Wings. That was the sound over Ponyville. It usually was, but it wasn't the weather team. At least, not all of it. Derpy was technically only a part time member normally, but she was in the air with Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle and struggling mightily to avoid crashing into anything, Robert.

“Well, I feel better now.” Twilight said.

“Why?” Rainbow asked.

“I'm a better flier than someone.” Twilight said. Robert couldn't spare even enough for a glare.

“Yeah, well, he's not exactly you know, aerodynamic.” Rainbow pointed out.

“I.” flap. "Fall.” flap. "Just.” flap. "Fine.”

“That's not aerodynamic.” Twilight pointed out. Derpy sighed.

“You're supposed to be teaching.” she said, glaring at Rainbow.

“Alright, alright. Look, flapping like that isn't going to get you going anywhere.”

“No.” flap. "Kid-” flap “ding.” Robert managed.

“It's all about Technique. Twilight, nice and slow, show him.” Rainbow said, waving the purple alicorn on. She reached forwards, and scooped air with her wing, pulling her forwards. She flew past him, and then turned around and came back. "See, just reach out and grab some air.”

He did. And plowed into the blue pony before she could react. She managed to catch them both before they hit though. “Good try. Try grabbing a little less though.” He did. And managed to move several feet without doing anything terrible. And then he missed his rhythm and plummeted. Derpy from dropped overhead and caught him.

“You don't have to make me look good you know.” she said, laughing.

“Not trying to.” he answered, shaking his head. "It's not as easy as you Pegasi make it look.”

“That's what I said.” Twilight chimed in. "Look, I read a book that might help. Why don't we try that before we try this anymore.” Rainbow opened and closed her mouth.

“Sure, take the egg head way.” she waved.

“Rainbow, didn't you learn your lesson?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, but Daring Do is all about action and adventure, none of that boring learning junk.” the blue Pegasus laughed.

“Fine, then I'll learn to buckle swash the hard way.” Robert said, spreading his wings.

“No, it's swashbuck-- oof!” Rainbow Dash grunted as she was tackled by the gliding tiger. Derpy giggled and Twilight laughed. Rainbow Dash pushed him away, and he swooped down towards the library. The three ponies winged after him. "I don't get it, how can you glide that well and fly that badly?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Gliding is easy. It's all airflow over and under the wings, versus gravity pulling you down. I can feel the wind as I glide.” he shrugged spiraled for a moment, then straightened out. “As long as I don't do anything stupid of course.”

“Flap.” Rainbow barked suddenly, Derpy and Twilight did so instinctively, gaining height. Robert stared at her. "I said flap.” he did, rising slightly. "See, it's not that bad.”

“Sure.” he snorted. "It's fine until I miss.” he did just that, but managed to catch himself. He resumed gliding. "I'll stick with this.”

“Oh come on, you can't glide all the time.” Rainbow said, barrel rolling around him and coming up to fly backwards before him. "I mean, what happens if I do this.” she exploded upwards and rolled around on him. She arced out of the sky. Twilight and Derpy flew up and around to clear the area. Robert watched her come. At the last moment, he tucked his wing and rolled, but Rainbow was both too fast, and too maneuverable to be caught by that. She rolled opposite and clipped his wing as she came around.

“Rainbow!” Twilight called. “That was just mean.” Robert fell from the sky. He twisted himself around, and spread his wings. Then he did something she couldn't see, and turned the fall into an accelerating swoop. He rose nearly level with them, then leveled out.

“I might be a bad flier, but I'm excellent at not falling.” he explained. "You're not the first flier to try and teach me.” he answered the unasked question. "I learned to glide from griffons. If you know of a better group to teach it, I'd like to meet them.”

“I don't think they exist.” Rainbow said. “Any griffon I know?”

“Ambassador Gris(Grease)? he asked. Rainbow considered it.

“Never met him, but everyone knows who he is.” she replied. "Gilda never would shut up about him.

“You know Ambassador Gris?” Twilight asked, sliding into place..

“Who is he?” Derpy asked, joining the formation.

