Learning to Fly
Shooting past and through the clouds, dancing across the rays of the sun, the wind brushing against his hide. All these wonderful sensations made flying at such high speeds worthwhile. He loved it all, and absolutely nothing could bring him down.
"Dusty Crophopper! Would you pay attention, boy?"
Except maybe his boss.
Dusty rolled his eyes. "I am paying attention! At least I know when to turn around and go the other way. I can't speed things along a bit?"
"If ya don't do it right, the crops won't get enough mulch to grow." Leadbottom huffed. He felt like that was the thousandth time he told this to the fifteen-year-old. But the young crop duster never seemed to listen. When did he ever? Leadbottom sighed. He's a teenager. Ya can't blame him too much. "Tell ya what, Crophopper. You do the rest of this field right, the way you were taught, and I'll let you go early."
Dusty's eyes lit up. "Really? Aw man, thanks!" He abruptly slowed, making sure he went the proper speed. Leadbottom smirked, banking off to return to his hanger. He knew he probably just made Dusty's day; it was Friday, so all he had to do now was finish his work for the week and then he'd be free to do whatever he wanted this weekend.
The second Dusty finished, he hurried off home for a quick hose down to get the mulch smell off. Then he radioed his friend Chug, who lived just next door and worked over at Pancho's Fill N' Fly with Dottie and her family.
"This is Dusty Crophopper to Chug! Come in, Chug!" Dusty called happily.
"Hey Duster!" the sixteen-year-old fuel truck greeted. "You got off early?"
"Leadbottom had mercy on me today!" Dusty cheered. "So don't worry about the movie snacks for tonight. I'm going to run over to the store now and get the stuff!"
"Awesome!" Chug whooped. "You rock! Can we meet up at eight tonight? My mom's ordering a pizza and I still got a couple more hours here at the Fill N' Fly."
"Sounds great! I'll see ya tonight, buddy!"
"See ya tonight!"
Dusty laughed as he hung up, hurrying towards the door of his hanger. The small but spacious area didn't hold much, but Dusty managed to make it homey with his Wings Around the Globe comforter and his racing posters, flags, and action figures strewn about the walls and shelves. Dusty hummed happily to himself as he journeyed to the supermarket, looking forward to his sleepover with Chug. The two of them were like brothers, so anytime they could hang out they did. Dusty continued his humming as he perused the snacks, chips, and candy on the store shelves, wondering just how much he and Chug could finish in one night.
As he scanned the rows of chips, Dusty did a near-perfect double-take when he saw a small human girl at the top shelf, standing on one of the shelves below it and reaching for something. All Dusty could really make out was her light blue jeans, red-and-white sneakers, and green-and-white striped shirt with green sleeves that went to her elbows. The rest of the girl, especially her head, hid behind the rest of the chip bags.
"I see you, bag of potato chips." The girl muttered in determination. "And I will have you, doggone it all!" She pushed up with one foot, her other one dangling behind her.
Dusty chuckled softly. "Here. Let me help you." He reached a wing under her dangling foot, pushing her up the rest of the way. He heard the crinkling of bag plastic, and the satisfied cheer of the girl as she stepped back to his wing. Dusty gently lowered the girl to the ground, watching her swish her braided black hair over her shoulder to rest behind her. She smiled warmly at Dusty, her blue-green eyes bright.
"Thanks." The girl said. "Uh…..Dusty, right?"
"Yep!" Dusty nodded.
"You'd think after living here for over a year, I would know my neighbors." The girl laughed.
"No biggie. You're still getting to know everyone." Dusty assured. "I'm still trying to decide if I call you 'Skylar' or 'Sky.'"
"'Sky' is fine." The girl said. "'Skylar' always did sound too formal."
"Whatever you say." Dusty nodded. "After a bag of chips, I see?"
Sky cradled the large bag of potato chips closer to her. She noticed a basket almost overflowing with junk food resting on Dusty's wing. "And I see you're trying to raid every snack aisle in the store." She giggled.
Dusty chuckled. "Just preparing for a movie night with Chug."
"Well you look much prepped." Sky noted. "I'm having a movie night myself."
"Cool! Have fun!" Dusty said, turning to head towards the checkout counter.
"You too!" Sky waved after him.
It took much debating and discussing between Dusty and Chug before the teenagers finally decided on the movies to watch: the entire Star Wars saga. Chug's parents went out to visit some friends, and they trusted the boys wouldn't completely trash the living room during their sleepover. Chug had a little sister, but she was off at her own friend's house for a sleepover. So the boys gathered up the couch cushions, several pillows, and every blanket they could find to make a sort of nest on the living room floor with their snacks strewn about the area.
