Do you know who flies? Birds fly. Butterflies fly. Pegasi fly. Pinkie Pie flies.

Dragons fly.

Well, most dragons fly, I don't. I simply can't, I don't have wings. I don't have those cool leathery ones you see on most dragons or the soft feathery ones pegasi have or even the kind of wings made of gossamer and morning dew. I don't have any wings, simple as that. Twilight always tells me maybe one day, when I'm older and more mature, I'll get my wings, but for now at least I can ride a hot air balloon.

I'm not in a balloon basket right now. I am in the sky. I know I don't have any wings, but I am flying. I know that these wings on my back, with their beautiful fluffy white feathers, don't belong to any dragon. I think I'm a pretty smart guy, being raised by Princess Twilight Sparkle and all, so I'm a little disappointed in myself for taking so long to figure all this out.

I'm dreaming, of course. This, all this, these clouds in front of my face and below me and these wings of mine, is just a dream.

Might as well enjoy it while it lasts. Who knows when the next time will be when I get this chance, if ever. I twist my body, and suddenly my direction changes. Twist in the opposite direction, and now I bank to the right. My wings move to the rhythm of my heart. It feels so natural, flying like this. Everything responds perfectly. I've never felt more confident with my body than I do right now. It's so exhilarating, so...free.

Of course, it's just a dream. Why wouldn't it feel natural? What kind of fantasy would this be if this was difficult, if this actually required effort?

The wind flows through my feathers, sending a chill down my spine. It almost feels real, did I forget to close the window last night? I can't remember, but it doesn't matter; that's Conscious Spike's problem, not mine.

I hear a scream from below, scream that I recognize. My heart nearly stops as my eyes are drawn straight to the source. I don't need to think, my body reacts instinctively; I dive. My wings beat rapidly in an effort to push me down faster, but it's not working. They are growing more and more fatigued as I push them to the limits.

I straighten my back and my neck, trying to reduce the amount of my body that faces air resistance. I suck in my stomach. It is still not enough. My wings fold against my sides, and now I fall like a stone, shooting down through the sky like an arrow.

I can see Rarity's beautiful face now. Tears smear her mascara, and the synthetic feathers of her headpiece are falling up. She is panicking, her limbs flailing about. I try to shout out, to tell her to calm down, that I'm right here, but her screams and the roar of the wind makes it impossible for me to be heard. I have no choice, I need to reach out and grab Rarity, then recover flight.

I've had many variations of this dream. Not this one in particular, but several like it. The damsel is in distress, and I, the hero, saves her. I've worn armor, carried a lance, fought off hoards of savages, but this is the first time I've had wings before.

I reach out, the tips of my claw barely brushing her fur. Gritting my teeth, I stretch further. There is pain in my shoulder now, but I force myself further. I close my eyes, biting down on my tongue to stop myself from crying out in pain. I open my eyes, and suddenly Rarity's hoof is in my face. My nose crumbles inward as it collides with that well manicured hoof.

My stance falls apart. Now I am the one flailing about. Which way is up? Where is down? I can't tell, all I see is blue from the sky.

I spread out my wings, hoping to avert or at least slow my descent. I hear a tear, and feel my wings fall apart. I watch helplessly as those white feathers float upward while I continue to fall. I see Rarity in the forelegs of a gray pegasus with a white mane. I try to cry for help, but it is useless. There's too much distance, they're too far away to even hear my scream or see me.

The dream has become a nightmare, but at least it's nothing more than that. It is a bit disheartening that such a lovely dream ended so poorly.

But it's not over yet. I hear an impossibly loud noise, like the thunder only so many times louder. I look up and gasp at the circles of colors above. I can see something fall towards me. No, not something, somepony. A blue pegasus, her cyan coat barely visible in the blue sky. I track her by her colorful mane.

I can see Rainbow Dash's face now. Her features are frozen in a snarl as she dives toward me. She's fighting to keep her eyes open, despite the stinging wind. She reaches her hoof out. Her lips move, but I can't hear her.

I extend my arm up, reaching for her hoof. I close my eyes. This is all just a dream. When I open them, I know I will find myself in bed, with my face wet with sweat. This is just a dream, and I will awaken before Rainbow Dash can save me.

This is all just a dream.

...

Then why am I still falling?

Author's Notes:

Written by TheMessenger.