“Ambassador Gerald Gris, is one of the finest fliers ever to be a part of the Griffon Empire air corps.” Rainbow espoused. "He's one of the few non ponies to be inducted as an honorary Wonderbolt. Celestia herself presented his badge.”

“He's also the ambassador that the griffon's send when they need to make an impression but can't send royalty for any reason. He's also their most capable diplomat. He negotiated a truce between the Empire and the Independent Minotaur States. He helped them re-establish contact with the Lost Aeries. For that matter, he was asked to mediate the dispute between Equestria and the Diamond Dog Warrens. He's the reason we only chased the Changelings out of Equestria.” Twilight very nearly gushed.

“When I left, he was ambassador to the Enclave.” Robert added. “As well as to the Zebrican High Council. I consider him a friend. He brought me the heads of the griffons who killed my uncle.” the last was said with some regret. "My mother thought he should have kept one alive for me.”

“Your mother sounds scary.” Rainbow said.

“Yeah.” the other two were quick to agree.

“My mother is a saint after raising my brothers, but I suspect tolerating my sister might qualify her to join the sovereigns on pure merit.” he chuckled.

“The who?” Rainbow asked.

“There's the tree.” Derpy called and dipped down towards the library. Rainbow's question went unanswered as the three of them dove. Derpy landed and knocked the door off it's hinges. Twilight let out a sigh.

“I'm okay!” Derpy said, and then the door fell on her. "Less okay!”

Rainbow touched down in a perfect four point landing. Twilight teleported the last few feet. “I saw that!” Rainbow snapped.

“I know.” Twilight replied, exasperatedly.

Robert flared his wings majestically, caught his tail on the mail box, and fell forward. On top of Rainbow Dash.

“Not okay.” Rainbow managed.

---

Twilight was serving tea. Spike had made it, so it was actually palatable. Derpy was perhaps the most durable Pegasus Twilight had ever met, and thus the door was no more than a momentary inconvenience. Twilight had used a few ointments from her incredibly well stocked first aid kit. She'd made it mostly herself with help from Celestia, into a nearly cavernous storage space, thanks to a little magical enchantment. It was now very much bigger on the inside. Rainbow Dash had very few actual injuries as a quick scan showed. The worst she had was a momentary lack of oxygen while crushed beneath the overgrown house cat, to quote the blue Pegasus second words upon freedom. The first had been: “AIR!”.

Robert other than being apologetic, had been fine, pointing out that he'd had it worse while Twilight was teaching him shielding. She flushed and apologized for the rock. Rainbow had asked.

“Don't you mean rocks, ya know, Plural?”

“Umm... no.” Twilight said, glowing even brighter.

“Shall I tell her, before you become a second sun?” Robert asked. Twilight nodded vigorously, fighting to gain control of her face. "While we practiced my shielding technique, Twilight threw rocks at me. I in turn attempted to deflect or stop them with my shield. Prior to working out my technique, one iteration required that I turn from side to side to deflect the rock. It was proven ineffective, when Twilight launched two rocks. I successfully deflected the first of them. Unfortunately, doing so required I turn away from Twilight. Thus I did not see the second rock in time.” he winced at the memory. "I shall spare you ladies further details, but suffice to say, even a glancing blow to a tender area is of considerable pain.”

Derpy laughed, as she got the joke. Rainbow's expression ran a long gamut of emotions as she worked it out. The journey from curiosity to pained realization was fairly entertaining. Spike simply offered a comforting claw before returning to the kitchen. Robert smiled.

“I said I was sorry.” Twilight apologized again.

“And I accepted the apology. Let it lie.” Robert said, smiling. Twilight sighed.

“Yes Mom.” Twilight answered. Robert rolled his eyes. “Alright, these are the books for you.” she levitated a stack of six books onto the table beside him.

“Flight and you. Every pegasus flies. Flying for Dummies. I'm a pegasus, what now? Wings and things, 101 erotic uses for non standard appendages.”

“That's from the adult section. How did it get here?” Twilight said with a flush, making the book vanish in a flash of light.