"Great snacks, Duster!" Chug said as he set up the movie to play. "No potato chips?"
"Sky got the last bag. And she was awfully determined to get it." Dusty shrugged.
"You saw Sky today?" Chug asked excitedly. The newest Propwash Junction resident couldn't always be seen in town. The adoptive daughter of Skipper Riley and Sparky usually liked to spend time at home, in the firehouse with Mayday and Max, or she tended to wander in the wilderness behind the town.
"She sure is a nice kid." Dusty noted.
"Yeah, but she seems kinda…..loner-ish." Chug said. "You ever see her hanging out with anyone?"
"What? Do I look like her stalker?" Dusty joked.
"But I never see her with any of the other girls in town." Chug said, reversing into his spot next to his friend and grabbing the remote. "It's like all she does all day is stand on the edge of the runway cliff."
"She stands out on the edge of the runway cliff?" Dusty repeated, quite confused.
"You don't notice it?" Chug shrugged his tires a bit. "She just stands out there with her arms spread out and lets the wind hit her. I once asked her what she was doing, and she told me she was 'pretending to fly.'"
"Huh. Weird." Dusty admitted. "But she's gotta have more of a social life than that, right?"
"Dunno." Chug said. "Sparky told me she used to be kinda mean when she was younger."
"Younger how?" Dusty laughed. "She's twelve now."
"I mean before she moved here." Chug explained. "Sparky and I talked about her once, and he told me she used to be a pretty bitter kid."
"But now she has a nice home and she's a nicer kid." Dusty pointed out. "I just can't think of a reason why she wouldn't have friends here. I wouldn't be surprised if she hung out with Dottie."
"Yeah. Maybe you're right." Chug said. "But enough talk about girls! We got movies to watch!" He hurriedly turned on the movie, and the boys settled down to enjoy their night.
The weekends tended to be Dusty's days off, and he savored every minute of them. Most Saturdays he spent zipping around the fields practicing aerial maneuvers he saw on TV. Since he spent last weekend hanging out with Chug, he had some catching up to do. Up-and-coming racers could only have so many days off, after all.
Dusty paused on the way to the Fill N' Fly when he saw a figure standing out by the cliff, just to the left of the runway. Staring intently, he saw the figure to be a girl with raven hair that flowed just past her shoulders. Sky. Dusty realized. Testing a theory, he rolled over and called out to Sky to let her know he came up. Sky turned and smiled broadly, looking rather excited to see Dusty. A pair of binoculars hung around her neck, resting on her chest.
"Hey Dusty." Sky greeted. "Whatcha up to?"
"Going flying for a while." Dusty said. He noticed Sky's eyes brightened up considerably. "What about you?"
"Just pretending to do the same." Sky shrugged.
"Oh. Cool." Dusty nodded. "I'll….let you get back to that then. See ya!"
Sky giggled. "Bye!"
Dusty turned and rolled off, but he could've sworn he saw Sky's expression turn to one of almost sadness, like she was disappointed to see him leave. But he shook it off. It's not like Sky wanted to be his friend. And, frankly, he was a little too scared of her adoptive father to try and get friendly with her. Skipper Riley, whom everyone knew as a loner with a somewhat cold-hearted demeanor, tended to give off a "go away or I'll shoot you with my still-working guns" vibe. So Dusty continued on, looking forward to his flight.
Propwash Junction tended to see a lot of travelers, but seeing a Boeing F/A-18 E Super Hornet passing through for refueling was quite a surprise. Chug certainly thought so as he loaded up his fuel container in his flatbed and began filling up the fighter jet. The jet was rather young, probably in his twenties or thirties, and he talked pleasantly with Chug while he was refueled.
"There you go, Captain!" Chug said as he finished. "Topped off with the finest jet fuel in Propwash Junction!"
"Roger that!" the Captain nodded in thanks as he departed for the runway.
"Take care!" Chug called after him.
Dusty rolled up beside his friend to get topped off himself, and he stared in awe after the Navy jet. "Whoa! Don't see that every day, huh Chug?"
"Yep, Dusty." Chug nodded, beginning to fill Dusty's tank. "An engine that powerful only takes the top-of-the-line jet fuel. It keeps those afterburners blazin'!"
"Awesome!" Dusty breathed. I'll be able to fly that fast one day.
Chug heard the click that indicated Dusty's tank was full. "Well, there ya go, Dusty!"
