[MLP] Fight or Flight

Jennu walked back through Ponyville, having just delivered Cranky Doodle Donkey's cart back to him after fixing it and picking up some more supplies for his workshop. The weight of his saddle-bags was satisfying, now he could get on with that project he had planned ages ago. Shame he had run out of bits before he could get started. Still, better late than never, the off-white pegasus reasoned.

His workshop came into view and he was looking forward to spending the afternoon by himself, but it was not yet to be.

"Hey Boots!"

Jennu did not bother hiding his grimace at the sound of Rainbow Dash's voice. All he wanted to do was get back to his workshop. "What do you want?" he said, carrying on toward his front door as the rainbow-haired pegasus buzzed around his head like an annoying parasprite. Celestia help him if she started multiplying.

"How come up didn't turn up for Tornado Duty last week?"

"I was busy," was the short, but truthful, reply. Things didn't fix themselves.

"Oh yeah? Too busy to help while I was eight pegasi down and trying to get water to Cloudsdale?" She was in his face now, blocking the way to his front door with an accusing look on her face.

Fine. He could play that way too. "Yes," he said, shoving her out of the way with a hoof. He wasn't known for his chivalry.

But Rainbow Dash wasn't going to leave it at that. One rainbow blur later and she was in Jennu's face again. "So your work is more important than supplying water for Cloudsdale so that they can make rain so that things can grow and so that we can, y'know, live?!"

Jennu pretended to think about it. "Yes," he said, putting his bags on the work bench. He may as well make the most of the day, even if he was going to be moaned at in the process. "You did it anyway, why would you need my help?"

"I needed every pegasus I could get that day, I even got Fluttershy to help! And she's a worse flier than you! Actually, come to think of it," said Rainbow Dash, finally alighting onto her hooves, "I've never seen you fly. You must be pretty good, you run quick so you must fly quick too, right?"

Jennu ignored her and carried on with his work.

Rainbow carried on regardless. "Hey! Have you ever done a triple back somersault shoot? Man that's good, isn't it? When you loop around once, then again and again and then whoosh! You shoot off at almost the speed of sound!"

"Rainbow..."

"Have you ever broken the sound barrier? I haven't done it yet, but I rekon I'm close. D'you think a pony could fly faster than the speed of light? That would be so awesome! But it would probably hurt."

"Rainbow..."

"I bet you could do a sonic rainboom if you tried, you'd be quick enough. But I don't know if anypony else can do it, I've never known anypony else to do it, not even in history---"

"OI!"

"What?!"

"Shut up already! I don't wanna listen to you yammer on about flying!"

"Alright, keep your boots on. I don't why you're so against it, every pegasus can fly--"

"I can't fly."

"--so its only natural for us to talk about it. Wait, what?"

"I. Can't. Fly."

Rainbow Dash's brain seemed to go into meltdown. "You can't fly? Is this like Fluttershy who just can't fly when she gets nervous? Cause that's--"

"No, I actually can't fly."

Finally there was silence from her. But Jennu found it rather uncomfortable, few ponies knew that he couldn't fly and he hadn't wanted to spread it around.

"Ha ha ha ha ha! Yeah right! You're joking, right?"

There was silence.

"Oh Celestia, you're not, are you? How can you not fly? It's easy!"

"I know. I mean, I can flap my wings and lift myself off the ground, but that's about it."

"But, I don't get it. Is flying against the law where you come from, or something?"

"No, you idiot, I grew up around dragons," snorted Jennu, "I just never felt the need to learn, I could always run where I wanted to go. It was always quicker than flying. Heck, I even beat a unicorn when he was teleporting once."

"Didn't anypony else find it wierd?"

"Yeah, a colt bullied me once for it, but he only did it once."

"Once?"

"I broke both his wings in three places each. He wasn't able to fly for months."

"Wow."

"Nopony bullied me after that."

"Yeah, I can kinda see why," said Rainbow Dash. She resumed hovering as she drifted over his shoulder to watch what he was doing. "So just how fast can you go?"

"Faster than you can flying, that's for sure."

"Ohhhh, is that a challenge?"

"Not for me."

Rainbow Dash didn't know whether to be impressed of offended. "Alrighty then!" she said, standing on his workbench, much to his annoyance, "A race. You and me. You can run, I'll fly. Then we'll see who's quicker."

Jennu wasn't one to turn down a challenge like that. Or any challenge, for that matter. Apart from one, which had been against his father, who could both run and fly faster than him. So he had only one answer.

"Bring it on."