“Something to tell us Twilight?” Rainbow asked, waggling her eyebrows.

“N-no.” Twilight said, flushing.

“Me thinks she doth protest too much.” Derpy said.

“Umm... What's this last one?” Twilight said, prodding at the top of the stack, trying to derail the conversation.

“Magical Theorem on Pegasus Flight. By Twilight Sparkle and Robert.” Robert read, then looked at Twilight. "Yes, what is this last one?” he did not sound terribly excited.

“Just a mock up, but it's the theory we worked out. I wanted to show it to you before, but this seemed like the perfect opportunity.” Twilight's enthusiasm faded.

“So, it's not been published?” Twilight shook her head, a disappointed look taking her face over. "Good, I'd like to read it, and make a translation into Tiger, before you send it off to be disseminated. Better a native speaker write it than the incompetent hacks they hire who only get every third word correct.” Twilight brightened.

“You're not upset?” she asked, wanting confirmation.

“Not at all. In fact, I'm rather pleasantly surprised. I never expected it you to bother publishing it. It was nothing more than a momentary diversion.” Robert shrugged. Twilight's eye twitched.

“Robert. Pegasi and Unicorns have been trying to figure out the magic behind our ability to fly since Star-Swirl's time. Before that in fact.” Rainbow said.

“This could be the greatest boon to Pegasi since the invention of Thunder-forged Iron.” Derpy leaned forward. "It could help thousand of Pegasi who can't fly, or don't fly very well.”

“It could even help Scoots.” Rainbow said. She looked at Twilight hopefully.

“I don't know. I've been working on tests to try and scans to run, but so far they've come up empty. The latest ones all use the new formula. Everything seems fine. And yet, nothing. It's perplexing.” Twilight took a deep breath.

“Perhaps it's the magic itself that is functioning incorrectly.” Robert mused. “After all, alike Rainbow Dash, she is capable of great speed, yet her lift is what seems to have a limit.”

“I hadn't thought of that.” Twilight reached out, grabbed the book, flipped to the equation, and then scribbled something like it on a piece of paper. She stared, skimming the page. Satisfied, she folded into the shape of a paper airplane, and set it on the table, aiming between Rainbow and Derpy. The two Pegasi slid aside and Twilight breathed gently on the plane.

It left a burning trail as it moved across the table, bulleted across the room and stopped, quivering, nose buried an inch deep in the wall.

“Hmm... perhaps I miscalculated the age co-efficient.” Twilight suggested.

“Or didn't account for the difference in air resistance between a Pegasus filly and a paper airplane.” Rainbow said, swallowing.

“I think the drag co-efficient would be somewhat reduced by the scooter and it's design, serving the purpose to cut down on the air resistance by acting as an airfoil in the same manner as the leading edge of a wing.” Derpy interjected. Everyone stared. "I minored in Advanced Aerodynamics. It helped my flying and I found it interesting.”

“What did you major in?” Twilight asked. Derpy stared back, as if she'd asked the stupidest question ever.

“Muffins.” Derpy dipped into her saddlebag and extracted a rolled parchment. She let it unroll.

“Trottingham Culinary Arts University, Certified Master Baker (Breads).” Twilight read. She opened her mouth, but stopped at a second diploma. “Cloudsdale University, Trottingham Extension Office Advanced Aerodynamics, Bachelor's Degree.”

“Why didn't you say anything?” Rainbow asked. "I've been looking for an Aerodynamics Officer for flight training for months!”

“You weren't offering to pay in muffins.” Rainbow's jaw fell open. "Plus you didn't tell anyone so I didn't know.” Rainbow realized she'd been gotten.

“So... would you like to interview?” Derpy nodded. "Noon tomorrow?” another nod.

“We were talking about Scootaloo...” Robert interjected, "Has anyone talked to her parent's about this?”

“Umm...” Twilight hesitated. Rainbow didn't.

“You'll have to ask her about that. It's not our place.” Rainbow said. Derpy and Twilight nodded. "It's just kind of private.”

“Alright.”