In a sense, Rainbow Dash knew she shouldn't really be bothering with this ride — at least, not this early in the morning. Soarin' was a popular ride, sure, but even at peak hours, it didn't draw crowds nearly comparable in scope to the likes of Guardians of the Galaxy or Midway Mania. Indeed, when she'd gotten up early to take advantage of the extra hour of park activity offered to hotel guests (which Fluttershy and even their fellow hotel roommate Pinkie Pie were more than happy to sleep through), it'd been with the intent of riding one of those. But, upon reflection, neither of those would really be that fun without one of her friends, either to compete for a higher score with on the latter ride or to watch them scream as the elevator plunged during the former.

Soarin', on the other hand, was the perfect solo experience for Dash. It didn't matter who you were sitting next to or what they were doing; the emphasis was on your immersion, on your own sensory experiences. Feeling the weightlessness of being suspended in the air, getting lost in the giant visuals, being entranced by the majestic musical score and physically transported by the scents. She'd never thought about it that way before, but in a sense, it really was her favorite ride at the park.

So when she'd found herself wandering over to Soarin' without even consciously deciding to, she didn't turn around. But when she entered into the queue and reached the end of the (fairly short) line in the mock-hangar area, she was very surprised to find a familiar head of perfectly-maintained aquamarine/neon pink hair directly in front of her.

"Principal Celestia?" Rainbow Dash didn't so much speak the words as let them tumble out of her mouth.

Celestia, who'd been lost in thought looking at the photos of aviation pioneers displayed on the walls, jolted back to earth in surprise and turned to look at the source of the voice. She smiled. "Why, if it isn't Rainbow Dash! What a nice surprise! You never quite struck me as the 'get-up-nice-and-early' type."

Rainbow smirked. "I am when I want to be. None of my friends were today, though."

"I know the feeling. I wasn't even going to try to get Luna to join me at this hour. She's always been something of a night owl. I think coffee's the only thing that keeps her functioning during the school year."

Rainbow suppressed a guffaw at the thought of her Vice Principal partaking in the night life scene.

"So what brings you to this ride?" Celestia asked. "I'd have thought you'd be more interested in something a bit more intense."

"Well... don't get me wrong, I do love those rides too. But I have always kinda had a soft spot for stuff like this."

"Flying?"

"Not flying, exactly. I don't really like being super high up in the air where I can't see the ground, and I definitely wouldn't want to have to deal with all the controls on an airplane."

"Really? How interesting."

"People always seem surprised when I say that. I told Princess Twilight once and she went kinda cross-eyed for like a whole minute." She laughed a bit at the memory. "But I do like hang gliding. I've done a bit of training and it's super fun. There's no worrying about fancy controls, everything's done through your body and you get to really enjoy the sights."

"So a ride like this is a natural fit."

"Ha, I guess so."

Celestia laughed. "I've actually always been into flying, in all honesty. I knew teaching and education were my calling early on, but I used to have dreams about being a pilot as well. It's been a fascination of mine, and I did take some small-aircraft lessons at the airfield in Hope Hollow. I'd hoped to get a license one day, but my career got the better of me. Still..." She shrugged as the line took them down the hallway.

Dash smiled. "I mean, there's always time, right?"

"Perhaps."

They reached the end of the line and were directed to a waiting area to watch the customary safety video from "Chief Flight Attendant Patrick", who had an oddly familiar voice. They then filed into the main room to their seats and buckled up. Dash could see the excitement on Celestia's face as they began to lift up and were moved into position for the ride.

Everything about the experience was just how Dash remembered, the swooping visuals taking her away as they flew through the Arctic, past medieval castles, across the savanna, past historical wonders of the world and more. The simulated wind and scents gave her a genuine thrill, even if it couldn't quite compare to a real gliding experience. But she did find herself looking over quite often at her seat partner, who was laughing and enjoying herself like a little girl on a playground swing. It was a surreal sight to see such genuine joy on her principal's face, rather than the kind, occasionally bemused sternness she was careful to maintain professionally.

And when the ride came to a conclusion when they flew above Disneyland itself, Dash swore she heard Celestia say "awww" as the seats descended back to earth, and she had to cover up a snort.

After they'd exited, Rainbow couldn't hold back the question. "So... are you really interested in flying planes, or do you just like being up in the air?"

Celestia blushed, realizing how loud her cheering had been. "Oh, well... I do genuinely enjoy piloting, but sometimes I do wish I could just... sprout wings, the way you do sometimes."

"Y'know..." Rainbow thought back to the cruise incident. "Sunset might know a place where you might be able to do just that."

"What? Oh. I couldn't, that's... hmmm... oh gosh... I shouldn't... Well, that idea's definitely going to be in my head for the rest of the day. Gosh. But it was so nice to see you, Rainbow Dash. I wish you and your friends the best!"

"You too, Principal Celestia!" Rainbow waved goodbye as the older woman walked away, her mind clearly racing at a mile a minute.

Next Chapter: Autopia (Rarity & Sweetie Belle) Estimated time remaining: 55 Minutes