Post by romper on Jun 13, 2012 6:24:02 GMT -5
(( Whitetail Wood, near Ponyville ))
Five feet.
It was a cold, fog-shrouded and cloudy morning as Romper flapped his wings uncertainly, eyes fixed on the horizon. He had to keep his gaze steady on the place where the earth kissed the sky, for if he looked down he knew what would happen.
His wings would seize and the fear, the terror, would take over. The fear of being high... of having all four hooves off the ground. An unnatural sense, perhaps, for a pegasus pony, but Romper was always... different.
Six feet.
His wings took him higher, straining slightly with the effort of trying. It wasn't high... six feet was what most pegasus ponies would consider basically the ground... but it was all he could manage.
The stallion buried the urge to look down once again and adjusted for a brush of wind that threatened to drag him off course. He couldn't afford to leave the clearing that he'd found... it was perfect for his needs. Secluded enough that prying eyes wouldn't spot him, but wide enough that he had room to crash on the soft grass instead of the hard trees.
Six and a half feet... then seven. Romper's wings beat with a gradual, untested pace. Seven feet was a personal best for him, on his own, although NightRaven had been helping him get higher. With her he had been higher... it was harder on his own, though, but he was determined to -
"Hey, Romper!"
The playful shout stole away his concentration and the pegasus pony tip-stalled, upending himself before crashing roughly to the damp ground. Climbing, dazed, back up to his hooves Romper blinked in confusion, slowly smiling as he saw who it was. An old friend from Cloudsdale, Popcorn Crunch.
She'd saved him once, when he'd fallen from Cloudsdale, so it was hard to be mad at her.
Popcorn trotted up to him through the fog, giving a wide smile. "You're... you're flying!"
Romper rubbed a hoof behind his head. "Oh, uh, kind of. I'm just... I'm just trying to get over the hight-terror, that's all."
Popcorn laughed, clomping her hooves on the ground excitedly. "Well, maybe you'll be a late bloomer, huh?" She leaned forward, appearing suddenly curious. "What's bought this on...? You've always avoided using your wings, no matter how much we all tried..."
Romper went to answer, but a sound caught his attention. The beating of wings from overhead -- it was a section of the weather team, roaring along at their incredible speed, eight of them flying in a wedge shape as they tore through the thick layer of fog and cloud, slicing the sky in half. Brilliant blue sky poured through the gap.
The flight doubled back then broke off, peeling away, each pegasus pony grabbing hold of a section of cloud and slowly pushing it away, the two grey 'halves' of the foggy bowl being slowly separated to let the brilliant, fiery yellow sun shine in.
Romper's eyes jumped from pony to pony. The dull grey coat of Derpy. The pink of Rainbowshine, the multicoloured hue of Rainbow Dash... but his eyes lingered on one other. One with a dark ebony coat, just like his, watching as she strained and pushed to clear the sky of the thick blanket of fog.
"She does," Romper explained, pointing a hoof to the pegasus pony.
NightRaven.
"Her?" asked Popcorn, frowning in confusion. "A friend of yours, maybe?"
Romper laughed, nodding his head, letting his hoof fall down to the ground again. "A good friend, yes."
He watched as NightRaven and the rest of the team pushed the fog away, until she was just a black dot against a grey sea. Then nothing.
The stallion extended a wing, nodding towards Popcorn. "All pegasus ponies have these," he tried to explain, "But these things? They're just lumps of flesh and bone and feathers. They're just... they're nothing special. On the other hoof, NightRaven... well, heh." He gave a smile, half sad, half joyous, then turned his head back up towards the sky where she flew off moments ago.
"... She gives me wings."
Five feet.
It was a cold, fog-shrouded and cloudy morning as Romper flapped his wings uncertainly, eyes fixed on the horizon. He had to keep his gaze steady on the place where the earth kissed the sky, for if he looked down he knew what would happen.
His wings would seize and the fear, the terror, would take over. The fear of being high... of having all four hooves off the ground. An unnatural sense, perhaps, for a pegasus pony, but Romper was always... different.
Six feet.
His wings took him higher, straining slightly with the effort of trying. It wasn't high... six feet was what most pegasus ponies would consider basically the ground... but it was all he could manage.
The stallion buried the urge to look down once again and adjusted for a brush of wind that threatened to drag him off course. He couldn't afford to leave the clearing that he'd found... it was perfect for his needs. Secluded enough that prying eyes wouldn't spot him, but wide enough that he had room to crash on the soft grass instead of the hard trees.
Six and a half feet... then seven. Romper's wings beat with a gradual, untested pace. Seven feet was a personal best for him, on his own, although NightRaven had been helping him get higher. With her he had been higher... it was harder on his own, though, but he was determined to -
"Hey, Romper!"
The playful shout stole away his concentration and the pegasus pony tip-stalled, upending himself before crashing roughly to the damp ground. Climbing, dazed, back up to his hooves Romper blinked in confusion, slowly smiling as he saw who it was. An old friend from Cloudsdale, Popcorn Crunch.
She'd saved him once, when he'd fallen from Cloudsdale, so it was hard to be mad at her.
Popcorn trotted up to him through the fog, giving a wide smile. "You're... you're flying!"
Romper rubbed a hoof behind his head. "Oh, uh, kind of. I'm just... I'm just trying to get over the hight-terror, that's all."
Popcorn laughed, clomping her hooves on the ground excitedly. "Well, maybe you'll be a late bloomer, huh?" She leaned forward, appearing suddenly curious. "What's bought this on...? You've always avoided using your wings, no matter how much we all tried..."
Romper went to answer, but a sound caught his attention. The beating of wings from overhead -- it was a section of the weather team, roaring along at their incredible speed, eight of them flying in a wedge shape as they tore through the thick layer of fog and cloud, slicing the sky in half. Brilliant blue sky poured through the gap.
The flight doubled back then broke off, peeling away, each pegasus pony grabbing hold of a section of cloud and slowly pushing it away, the two grey 'halves' of the foggy bowl being slowly separated to let the brilliant, fiery yellow sun shine in.
Romper's eyes jumped from pony to pony. The dull grey coat of Derpy. The pink of Rainbowshine, the multicoloured hue of Rainbow Dash... but his eyes lingered on one other. One with a dark ebony coat, just like his, watching as she strained and pushed to clear the sky of the thick blanket of fog.
"She does," Romper explained, pointing a hoof to the pegasus pony.
NightRaven.
"Her?" asked Popcorn, frowning in confusion. "A friend of yours, maybe?"
Romper laughed, nodding his head, letting his hoof fall down to the ground again. "A good friend, yes."
He watched as NightRaven and the rest of the team pushed the fog away, until she was just a black dot against a grey sea. Then nothing.
The stallion extended a wing, nodding towards Popcorn. "All pegasus ponies have these," he tried to explain, "But these things? They're just lumps of flesh and bone and feathers. They're just... they're nothing special. On the other hoof, NightRaven... well, heh." He gave a smile, half sad, half joyous, then turned his head back up towards the sky where she flew off moments ago.
"... She gives me wings."
