the minute differences in angle.

Rainbow Dash hovered in the air tried moving forward and fell on her face again. By now Spike didn’t try to interrupt, he’d just patch her up when she’s done. Twilight flew in the air, doing small circles to try and get Rainbow Dash to do the same. Fluttershy stayed on the ground to offer a helping hoof.

On the picnic blanket Spike, Rarity and Applejack watched as Rainbow Dash hovered in the air and flew a few feet. “Way to go sugarcube!” Applejack called out. Rainbow Dash broke out into a huge smile as she propelled herself forward.

“That’s it!” Twilight cheered as she followed the pegasus as Rainbow Dash flew forward. Fluttershy lifted off the ground and flew behind them.

“Mommy look!” Rainbow Dash called to Twilight who matched her speed.

“You’re flying!” Twilight swelled with a foreign feeling of pride and joy for the pegasus before her.

“I wanna fly higher.” Rainbow Dash took on her trademark look of determination and she angled her wings to propel herself higher. Twilight tried to follow but Rainbow’s speed was unmatched.

Terror filled Twilight as images from Rainbow Dash’s accident flashed through her head. Rainbow Dash was going faster and flying higher and Twilight couldn’t keep up.

Down below the panic was rising. Fluttershy tried climbing higher but she just didn’t have the wing power to make it. Applejack and Rarity stood. Spike pulled at his ears in worry.

“She’s too high!” Rarity yelled up into the air. “Somepony do something!” This time Rarity’s theatrics were not uncalled for.

“You mean an alicorn, a pegasus, a unicorn, and a pony who’s won medals for mastery in lassoing can’t grab her?” Spike started chewing on his claws as Applejack shot him a glare.

Rainbow Dash flew higher, the wind beat at her face and whipped her mane and tail back in a prismatic trail that felt all too familiar. She didn’t hear the concerned shouts of her friends below her. Right now it was just her and the sky.

And the cramp in her left wing.

It happened fast, her left wing cramped and folded to her side. Next thing she knew, she was falling back to earth, gravity not her friend. Below her on the ground Rarity fainted, Spike caught her and tried to fan her with his hands. Applejack felt completely useless as she watched the trail of colors change direction and fall back towards them.

Then she caught sight of a purple form gaining speed. A yellow form not too far behind. Above, Twilight got in close enough range to fire a telekinetic rapport to encompass Rainbow Dash. The pegasus stopped falling and Twilight stopped her ascension, both stopped in mid-air. Rainbow faced Twilight and grinned.

“Mommy!” Her happiness was met with an angry glare. Fluttershy guided them down to the ground where Rarity had regained consciousness and she along with Applejack and Spike met them where they landed. Twilight let go of the magical connection she had on Rainbow Dash.

“Are ya hurt?” Applejack asked all three of them. Rainbow looked to her wing and stretched it before looking back to find Twilight staring at her.

“You are not doing that again.” She growled. Rainbow Dash looked appalled.

“But Mommy…” She tried to argue but was cut off by Twilight’s rage.

“No ‘buts’! You could’ve gotten yourself killed!” Twilight yelled, gritting her teeth.

“Not fair!” Rainbow Dash countered, her stubbornness getting the best of her.

“What’s not fair is you haphazardly performing dangerous stunts and almost getting yourself killed, twice!” Twilight snapped. Fluttershy could see the tears that were forming in Twilight’s eyes.

“Twilight…” She meekly interjected.

“No. I’m not letting that happen again.” Twilight’s voice was shaking now as she turned away from Rainbow. Rainbow Dash had her ears back, she sat, and intently stared at the ground. Applejack walked forward and put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. The purple alicorn squeezed her eyes closed to keep from sobbing. “I’m setting rules Rainbow Dash.” She stated as she turned back around, holding herself in an authoritative stance. “One, you are not to fly unless I am with you. Two, you cannot fly higher than you can hear me from the ground. Understood?”

Rainbow looked up at Twilight, tears forming in her eyes. She flung herself at Twilight and wrapped her hooves around her. “Yes Mommy.” Twilight returned the hug. Applejack and Rarity were stunned at the reaction that was not like their friends at all.

When they pulled away Twilight had a smile on her face. “Shall we go see Pinkie?” Rarity asked, knowing the party pony had something planned. Rainbow Dash broke out into a smile.

“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash bounced in the air, hovering for a few seconds before landing and tucking her wings back. She, Twilight and Spike started walking back towards Ponyville. Rarity and Applejack hung back a bit to exchange a worried glance before following.

Author's Notes:

Benefits of being a Biology minor. I studied how birds fly and teach their young how to fly and adapted it to peagsi. I also have an interest in planes flying and took that into consideration as well. The other way birds teach their young to fly? Kick them out of the nest and hope for the best. I didn't think that would work here.

Next Chapter: Chapter 9 Estimated time remaining: 26 Minutes
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