Everypony slowly started leaving, one by one, until it was just Twilight, Soarin‘, Spitfire, Dashie, and myself left at the table. It seemed as if Spitfire and Dashie were eating slowly just to spite me a little bit, I couldn’t help but be excited for my lessons. What were they going to teach me? My daughter, one of the Wonderbolts, of all ponies, to teach me how to fly? I couldn’t learn from anypony better. I was ecstatic to say the least.

I heard giggling from somepony, I turned my glance from Dashie to Spitfire who‘s face had turned red in a blush, her fetlocks against her lips. “Uhm, Pops. Your wings…” Dashie pointed at me while trying stifling a laugh.

I looked to my right, then my left, only to see that both of my wings were fully extended. Dashie and Spitfire both fell to the ground and exploded into laughter, leaving me confused.

They both stopped rolling around and regained their composure once I walked over to them and glared down.

“Ahh…Alright, let’s go everypony. Pops has got some well needed lessons in flying from the two best flyers in Equestria.” Dashie said, resting her arm behind Spitfire's neck.

“Ahem..” Soarin’ coughed out, looking for acknowledgement.

“Three best flyers in Equestria.” Spitfire corrected.

Shortly after the waiter came and presented the bill, Twilight paid just as she said that she would. We all left the café and made our way towards the field near Fluttershy’s and my own cottage.

“Okay Pops, watch. All I want you to do is hover in place. It’s easy, 'kay? Just watch.”

Dashie jumped up and began flapping her wings. She was hovering, seemingly without any effort at all. I tried to copy her exactly, I jumped up and flapped my wings as hard as I could. I hovered for a few seconds but my wings gave out, luckily I managed to land on my feet, my ankles cracked in response. I tried again, I flew for a few seconds longer but still landed on the grass. I was starting to get frustrated. I tried one more time. I closed my eyes, jumping as hard as I could and flapping my wings. I didn’t feel the ground. I opened my eyes, and looked down, my feet were dangling a few inches above the dirt.

“Great job Pops! Now, try to fly over to me.”

Dashie moved a few feet away from me, flying backwards towards the setting sun, casting a shadow on the ground under me. I began to try and move but I just wobbled in place, barely maintaining my balance and flight. “How…?” I asked.

Dashie facehoofed. “See how you’ve got your wings moving up and down now?” I nodded. “Move them back and push forward.” I tried to do what she said, only to flip over and crash down to the ground, face first. I heard muffled laughs from Soarin', he was slapped no more than a second after he started.

"Ow! What was that for?" He said, rubbing his cheek.

'Thanks Spitfire.' I thought while I wiped off the dirt. I jumped back up and began hovering again, I tried to fly over to her. I managed to wobble my way over to her but I did it nonetheless.

“Great job, Pops. Just keep moving around. It’ll get easier the more you do it.”

The day went on, and after few snide remarks from Soarin' and a few more slaps from Spitfire, and a glare in return from me, I had mastered hovering. Moving was something completely different, I could barely do it, I fell almost every time I tried. As time passed and It slowly got darker outside, and the sun setting, I was exhausted and wanted to sleep. I took a seat in the grass, rubbing my wings in aching places I didn’t know I had. Dashie said goodbye to her friends as they all went their separate ways towards their respective homes. We flew home together, I landed on the ground and opened the door, quickly finding the couch and landing face first into it, instantly falling asleep.

It’s ironic really, I taught Dashie how to fly back when we were on Earth together, yet now that I have wings I’ve forgot everything that I taught her. However, I never taught Dashie how to fly over one session. It took many times, hundreds if I remember correctly. And it was the same situation with me, I never learned how to fly with in one lesson, it took many face plants, a few bloody noses, and lots of bruises but after a week I had the basics down. After a visit to the doctor’s office, a legitimate therapist, and a pony pain management clinic, I was issued new pain medicine, it did a good enough job of masking the pain enough for me to fly without it being too difficult, and I didn‘t ever have those gruesome nightmares ever again.

I had been laying in bed one night after a day of flight lessons with Dashie and Spitfire. I began thinking about the nightmare, how It had been an entire week since it had happened and that it wasn’t repeating. As I lay there I began to think about what caused it, it had confused and pestered me so much. I would keep tracks of my dreams, some of them normal, others not so. I soon came to realize that the dream was caused by my having wings but not being able to use them, because once I began the lessons with Dashie, they never happened again.

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“C’mon Pops, wake up! I’ve got my first race today!” Dashie began to shove me around, trying to wake me up.

“Unh…Just five more minutes? Please?” She started shoving even harder, I nearly fell off the couch.

I sat up and rubbed the sleepys out of my eyes. “Okay, I’m up.” I smelled food. “What’s for breakfast?” I asked, as I rubbed my aching and empty stomach.

“Apple pancakes.” She replied. I kicked off the sheets and stretched my back, feeling every crack down my spine. I stood up and made my way to the kitchen. I took my seat at one of the chairs, there on the table was a fresh, steaming stack of apple pancakes. Once Dashie and I finished eating our breakfast, and we got her saddlebags packed, we left to Cloudsdale for the race.

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Authors Note

No, Dad did not get a wingboner. It seems like when a Pegasus gets excited their wings go up, so that's what I'm trying to say.