"Thanks, Chug!" Dusty said as he made his way to the runway.
"No problem!" Chug glanced to his fuel nozzle. I know Dottie says I shouldn't do this, but….. He did it anyway. He took a sip of the fuel he recently put into Dusty's tank. At the taste, Chug's eyes widened, and he realized he never switched out the fuel tanks to put the proper gas in Dusty's tank. He gasped. "It's the wrong fuel. Dusty!"
Too late.
Dusty shouted in surprise as flames shot from his exhaust pipes, and he suddenly rocketed down the runway at jet plane speed. Sky jumped, spinning around and staring after Dusty with her jaw dropped. She and Chug met halfway as they raced to the runway, staring after Dusty.
"What just happened?" Sky asked.
"I put jet fuel in his tank." Chug gulped.
Dusty yelped in pain as he tore through a section of the corn field, the stalks slapping against his hide and getting sliced in half by his propellers. He broke through the corn and noticed an elderly car slowly crossing at an intersection.
"Look out!" Dusty squeaked, desperately pulling up and shooting into the sky. He whooped a bit, rolling to fly upright again. But he yelped "On your right!" as he shot dangerously close to the fighter jet from before.
"Whoa!" the captain laughed, amazed.
Dusty shouted in surprise and fear, twin clouds of smoke following him everywhere he flew. "My fault!" He sped past the air traffic control tower, shaking it so much the attendant inside had to put a tine over his coffee mug so it wouldn't spill. Once Dusty passed, he casually began sipping the drink again. Dusty desperately tried to regain control over himself, but he couldn't stop his engine or thrust now that the jet fuel coursed through his system. He flew right over a neighbor napping in his driveway, causing his car alarm to go off.
"Sorry Thornhill!" Dusty called. "Whoa!" He ended up looping around the mountain behind town, wracking his brain for a way to safely land. Unfortunately, that's when he ran out of fuel from burning it off so quickly, and his propeller jerked to a halt. "Uh oh. No. No, no!" Dusty yelped, gliding much too quickly towards the runway. Sky and Chug jumped aside as Dusty screeched past them, the force of his braking tires on the tarmac sending the smell of burning rubber into the air. But he desperately dug his landing gear into the asphalt, knowing if he passed the edge of the runway he would fall over the cliff edge and straight to the rocks below. Luckily, Dusty came to a halt right at the edge of the runway, knocking loose pebbles that fell towards the sharp rocks at the bottom of the cliff. He panted heavily, relieved he didn't crash.
"Dusty!" Chug shouted. He, Sky, Mayday, Max, and a couple other Propwash residents hurried over to the crop duster, hoping he would be all right. Mayday had his hose ready on the off-chance any part of Dusty caught fire.
"Nice going, Chug!" Sky scolded. "He was going so fast his brain must be in his tail by now!"
Everyone gathered around Dusty without crowding him. "Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Chug said quickly, a little fearful when Dusty wouldn't turn around to face them. "Are you okay? Say something!"
Dusty panted a bit more. "That…..was…" Dusty spun around with an ecstatic smile plastered onto his lips. "AWESOME!"
"Are you sick in the canopy?" Sky demanded, hurrying to Dusty and looking him over. "You could've gotten hurt!"
"But did you see me?" Dusty laughed. "I was going so fast!"
"You were this close to being a smudge on a mountainside!" Sky corrected, pinching her thumb and forefinger together. "You could've blown an engine, or worse! Now you get your tail right over to Dottie so she can check you out!"
"Since when are you my mother?" Dusty scoffed. He cowered a bit under Sky's furious glare.
"Dottie. Now." Sky ordered.
"Yes ma'am!" Dusty said, quickly rolling off with Chug right beside him. Everyone else dispersed, thankful Dusty wasn't hurt. Dusty and Chug cast a look back towards Sky, who returned to her previous spot on the runway cliff. She cast a glance towards them, but averted her gaze in embarrassment.
"I don't think I've ever heard Sky talk like that." Chug said. "She sounded really scared for you."
Dusty thought for a moment. "You're right. Past the whole yelling at me thing, I guess she was kinda worried."
"Never thought she'd act like that towards one of us." Chug mused.
Dusty paused before they entered the Fill N' Fly, glancing to Sky. I think it's time we had a talk with Sparky.
"Glad to hear you're okay, Dust." Sparky said. "Most jet planes need to start taking that stuff slowly so they don't burn out their engine. It usually takes a little while for them to get used to it to the point where they can use it regularly."
