“To the best of my knowledge, there’s two things that I can do to help you out with that. The first being a spell that will grant you temporary flight, it involves gossamer butterfly wings. It didn’t work out too well in the past when I did it for the first time, I‘d prefer not to do that spell. Although the second spell doesn’t completely fulfill your wish, I can have it where you can walk on clouds for a few days.”

Gossamer butterfly wings seemed way too delicate (and not to mention girly), I wanted something durable and maneuverable. Who else could I talk to about getting wings? Even if they’re temporary... A light bulb went off in my head. Zecora! Of course! She’s got a potion for damn near everything in her hut, and I’m willing to bet that she’s got a brew for flying or at least gliding or something.

“Twilight, what’s the problem with the gossamer wings?” I wanted to fly and I didn’t really care how. But if it wasn’t safe I wanted to know why.

“Well, uh, they’re highly flammable. Last time I did the spell a friend of mine, a friend very close to me, nearly… died. I wouldn’t ever forgive myself if you got hurt because of me.”

Twilight must’ve been talking about Rarity during the ‘Best Young Flyers’ competition. To Zecora’s! I thanked Twilight for the information, zipped up my sweater, and made a mental note to visit Rarity later if Zecora didn't have a potion for flight. I made my way through Ponyville, attracting the occasional gawk as usual, and eventually made my way through town to the path which led into the Everfree forest. The forest is scary, yes, but Zecora’s hut isn‘t too far into the depths of it. After being spooked a couple of times by the supernatural noises and stepping in mud many other times, I eventually made my way to the hut. I knocked on the door and instantaneously heard a loud thud and a long, drawn out groan. Zecora opened the door and greeted me with an almost abusively large smile.

“Hello mister, is there a reason why you have disturbed my meditation and left me in a stir?” She said. I didn’t know what she was doing in the hut, but regardless I still must ask her my question.

“Zecora, I’m terribly sorry about ruining your meditation, but this is rather important. I do hope that you can forgive me," I said. "Do you know of any way that I can fly?” Once again, I felt incredibly foolish in asking such a question. Zecora stared at me, confused as to what to say next, my guess was that she was piecing together a rhyme in her head.

“If you wish to fly, you must not rely, for this gift of flight I can give you, is a breakthrough.” I was trying to decipher the rhyme in my head when she guided me into her hut and over to her cauldron, a green goop was churning inside of it. Zecora walked over to her cupboards and pulled out jars and containers full of Celestia knows what. Zecora began to stir in whatever was in the jars into the brew and began mixing it with a long wooden spoon.

The goop began to stir and bubble around in the cauldron and even changed colors from green to purple, then to blue, then to red, and finally settled at a dark yellowy-orange color. The smells emanating from it made me nauseous, it smelt as if somebody had - you know what, I’ll spare you the details. Needless to say, it smelled horrible. Zecora looked down at the concoction and smiled up in success, finishing with some kind of powder that made the brew spit up a purple cloud of smoke and then she taste tested the brew. She trotted over to a different cupboard on the opposite side of the hut and pulled out a wooden bowl and handed it to me.

“Zecora, what exactly will this potion do?” I didn’t want my skin to turn purple and grow green polka dots but, have a pair of wings after all. Zecora didn’t answer, instead she grabbed the bowl out of my hand in her mouth, dunked it into the cauldron and then handed it back to me. The potion didn’t smell as bad now, kind of like play dough, but with a kind of citrus undertone. “Zecora. What will this do?“ I repeated.

“If flight is what you desire, please take off your attire.” She pointed to my chest.

“Why would I-” I stopped mid-sentence, if I have a sweater on my wings won’t have anywhere to go when they unfold and will rip through my sweater, probably ruining it. After taking off my sweater I looked down to her and raised an eyebrow, she then looked up to me and nodded. I held the bowl with both of my hands, tilted it upwards, and chugged down. I couldn’t taste it really, but it burned as if I'd taken a shot of vodka. Then I felt a pain like nothing before. It felt like my scapulae were tearing through my skin. I fell to my knees struggling to stay conscious, Zecora frowned down at me and rhymed something that was supposed to soothe me. Trickles of blood leaked from my back and I shook and gritted my teeth in pain. My body felt light as I let out a loud scream and fell unconscious in the middle of the hut.

-----

“Dad? Are you home? You left the door unlocked…”

I opened the door to Dad’s home and began looking for him, I had great news. I found a note on the fridge that said “Meet me at Twilight’s, I’ve got a surprise for you. I know you’ll like it, Love Dad.” I put the paper down, grabbed a snack from the refrigerator, and raced out the front door. When I arrived at the library I knocked on the door. Twilight answered by poking her head out the barely open crack, it was open just enough for her eyes to look out.

“Hello Rainbow. Any particular reason why you’re here?”

“Dad said that he was here, and that he had a surprise for me. Is he here?”

Twilight opened the door a bit more, just enough to stick her head out. She wore a weird look on her face, her eyes were shifting around a lot, and she had a very small, awkward grin look on her muzzle.

“Are you okay, Twi?”

“Me? I’m fine, never better. Hey, would you look at the time. I’ve got to close the library, see you tomorrow Rainbow.”

Twilight was really scaring me now, her mane was all messed up and she kept trying to rush me away from the library. Something had to be wrong.

“Twilight, it‘s three o‘clock. What‘s up with you?”

“Nothing! Nothing at all!”

She began trying to push me out of the door sill but I wouldn’t budge. I was really beginning to get frustrated with Twi now, why wouldn’t just open the door? What could possibly be so bad inside that I couldn’t see it! I took a deep breath and looked Twilight directly in the eyes.

“Twilight. Open the door.”

She shook her head violently, then replied. “NO! Come back later!” I was beginning to lose my temper, honestly, what was wrong with her? I put my forehooves on the door and began pushing.

“Twilight. Open. The. Door!” I repeated myself, but she was a step ahead of me and slammed the door shut with her magic just as I began pushing. I said one last time. “Twilight, Open the bucking door now, or I swear I'll break it down.“ Silence. “Last chance Twilight!” Silence again. I turned around and balanced on my front fetlocks then bucked the door, I heard a slight crack the first time. I kept doing it until I felt the door give and fly off the hinges, which were still under the influence of Twilight‘s magic. I turned back around and looking into the library but not before I looked down and felt something warm make it’s way down my hind leg to my hoof. It was blood. My blood.

I pushed my way through Twilight and glided into the main chamber of the library. Twilight gave up her struggle to stop me soon as she saw that I noticed my father. He was unconscious in the middle of the library but clearly still breathing, laying motionless on his back on the cold hardwood floor. He was propped up on some pillows, Spike was wrapping a gauze bandage around his head, and Dad also had a sling on his left arm.

“What happened?”