"I think I'll still with my usual." Dusty admitted. He, Sparky, and Chug sat at a table in a café, chatting about the events from yesterday. Dusty started out with just a talk about what happened with the fuel, but there was a more important reason for calling Sparky to talk to him. He explained to Sparky about Sky's rather unusual reaction to his experience. To his and Chug's surprise, Sparky actually became excited.
"Really? That's how she reacted?" Sparky asked. "That's great!"
"Why?" Chug asked.
"It means she likes you!" Sparky said.
Chug and Dusty blinked simultaneously. "Huh?"
"She likes you guys! She wants to be friends with you!" Sparky said. "That's so great! I was hoping she'd find someone she liked."
"What are you talking about?" Dusty asked.
Sparky's face fell a bit, and he looked around. Though the coast seemed clear, he lowered his voice. "It's just that I worry about her sometimes. Sky doesn't have any friends to hang out with, and I would love it if she had some playmates when Skipper and I are busy."
"What do you mean she doesn't have any friends?" Dusty asked, confused.
"She doesn't have anyone in town she likes enough to hang out with." Sparky shrugged. "Except maybe Mayday and Max."
"But she's got friends back in Sterling, right?" Chug asked. "Maybe from the orphanage?"
"Not at all." Sparky said sadly. "Sky was pretty bitter when she was an orphan. She got angry at everything and everyone for the smallest reasons. The kids at school treated her like a freak, oftentimes because of how she looked. For the longest time, I was her only friend. I think I still am."
Chug and Dusty became shocked into silence. Dusty thought back to when he ran into Sky at the store the other day. He had assumed she was having a movie night with friends, but it's possible she really just did it alone.
"That's why I'm glad she seems to like you guys." Sparky said. "So, I need to ask a huge favor of you two."
"What is it?" Chug asked.
"Reach out to her. Be her friend." Sparky requested. "Let her know that, you know, she's not alone."
Dusty and Chug exchanged looks and smiled. "Anything you say, Sparky." Dusty nodded. He wasn't sure how he would avoid Skipper if he could, but for Sparky's and Sky's sakes, he could try.
Then came the next problem, as Chug and Dusty went over to the latter's hanger to discuss it: how to make friends with a girl.
"What do girls even like?" Dusty asked. "Dolls? Makeup?"
"Sky's not really much of a makeup person." Chug said thoughtfully. "But she loves toys like action figures. I always see her birdwatching with those binoculars she has. Come on, she's twelve. We just gotta think about what twelve-year-old girls like."
"Okay, let's see. Um…" Dusty bit his tongue a little in thought. "Boy bands?"
"Nah. She's a country music fan. You can tell by listening to what she sings under her breath now and then." Chug corrected.
"Well would she like any of the things we like?" Dusty asked.
"Like what?"
"Racing?"
"Nah."
"Playing in the mud?"
"Probably not."
"Movies?"
Chug thought for a moment. "Well, lots of people like movies. What kind would she watch?"
"You have a sister, don't you?" Dusty said. "What kinds of movies does she like?"
Chug made a face. "It's a bunch of girly stuff like magical ponies and frilly-dressed princesses. I can't even be in the same room as her when she watches that stuff!"
"I'll bet that's the kind of stuff Sky likes." Dusty mused.
"But my sister's eight." Chug protested.
"There's not that much of an age gap." Dusty reasoned. "I'd be willing to bet those kinds of movies are the kind Sky likes to watch. Why don't we invite her over to watch a couple?"
"You want us to watch girly princess pony movies?" Chug asked with a deadpan expression.
"It's for Sparky." Dusty reminded him.
Chug sighed. He'd do anything for his friend Sparky. Besides, he really did want to get to know Sky more now that she lived in their town. "Oh all right."
Needless to say, Sky was rather surprised when Dusty and Chug invited her over to watch a movie one afternoon. But she also felt excited, and she happily agreed after making a deal with Skipper that she would return home after eating dinner with Chug, Dusty, and Chug's family.
Sky skipped happily over to Chug's house, knocking on the door and greeting Chug's mother cheerily and politely. The female truck directed Sky to the living room, where Dusty and Chug waited patiently with a bowl of popcorn.
"So what are we going to watch?" Sky asked excitedly.
"You pick. We got all these." Chug said, gesturing to the several movie cases on the coffee table. Sky started looking through them, mildly surprised when she saw the titles of the movies. They all seemed rather…girly for something Chug and Dusty might be interested in. But she knew everyone was entitled to their own tastes, and some of these movies looked quite cool. Finally, she chose one that seemed perfect.
"My Little Pony: The Great Psych-Man Quest." Dusty read the title. "Huh. Not a bad choice. Especially for someone who is a psych-man."
"Yeah." Chug nodded. "Sounds cool." That was a lie from both of them. This was going to be a long two hours, but they knew they had to stay strong and do this for Sparky.
"It certainly looks interesting." Sky said as Chug put the movie in the player. "I always like to see how psyche humans are portrayed in movies. Nice comparison to the real thing." Chug and Dusty nodded in agreement, the former setting the movie to play.
As the previews rolled, the boys began to wonder what they got themselves into. Sure, they'd do anything for Sparky and they liked Sky. But she was a girl. They were boys. At this age, it was a commonality for the two genders to…well, just not see eye-to-eye. In hindsight, maybe watching movies together wasn't the greatest idea for a first playdate. They didn't talk for the entirety of the movie except for a couple bits of commentary. The only upside seemed to be that the boys could actually stand to watch this movie. Luckily for them, Sky chose a pony movie that was bearable to watch for non-fans (or parents).
"Cool movie." Sky said as the credits came.
"Yeah." Chug nodded aimlessly.
"Very…..adventurous." Dusty agreed.
Sky cast looks to them. "Did you not enjoy it?"
"Oh, no! We enjoyed it!" Dusty said hurriedly. "Right Chug?"
"Yeah!" Chug nodded much too enthusiastically. Sky raised an eyebrow at them. Chug cleared his throat. "Hey Mom! Dinner ready yet?"
"Haven't even started!" Chug's mother called from the kitchen. "It's only four. It'll be about an hour, so why don't you kids watch another movie until then?"
"Okay." Chug and Dusty called. They weren't exactly looking forward to another pony movie.
"Go ahead, Sky. You're the guest." Dusty encouraged.
"Yeah, you gotta pick the movie." Chug said.
Sky glanced to the movies still stacked on the coffee table when she noticed a small set of shelves next to the TV. "Hey, are those movies?" She crawled over to the shelves without waiting for a response.
"Well, yeah." Chug said. "But I don't know if you'd—"
"No way!" Sky gasped. "You have Mary Poppins? And Back to the Future?"
"You…like those movies?" Dusty asked. Mary Poppins he could understand, but Back to the Future?
"I have a lot of these at home!" Sky said happily, looking through the rows of movies. She gasped again as she pulled one of the cases down. "Holy Manufacturer! You have Jurassic Park?!"
"You've seen it?" Chug asked, surprised.
"Not yet, but boy did I want to!" Sky sighed. "Rosa wouldn't let me. She said it was much too scary for a little kid to watch. Have you guys seen it?"
"Long time ago." Dusty admitted. "You wanna watch it?"
"Yeah!" Sky cheered, hurriedly handing the movie to Chug so he could put it in.
Approximately two hours later…..
Chug's mother answered the knock on her front door and smiled warmly. "Well, hello Sparky! How nice to see you!"
"Hey! Is Sky still here?" Sparky asked.
"Oh yes. She and the boys are finishing their second movie in the living room." Chug's mother said, moving aside so Sparky could roll into the house. "I couldn't tear them away, so I just gave them dinner right in front of the TV."
Sparky chuckled, but inside he leaped for joy. Great! They're bonding! "Hey Sky! We gotta go home, kiddo!"
"Not yet!" Sky's frantic call came from the living room just down the hall. "Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler, Lex, and Tim are about to get eaten by velociraptors who know how to open freaking doors!"
Sparky and Chug's mother exchanged puzzled looks, and they quietly rolled into the living room. They struggled to stifle their giggles when they saw Chug, Dusty, and Sky keeping their stares fixed onto the TV screen, watching the final scenes of Jurassic Park. Chug cowered a bit when the dinosaurs seemed to be winning, but joined Sky and Dusty in cheering when the T. Rex came in and saved everyone. When the credits began, Sparky spoke up again.
"Come on, Sky. Time to get home." Sparky said.
Sky whined a little. "Okay." She stood and brushed off her jeans, giving Dusty and Chug hugs. "Thanks for inviting me over, guys! This was fun!"
"Yeah!" Chug nodded happily. "You wanna hang out with us tomorrow?"
"You can come help me train!" Dusty said excitedly.
"Sounds fun!" Sky nodded. "Can I, Sparky? Can I?"
Sparky laughed. "Sure, Sky. But let's get home and get ready for bed."
"Okay. Bye Chug! Bye Dusty!" Sky walked beside Sparky as they departed the house. Sparky looked back to the boys and mouthed "Thank you." The boys nodded with smiles. Hanging out with Sky turned out better than they thought.
"Between movies tonight and hanging out tomorrow, Sky will be our friend in no time!" Chug said as he escorted Dusty home.
"This could be fun!" Dusty agreed.
The next day, Sky met with Dusty and Chug after breakfast and the three of them hurried off. Dusty took to the skies while Chug carried Sky to his lookout hill to watch Dusty fly over the fields around Propwash Junction.
"So what's he doing?" Sky asked, sitting cross-legged on the ground in front of Chug.
"Dusty's training to be a racer!" Chug explained excitedly. "So I'm going to spot him while he practices. You know, in case he needs help."
"Cool!" Sky breathed. She kept her eyes locked on the orange-and-white plane, watching him zip about the air and zoom past the fields. He did loops and flips, practicing turns and keeping his torque in the red to push his speed. But the more Sky watched him, the closer she tried to scoot towards him until Chug had to pull her away from the edge of the cliff for safety's sake. Sky stared at Dusty longingly. She liked her nickname Sky for more than just avoiding the formality of being called "Skylar." Her greatest wish, her most often dreamt dream, was to fly herself. It's all she ever wanted. Watching Dusty soar through the air and glide over the land only made her desire grow stronger, and she longed for the day she could sprout wings or something.
Chug blinked in surprise when Sky stood and began walking back towards town. "Where ya goin'?"
"Back to town. I'm getting hungry." Sky said, forcing a smile. "You and Dusty enjoy training." She turned and jogged off before Chug could respond.
Dusty happily shot back and forth across the corn fields, glancing back towards Chug and Sky. But he blinked in surprise to see Sky apparently walked off. In fact, Chug waved at him with his fuel nozzle arm, so Dusty banked around and flew over the truck.
"What's wrong with Sky?" Dusty called. Chug shrugged his fuel nozzle, looking rather confused himself. Dusty began flying around to land, growing worried. Why would Sky leave? Wasn't she having fun? Friendships don't normally develop so quickly, but he had hoped she would grow more attached to them with today's events. Why would she leave?
Dusty landed on the runway and began rolling towards Chug. But he paused when he saw Sky standing on her favorite spot on the cliff, her arms spread as she let the gentle breeze push against her. She looked so peaceful. Dusty couldn't bear to break her trance.
Then, it clicked in Dusty's head, and he grew excited as he resumed his search for Chug. The two of them met right outside the Fill N' Fly.
"What's wrong with Sky?" Chug asked. "She looked like she was having fun and then she just left."
"I think I know what's wrong, and I know how to fix it." Dusty said excitedly. "But we're going to need some help from a good mechanic."
Chug grinned. "Hey Dottie!" He called, driving into the Fill N' Fly with Dusty right beside him. Their forklift friend organized her tools in her section of the shop, but she paused and looked to the boys with a raised eye frame.
"Those smiles are never a good sign." Dottie sighed. "What do you want this time?"
"You're going to call us crazy—" Dusty started.
"No." Dottie said firmly, resuming her organizing.
"Come on, Dottie!" Chug pleaded. "You don't even know what we want!"
"I know it's probably something stupid and dangerous." Dottie said, remembering past stunts the boys pulled off with her unwilling help. "Remember the Flaming Hoop Incident?"
"This is nothing like that!" Chug insisted.
"How?" Dottie demanded.
Chug paused. "How is it different, Dusty?"
"It's for a friend." Dusty said. "It's for Sky."
Dottie immediately became interested. "Skylar Riley?"
"Yeah." Dusty nodded. "I want to give her something special. Something that will show her we want to be her friend and that she can trust us to be her friends."
"Well, what do you want me to do?" Dottie asked. She always wanted to get close to Sky, but she never knew how to approach the seemingly reclusive child.
Dusty's smile grew, if it were possible at that moment. "Why pretend to fly when you can have a true experience?"
Days later, Chug nervously approached the hanger of Skipper Riley, knowing what he had to do but wishing he didn't have to do it. Still, he gathered his courage and knocked briskly on the door. When it opened, he cowered again when Skipper Riley himself answered.
Chug gulped. "H-hey, Skipper. I mean, uh, Commander Riley, sir."
Skipper glared in response.
"So, uh, I was just wondering if…..uh….if Sky was available…..to, you know, hang out?" Chug asked timidly.
Skipper's glare deepened. Suddenly, Sky appeared beside him looking excited. "Can I, Dad? Please?"
Skipper cast his daughter a look, pondering the idea for a moment. He sighed a bit. "Be safe. Be home before dinner."
"Thanks Dad!" Sky jumped up on his wing and kissed his side. "Love you! Bye!" She jumped down and followed Chug back towards the Fill N' Fly. Skipper rolled his eyes a bit and backed into the hanger.
"Why did he say yes to you but he glared at me?" Chug asked.
"I don't think he likes you and Dusty." Sky shrugged, continuing her jog. Chug wasn't sure how he felt about that; but, then again, Skipper didn't really like anybody except Sparky and Sky. So he shook it off and led Sky to Dusty and Dottie waiting just outside the Fill N' Fly.
"Hey Sky!" Dusty greeted, careful to fully face the girl. "Glad you could make it."
"Sure." Sky nodded. "What's this all about?"
"Well, we wanted to give you a special gift." Chug said. "Because we know you've always wanted to fly."
Sky rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Well, kinda….."
"Ta-da!" Dusty turned so Sky could see the side of him, and she blinked in surprise. Thanks to Dottie's handiwork, Dusty now had a sort of chair backrest sticking out of his back, in front of his antenna, and a handlebar attached to his canopy.
"Uh…." Sky blinked a few times in confusion. "Huh?"
"Here, put this on." Dottie instructed, handing the girl a strange object made of straps tied together. "It's like a rock climbing harness. We'll hook it onto the handlebar and then you won't fall off."
"Oh." Sky nodded, pulling on the harness and buckling it snugly over her body. She blinked. "Wait, what?"
Suddenly, Chug lifted Sky up and placed her right on Dusty's back, forcing her to lean into the backrest. She suddenly realized what was happening as Dottie hooked two straps of the harness to the handlebar, keeping Sky secure.
"Ready, Sky?" Dusty asked as he began rolling towards the runway.
Sky instantly grabbed the handlebar, suddenly nervous. "Are you sure about this?"
"Don't worry. It'll be fun." Dusty assured. "Just hang on tight!"
"No problem." Sky swallowed.
Dusty smiled reassuringly and kicked up his engine power to full throttle. His propeller began spinning, and a little smoke exited his exhaust pipes. Sky squeezed her eyes shut as Dusty started rolling down the runway, picking up speed and pulling up into the air. He tried to keep his speed down for now, waiting for Sky's reaction. After a moment of feeling the wind in her hair, Sky tentatively opened an eye to peer out at the scenery. Her eyes fully opened and she stared in awe.
Sky saw these fields dozens of times in the year she lived in Propwash Junction. But now, she could look down and see her and Dusty's shadows as they flew over them. Her hair, once loose around her shoulders, now billowed behind her like a black torch flame. This was nothing like how she felt when the wind pressed against her while her feet stayed on the ground. She could feel the currents in the air as Dusty glided smoothly through them. She felt Dusty's movements as he turned, her body shifting as he went left, right, up, and down. Her grip on the handlebar loosened, and she slowly spread her arms out.
Pure euphoria.
Sky laughed a bit, and then she started whooping and cheering. Dusty laughed, picking up speed and zipping across the fields. Sky continued to laugh, grabbing the handlebar again as Dusty flew faster and faster. The two of them laughed and cheered as they flew around. Chug and Dottie watched from the cliff near the runway, smiling broadly at the sound of the laughter.
Dusty slowed down after several minutes, still smiling broadly. "What do you think? Pretty fun?"
Sky sighed blissfully. "Oh Dusty. This is so amazing!" She hugged his canopy. "Thank you."
Dusty's smile grew. I did it! Yes! "Hey, how about a tour of the river and a quick loop around the forest?"
"Yeah!" Sky nodded. "Let's go!"
Dusty gave Chug a call over the radio to let him know where they were going, and he turned and flew off towards the river. Sky was still in amazement, finally understanding what a bird's-eye view truly looked like. This was even better than sprouting wings. She was flying for the first time in her life.
Thank you, Dusty. Sky thought. Thank you so much.
Just as they finished their loop around the forest near town, Dusty got a call on his radio. He begrudgingly answered, not exactly happy that someone interrupted his lovely flight with Sky.
"Mayday! Mayday! Chug to Dusty!"
"Whoa, whoa!" Dusty whispered so Sky couldn't hear him over the wind. "What's the matter?"
"It's the Skipper!" Chug said hurriedly, sounding panicked. "He's looking for Sky! He looked mad too!"
Uh oh. Dusty thought. A mad Skipper was even worse than a normal Skipper. "Okay, we're on our way." He turned off his radio and looked back towards Sky. "Hey Sky. We gotta land. I'm, uh, running low on fuel."
"Oh. Okay." Sky said, sounding mildly disappointed. But she didn't complain as Dusty headed back towards the runway and landed smoothly, taxiing over to the Fill N' Fly. Sky began to unhook herself from the handlebar. "Well, I better get home."
"Yeah." Dusty nodded. "I hope you had fun."
"This was so much fun!" Sky nearly squealed, jumping to Dusty's wing and hugging him. "Thank you, Dusty."
"No problem." Dusty assured, happy Sky seemed to grow closer to him. "Just, uh, don't tell your dad, okay?"
"Why not?" Sky asked.
"Well, I just don't know how he'll react." Dusty said. "No offense, but your dad can be kind of a—" Dusty paused when a shadow passed over him, and he looked up and immediately shut his trap.
Skipper Riley glared down at the young crop duster.
"Dad! Sparky!" Sky laughed, jumping down from Dusty's wing and hopping up onto Skipper's. Sparky stood behind the Corsair, pushing him along. "Dad! Sparky! I flew!" Sky said excitedly.
"I saw." Skipper assured, still giving Dusty the mother of all death glares. Dusty suddenly felt as small as a bug, and he began praying for a quick death. But Skipper continued to speak to his daughter. "Come along, Skylar. We're going home now."
"Okay!" Sky nodded, so excited from the ride she didn't even notice Skipper's glare. "Bye Dusty!"
Dusty couldn't even say "bye" back, cowering under Skipper's glare as Sparky turned the Corsair around and pushed him and Sky home. Dusty remained frozen in place for a long moment.
Chug and Dottie hurried up to him. "Dusty!" Chug yelped. "Are you okay? What did Skipper do to you?"
Dusty swallowed. "Nothing. He just glared at me."
"Oh man." Chug groaned.
"Okay, so maybe we should've asked him before taking Sky out flying." Dottie admitted. "But at least all he did was glare."
"But this might've just ruined our chances at being Sky's friend." Dusty sighed. Chug and Dottie went silent, realizing Dusty was right. After witnessing their little stunt, no way would Commander Skipper Riley allow his daughter to go anywhere near them again.
So much for being Sky's friend.
Dusty and Chug hardly saw Sky for the next week or so. Most of the time, they caught glimpses of her in the firehouse with Mayday and Max. But they tried to avoid her, afraid of what Skipper would do to them after their little stunt. It was disappointing for both of them. What started as a favor for Sparky turned into a genuine bond beginning to form between them and Sky. They wanted to talk to her again and strengthen their bond, but that just didn't seem possible anymore.
Dusty didn't even notice that he still had the backrest and handlebar until Chug pointed it out one day. So the two of them journeyed to Dottie's shop to get them removed. But just as they rounded the corner towards the Fill N' Fly, they ran into none other than Sky.
"Oh, hey guys!" Sky greeted warmly. "I was just looking for you!"
"You were?" Chug asked nervously. "Why?"
"I wanted to talk to you about the flying thing." Sky said.
"Don't worry about it." Dusty said. "I'm going to get the backrest and handlebar removed now."
Sky's face fell. "What? But I wanna go flying with you again."
"But your dad will never let you." Dusty protested.
"He will." Sky assured. "He was plenty mad at you two and really worried about me, but I managed to calm him down. We made a deal."
"A deal?" Dusty and Chug repeated.
Sky nodded. "As long as you promise to keep me safe, as long as I never get hurt, Dad says I can keep flying with you."
"Really?" Dusty asked, beginning to smile.
"As long as you promise I won't get hurt." Sky reminded him.
Dusty nodded. "Of course! Sky, I'll never let anything happen to you. That's what friends are for."
Sky's eyes brightened to shine like little blue-green diamonds. She smiled warmly. "Thanks, Dusty. You too, Chug. You're both great friends."
Dusty smiled back, and he came forward to nuzzle Sky lovingly. Sky hugged him, and Chug joined in the warm hug. "I'm glad we're friends, Sky." Chug said.
"Me too." Dusty said. He smirked. "So, if you're allowed to fly with me again, are you up for another round?"
Sky grinned. "You better believe I am!"
A/N: Some of you might remember that the scene with Dusty and the jet fuel is his character promo from before the first Planes film's release. I altered it just a little bit so I could have a younger Dusty and Chug in the scene. There's not much of a difference, but in the short Air Mater, the Fill N' Fly went by a different name and I wanted to line up the events a little differently.
Hope you enjoyed this one! It was awfully fun to write!